The Awakening (25 page)

“The stones created in that manner cost the least, so they are the most popular.” The dark haired girl grinned and crinkled her nose. “Though they don’t turn out as pretty.”

“What about a fingernail?” Jahrra queried, holding her hands out before her.

Torrell shook her head as she stepped around a group of street performers. “Not your best feature.”

Jahrra screwed up her mouth. She was right about that. She tended to keep her fingernails short; made it easier to wield a sword and a bow.

“Well, what would you suggest?”

Torrell stopped on the walkway that ran parallel to the busy street. She looked Jahrra up and down.

“Your hair.”

Jahrra pulled her braid over her shoulder and studied the tufted end. She shrugged.

“It would be the easiest and least painful.”

“And not the most expensive, but prettier than spit,” Torrell said with a wink. “But blood is the best to use.”

Jahrra lifted a brow in question.

Torrell took a breath. “The stone crafters say blood makes the spirit stones that are richest in color and with the highest level of hardness. It is also thought that, because you use blood and blood comes from the heart, they contain the most spirit of the person the blood was taken from.”

Torrell shrugged and Jahrra digested what she’d told her. Grimacing, she lifted her hand and looked at it.

“How much blood do they take, and how do they get it?”

Torrell barked out a laugh. “Don’t look so terrified! They only prick your finger and take a drop or two, honestly. You should see your face!”

Jahrra crinkled her nose, disgruntled at her friend’s humor. “I can handle that,” she said at last, then grinned and proclaimed, “my blood it is!”

Torrell returned the grin and they continued on down the road. They passed a few more tall buildings and then Torrell led them down a wide alley that served more as a street for the tiny shops on either side. It was a bit darker than the main road, but it was quieter too.

“Most of the shops down here deal in magical merchandise,” Torrell said. “Those with the gift of magic prefer a quieter place to work so any time you go out seeking magic, you’ll find it in the quietest alleys and corners of the city.”

Jahrra nodded, grateful to her friend and her seemingly unending wealth of knowledge about Lidien. A crooked signpost on the corner of the sidewalk showed the name of the narrow lane: Tynne Alley. Strange smells, though not all of them unpleasant, tickled Jahrra’s nose as they moved deeper into the space between the buildings. A few of the shops had animal guardians stretched out before the stoop or perching upon a specially crafted branch.

Jahrra gawked in awe, recognizing many of the creatures Hroombra had taught her about as a child. In front of a shop with a sign that read
Elixirs for the Unusual Malady
, a jehranin stretched out upon a rough mat, its belly upturned as it wiggled to scratch its back, purring in a strange cadence that was similar to birdsong. A few doors down at a shop that supplied herbs, a cape bird sat quietly dozing on a twisted branch protruding from a stand. Jahrra didn’t see it at first, for it had taken on the colors of the window display right behind it. A quick twitch and the fluid motion of its leg whipping out to scratch at an itch near its eye was what gave it away.

“Come on, stop lollygagging! We want to get there before all the other shoppers do,” Torrell hissed as she grabbed Jahrra’s arm and yanked her bedazzled friend away.

“Did you see the cape bird?” she whispered, pointing back over her shoulder.

Torrell rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, those are more common than dogs in Lidien now. Someone managed to catch a few and thought it would be a great idea to start marketing quills made from their feathers.”

Jahrra blinked. “You make that sound like a bad thing.”

Torrell glanced back as they moved farther away from the bird that had flown to the ground, pecking for crumbs, its feathers now the hue and pattern of the cobblestones.

She took a breath and said dryly, “It
is
a bad thing. People could never find their pens.”

Jahrra raised her eyebrows in understanding. She imagined it would be fun to watch her quill take on the color of whatever it touched, but having to search for it every time she needed it would be counter-productive.

A flash of light and a puff of yellow smoke burst from a door on the left but the girls were able to sidestep the customers who fled from the building, coughing and gagging.

“That can’t be good for business,” Torrell muttered as she waved the acrid smoke away.

Jahrra blinked the sting from her eyes and they moved on.

A few more shops, these ones selling books and charms, greeted them on their way but finally Torrell stopped and sighed, “Here we are!”

Jahrra looked up at the sign hanging above the large door:
Tynne Alley Jewelers – Creators of the Highest Quality Spirit Stones in Lidien.

The store was much bigger than the others they had passed and all manner of gems and stones glinted from the shelves just inside the window. Jahrra peered farther down the alley and noticed that this store stood on the corner of the building. The street just beyond was much narrower than the main road they left several shops back and boasted a small park across the way.

“This is it,” Torrell said as she reached for the handle of the rather round door. “It isn’t as big as the jeweler’s shop near the center of town but I think this shop produces better stones. And they won’t charge you an arm and a leg either.”

She grimaced at the unintended pun and motioned Jahrra to step forward into the cheery room in front of her.

The interior of the small corner store was larger than she expected and brighter as well, with stone floors and counters. A bell jangled as they crossed the threshold and a strange mewling sound drew Jahrra’s attention to the far corner of the room. A mynex lay curled up on a mat, its long, thick-furred tail wrapped around its cream-colored body. A pair of deep green eyes stared back at them from its squat, cat-like face.

Jahrra admired the creature as Torrell commented, “Acts as a guard dog, in case the owner is away from the front desk.”

Jahrra nodded her understanding just as a curtain placed in the back of the room parted and someone stepped forward. The young woman, young
elf
, approached them gracefully with an abstemious look on her face. Her hair was nearly the color of corn silk and she wore well-tailored robes that were clearly meant only to be worn at the work place. As she drew nearer, her serious look softened as she scrutinized Jahrra and Torrell with pale grey eyes.

“May I help you ladies?”

Her voice was kind and Jahrra felt herself relax a bit. She tilted her head ever so slightly and a scarred patch of skin at the base of her neck became exposed.

“I-I wanted,” Jahrra began, trying not to be distracted by the scar. It looked like it had been caused by fire.

Torrell took over, using her no-nonsense tone of voice. “My friend here would like to purchase a spirit stone.”

“Ahhh,” the elvin woman said, smiling a little. “We are best known for our spirit stones. If you would follow me?”

The elf gestured as she moved through another curtain. Jahrra nodded, letting out a held breath as she and Torrell left the airiness of the shop’s main room. A strange smell and a darker atmosphere met them on the other side of the curtain and Jahrra nearly panicked, but Torrell was a solid, un-worried source of support behind her. Jahrra bit her lip, wondering how her friend never seemed to get shaken by anything, save for Jaax. In the center of the room there sat a large cauldron, the small fire below it nothing compared to the green glow leaking from its contents.

“I shall fetch mother and father, they are the experts. Please, don’t touch anything until I return.”

The elvin girl gave a short bow and left the way she came.

“Kind of spooky, isn’t it?” Torrell teased as she crossed her arms.

Jahrra nodded, but she wasn’t sure if Torrell noticed in the dark.

“So, how exactly is this done again?” Jahrra asked to pass the time.

Torrell heaved a sigh and answered, “They take whatever it is you give them that you want turned into the stone, then they say a few enspelled words, add a few ingredients for binding then wait about an hour. After that, they set the stone in whatever material you want. It usually doesn’t take that long because they use magic.”

Jahrra nodded again, her eyes fixated on the swirling green liquid in the cauldron. A minute later, the curtain parted and the girl was back bringing who Jahrra could only assume were her parents.

“We hear you would like to commission a spirit stone. Would you like to hear about your options and settle on a comfortable price before we begin?”

Jahrra felt her shoulders sag in relief. Perhaps they had a special deal on spirit stones at the moment; she had a feeling that whatever she wished to create for Jaax would be expensive. The cost of a gold chain for a pendant that would be large enough to fit a dragon was painful even to think about.

“Well,” Jahrra began, “the stone will be for a dragon. I’m not sure if that makes a difference.”

The elvin woman in the darker robes smiled. “As long as you aren’t looking for something exceedingly large, then it shouldn’t. We’ve had several customers commission spirit stones for their dragon friends, and the most common form of jewelry they chose were rings.”

Jahrra’s eyebrows shot up. A ring wouldn’t be too bad. It would probably take the least amount of silver or gold to create and it wouldn’t be as cumbersome as a chain around the neck, or as ostentatious. She recalled Jaax’s attitude towards the chain and blood rose pendant he had to wear for Coalition meetings. But a ring, and perhaps one not overly ornate; that she could picture him wearing. She had seen rings on other dragons, anything from elaborately carved gold to simple circles encrusted with tiny stones. That particular piece of jewelry looked good on the reptilian creatures. Jahrra just hoped Jaax would like the ring she picked out. She swallowed hard, feeling suddenly nervous.

She shook her head and tried to dislodge the uneasy feeling. “I think a ring is exactly what I’m looking for.”

The woman smiled. “An excellent choice. I will go fetch some samples for you to look at while my husband here explains pricing and such.”

The woman left, taking her daughter with her. Jahrra and Torrell were left with the elvin man.

“Now, do you know about the process of creating a spirit stone?” he asked, his voice kind and patient.

Jahrra nodded. “I know a little of it, my friend told me.”

She gestured towards Torrell and the girl smiled, pulling out her own spirit stone. “My sister and mother visited a year ago and had this made for me.”

The elf leaned forward, his pale hair falling over his shoulder as he tried to get a good look at the stone in the dim light.

Eventually, his brows arched and he smiled. “Ahhh, yes, I remember this stone! A woman with a little girl who had a head full of bouncing curls.”

Torrell laughed. “Yes, that would be Renaya.”

The elvin man straightened and cleared his throat, turning his attention to Jahrra now. “What do you wish to sacrifice in order to make this stone?”

Jahrra blanched at his word choice, but finally said, “My blood,” as she offered the index finger of her right hand.

The man nodded and took out a small lancet from one of his many pockets.

He paused then looked up at her, his brow wrinkling. “Do you favor your right or left hand?”

“Right,” Jahrra answered, wondering why it mattered.

“Best give me your left hand, then. Your finger might be sore for a day or two and I wouldn’t want it to hinder you in any way.”

Jahrra obeyed then watched him prick her finger. The pain was sharp but over quickly. A thick bead of blood formed on her fingertip and she watched as it began to drip down the length of her finger.

“Allow some of it to fall in here,” the elf held out a small glass tube.

He watched as the tube filled halfway, then handed Jahrra a bandage to bind her finger with.

He eyed the blood carefully then smiled. “This shall do.”

Stoppering the tube and placing it carefully on the table beside the cauldron, the elf addressed Jahrra again, “Now, what I will be doing shortly might seem strange to you, so I’ll explain it. The potion in this cauldron stays constant, unless awakened by magic, so I will be speaking a few words of power over it. The liquid will seem to speed up and will grow clearer. I will need to add a few things to it to help with the binding of the stone, then I will pour in your blood.”

He paused to make sure Jahrra was listening. Jahrra nodded.

“It will take the stone about an hour to form and there is no guarantee on what it will look like when it comes out. Once formed, my wife and daughter will set it in a ring for you. As soon as they return, you’ll have the opportunity to pick out a design and metal you wish to use. That is when we can discuss pricing.”

At that moment, the women returned with two velvet boxes. The light in the room was improved with a few spoken words and soon Jahrra was looking at several sample rings and the designs on each. She automatically brushed aside the rings with ornate etchings of flowers and vines. Jaax would never wear something so fancy and she would not want to see him doing so. Such frivolous decorations didn’t match his personality in the least. No, she needed to find a ring that represented his stubborn, well-controlled spirit. After looking at most of the rings, Jahrra was getting worried. They were all beautiful but too boastful in their opulence. There were a few very plain rings but she wanted there to be some sort of etched design on the final product.