Nora and the Sacred Stones

by Laura Hatch Rupper

  “I have to.”

  “They’ll put you in prison.”

  “No, they won’t,” Nora said firmly. “I have something they need.”

  “What do you have that they need?” Beck asked.

  “Power.” She could feel the truth of her statement even as she said it.

  Limar must have known she spoke the truth too. He didn’t contradict her but said bitterly, “What about Mama and Dani? You’re just going to abandon them?”

  “Never,” Nora said. “I’ll help them every way I can.”

  “What about me?” Limar choked out. “I need you too.”

  She took her pack from Beck and carefully pulled out the revar. “You can do this,” she said as she handed the flask to Limar.

  He took it and slumped in resignation, tears silently running down his cheeks. “I’ll take care of Mama and Dani. You don’t need to worry.”

  In that moment, Nora could see the man Limar was going to be someday. She swallowed the lump in her throat, pulled the two silver coins out of her knapsack, and swung the bag over her shoulder. She knew she had to go back to Palace Liard, but the decision was hard. Straightening up, she resolved one last time to be strong for Limar and Beck.

  She walked over to Beck and placed the coins in his hand. “You’re a good man.” Nora hugged him, and Beck flushed.

  “Be safe,” he said softly. “I’m sorry I pestered you.”

  Nora patted him on the back and offered a shaky smile. “It’s alright. You take care of Limar. The boy seriously can’t cook a thing.”

  Turning toward Limar, Nora wrapped her arms snugly around him, pulling him in close. The only sound for a long moment was Limar’s soft crying.

  “I swear by the seven sacred stones that we will see each other again,” Nora said. Limar didn’t say anything but hugged her tighter.

  Nora looked back toward Clove. The sun was almost behind the earth-vapor. It was time. She leaned into her brother and whispered softly, “Limar, the stones are alive. I can feel them pulling me back. Your mission lies in a different direction, but if the earth is willing, we will be together again soon.”

  Nora dropped her arms to her sides and quickly stepped away. She tightly grasped the strap of her knapsack and stumbled down the path toward the road, toward the injured soldier, and toward the pull of the stones.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Question for Question

  “Ivin,” Kyn said, holding out a cup of tea, “the healer left this.” Sir Ivin slowly shifted to a seated position and took the tea.

  Kyn felt so helpless. “It will help with the pain,” he said. But it wouldn’t cure Ivin. What good was being a prince if he couldn’t even save the people he cared about?

  Sir Ivin sipped the tea. When he was done, he set the empty cup on a little table. “I don’t want to die here,” he said. “I want to be with my family.”

  Kyn looked around the generic inn room with its simple furniture. It was horrible that they had come to this. “Are you up for traveling home?”

  “Yes,” Ivin said. “We should leave immediately and travel through the night. We don’t have any time to waste.”

  “I’ll get our gear together,” Kyn said. He blinked rapidly, determined not to cry again. It would be good to get Ivin home. Lyli would be able to make concoctions far better than the tea the healer had provided.

  Yes. Home was the right decision.

  The innkeeper knocked on the door. “Your Highness, the healer brought this compress for your nose.” He handed Kyn a medicinal smelling linen bag, and Kyn gratefully placed it against his swollen face. The innkeeper cleared his throat. “One more thing, sire. There’s a girl here. She says she has something important to tell you.”

  “A girl?” Kyn’s question was muffled by the compress.

  “Yes, sire. A red-headed peasant girl.”

  It couldn’t be? Could it?

  “Send her in,” Kyn said.

  Kyn lowered the compress as Nora walked through the door. She really had come back.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked. “You got away.”

  “I came back to help your soldier.”

  Kyn rubbed the back of his neck. Why would she come back to help Ivin? She didn’t even know him. “Are you a healer?” he asked.

  Nora shook her head. “No, but I made a healing revar in your kitchen for my little sister.”

  “Can anyone verify it was really a revar?” Kyn asked. He thought back to his conversation with Lyli in the library. She had certainly seemed to think that a revar was a very real possibility, but Kyn still wasn’t sure. Could this peasant girl actually make revars? Could anyone?

  “Yes, sire,” Nora said. “My teacher. Teacher Worthing. He collects ancient stone texts. He lives here in Clove. The book on revars that I left in your kitchen actually belongs to him.”

  Kyn waved his hand dismissively. “Just because you have a book doesn’t mean you can make a revar. Most people don’t even believe revars are real.”

  Nora gave a small smile. “Teacher Worthing took a sip of my revar, and his bad knee was healed immediately.”

  “Where’s this revar now?” Ivin asked.

  “My brother is taking it back to my village as we speak. I made it for my little sister.” Nora took a breath before continuing. “But I’m confident that I can make another. I would just need to access a Ballutite stone at Palace Liard, and I would need the instructions in the book that I left in your kitchen.”

  Kyn narrowed his eyes. There must be something in it for Nora. Money? Fame? Why else would she surrender to them? “You are still under arrest,” he said touching his sore nose. The mug she had hit him with had done its job thoroughly.

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Nora said looking down, her hands clasped together.

  Now she was being respectful? Looking at her, you might be fooled into thinking she was a meek, dutiful peasant. But Kyn knew better. Both in the palace and the canteen, Nora had proven she had plenty of heat inside her. Kyn would have to watch her carefully.

  Ivin moved slowly, struggling, but determined to get to his feet. “Your Highness, if there is even a chance that this girl can make a revar, we have to at least let her try.”

  “Even with the compresses, the poison is going to continue to spread,” Nora added. “Sir Ivin’s life depends on how quickly I can get back to the palace.”

  Kyn drew his hand over his face, touching his swollen nose. Was he crazy to attempt the tunnel to Toren with a dying man and a girl who had stolen from him, lied to him, and willfully tried to injure him? But what choice did he have? In any case, Ivin wanted to be with his family. They had to risk it.

  Kyn nodded, making his decision. “Nora stays in my sight at all times.” He quickly packed up the essentials of their gear, leaving behind extra clothing and equipment. He flung both his and Ivin’s travel bags over his left arm and reached out to support Ivin with his right.

  “Nora, take Ivin’s other side, and help me get him down the stairs,” he said.

  “I can manage the stairs on my own, Your Highness,” Ivin replied with a resolute scowl.

  Kyn and Nora grabbed all the supplies, and the three of them awkwardly made their way down the back stairs of the inn and over to the stables.

  Kyn looked to Nora. “Can you ride a pac?” he asked

  “I never have, Your Highness, but I’m willing to try.”

  “We don’t have time for a lesson. You’ll just have to ride with me.”

  The look on Nora’s face told Kyn how much she disliked the idea, but she didn’t say anything.

  Kyn arranged for three pacs at the stable, two to ride and a smaller one to carry gear. He kept turning to check on Nora, expecting her to run away, but every time he looked, she was there beside Ivin.

  Kyn helped Ivin onto a pac and
then mounted his own. Leaning over, he grabbed Nora around the waist and swung her up in front of him.

  “Go the pace you feel comfortable at,” Kyn instructed Ivin.

  “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  Ivin spurred his pac on, and Kyn followed, keeping Nora steady as the pac made its sure-footed way toward the tunnels. Every time the pac went up a slope, Nora arched away from him instead of moving with the pull of gravity. It might be enjoyable, having his arms around a girl, if only she’d loosen up. It was going to be a long seven hours if Nora couldn’t figure out how to move with the pac.

  The travelers rode in awkward silence until Kyn paid the gateman and they entered the tunnel.

  “Relax,” said Kyn.

  If anything, she stiffened even more.

  “Look,” he said, “riding a pac is about moving with the animal. If you keep your muscles this tense, every jolt is going to hurt.”

  “I guess I’m just not the kind of person who relaxes very easily,” Nora said.

  His father always said that Kyn was far too easy-going. Maybe sometimes, like on the back of a pac, being mellow was a good thing. Perhaps he could take her mind off whatever she was tense about and get her to open up.

  “Question for question?” he asked.

  “Pardon, sire?”

  “Question for question. It’s an old tradition—a game. Have you ever heard of it?”

  “No.”

  “You just take turns asking each other questions.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes,” Kyn said. “I ask you a question, and you have to answer honestly. Then you get to ask me one in return. If you hate the question, you can take a pass, but then you lose a point.”

  “What does the winner get?”

  “A kiss,” said Kyn with a smile.

  “From the pac or from Ivin?” Nora asked.

  Kyn laughed. “Fine. How about the loser has to forgive the winner of one grudge?” He touched his puffy nose again.

  “Alright,” Nora said a bit hesitantly.

  “I’ll ask first,” Kyn said. “Let’s see. . .” Most of the questions he really wanted to ask would make her more tense. He’d start light and try to work his way up. “What’s your family like?”

  Nora sighed, and her shoulders sagged. Maybe that wasn’t the best question to start with. She must be sad to leave them.

  For a moment, Kyn thought she wouldn’t answer, but then she said, “My father died when I was twelve. My mother is beautiful and sweet. Limar, my little brother, thinks he’s a man, but he’s only thirteen. He argues with me about everything.”

  Her voice shook as she continued. “Dani is ten. Her legs don’t work. She was born with them twisted. She’s bright and happy, though, and she’s the best part of our family. She deserves a chance to walk.”

  “Hence the revar?”

  Nora nodded.

  They rode silently as they reached a rocky stretch of the tunnel. Ivin was setting a slow but steady pace ahead of them.

  “Well?” Kyn finally asked. “Where’s my question?”

  Nora tilted her head. “How did you know where to find me?”

  “Ulabet, the woman who drew you the map, told me that you had mentioned passing through Clove.”

  “I hope I didn’t get her in trouble.”

  “She’s fine. It was good to see her again. She most certainly isn’t in any trouble.” Kyn tugged Nora closer. “If you relax against me, you’ll have a backrest.”

  Surprisingly, she leaned back. Kyn had never had his arms around a girl before, except while dancing. He liked this feeling of having Nora close, but that was also confusing. How could you enjoy having your arms around someone you didn’t trust?

  It was his turn for a question. “Do you have a sweetheart?”

  “No,” she said, then shot a question right back at him. “Has your marriage been arranged yet?”

  “No,” he sighed. “My parents think twenty-three will be the right age for me to get married, although they’ll betroth me to someone before then.”

  “Which house will she be from?”

  “Two questions in a row?” Kyn teased.

  “Sorry.”

  Kyn sighed, and the teasing tone left his voice. “She’ll probably be from whichever house we need to trade with at the time, but my guess is House Bearl. My father has been trying to replace our Kioline for almost a decade. Not to mention King Samson and Queen Miah have a daughter who is only four years younger than me,”

  He spent a lot of time in his life avoiding thinking about unpleasant things, and his arranged marriage was top of the list. Maybe it would turn out alright in the end, though. Ivin’s marriage had been arranged, and he seemed to love his wife deeply. Just because Kyn’s parents were unhappy didn’t mean he would be.

  Kyn shook his head. He didn’t want to think about his potential betrothal. “My turn. Are you really a concoctor?”

  “No. At least I don’t think so. I love to cook for my family, but that’s all. My job is making stone paper with Mama and Limar.”

  Nora paused. “What’s your concoctor like?”

  Kyn tightened his arm around Nora’s waist. “Lyli is wonderful. She’s been our concoctor since before I was born. She makes concoctions from her stock of infusions every time I’m sick. I’m not in the kitchen that often, but I’ve never heard anyone who works for her complain. She’s strict, but fair. Everyone respects her—even my parents.”

  Nora made no comment. What was she thinking? Would she want to stay and work with Lyli? Would she even be allowed to? Kyn watched Ivin navigating his pac and noticed that the wounded soldier was nearly lying down on his mount.

  “Are you alright, Ivin?” Kyn asked.

  Ivin twisted around on his pac. Even by orb-light his face looked pale. He gave a small smile. “I’m just leaning into my pac as much as I can.”

  “How’s your arm?” asked Kyn fearfully.

  “Nearly the same,” Ivin said briefly, and he turned forward again.

  As they continued on, Kyn welcomed his closeness to Nora. Somehow it felt comforting in the midst of his worry. A few tendrils of red hair were coming out of her braid. What would Nora think if he blew them out of the way? She probably wouldn’t like it.

  “Your turn to ask a question,” Nora said, continuing the game.

  Kyn cleared his throat. “Were you afraid to come back to help Ivin?”

  “Terrified. But sometimes, I guess you just have to do the right thing. Even when you’re terrified.”

  Kyn relaxed his grip around Nora’s waist.

  “Do you think you’ll ever be able to trust me?” Nora asked.

  “I’m not sure what to think of you.”

  Nora stiffened and pulled away.

  “I just don’t know many people who would sacrifice themselves for someone they don’t know,” Kyn said.

  “You don’t know the right kind of people then.”

  Kyn laughed a bit. “What are you trying to say?”

  “No comment.”

  Kyn laughed again.

  The pacs continued on. After a few moments, Nora settled back closer to Kyn. “I have another question,” she said. “Do you know that Prince Oskal has plans to steal some of your Ballutite?”

  Kyn stirred uneasily. He supposed that was possible. “I’m not surprised, but how would you know that?”

  “I overheard him talking about it when I was in this tunnel heading home. He and his men were on their way to Clove, and it sounded like they were going to stay there to gather information on the mine.”

  What was Oskal trying to do? The pac bellowed and Kyn realized he’d been pulling too hard on the animal’s hair. He tried to relax his grip. “That sounds like Oskal.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Is that y
our next question?”

  Nora nodded. “Yes. I’m curious what he’s like.”

  How could he convey what Prince Oskal was like? “Do you know what a flocat is?”

  “You mean those big cats that live in the Hambline Mountains?”

  “Yes. When I was fourteen, my family was invited to House Hambline for the Summer Festival. House Dolmark was there as well. Prince Mieruk, King Hambline’s second oldest son, invited Prince Oskal and me to go on a picnic.” Kyn’s muscles tightened. “It was a horrible experience, to say the least. We spotted a flocat, and Oskal insisted that we hunt it. Mieruk and I agreed because flocats can be dangerous to the villagers.”

  He paused. “Do you hunt?”

  “No,” said Nora.

  “Well, what Oskal did that day wasn’t hunting. It was torturing. Mieruk and I did our job, we got the flocat trapped. Oskal had the only weapon, a slingshot. He wanted to be the one to kill the cat. He drew it out to make the animal suffer. Oskal taunted the poor creature, hitting it with small stones instead of just taking it out with one large stone and putting it out of its misery. It should have been a two-minute kill, but Mieruk and I watched helplessly while Oskal slowly stoned the poor animal to death. Both of us pleaded with him to put the cat out of its misery, but he just laughed at us, telling us we were weak. I’ll never forget that cat’s cries or the look in its eyes.”

  “How horrible,” Nora said. “I’m glad we didn’t wait for morning to leave. The further we can get away from him, the better.”

  “I agree,” said Kyn, glancing over his shoulder. “We should stop talking so you can rest. I think you won the game, and I forgive you for the first time you kicked me when we met in the palace.”

  Nora looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. It was a beautiful smile that lit her face.

  “I’m sorry I kicked you. I’ve just been so focused on Dani. I couldn’t let anything, not even a prince, get in my way.”

  Kyn could sense her sincerity. She really did just want to protect her family. Could he honestly fault her for that? “I forgive you, Nora. For everything.” He gently ran his fingers across her ear and tucked the stray hairs back into her braid. “Rest against me. It’s going to be a long night.”