Jared and I had found the Visulumina tucked in a desk drawer that we had to pry open with a screwdriver. I taken it that Katherine hadn’t seen its condition, or we would have had an even bigger fight on our hands.
A crack measuring just over two inches marred the surface of the pink pane of glass. She would have been as pissed as I was. To add another twist, the crack snaked right along the center of the pane we needed next.
I didn’t think to ask if there was some Stone Wielder trick or remedy that could fix it. I was more concerned with putting some distance between us and the gruesome scene we left behind. Whoever Katherine had been working for probably wasn’t that far behind us, and another confrontation would not go over well. Most of our fighting stamina had evaporated. Only small reserves of adrenaline pushed us at this point.
֍ ֍ ֍
Entering the rustic dwelling, the scent of fresh blood overwhelmed the woman’s senses. It smelled like a slaughterhouse, minus the carcasses of overly plump cattle.
On the lowest level, the unconscious bodies of two males were strewn about, several bruises and abrasions littering their skin. Hawthorn and that human woman really put up a fight to escape the trap she had laid out for them.
Pools of blazing amber took in the scene that occupied the center of the cellar. My dearest Katherine had suffered a fate far worse than a scratch or two. This was the work of Stone walker magic. I didn’t think he had it in him to commit this level of grotesque violence.
֍ ֍ ֍
Up ahead of us a shallow stream flowed in crystalline tendrils, cutting a perpendicular line across our path. Near its muddy banks, a grove of prickly bushes riddled with thin green bristles were woven into an interlocking barrier of tangled branches. Semi fortified, it was where we decided to stop. I had a first aid kit in my backpack, so we were able to clean and wrap our minor wounds.
“So, is there any spell or ritual that you know of that can fix that crack,” I asked while tying off a strip of bandage.
“Our stone and earth magic can do many things, but I’m afraid that fixing an imperfection in glass is not one of them.”
We were back to square one then˗˗˗no solution. If I didn’t want to embrace my inner cynic, I could postulate that the crack wouldn’t obstruct the next Haiku in any way, but it would be foolish to accept a theory as fact no matter how much I wanted it to be true.
“We can deal with that later. I’m going to take a wild guess and say that we are heading in a northeastern direction based on the moon, give or take a few degrees.”
Coming across a city marker or someone who could point us in the right direction would be helpful right about now. The Ploumanac’h Lighthouse could be right around the corner or hundreds of miles away. We needed to know which.
“I’m ready to keep going whenever you are Alex, although I suggest we maintain a slower pace just in case we have to turn around and backtrack.” Slow and steady wins the race˗˗˗isn’t that how the saying goes? In our case, it would serve us well to conserve our energy.
Hours into our hike Jared motioned for me to stop. “We should rest for a bit, and maybe catch some shut eye.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t keep on going a little longer?” I was all for taking a break, but I still had my second wind staving off my exhaustion.
Jared sat down by the base of a large tree, covering up with a flannel blanket we took from the vineyard. I tucked myself in beside him. The instant my head touched his chest, that extra burst of energy abandoned me, leaving a wave of fatigue to fester.
I guess I was more tired than I thought. My eyes felt heavy, a crackling yawn on my lips. Sleep was dragging me under, yet a distant laugh sent my instincts into overdrive. Had Katherine hired more than the two guys we had already dealt with? It sounded like a woman chuckling in amusement. I nudged Jared with my elbow.
“Jared, did you hear that?” I whispered in a low voice.
He nodded. “I can sense at least a dozen separate entities surrounding us.” They must be ninjas or something, because I didn’t even hear them approach.
“I don’t suppose you can tell if they are friendly or not.” He gave me an incredulous look.
“Alex I am a supernatural being, not some charlatan psychic.” Hey, it didn’t hurt to ask.
“I’m not exactly an expert on what a Stone Walker can and cannot do. So excuse me for asking a silly question.” Most of my knowledge came from recent observations.
“We can debate my physiology some other time. For now prepare yourself for another fight.” We stood back to back with our fists raised. I called out, not wanting to be caught off guard. The first move was ours.
“Show yourselves. Come forward and face us.” More laughter followed, louder than before. They must have complied, because even my untrained senses could now pick up on their presence.
“You come into our forest and dare to give us commands.” The speaker was female and had a voice that sounded like it came from a child. There was a shrillness to the tone that could cut glass. It had to be a trick. Nice try, but I wasn’t going to fall for their pitiful attempts at deception.
“Your forest, is that so? I wasn’t aware that anyone had a claim to this land˗˗˗sounds pretty selfish to me.”
“We should turn you into a troll for your lack of respect.”
“Alex you might want to cool it. We don’t know what we’re up against and antagonizing them will only end badly.” Jared said.
“Yes, listen to your partner there. He at least sounds very reasonable. And if I’m not mistaking, he has a magical aura. Tell us, what are you?” The voice asked.
“He doesn’t have to answer to a little girl causing mischief in the forest with her friends.”
“I am 342 years old. That’s far from being a child.”
Out from the tree line, came luminous orbs of light that moved in a linear pattern. The lights dimmed, revealing miniature humanoid forms with translucent wings. You have got to be kidding me. Holy hell on wheels I’m seeing fairies, and they looked ticked. Especially the one at the front of the pack with the leaf dress, she was clenching her hands so tight I wouldn’t be surprised if she drew blood. This must be their leader.
“Seriously, now I have to put up with fairies.”
“For your information human, we are nymphs, not to be confused with our cousins. This is our territory that you are traipsing through.”
Jared slapped a hand over my mouth sensing I was about to say something else stupid. “I would like to apologize for her behavior. The last few days have been stressful to say the least, and she isn’t handling it very well.”
“Reasonable and polite, you make a decent first impression. I’ll ask again, what are you?”
“I am a Stone Walker from the island nation of Azulyria, which sadly rests on the bottom of the ocean.”
“We have heard of the tragic event you speak of, and offer our sympathy for your loss.”
“I appreciate that. How may I address you?”
“You may call me Maliya, and who might you be Stone Walker?”
“My name is Jared, and my argumentative friend here is Alex. We were only passing through and didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“And why were you passing through our forest?”
“We are trying to make our way back to the Ploumanac’h Lighthouse in hopes of continuing our search for the missing relic that can bring back Azulyria to the surface.”
“How is that possible? We heard that a terrible enchantment holds the land captive.” You could tell that Maliya didn’t like to be contradicted.
“One does.”
“Then why do you need to get to that lighthouse so badly then?” Maliya flittered close until she was a mere foot from Jared’s face. Her proximity bothered me. She was barely ten inches tall, so I don’t why I was so worried.
“We were led here by a series of poems that point to specific locations, and the lighthouse was our next destination.” Her questions were becoming mor
e invasive.
“Poems you say, where do these poems come from?” I would have loved to tell her none of your business, but Jared’s hand still had a firm hold on my mouth.
“We use a special lantern, and when lit you can see words displayed when aimed at a specific flat surface. The lantern was recently damaged with a crack, so we’re not sure if it will even still work.”
“May I see?”
Jared removed his hand from my mouth. “Are you going to behave now?” He asked. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak at the moment.
He pulled the Visulumina from my bag and held it up for Maliya to examine. She made a complete pass. I could hear her “oohs” and “ahs” as she inspected every detail her eyes landed on.
“What if I told you that we could fix your pretty lantern?”
“We would be very grateful for any assistance you can spare. I’m assuming that you will want something in return.”
“Very perceptive of you˗˗˗indeed, in exchange for our help I will accompany you until we reach the edge of the forest. And it will cost you a hair from your head for my collection.” She has a collection of hair. Eww that was gross, and weird as all get out.
“No way is he˗˗˗” I tried to point out how creepy that was, but a look from Jared ended that idea.
“Those are fair terms. I agree.” He reached up and plucked a single dark hair from his scalp, its natural teal blue color revealing itself once separated from the spell that kept it hidden.
“Simply exquisite,” she exclaimed. “I hope you understand why it has to be this way. I have to ensure that no damage is caused, and I know the quickest way to get you back on track to that lighthouse that you seek.”
“We are most appreciative Maliya.”
She got right to business. “Set the lantern on that rock over there.” She gestured to a flat-topped rock a few feet away.
Maliya, along with the other hovering nymphs encircled the lantern. Their natural glow grew in magnitude, shifting to a warm amber hue. Synchronized singing erupted from the group. I couldn’t discern any of the words. The chant was melodic and uplifting. At a cresting climax, the lantern took on the same amber glow as the nymphs.
Their song drifted off, ending with an elongated note. “It is finished,” Maliya said. True to her word the crack in the rosy glass pane was repaired. I guess these nymphs were good for something after all.
22
I swear that she was doing it on purpose just to rattle my cage. Maliya had decided that the best mode of transportation would be to sit on Jared’s shoulder and trade stories about their different cultures. If it was her goal to make me jealous, then I hate to say it, but it was working. Well she wouldn’t have the satisfaction of hearing me squawk about it.
“So human˗˗˗I mean Alex, what’s your stake in all this? Certainly the fate of Azulyria is of no consequence to you, so why are you here?” The nosey little firefly could bugger off, but I would humor her this time.
“Both my sister and Jared’s were in the process of trying to figure out how to reverse the spell on Azulyria, until they were both murdered. We are finishing what they started.”
“I must say, not many humans are known for being honorable like that.” Don’t take the bait, just let her rant. Nope, can’t do it.
“Well this HUMAN holds honor in high regard.” I sounded arrogant and didn’t care. My reasons for helping Jared shouldn’t concern her. I was already battling with the betrayal of a supposed friend and a murdered sister, so the narrow-minded opinion of a winged pest left me fantasizing about nymphocide.
Our initial determination that we should head northeast wasn’t too far off. Maliya led us along the same path, gradually shifting to a more northern trajectory once we passed by an impressive looking waterfall.
I had held it together fairly well so far, even though I wanted to grab Maliya off of Jared’s shoulder and toss her into the nearest tree. She continued to converse with Jared about his home, doing everything in her power to exclude me. My jealousy rose.
“So Jared, what’s your opinion on interspecies relationships?” I about choked.
What kind of question was that? The way she batted her eyelashes with a coquettish flip of her hair, she was blatantly flirting with him. I had to clench my teeth to keep quiet. It wasn’t easy.
“I bet I could satisfy you much better than your human pet does.” That was it. The shear absurdity of a woman of her stature doing anything with Jared made my blood boil.
Alex, you must calm down. My powers are reacting to her promiscuous behavior. I didn’t misinterpret her voice this time. Sorry Ivyssa, you weren’t intervening this time. I was seeing red and I wanted to annihilate the competition. I had to. I stopped walking.
Jared turned his head in confusion to see why I no longer trailed beside him. “Alex, what’s wrong?” My face rose to meet his gaze. He looked taken aback.
“Oh my, the human’s eyes are flashing red and she has smoke coming out of her nose. It’s not an attractive look.” Maliya’s insults struck me deep. I released an animalistic growl and charged.
She hopped off of Jared in a flurry of beating wings, allowing him enough time to surge forward and intercept my oncoming attack. We fell to the ground in a pile of flailing limbs. He held me down. I struggled to free myself.
“Alex, stop this! You’re the one I want. Please come back to me. I˗˗˗I love you.” He loves me. I quit struggling and relaxed my body. I couldn’t believe what I had almost done.
“Oh my god, did I hurt anyone?”
“Thankfully no, no one got hurt. However, you were on the brink of attacking Maliya. Because of the influence of Ivyssa’s powers, it would now seem that taking on the behavioral patterns of a Stone Walker whose bond has been challenged is an aspect we need to keep under control.”
Going around red-eyed and snarling at any woman that looked at Jared the wrong way might attract some very unwanted attention. I had to rein it in, or risk exposure.
“You mean . . .”
“Yes. You felt threatened by Maliya’s inappropriate comments, and felt the need to protect your claim.” He gave her a scathing glare.
He didn’t appreciate her goading me into almost killing her. I may still want to pommel her into fairy dust, but not obliterate her while in the midst of a territorial rage. If not for Jared’s intervention I would have done something that I would have regretted.
Maliya acted like she was totally unfazed by my outburst that almost took her life. And Jared had reacted like any male Stone Walker would have to soothe their mate. He told me that females will respond to a forceful capture and reassuring words of devotion. Females took great pride in what they called theirs, and that same possessive nature carries over to their chosen male companion or mate. If you flirted with a paired male, the female Stone Walker will take it as a personal offense.
She did back off and fly the rest of the way. At least the little pest knew danger when she saw it. We didn’t exchange any words, just remained silent and stayed a discrete distance apart. She even kept conversation with Jared to a minimum, only speaking to relay directions or cautioning us for areas to watch our step.
The sky held the beginnings of a blush filled sunrise when we broke through the tree line. Maliya once again apologized profusely for the trouble she caused.
“To reach the Ploumanac'h Lighthouse, it’s another five miles. Stay due north and you can’t miss it,” she said.
Ever the diplomat, Jared accepted her travel advice with a charming smile and a cheery thank you. In human society, if he ever considered becoming a politician, he would be great at it. The only concern would be staying away from all of the corruption that seems to run rampant with that crowd. Jared had a solid grasp on compassion and honesty, so I don’t think he would fit in very well.
Shortly after parting ways with Maliya I expressed my satisfaction at being rid of the micro-sized flirt. “I’m glad we’re back to just the two of us.”
“S
he wasn’t that bad.” Excuse me, I call bullshit.
“She wasn’t badmouthing your species either. And let’s not forget that her comments almost got her killed.”
“Fair point, she wasn’t exactly tactful about her distaste for humans. I on the other hand don’t share that view,” he said. Jared grabbed my hand and gave a gentle squeeze. The intimate setting inspired me to respond to his earlier declaration.
“Jared.”
“Yes.”
“I love you too.” And I did. It was the kind of love that wrapped me in a bubble of warmth, and made my stomach flutter whenever Jared was around. I couldn’t lose him.
23
Five miles she said˗˗˗that part was accurate. What Maliya neglected to inform us was that it was five miles uphill through rocky terrain. A little heads up would have been nice. Nymphs were good for two things: fixing magical lanterns and giving vague instructions. Although maybe I should thank her if I ever see her again, because my legs were going to look great after all of this mountain climbing we embarked on.
Cresting a jagged stone embankment, the soft shafts of early morning light crept over a mountainous ridge to dance along the Pink Granite Coast. Blushing tones displayed their beauty. Up and down the shore, boulders shaped by the salty waves, were stacked haphazardly like building blocks. A stretch of flowing grass merged into a field of more stones, some broken into shards, while others jutted skyward in massive chunks.
Winded and ever so slightly weary, the statuesque pillar that we traveled so far to see became ingrained in my memory. We fought tooth and nail to make it this far, and I wasn’t going to let the symbol of that hardship be forgotten. Not ever.
We crossed the bridge that connected the lighthouse to the stone ledge where Katherine had accosted us. Even after everything that had transpired, a part of me wanted to hold on to her kindness and willingness to help me succeed.
She had pretty much confirmed that it became a farce once she got the proposal to take me out, but at the time she was my friend and the best damn bowler that I had ever met. My heart beat with a hollow timbre after learning that money was more important to her than my life.
Threads of Blood and Silk: The stone Wielder's Legacy Trilogy Book 2 Page 9
