As Jahrra knelt there amongst the weeds and trees, eyes half closed from weariness, she wondered if she would ever learn who this person was. Was it one of her parents? Was it an enemy she would have to fight off her entire life? Was it a spirit that looked after her? Perhaps it was the man who had tried to kidnap her last fall. Jahrra became lost in her train of thought and her quiet visitor began walking towards her. She looked up and stared at him through glazed, half-shut eyes. He moved closer, but Jahrra hadn’t felt that she was in any danger. In fact, she felt as though a great weight was being lifted or a great hole in her soul was being filled.
The hooded figure stopped just five feet from her, and Jahrra willed herself to look directly at where his face would be, the face that was shadowed by the hood. Then he did something he had never done before. He reached up, as if to pull the hood back and reveal his face. Jahrra panicked, but she couldn’t move. She was stuck where she was, staring blankly up at him. So she did the only thing left that she could do, she allowed her eyes to close completely, just as he pulled the hood back. That is when she woke with a start.
Jahrra ran the dream through her head, time and time again, trying to decide if she was frightened, happy or relieved. Why had she shut her eyes in the dream? Hadn’t she always wanted to know who this stranger was? But she knew why she had done it: fear. She feared what might lay hidden under the hood, so she avoided it by turning away.
A sudden song-burst from a morning sparrow brought Jahrra’s mind back to the world of the conscious and she realized that the dawn had begun to grow old. Though the dream still troubled her, it would have to wait. She threw back the sheets and jumped up into a sitting position, pulled out one of her many journals she kept under her bed, jotted down the remains of her dream in as much Kruelt as she could, and then hurried to get dressed. She met Hroombra in the common room reading at his massive desk as usual. She said a quick good morning, grabbed some fruit and bread and then headed towards the door.
“Just one moment, if you please,” Hroombra said pleasantly, his eyes still glued to the material he was studying.
Jahrra had both her hands on either side of the door frame and was just about to make her escape. Great, what could he possibly want me to do now? Jahrra thought, dreading he would insist on her staying home all weekend to study. She really hoped he wouldn’t. Yaraa and Viornen thought it was quite alright that Jahrra take a weekend off to ease her weary brain, so why not her mentor?
Jahrra fell back within the common room and looked over her shoulder at her guardian.
“Yes?” she asked in the most innocent voice she could muster.
“And where are you off to today?” Hroombra droned, still not looking at her.
“To the Eight Coves, actually,” she answered, knowing full well that there was not an ounce of deception in her voice.
This time, the great Korli dragon glanced up from his manuscripts, his reptilian brows raised.
“The Eight Coves? I don’t ever remember you going there. What’s the occasion?”
Jahrra was annoyed by all of these questions, but she didn’t want to end up on Hroombra’s bad side.
“Just a few of us from class are going up there to help relax before exams. That’s alright, isn’t it?” she responded, hoping the sarcasm she felt hadn’t carried over into her tone.
“No, I think it’s a lovely idea,” Hroombra replied, once again becoming engrossed in his work. “Go on now, have a good time, and try to stay out of trouble.”
The dragon peered up at Jahrra without lifting his head and smiled crookedly.
Jahrra grinned back. “I’ll see you tonight then.”
She flew through the door, wanting to get away from her mentor as quickly as possible before he changed his mind. Phrym tossed his head playfully when he spotted Jahrra traipsing up the sloping field. She fed him one of the apples she’d grabbed for breakfast and quickly got him ready to go, deciding to finally use the new saddle she’d received from Jaax. It had been sitting safely in Phrym’s stable for many months now, slowing and determinedly collecting dust. She had told Hroombra that she didn’t want to use it right away; Phrym’s old saddle still had plenty of wear in it, why ruin the new one just yet? But that wasn’t why she had avoided using the fine saddle for so long. She just couldn’t bring herself to enjoy anything Jaax had given her.
“Now, Jahrra, do you think Raejaaxorix would be happy knowing that you haven’t made good use of his gift?” had been Hroombra’s reply to her veiled excuses. “He meant for you to use it, not to save it for a rainy day.”
Jahrra had smiled through gritted teeth. I would be thrilled if that is what Jaax really thought, but then again, not using the saddle is also upsetting Master Hroombra, so I guess I had better get Phrym used to it.
Now, recalling the discussion that had happened weeks ago, Jahrra smiled quietly as she tightened the stiff, squeaky leather straps of her brand new saddle around Phrym’s middle. She couldn’t help but admire the high quality, carved leather and the gleaming silver plates decorating the four pommels. Once she realized how much she was gawking over the fine artisans’ work, she scowled and reminded herself who had picked it out for her.
“We may be making Jaax happy Phrym,” she sighed, “but just wait until Gieaun and Scede see it!”
Jahrra hoisted herself up into the new saddle, her skin beginning to tingle as she settled between the four horns. It was astonishingly comfortable, and she felt much more secure upon it than her older saddle. She leaned forward and whispered into her semequin’s back-turned ears, “Now for the real test, Phrym. Let’s see how this thing handles our riding!”
Jahrra kicked Phrym into high speed, hurrying to meet up with Gieaun and Scede who were already waiting patiently for her on the main road. She pulled her semequin to an abrupt stop, kicking up dust and rocks at a shying Bhun and Aimhe.
“Ugh, can you be any ruder Jahrra?” Gieaun complained, trying to get Aimhe to stand still.
Jahrra just beamed at her friends, suddenly in a good mood. It was a really nice day after all, and she felt like a queen sitting in her new saddle, the one that Scede was now eyeing with a combination of envy and wonder.
“That’s not Phrym’s saddle,” he said plainly.
Jahrra grinned even wider, forgetting her irritation at who the gift was from.
“It is now,” she asserted.
“Where did you get it?!” Scede demanded.
He had a look of disbelief on his face. Having been raised by parents who bred horses, he knew good leatherwork when he saw it.
“I got it for Solsticetide,” Jahrra sniffed. “I just haven’t used it yet, since Phrym’s old saddle was still good.”
“You’ve had it that long and you’re just now breaking it in?” he continued, looking even more flabbergasted than before.
“Who gave it to you?” Gieaun had brought Aimhe around to get a better look at the object of conversation.
Jahrra tensed up suddenly, her smile vanishing. She felt her face give a slight flush and was suddenly at a loss for words. “Uh . . .” she stammered.
“Who did you get it from? You said you got it for Solsticetide, did Master Hroombra get it for you?”
Jahrra flashed her eyes to the ground and took a swift breath.
“Jaax sent it,” she said in a low voice.
She gritted her teeth as she felt her friends’ surprised glances wash over her. They knew how much she disliked the dragon; she could only guess they were surprised at her obvious delight in his Solsticetide gift.
“Wow,” Scede said. “That was kind of him. It’s the nicest saddle I’ve ever seen.”
“Did he bring it himself?” Gieaun added hesitantly.
“No, no. He sent it,” Jahrra answered.
An awkward silence followed, all three of them wondering what exactly had caused it. Jahrra sighed, deciding to break the quiet.
“Well, let’s get going. If we linger here any longer we’ll never get to the co
ves.”
Jahrra let out a whistle and kicked Phrym into a full run, leaving Bhun and Aimhe behind on the wide dirt road. A few moments later she heard her two friends riding up behind her. She glanced back and smiled at them, bringing Phrym to a slow canter as they wound down the side of the hill. The morning was cool, but it was early yet and the sun was still low in the sky. The trip to the coves would take a few hours, but they were meeting Pahrdh and Rhudedth in Toria Town first.
The moment they reached the bottom of the hill the three riders encouraged their horses into a steady trot. They cut through the rich and fruitful fields, waving at passersby along the way. Jahrra, Gieaun and Scede laughed and shouted as they raced and wove through the farmlands, open fields and small crops of trees as they headed west. At one point along their route, the three of them passed around a small hill crowned with eucalyptus trees, their branches full of cream-colored flowers.
Two miles later, they reached the outskirts of Toria. The horses thumped over the wide bridge that crossed the delta of the Raenyan River and Jahrra stood up in the saddle to peer over the railing. From her standing position, she noticed that the four small channels spreading to sea like blue fingers were no deeper than Phrym’s shoulder. Cliff swallows darted erratically to and from the underside of the bridge, their metallic purple and green feathers flashing in rhythm with the shimmering water below. Several small boats were tied to shrub willows along the banks of the delta, where men were busy hauling great nets filled with fish and clams from their hulls.
Jahrra sat back down in the saddle and inhaled the salty ocean air as the bustle of the approaching town grew nearer. Carriages and wagons passed by as they crossed over the last bridge into town, and the deep thumping of the horses’ feet upon the wooden bridge soon mingled with the sharp clipping of more hooves and wooden wheels playing against the cobblestone streets.
The outskirts of town were decked with tall, stone buildings housing two or more tiny stores each. There were jewelry merchants and fabric suppliers, shops that sold crafts and businesses that specialized in trade only. Open markets where vendors and fish mongers sold their merchandise and daily catch were set up along wide sidewalks. The intense smell of dead fish, cleansed every now and then by a salty breeze, made the air all but putrid. Noisy seagulls and sea birds soared above the bustling crowd, diving every now and again in attempt to steal fish from the purveyors. Jahrra had to laugh to herself at this sight, for more often than not, as a vendor was busy shooing away one seagull, another was sneaking behind his back to take a fish. Playing solemnly in the background of this strange orchestra of sights and sounds was the monotonous rhythm of the ocean, its waves rushing back and forth upon the shore just beyond the great stone wall that kept the town out of the water’s reach.
Jahrra led Phrym away from the crowded road so that she could get her bearings and figure out where they were. Bhun and Aimhe followed them, Gieaun screeching as a flock of pigeons was startled into her path.
“Jahrra!!”
Jahrra turned and looked around, surprised to hear her name being called above all the ruckus.
“Jahrra, Gieaun, Scede! Over here!”
It was Rhudedth, her auburn hair and moss green summer dress standing out among the majority of dark headed, plainly dressed pedestrians.
“Rhudedth!” Jahrra smiled as her friend came rushing over, pushing her way through the crowd.
“You’re late!” Rhudedth chirped, out of breath and pink-cheeked from the effort of working through the throng of people.
“Sorry, we left later than we expected. Where are Pahrdh and the horses?” Scede asked, scanning the crowd for them.
“Oh, Pahrdh is just on the other side of the plaza talking to a group of street magicians. We left the horses in the stables by the pier. And,” Rhudedth’s eyes glinted with mischief as she glanced back up at Jahrra, “Mahryn is here visiting as well.”
Jahrra tried to don a pleasant smile, but she was afraid that Rhudedth noticed her cringe. She quickly straightened up when she saw the two boys cross the street to come over and stand behind Rhudedth.
“Hello, Jahrra,” Mahryn said quietly, blushing rather profusely.
He had sandy hair and quite a lot of freckles. Despite the fact that he was a few months older than Jahrra in reality, he looked a few years younger and was a few inches shorter as well. Rhudedth rolled her eyes in a loving fashion.
“I hope you guys don’t mind, but we invited Mahryn along as well,” Pahrdh said with a slight look of apology. He knew how Jahrra felt about his cousin’s admiration of her. “He came with our aunt and uncle yesterday and we couldn’t leave him behind at home.”
“No, that would have been rude! Besides, we always enjoy the extra company,” Gieaun put in, grinning at Jahrra. “Are you three ready to go now?”
“Sure,” said Mahryn, his voice sounding parched, “but we need to get our horses from the stable. It’s towards the beach and not too far.”
“Alright,” Scede said, “we’ll walk with you.”
Once they were all atop their horses, they made their way back to the main street. Moving through town proved cumbersome for six horses and their riders, especially with all the merchants, shoppers and delivery carts buzzing about. Rhudedth and Mahryn were nearly knocked out of the saddle by a very old, wiry man shouting at a donkey who was pulling a cart carrying much more than it was intended to.
“That was quite an ordeal!” Rhudedth breathed once they got out of the way. “Poor old donkey! That load looked far too heavy for him!”
She turned to see where the old man and his donkey had gone, but they’d already disappeared into the torrential crowd.
“Let’s keep moving before we get trampled out here!” hissed Pahrdh as they started moving back up the street.
After several minutes of some rather dexterous maneuvering, the small cavalry finally made it out of town. Jahrra took in a deep breath, soaking in the coastal air as they freed themselves from the bustling sea of Nesnan and Resai townsfolk.
“Ugh, finally!” Rhudedth complained. “I hate crowds!”
“Me too,” Jahrra concurred.
She gazed at the scene surrounding them, shading her eyes from the blazing sun. The land to their left stretched out for about a hundred feet before plunging into the churning waves below. To their right, the fields rose into the low coastal hills that ran for miles in either direction, but just before them lay a long sandy road, stretched out like an endless carpet, beseeching them to reach its end.
“Well,” Jahrra grinned, “anybody up for a race?”
Before anyone could answer, she kicked her heels into Phrym’s ribs, and the two of them took off down the pale ribbon of sand, daring the rest to follow.
-Chapter Thirteen-
The Ninth Cove
Jahrra and Phrym stayed well ahead of the others and their horses as they made easy progress along the dirt road hugging the bluff’s edge. As Phrym covered the distance, Jahrra kept her eyes open for signs of the next town that shared this coastal road with Toria. The warm air brushed past her face and the sound of the sea below complimented the drumming of horses’ hooves. After a few short miles, the soft white sand below began to give way to darker, hard packed earth. Jahrra eased Phrym into a slow canter, allowing her friends to catch up to her.
“We must be coming into Hassett Town,” Scede panted as he slowed a puffing Bhun to a walk.
“Wonderful,” Pahrdh muttered.
“What’s so bad about Hassett Town?” Gieaun asked, picking up on her friend’s dull tone.
“Oh, nothing,” he droned as he ran one hand through his tousled hair. “Only that it’s just like Kiniahn Kroi, only worse. This is where all the ‘nobles’ come to vacation.”
Hassett Town was nestled nicely between the rising hills on the east and the ocean cliffs on the west. The children gawked in wonder as their horses clacked down the fine cobblestone street, their eyes brushing the wonderful vista. The houses were amazing,
far more beautiful than Jahrra had expected from her friend’s disinterested description. They were constructed in the coastal stone style of the houses in Toria, but they were much larger and meticulously landscaped. Large gardens and yards were encircled by fine iron fences with neat little stone paths leading up to graceful, arching doorways. A multitude of blossoming coastal flowers and plants in pale yellows, pinks and greens billowed over the fences and gates. Every one of the houses had at least one marble fountain of a sea nymph or dolphin in the front yard.
Jahrra was surprised to see very few people out on such a nice day, but she was pleased by it nonetheless. She had a feeling that if there were any wealthy Resai families outside to see them, they would most likely chase them away with pitchforks the way a mob of country villagers would drive out a rabid wolf.
The pleasant jangle of a wind chime pierced the strange silence and Jahrra turned to her friends.
“Don’t Eydeth and Ellysian have a summer house here?” She tried to sound bored, but feared she came off as agitated.
“Yes, they do.” Gieaun, on the other hand, didn’t feel the need to hide her annoyance.
“That must be it over there,” Pahrdh joked, pointing out a small tool shed.
The children sniggered at his remark and urged their horses onward, hoping that the twins were still snug in their mansion in Kiniahn Kroi and not taking a stroll down the road somewhere up ahead.
“Look, there’s a sign,” Scede said. “Maybe it’ll tell us how far the coves are from here.”
Scede read aloud as his friends caught up to him.
“The Eight Coves, 4 miles, Soarna Point Town, 13 miles.”
“Four miles isn’t so far, and we still have all day,” Rhudedth said, shading her eyes and looking toward the sun as her mare pawed at the ground.
“We could race again,” Jahrra offered, pulling Phrym’s reins back in anticipation.
“Jahrra, you always want to race!” Gieaun breathed.
“True, but it’s so much fun!” Pahrdh insisted. “Besides,” he added to Scede and Mahryn with a wry smile, “we can pretend we are contestants in the Great Race of Oescienne!”
The Beginning Page 23
