On Lonely Paths (Earth and Sky Book 2)

by Jann Rowland

  “For what purpose?”

  “Because Terrain thought these underground Groundbreathers might need to be used against your people someday.”

  Skye snorted. “So far they have not been used against my people. They struck out at your family, after all. What do they want with you?”

  “I do not know. River and I have been treated quite well—like princesses, you could say.”

  “River is with you?” Skye had not even thought to ask about Tierra’s cousin, though now that he thought of it, he realized he had not seen her at the castle when he confronted Wisteria.

  “She was captured with me. They brought her along to serve as a sort of attendant to me, or so they say. I wonder if it was more to provide me with a familiar face.

  “Either way, our captors will not tell us what their purpose is in kidnapping us. Things are so different down here. The food they eat is bland, and I often look at their lack of cheer and wonder if most of them are just going through the motions of living.”

  With that, Tierra began to inform Skye of what had happened on her way to the underground city, telling him of her capture and subsequent journey, her stop at the Groundbreather temple, her arrival at the cave, and her passage through the cave system. As she was telling him these things, she told him what to look for in order to find the cave—or at least what she remembered. Then she spoke of what had happened since her arrival in the city.

  “The priests at the temple wouldn’t tell us anything about your captors or where they were taking you,” Skye said with some disgust. “Stonedagger was closemouthed about the whole thing, not even explaining about the Waterweaver drawings on the walls of his temple until I forced him to.”

  “I am not surprised he did not want to say anything. But where does this interest in Waterweaver drawings come from? Waterweavers have been extinct for generations.”

  “Actually, they’re not. We came across one on our way here. Given how easily she controlled water and used it to assist us, I seriously doubt the Waterweavers are gone.”

  “Waterweavers in the world,” Tierra replied, a sense of wonder in her tone. But soon that tone turned to disgust. “You will have to tell me about it some time. As for the priests, Stonedagger appeared to be enamored with Quicksilver. I do not doubt he would do everything he could to keep you from easily following me.”

  The name Quicksilver had come up a few times during Tierra’s recitation, and Skye probed for more information. “Who is this Quicksilver anyway?”

  “I do not know, but even the king of these underground Groundbreathers defers to him. I cannot explain it.”

  “Well, that doesn’t matter now. We’ll find this entrance you talked about, and then we’ll come and get you and River. I’m with your mother, a Groundbreather man she knew when she was young, Gusty, and a few Sentinels. I also have Strix with me. We’ll find you.”

  “You brought the Fenik?” Tierra exclaimed. “Why would you bring him with you?”

  “For the additional support. He’s not happy obeying me, but he does, and I thought I might need him. Cirrus wasn’t happy when I insisted, but I didn’t give him a choice.”

  There was a flicker of something from Tierra at the mention of Cirrus’s name, but she did not say anything further. Given what had happened the last time they had discussed his oldest friend, Skye supposed he could not blame her. In truth, Skye was now not certain what to think of his friend himself.

  Rather than discuss Cirrus further, Tierra said, “I am surprised you are with my mother.”

  “I am, too,” Skye replied, projecting a wry amusement in their bond. “You’ll be happy to know that we have not come to blows yet.”

  “The thought staggers the mind,” Tierra said. “How did you find her? Did she manage to escape when I was captured? I believed she had, but I was not certain.”

  “She did. And finding her was not exactly easy, but we managed it. There’s no time for that now, though. What can you tell me about the defenses these Groundbreathers have in place?”

  Skye could almost feel her grimace over their link. “Not much, unfortunately. The path down into the earth is long and passes through many caverns. I could not begin to tell you how to get here.”

  “What about your vaunted Groundbreather ability to always find your way?” Skye teased.

  “I could find my way out, and once I found my way out, I could find my way back in. But describing that path to you is something completely different. I would instinctively know the way, but that does not lend itself to being able to guide someone else.”

  “Perhaps we should put it to the test,” Skye mused. “When we’re in the caves, I can contact you when we come to a fork in the path, and you can tell me which way to go.”

  “I do not think it works that way, Skye.”

  “We’ll just have to try it,” Skye said. “Otherwise, I have no idea how we’ll find you.”

  “I suppose we do not have any other option.”

  “This has been one strange journey,” Skye said. “I’m glad to nearly be at the end of it.”

  “Strange?” Tierra asked. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll tell you more later. Let’s just say we have a lot of questions and very few answers at this point. For now, keep safe and keep in contact. We will be there as soon as we can to break you out.”

  “I cannot wait to see you again,” Tierra said.

  Skye grinned, his heart flooding with emotion. “The feeling is completely mutual.”

  As Skye and Tierra gave each other mental nudges to indicate they were finished with their conversation, Skye turned toward the waiting Sequoia.

  The queen had her arms crossed as she stared at him. To one who did not know her well, she likely appeared to have an imperious bearing. To Skye, however, her bearing seemed more anxious than anything.

  “Well?” Sequoia asked.

  Skye hastily went through the information Tierra had provided him, touching on the most important parts. The notion of going underground felt like an absolute nightmare to Skye, but his exhilaration over finally finding Tierra carried him past his usual trepidation for such an idea.

  After speaking for a few minutes, he said, “Tierra will try to guide us to the underground city since the tunnels are a bit of a maze. I don’t know how well it will work, but that’s the best idea we have.”

  Sequoia turned to Jasper. “Do you think you can track underground?”

  The man shrugged. “It is possible. Stone might be of particular assistance in this area, though. If the tunnels they use are frequently traveled, they might be littered with smells that a garm’s nose could pick up. An underground city does not sound entirely practical when it comes to food production. I suspect they would have to send people to the surface frequently to obtain fruits and vegetables and other supplies. Maybe Stone can help pinpoint the paths they use to return to the underground city.”

  “Can’t your . . . you know . . . earth powers lead us there?” Griffin asked, speaking up.

  “They will not allow us to choose one tunnel over another,” Jasper said. “Certainly, we would do better than a Skychild at navigating such a maze, but unless there are markers in place, our powers will not give us all the information we need.”

  “We’ll have to do the best with what we’ve got,” Skye said firmly. “Failure is not an option, so let’s look to the future. Success is around the corner, so we all need to hold onto that.”

  Of course, there was still that unimportant little detail of facing an entire underground city full of Groundbreathers. But that was to be considered at a different time. For now, Skye was not even letting himself be bothered by the thought of a maze of small tunnels beneath the surface. There would be time enough to battle Groundbreathers and feelings of claustrophobia later.

  As Terrain looked over the carnage that had been wrought by the thankless Celesta, his heart grieved, and he shed mighty tears. Stone the garm sat by his side, whimpering, for even a beast such as
he understood the treachery of Celesta.

  And in that moment, Terrain realized an awful truth: the work of gods and goddesses could be terrible indeed. Terrain hardened his heart and resolved to make no more gods, for one had already blasphemed against that which he had decreed. From his hands, only mortal things would now be made.

  The Waterweavers cried out in fear and sorrow when they discovered the death of their mother, and their cries filled the land. They fashioned a bier of the clearest water, and they encased her in it, burying her in the depths of the lake she had loved.

  “What shall we do, great Terrain?” asked they, their cries for succor rising to fill his ears and soften his heart. “Our mother is dead, and we are left shiftless, blowing in the winds of the accursed Celesta.”

  Terrain took pity on them. “I will treat you as my children now,” said he. “I shall offer you guidance and care for you as though you were my own.”

  And Terrain touched their bier, changing the waters so that they would ever remain, encasing the body of the water goddess for all time.

  And the Waterweavers rejoiced, for they were now once more protected by a god.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Protection

  Tierra could scarcely contain her excitement. It was fortunate that she had been facing away from her attendants when she and Skye had first made contact. The look on her face would have revealed that which she was not ready for the underground Groundbreathers to know.

  Fixing her face into a mask, Tierra turned to Violet, who was engaged in some sort of needlework.

  “Your Highness?” the woman queried upon realizing she was the focus of attention.

  “I would like to speak with River in private please.”

  Violet’s brow crinkled, but nothing in Tierra’s stance suggested that anything was amiss, so she nodded and gestured for Garnet to accompany her. Tierra suspected that they had been encouraged to remain with her without being required to do so. She had never been more thankful for the small kindnesses of King Canyon than she was at that moment. Had Quicksilver given the orders, Tierra’s attendants would have been forced to stay at her side.

  Violet and Garnet knocked on the door to River’s room. They gained entrance and presumably passed on the message that Tierra wanted to talk to River, as the young woman soon came in to join Tierra.

  “Close the door,” Tierra said quietly.

  River did so and then turned back to her. “Is something wrong?”

  Tierra could feel the grin that split her face. “No, everything is right!”

  “What do you mean?” River asked. Her eyes suddenly widened. “Did you make contact with your Skychild?”

  “I did!” Tierra said, laughing.

  River flung herself forward and embraced the startled Tierra. “Oh, I am so glad!”

  After she overcame her surprise, Tierra hugged her cousin back. “So am I. It was getting harder and harder to hold onto hope.”

  “I despise Hearth,” River said. “Trust me when I say I know all about dwindling hope when it comes to leaving this place. I am so happy I could almost kiss your Skychild!”

  Tierra laughed. “Terrain forbid your happiness reach such unprecedented levels!”

  River grinned at her.

  “Well, we are not out of this dungeon yet,” Tierra said. “It will not be easy guiding Skye here, but he has assistance. One way or another, we will figure out how to get him here.”

  River raised an eyebrow. “Is an entire legion of Skychildren going to descend on Hearth to save us?”

  Tierra smiled. “Not so many as that, I am afraid. Skye has Gusty with him, but I believe there are only a few other Skychildren. Of particular note is the fact that my mother and a Groundbreather she knows are with them.”

  “Your mother has journeyed with your fiancé to come find you?” River asked, not even bothering to conceal her shock.

  “It seems so,” Tierra said. “Between my mother and Skye, there is no way even an entire city of Groundbreathers can hope to keep us from escaping.”

  River chuckled. “I think your mother alone would be a worthy opponent. Terrain help anyone who stands in her way.”

  Though Tierra was smiling with joy, she felt a twinge of worry. In spite of their jests, Sequoia had been forced to flee before this new enemy. For Tierra and River to escape their clutches, it would take secrecy, skill, and no small amount of luck.

  Furthermore, Tierra could not help a nagging thought at the back of her mind that something was not right. In spite of the strength of his love, Skye should not have been able to find Tierra so easily. Was it not possible that this setup was some sort of trap?

  “Do you think they found us too easily?” Tierra murmured to River.

  River gave her a skeptical look. “It feels like we have been waiting for them to arrive for a while, Tierra. If it had been easy, they would have been right on our tails.”

  “Not necessarily,” Tierra said. “You cannot make something too easy. Your prey will know it is a trap if you do.”

  “I think you are reading too much into this, Tierra. They still have to travel through that mess of tunnels. Now, if they find a trail of gems leading the way, then there might be cause for suspicion.”

  Tierra snorted. “I doubt Quicksilver would ever be that blatant.”

  “You think he is the one behind everything and not the king?”

  “I have felt that way from the start.”

  “You are probably right,” River said. “King Canyon is too busy fawning over you to allow time for something like hatching plans. Of course, he may be trying to entrap your Skychild to get him out of the way so that he can move in and take over your affections.”

  “That is ridiculous,” Tierra pronounced. “Canyon may or may not have some sort of mild affection toward me, but he is not so far gone as to do anything drastic about it.”

  River directed a serious look at Tierra. “Tierra, I know you do not wish to admit it due to your feelings for the Skychild, but the way Canyon looks at you is the way a garm eyes a fat haunch of venison. I do not know if the man is simply infatuated with you or if it has become something more, but I would not call his actions indicative of ‘mild affection.’ And you know these servant women talk him up at every opportunity.”

  “Perhaps it is as you say,” Tierra said, worrying at her lip. “But if he is developing feelings for me, that is his own business. I am committed to Skye.”

  “I do not doubt it. But what if he does not take your rejection well? What if he becomes insistent?”

  “What are you suggesting, River?” Tierra asked. “I hardly think he is the kind of man to do something violent or underhanded should I not swoon and declare myself to be madly in love with him.”

  “I do not think he would act quite as you say. But there are other ways he could force your compliance. Suppose he should take you before the altar of Terrain against your will?”

  “Terrain would not accept such a farce,” Tierra said decisively.

  “Maybe not. But Canyon might think he would, and unless our god steps forward to save you, I am not sure what you could do.”

  Tierra looked away, and River said, “I am sorry for bringing up these thoughts like this. I do not want to frighten you, but I want you prepared for any eventuality.”

  “I know, River. I will take care in how I conduct myself with Canyon.”

  River smiled and leaned forward to embrace Tierra. “Just keep your wits about you, and I am certain all will be well. For now, I should return to my room before our attendants become worried.”

  “Be sure to put a scowl on your face,” Tierra told her cousin.

  River laughed. “I have had a lot of practice in this place. I do not believe it shall be difficult to do.”

  Within moments, Violet and Garnet had returned. Though they were not precisely subtle in their inquiries about why Tierra and River had needed to speak alone, Tierra chose the simple expedient of ignorin
g them, as she did not care whether they reported back to the king. They soon subsided with their queries, and Tierra was content enough with that.

  What did concern Tierra was what River had said about Canyon. Tierra had not wanted to admit it, but River was correct. The man had been doing everything but overtly wooing Tierra. Still, while that was a cause for concern, it was also an opportunity. Though Tierra would not precisely encourage Canyon’s feelings, she might be able to learn more of her captors’ plans if she at least refrained from discouraging him from expressing himself.

  But she would not tell Skye. She could not imagine him appreciating any mention of another man showing interest in her.

  Hearing Tierra’s voice was like listening to the sweetest birdsong in Celesta’s great creation, and though it meant that Skye was frequently inattentive to his surroundings, he thought he deserved a little leeway on account of the long separation from his beloved. Of course, inattention meant that he was often surprised at a sudden change in direction or at a sudden comment from someone nearby.

  “You are speaking with your mate?” Stardust asked after Skye apologized for almost falling off when the pegasus moved unexpectedly. The equine creature turned his head and looked back at Skye, his eye regarding his rider without blinking.

  “I am,” Skye replied.

  “Is this a wondrous ability all Skychildren possess? I have never heard of its like before.”

  “No, not all. Tierra and I are blessed with this connection due to the use of a special tool created by her god.”

  Stardust whinnied and nodded his head in approval. “I am glad to hear you are blessed by the gods themselves. You show a great devotion to your chosen mate. I will keep you on my back, regardless of what happens.”

  Thanking his mount, Skye turned his attention back to Tierra. His conversations with his fiancée ranged among various topics, from their respective journeys to what was happening around them, but one topic they quickly learned to avoid was that of exactly what had happened to Tierra.