On Lonely Paths (Earth and Sky Book 2)

by Jann Rowland

  During one of their conversations, Tierra had told Skye, “I am being treated well. River and I have been given comfortable rooms in the royal wing of the castle, and we have attendants that serve us.”

  “Who act as your jailers, you mean?”

  A measure of discomfort had come to Skye from over their link. “Technically, yes. But they have generally been nothing but good to us, though they will not allow us to leave.”

  “Benevolent captivity then.”

  “I suppose so. Skye, they claim to have taken me for my own protection.”

  Skye had been unable to believe what he was hearing. “Protection? From what? Oh, from me, I suppose.”

  “It would seem to be so,” Tierra responded hesitantly. “They do not agree with the idea of a Groundbreather princess marrying a Skychild. That sentiment is widespread, though, among both our peoples.”

  “Perhaps it is so, but your current captors are the first who have resorted to kidnapping because of it,” Skye said.

  “You are right. But I cannot hate them for it. They have, for the most part, been good to me—apart from holding me captive, of course. Still, I desperately wish to leave here. You have no idea how much this city depresses me, and River feels it even more than I do. But I do not wish them ill.”

  “I believe I understand how an underground city might feel oppressive,” Skye said, knowing she would pick up his wry humor. “But something stinks in all this, Tierra. There are so many threads at work here that I’m not sure we have any chance of unraveling them. And the sad fact of the matter is that Terrain seems to be behind it all.”

  “Terrain?” Tierra exclaimed. “How could you possibly have come to that conclusion?”

  “What, you mean beyond the fact that you are being held captive by a faction of your people living deep underground? A faction that was previously unknown to you, I might note. Add to that what happened at the temple, and it seems to me that Terrain is pretty guilty.”

  “What happened at the temple? What do you mean?”

  Skye proceeded to detail his experiences at the Groundbreather temple. He sensed Tierra’s distress concerning his statements about Terrain, so he attempted to keep to the facts instead of adopting a more accusatory stance. Still, he could tell she was not receiving his information with any degree of complacency—or of acceptance.

  “Your suspicions about my god involve a rather large amount of conjecture, Skye,” Tierra said. “I might counter and say that Celesta is behind it all. This new information about her perverting Strix from his purpose seems to be more damning than your concerns about Terrain.”

  “Did Celesta arrange for a city full of Groundbreathers to kidnap you?” Skye shot back.

  “Of course not, Skye,” Tierra said impatiently. “But I am suggesting that you do not pin this entire episode on Terrain with such flimsy evidence. The idea that these underground Groundbreathers could be reporting directly to Terrain seems almost laughable to me. There is much we do not know about what is happening here, Skye. We need more information, and we need to avoid jumping to conclusions.”

  Softening at Tierra’s words, Skye was forced to chuckle. “There’s my indomitable Groundbreather princess. I have missed you so much, Tierra.”

  “I have missed you, too.”

  “Then let’s not talk about things like this. We’ll wait for more information, as you said. Soon, we’ll be together, and we can search for the clues that we need.”

  “Together,” Tierra repeated warmly.

  The minor disagreement resolved, the conversation had turned to other matters until Tierra was forced to break their connection. Skye was content. Every step Stardust took brought him closer to Tierra. It would not be much longer.

  Tierra was soon convinced that River had the right of the matter when it came to the king of the “Chosen.” Oh, Tierra had no evidence that Canyon would behave in so dishonorable a manner as River had suggested, but it became more than apparent that he was attempting to turn her toward him and away from Skye. River’s expressive looks upon witnessing such behavior did nothing to help Tierra’s mood.

  The day after Skye made contact with Tierra, she was given a golden opportunity to try to discover some of her captors’ plans. She was speaking of inconsequential things with Canyon and trying to avoid his advances when Quicksilver entered the room.

  “Your Majesty,” the man said, looking at Canyon. Then he turned and looked at Tierra. “Your Highness.” After this initial greeting, he returned his attention to the king. “Your Majesty, we must speak.”

  Canyon smiled at Tierra. “If you would not mind excusing us, my dear.”

  “Of course,” Tierra said, ignoring the endearment. “I will see you again at dinner.”

  Without sparing a glance for Quicksilver, Tierra rose and quit the room. But when she reached the anteroom, she discovered there was no one else about. Security at the castle was a little lax, no doubt due to the fact that the Groundbreathers here had nothing to fear, having remained undetected for eons. Knowing such an opportunity might not come again, she edged back toward the door, attempting to listen to the conversation in the other room. By pressing her ear against the door, she was able to hear most of what they said.

  “The danger is increasing by the day,” Quicksilver said.

  Canyon murmured something that was likely an agreement.

  Quicksilver then continued: “Our god is beset, Canyon. You know this. She continues to work against him, and if she succeeds, the world as we know it will cease to exist, and everything we know will be lost. We must blunt her thrust at all costs.”

  “And she is not the only one we have to worry about.”

  “Yes,” Quicksilver said. Tierra could almost hear the sneer in his voice. “Celesta. How I despise that name.”

  “Her agents are not helping our situation by working against us. Their movements are so difficult to track. Without Terrain’s aid, it would be hopeless.”

  “Their ability to fly makes it difficult to keep tabs on them. But at least her primary errand boy does not seem to be trying to remain on good terms with the Skychild king.” Quicksilver’s voice gained a growl to it. “That wretched man is a fool, and I would love to wring his neck. Were it not for his idiocy and the fact that the Skychildren are such a despicable race, I might try to form an alliance with those cloud-lovers.”

  “I have a feeling that the theft of the Skychild king’s fiancée might preclude the formation of any alliance,” Canyon said dryly.

  “If they knew what was at stake, it might not. But that is no matter. You need not worry about losing your princess.”

  “She is not my princess,” Canyon said quietly.

  “Not yet anyway.”

  Tierra heard the sound of footsteps moving across the floor and backed away quickly. If she were discovered, her movements in Hearth would likely be seriously curtailed. And so she hastened away, her mind awhirl.

  She could not make sense of everything that Quicksilver and Canyon had discussed, but something had clicked into place for her. The “errand boy” they had mentioned had to be Cirrus! For whatever reason, she felt positive that it was so. It was like there was an instinct in her gut so powerful that it had taken on the appearance of certainty.

  If Quicksilver and Canyon believed Cirrus was working against Skye, then had Cirrus finally made a move against the man he had called his friend? While she knew Cirrus was not supporting Skye’s decision to make peace between the Groundbreathers and Skychildren, she was surprised by the idea that Cirrus could do something more audacious than mere disagreement. Still, her conversation with Cirrus had revealed a disturbing side to the man. Perhaps she should not have been surprised by anything he did.

  Some of the things Quicksilver and Canyon had said appeared to be beyond belief. The notion of anyone assailing Terrain was ludicrous. What did a god have to fear? And why were they talking about Celesta as though she were acting in this world? What did all this mean?

&
nbsp; As for the third party who had been mentioned—the one who appeared to have disturbed them the most—Tierra had not a clue who they had meant.

  She wanted to discuss all this with Skye, but the negative implications toward Cirrus made her nervous. She had no idea how Skye would react to the suggestion that Cirrus was working against him in such a way. It would be better to keep that suspicion to herself for the time being.

  Decision made, she hurried on her way. Surely most of the answers she wanted would come in time.

  Celesta gazed down at the Groundbreathers, and she saw their powers and envied their skill. What she witnessed filled her with jealousy, for she knew that the Skychildren, should they be confined to the ground, could never prevail against the Groundbreathers. Even the water of the Waterweavers could stand against winds produced by the Skychildren. Celesta’s rage and envy collided together until she could stand it no longer.

  Celesta plotted a way to destroy the favored peoples of the gods. She went to the Waterweavers first, sending her gales at them, bearing the waters upon them, as though a terrible storm were threatening to destroy them with its mighty winds. And the Waterweavers left their homes and fled across the lands, guided by the fury of the sky goddess’s winds. They stopped when they came to a cliff that prevented them from fleeing further, but as they turned to hasten away from it, they found Celesta standing there.

  “From rocks you came, and to rocks you shall go,” hissed Celesta. And then her Skychildren landed behind her, and with her aid, they unleashed a torrential wind that savaged the Waterweavers and sent them over the edge of the cliff onto the rocks below.

  “Behold the evidence of your strength,” said she to the Skychildren, her laughter ringing out over the broken bodies of the Waterweavers. “You serve the goddess who is above all.”

  “Hail Celesta,” cried the Skychildren, raising their fists to the sky.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Cliff

  While Skye’s connection with Tierra was of assistance in his rescue mission, it was by no means a perfect form of navigation. Tierra could not very well have described every single bush and tree along her journey, even if she had paid attention to them all while traveling. That meant Jasper’s tracking skills and Stone’s keen sense of smell remained of use as they journeyed. On one of their days of travel, however, the group did receive a particularly strong sign that indicated they had drawn near to the place they had been looking for.

  Skye was riding alongside Gusty, speaking to him about, of all things, Mista. For some reason, Gusty seemed worried about her. Skye had barely given the woman a second thought, so focused had he been on finding Tierra, and he was not certain why he felt a twinge of guilt over it.

  “I know she is being cared for, but do you really think she is all right?” Gusty asked, biting his lip. The past few days, he had often descended into contemplative silences soon after he and Skye had begun discussing one subject or another, and it was only now that Skye had finally been able to draw something out of him. The fact that Mista had been occupying Gusty’s thoughts had surprised Skye.

  “I don’t think there is any reason for you to be worried, Gusty. She’s not married to my father any longer, after all. Why would anyone be concerned with her?”

  Gusty glanced around, as though to determine whether anyone was heeding their conversation, and then he said quietly, “Well, you know, the baby.”

  “It’s possible she hasn’t told anyone else about the baby,” Skye said. He was still baffled by how Mista had scarcely even registered the fact that she was carrying another life inside her. “You surely don’t have to worry about that.”

  “I know you aren’t her biggest admirer,” Gusty said, “but she is kind and gentle and has a great heart. There’s something to be admired about her innocence, but it is also something that is easy to take advantage of.”

  Skye liked to think of it as childishness rather than innocence, but he was not about to argue the point with his friend. “I wish her no ill, Gusty. Bluster is watching over her, remember? I think you’re worrying about nothing.”

  “Maybe so,” Gusty said, sounding unconvinced.

  Before he or Skye could say anything further, Sequoia’s panicked shout filled the air: “Watch out!”

  Skye spun Stardust around. He was just in time to see Vesper’s and Griffin’s horses rear up at an explosion of earth beneath their feet. Vesper’s horse reared too far back and kicked its legs in the air. Then it fell backward with a scream.

  Vesper landed on the ground beneath the horse, her leg pinned beneath its back. Griffin’s horse set its front legs back on the ground, nostrils flaring wildly.

  The other horses reacted to the chaos with predictable fright. In spite of their previous battle experience, these were no warhorses.

  Skye commanded, “Strix, to the sky!”

  As the bird shot upward, Skye clucked at Stardust and pulled him up into the air, breaking through the canopy of trees overhead. The pegasus circled the area as Skye looked through holes in the forest line. Strix made slow circles above him, staying high in the sky for safety.

  It appeared that a group of Groundbreather patrols had found Skye’s group. These patrols were likely a sign that Skye and his companions were close to the tunnel system leading to Tierra. Unfortunately, Skye had hoped they could remain undetected. If they could defeat the entire patrol, however, there was still a chance that such could be the case.

  Eyeing the position of the enemy Groundbreathers, Skye spurred Stardust forward so that the pegasus would come down behind them.

  Skye found a suitable spot to descend through the trees, and the pegasus touched down on the ground. The battle ahead was already raging, with Sequoia and Jasper countering ground attacks with ground attacks, Stone leaping around like a rabid beast, and Gusty and Griffin releasing wind attack after wind attack. Vesper’s horse had righted itself, and Vesper had calmed it down enough to keep it from fleeing. Unfortunately, she was leaning up against a tree and favoring her leg, though she still managed to send a few whirlwinds spiraling toward the enemy.

  Pulling out his bow, Skye sighted along its length, releasing a storm of arrows at the backs of the enemy. The arrows were accompanied by two whirlwinds. The withering hail of fire and the ruthless buffeting of winds caught the Groundbreathers’ attention, and they struggled to respond, even as several went down with Skye’s arrows protruding from their backs. While Skye did not like shooting men in the back, the stakes were too high for him to hesitate.

  Skye slung his bow across his body. Urging the pegasus, he leaned forward. Stardust shot up into the air, only to come down in a wide arc amid the enemy soldiers. Stardust’s flailing hooves put one man out of the fight and opened up a gash on the side of his head. The pegasus’s wings sent another careening into a tree.

  Jasper, Sequoia, and the Skychildren took advantage of the distraction. The whirlwinds Skye had conjured, accompanied by the dirt kicked up by Sequoia and Jasper, pelted the enemy Groundbreathers.

  As the men attempted to fight back, Skye saw that the soil had loosened around the feet of one Groundbreather. A gesture sent a whirlwind bearing down on the man.

  Too late, the Groundbreather realized the danger. The earth around him coalesced as the whirlwind lifted him in the air. The man’s screams echoed throughout the forest until he was finally released from the vortex and flung into the foliage.

  The violence of the man’s fate broke the will of the other defenders, and they turned and fled. Skye brought Stardust up several feet into the air, poised to go after the retreating Groundbreathers.

  “Let them go,” Jasper yelled. “They are headed in the wrong direction on foot. With our horses, we will arrive much sooner than they will.”

  Though Skye was not certain of the wisdom of the man’s directive, he allowed Stardust to return to the ground. The moans of the wounded sounded throughout the wood. Strix soon came down and landed on Stardust’s saddle. />
  “Vesper, are you well?” Skye asked as he drew close to her.

  “I will manage, Your Majesty,” the woman replied, grimacing. “I managed to get clear of the horse for the most part, so it didn’t crush me. But my leg got caught in the stirrup.”

  “We have no time to wait,” Jasper said, riding up on his own mount. “Those men might return with reinforcements.”

  “If someone could help me into my saddle, I can make it,” Vesper replied.

  Skye and Griffin managed to get Vesper situated in the saddle, and if she was still a little ashen and winced with the pain, she shrugged it off, indicating to Skye that she could continue.

  “Is there anything you can do to lessen the pain and speed the healing while mounted?” Skye asked, concerned.

  “Yes, I have something in my saddle bags,” Vesper said, wincing when she turned to reach for them herself. “There is a salve which will speed the healing.”

  Skye nodded, retrieving the small jar she directed him to. When he took off the lid, he noted that the salve looked similar to the one Tierra had used on him while he had been a slave, though the scent of it was different.

  Holding out the open jar, Skye watched as Vesper took a liberal amount of the cream in her hand and unabashedly reached inside her pants, coating the outside of her thigh all the way down to her knee. Almost immediately, her grimace of pain lessened, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I can go on,” she said.

  Skye mounted Stardust and then quickly trotted from the area with the rest of his group, leaving the injured and dead Groundbreathers where they lay. Though Skye was reluctant to leave men behind to writhe in the pain of their wounds, Jasper summed up the situation:

  “If we tend to them, we will open ourselves up for attack. They are enemies. They will either receive help from their own, or they will not.”