On Lonely Paths (Earth and Sky Book 2)

by Jann Rowland

  But despite the inherent dangers in their exit strategy, Skye found that he actually trusted Jasper. He was not certain how the man had earned his trust, but he had done so, and Skye would not mind having the man on his side in a fight.

  The irony of his situation was that the person in their party who held the least amount of his trust at that moment was Tierra. Even River had risen in his estimation. Tierra, however, had burned him, just like that brand over his heart, and he was not certain whether he could ever recover from it.

  But when he stumbled over some rocks that he had not noticed, Tierra was suddenly there.

  “Skye, are you all right?” she asked in concern, her hand on his arm.

  He shrugged her hand off. “I’m fine.”

  All Tierra could feel was desolation. Skye did not want to speak to her. He would not talk to her. Terrain’s sweet earth! He would not even look at her! The caresses they had shared on Skymount only months before seemed like they had happened a lifetime ago.

  As Skye moved away from her, continuing down the tunnel through which they traveled, Tierra watched him, wondering how everything had all gone wrong. How could it have come to this?

  “Courage, Tierra.”

  Tierra looked over to see her mother regarding her with a hint of compassion in her eyes.

  “It may seem impossible now,” Sequoia said, “but I doubt it will be long before your Skychild remembers what it is he loves about you.”

  “Are you now an advocate for him?” Tierra asked skeptically.

  Sequoia turned her eyes toward the retreating Skychild, and then she began to proceed in the same direction with Tierra walking beside her. “Have I not traveled with him these past weeks? I have to admit he impressed me. Not only with his tenacity and determination, but also with his obviously great love for you.

  “I do not know what was done to him, Tierra,” her mother continued, directing a significant look at her daughter, “and neither do you. But given what I have heard and the state he is in, it appears to have been much worse than anything we did to him on the surface.”

  “I should never have kept anything from him,” Tierra said. “I should have told him their target was the Fenik.”

  “It seems to me the target was more than just the Fenik.”

  Tierra shrugged. “Perhaps it was. But that is what Skye is most angry about. If it was just himself to worry about, I doubt he would be acting this way.”

  “It seems he cares little about his own safety where you are concerned,” Sequoia agreed. Then she paused for a moment, considering something. “I . . . I do understand your reasons, Tierra. I personally am more than a little uneasy at the thought of the Skychildren possessing such a weapon, especially since only they can control it.”

  “But Skye is trustworthy,” Tierra said hotly. “That is what I allowed myself to forget.”

  “Though I could never have imagined that I would agree with you on such a subject, I have no choice. It appears obvious to me that your Skychild is worthy of trust. But as I said, I understand your concerns.”

  They walked on in silence. Tierra understood her mother’s position, all the more so because it had been—was—her own. But Tierra had made the mistake of trusting Canyon over Skye in this matter, and now that she looked back, she wondered how she could ever have made such a misstep. She knew Skye. She had seen into his heart; she had known that he was as noble as any man she had met. It was a wretched error to have allowed him to walk into the trap without giving him every scrap of information she possessed. She knew that now.

  The small company continued on, traversing the cave system as quickly as they could, the Groundbreathers feeling secure in their chosen path due to the powers they had received from their god. Skye strode beside Jasper, who led the party for most of the distance, the two speaking occasionally, though never for long. A camaraderie of sorts had apparently sprung up between the two men, and Tierra supposed it must have been built on the weeks of their travels.

  Though the journey into the city had taken days rather than hours, fear drove them on in a way that would not have been possible otherwise. Pursuit would be on their heels as soon as Quicksilver organized the clearing of the tunnels, and if escape was possible, it would be accomplished by nothing less than a mad dash to the surface. Still, the group stopped to rest a few times at the insistence of Tierra, who saw how difficult the journey was for Skye. During one of these breaks, Tierra learned how Gusty and Griffin had been able to assist them.

  “We were watching for you all,” Gusty said.

  “And arguing about whether we should attempt some sort of rescue,” Griffin added quickly.

  “It was well you held your position,” Jasper grumbled, though Skye sensed the man was not truly displeased. “Had you shown up earlier, you might have tipped our hand and made our escape impossible.”

  “Instead, we were able to provide assistance exactly when you needed it,” Griffin said. It was clear from his tone that he enjoyed tweaking Jasper’s nose.

  Jasper’s grunt of affirmation was all the satisfaction Griffin was to receive.

  “But I thought we left you in a different place,” Skye said.

  “You did,” Gusty replied. “But we moved closer to the city when you did not return. We wanted to be able to see you if you emerged, and it was a better location to launch a rescue attempt from if we needed to do so.”

  Surprisingly, it was Sequoia who turned to Jasper, her eyes filled with mirth. “I suppose you must give these Skychildren credit, Jasper. Without their assistance, our escape was very much in doubt.”

  “Their aid was adequate,” the man replied. It was clear he would not admit anything more, so the subject was dropped. Yet Skye thought he detected a hint of grudging respect for the two Skychildren underneath the man’s gruff demeanor.

  When the air began to feel a little fresher and a few currents began to caress their faces as they hurried along, indicating their proximity to the surface, Tierra was surprised, as it had only taken them about half the time as the journey to Hearth had consumed.

  “We are close to the surface,” River exclaimed eagerly as they continued.

  River broke into a trot, and Tierra, knowing that her cousin had suffered underground, hurried to catch up to her.

  “Hold!” Jasper commanded, turning his attention to the place they had passed through only moments before.

  And that was when they all—Groundbreather and Skychild alike—began to feel the rumbling vibrations in the cave behind them. When Tierra looked at the floor, she saw the dust along the side shifting and vibrating around.

  “Run!” Jasper cried.

  The others in the company needed no further encouragement as they surged up the tunnel toward the entrance and the light that appeared in the distance. Behind her, Tierra heard the rumbling of rocks as the tunnel in which they were standing collapsed. Jasper had turned and was running on their heels after causing the tunnel to cave in. The rumbling continued. Tierra knew the massive creature they had seen in the city was close behind them.

  The speck of light grew in the distance. They hurried forward. They had covered three-quarters of the distance when a crash and a rumble sounded behind them.

  Tierra looked back to see the large eyes of the snake-like creature gleaming eerily in the gloom, peering at them. The Leviathan had bulled its way through the debris blocking the tunnel instead of burrowing.

  Rather than stand there gaping, Tierra put on a burst of speed. Stone had paused to growl ferociously at the creature, but a sharp command from Sequoia had him trotting forward with the rest of the group.

  Skye stumbled and fell to the ground, and Tierra’s heart stopped. But before she could rush to him, Gusty and Jasper were already there, manhandling him into an upright position. The pace of their escape had been too much for him. She only caught a brief glimpse of his pale and haggard face before he began staggering on with the assistance of the two men.

  The roar of the Lev
iathan shook the tunnel. The noise of rocks and debris shifting around and clattering down sounded as the beast pressed its way forward.

  “Hurry!” Sequoia shouted.

  They finally burst into the light.

  After being underground for so long, Tierra found the sunlight almost painful to her eyes. But there was no time to adjust to the change. The snakelike beast was screeching as it pushed its way forward. They did not have long before it was upon them.

  “I can’t,” Skye gasped out, waving an ineffectual hand in the air as he pointed toward the sky.

  “I’ll take care of this, Skye,” Gusty said. Somehow, he knew exactly what his friend wanted. “Brace yourselves, everyone!”

  And then the winds lifted everyone up from the ground. The Leviathan shot forward out of the cave. It propelled its head upward, snapping at empty air. Had Gusty been a few seconds later, the creature would have captured at least part of its prey.

  The Leviathan let out a cry that shook the area nearby, and the impact of its body on the ground was akin to a small earthquake.

  “Vesper and Stardust,” Skye muttered plaintively, closing his eyes.

  “I will go find them, Your Majesty,” Griffin said.

  “We’re going to that settlement up there, Griffin,” Gusty said, gesturing as he hovered nearby, still holding Skye, Stone, and four less-than-pleased Groundbreathers upright in the air.

  “Thank you,” Skye murmured. Then his eyes closed, and his head rolled forward.

  “Skye!” Tierra shouted.

  In time, Terrain grew content with his people’s progress. They were capable and clever, intelligent and industrious, and he knew his people would continue to prosper. He had done what he could for them, and it was time for his assistance to come to an end.

  So he said goodbye to the Groundbreathers, though they begged him to stay, and he returned to the glory of the earth.

  From up in the sky, Celesta looked down and saw Terrain disappear into the beautiful haven of deep dark earth. She flung her hands in the air in frustration, knowing she could no longer have a hope of reaching him.

  She raged and raved, demanding that the Skychildren return to the ground realm and attack the Groundbreathers. But the sky-dwellers feared the Groundbreathers after seeing the evidence of their might, and they refused to begin another war.

  So Celesta flew up to the stars in her anger, promising never to help her children again. And she glared down from the stars at the earth in which Terrain dwelled.

  But the Groundbreathers remained content, and so Terrain did not lament the ill actions of the goddess he had created. It all had turned out well in the end.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-FIVE

  Withdrawal

  “You overdid it.”

  The voice was unpleasant and accusatory, and Skye, who was beginning to stir now that he had regained consciousness, felt tempted to return back to that black nothingness.

  “Mmm,” he managed. His tongue felt thick and dry, and it was hard to form any words. He did not want to open his eyes. His consciousness was hazy, but he felt certain that if he allowed himself to more fully enter the world, he would be inviting further pain. He could not quite remember why, and he did not want to.

  “Drink this,” Sequoia said, pushing something into his hand.

  It took a few twitches of his fingers, but he finally grasped the cup. He opened his eyes then, wincing as that simple movement brought on the realization that his body was protesting its recent misuse. Still, he had enough of a grip on himself to realize that he did not enjoy the thought of looking like a weak fool in front of Sequoia, so he forced himself to sit up. He brought the cup to his lips, and when the first cool surge of water reached his tongue, everything came back to him.

  The bond of Terrain’s water broken. Tierra’s betrayal. The Fenik’s capture.

  Skye tightened his grip on the cup as he made himself drink it. When he finished, Sequoia carefully took the cup from his hand and set it aside.

  “How long was I out?” Skye asked, licking his cracked lips in an attempt to moisten them.

  “About a day,” Sequoia said.

  “What?” Skye exclaimed.

  “It is not that uncommon. Your body experienced a lot of trauma. Even with the healing cream that had been applied to your flesh, your body needed time to recuperate. It did not help that you had to run for your life. Your Skychild healer—Vesper, I believe her name is?—worked on you for a while. She seemed impressed with how quickly you have recovered. But the fact of the matter is that your body needed rest.”

  “Did my pegasus make it here as well?”

  “Yes, it did.”

  “And how did you get stuck with watching the infirm Skychild king?” Skye asked wryly.

  “We have been alternating who stays with you, though I volunteered this last time. I had a feeling you would wake up soon, and I wanted to speak with you.”

  Skye then became aware of a strange weight near his feet, and he looked down to see a large white garm staring anxiously at him.

  “Stone has scarcely left your side at all,” Sequoia told him, no doubt noticing his gaze. “For whatever reason, he has been worried about you.”

  With a slight smile, Skye reached out a hand, and the garm moved forward eagerly, placing a few well-intentioned licks on his palm. Skye began scratching behind Stone’s ears as he turned his attention to Sequoia.

  “Tierra wanted to be here,” Sequoia said. “In fact, she has checked on you so many times that I think even Gusty grew irritated with her during his watch. But she feared you would not want her here, so she refused to do a shift of her own.”

  “I’m surprised you know Gusty and Vesper’s names,” Skye said, ignoring what she had said about Tierra. “I would have thought that you would consider learning details about Skychildren to be beneath you.”

  Sequoia gave him an irritated look. “You know I am being forced to reconcile with the notion that the Groundbreathers and Skychildren will be interacting more in the future. I can remember a Skychild’s name if I believe he or she has done something worthy of me remembering it.”

  “Is that why you took so long to learn my name?” Skye jested. “You never thought me worthy?”

  “It is truly a pity,” Sequoia said.

  Skye frowned, not catching what she meant. “What is?”

  “I finally allow myself to accept the fact that you are going to marry my daughter, and then you take it into your head to be angry with her. She loves you deeply, you know.”

  Skye scoffed. “This is about more than just love now. This is about trust.”

  The woman regarded Skye with a pointed look, obviously attempting to make him feel like a scolded child. But Skye only returned her look with a scowl. He was the injured party in all of this—quite literally, in fact. He had been the injured party ever since he had had the misfortune to fall in with the Groundbreathers.

  “Though you may be angry and hurt,” Sequoia said, apparently having realized that Skye was not about to be intimidated, “if you consider what has happened, I think you will understand that the trust between you has not been broken irreparably.”

  “That has not yet been determined.”

  “Perhaps. But remember that Tierra’s feelings are real, as are your own. At the end of the day, what did Tierra do that was so very bad? Yes, she failed to tell you what she knew of her captors’ true goals, but you cannot fault her for her fears. I am uneasy with the idea of the Skychildren once again having control over their ancient weapon. Should she and I both not feel that way?”

  “Tierra should trust me.”

  This time, Sequoia’s look did prick Skye’s conscience.

  “You are well aware of how much Tierra trusts you,” she said. “For that matter, I trust you.”

  Shocked, Skye gazed at her, wondering whether he had heard her right.

  Sequoia shook her head and chuckled. “It is strange, is it not? Yes, I do trust you. I beli
eve you are honorable. I believe you when you say you wish for better relations between our peoples. But I do not trust some Skychild ruler centuries in the future who does not possess your sense of honor.”

  “Is that not more reason to make certain our peoples are brought together rather than torn apart?”

  “You cannot see the future,” Sequoia said. “Our peoples might be forming an alliance, but that does not stop some rogue member of your extended family from using the Fenik as a weapon to further whatever mad schemes they have.

  “However, I do not want to talk about the Fenik,” Sequoia continued, not allowing Skye to respond. “The Fenik is incidental to this all. I can only guess at what was done to you in that city, but I know it was not pleasant. I do not believe you have any reason to blame Tierra for that, at least. You had to know—as I did—that we could be walking into a trap.”

  Skye nodded slowly, knowing she had a point, little though he wished to acknowledge it.

  “You should think long and hard about what you want before you push my daughter away. You have something special between you. If you allow your anger to rule you—if you throw it all away—I suspect you will regret it for the rest of your life. I know that Tierra will.”

  With those final ominous words, Sequoia called Stone to her side and then departed, leaving Skye alone with his thoughts. He had much to think on. Unfortunately, he suspected there would be little time for reflection.

  Skye was still considering Sequoia’s words when he left the room and rejoined his companions a short time later. In truth, Skye did not know what he felt anymore. Anger was still present, though it was a mixed emotion, consisting of a sense of revulsion for the man who had so sadistically performed his tortures, a sense of disgust for the king who had thought to turn Tierra against him, and a sense of betrayal that Tierra had not thought enough of him to inform him of what he was getting himself into.