by Stone, Leia
Seth stood there, half naked, his body a piece of art I wanted to paint. He crossed the room in three strides and pulled me close to his chest. “I’m sorry you had to do that. It’s my fault. I should have protected you.”
Rain fell outside. Three times it had rained. Seth looked down at me with pinched brows.
“What?” I asked him.
“I’ve known Maggie my entire life. My father is her personal guard.”
“Okay.” I gestured that he get to the point.
“She’s only ever made it rain twice. Once during the birth of her son, and then again when he died,” Seth commented.
“Oh, so it’s not normal?” My mind was already fragile from killing the man. I couldn’t take it if Seth was going to tell me something was wrong with me.
“You’ve made it rain three times in two days. Normal or not. It’s amazing. You’re amazing,” he told me, eyeing my lips. His breath smelled sweet and I wanted him to kiss me again.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize he was nearly naked. He went to shut the window and then pulled me into the washroom.
“I’m sorry for the improperness of this situation, but I can’t let you out of my sight,” he told me and then he gestured with his hands for me to face the wall.
I grinned, then laughed and faced the wall.
“It’s not funny,” he grumbled. “Don’t turn around.”
I saw his loin cloth fall at my feet. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to turn around and take a peek. The storm raged outside while I bit my tongue and faced the wall.
*
Seth hid the body of the thug I had killed in the inn’s barn stall. He paid the inn keeper for the trouble and we left on foot to sleep somewhere no one would look.
Seth loosely held my hand as he guided me through the different alleyways of Mule. “Keep your eyes down. Anyone who spots you will know.”
“Where are we going?” I whispered. I stared at his feet. He seemed to know his way around, but I was lost.
“My cousin runs a blacksmith trade here. His wife is with child. We can stay in their shop.”
We snaked our way through the alleys until we came upon a small house with a red door. Seth rapped three times quickly and then two times slowly.
I heard shuffling inside and then the door opened.
"Cousin?" A young man with brown hair and Seth's likeness peered at us through sleepy eyes. When he saw my glowing eyes, he inhaled sharply.
"Come in, quickly."
His wife, belly swollen with child, saw me and dropped to her knees. "Bless the Fates!"
I smiled nervously.
Seth embraced his cousin. “We don’t want to bring trouble to your family, but we need a place to stay the night. We can sleep in your shop.”
The wife stood and held her belly. “The Water Blessed is not sleeping in our dusty old shop! The Fates will strike me dead. No, no, she can have our bed.”
I put my hands up in protest. “No, no that’s not necessary. The shop is fine.”
The wife put a hand on her hip. “I insist you take our bed. No blessed one will be sleeping on the floor in my house.”
Seth’s cousin looked at me. “Please say yes, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
I shared a smile with Seth. “All right. Thank you.” I don’t think I would ever get used to this special treatment. I eyed the water pots in the corner near my feet. Two of three were empty and the third was only a quarter full.
Mule had their own well, I knew that. They shouldn’t be so low on water with a well 100 paces away. “Is it hard to manage the water carrying while pregnant?” I asked. Maybe that’s why.
She looked embarrassingly at the empty pots. “Oh, no that’s not it. I have a wagon. It’s just–”
Her husband cut in, “The thugs have become a problem. They have doubled their price to keep the peace at the well and business has been slow at the shop.”
Anger flared inside of me and thunder crackled overhead. They couldn’t afford the water. That wasn’t fair!
The wife bowed her head and muttered a prayer as rain fell. She dragged the pots outside to collect the rain water. Seth grabbed my arm gently and led me back to the room. He kept staring at me like I was an alien. I bid him goodnight and pretended to sleep.
I lay awake for some time, struck by the couple’s kindness. People shouldn't be living in fear of the water thugs!
I rolled over and saw that Seth was awake, lying on a bedroll on the floor. He was staring at the ceiling, one hand on his weapon. My eyes roamed over his body, the way his shirt clung to his muscles. I had never seen a man so well built, never been kissed so passionately in all my life.
He caught me looking and I cleared my throat.
"Why don’t the kings protect the people of Mule from the water well thugs?" I asked. Mule was technically outside of the kingdom, but it was a major entry point into the realm.
Seth looked at me and frowned. "The same reason the kings don't protect your village. You’re not a part of their kingdom. You’re nomads, on the outskirts. You don't pay taxes to the kings, so they don't offer you services of protection."
I propped up on one elbow. "Taxes!" I tried to whisper. "Don't make me laugh! We don't make enough in my village to pay taxes. We barely survive. Why should we be punished for that?"
I realized I was getting angry with him and it wasn't his fault.
He stood and crossed the room, perching at the edge of the bed. "I didn't create the rules. The world isn't a perfect place. I'm just doing my part, keeping you safe, so that you can bring life giving water to the people of Jewel Mountain. Beyond that, is out of my control."
He clearly had come from a life of privilege. I needed him to understand. I took his hand and placed it atop my head. "Feel that?"
He frowned slightly. "It’s flat." I tried to ignore how good he smelled, that lingering lavender and … Seth.
I nodded. "From carrying twenty pounds of water in steel vessels, twelve hours a day, for over eight years."
He retracted his hand and looked down at his fingers, ashamed. "I'm sorry."
"Me too. I'm sorry that in order for me to be kept safe and for my village to prosper, I had to be sold at an auction like an item!" I spat the words out and rolled over facing the wall as rain fell from the sky. It hit the window and sounded like clinking glass. I was controlling it, I realized. Every time the storm inside of me stirred, the weather outside stirred as well. I decided that the people of Mule deserved a good rain, so I let the storm rage on inside of me for as long as I could, until sleep took me.
That night, I dreamed of a huge body of water. A lake? I was floating in it. I awoke to a soft caress on my neck and down my left arm. I opened my eyes. Seth was tracing my scar.
"Did it hurt?" he whispered.
It was still dark out, but the sun was beginning to creep up.
I looked down at my arm and the white hairline scar that marred it. "It startled me more than anything." My hair was loose and fell around my shoulders.
I sat up, but he didn't move.
He brushed his hair away from his face, a nervous habit I recognized. His chin was dotted with stubble and the early promise of a beard.
He leaned into me and whispered into my ear. "I couldn't sleep last night after what you said. You're not an item. You’re a person, an amazing person. If we get to Jewel Mountain and you aren't happy, than I will take you away somewhere that you can be. That’s a promise."
His breath sent shivers down my back and warmed my belly.
My eyes widened and he pulled away. I knew enough about the realm and king’s law to know that his words were treason. I nodded.
He nodded back.
We snuck out the bedroom door and past his sleeping cousin and wife. Seth laid a gold Kings Coin on the table and opened the door. I hovered my hand over the plugged kitchen basin and filled it with water. When I looked up, Seth was watching me with a gaze I couldn't interpret.
Je
wel Mountain
We rode across the high stone fence that marked the Water Realm and the four kingdoms that lay within it. I sat perched on the bench seat in the carriage with the curtain pulled back, taking it all it.
The large stone fence marked the circular border of the entire realm once ruled by one king, the King of Jewel Mountain. My mother told me that when the drought hit and water became scarce, the water wars began and the realm broke apart into four kingdoms. That way, each kingdom had a good or service to offer the others in exchange for water. And so Silk, Wheat, Coal, and Jewel were born. None of these politics affected my small village, other than the drought.
We used to have rain a couple times within a moon cycle and a shallow pond by the Life Tree. But the drought dried up our pond and forced us to travel far for our water. It changed the life and culture of our village. Men used to take only one wife, for love. Now they took three or four, for survival. One for the cooking and child rearing, and one or two for the water fetching, depending on how many kids you had. It was just how we did things.
“Ocean.” Seth’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “We will be passing the Jewel Mountain gates soon and there is something I should tell you.”
My heart thumped in my chest. “What is it?”
“Well, I didn’t lie before when I said you could marry for love, but …”
My stomach dropped and time froze. “But what?” I fixed him with a gaze that could cut glass. I would not be arranged!
He ran his fingers through his hair. “The prince, Kyler, he’s my best friend. Before I left to fetch you, he said his father wanted to see you two married. If you agreed to our deal and I brought you home.”
My chest was heaving. I could feel the clouds rolling in.
“Kyler said that if you were pretty and nice, he would consider his father’s idea. I don’t think he will be disappointed.”
The rain fell in clumps.
“If I was pretty!” I shouted. Was it any different from men in my village? They wanted a strong and pretty water wife to tend to their needs. “He sounds awful,” I spat out. “The night I was struck by sky fire and given this power, I was running away from an arranged marriage. I won’t run back into one.” I crossed my arms.
Seth put his face in his hands. “You will not be arranged. You’re not understanding what I’m trying to say!”
“Then spit it out!” The carriage slowed as the rain poured and poured outside. I felt on the verge of tears, I had never felt so vulnerable.
“Prince Kyler is handsome, respectful, and smart! The moment he sees you, he will stop at nothing to have you because he will see that you are the most beautiful, headstrong, kindhearted woman in all the realm!” He slammed his fist onto his bench.
His words sent goosebumps down my arms as the rain poured from the sky. The carriage wasn’t made for heavy rain and the gaps in the wood trickled with water. Some of the water dripped onto Seth’s lip. I leaned forward daringly and licked the droplet of water. He grabbed the back of my neck forcefully and pulled my body onto his, pressing us together. His hands roamed over my body, taking in every curve as he kissed me. My fingers squeezed his hard bicep. Suddenly, the carriage jerked to a stop and I could hear a horse whinnying. We stopped kissing and were locked in a gaze, panting.
“Captain!” I heard a shout. Seth set me down next to him and exited the carriage. I tried to control my breathing, calm the warmth in my belly, and sooth the clouds above my head.
I heard laughter and shouting outside.
I stepped out and saw that our carriage was stuck in the mud. The streets were waterlogged and the people of Jewel Mountain were bowed on one knee, in honor of my arrival. Their pots stood outside, filling with fresh rainwater.
The homes were built with white stone and each door was a different color. It was the cleanest, most beautiful place I had ever seen.
“Please get up,” I told them over the roaring rain.
Seth whispered to me, “Don’t take this from them. This is the only way they can thank you.”
I nodded to him and shouted louder. “May the Fates bless you as they have blessed me.”
The dark sky lightened and the rain stopped. I was thirsty. For the first time in five days, I was thirsty. I smiled.
I rode horseback through the streets with Seth as Lake trailed behind me with the head maiden. The other guards stayed back to try to loosen the stuck carriage. Once we rounded the corner, I saw the opulent white stone castle. The front door was littered with gems and gold inlay. There was more wealth on that one door than in my entire village. It made me uncomfortable.
A man, who I presumed was the king, waited out front with an older woman in plain dress. Guards flanked him to the left and right. Seth dismounted the horse and grabbed my waist to help me off.
Seth approached the king and bowed deeply. “My King, I present to you, Ocean, the new Water Blessed.”
I bowed as well, unsure of what to do.
The king took my hand and kissed the top. “Are you the one making all of this rain? Bless the Fates. We are lucky to have you.” His eyes glittered with greed. His beard was grey and his face showed the lines of age.
I cleared my throat. “Well, your offer was the best for my people so, thank you for the well. It will make life in my village easier on the women.”
The king nodded. “Of course. I think you will find life here on Jewel Mountain to be far greater than you have experienced thus far.” He had an air of snobbery I didn’t like.
I glared. “Well, I walked twenty miles a day for the last eight years to fetch water in the scorching heat, and fend off thugs. So I’m pretty sure anything is better than that.”
Seth grabbed my elbow hard. “Your majesty, she is quite tired from the trip. We had a few violent threats.”
The king looked at me with a stony expression. “Hmm, yes, well, why doesn’t Ocean get acquainted with her living quarters and have a rest before the grand ball tonight?” He gave me a final glare then turned and left, his guard following on his heel.
“Are you crazy? You don’t talk to the king like that,” Seth whispered.
“I don’t like feeling bought and having wealth thrown in my face. I’m sorry,” I told him.
The woman was still standing there, staring at me like she had seen a ghost.
Seth looked at her. “Maggie, this is Ocean.”
Maggie? The other Water Blessed. I stepped closer and saw that her eyes were blue and faintly glowing, but nothing like mine.
“Seth, give us a moment, please,” she ordered him. He bowed and went to speak to a man that was the spitting image of him, except older.
She came forward and embraced me in a hug. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Her words seeped into my soul. Yes. If anyone knew exactly how I felt, it was her. Everyone was saying I was blessed, and it did feel good to have power, but it was also a curse. Taken from my family, auctioned off, put into a new world and made to work off a debt I didn’t ask for. My life would never be simple, would never be the same. “Thank you,” I whispered back.
“Have the dreams started yet?” she asked me. The lake, me floating in the lake. Did all Water Blessed have the dreams?
“Yes, I dreamt of a lake. What are your dreams?”
Maggie smiled. Her white hair was braided and her eyes were set into a bed of wrinkles. She looked almost sixty winters old. “I dream of you.”
The breath went out of me. “What?”
Maggie pulled me away from the entrance and we walked along the palace wall toward a thick and beautiful flower garden. Seth and his father trailed behind us, giving us privacy.
“The Fates, they speak to us in our dreams,” she told me. “Seraphina, the other Water Blessed, lives in Wheat Valley. I have been able to sneak messages to her. She confirmed my thoughts about what the Fates are saying in the dreams.”
I turned to face her. “What is it? What are the Fates saying?” The revelation that the F
ates sent us dreams had me reeling.
Maggie leaned forward. “Seraphina dreams of you too. For three winters we have dreamed of the girl with dark hair, star-fire eyes and a name after the biggest body of water in history.”
Chills ran up my arms. “Three winters! But I only became Water Blessed a few days ago.” My hands shook. This wasn’t the welcome I expected.
Maggie nodded. “But the Fates have been showing us your face for a long time.”
I was unnerved. “What do they say? What does it mean?”
Maggie looked back at the castle. “That when the time is right, we must leave Jewel Kingdom and unite the realm once more. They say that you would bring more water to the realm than we have ever seen. Most importantly, water should be shared by all, for free.”
Her words sent a shock through me, but at the same time they rang true.
“I will write Seraphina and confirm that it’s you. Then we will make our plan.” She clasped my hand.
Free water for everyone? Unite the realms? It was a nice idea but sounded impossible.
She grabbed the sides of my face. "The Fates have put much water in you, child. Your eyes are drowning in blue. You can change things, for everyone, for the better. Trust no one.” She looked at the palace with fearsome eyes.
Her words were treasonous, crazy, and unnerving.
"I'm overwhelmed. I think I will go lie down," I admitted.
She looked sad but clasped her hands together. "Oh, of course, dear. I'm sorry. We have time for these things. There is so much I have to tell you."
I bid her farewell and asked Seth to take me to Lake.
Seth quietly walked me through the palace doors. We went left down a long hallway past a library, right at the kitchens and then I got lost. I was in shock, I decided. The grandiose display of wealth within the castle made me uncomfortable. The words that Maggie said made me question her sanity and mine.
Maybe it was all a dream.
We crossed a long hallway to a large oak door. Seth opened it and bowed. "Your living quarters, my lady.”
He pointed to a door right next to mine. "I stay here. Please come get me if you decide to leave your room. You must always be under guard. King’s orders."
