Chapter Six
“No,” Ari said. “The stone is mine.”
“Cold. So cold. Let me warm myself in the flames.” Ria’s body trembled, and then shook.
When the tremors grew stronger, Ari rolled away. Her head twisted from side to side. Her spine arched. He ran his hands over her ice-cold skin. Her staring eyes held no expression. He grabbed her blanket roll and covered her. The thrashing movements of her body grew wilder. He feared her bones would break.
What could he do? Her flesh felt colder than water tumbling from the ice-capped mountains during a spring thaw. He drew the copper chain from around his neck and placed the caged fyrestone against her chest. If this didn’t work, he didn’t know what else to try. If he lost her, he would lose part of himself. He pressed his hand against the stone and prayed to the fates this action would stop the convulsions.
Slowly, the bone-jarring spasms ceased. Her breathing steadied. Her heart slowed to a more normal rhythm. Her skin warmed. A long sigh escaped her lips. Ari gathered her into his arms.
Somehow, she had crept into his heart. He didn’t know how to tell her. While he would gladly pledge his heart to her, he wasn’t sure she would welcome the gift. Was she ready to pledge her heart to him and make their union a double bond? At the moment, she desired him for the fyrestone he wore and for the pleasure their physical union had brought them.
He had promised her all the fyrestones she could desire. He would keep that promise, and find a way to turn her away from seeking vengeance and into seeking escape from the temple and Malera. He tapped his fingers against his thigh. Should he abandon his quest for knowledge about his parents and why he’d been tossed away and set a course for the hills where the crystals were found?
He yawned and tried to fight the need for sleep. He listened to Ria’s steady breathing. Before long, his pattern matched hers and he slept.
* * *
Malera stared at the fyrestones on the tiered circle in the inner chamber of the temple. How fared the party she’d sent to Gydon? Surely, they would soon report the mission had been accomplished. Among the girls of that doomed hamlet, there must be one suited for training as her successor. There was no one among the current acolytes who could learn to control the fire from a stone beyond the orange. Only Ria had used the scarlet. Why had she rebelled?
The beaded curtain parted. “Malera.”
The voice belonged to one of the acolytes. “If there are more stone seekers, have Filana see to them. I have other things to do. I must prepare for a major rite.”
“He’s not a stone seeker. He’s an innkeeper and says he has information about a guest who may be the one you seek.”
Malera frowned. After all this time? The inns had been searched twice, once for Ria, and then for the stone seeker. Neither had been found. Had the stone seeker returned to Rosti for some reason? “I’ll see this man.” She pushed past the girl and entered the rotunda.
A thin man paced about the room. “Priestess.” He bowed.
“You have information for me?”
He nodded. “About the stone seeker. I believe he was a guest in my inn.”
Malera saw the way the man’s gaze darted past her face. “Why did you wait so long to speak? The inns were searched before and after Solstice Day.”
His mouth formed a thin line. “I was away from the inn for several days and missed the priestesses’ visit. My son spoke to them. He said nothing to me until this morning when I returned from my journey. I came directly here.”
Malera forced a smile. “I’ll hear your tale.”
“There was a stone seeker at my inn. He arrived before the solstice and paid for a ten day. My son said the priestesses asked about a bearded man. This Ari was clean-shaven.”
“Ari,” Malera said. “What makes you think he’s the one I seek?”
A sly smile curved the innkeeper’s lips. “He left several days before the solstice. Sneaked out during the night, he and his apprentice, a most attractive youth.”
“And you believe he’s the one I want?” She drew her fyrestone from the sleeve pocket of her caftan and called the flames. When they formed a sheet, she envisioned the stone seeker’s face without a beard.
“That’s Ari,” the innkeeper said. “When you find him, I’ll pay you for the apprentice. Pretty boys bring in many coins.”
An idea struck Malera and brought a rush of anger. Ria had been slender. Her breasts were small. If her hair was cut, she might pass as a boy. Malera imposed the traitor’s face on the blazing sheet.
“That’s the boy.”
Malera’s anger tugged at the restraints she’d placed on her temper. So Ria had been hiding in Rosti. How had she managed to remain unfound when she didn’t have a fyrestone? “Leave.”
“Without a reward?” the innkeeper asked.
“You did your duty. If you value your life, you will go.”
As the innkeeper scurried from the rotunda, Malera’s fury erupted. She whirled toward the inner chamber. The curtain of white fyrestones blazed. The necklace and girdle of stones heated. So her enemies had united. She would find them, and when she did, they would learn how she punished disobedience. She clenched her hand around the scarlet and with reluctance dampened the anger. Slowly the crystals cooled.
A short time later, she called the guards from the four gates. “Have you seen this man recently?” She imposed Ari’s face on the flames.
“He arrived before the solstice via the East Gate,” one of the guards said.
The guard from the West Gate nodded. “He left a few days before the solstice.”
“Alone?”
“He had a sullen boy for his apprentice.”
“Tell me all you remember.”
The man spoke of the day the pair had left. With much prodding he remembered what Ari had said.
After the gate guards left, Malera considered what she had learned. Why had Ari used the West Gate? His answer to the guard had been brief and evasive. Surely there was another reason for choosing a gate so far from where stones were found? Were he and Ria seeking refuge with the clans? Once the situation in Gydon was resolved, she would search for her united enemies.
* * *
Ria turned on her side and collided with a man’s body. Her heart raced. She was afraid to open her eyes. How had a man come to be in her room? In her bed? ‘Twas forbidden for an acolyte to be with a man. How would she explain? What would happen when Malera learned?
Ria rolled to her back and opened her eyes. The golden moon bathed the area with soft light. Tree branches swayed in the breeze producing gentle rustling sounds. She wasn’t in her room at the temple.
She was outdoors. She rose on one elbow and looked at the man. ‘Twas Ari. With that recognition all that had happened flooded her thoughts. She remembered what she had done, how she had met Ari and the escape from Rosti. She and Ari were on the way to Gydon where he hoped to learn more about his heritage.
She clapped her hands over her mouth. The guards and priestesses she’d spied on were going to Gydon. She shivered and wondered why she felt so cold and why her body ached as though she’d been beaten. In her thoughts, she returned to the place where she’d seen the priestesses’ camp. She’d been discovered and had fled. She’d climbed a tree to hide. Had she fallen from her perch?
Ria curled against Ari. The heat radiating from his body warmed her cold flesh. The guard hadn’t found her. She hadn’t fallen. With self-disgust flooding her thoughts, her actions became clear. When she’d returned to the camp, Ari had been asleep. She had tried to steal his fyrestone. She wept tears of shame.
Ari rolled to his side and pulled her against his chest. He stroked her hair. “How do you feel?”
“Ashamed. Sad.”
He tilted her chin and met her gaze. “And your body?”
“Like I’ve been beaten. I tried to steal your stone. I can recall the moment I touched the chain, but no more. What happened?”
“When I pulled the scarlet fr
om your grasp, you had a seizure. Your body lost its warmth. Your eyes were wide and staring. I was afraid you would die.”
She drew a deep breath. “I could have. I remember the day one of the elderly priestesses fell and shattered her crystal. Her body shook until all her bones broke. She died.” Ria shivered. “Even Malera couldn’t help her. Why didn’t I die?”
“I held the stone against your chest. The convulsions stopped. Then I warmed you with my body. Ria, why did you try to steal the fyrestone?”
A few tears spilled down her cheeks. “The crystal drew me. I needed the stone and couldn’t stop myself. Though I’m sorry, I can’t promise I won’t try again.”
He pressed a kiss on her brow. “Then let us forget about going to Gydon. At sunrise, we’ll head into the hills and search for stones. We should reach the area where they’re found within a ten-day or less.”
Ria clasped his arm. “You would forget your need to know who you are?”
He nodded. “Once you have your own crystal. We can come back to Gydon and discover what I need to know.”
She closed her eyes and chased a stray thought. She needed to remember something she’d glimpsed in Malera’s thoughts during the confrontation. Ria nodded. Malera planned to completely destroy Gydon. “We can’t leave for the hills yet. I need a fyrestone, but we must hurry to Gydon if there’s to be a chance for you to learn anything. The hamlet will be destroyed.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Very sure.”
He rose, went to the fire and returned with a mug. “’Tis tea.” He helped her sit and held the cup while she drank.
The hot mint liquid infused her body with heat. “In the morning, leave me and finish what you have to do.”
Ari frowned. “I can’t leave you unprotected. The guards and priestesses aren’t the only dangers you could face. There are wild animals and thieves. I ….” He closed his mouth.
What had he been about to say? Why would he want to give up his dream and put her needs first? “Perhaps by morning I’ll be able to travel.”
“If you’re not, we’ll stay until you can.”
Ria swallowed the rest of the tea. She would be ready. She had to be. She touched his hand. “If we reach Gydon only to find nothing, what will you do? Though the priestesses will leave the elderly, I fear if they resist, they will kill them.”
He nodded. “I understand the risk. If nothing is learned, we’ll leave. You need a fyrestone.”
She smiled. “You have promised and I believe you. Feel free to leave me.”
He embraced her. She felt heat from the stone. He lifted her chin. “I won’t leave you. If we need to remain here another day, we will. I’m sure your strength will return.”
Would it? Her need for a crystal grew more desperate every day. Being near the one Ari wore one caused myriad schemes to obtain his to circle in her thoughts. Sleep stole over her, and she knew he’d added a soporific to the tea. As she slid into dreams, she felt the healing warmth of Ari’s scarlet stone.
When she woke, the sun was near midday high. She pushed to her feet and retreated into the trees to tend to her urgent needs. When she returned from the stream, she reached for her haversack.
Ari strode toward her. “Are you ready for a meal?”
“More than ready.” She sat beside the fire circle and dished a bowl of stew. “Why did you wait? You should be on your way to Gydon.”
He filled a second bowl. “I’m not leaving you.”
“’Tis important for you to go.” She hesitated for a moment. “I’m nor sure why, but I know ‘tis true.”
“Then you will come with me.”
Ria tasted the stew. Though she’d slept in his arms and had felt the healing warmth of his fyrestone, the urge to tear the chain from his neck frightened her. Could she wait a ten-day or longer to hold her own crystal? Would the temptation grow too strong to resist? “I’m not sure the choice is wise.”
“Just as you know I must go to Gydon, so I know you must be with me.”
Once Ria had eaten, she went to the brook to wash and change her clothes. When she returned to camp, Ari was loading the burros. Ria rolled the blankets and fastened them on Bera. “When I ran off, I nearly blundered into the priestesses’ camp. There are two, one yellow, one orange, and six guards. They expected to reach Gydon this morning.”
“Then we are closer than I thought.”
“What will we do if they’re still there when we arrive?”
“Wait for them to leave.”
“Do you think they’re setting a trap for us? Malera could have searched for us in the flames and learned our destination.” Her stomach clenched, and for a moment, she thought she would be ill.
“I don’t think she knows.”
Ria prayed he was right. She poured water on the fire and stirred the ashes.
Ari led Ber and Ria followed with Bera. They skirted the woodland and avoided the road. Screams shattered the silence. Ari held up a hand. “Stake the burros. We need to know what’s happening.”
Once again, she wished Ari would let her use the stone. He waved her forward. She crept after him. When they had nearly reached the road, Ari crouched behind some bushes. Ria knelt beside him. She fisted a hand against her mouth. The temple guards herded lines of women and children. Ropes bound them in long chains. Ria flinched when the crack of a whip was followed by a shriek. Ari caught her arm and dragged her into the woods.
“We have to help them,” she said.
“What can we do? We are two against six guards and a pair of priestesses who will use the flames against any who try to escape. This isn’t a battle we can win.”
Ria closed her eyes. She knew he was right, but she wanted to save those people from what would be their fate. Most of the women and children would be sold to the slavers. ‘Twas what happened to any commoner who opposed Malera. “Give me your stone. A scarlet can control the lesser crystals.”
“Why do you want to do this?”
“To free these people. To destroy the guards and priestesses.”
He grasped her shoulders. “Listen to yourself. Isn’t that what Malera would do?”
“But there are children and infants. Young girls and boys who will be sold to pleasure houses.”
“And if they should escape the flames these priestesses will use and the swords of the guards, where would they go? A return to Gydon would mean their deaths. Without the crops and animals, how could they survive?”
“I don’t know.”
“How will Malera react if she receives no message from these priestesses?”
Ria stared at the ground. “She would seek the reason and send fire to destroy all.” Ria sighed. Even if she had Ari’s stone, she couldn’t defeat Malera and a full circle of priestesses. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Ari held her while she wept. When her sobs ceased, she looked up. “There is nothing we can do.”
“Not today, or even soon, but we will. One day, you will face Malera and drive the slavers from the land.”
His words brought her hope, but there was so much she needed to learn before that day. Malera had controlled the circle for years and she would fight to remain as chief priestess.
As they returned to where they had left the burros, Ari kept his arm around her shoulders. He freed the animals. “Let us continue to Gydon. By morning, we should see the walls.”
* * *
Within moments after sunrise, they set out again. Ari walked at Ria’s side. “Gydon can’t be far.”
“Do you think they left anyone behind?” Ria asked. “When Malera ordered me to find the hamlet, I saw the people. There weren’t more than a hundred adults. Though we didn’t count them, there seemed to be that many among the ones being led away.”
“You said there were some elderly among the people.”
Ria nodded. “Three aged men, and one or two women.”
“They weren’t with the prisoners. I would have noticed. What could have happen
ed to them?”
Ria leaned against his side. “I fear they’re dead.”
Ari nodded. “Since we’ve come this far, we must continue and see if anyone lives.”
“And help them if we can.”
He wrinkled his nose. “What do I smell?”
“There have been fires.”
“Yesterday?”
She inhaled a deep breath. “Several layers are present. Some are old. There has been some recent destruction, but ‘twas days ago. Maybe at the time of the solstice. I sense a small trace from yesterday. The priestesses may have used the flames to drive people from their homes.”
Ari yanked on the burro’s lead rope. “If there are no answers to be found here, I may have to return to Rosti and question Bil again.”
“That’s not wise.”
“Wise or not, I have to consider that scenario.”
As they continued toward the hamlet, the acrid odor grew stronger. The burros brayed and balked. With prodding, they continued. By mid-morning, they reached the field surrounding Gydon. Fire eaten trees and burned stubble faced them. The burros refused to move forward. Finally, Ari turned and trudged with them past the field and up a hill above the scorched area.
He halted. “We’ll leave them here.”
Ria nodded. “Should we unload them and make camp?”
He shook his head. “’Tis not yet midday. We’ll investigate the hamlet and pray there is someone who still lives and can answer my questions. Then we’ll move on.” He started down the hill. Would they find anyone alive? The only way to answer that question was to enter and search. He and Ria linked arms and half ran down the hill. They passed through a field where the charred corpses of animals lay. He shuddered. Why had Malera done this?
Ria halted at the wall. She looked at Ari. “If anyone remains alive, can we help them? Can we take them with us?”
“If they can travel. We haven’t a way to carry someone who is sorely wounded.” He brushed past her and walked to the shattered gates where he paused to examine the wanton destruction. Many of the shops and houses bore signs of old fires. Ari wondered if the fires had burned during the battle between the two circles had caused the damage. What was Malera’s true reason for removing the people? Did she fear some of the children of the rebels were among the hamlet dwellers? Was he one of them?
Temple of Fyre (Island of Fyre) Page 9
