Alora_The Wander-Jewel Read online

  She tried to scoot backward, only to find her foot was wedged under a root. He stood over her, leering. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to reach for you with my hands? I won’t make that mistake again. Let’s see how well your teeth work on my boot leather.” He reared his foot back and aimed at her head.

  *****

  “Arista? Are you alive? Arista?” Jireo froze in shock for a moment, before rushing to kneel beside his sister’s body, tentatively feeling for a pulse. Behind him, the stunned group stood waiting, swords and knives at the ready. Arista had appeared out of nowhere, so Alora’s transport must have worked.

  “Get off me! Of course I’m alive. But get me some water—I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth.” She struggled to sit up, tilting her head back to release a wild cackle. “I’m a warrior now! I bested Vindrake’s man with my hands tied behind my back!” She sat up and ordered, “Untie me.”

  “What happened?” Jireo swiped at his wet face, working furiously at the knotted rope on her wrists.

  “I bit his finger. Almost all the way off, I believe.” Her voice rose with elation. “And then... I don’t know what happened. He was going to kick me in the head. And then I was here.”

  “Alora transported you. She saved your life.” He adopted a scolding tone to cover his emotion. “You should never have come chasing after me on that horse. When we return home, I’m going to help Mother tie you up inside the house.”

  “Alora transported me? She’s here?” Arista jumped up, dancing with excitement. “Where is she?”

  “She’s right here—” Graely’s voice trailed off. “Where did she go? And where’s Kaevin?”

  *****

  “Where are we?” Alora whispered. “It’s dark in here.” She tried to clear the fuzz from her mind.

  “I believe we’re back in the dance hall,” said Kaevin.

  “In Montana?”

  “Yes, I believe so.” His laugh echoed in the dark empty room. “At least we’re not in the lake.”

  Alora groaned. “Ohmygosh! I’m a klutz. Did we get Arista?”

  “I’m certain I saw her on the ground before you took us here. Can you take us back now? Just go to Beth. It’ll be easy.”

  “I feel kind of drained and dizzy.” Alora considered lying down to sleep on the floor, but decided against it.

  “Yes. I’m tired, too. And my head is pounding.”

  “Mine, too. Okay, I’m gonna try to take us to Beth.”

  “All right.” Kaevin gave her hand a squeeze. “And then we’ll sleep.”

  Concentrate. Go to Beth. Go to Beth. Alora closed her eyes and imagined standing in front of Beth. She almost fell asleep when she heard Beth’s voice.

  “Oh! Where did you two disappear to?” Beth turned to Graely. “Here they are! They’re back!”

  Alora saw Beth’s face grow dim as the world started spinning. “Alora? Are you okay? Kaevin? What’s—”

  She felt Kaevin falling to the ground, pulling her with him, but she never felt the impact.

  *****

  “You idiot!” Vindrake railed. “You knew she was a bearer! Why did you not put a chain around her? Of course she disappeared!”

  “But Master—” The man shielded his face with his hand, wrapped in a bloody rag.

  “Silence! I don’t want to hear your voice again.” He swirled to face Abaddon. “I hold you responsible for sending these incompetents after the girl! Now, I have lost two men, and Graely is forewarned!”

  Abaddon fought to appear confident. “Of course those men were expendable, as are the two who returned empty-handed.”

  “That does not change the fact I’ve lost my opportunity to seize Lena.”

  “However, Sire, we did confirm Graely’s party was continuing northward. Had we merely waited for them to come this way, they would have journeyed beyond our reach. Now we know we must follow them, and capture the girl.”

  Vindrake advanced aggressively to tower over him. “You fool! Now they will be prepared. The girl will simply transport to a safe place, since she has obviously mastered that ability.” His face contorted with contempt. “And Graely has already influenced her against me. Our only chance is to take a hostage, and capture her when she tries to free them.”

  “But Sire,” said Abaddon, “surely, she would not make such an attempt on her own.”

  “I’m certain she will, because she believes she can influence me.” He spoke in a sickly-sweet voice, “I am her father. I could see her emotions clearly when we spoke. If I promise her I will let the prisoner go free, she will come to me willingly enough.”

  “And if she refuses?”

  He shrugged. “Then we will kill our hostage and take another. Eventually, we will find someone valuable enough that she will relent. She is softhearted, but I will soon rid her of those weak, sentimental feelings. She will come to appreciate my values and utilize her gift for my purposes.” The blue of his eyes darkened to deep obsidian, devoid of emotion. “But mark my words ... should she refuse to come or refuse to cooperate, I will kill her. I won’t let Graely BarManasae use my own daughter’s gifts and throw that fact in my face.”

  “Of course not, Sire.” Abaddon, having never had a child of his own, thought the sentimental attachment of most parents to their children to be a foolish weakness. He was glad to see Vindrake wasn’t softened in the face of his newly discovered fatherhood.

  “Barlokaen!” Vindrake called out. “Ready the men and be certain each one is belted in iron. We must act is if Lena were a fully trained bearer. We will move onward to overtake them; we only need capture one man. If they try to return to Laegenshire, they will have to pass us on the road.”

  “Yes, Master Vindrake.”

  “Shall we discontinue the potion since it has already served its purpose?”

  “We shall, and I am still unconvinced any purpose was served by drinking that foul concoction.”

  He thought to defend himself, but cowed at the vicious look on Vindrake’s face.

  “Master Vindrake?” Barlokaen asked. “What shall I do with the two men who failed on their mission? Do you want me to send them to work in the pits?”

  Vindrake flipped his hand. “Kill them.”

  *****

  “You see, we have overtaxed her,” Nordamen told Graely when Alora and Kaevin could not be roused from their sleep.

  “That would explain Alora, but what of Kaevin?” Graely asked, concern creasing his face.

  “His body may be stressed from his recent illness and too many transports.”

  “Whatever the reason, we cannot remain here. The other two men will come back, probably bringing the rest of the group Jireo saw in the campground. We must continue on,” Morvaen’s heavy footsteps vibrated the ground as he paced. “And we dare not go back toward Laegenshire.”

  “We’ll have to make a stand eventually,” said Graely. “They will overtake us for certain.”

  “If we can reach the top of Jolvassae Canyon, we will have a defensible position,” Morvaen reasoned.

  “Then we will leave now,” said Graely. “I will take Kaevin. You can carry Alora. We have the horse of the man who called himself Blenden. Pity we had to sacrifice the other. Perhaps Wesley and Beth can be persuaded to double up.”

  Arista spoke up behind Graely. “I think Wesley should ride with me, and Beth with Jireo. They don’t know how to ride without bridles.”

  “How is it you are always around when you are supposed to be somewhere else? Weren’t you sent to help with the packing?” asked Morvaen.

  “Your plan is a sound one, Arista. Now be gone, so we can talk privately as we thought we were before.” Struggling to stand, Graely groaned when pain shot through his shoulder.

  “Of course, you cannot hold Kaevin with an injured arm. I can carry him.” Worry lines creased Nordamen’s face. “But I’m concerned Alora is not eating to regain her strength. We need her awake and with at least enough energy to bear herself and her friends to safety.”

 
Graely felt a tap on his back and twisted to find Beth standing with her hands on her hips. “You know, they need to be together to recover. I mean, I’m sure they need food and water and such, but they also need to be touching.”

  “What do you mean? And by the way, it did not escape my notice you were listening to our private conversation.”

  “Yes, sorry about that. But you need my input. You see, they’re soulmates, so they get some kind of strength from each other.” She wrinkled her nose. “I can’t explain it. It’s your thing—you explain it. We don’t have soulmates back where I’m from.”

  “That’s not possible. Kaevin has been filling your head with tales.” He patted her arm. “They’re too young. Alora has only fifteen years, and Kaevin but seventeen.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re no better than Raelene about this stuff. Kaevin told me you weren’t like that generation.”

  “You know Raelene?” asked Nordamen.

  “Yes, and she didn’t believe they were soulmates, either,” said Beth with obvious exasperation. “But you’d better at least consider the possibility, or you could have two dead kids on your hands.”

  “They didn’t... They aren’t married, are they?” Graely felt a large lump inside his throat and worked hard to find enough spit to swallow.

  “No,” said Beth.

  “Good.” His chest relaxed. A little. Surely this girl is mistaken. His son and Alora couldn’t actually be soulmates. The danger of such a relationship would far outweigh any advantage, especially when both had so few years. “Nordamen... is it possible? Can soulmates even survive without being married?”

  “Honestly, there isn’t any way we can know for certain. No soulmates were ever foolish enough to attempt it. Even Humera was forced to leave her husband when she met Seldovaen, her soulmate.” He shook his head sadly. “A perfect example of why we discourage early marriage. Had she waited another year, that tragedy could have been prevented.”

  “So,” said Beth, “if you can’t know for sure, why don’t you just act like they’re soulmates. Put them together, at least until we get on the horses.”

  “Fine.” Agreeing seemed the simplest solution for her persistence. “You may put them together until we leave.”

  She scurried away as if she thought he might change his mind. He turned back to Nordamen and Morvaen. “Now, where were we?”

  Kaevin’s eyes felt like they were glued shut. “Ugh! My head hurts.”

  “Beth,” Wesley called, “he’s awake.”

  “How long have I been out?” Kaevin’s voice was scratchy like his throat.

  “Not too long. But we’re getting ready to leave. They’re trying to get a jump on Vindrake’s men.”

  “And Arista? What happened to Arista?”

  “She’s fine—really good. She’s kind of a go-getter.” Wesley averted his eyes, clearing his throat.

  “So they didn’t hurt her?” asked Kaevin.

  “No, she seems to be a tough cookie,” said Beth, kneeling to offer Kaevin a drink of water. “Arista’s okay, but I’m not so sure about Alora.”

  “I think all the transports kind of drained our bond. It feels like she used up both of our energies. I know my head is pounding, but she’ll probably be better if we just hold hands a while longer.”

  “Good luck with that,” said Beth. “You and Alora have been assigned to different riders. Unless you’re both strong enough to ride together.”

  “Maybe you and Alora could just transport, instead of riding,” Wesley suggested.

  “We barely made it here,” said Kaevin. “Even if she wakes up, I’m afraid she won’t have the reserves to take us anywhere.”

  “Look, I don’t want to seem pushy,” said Beth. “Who am I kidding? I am pushy. And I think you should try the kissing thing again. We’ve only got a few minutes before we leave. Maybe you could charge up a little better.”

  “But she’s asleep,” Kaevin said.

  “Just like Sleeping Beauty,” Beth quipped.

  “What’s that?” asked Kaevin.

  “Never mind.” Beth rolled her eyes. “Just kiss her, and I think she’ll wake up. We’ll leave you guys alone—nobody else is watching.”

  “It’s worth a try, buddy,” said Wesley, clapping him on the shoulder as he and Beth slipped away.

  Kaevin turned his gaze back to Alora and squeezed her hand. “Hey! Wake up!” But she didn’t react. He found himself checking to be certain she was breathing. Assured she was still alive, he leaned over on his elbow to place his lips on hers. Her lips were warm and soft, and he gently moved his mouth over hers. He thought he felt her lips move in response. He kissed her again more firmly, and felt, rather than heard, a moan.

  “I know,” he whispered. “My head hurts, too.” He pressed his lips to hers again, and this time he felt her kiss him back. Her eyes fluttered open in surprise.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “I’m kissing you.”

  “But people will see,” she whispered back.

  “No one’s watching, and Beth thinks it will help us recover,” he said, stopping her next protest with his mouth. He slanted his mouth across hers, and her sigh sounded happy as she kissed him back and slid her hand around his neck.

  “How’s your head?” he asked.

  “Getting better,” she admitted. “Yours?”

  “Better. But they plan to make us ride on separate horses, unless we’re alert enough to ride together.”

  “Oh no,” she groaned. “Kiss me some more.”

  “Kaevin!” said a stern voice behind him. “What are you doing?”

  Kaevin jerked away and felt the blood rushing to his face. “Father, I was... we need to kiss. It makes our heads quit hurting.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” His father didn’t hide his irritation. “Since you’re awake, you can get up and help with the preparations. It’s imperative we reach the canyon ahead of Vindrake’s men. You need to be ready in a hundred breaths.”

  Kaevin felt the burn of his father’s scathing glance before he spun around, racing back to the group. As he scrambled to his feet, Alora put her hand out to stop him. “One more?”

  “I’m already in trouble. Why not?” He leaned down to give her one last forceful kiss, his lips lingering for a moment.

  “Can you help me up?” Her voice was wobbly. “Let’s try to get them to let us ride together. I don’t think I can make it without you.”

  Beth convinced Graely that Kaevin would be able to guide Alora to a safe transport destination should Vindrake’s men attack them on the road. Because of her argument, Alora got to ride on the spare horse with Kaevin.

  The expedition group headed north at a fair but steady pace, with the six young riders in the middle of the pack, on three horses. Alora nestled herself against Kaevin’s chest, her headache completely gone. She glanced occasionally at her friends to see how they were doing. Despite a lack of sleep, everyone seemed to be faring well. Perhaps the adrenaline of the adventure was keeping them alert. But she wondered if it might be more than that.

  Jireo was riding with one hand wrapped around Beth’s waist, as he taught her how to guide a horse without a bridle. Both appeared to be smiling too broadly for the subject matter at hand. Wesley was also sporting a rather silly smile as the feisty Arista entertained him with one story after another, pausing only to interrogate him about his compound bows and exclaim about his muscles. He seemed a bit too pleased wrapping his arms around the waist of the slight girl with blond hair flowing in long crazy tangles. Arista appeared to be oblivious to Wesley’s attraction.

  As dawn approached, Morvaen halted the party. “We’ll stop to rest the horses, until the sun breaches the hill. Get as much sleep as you can.”

  As she climbed down from their horse, Alora realized how exhausted she was. Every muscle in her body was aching. But at least her head wasn’t hurting. After they’d watered the horses Kaevin found a blanket, and Alora was about to lie down beside him,
when Graely spied them. “Alora!” he called. “The women sleep together over here.”

  Kaevin lifted his shoulders. “I guess you’d better go.”

  Alora dragged herself to where the women were gathered and wrapped up in a blanket, immediately falling into a fitful sleep. It seemed she’d just closed her eyes, when Beth shook her awake. “It’s time to go again.”

  She scowled at the sunlight. “Ugh! I’m sore! I hate sleeping on the ground.” She accepted the bread and cheese Beth offered for breakfast.

  “You’ve always been grouchy in the mornings.”

  “You know, I’ve been thinking... maybe I should take you and Wesley back. The crisis with Arista is over, and it looks like there’s going to be some big battle soon. You could be killed, and your mom would never even know what happened.”

  Beth nodded agreement, but the corners of her mouth turned up wryly. “Yes, but I think I’ve found my soulmate.” She glanced over to where Jireo was tending Surefoot.

  “Really? You guys are soulmates, too?” asked Alora, thrilled with the idea her best friend could share a similar experience.

  “No—I’m just kidding. But I really like him, and I want to stay as long as I can. You understand, right?”

  “Beth, you need to think logically and remember this is real danger, even though this world seems kind of like a dream. It might be smarter to take you back home.”

  “I know you may not believe me,” said Beth, “but I actually have a feeling we need to stay here—all of us. And it’s not because I like Jireo. You know I’ve always said I don’t believe in coincidences. There are just too many coincidences that brought us here together to this place. I really believe we’re supposed to be here right now.”

  “Okay,” Alora said, but she felt a heavy dread deep in her stomach. “I just don’t think I could handle it if something happened to you or Wesley. It would be my fault.”

  “We’re both older than you, and we’ve made our own decisions. You will get neither the blame nor the credit for whatever we do here,” Beth declared with a decisive nod. “Now get up, grouchy-pants. Time to go.”

  Back on their horses, they started off at a walking pace. Graely dropped back to talk with Alora. She attempted to sit forward, self-consciously aware of her proximity to Kaevin, with Graely watching them.