It was only then that she realized she had little or nothing to travel with. She had a few coins in her belt pouch, but nothing else to help her find food and drink. And worst of all, she didn’t have her spear, having left it in her room. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need it while searching for the Water Fae, but she still felt naked without it.
She walked alongside the wall until it led to the south gate. It would probably be best to find a departing carriage or merchant to walk alongside to avoid suspicion. Though she’d want to avoid anything that could be one of those merchant trains owned by the queen and guarded by Watchers. Whatever they were carrying to and from the Southeast mountains had to be important. But she couldn't worry about that now. Not yet.
She quickly found a carriage for some rich person leaving the city, probably to some nearby estate. Doing her best not to be seen, she hopped onto the back of the carriage and let it carry her outside the gate. To her great relief, the carriage continued in the right direction for at least a mile, saving Jak the walk. But eventually it turned the wrong way at a split in the road, and Jak was forced to hop off and begin her trek towards where the Trade River met the sea.
The roads were full of people, now that the sun was high in the sky. Most were merchants who were taking their wares to and from the docks at the Trade River. The river connected nearby Skyecliff with Tradehall, many miles to the west. Most merchants used the river to deliver their wares, either to the dock that lay straight ahead, or by sailing out to the ocean, following the coast north, and eventually arriving at Skyecliff directly.
But Jak wasn’t heading to the docks, she had told the Water Fae to meet her where the river met the sea. Hopefully, they were still there.
It wasn’t until she had walked a mile or two that she realized just how tired she was. So far, she hadn’t slept a wink the night before, and the whole ordeal in the castle, not to mention the steep climb up and down the secret stairs, had exhausted her. Perhaps she could find a place to lie down and rest once she arrived at the river’s outlet. It was only a few more miles away, right?
However far away it was, it felt so much farther. The hours dragged on, and soon it was all she could do to put one foot in front of the other. She was off the main road now, heading away from the docks towards the outlet. Only a faint trail marked the way, as most people didn’t come this way on foot.
But was that the ocean ahead of her? Yes, it was! With immense relief and a small burst of newfound energy, she rushed towards the coast. She could hear the waves crashing into the beach. They only made her more tired. Cresting a hill, she marveled at how beautiful the river was as it emptied into the sea. It covered a much larger area than she expected, fanning out in every direction. Perhaps she should have been more specific when choosing a place to meet up.
Other than one or two ships in the distance, she couldn’t see anyone nearby. So she took a moment to walk along the coast.
“Cerai!” she called out. “Haffi, Nigem! Anyone there?”
When she heard no response, she felt her exhaustion even more. Perhaps they hadn’t arrived yet? There was a nice bed of sand over near a nearby tree that looked wonderful. She could always get a little rest and check back later. And maybe the Fae would see her and call to her. It sounded like a reasonable idea.
Turning back, she curled up in the shade of the tree, the roots of which made a small overhang that would keep her hidden from the road, but visible from the sea. It was the perfect spot. Lying down, she was asleep in seconds.
After what seemed like barely a moment, her eyes opened. She could hear approaching hooves. Scrambling to her feet, she reached for her spear before realizing it wasn’t there. Cursing, she hid in the slight overhang of the tree’s roots.
Voices joined the sound of hooves. Was it just a passing sight-seer, or was it something more serious? Surely the Watchers had people looking for her everywhere, but would they think to come this far out?
“--always was suspicious of her. Even her father kept a tight leash on her growing up, hardly let her do anything.”
Jak almost groaned aloud. That voice was Estel’s. Somehow the girl had followed her or guessed where she was going.
Peeking over the top of her nook, she saw Estel and a handful of other Watchers rise to the top of the hill. Relics, how was she going to get out of this one? She was hidden for now but couldn’t move in any direction without exposing herself to their line of sight.
For now, she remained frozen, not daring to breathe. She must have slept for an hour or so because the sun was lowering behind Estel and the Watchers. Hopefully, the dim light would work to her advantage.
“I used to feel bad for her, living the sheltered life that her father imposed on her, but I eventually learned that she was just as bad. Always had her nose in that journal of hers, thinking she was so much better than the rest of us.”
Jak shrugged off Estel’s comments. The girl’s attitude towards Jak was nothing new.
The sound of the horses grew louder, then muffled as they stepped into the sand. Jak held her breath.
Estel’s snide comments continued but stayed on the opposite side of her tree, moving from one side to the other. Did she dare hope they would pass by on the other side?
Estel stopped talking for once, and Jak resisted the temptation to look up and see what they were doing.
Then Estel continued her voice further away now. “Keep an eye out on the oceans too. We might find those water demons while we’re out here.”
Jak breathed a sigh of relief. They were moving away from her now. The light was dimming, perhaps if she could just sneak in the opposite direction…
“Pst, Jak!” Jak’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest as she spun to face whoever had spoken.
Lying on the beach, not twenty paces away, was Cerai. She was perched on her stomach just beyond the waves, looking like she had pulled herself there with her arms. Her large fin flopped around behind her. Jak ran to her.
“Cerai!” she said in a hoarse whisper as she approached. “They could have seen you.”
“They’re obviously not looking very hard,” Cerai replied. “They didn’t see either of us.”
Suddenly water flowed around Cerai from the beach, but instead of falling back as it usually would, it gathered around Cerai and pulled her up so that she sat in a column of water.
“Woah!” Jak said, her mouth hanging open.
“We discovered recently that we have some control over the water around us,” Cerai said, looking down to see the water supporting her.
“That sounds useful,” Jak said. “You might be able to use that the next time someone tries to take you away. Hopefully, you won’t have to.”
“Indeed.” Cerai shivered.
“Where are the others?” Jak asked.
“They’re just offshore. We tried waving to you before, but you didn’t see us.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re looking much better.” And it was true. Cerai’s face no longer looked wrinkled and pale. Color had returned to her cheeks, and she almost looked like she had gained weight, even though she had only left the palace a day earlier.
“The water does some good. I feel better than ever! Even in salt water. We weren’t sure how the salt would affect us.”
Jak smiled. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Us too. So what is the plan now?”
Jak felt her face fall. “I honestly don’t know. There are Shadow Fae in the city now, meaning we have more allies than before, but at this point, I would suggest you get as far away from the city as you can.”
Cerai shook her head but looked curiously at Jak. “Shadow Fae are here? I would love to meet some of them. But we can’t leave now. Not when others of our kind are still at the Palace.”
Jak frowned. “Your kind? They were just mutated by the Relic like you. Did you even know them?”
“No, but I think you don’t quite understand what it’s like to be one of us.” Cerai searched for
the right words. “We’re...whole. Yes, at first it was a shock to see our legs go and to turn into something completely foreign. We thought we were turning into demons.”
Jak nodded. “That’s what most other people seem to think too.”
“Yes, but it’s not like that. It’s almost as if we were meant to become these...Water Fae.” She wrinkled her nose. “We’re going to have to come up with a better name than that.”
Jak felt a smile grow on her face. “That’s what my...what the Shadow Fae say as well. But the problem I see is that people don’t seem to have a choice. They mutate into a Fae, or they don’t, with no say in the matter.”
“And I understand how that will be difficult for some to acknowledge. But since we’ve been Water Fae the longest, we can tell you that we don’t feel like it was random.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that we think we were meant to turn and that others are too. We feel like there’s something big coming. I can’t explain how it’s almost instinct. But whatever it is, we’re sure we have a part to play in the years ahead. Maybe even months.”
Jak nodded. She wanted to believe that, but she still found it difficult to believe that the Relic was anything but a danger to her friends. Perhaps Cerai was right though. At that moment she wished more than ever that Amelia was there. She always had a knack for looking at the bright side. She could use more of that now.
“So if you’re not leaving, then what will you do?”
Cerai met Jak’s eyes. “There isn’t much we can do in our current circumstances.” She glanced down at her tail. “I... I hate to ask this of you, Jak. But you’re our only hope to get our brothers and sisters out.”
There it was again. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Jak would have rolled her eyes. She wasn’t a hero, so why did everyone expect her to be? She could barely take care of herself, the Watchers were looking for her, everyone at the college hated her, and she had lost most of her allies. Once again, she found herself thinking about Naem. What had become of him? Had he been arrested like Gabriel? Wherever he was, she was alone now. What gave anyone the impression that she could solve all of that and rescue dozens of people from the most highly-guarded building in the city?
“I don’t know, Cerai. I’m not…”
She broke off as they heard voices. Turning, Jak cursed herself for being careless. Estel and her small band of Watchers were returning the way they came.
“I could have sworn I heard something over here,” Estel said.
They were staring straight in Jak’s direction. Why didn’t they see her? She was standing right in their line of sight! The light wasn’t that dim. She glanced at Cerai, who looked equally confused.
“I don’t see anything.” Said one of the other Watchers. Jak recognized him. He had been there when they whipped Seph, and he hadn’t seemed too pleased at the time. Now he just looked annoyed. “You can’t hide on this beach.”
“I’m telling you, I heard voices.” Estel insisted.
Suddenly, it dawned on Jak what must be happening. Instinctively, she scanned the area around them. But of course, that was foolish. If Estel and the Watchers couldn’t see them, there was no way…
“Ow!” Estel yelled. “Who did that?”
She clutched the side of her head, where a large lump of what looked like wet sand stuck to the side of her face. If Jak hadn’t been doing her best not to utter a sound, she would have laughed.
“No one, sir. We only…”
But the Watcher cut off as Estel yelled. Another lump of wet sand hit her in the chest. And another hit one of the other Watchers. Their horses began to look skittish, and one Watcher had to hold on as his mount lifted itself on its hind legs.
Estel had gone silent, looking this way and that. “Fan out!” she ordered. “Find whoever's doing this.”
“I... I can’t really see anything.” Said another Watcher. He was clinging to his horse for dear life.
“Me too!” said one of the soldiers next to Estel. “Did the sun go down already?”
Estel was looking paler. “Follow me!” She said and heeled her horse forward, taking the path that led away from Jak’s position and back towards the city. The other Watchers must have been able to see their commander well enough, as they reigned in their horses to follow.
When they were safely away, Cerai whispered. “What just happened? I thought we were caught for sure.”
Jak was feeling much better. Now she understood why Estel hadn’t seen them earlier. “You can come out now,” she said to the open air. “Or are you going to leave us as confused as those Watchers?”
The air shimmered off to one side, and Jak turned to see a dark figure emerge from the shadows. In the dim light, she vaguely recognized the Fae’s stance. “Vander?”
“Hello, Jak.” It was Vander. Jak ran forward to embrace him. Vander had been the first Shadow Fae she had met, though he hadn’t said much at the time. He returned the embrace with a warmth that nearly matched that of her mother.
“Vander, this is Cerai, she’s a Water Fae. Or at least, that’s what we’re calling them now.”
Vander inclined his head. “It’s an honor. I’ve only met one other race of Fae before today.”
“The honor is mine.” Cerai stared at Vander with a mixture of awe and apprehension. “The others will want to meet you.”
She whistled, and Jak turned to the ocean. The other two Water Fae, Haffi, and Nigem, could be seen in the distance, which they closed with surprising speed. Those giant tails must be pretty powerful in the water.
The two Fae rose out of the water in the same way as Cerai, the water holding them in place, and Vander introduced himself to them too. Done with the formalities, Vander turned to Jak.
“There are many patrols like that. You’re lucky one didn’t find you before I did.”
“I assume m... Karlona sent you?” Jak asked.
Vander nodded. “We’re holed up not far from the city. It will be safer for you there.”
Jak turned to Cerai and the others. “Will you be okay on your own?”
All three of them nodded. “Of course. They can’t catch us in the ocean.” Cerai said. She was looking expectantly at Jak. “About what I said.”
“I know.” Jak sighed. “I’ll do my best to get your...people out.”
And with that, they parted ways. Jak accompanied Vander, while the Water Fae swam out to sea.
19
When she finally arrived at the Shadow Fae’s encampment, she was too tired to marvel at how it seemed to simply appear in front of her eyes. The Shadow Fae kept it hidden with their magic until Vander took her inside their protective bubble.
But before she could greet anyone there, or even ask if her mother was around, she asked Vander for a spare tent, and within moments she was sleeping soundly. If her mind was full of disturbing dreams, Jak didn’t know it. She was far past that level of exhaustion. Sleep simply pushed all worries aside and gave her a much needed break from her troubles.
Though there was something that bothered her. A voice that kept calling her name. She could see it as some dark void beyond her peripheral vision. “Jak... Jak,” it called to her, and in more than a name. She wanted to go to it, there was power there. “Jak... Jak…”
“Jak!” The voice suddenly became one familiar to her. It wasn’t a void, it wasn’t power, it was her friend. Naem had one arm on her, rustling to wake her.
Startled and disoriented, she flailed about until she realized where she was. Naem nearly fell backward at her sudden reaction. “Woah there, it’s me.”
“I... where am I? I’m with the Shadow Fae. Naem? How are you here?” Questions popped up in her mind faster than she could answer them. How long had she been asleep?
“Your mother found me. I was looking for you.”
Jak snorted. “You and every other Watcher in town. Where did they assign you to look for me? Or did they suspect you too?”
Naem shrugged. “Wil
va didn’t give me a search assignment. Asked me to keep guard on the camp. I guess she suspected something, even though there was no proof I was there, helping you get the Water Fae out. But that’s not why I came looking for you.”
“Why didn’t you come for me? You could have stopped them from taking Gabriel.”
“I... what? Of course, I couldn’t.”
“Yeah, but you could have done something. Not just waiting at your camp to see what happens.”
“That’s not what I did.”
“Well then, what did you do?”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you!”
Jak bit her lip. She was still tired, disoriented. Of course, Naem couldn’t have done anything to save Gabriel, not the way Wilva and the Royal Priest had shown up with a small army. Besides, defying his general would have only created more problems for Naem, and for her.
Jak calmed herself, waiting for Naem to say what had come here to say, but he said nothing, seemingly daydreaming about something. She spread her hands out as if to say. “Why then?” which seemed to jolt him out of his thoughts.
“Oh, right. Um...I think you’d better come to see this for yourself.”
Naem rose and exited the small tent. Okay, so apparently that meant she was supposed to follow. She rose, feeling her muscles protest. Wow, how long had she been lying on that hard ground? It must have been hours. It hadn’t felt like more than a few minutes. Yet her mind felt far more alert than before, so that was something.
Testing her sore feet gingerly, she pulled open the flap and exited the tent. Once outside, she froze.
Dozens of people, men, and woman stood staring back at her. Naem stood to one side, one hand holding his spear, staring at the crowd, then back at Jak again. Several Shadow Fae also stood surrounding the people, not in a threatening way, but keeping an eye out.
Jak was suddenly aware of how matted and wild her hair was. She casually did her best to smooth it back, tucking the long red streak behind one ear. Who were all these people?
One woman stepped forward, and Jak realized suddenly that she knew the person. She had been the one to help Seph right after the Watchers had whipped him. Come to think of it, she recognized several others from that day too. These were members of Seph’s congregation!
Growing Ripples: An Epic YA Fantasy Adventure (Roots of Creation Book 2) Page 17