Nora and the Sacred Stones

by Laura Hatch Rupper

  Kyn laughed a hearty, deep laugh—a laugh he could never quite keep back, even when it was inappropriate. His best friend, Aron, claimed that Kyn would even laugh at his own funeral.

  Merley didn’t seem to appreciate his laughter. “I suppose there aren’t any believers in the noble class.”

  Kyn stopped chuckling. “How do you know I’m noble?” He stepped closer to her.

  They stood inches apart. He watched her face, but she stared at the floor. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. “I beg your pardon, sir, but only a nobleman would own sleeping pants like the silk ones you have on.”

  Kyn laughed again. He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation in the middle of the night with this strange girl who still believed in the old religion.

  “How old are you?” he asked.

  “Sixteen.” The girl twisted her braid around her finger and looked over her shoulder toward the window. He followed her gaze but couldn’t see anything. Was she here with someone else? He needed answers, but he had never interrogated anyone before. How did his father do it? He would try being direct.

  “What were you doing wandering the halls of the palace in the middle of the night?”

  She hesitated and looked down. “I was visiting a boy,” she finally said. “But I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll never come again.”

  The girl kept her eyes down, and the color in her cheeks deepened. Who was she sneaking in to visit? Ralu? Maybe Yul or Theo? Should he call the guards? No. The punishment belonged to whoever had convinced her to sneak into the palace.

  “You can leave after you tell me who you were visiting. Once they confirm your alibi, you’ll be free to go.”

  She looked up at him again. “Please let me go,” she said softly. “I don’t want him in trouble. I . . . I love him. Please, sir.”

  Kyn was appalled. Love? Sixteen was hardly old enough to be in love. He shook his head in disgust. He suddenly felt responsible for laying down the law. This must be what his father felt like all the time. Kyn put his hand on the girl’s arm and tugged her toward the orb so the light would shine more fully on her face. Kyn jutted out his chin, trying to forget that he was shirtless, and stood up taller, hoping he looked powerful like his father. “You’re not leaving here until you tell me his name.”

  “Well we can’t have that,” said the girl. She slowly moved closer to him and gently put a hand on Kyn’s bare arm. Her touch was gentle and for one strange moment, he thought she might kiss him. Then she pulled her leg back and kicked him hard in the shin.

  Kyn gasped. He had just been assaulted. He, a prince, had just been kicked by a peasant girl.

  He cursed, hopping on one leg and looked up just in time to see Merley run toward the open fourth-story window. Without even a glance back at him, she flung herself into the darkness of the night. He gulped and straightened. Had he just witnessed a suicide?

  Shaking, Kyn limped to the window. Slowly, other details made their way into his brain. There had been no thud. She hadn’t hit the ground. He grasped the cold sill and peered into the dark night. There were climbing spikes in the stone masonry. The girl was very much alive. She was obviously a skilled climber and was making her way quickly down the wall of the palace, pulling the spikes out of the wall as she lowered herself.

  “Stop where you are,” Kyn called. “Stop, or I’ll call the guards.”

  The girl paused and looked up at him. “You aren’t going to do that,” she said, her voice floating back clear and concise. “You don’t want me to be imprisoned.”

  “How would you know?” he asked.

  “You don’t have the killer instinct.”

  Funny, that was pretty much the point his father frequently made, and not in a flattering way.

  Suddenly, a younger sounding voice called urgently from the ground. “Hurry, Nora.”

  Kyn peered into the darkness. “Do you have a child down there?”

  Merley, or rather Nora if the other voice was to be believed, ignored him, but the high-pitched voice answered. “I’m not a child. My voice just hasn’t changed yet.”

  Maybe the boy would answer more truthfully than the girl. “What was she doing in the palace?” Kyn called down.

  “Don’t answer him,” said Nora with a grunt as she continued her descent.

  “We were just trying to help our little sister,” said the young voice.

  “Don’t talk to him.”

  This girl was awfully sure of herself—caught trespassing and refusing to give answers. If he were as tough as his father wanted him to be, he’d find a way to give chase. But he hated heights, he was in his sleeping pants, and his shin really hurt. Besides, it really didn’t seem like an enemy would bring along a child to help her poison House Liard.

  “Hey, you at the bottom,” said Kyn.

  There was a reluctant, “Yes?”

  “How many of you are involved in this plot to help your sister?”

  Another voice, still young but a little deeper piped up. “Limar, don’t tell him anything.”

  “Idiot, you just told him my name,” complained Limar.

  Kyn smiled.

  “Well you said Nora’s name.”

  “Boys,” Nora said. “Stop squabbling, and don’t say anything more.”

  Maybe he could intimidate the younger ones and get some answers if they knew who he was.

  “You better answer me, Limar. I am Prince Kynneth Liard,” he called.

  He heard a soft, “Oh my stones,” from Nora.

  “Now, whose idea was this crazy scheme?” Kyn asked.

  “Nora’s,” said Limar. Kyn smiled again. They were escaping, but he wasn’t doing too poorly getting information. “Ah, yes. Nora.”

  “Limar, if you say one more word, you’ll be cooking your own bread all the way home.”

  That threat shut the boy up. Kyn watched the dark shape that was Nora and wondered how far the threesome had traveled. If they had to cook bread along the way, they must be from another borough. They would have had to travel via tunnel, an expensive prospect for the peasant class. There must be an important reason for their trip.

  “How were you helping your little sister?” Kyn asked.

  There was silence below, then a soft thud. Nora had reached the ground. Kyn watched as the three shadowy figures disappeared into the night.

  Chapter Three

  The Tunnels

  Nora, Limar, and Beck hurried down the palace hill into the quiet night. They moved through the dark streets of Toren without speaking. Houses were densely packed on either side of the main street, keeping Nora alert as she scanned the small gardens and side streets for danger. Were there always this many creepy sounds and shadows swirling around in a big city? They needed to get to the relative safety of the tunnel node.

  Toren Node, the entrance to dozens of tunnels, was just outside the city and bordered the edge of the earth-vapor that made it impossible to travel above ground between boroughs. Toren Node was a two hour walk from the palace, but Nora’s pace was nearly a run. Surely, they could make it in half the time.

  The gardens grew larger and the homes grew further apart as Nora and the boys moved outside the city limits. The noises that had worried Nora slowly quieted.

  “Slow down Nora,” said Limar. “It’s hard to see in the dark.”

  “No. Not until we’re in the tunnel.” Nora whispered back. “If the prince decides to call a search party after us, they’ll find us too easily on the main road.”

  They continued on, Nora keeping the pace steady but urgent. Eventually, the farmland gave way to boulders and bushes. Beyond the farmland was the great, oppressive darkness of the earth-vapor that marked the edge of Toren Borough.

  Nora squinted. There. There was the boulder where they had hidden their knapsacks and bedrolls. “Grab your stuff,” she instructed the boys.
>
  They hoisted their gear onto their backs and hurried to the node—the gaping entryway that allowed access to the tunnels. As always, a gateman stood at the entrance of the node, his bulky frame turned in their direction. His small eyes watched without expression. Did gatemen ever sleep? How many travelers had he seen come and go as he collected the tunnel tax for House Liard? Nora didn’t know why the gatekeepers couldn’t communicate, but for once, she was grateful for it. If Prince Kyn or his father decided to pursue them, they wouldn’t know which one of the dozens of tunnels Nora and the boys had disappeared into.

  Nora and the boys paid three pieces of silver, dropping them into the outstretched hand of the gateman. He tucked the silver into the pocket of his blue tunic.

  “Tunnel to Clove.”

  The gateman nodded and pointed across the large cavern toward one of the many tunnel entrances.

  Nora and the boys pulled their cloaks out of their knapsacks in preparation for the cool tunnel air, and descended into the tunnel that would take them to Clove Borough. Huge orb lights floated in the tunnel, keeping the main path as bright as a cloudy day.

  “I need to find a cave to rest in,” said Nora.

  “And eat,” said Beck. “I’m starving.”

  Nora nodded. She still felt drained from her experience with the Ballutite, but she could make some bread.

  “That one looks good,” said Limar, pointing at a side cave just off the main tunnel path.

  Beck boosted Limar, and the two of them climbed up the jagged rocks into the cave. Nora wearily pulled herself up after them.

  Taking out his small orb, Limar headed for the back of the cave. He plopped himself down on a big gray rock and ran his fingers through his curly, red hair.

  “We did it,” he crowed.

  “I was the one who saw the Ballutite. I told Nora where it was,” Beck said, smiling ear to ear.

  “I was the one who saw Prince Kyn coming and gave the warning,” said Limar.

  “We could be professional criminals.”

  Limar tackled Beck to the damp cave floor, and the two tussled. Nora shook her head. The boys were enjoying their escapade a little too much. She still felt shaky and weak from her connection with the stone, so she would save the bad news for later and let them have their moment.

  After a while, the boys finally stopped wrestling and sat laughing together. The orb light cast strange shadows on the cave walls and gave Beck’s and Limar’s silhouettes the look of gleeful, cackling old women. It must be close to sunrise. Nora found a large range stone near the side of the cave and wearily pulled it out to start the bread. When would she get her energy back? It had been nearly three hours since she’d made the revar, and she was still completely drained.

  Slowly, Nora kneaded the sour dough, her usual lively motions more lackluster. The boys needed food before they went to sleep, and tired or not, it was her job to make sure everyone ate. She carefully molded the dough into a round loaf and plopped the raw mixture in the center of the flat range stone. She drew one puller stone out of her tunic pocket, placed it in her left hand, and began the gentle tug to extract the heat from the range stone. She could feel the smooth, white rock pulling heat from the larger cooking stone.

  “Why can’t I ever get the pullers to work for me?” asked Limar, stepping behind her to watch.

  Nora shrugged. “You never tried hard enough. Anyone can learn to use puller stones. You just have to apply yourself. If you don’t, you’ll either have to marry a cook or eat raw dough all your life.”

  “Guess I’ll just have to live next to you for the rest of my life. You can pull heat out of any stone,” said Limar warmly.

  Nora gave him a little smile and continued tugging the heat out of the range stone. Compliments between the two of them were rare as wood. Still, she never felt comfortable when people commented on her cooking skills, even Limar. She had been nearly eight before she realized that her ability to cook was unusual. She felt things from the stones that others couldn’t.

  Teacher Worthing, on one of his rare visits to Glynlea, had come to their house for dinner. He had watched Nora cook and pulled her aside after dinner to caution her. “The last girl I knew who could work pullers like you was taken.”

  “Taken?” little Nora had asked. “What do you mean?”

  “Men on pacs came and took her away. We never heard from her again. Be careful about who you show your ability to, Nora. You have a gift that goes beyond the typical cook. Powerful people might try to make you work for them.”

  Nora had taken Teacher Worthing’s advice to heart. She loved cooking and couldn’t imagine being forced to use her gifts for someone other than her family. Besides, she couldn’t leave Limar and Dani. Mama would never be able to run everything without her.

  “Nora, are you listening?” asked Limar. “Is the bread ready?”

  Nora gathered her thoughts back to the present and pulled the warm bread off the stone. She broke it in thirds and handed a portion to each of the giggling boys. Beck and Limar were ecstatic with the success of their mission, but Nora was still wary. They had two days of tunnel travel to Clove and then another eight to Glynlea.

  “Do you really think that was Prince Kyn?” asked Beck through a mouthful of bread.

  “Yes,” said Nora. She squirmed. How had she been so stupid to mistake him for a typical nobleman? It was his palace. The prince should have been her first thought. But who would have thought he would wander the palace in nothing but sleeping pants? Nora’s face heated.

  “What was he like?” asked Limar.

  “Rather obnoxious,” said Nora. And cute. He was definitely cute, tall with blue eyes surrounded by thick lashes any girl would envy. He had the stern nose of a nobleman, but it was contradicted by soft dimples that surfaced when he smiled. And he seemed to smile a lot.

  Nora pushed the thought out of her head. She would never see him again.

  “Were you scared of him?” asked Limar.

  “I was terrified that he was going to call the guards.”

  Why didn’t he? He could have called out and awakened the palace at any point. What had stopped him? Was it kindness? Royals weren’t supposed to be kind. He had seemed to find the situation funny. Royals weren’t supposed to have senses of humor either.

  “He just let you leave?” asked Beck.

  Nora chewed slowly and swallowed. “He tried to stop me, but I kicked him and got away.”

  Limar turned and stared. “You kicked a prince?”

  “I didn’t know he was a prince when I kicked him. He was less serious than I thought a prince would be.” She sighed. “Maybe I should have known. He was kind of full of himself.”

  “If I were a prince, I’d be full of myself,” said Limar.

  “If I were a prince, I’d own thirty pacs,” said Beck. “We would never have to walk or carry our own gear again.”

  Poor Beck. He had the heaviest knapsack by far. No wonder he dreamed of owning pacs. Nora swallowed another mouthful of bread. “Dani could get around and not have to sit at home all the time.”

  Limar grinned a crooked little smile that warmed Nora’s heart. “The revar is going to heal her, and she’ll be walking and running in no time. She’ll be racing me up the quarry wall. Of course, I’ll always be faster than her.”

  Nora rolled her eyes. Limar drove her crazy on a daily—no, make that hourly—basis. The one thing they never argued about, though, was Dani. She came first with both of them.

  “That was the best bread ever,” said Beck, bringing the conversation back to food like usual. “Could we get some comfort tea to go with it?”

  Here came the bad news. Nora tugged on her cloak. “I can’t make any tea.”

  “Why not?” asked Limar in the loud, obnoxious voice that he knew grated on her nerves.

  “Think about where the pot is right no
w.”

  Both of the boys stared at her, the silence only broken by the sound of dripping water from the back of the damp cave.

  Beck finally got it. “We left it in the kitchen.”

  Nora nodded. “We escaped so quickly that some things were left behind.”

  Beck gasped. “Your pouch too?”

  Nora nodded again. “And my orb light.”

  The boys stared at her, taking in the bad news. Limar finally asked the question she had been dreading. “Nora, what was in your pouch?”

  “The map of Palace Liard the old woman drew for us.”

  “Rockhead,” muttered Limar. He thrust out his skinny chest. “I knew I should have been in charge of the mission. What were you thinking?”

  Nora grimaced and rested the palm of her hand against the cave wall. “What was I thinking? I was thinking the same thing you were—let’s get out of here. I did the best I could. Everything happened so fast. Don’t try to make me feel guilty.”

  She hated it when Limar acted like he was older than her. Ever since their father died, Limar tried to act like he was in charge of everyone even though he rarely took the responsibilities that came with that.

  Beck cut the siblings off. “Stop fighting, you two. It won’t fix anything.”

  “She was dumb to leave her pouch behind,” Limar said.

  That was true, but did Limar always have to find ways to point out her flaws? The thought of the map made her sick. The Liards would know that someone who knew the palace had drawn it. She didn’t want that nice, old woman to get in trouble. In the woman’s eagerness to be helpful, she hadn’t even questioned them and had drawn a very specific map of Palace Liard.

  Nora turned to Limar. “You were stupid enough to tell Prince Kyn my name.”

  “You worry too much,” Limar said. “How would he ever find you by just knowing your first name?”

  “Pick your accusation, Limar. Do I worry too much or think too little?”

  “Relax you two,” Beck said. “We got the revar.”

  “Two more problems,” Nora said. She twisted her hands. “Teacher Worthing’s book on revars is sitting on the Liard’s countertop, and I had two pieces of silver in my pouch.”