The Beginning

by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

  “I’ve heard that too,” Mahryn added, gulping back his eagerness and fear.

  “I have a few coins of my own I’ve been saving for a new saddle, but I think a few treasures from that pouch would be much better.”

  Pahrdh reached over and carefully picked up the heavy bag as if he were afraid the skeleton would come to life and grab him. He quickly took out his own coins and switched them with a few of the ones in the dead man’s pouch, and Mahryn did the same. Gieaun breathed in sharply from somewhere behind Jahrra, and Rhudedth was fidgeting nervously in the corner.

  Scede was next, exchanging a small wooden flute he carried for one of the rings in the bag. Gieaun was reluctant at first, but her curiosity overcame her trepidation and she swapped one of her shell bracelets for one of the pirate’s beaded ones. Rhudedth was too frightened to exchange anything, and that only left Jahrra. She didn’t have much to trade with, but she did have her small pouch she kept keepsakes in, and she did have her journal. She pulled out her tiny bag and removed the blue-green stone she had collected from Ehnnit Canyon. She picked up another rock in the cave and slammed it against her own. Gieaun and Rhudedth gasped as a chunk of the azure rock went scattering across the floor, echoing eerily against the concave walls. She then removed the round disc-shaped object from the left hand of the skeleton and replaced it with the chunk of stone she’d broken off. She didn’t look at the object at first; she just stuck it in her pocket for later.

  Jahrra blinked hard a couple of times to clear her suddenly foggy mind, pulling out her journal from the small bag she’d brought along. She slowly began removing the book from the dead man’s grasp.

  “Jahrra! You wouldn’t leave your journal,” Gieaun hissed. “That’s one of your most valued treasures!”

  There was a strange crackling sound as she worked the fragile book free and everyone let out a breath as it finally came loose.

  “Don’t worry,” Jahrra added once she had the book in her hands. “I’m only going to borrow his book for a moment, and then give it back.”

  She carefully opened the dead man’s book, then her own journal, and began jotting down the words that appeared in the old tattered manuscript. The writing looked almost like Kruelt, but much more primitive, more like the runes she’d seen in Ehnnit Canyon. Every page was covered in an abundance of words, maps or small sketches of various objects.

  As she wrote, Jahrra found herself pausing many times to admire the intricate drawings, wondering what they meant and why this person had drawn them. She even saw a rough sketching of the Baherhb, the symbol of the dragons that Hroombra had once shown her. Like the runes she’d copied from Ehnnit Canyon, she hoped that maybe he could translate it for her someday. That is, if she ever got up the courage to tell him why she had strange runes written in her journal and where she had seen them in the first place. Jahrra quickly finished her work, wishing she could copy it all down, but it was well past noon and they needed to start heading back to the other cove.

  Scede led the way to the opening of the cave and started climbing down, followed by Gieaun and Rhudedth, and then Mahryn and Pahrdh. When Jahrra reached the mouth of the cave, she paused for a moment and reached for the object that had settled heavily in her pocket. It was a very beautifully crafted compass, set in a dark red stone with a carving of some type of intricate flower on the back. The facing was polished glass, and beneath it sat a surface of mother of pearl. The arrow of the compass was crafted out of very delicate silver, with the initials of the ancient directions etched in and darkened: A, Alva for north, H, Hwyn for west, D, Dein for south and R, Rho for east.

  Jahrra tightened her hand around the treasure, believing that it was more valuable than any of the other items they had found. She checked to see if the compass was in working order as she walked out onto the first step and into the bright mid-afternoon light, smiling widely when the silver arrow spun around to show the proper direction.

  Once the group had climbed back down the stairs and through the natural bridge, Jahrra looked back one last time and remarked in a quiet voice, “The Ninth Cove, the Hidden Cove.”

  The six friends hurried back to the other beach, eager to get away from the eerie and discomfiting scene they had just witnessed. They passed the waterfall once again, grinning and screeching as they dashed through the cool water.

  Their laughter was cut short, however, when they spotted something at the end of the beach. Scede was the first to see them, stopping abruptly in shock. Gieaun and Rhudedth walked right into him.

  “Scede!” Gieaun fumed, rubbing her shoulder. “What are you doing? Why did you . . .”

  But Gieaun stopped her complaint after following her brother’s eyes to the far end of the shore. A horse and rider had just finished climbing down the perilous path and were now standing at the base of the cliff, waiting patiently for the group as they slowly meandered toward the foot of the trail.

  Jahrra eventually glanced up to see what all of her friends were staring at, her smile fading fast when she saw their visitor. The horse looked like a semequin, snow white in color, not as tall as Phrym, but still more regal than any common horse she had ever seen. .Jahrra’s heart almost stopped when she glanced up at the rider, a boy about her age with a sneer on his face. The young man, finely dressed in his mustard riding attire, complete with a hat, cloak and gloves, led his semequin towards the group.

  That smug little . . . ugh! Jahrra felt the fire flare up in her own eyes. What is he doing here? How is it he always manages to show up and ruin the day, no matter how remote or unlikely? she wondered in desperate frustration. There was nowhere, it seemed, for her to escape from Eydeth.

  “What are you doing here?” It was Gieaun who asked the question everyone was thinking. She had good reason, too. This was the last place Jahrra would think to run into the twins. She knew that Eydeth wasn’t as nervous as he used to be about being around her since Sobledthe Eve, but she didn’t think he was ready to return to his normal routine of harassing her.

  “Oh, just surveying this part of Oescienne,” Eydeth drawled, sitting back comfortably in his expensive saddle and waving his hand around like a wilting prince.

  Scede narrowed his eyes and looked up at their enemy.

  “Surveying this part of Oescienne? What business could you possibly have here? Since when have you cared about the terrain and wilds of Oescienne? Aren’t you afraid you are going to get your clothes dirty?”

  Scede’s observation would usually bring about a few laughs, but no one felt particularly humored at the moment.

  Eydeth simply looked down his nose at Scede. “Anyone hanging around a Nesnan is likely to become filthy. Luckily, that’s not my business here.”

  Eydeth didn’t even have the courtesy to nod in Jahrra’s direction, but she didn’t care. The more Eydeth avoided her, the better. But Mahryn hadn’t liked Eydeth’s remark at all. He glanced over at Jahrra, noticed the look of pure hatred on her face, and burst out, “Why is it that you insist on belittling those around you?”

  Everyone started, surprised to hear such harsh words from the usually bashful Mahryn.

  “If we are so worthless, why do you even make the effort to come all the way out here just to mock us? In fact, I’m a little embarrassed for you. What would your family say? I would think they would be ashamed that one of their own is not off bettering himself by taking etiquette classes or learning eloquent speech.”

  Jahrra stared at him with her mouth hanging open in shock. That was the most she’d ever heard Mahryn say at once. She couldn’t help smiling with appreciation as the freckled boy crossed his arms and gave Eydeth a stern look of victory, his cheeks still flushed from his tirade.

  Everyone fought the urge to burst out laughing, despite the look on Eydeth’s face. He began to turn pink, but the bright yellow brim of his hat reflecting on his face made him look more orange than anything else. Jahrra wondered if he had even understood what Mahryn had said to him.

  “Well, well, don’t w
e have a lot to say?” the Resai boy answered after some time, his voice low and dangerous. “At least I don’t have trouble fitting in. You can’t even get that worthless Nesnan to like you, can you?”

  The poison in his voice stung harshly, and Mahryn turned bright red, the color drowning out his freckles. Scede and Pahrdh had to grab Rhudedth and Jahrra, for they had lunged forward in anger. Jahrra wasn’t thrilled with the fact that Mahryn liked her, but there was absolutely no need for Eydeth to drag it through the mud like that.

  The evil boy sneered in triumph and continued on, “The truth is I’m here with my family. While my father is taking care of business in town, I decided to take a ride down the country road. You have no idea how surprised I was to find the small herd of nags tied up in the grove of trees above. You see, my father sent me ahead to scout the area; he just bought several miles of coast between Hassett Town and Soarna Point.” He grinned and continued on in his droning tone, “Father insists that this land is worth the price he paid, but from the looks of it, and from the looks of how much you enjoy it, it must be worth less than the Nesnan’s life, which isn’t saying much.”

  Gieaun and Scede looked deterred, and Jahrra looked simply horror struck. She didn’t care that he referred to her as “the Nesnan”, she was used to that. It was his implication that the Eight Coves had just been purchased by the most notorious landlord in southern Oescienne.

  “What did you say?” It was the first time she’d said anything aloud since Eydeth’s arrival, but she wasn’t going to keep quiet any longer.

  “That you’re worth nothing?” Eydeth sneered, eyeing his mustard-gloved fingernails indifferently.

  “No, stupid, about your family acquiring this land?” Jahrra snapped, becoming more irritated by the minute.

  “Hmmmff,” Eydeth snorted, returning both hands to the reins of his semequin.

  “It’s ours now. We figured that we had best be investing in the coast, in order to be absolutely sure that our merchant ships aren’t attacked by worthless ruffians.”

  Gieaun, Scede, Pahrdh, Rhudedth and Mahryn glared at Eydeth, but held their tongues. Jahrra, however, jumped to her feet and marched towards her life-long enemy.

  “You can’t do that,” she declared quietly, stone-faced, her clenched fists shaking with rage.

  “My family can, and they did, and you and your fan club are going to have to move out of here immediately. You’re trespassing and I have free authority to shoot any trespassers. And believe me I won’t hesitate to do so.”

  He glared down at Jahrra, almost daring her to make a move. Jahrra searched his eyes, and it appeared, as she had suspected, that his fear from the night of the Fall Festival had finally faded.

  “I’ve seen your archery first hand, Eydeth, and I assure you, my semequin can shoot better than you can,” Jahrra retorted, her eyes flashing.

  The laughter that followed drowned out Eydeth’s seething remarks, but Jahrra kept her sight locked on her enemy’s face. How dare he?! How dare his family! They can’t just go around buying up land wherever they see fit!

  Eydeth saw the storm brewing on Jahrra’s face, and his lip curled in a horrible grin.

  “I have also told my father about a very nice fishing lake to the south. He has always wanted his own lake for vacationing, lake monster or not, and I think the boardwalk will come in handy when my entire family visits. We might even hunt down and kill that monster. It would make a nice addition to my father’s trophy room.”

  Jahrra could no longer contain herself. Hesitating not a second longer, she flew at Eydeth with the speed of a deer. The charge caught everyone off guard, but instead of jumping up at him like everyone expected, she stopped abruptly and waved her hands in front of the white semequin’s face, causing it to rear in agitation. Eydeth tumbled clumsily from his saddle and slammed into the rough pebbles below. He quickly got up, cursing in anger and brushing off as much of the sand as he could.

  “There!” Jahrra shouted. “That’ll teach you not to sit so smugly on your high horse!”

  Eydeth grabbed the reins of his spooked semequin and managed to scramble back up.

  He glared down at Jahrra, eyes burning, and spat, “When I run in the Great Race this fall and win that prize money, I’ll use it to buy that dump you live in and you and that stupid old lizard can live in the Wreing Florenn!”

  Jahrra just glared back at him, refusing to let this pompous boy get the better of her.

  He then turned and faced everyone, his voice raised but breaking, “I’m warning you all again, this is private property. If you’re caught here again, there’ll be dire consequences!”

  Eydeth gave them all one last furious glance and then expertly turned his semequin around and began the steep climb back up the narrow trail.

  “Oh, how I despise him!” cried Rhudedth.

  “He thinks he owns everything just because his father does,” put in Pahrdh.

  “How can anyone be so horrible?”

  Jahrra looked over at Rhudedth, who looked to be on the verge of tears.

  “It’s a good thing this place is too far away to visit often,” Gieaun added sadly. “I really hope he can’t buy Ossar Lake like he says he can. I thought we had finally turned him away from there.”

  “Come on,” Jahrra said blankly, still numb from what had just happened. “Let’s get out of here.”

  The six friends slowly made their way up the steep path, trying to think of anything but what had just happened. A cool salty breeze picked up and pushed the loose hair from Jahrra’s sun-burned face. Her jaw was set stubbornly and her forehead was creased in frustration. She had been unsettled by Eydeth’s and Ellysian’s treatment of her after the night she was attacked, but she would do anything to have those uneasy looks back. It was better than being scorned again.

  “How did Eydeth possibly make it down here on horseback anyway?” Pahrdh wondered out loud, his sigh disappearing on the wind.

  “I don’t know and I don’t care,” Jahrra snapped.

  She immediately regretted her outburst. It wasn’t Pahrdh’s fault Eydeth had ruined their day. She shook her head to clear it and turned her head to face Pahrdh. His lips were drawn tight, looking both irritated and apologetic at the same time. Jahrra smiled. He had received a lot of sun as well, his reddened face now matching his ruddy hair.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not mad at you, I’m just, just, well, sick and tired of it all.”

  “I know,” Pahrdh answered reservedly. “I know.”

  Jahrra took a deep breath as she and her friends crested the top of the cliff. She could hear Gieaun and Rhudedth ahead of her laughing about something, but it didn’t lighten her black mood. Instead of forgetting about the whole thing and joining in with her boisterous friends, Jahrra dwelt on Eydeth’s glorious return to his usual self. The awful Resai boy may have fallen back into his habit of humiliating Jahrra and her friends, but she wasn’t about to lay back and take it like she used to. Now it was time to do something about it, something bigger than lying about the Witch of the Wreing, something bigger than the lake monster. Jahrra had something much more important and much more dangerous in mind.

  I’m going to enter that stupid Great Race, she thought to herself. I can beat Eydeth. Yaraa and Viornen have to be better trainers then the one he’s got. I can’t let him win and take Lake Ossar from us, to use his money and status to take my home from me. I’ve got to do something.

  As they rode home down the dusty road late that afternoon, they all tried their best to set their minds on something more positive.

  “Summer is coming up, can you believe it?” Rhudedth said, trying to drive Eydeth and his nastiness from everyone’s minds. “Then we’ll only have one more year of school with Master Tarnik. I can’t wait!”

  Soon everyone was talking about the upcoming summer and making jokes about their idiotic teacher. Jahrra laughed along with them. She smiled at the right moments, and commented when questioned, but the entire time she
was focused on something else, something much more vital than idle talk about summer vacation or ridiculous schoolmasters. She was focused on something she never thought she’d want to consider again: racing in, and winning, the Great Race of Oescienne.

  By the time Jahrra arrived at the Castle Guard Ruin, it was already past dusk. She quickly took Phrym to the stable and fed him. “We’re going to have to work extra hard this summer,” she whispered. “We’ll have to be in top shape if we’re to win this race in the fall.”

  Phrym nickered tiredly and she patted him, grateful for his quiet support. Jahrra shuffled back to the Ruin through the darkening fields, the blooming sun daisies almost lighting the way with their bright yellow faces. Hroombra was up, reading through his manuscripts as usual. He had lit many candles, as it was a warm night and there was no need for a fire.

  He looked up to greet Jahrra as she came in through the door. “How was your day?”

  “Oh, wonderful,” she half-lied. “I met a few more friends in town, along with Gieaun and Scede, and we all went to the Eighth Cove. We had a good time, but I’m exhausted. I ate in town with my friends on the way home, so if you don’t mind, I’ll head off to bed.”

  Jahrra really was tired, and she had to go back to school tomorrow, not to mention face the twins after the incident today.

  “Very well, have a good night’s sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.” Hroombra smiled and tilted his head back down to read.

  Jahrra walked off towards her room with a feeling of vengeance and anger. To try and get her mind off Eydeth’s words, she took out her compass and admired it once more before hiding it behind a loose stone in her wall. She pulled her journal out of her bag and tucked it away as well. The strange words and symbols would have to wait.

  Jahrra drifted off to sleep and as she slept she dreamt she was flying through the sky on Phrym. He had grown wings and they were both soaring high above all the other horses, leagues above the Great Race of Oescienne. She could see the entire province, and in the distant ocean she spotted a proud and valiant pirate ship. Jahrra thought, suddenly, horribly, that the crew of the ship had come back for the compass she had taken.