Aerenden: The Zeiihbu Master (Ærenden)
Page 39
A soft glow appeared up ahead and he let the orb extinguish as he followed the light into a small cave. Above him, a hole in the ceiling framed the sky. How long had he been wandering? Hours, perhaps. No hint of the day's rain remained.
Dozens of perfect stars winked at him, distant white specks against a black blanket. In the center of them, a full moon appeared, swollen and bright. He dropped his eyes to the floor and marveled at the red rock lining it. Rivers of silver painted lines through the red, leading to deep gray walls. Scattered in piles everywhere, rocks the size of his fist sparkled in the light.
He set the Writer's book and doll down on the ground, and then picked up one of the rocks, testing its heft before lobbing it against the furthest wall. It exploded into a shower of sparks.
His mother had always yelled at him for playing with splinter shale as a child. She had warned him he would lose a hand. But she was at least half a mile away now, and he was no longer a boy who needed protection.
A second stone left a black scar in the shape of a star behind. A third added points to the star and as he picked up a fourth, his mind wandered back to Meaghan.
It seemed she had thought of everyone else but him. She looked out for everyone's needs, protected those she cared about, sacrificed even for strangers, yet she did not consider him when she took risks. Not once did she think about how it would affect him if she died.
Why would she? He loved her. He had told her that, but she never returned the emotion. Instead, she left him with a gaping hole in his heart.
A stone exploded against a wall to his right, knocking him off his feet and he shook his head to clear the haze clouding his vision. Had he thrown the stone? He must have. In his anger, he had allowed it to come too close.
He climbed to his feet and then paused as the truth struck him. He was angry. No, he was furious. The emotion overshadowed everything else, flooding his senses and numbing him. He picked up stone after stone, hurling them at a distant wall. Explosions shook dirt from the ceiling, showering it into his hair. Light flashed continuously until he could no longer see anything but white. He did not stop. He kept throwing splinter shale until he had scarred the walls with dozens of scorch marks. Until his arm hurt from throwing and his face burned with small cuts from shattered shale. Until he felt empty.
Nick hated Meaghan for this. He hated that she had left him alone to carry a burden he never wanted, that belonged to her. He hated how she had left him behind to wait and worry. And he hated that she had made his worst fears come true.
He heaved one more rock at the far wall, stared at the mark it left behind through a shimmer of tears, and then yelled at Meaghan, though he knew she could no longer hear him.
“Do you think this was easy for me?” His voice bounced around the cave and then lifted up through the hole in the roof, escaping into the emptiness of space. “Do you think I wanted our wedding any more than you did? Do you think I wanted to be shackled to a wife who saw me as no more than a punishment?” He picked up another piece of splinter shale and stared down at it. “You took me for granted. You were selfless with everyone, but when it came to me, you were selfish. You were stingy. You offered your love when I couldn't take it, then withheld it once I gave you my heart. And now,” his fingers tightened around the stone so that its sharp edges cut into his skin. “And now I can't get it back.”
Out of words and out of anger, he sank to the ground as no more than a shell, a body empty of spirit. He curled the stone into his chest and wept. Tears poured from him as pure grief. They soaked his skin, drenched his shirt, and stole from him his sense of time and place. He barely felt the hand covering his and freeing the stone from his grip.
When a second hand brought his head down to rest on a shoulder, he knew without question that his mother had found him.
“I'm so sorry, Nick,” she said. “I wish I could fix this.”
So did he, but it helped having her here. More than anyone else, she understood. She knew what it felt like to lose her heart and even now, she harbored loss. Cal had been one of the last of the original castle Guardians. Though the two of them did not always get along, she still loved him.
“Keep a fire burning.”
“What?” Confused, Nick raised his head to look at his mother. Platitudes were not her style.
Her eyes did not meet his, but focused on something beside him. A frown crested her face and he turned to see what had caught her attention. The Writer's book had fallen open during his attack on the walls and a single line had appeared. As he watched, more writing blackened the last page.
“Nick,” his mother whispered, but said no more. He recognized the elegant script too. It did not belong to the Writer. It belonged to his Aunt Viv. May gasped when Vivian's full message became clear.
Tell Neiszhe not to despair. Keep a fire burning.
Unlike the other predictions that controlled their lives, this one left no room for misunderstanding. They had hope.
Cal still lived.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My everlasting gratitude to my editor, Jessica Lux, and my hawk-eyed beta readers, Marci Bookman, Karen Giera, Steve Giera, Rebecca Glogower, Trish Hanson, Cheri Schueller, and Shawn Thomas.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Bangor, Maine, Kristen Taber spent her childhood at the feet of an Irish storytelling grandfather, learning to blend fact with fiction and imagination with reality. She lived within the realms of the worlds that captivated her, breathing life into characters and crafting stories even before she could read. Those stories have since turned into a wide range of short tales, poems, and manuscripts in both Young Adult and Adult genres. Currently, she is working on the Ærenden series from her home in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
Learn more about Kristen and her work at www.kristentaber.com.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Acknowledgments
About the Author