“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice so quiet they could hardly hear her.
“What’s your name?” asked Jack. The girl was filthy and thin. She didn’t answer, but continued to look at the floor, her arms clasped behind her back.
“Where are your parents?” Leo asked. Again, the girl did not speak. They heard the other soldier coming back from his sweep of the corridor.
“We should check this place over again,” said Leo, and Jack nodded. They headed into the main living areas of the home to check for any other dwarves who may have stayed behind.
“I’ll take her to the Crystal Quarter,” Jayson called after them, but Jack and Leo did not answer. The little girl peered up at Jayson, then quickly cast her eyes back to the floor when she saw him look at her.
“Do you want to carry my bow?” he asked and held the weapon out to her. She didn’t move. She stared at the bow, her eyes wide and swayed back and forth. Finally, she reached out a grubby little hand and slowly closed her palm around the grip. Jayson let go, and she quickly caught it with her other hand, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“It’s heavy,” she whispered.
“A little,” said Jayson. “Are you hungry? I know where we can get you some food.” He held out a hand to her. She hesitated, holding the bow closer to her. Jayson suppressed an eye roll but still sighed. The little girl was as shy as Jessica had been before his parents had sent her to Cranbrook. Cranbrook Art Academy was an elite school for gifted children, and it was a two hour drive from Swansdale. His parents drove it twice a day so their daughter could receive the best education possible. Even at five years old, Jessica had been wary and intimidated about the prospect of going to a special school. His parents constantly reminded her how smart and special she was. By the time Jessica had attended her first week of preschool, she knew she was different.
The little girl staring back at Jayson held the same scared yet hungry look in her eyes that Jessica had her first few years at Cranbrook. His heart dropped a little at the thought of his sister and family. He pushed his feelings aside, and knelt down as Jack had to the girl’s level.
“I have a little sister at home. She’s a little older than you, but she loves piggy-back rides. Would you like a piggy-back ride?” The girl’s face lit up and she nodded her head. Jayson smiled and removed his quiver so she had room to climb on. “You’re gunna need to hold tight to that bow now,” he said.
“I will,” the little girl whispered in his ear. She clasped her hands around Jayson’s neck and held the bow between them. The wood pushed into his throat. He gently adjusted the bow and slung his quiver into the crook of his arm.
Jayson trudged down the winding corridors of the mountain, trying not to take notice of the bow that choked him or the quiver that beat into his shins. He found himself at the large double doors of the Crystal Quarter, and squatted down again to let the little girl climb off. He saw Gemari flitting between the little clusters of people, handing them blankets. He called to her, and she bowed as she approached.
“Jayson,” said Gemari. “Where is Jack? And Leo?”
“He’s back in the Ruby Quarter,” said Jayson and Gemari blushed slightly. Hey, we found this little girl by herself. I think she might be lost.” The girl clung to Jayson, hiding her face behind his legs.
“What is your name, dear one?” Gemari asked. Her voice was soft and quiet as she wrapped a blanket around the little girl’s shoulders.
“Lynden,” the girl whispered through the fingers of her free hand, her other still clutching Jayson’s bow.
“Lynden?” said a woman from behind Gemari. She was dressed in a gown that must have weighed at least ten pounds with all the rubies that had been sewn into it. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, held in place with a very large ruby comb, and her lips were painted bright red. She rushed to the girl, nearly pushing Jayson over in her haste. “Is your mother Lynhldr?” she asked.
The child looked at Jayson who nodded for her to answer. The girl nodded in reply, and the woman grabbed the child away from between Gemari and Jayson. The bow dropped from the little girl’s hands as she stumbled into the woman’s grasp.
“Oh, you poor dear! We have all been so worried about you!” the woman said, stroking the little girl’s matted hair.
“Do you know this child?” Gemari asked. Her tone sounded more like her sister, as did the look she gave the woman.
“Her family was murdered and dragged off by those horrible Black Diamonds several weeks ago during the altercation at the home of Lynhldr. She must have escaped. You poor thing. Have you been living on your own all this time?”
“Aerndis?” said another woman behind the first. She was not as magnificently garbed as the first woman, but her clothes still held small touches of flashing red gems. The first woman held Lynden close to her side as she stood to address the newcomer. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes, Aeris,” said Aerndis curtly. “Lynden of Lynhldr has been found. I will take care of her.”
“Are you sure she has no other family?” Gemari asked. Jayson crossed his arms and joined Gemari in staring at the women in disbelief. He was impressed at Gemari’s continued tact.
“No, the Black Diamonds killed them all. She is the same age as my son. I can care for her now,” said Aerndis.
“The Black Diamonds did no such thing!” Aeris’ hands fluttered in the air before her. “It was our soldiers who had orders to kill them. My hasana told me himself!”
“You and your hasana are Diamond sympathizers! Of course you would believe such lies. You are no longer any sister of mine!”
“My lady,” Aeris turned to Gemari. “I have not yet been blessed with a daughter. I knew the family from which this child came. I can care for Lynden.”
It may have been his lack of food and sleep the last several hours, or the simple mindless bickering that set him off. Looking back, Jayson wasn’t sure. But, in that moment, all he could see was his parents arguing over what was best for Jessica. She stood between them, clutching at his mother’s legs as Lynden was now, unable to say what she desired, nor even asked.
Jayson reached down and scooped Lynden away from the women.
“If you’re going to stand there and act like children, then neither of you should be raising one,” he spat. “The Black Diamonds are our allies now, and whatever happened in the past needs to stay there. I’ll take care of her if I have to. At least I’ve got more sense to find out what she wants.” He picked up his bow, handed it back to Lynden, and slung her onto his back again.
“No, wait!” Aeris called after him. “I am sorry. You are right. Sister, please, no more of this. Our King is correct. Lynden, would you like to come with me and get something to eat?”
“I am sure you will fit into my son’s clothes until we can find you something,” said Aerndis.
Jayson looked at Gemari who nodded. Reluctantly, he let Lynden climb from his back. She handed the bow back to him and smiled.
“Thank you, sir king sir, for saving me,” she whispered, and took Aeris’s outstretched hand. Jayson and Gemari watched them go as Leo and Jack joined them from their final sweep of the Ruby Quarter with the other guard patrols.
Gemari shook her head and sighed.
“This has to stop,” she said, more to herself than anyone in particular.
“What?” asked Jack. He leaned on his staff, exhaustion finally catching up with him.
“It does not truly matter if the Diamonds are made a Quarter or not. There has always been a rivalry from Quarter to Quarter. Ruby, Topaz, Citrine. We need proper unification. The rights of our men are only the first step. If we are to succeed and grow as a people, we must change.”
She turned away from the women as the disappeared into the crowd. Her face was hard and distant. She looked at Jack and her eyes softened. “You have opened my eyes to ideas I never thought possible. I see things so differently now. I believe in you. All of you. My Kings.”
; She reached out a hand to Jack. He took it, and tried to lift her knuckles to his lips. But Gemari squeezed his hand and shook it. She smiled at them, and wandered back into the crowd to continue handing out blankets.
“You sure know how to pick ‘em, Jack,” said Jayson shaking his head. “Your girlfriend’s a piece of work.”
“She’s not my girlfriend!” Jack said through clenched teeth. “It’s not allowed.”
“You never know, if Gemari keeps this up,” Leo said staring after the princess. “I don’t know if this is considered a wrong or not, but we’ve had some major influence here, and Gemari’s eventually going do something about it.”
The boys were exhausted by the time they were finally ordered to rest by Frejah. They didn’t even bother to change their clothes. They fell into their beds and were asleep almost instantly, their weapons haphazardly strewn around the common area.
Dimitri found Piper leaning against a wall in the Cobalt Quarter. She had fallen asleep with her sword still clutched in her hand. He smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her face. Piper jumped awake, smacking the heavy hilt of her blade between Dimitri’s legs. She gasped as Dimitri doubled over.
“Oh, Dimitri! Oh, I am so sorry!”
“It’s alright,” he breathed through clenched teeth. Piper stifled a giggle as he stood straight again. “This arrived for you,” he said, his voice still strained. He handed her a small, rolled piece of parchment that had been tied to a carrier bird. It read noCalnoden.
“It was sent to Nefiri. She believes it is Valar’s handwriting, so she had me bring it to you. Does it mean anything to you?”
Piper stared at the writing for several moments, her brow furrowed.
“Are you sure this is meant for me?” she finally asked. “This does not make any sense.”
Dimitri shrugged. “Nefiri did not say much. I believe she regrets dismissing me. Still, I will not give her the satisfaction of groveling back to her. Certainly not if she makes me choose between you or her.”
Piper crossed her arms and sighed, twiddling the parchment between her fingers. “Dimitri, she is your mother. You need to forgive her.”
“No,” said Dimitri firmly. “She dismissed me. If she wishes me back in her life, she will come to me.”
Piper shook her head. “Did you ever think that she knows how angry you are, and is trying to give you some freedom? Perhaps she is waiting for you to forgive her. Nefiri is not above making mistakes, and she knows this. Dimitri, she is your mother—”
“No, she isn’t.”
“Well she’s as good as! And she did a damned good job raising you, if you ask me. The woman I call my mother did not give birth to me either, in case you have forgotten. Your stubbornness is going to be the end of you, Dimitri. I do not understand why you believe you are better than everyone else lately, but you aren’t.” Piper tossed her messy red hair and stomped away, leaving Dimitri completely bewildered. It was twice in two days they had not agreed on the situation at hand, and it rather unsettled her.
Piper ignored the guards she passed as she stormed back to her rooms. She slammed the door behind her and headed straight to her bedroom. She threw her boots against the stone wall as she undressed and climbed into bed. She lay awake, staring at the little slip of parchment by candle light. Her body still buzzed with anger, though it slowly ebbed away in the flickering light of the soft flame beside her. She ignored Dimitri as he opened the door and climbed into bed beside her. He hugged her close to him, and kissed her back and shoulder.
“I do not want to fight with you,” he said. Piper set the parchment on the table beside her and turned to him. It was as close to an apology as she was likely to get from him.
“I don’t want to fight either. Dimitri, you haven’t been yourself lately. I do not understand what is going on.”
“I do not know,” he whispered, and looked at the mattress between them. “I never imagined things would happen this way. I just want to be with you. I do not understand why we cannot simply kill Taraniz and be done with it.”
Piper pulled from his grip. “There is nothing simple about killing someone, Dimitri. Though, I admit, it has been weighing heavily on my mind ere of late,” she said. “Taraniz has done terrible things, and it is my responsibility to my people to bring her to justice. But…” She turned to stare at the ceiling, her eyes distant as she became lost in the visions that played in her mind.
“But,” Dimitri prompted quietly.
She looked at him again and replied, “But she is my sister. A sister I never knew I had. A sister who has not only been plagued with this curse of magic as I have, but who has had it affect her more deeply than any of us can understand. Think of what we could learn from each other. If Gran is dead, Taraniz is the only family I have left. We need to give her a chance.” Piper propped herself up on her elbow. Her silhouette stood out against the candle light behind her. All Dimitri could see was the glint of her green eyes. “What do you believe will happen when I become Queen?” she asked. “I know we promised each other we would be together, but, you do not seem as though you wish to be King.”
“No, I do not. I could never be a king. Even if the Elder’s bade it so, it is not the life for me, Piper.”
“Then, where does that leave us?” she asked. She closed her eyes, forcing back the tears she felt sting her eyes.
“What do you mean? I thought this was a simple matter of marriage. You never said anything about me being King.”
“No, I did not. I suppose it was implied. I need to have heirs, and I need someone to help me make decisions and govern my people.”
“Piper, I was raised Dwarvik. I could not help you in the matters of elven state even if I wanted to.” Dimitri sat up, pulling Piper closer to him. He clasped his hands around hers and kissed her. “I think you can guide your people without the help of anyone, and you can certainly do it better than Taraniz.” Piper rolled her eyes but a smile escaped her. “I know she is your sister, and I know you worry about being like her, but you are different. That is why I love you. So, let us forget that for now. Let me say happy birthday to you properly.”
Pulled away and sat up. “What?” she asked.
Dimitri smiled his cocky smile that made Piper melt. He brushed the hair from her face and answerer, “It is why I was coming to find you. I overheard the elders discussing the sun cycles when I retrieved the message from Nefiri. We have been so busy we have not been watching the moons.” He pulled her toward him again, and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her fiercely. “Happy birthday, my darling Queen.”
Chapter Seventeen
The Belirian Forest
The last of the warm summer days seemed to fade away overnight. A chill hung in the air the next morning, aided only by the fear and sadness that clung to the hearts of all the citizens of Mount Kelsii. Jack felt it in his heart too. A heaviness, a nagging that sat and festered in his chest. His feelings for Gemari only heightened the sense of urgency he felt to evacuate the mountain as quickly as possible. He felt guilty that he had needed to rest, but Frejah had instead. These were the thoughts that inundated him as he lay staring at the jewel encrusted ceiling above him the next morning. He wondered if it would be there in a month. Would it even still be there in a week?
Jack stretched and quietly climbed from his bed. He tried not to wake Jayson, who lay drooling open mouthed in the other bed. He was usually the first of his friends to rise. It probably came from waking early to check on his family after his father had been drinking. He stopped in the doorway to the common area and leaned against the wall. He couldn’t remember the last time he had thought about his family. He swallowed hard, and for a moment he wondered if he would have to decide whether to stay in Chartile or return home.
He closed the bedroom door behind him and crossed to the cabinet with the pearl wine. Some bread and fruit remained from their lunch the day before. Most of the food stores had gone to the evacuees, and the kitchen staff
were no longer taking orders or deliveries. Most, in fact, had travelled down The Great Passage that very night. Those soldiers and officials remaining in the mountain were on their own. The kitchens were only a half mile or so away from their rooms, but Jack preferred to wait for his friends. He tore a piece from the half loaf and occupied himself with chewing the stale bread.
There was the shuffling of sleepy feet, and the door to Jack’s right creaked open. Leo emerged, rubbing his eyes and affixing his glasses securely in place. Piper had long ago tied string to the arms of Leo’s glasses so he would not lose them. It was rather impressive they hadn’t broken yet, especially during their fight practices.
“Jay still sleeping?” Leo mumbled.
“Yep,” said Jack. Leo joined him on the sofa, and they sat in silence, slowly crunching the bread.
“How much longer ya think it’ll be before everyone’s evacuated?” Jack asked.
“Maybe another day or so. I was talking with Frejah yesterday. She said none of their scouts can find any evidence of Taraniz’s army assembling anywhere. It’s got everyone really worried.”
“Maybe she changed her plan. Maybe we have more time. That means the refugees will be further along the Great Passage and closer to Tutaria when the fighting starts.” And Gemari will be safer, Jack thought.
“They could be using magic to conceal themselves.” Leo suggested with a shrug.
Jack shrugged back. He didn’t want to think about Taraniz’s army or the coming battle. The safety of the dwarves who had become like a second family to him was all that matter. It may have been Leo who had first found The Black Diamonds, and the dwarves did believe he was the reincarnated soul of King Florine. But Jack had felt he belonged here in the mountain since the day they came to Fortress Kelsii. Or, perhaps he only wanted to spend more time with Gemari. He had never felt this way about anyone before. It was strange. He knew some kids in school who had girlfriends, but they always broke up after a few weeks. Sometimes he heard of the high school kids who had the same girlfriend for three years. Even his Aunt Kiera and Uncle Rob had been high school sweethearts. Maybe finding your soul mate when you were really young was still possible. But, Gemari couldn’t be his soul mate. She was from another world entirely. It was all so very confusing.
Chartile: Prophecy Page 19