Birth Stone

by Kate Kelley

  She approached the already roaring fire, and rummaged through Terrin’s satchel until she found a large loaf of bread.

  “Where are you getting all this bread?” she asked before taking a bite and tearing. It was a bit tough, but it tasted good enough. Terrin chuckled. She glanced at him through suspicious eyes as she took another vicious bite of bread.

  “You’ve been laughing a lot lately. It’s strange,” she said between chewing. That coaxed yet another chuckle from him, and Lyra couldn’t help her own smile that twisted her lips upward. A laugh escaped, followed by a loud, unvolunteered snort. She was taken over by a giggling fit, snorting between giggles. She smacked a hand over her mouth to try to keep the snorts in.

  Terrin barked out a laugh he seemed to be trying to keep in, his head tilted back, getting caught up in the ridiculous moment. He clutched his stomach as his shoulders shook with mirth. When the laughter died down, Lyra wiped tears from her eyes and stared into the flickering fire.

  “I think I’m past due for some sleep. My head is getting silly,” she said contentedly, glancing at him good-naturedly.

  Terrin watched her smiling mouth, his eyes taking on a sadness that didn’t match the mood. Lyra felt it too. It wrapped around her heart whenever she shared a moment like this with him. When she saw Terrin for his true self, when he showed humanity or kindness. And it was happening all too often out here. She needed to finish this journey so that she could move on with her life and stop this maddening torture. She needed to get her brother home and then return to Edwin.

  Chapter 26

  Terrin stood and crossed to his sleeping bag. He lowered down and slipped in, lying on his side. Lyra cocked her head at him, hands on her hips.

  “Well, get in,” Terrin patted next to himself in the sleeping bag.

  Lyra sobered quickly. “There isn’t room for both of us,” she sighed wearily.

  “There is,” Terrin retorted, closing his eyes and getting comfortable. Lyra peeked inside the other side of the sleeping bag. It looked so warm in there. There was just enough room, but she wouldn’t be able to wear the coat.

  “Maybe I can just sleep in the coat out here,” Lyra mumbled.

  Terrin shook his head, eyes still closed. “Suit yourself. Good luck freezing to death. I can feel it’s going to be a very cold night. Just remember that I have my aura to warm us both in here.” Lyra wrapped the coat tighter around herself. Her nose almost instantly froze when she stepped out of the sphere of the fire’s warmth. The wind whipped up under her coat, chilling her legs to the bone. The tendrils of hair that slipped from the cloak crunched with frost when she tucked them back in.

  Damn.

  Lyra chewed the inside of her lips, weighing her options. The longer she stood out there, the colder she became.

  With a curse she dropped the coat and quickly wedged into the sleeping bag, her legs brushing against Terrin’s body. Instant warmth enveloped her. Even though she was all the way on the other edge of the bag, her back still grazed his chest. His nearness did warm her, but wind still managed to whip into the bag. The fire warmed them from the right side, but her other side was still feeling harsh whips of cold. The warmth of his body called to her. She closed her eyes in frustration.

  It would be so damn good to just back up and snuggle against him, feel his arms around me.

  Maybe in another life.

  Lyra stilled as she felt the radiating heat as Terrin's large palm encompassed the dip in her waist over her shirt. Slowly his hand smoothed along the line of her waist, up her ribs, over her shoulder and up her neck, then back down, going further this time to her hip, then rubbing across her stomach and up just under her breasts before making the trail again.

  Wherever he touched, his aura radiating through her clothes and into her skin, seeming to permanently warm her.

  He was using his aura to warm her. The warmth sent her into a dazed, almost drunken state. Without realizing it, she had backed into the calling heat of Terrin’s body.

  “Mmm,” Lyra gave a satisfied hum as her body nestled into the protection of Terrin’s rock solid body. His hand rubbed down her hip to her thigh, which was bare, encircling lightly as the aura continued to warm her skin. He smoothed it down the length of her leg, Lyra bending her leg up so that he could reach her calf. He moved to the other leg, stopping on her upper thigh before returning to her waist. Lyra shivered in comfort even as the apex between her legs throbbed with liquid heat. But she was used to the feeling by now, and her body was tired. Her eyes drifted closed as she let her head hang back comfortably. A feeling of her hair being moved caused her to come to from her dozing. Terrin had moved her hair from her neck and away from his face. Suddenly she was very aware that his hand wasn’t on her anymore.

  Her body was gently pressed into his, her ass lining up perfectly with his groin. The contact was maddeningly light, and Lyra had the strangest urge to press up tighter against him, to see if he was as hard tonight as he was the other night.

  Gods, Lyra, calm down. Go to sleep.

  She didn’t listen. In fact, she yearned even more. Terrin’s arm lay awkwardly between them, tight to his side in an attempt to not touch her further.

  He truly was just trying to warm me.

  Somehow that disappointed her. He was only touching her to warm her, as he promised he would. As if on its own, her body pressed more fully into his chest. He stiffened noticeably, his arm staying tight to his side. Something wicked snapped in Lyra. She wanted to tease him, to get back at him for teasing her all this time. She arched her back, nestling her hips more fully into Terrin’s groin. She arched her neck, as if offering him a view of her skin.

  Terrin didn’t notice.

  The fire spit and crackled. The hot spring bubbled gently. Terrin breathed deeply. The sounds of their camp lulled Lyra into a sense of security. Nothing existed outside of the fire’s glow. Nothing could hurt her in her own little world. It was just her and Terrin, the moon, and this fire. She had concluded that Terrin wasn't interested in her when a soft scrape on her neck caused her to inhale sharply. Terrin’s arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly to him. Lyra stilled.

  What is he doing?

  His mouth opened on her neck, kissing softly.

  Oh, gods.

  Lyra shuddered and arched her neck, giving him more access. He took it, kissing a trail up to her jaw. Lyra moaned and arched into him again. Terrin responded with a low purr, grabbing her hip and rocking his pelvis into her. Lyra’s heart thudded in her chest and she turned in his arms to face him, only for Terrin to crush his mouth to hers.

  Delicious shock licked through her body, settling heavily between her legs. A lick across her mouth caused her to open for him, their tongues mingling and gliding, tasting.

  Their kiss was pure fire; rage, frenzy, desperation for what would never be. Lyra pulled back to bite his bottom lip, then lick where she had bitten. She’d wanted to do that for a very long time. A growl erupted from Terrin and he flipped on top of her, pinning her underneath with his body, his mouth never leaving hers. Lyra moaned with each slide of his tongue, every delicious press of his mouth on hers. His beard roughed her skin in a decadent pain. Her legs on either side of him, she bucked her hips in an uncontrollable movement, and he responded by pinning her with his pelvis, his erection pressing along the spot she needed him most. She burned.

  Terrin moved a hand to cup her breast, a thumb grazing over her nipple.

  “Ahhh,” she breathed and bucked her hips again. Her control was quickly unraveling. A rumble sounded around them, the resounding rumble of thunder.

  She threaded her fingers through his hair as he kissed across her breasts. Her mind was spiraling, trapped in the scent and the touch of the man on top of her. It was only her, only him. The connection she felt between them was old as time. It was lightning, thunder, rain, and earth.

  A pair of electric purple eyes flashed before her vision, wise, true and terrifying. A voice, like a cacophony of all
the whistles in the wind, reverberated in her skull.

  “The one pieced together with magic and mud.

  The one lost and alone, a hidden gem among thieves.

  The one with dirty blood.

  With infinite power running ancient like roots

  from omniscient trees

  through their veins.

  This one will heal the earth,

  when the penumbra

  encases the fire

  of the wild tundra

  with all the ends of the earth in their palm,

  will open the secret realm of the Gods.

  They will reunite the throne with Gaia.

  They will right the reign of the true queen, Iris.

  They will heal the land of all the darkness,

  And save it from the anathema, the heartless.

  If they fail to open when Hecate shades Sol,

  Eclipsa will lock,

  a century lost,

  Earth remains unwhole.”

  The voice echoed in her mind, bouncing around her head so that she was unsure whether it had finished speaking or not. Eventually, a ringing in her ears replaced the voice.

  Terrin was kissing back up her neck now, cupping her breasts. He seemed to notice a change in her body language and removed his hands from her suddenly, holding himself up above her. He looked in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, breathing ragged.

  She simply stared at him.

  “You were in my head.” His voice was hoarse. He recoiled, moving so that he was lying on his side facing her. His stare bored into her.

  “Why were you in my head?” he asked. The heat was gone from his eyes, replaced with ice.

  Lyra shook her head, rattling in a shaky breath. “I-I don’t know. I heard a-a voice. Of a woman? She said something I don’t understand--”

  “What did she say?” Terrin sat up abruptly, pushing the cover of the sleeping bag down. Lyra did the same.

  “She said…it sounded like a--a poem or, a fable.” She peered at him cautiously to gauge his reaction. His expression was stone.

  “What. Did. She. Say?” he repeated, his voice low.

  “Most of it was gibberish. But the main point I think is that a...powerful person would open the portal...with all the ends of the earth in her hand? Return Iris to the throne. It didn’t make a lot of sense. Who was that? It was so real…”

  Terrin exhaled in a rush, wiping his hand over his face.

  “It was Gaia’s prophecy. About you.”

  Lyra’s stomach dropped. “About…me." Her tone was skepticism at best.

  “Yes. I don’t know how you managed to get that deep inside my mind but I think Gaia must have sent that to you. She told me the prophecy shortly after Alec disappeared. Alec had mentioned that you..might have magic. I didn’t know who else it could be. I took a chance that it was you. This last month has solidified it for me.”

  Lyra stared at him, her mouth open. She inhaled. “She also said that if the mage tries and fails, the portal is closed for another one hundred years.”

  Terrin nodded slowly, eyes averted.

  “And...you didn’t think to let me know that you picked me as some sort of chosen one? You didn’t think to tell me about a goddess’s prophecy before involving me?” Her rage was rising, her voice hardening as the pieces began falling in place.

  She scooted back to get farther away from him. The fire was still blazing, warming her back. His solemn eyes met hers but he said nothing.

  “What if I fail, Terrin? I don’t even know what any of it means. All the ends of the earth..? Gods, Terrin. If I fail, my brother dies in there. I never seen him again.” She stared at him, disbelieving, the shock still coursing through her.

  Terrin spoke then. “Lyra. First of all, he’s a mage. He won’t die in a century unless something kills him in there. Secondly, I know it’s you. You have more raw power than any other mage I’ve met. The fact that you could learn all you’ve learned in only a month’s time and that you were even able to see inside my mind means you are extremely powerful. You have the pendant now, maybe that’s what she meant. I don’t understand why the gods must always be so vague and mysterious.”

  “I agreed in the first place because I thought we would be doing this all together. But now you’re telling me I have to somehow open this portal by myself?” She shook her head in disgust, a dry laugh escaping her tight throat. “Gods, and I had began to trust you too. Despite everything. You’ve been withholding information from me this whole time. Well, our trust has been broken once again.”

  Terrin scoffed. “Don’t act like a child., Lyra. Some things must be kept secret. See how you’re reacting? If I’d told you about this when I’d first met you, you would have run in the other direction--”

  “I’m reacting this way now because you lied to me!” She yelled, the sound echoing off the trees. Self-doubt encompassed her heart. She wasn’t some chosen one to free Iris and make the earth right with the throne and the gods again. She was just an orphan commoner from a small village.

  What kind of mess did I get myself into?

  A weariness stole over her bones. She just wanted to sleep. Crawling back into the sleeping bag, she turned her back to him and stared into the fire. It was a long time before she felt Terrin slip back into the sleeping bag beside her. His legs brushed hers, and she moved them away instantly. The pain of his betrayal stung even more with his touch. Disgust filled her gut.

  I kissed him. I was probably going to let him have me. I’ve betrayed Edwin. Gods, I’m a vile fool.

  Closing her eyes, angry tears flowed down her face. The orange flicker of the fire shone behind her closed eyes as she prayed for sleep. It didn’t come until the fire turned to ash and the morning sun rose pink in the east.

  Chapter 27

  The next day Lyra sat saddled in front of Terrin. Her clothes were washed and dried and she wore Terrin’s coat to keep extra warm. She loathed being so close to him, again, as they had to share a mount. A shudder racked through her as images of her horse lying in that river came to her, its innards splayed out. Those wolves or whatever manner of beasts they were lunging and clawing them. She could have ended up just like her horse. Yet she somehow fought those vicious monsters off.

  Using her power had felt good. It had felt right; she had felt strong, unstoppable. At the very least, she knew she had a chance to fight off whatever came their way in the future, even if she couldn’t open the portal. She pushed that sickening thought from her mind. If her brother had to die in Eclipsa, she would never forgive herself. Or Terrin.

  They rode through winding, steep, rocky terrain, hundreds of feet above the valley floor. The air was thin, and her breath came shallow. Skirting a towering mountain wall, they rode along a narrow path. As long as Lyra didn’t look down, she could keep her head on straight. Clutching the horse’s mane more tightly, she trained her eyes ahead.

  When a bump caused the horse to falter, she made the mistake of looking down. The horse’s bulky hooves barely fit inside the perimeters of the path, the tops of trees a blur of autumn colors and the valley flowing with a thick river miles below. Her stomach dropped and her heart lurched into her throat.

  “Oh, gods, oh gods,” she muttered, clutching one hand around her pendant. Terrin’s arms tightened around her as he gripped the reins in front of her.

  “You’re alright. We’re almost to the precipice,” he murmured soothingly.

  Lyra scowled. Her panic rose as she felt trapped between Terrin’s arms. Suddenly the air was too thick to enter her lungs.

  “I want to get off this horse,” she heaved.

  “We’ll be at the precipice in under an hour if we keep going. We will be perfectly safe.”

  “No. No. Let me off this damned horse right now! I want my feet on the ground!” She repeated urgently.

  Terrin sighed. “Alright. Whoa, girl!” His command slowed and stopped their course.

  “I’m not entirely sure h
ow you’re going to have room to get off,” Terrin said flatly, surveying the thin strip of ground next to them. Lyra looked down again at the pathway. There was about a foot of space between the horse and the edge. She could probably shimmy down if she was very careful. Somehow it was going to be better than being up on the horse.

  Terrin gripped her upper arms as she slowly set one foot on the ground. He held his grip steady as she set her other foot down, her heel dangerously close to the edge. Shifting his hold to her wrists, she moved her hands to the horse for stability and moved horizontally until she was behind the animal. When she got there, she flattened her back against the wall, sighing in relief. Her head buzzed with lightness before returning to normal.

  This is much better.

  Terrin brought a thick rope from his satchel and tied it around his wrist, then threw the other end behind him to Lyra. It hit the dusty ground with a thwack. Lyra picked it up and slipped the loop around her wrist, holding it tightly with both hands. They traveled like this in silence for the next half hour. The white sun was halfway through the sky, indicating mid-day. Drifts of snow mist from high on the caps periodically fell on their heads like sprinklings of faerie dust. The cooling sensation across her face kept her focused on the monotonous trail.

  “Whoa, girl!” Terrin commanded, stopping the horse. Lyra looked around.

  “I don’t see a precipice anywhere. Don’t tell me we are climbing this wall.”

  Terrin ignored her and turned his head as if trying to hear something just out of earshot. Lyra mimicked his movement and listened. A hawk squawked high above them.

  “What?” Lyra asked, though a trickle of anticipation made its way through her skull.

  Terrin didn’t answer. His eyes suddenly locked onto hers for a beat, then he lunged from his horse and toward her just as a deafening rip tore through the air and she felt the ground give way under her.