The Heartstone (19 page)

She was in a clearing ringed by oaks. The glow of sunset washed over the green trees. There was a cloaked figure in the center arms raised in prayer. Ariana waited on the outskirts of the grove. The figure turned around. It was her mother. But this time she was older more like Ariana remembered her. Her gray eyes were loving but stern. She came toward Ariana stopping a few yards away. Ariana rushed forward, but stopped at her mother’s warning gesture.

“Come no closer, dearest.”

“But Mom…”

“No listen, my time is limited. You must stop indulging yourself. You have a purpose to follow.”

“
I’m doing the best I can.”

“
No you aren’t. I know you can do better. You’re closing yourself off from the gifts that were to given you.”

“But Cerynus…”

“Your sorrow will keep. You don’t honor him this way.”

“But…”

“Ariana listen to me. There is no time. Rhysin’s power is growing.”

“Alright, but what about Jarod? Is he alright?”

“You must be strong.”

“Why are you here?
W
hy can’t you stay with me?”

Her mother smiled. Ariana’s heart twisted. Suddenly all she wanted to do was to be held. She reached out.

“The closer the Stone gets to Galancarrig the more powerful it becomes.” Julia looked at her; “I am linked to both. I took the Stone away to save it. Now I can never rest until it returns. Because of the strength of that geas I can talk to you. Heal yourself. You’re the Stonebearer. Use the gifts you’ve been given.”

“I don’t know how.”

“No excuses. Close your eyes.”

Ariana obeyed. She felt a tingling in her hands and a flood of images raced through her mind showing the technique.

“Farewell, dear heart.” Her mother’s image faded into the oak grove.

“Don’t go.” Ariana’s voice trembled.

“Be strong.” Her mother’s voice sighed through the oak leaves. Ariana was alone.

When she woke it was twilight. The bitterns called across the reeds. Her mind was clear. Staring at the Heartstone she sent her mind down into the depths. She felt the flare of pain in ankle and shoulder. She sent the white light of the Stone to knit the bones and sinews and ease her fever. There was resistance. She focused the energy more intensely. She let the Stone’s healing power wash through her. For the first time since the accident the ball of lead settled in her chest eased. She put the pain aside, for now. Settling into the first healthy sleep she’d had in days she welcomed the mists of oblivion that would stop all the striving for a while.

Ariana sat up and stretched. It was chilly this morning but she felt rejuvenated. She built a small fire and roasted some tubers she had gathered. She finished the last of her hard tack with the roots. Refreshed and fed she walked to the edge of the swamp. She stepped out onto a patch of grass that seemed solid. It held her weight barely. Teetering on the solid hummock she peered at the dark water searching for the way. Carefully she stepped onto the grassy knob. She picked her way from hillock to hillock, climbing over deadfall and slogging through marsh grass. There was a trail of sorts but it took all her concentration to stay on it.

She took a circuitous route leading deeper into the swamp. Wet clammy moss trailed from the dead branches onto her skin. She had to climb over dead trees laying half in the black water. Once or twice there seemed to be no way across at all. But The Stone seemed to give her a sense of the trail.

She skirted dead pools of water or passed the gray oatmeal of quicksand, the latest victim still suspended in a rictus of starvation. The further into the swamp they went the less life she saw. The moss laced between the stark dead trunks blotted out the sky.

The sky grew gray and cold and the wind picked up. Ariana’s feet were like ice; the water in her shoes squelched with each careful step she took. Her universe narrowed, bound by trees, mud and water. She wished he would splash her again as he had earlier in the day, but he was silent. The sun was setting when she realized she had almost reached the other side. The ground was still squelchy under her boots but the pools of stagnant water and dead trees were left behind.

She was still surrounded by marsh grass. Brambleberry bushes spilled across the path in thorny clumps. She picked the berries as she walked, enjoying their fresh tartness in her parched mouth. There was the flash of silver in the water and she saw a fish flapping on the shore. She picked up the fish and looked around for a good place to camp. Gathering deadfall she soon had a small fire burning. She gathered some tubers from the marsh and put them in the coals to roast. She spitted the fish. She feasted that night.

For the next few days she headed west over the grasslands. The grass was yellow-green, tasseled and tall. As she walked it swished around her legs. The breezes flowed through it like currents and the rustling and whirling like the lapping of waves kept her company with every step. The ground was flat with some gently rolling hills. The mountains were still distant blue outlines but she knew she was going the right way. Every night she camped amidst an unending sea of grass and watched the stars above her.

Ariana continued west toward the mountains that towered over the plains. The deep green of the grass gently sloped up to the creamy granite escarpment that stood sentinel between the mountains of Serenvale and the rest of the world. They were breathtaking; a perpendicular wall of buff stone topped by a range of mountains that created an impassable barrier. The mountains were blue in the distance and topped by pristine snow. Closer to the cliffs they were light in color ranging from the pale ivory of the cliffs to a deeper tone of iron gray as they reached the heights.

She stopped by a small waterfall that cascaded down from the mountainside in a rush of cold clear water. A small stream meandered off into the grass. Ariana knelt; cupping her hands and tasting the icy water as it soothed her parched throat and made her teeth tingle. Finished drinking, she rinsed off her face and hands. She looked down at her filthy garments. She stripped them off. Efficiently she rinsed the jerkin and pants and her blanket for good measure. Spreading the clothes out on the grass she let the late afternoon sun dry them.

Then it was her turn. Taking a deep breath she jumped into the water. It was so cold it took her breath away. She bobbed up to the surface with a yelp. She dove back under the water and scrubbed at herself. She dowsed her hair into the water and came up dripping, water streaming down her face. She watched with satisfaction as bits of tangled hair floated away on the current. She was finally clean. Invigorated by the cool caress of the water she drifted in the small pool letting the water soothe her. Her hands were wrinkled and white with cold when she got out.

She dried off using the still damp blanket. Her nose wrinkled at the slight smell of smoke but it was better than before. With a shrug she wrapped it around herself and gathered her clothes. She ate the last of her foraged food. The sun set, the plains turned dark and the lingering sunset painted the bluffs orange under the indigo sky. It was beautiful but she shivered. No fire tonight, she decided.

She curled up under the blanket and settled down to sleep. It took her a few minutes to get comfortable but she slept deeply with no dreams and woke refreshed. After breakfast and another quick wash in the stream Ariana packed up her camp. It was time. She looked up at the great cliffs looming overhead. She had to find a trail to get up into the mountains. Late that morning she found one. She looked up and sighed. Shifting her makeshift pack into a more comfortable position she started up the trail.

Ariana spit the grit from her mouth, glancing down over her shoulder; the height made her dizzy. She turned her eyes back to the steep sandstone bluff. The horizon narrowed, encompassed by spread fingers searching for crevices above, while toes dug into small crannies that spelled safety. The only sounds were her heart pounding and small gasps when she remembered to breathe.

Her next handhold was above her a little to the left. Slowly she unclenched her fingers from their perch next to her and reached her left hand up. She couldn’t reach. She stretched herself up on tiptoes but it was no use. She had to step up. She carefully braced herself with her hands and felt around with her left foot for a crevice.

Finding one she wedged her foot into it, only then bringing her other foot up to meet it. Breathing heavily she inched her fingers up to the handhold above her and gripping the unyielding rock in her sweaty fingers gained another few inches up. Her arms trembled from the effort and she could feel her toes cramp, sending sharp pain up her calves. She peeled her face from the cold rock. Three feet above slightly to the right was a ledge. If she could reach it, she could rest for a minute.

The strain was wearing on her. If she didn’t rest soon she’d fall. She found a handhold on the right and methodically pulled herself upwards. Torturously she made her way to the ledge. Fingers gripped the ledge and she pushed herself up with the last of the power in her legs.

Gasping she collapsed against the rock wall and curled up on the ledge. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Cramps ran up her legs and arms, waves of pain spiking in from her fingers and toes. Taking deep breaths she waited for her heartbeat to slow down. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and sat up.

The grassy plains she had crossed were green and peaceful under the afternoon sun. She was at one end of a ledge extending about twenty feet. It was narrow but wide enough to eat and rest on. Taking food from the pack she settled back against the rock face. No one could get her up here. She closed her eyes and let peace overwhelm her. The only sounds were the wind and the faint screech of an eagle.

Pain, exploded through her in a white-hot rictus of agony. Where was it coming from? Her mind burned from the onslaught. Her hands reached for the Heartstone. The pain receded long enough for her to focus. It didn’t feel like an attack. She closed her eyes and tried to analyze the feeling. Agony swept over her. She gritted her teeth. She probed deeper: despair, fear and a bitter sense of guilt and shame. Through the maelstrom she recognized a splintered sense of honor and a warning. It was Jarod.

Then there was only silence. He had called to her, and he was in trouble. Desperate she tried to touch his mind again, but there was no answer. She had to find him. The sun had lowered in the sky while she searched and the long shadows of early afternoon were stretching over the cliff.

He was alive. Laughter burst from her and the salt of tears ran into her open mouth. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. At least, he was alive. She wanted to leap off the mountain and rush to his side. But she couldn’t. The sooner she put the Heartstone in the Web the sooner she could find Jarod. She took a deep breath and tried to stop shaking. Knowing Jarod still lived gave her hope. If they survived, they’d be together.

She repacked and carefully rose. The height made her dizzy for a moment; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Cautiously she stepped along the ridge, scanning for access to the top. She had gone only a few steps when she saw the fissure. It was barely a cavity in the unbroken gold tooth of the cliff. The crevice started about fifteen feet above her. Stone crumbled from its mouth onto the ledge ending raggedly just beyond the rocks.

Ariana studied the situation. Gingerly she climbed onto the pile of rubble and started up to the cave. She started out slowly but soon abandoned that strategy. The pebbles and dirt were unsteady and slippery under her feet. She kept a steady momentum going, never keeping her weight in one place long enough to slide with the rocks scattering under her boots. She hoped get to the cave before the whole mountain crashed down on her. Finally, in a shower of crumbling rocks and pebbles she reached the mouth of the cave.

It was taller than it had looked from below, twice her height but barely wider than she was. Pebbles littered the entrance and larger stones almost obscured the opening. Spongy green moss covered the rocks. A trickle of water on the floor gave a clue about the cave’s origin. Ariana climbed over the boulders and slipped into the cave. Once inside the light dimmed to nothing except a tiny sliver from the outside. The trickle of water magnified. Small stones pebbled the cave floor and the walls were slick with water.

Ariana went forward, away from the entrance, her hands outstretched along the rough walls. It was pitch black. Small red spots danced in front of Ariana. She felt the walls closing in on her. Her ears roared and her eyes searched for light. Her heart raced. She heard rasping breaths. Grabbing the Heartstone and closed her eyes she conjured light. Welcome light warmed her eyelids as the Heartstone glowed.