Kaevin paced back and forth in front of his father, his boots clomping on the wood floor. Jireo stood behind him, fidgeting with the handle of his blade.
“I’m telling you, it had to be Wendelle—I saw the jewel.”
“Wendelle is dead. I saw her body; I was at the burial. You only had two years, so you don’t remember. It was probably someone who had a fake jewel. People sometimes wear fake jewels when dressing in costume.” Graely, his father and clan leader, stood with folded arms. “In fact, you’ve never even seen a real wander-jewel.”
Kaevin stopped in midstride, throwing his hands into the air. “It wasn’t fake—it sparked. I saw it spark when it sent me back here. And she wasn’t wearing a costume. In fact, she wasn’t wearing anything.”
“But Kaevin—”
“And how else do you explain the fact I traveled if it wasn’t the wander-jewel? How did I get to that place and back? At first, I only had visions. But Jireo saw it happen; I disappeared and reappeared. I transported. What other explanation is there?” Kaevin worked to keep his temper in check. Why won’t he believe me?
“I saw him disappear,” said Jireo. “He was gone and his blade was lying in the dirt where he’d been standing.”
“It couldn’t have been Wendelle.” Graely’s eyes bored into Kaevin’s as he spoke in slow, even tones. “And we haven’t had a bearer since she died. We would know if there was another bearer, even if she weren’t of age, because the jewel appears at birth. Was this girl an infant?”
“No, she wasn’t a baby. I don’t know how old she was, but she wasn’t a baby. It is possible she was of age; I don’t know.” His face flushed with heat.
“And she was in the water? What color were her eyes?”
“I don’t know. It’s hard to say.”
“I guess you didn’t bother to look at her eyes.” Jireo smirked.
“I looked at her eyes,” Kaevin snapped. “But her eyes weren’t blue or green. The color was something between blue and green—I’ve never seen anything like it. Perhaps it was simply a reflection of the water, but I can’t be certain.”
Graely skewered Jireo with his gaze. “You are certain Kaevin traveled? He actually disappeared and reappeared?”
Jireo nodded mutely, and Graely turned to grip Kaevin’s shoulders. “Truly, you saw the jewel spark?”
“Yes, Father. There can be no doubt the girl’s wander-jewel moved me to her and back to Laegenshire.”
“Very well. I believe you, but I can’t explain it.” His father’s expression bore something between elation and apprehension.
“It’s a good thing. Right, Father? I’ve discovered a bearer.”
“It remains to be seen whether this is a good thing. It depends on her alliance. You said you didn’t sense any evil, right? And the water was in some kind of stone room? That must be a good sign.”
“Yes, the room was almost entirely made of polished stone, something similar to marble or granite or quartz. Even the water basin was made of some kind of smooth stone.” And she didn’t feel evil; she felt amazing.
“This is good.” Graely took a swallow and set the mug down, rubbing his hands together briskly as he strode back and forth across the room, mumbling under his breath, “Who could she be? Who could she be?”
“She must be from Stone Clan. Right, Father?”
Graely sank back into his chair and spoke in a voice less certain than his words. “Surely she is. She couldn’t be Water Clan. She must be Stone Clan, even if her eyes were not entirely green. She must be Stone Clan.”
*****
“Your Aunt Lena and I were on our twentieth anniversary trip when we met your mother in Yellowstone National Park.” He shifted in his chair, not quite making eye contact with Alora as he sipped his coffee. “And yes, we lied to you all these years, but please wait until you hear the whole story before you get angry.”
Alora felt her heart racing and she braced her hands to steady herself against a wave of vertigo. Everything she’d based her whole life on, her entire mea
ning of self, was a lie. From the corner of her eye she spied an open hand, and she followed up the arm to her uncle’s pleading eyes and trembling chin—although he wasn’t really her uncle, was he? When she didn’t respond, he turned his head away and dropped his hand.
“I’m so sorry, Alora. But we always loved you, and I still do. We just didn’t know what else to do.”
She swallowed hard and nodded.
His voice cracked as he continued the narrative. “We were hiking on a deserted trail, and we’d gone miles without seeing any other hikers. We came to a small pool that had a geyser, probably twenty-five feet tall. I remember... we were sitting on a rock, watching the water shoot into the air and commenting it was like having our own private geyser.” His glazed eyes stared through the fireplace wall, as if seeing the scene unfolding again.