She answered with a nod.
“I always wondered… why Stone Clan couldn’t have rescued Wendelle from Vindrake? Did we not try?”
“When Wendelle disappeared, we had no idea what had happened to her. She went out to tend the garden and never returned. Your father launched a rescue party the moment we suspected Vindrake had taken her.”
“But we failed?”
“No, we didn’t fail. We called off the attempt.” She hesitated, checking behind her for eavesdroppers. “This is not common knowledge, for we don’t wish to instill fear in our citizens… Vindrake sent a messenger to inform us of the evil work of his shamans. He placed a killing ward on her… a curse. If she left the caverns, she would die.” Her lips blanched together in a grim line.
“And you believed him? But what if it wasn’t true?”
“We didn’t know for certain, but we couldn’t risk it. And now, I believe his warning was accurate. You see, Wendelle was gifted in gresses; she could open locks. Even if Vindrake’s lair were warded against transporting, she should have eventually been able to find a way to escape.”
“But she did escape, didn’t she? She must have escaped if she transported to you.”
“Yes, she transported to me a year after she was taken.” Her voice was bitter. “Only to die a few breaths later in my arms. There was blood coming from her mouth, but not a mark on her body. Laethan and Nordamen both felt it was a result of a the curse.”
“I don’t understand. Surely our shamans are as gifted as Vindrake’s. Why can we not place a killing ward on Vindrake? We should make him pay for his actions.” He slammed his fist into his palm.
“Bite your tongue, Kaevin. You know not what you’re asking.” She whispered her words in a hoarse rasp. “To place such an evil curse, one must align themselves with demons, and innocent blood must be shed.”
He felt the blood drain from his face and swallowed hard. “I didn’t realize.”
“Of course you didn’t. You’re young and brave and full of valor. Before you take your place as Stone Clan leader, you’ll have many opportunities to learn the dangers and pitfalls of making your end goal the most important factor in your decisions. The temptation to battle evil with evil means is a constant enticement. But the moment we do that… the moment we turn our backs on God’s commands, we may win the battle, but we have lost the war.”
“Never fear, Raelene. I’m not so rash that I would ignore all I’ve learned from my father and the council. I would never betray my faith.”
Raelene smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “I believe you, Kaevin. You’ll be a fine leader when the time comes. But we’re not here to discuss your future; we were speaking of the wander-jewel you saw. It’s worrisome that the girl possesses such a powerful stone.”
“Are you not glad she has a red-centered stone? She’ll be strong once we train her. Or rather, once you train her.”
“Yes, if we locate her before Vindrake, we’ll be thankful for the strength of her jewel.” She chewed on a fingernail. “However, there is another problem. The more potent the stone, the harder it is to control. She’ll be prone to continue haphazard transports without even trying. It’s imperative I work with her in person; I couldn’t possibly explain to you how to teach her to manipulate such a powerful jewel.”
“But, what do I tell her if I see her again?”
Raelene grasped both his arms. “You must tell her it’s extremely important she remains calm—she mustn’t be overly excited.”
“If she gets upset, her wander-jewel will spark?” asked Kaevin.
“No, it’s not that simple. But accidents tend to happen as a young bearer’s emotions start to rise or as they fall off.”
“So my responsibility is to explain to her about her power in a calm and soothing way?” How would he accomplish such a task?
“I realize that sounds daunting. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with her by yourself for very long.”
“You’re assuming Kaevin will be the one to find her.” Darielle interrupted. “She might not transport Kaevin to her again. When we send out scouting parties with her image, she’ll likely be found by someone else, so we need to warn everyone about the danger.”
“And we must find her before Vindrake discovers her existence. Otherwise, even our scouting parties will be in danger.”
“Then we should expedite our work on that drawing,” said Darielle.
Kaevin was prepared to give a description of the girl. He remembered her clearly in his mind. During the night, he’d even sensed her presence. He couldn’t see her, but he could almost hear her talking to him. He was definitely obsessed with the girl, a fact for which Jireo had teased him interminably. So now he kept his thoughts to himself.
Darielle had a parchment and sheepskin-wrapped graphite to draw the image. “If you will allow me, I can look in your mind and link to her. I can trace to her location and see her for myself. I won’t be able to communicate or ascertain her location, but I will have a clear view of her face.”
“What will it feel like if you do it? And what else will you be able to see in there?”
She laughed. “I promise to use great discretion. I can’t read your thoughts, anyway. I can only follow l