Instead, she turned to Torrell. “Will you be going away for Solsticetide?”
Torrell flinched, as if she had been drifting off to sleep, then nodded. “We always stay in the city for Solsticetide. My sister would never allow us to leave; we would miss all the fun activities.”
The carriage clattered down the cobbled streets, the din of their passage nearly covering their laughter. Jahrra felt herself turning giddy, for it was nearly the Solstice, only a month or so away, and nearly her birthday. She would be eighteen years old, a grown woman. She could hardly believe it. She didn’t feel like an adult at the moment, laughing and acting childish with Torrell, but then again some days she felt more grown up than anyone else in the world.
The sun disappeared over the bay as Jahrra waved goodbye to her friend from the front of her home. She glanced up at the sky, its inky blue color growing deeper, and acknowledged the few stars that had already come out. The box she had hidden in her pack suddenly felt heavy in her hands and when she was sure Jaax wasn’t about to burst out of the door, demanding why she was standing about in the cold, she pulled it out and opened the lid to admire the spirit stone once again. It was harder to see in the dark but the firelight coming from the tall windows behind her leant her some assistance. She couldn’t seem to stop staring at it, the blue-green gem with the deep red speck lodged within and just off center. The etched metal caught the light and cast it back at her, highlighting the detailed craftsmanship.
Jahrra grinned broadly. Jaax would love the ring, he had to for she didn’t know how she would feel if he didn’t. Severe disappointment, she imagined. Before she could worry any more about how her guardian would receive this gift, the small door swung open and a great shard of light interrupted her.
“Jahrra! What on Ethoes are you doing standing out here in the dark?”
Quickly, Jahrra snapped the lid of the box shut and hurriedly shoved it back into her bag as Neira stepped forward, wrapped in a shawl. She glimpsed her bandaged finger in her haste to hide the ring, something she had managed to forget about between the shock of finding a Mystic and seeing the spirit stone completed, and quickly shoved it in her coat pocket before Neira could see it.
“Just watching the stars come out,” she answered.
The young woman eyed her suspiciously but didn’t inquire any further.
“Well, your supper is getting cold,” she sniffed, “and Master Jaax has been called off to another meeting.”
Jahrra sighed with relief. At least he wasn’t home to eye her square-shaped bag with suspicion.
She half expected Neira to go off on a tirade about Jaax working too hard and neglecting his ward but she only busied herself with chasing Jahrra inside where it was warm. The maid allowed her to go upstairs and change into something more comfortable before coming down for dinner. While in her room, Jahrra found a nice dark corner in her closet to hide Jaax’s Solsticetide gift, along with the others she had purchased.
“There,” she whispered, tucking it away beneath a pile of spare blankets, “now let’s hope I don’t forget about it.”
Feeling smugly pleased with herself, Jahrra joined Neira downstairs and the two of them ate in the great room before a roaring fire. She knew she needed to study for her upcoming exams, but she had a few more weeks and all of tomorrow to do so. Today’s journey through Lidien had worn her out, both physically and mentally. She needed a break.
As she climbed the stairs, waving a lazy good night to Neira, Jahrra turned over in her mind the events of that day. Taking part in the creation of the spirit stone had been a fascinating experience, as well as a curious one. Not for the first time that day she wondered what Jaax might have done for the shop owners to impel them to give her such a discount. Was the scar on the neck of the jeweler’s daughter a clue? Had Jaax rescued her from a fire? Jahrra imagined that fire would have little effect on a dragon so he would be the perfect creature to pull someone from a deadly inferno.
But that was not the most nagging thought in her mind as she pulled on her night clothes. Jahrra was most curious about the other Mystic she and Torrell had stumbled upon. She had managed to push the unpleasant experience from her mind for the remainder of her shopping venture with Torrell, but now that her mind had a chance to be still, it demanded answers.
Jahrra never could shake off the desire to know the answer to a good mystery when it presented itself, and this time was no different. In fact, it almost seemed worse. The encounter with the Mystic now drew her thoughts towards Denaeh and not for the first time since arriving in Lidien, she wondered what had become of her old friend after she and Jaax left Oescienne.
Most likely, the strange woman was still settled in the Belloughs, tending her odd garden and watching Milihn plant his seeds and seedlings. Jahrra grinned at the memory, her face reflecting back at her in the glass of her window. She wanted to believe the picture her mind now presented her: that Denaeh had gone on with her life within the relative safety of the Black Swamp, but something told Jahrra that just wasn’t so.
Maybe it was her knowing the Mystic so well, or knowing the nature of Denaeh’s actions so well. She was probably more involved in the great scheme of things than Jahrra had previously thought. This realization hit her like a sudden drop from a high place. Could Denaeh be taking on a greater role in all of this than Jahrra had previously thought? Could that be the reason for the other Mystic’s fear?
Shivering from a sudden chill, Jahrra wrapped her arms more tightly about herself and moved away from her window. The fire had died down to glowing embers so she grabbed a few pieces of firewood and added them to the coals. Once the hearth was glowing with a healthy fire again, Jahrra crawled up into her bed and tried to rest her mind.
If Denaeh planned on involving herself further with the human child sent by Ethoes then Jahrra could only look forward to seeing her again. But, she thought as she finally started drifting towards sleep, and after thoroughly considering her encounter today, does that bode good or ill will towards me and Jaax?
-Chapter Sixteen-
A Gift from the Heart
The weeks following the trip into the more remote corners of Lidien eked by slowly. Jahrra wondered about this, for usually the days leading up to the Solstice moved by quickly, especially since she was so busy studying for exams and getting ready for the holiday.
In the end, she decided the sudden sluggishness of time must be attributed to her strange encounter with the Mystic on the day she and Torrell went shopping. In fact, the oddness and mystery of it all often distracted her from everyday activities. More than once Neira or Jaax had to remind her that her dinner was getting cold, or Senton had to prod her in the ribs during their history course if the professor seemed to be asking them a question.
Despite much sighing and wracking of her brain, she couldn’t come up with any answers or theories to her questions. She couldn’t figure out why the Mystic was tucked away in a hidden corner of Lidien, why she had denied that she was, indeed, a Mystic, or why she had reacted so violently to the mention of Denaeh’s name. Eventually, however, the gnawing curiosity that always seemed to get the better of Jahrra tapered off and she became distracted with the activities of her everyday life once again.