Free Second Stone by Kelly Walker Page A

his voice. When she answered, it was with nothing save compassion. “I know it is hard for you, but your sister is gone. At least for now it is out of your control. But Emariya is still here. You can’t give up on her.”
    “I won’t,” he vowed. “Never.”
    “Good. Because I’ve got an idea, and I need your help.”
    He hadn’t noticed the pack slung over her shoulder. She dropped it to the ground, undid the buckles, and pulled out three candles.
    “I’ll do whatever I can.” He meant it more than any other promise he’d ever made.
    “All right. I was thinking…Riya controlled the fire at the castle, and we know the gift of the Warrens is based on the power of the earth. I thought perhaps if we could help her reach for something to sort of anchor her, maybe she could get free of whatever is holding her asleep and she might be able to get back to us.”
    “Where do I come in?” Torian kept his hope tightly leashed. The chance of this working was slim.
    “You’re what she’s coming back for.” Jessa’s tone was matter-of-fact.
    It didn’t take them long to get the candles set up. One at her head, and one to each side near her elbows. Their soft flickers of light bounced off the tent walls, creating a plethora of shadows dancing around them.
    “Now what?” Torian whispered.
    “I don’t know.” Jessa’s brow furrowed.
    Torian took Emariya’s hand in his again. “I don’t know if you can hear me. If you can, Emariya, I need you to know I love you. Please forgive me. Please come back to me.”
    Behind him, Jessa drew in a sharp breath. Startled, Torian spun to look at her
    “Her eyes, they fluttered! We’re making—Torian, look out!” In his carelessness, when he’d spun to look at Jessa, he’d knocked over the closest candle, spilling hot wax on Emariya’s arm. For a brief moment her hand tightened, gripping his before going limp once again. Only this time, she seemed even further away then before.
    “I’m sorry, Torian. She’s gone…” Jessa said. “But I think she was here, if only briefly.”
    ––––––––
    Garith leaned back against a tree trunk, his arms crossed in front of him. He held his head tilted upward, resting against the rough bark. If Torian couldn’t see that they were all sitting around waiting for him to make a plan—to do something, anything, really—to help Emariya, then he would have to make the decisions himself. They couldn’t afford to just wait here indefinitely.
    He told himself that when Jessa and Torian came out of the tent, it was time for he and Torian to talk, to figure it out. More than time, really. Two days of waiting around, praying for her to wake had nearly driven Garith out of his mind. If he couldn’t help her, then by The Three, he would find someone who could.
    Nearby, Leil sat beside the fire, staring absently into the flames. Rink perched beside him, occasionally shooting daggers at the other man with his eyes. Poor Rink was so fiercely protective of Riya; her inability to waken had him all twisted up in mental knots. With no apparent enemy to fight or direct his fury toward, Leil had become Rink’s favorite target for animosity.
    Garith lifted his head from the tree trunk, looking toward Emariya’s tent. He thought he’d heard Jessa holler out. Could Emariya have woken? Leil and Rink both straightened up and joined him in anxiously gazing toward the tent flap. A long, heavy moment passed before Jessa popped her head out. Beneath her flushed face and glossy eyes, Garith thought he detected a slight tremble, but perhaps she was only shivering from the chill.
    “She didn’t wake, but her eyes fluttered.” Jessa swallowed hard as Rink let out an audible breath.
    Leil remained silent, but even his eyes lifted a bit and he ventured a tiny nod toward Garith.
    “How’d you do it?” Garith asked, hope filling his voice.
    Coming fully out of the tent and settling herself on the ground near Rink, Jessa took her time in