Stones of Incienda Ch. 01 Pt. 06

A/N: Lol, I honestly didn't think the last part of this story was a cliff hanger since well, the ball ended after that lol, but to each their own and that's fine.

Special thanks to Taco and the two anon readers who commented on the last part. One anon was concerned I've given up on this series. No worries I will continue to work on it until it's done. Remember I'll give ya'll a shout out here if you leave a comment for this part.

Huge thanks to my editor, Todger. He's great at what he does. No more beating around the bush, here's the next part.

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It was way past midnight when Noirin dreamt. She was walking in a foggy area and could barely see in front of her. What was going on? Where was she? It was then she saw something or someone and it was coming closer. Noirin couldn't see who it was at all for the person was covered in a cloak.

"Hello Noirin." The figure said.

The voice startled Noirin and it took her a second to realize the voice came from the figure in front of her. It was distinctively female too.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" she asked.

"I am here to help you. I have a clue for you to get you and the others started. Listen carefully now."

Noirin wasn't sure if this person was lying or not.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

Noirin did not see it, but the figure smiled.

"Then the clue I tell you will just lead to nowhere."

Noirin thought about this and decided to at least listen to the clue first. Another question popped in her head.

"What if I forget all of this?"

"You won't. But I recommend writing this down as soon as you wake up though. Here's your clue. Whether you chose to follow it is up to you.

'In the library of Isladam, count the number of years from the Ancient Prophecy to find the category, plus the number of the tarot card representing the Chosen of Jasper to find the ancient scroll. This category is hidden from eyes and can only be found by the History of Mulada's first king. The ancient scroll will lead you to your next clue.'

Best of luck to all of you." The lady said before vanishing.

Noirin didn't say a word as a light shone through and everything else vanished.

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Noirin woke up instantly and saw sunlight coming through the windows. It was morning all ready? Remembering her dream, she jumped out of bed, but tripped out of it. She forgot that their beds were low to the ground. The noise woke up her mother, who was in the next room. Lady Ingrid looked through the open doorway and saw her daughter get off the floor and rush to a nearby chair and table before writing something down. Getting out of bed herself, she walked into her daughter's room.

Never one to prod, she simply said, "Good morning Noirin."

"Good morning mother. Sorry I am trying to write down this dream I had. Someone appeared in it and gave me a clue to help with the quest."

"Oh really? And how did you know she was being honest?"

"I am not sure. If this clue is rubbish, we'll find out right away. I am going to need your help with this clue too. There! I finished it. Can you read the clue please? There's a part talking about tarot cards." Noirin said before handing her mother what she wrote.

Lady Ingrid nodded and read it. Her eyebrows rose up at the clue.

"I can tell you what the number of the Chosen of Jasper is. The answer is found in my last reading. I always write down my readings and I brought that reading with me. I'll go get it." She said before going back to her room.

Soon she returned with a manuscript and opened up to her latest reading. Noirin got up and looked at the drawing of the spread. It was very big and took up both pages.

"Look at the center dear. The Jasper holder is represented by the card 'Strength'." Lady Ingrid pointed.

Noirin looked and saw that the number was 11. Well that part was easy, but what about the rest? She thought about it and decided to discuss it with the other girls and their guardians. She remembered that Puran's royal family had yet to decide on a guardian. She hoped they found one soon. The sooner they could get started, the better.

"Mother, can I write down the cards and whom or what they represent?" Noirin asked.

"On the next page I wrote down all the cards and their meaning. You can copy that," Lady Ingrid said.

Suddenly they heard a knock at the door and a servant appeared.

"Good morning ladies. Breakfast will be served soon. I'll be outside the door. Let me know when you're ready." The young lady said before leaving them.

"I'll write it down Noirin. You get dressed," Lady Ingrid said.

Noirin nodded and did as her mother instructed.

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When the two arrived to a dining room, they found some of the other girls there with other people, including a few of the princes and several of their family members.

"Good morning." Noirin said shyly as she sat down.

She was back to wearing her normal clothes, which was a relief. Noirin's hair was pulled back into a chignon behind her neck. She had her reading spectacles in a pocket of her lavender long sleeved, button blouse. She had a buttoned up long plaid skirt that was violet with green and yellow lines on it. It was light material so she wouldn't get hot. It felt good to be back in her normal clothing. Several others were feeling the same way.

Noirin ended up sitting next to Skylar, who actually missed dressing up. Her red hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and she had on a yellow top where the neckline extended off the shoulders and short cap sleeves parted at the top. Around her waist was light cloth that was tied up. She didn't need to wear it now but it was a habit of hers because she normally put several of her work tools in it. Along with her top, she wore a short brown skirt with matching shorts underneath it. Her regular clothes might not be as fine as those she wore last night, but they were clean. Skylar was eating what was considered a traditional Mulada breakfast, flat bread with cheese and a common melon fruit called pusali.

The others who were there were Belinha, her two brothers Marco and Pedro, her sister Maria, Eneas, Mariko, Reika, Jiang, and his sister Mao.

Belinha's family wore simple garbs that were common in Histadel. While their clothing covered important parts they were still short. This was to prevent their clothing from getting caught in the trees. Belinha wore a simple peach dress that came to her calves but had slits on the side to walk easily. The top part of it wrapped around her shoulders to keep the gown up. Her blonde hair was loose with a simple flower in her hair. Eneas wore similar male attire to that of Belinha's brothers only they were of finer quality and sturdier. At the moment he wore a yellow short sleeve top with light brown trousers.

Mariko and the other Vinsumi folk wore regular attire too. Mariko wore a light blue, long sleeve top with a high collar, and the top went down to her hips. The ends of the sleeves were wide. Underneath the top she wore white pants made of semi-silky material. Reika and Mao wore similar clothing. Jiang wore a short sleeve silver-blue top with a high collar, but had a royal blue short silk robe over that was made out the same material as Mariko's shirt. Like her top, his sleeves were wide too and he had a dark blue, three-inch belt wrapped around his waist. His pants were black. There was a bo and katana around his chair.

"So where are the other girls?" Lady Ingrid asked to no one in particular.

"Koralia told me that she wanted to see her family this morning and she would eat with them. A missive was sent last night to tell them what happened, but she wanted to check on them herself." Skylar answered.

"How do you know this?" Mariko asked.

"She and I shared a room. I came on my own so I have no one to notify. Not here at least."

"Do you have family at home?" Reika asked.

"No biological family. I do need to notify my boss what happened though. He's the closest to family I have."

"You live in Puran right? I am sure messages will be sent to all our kith and kin about what's happened and why we're not returning home right away." Mariko assured her.

"I hope so. Everything feels so surreal right now though. I still can't believe all that has happened. The only reason why I know this situation is real is because of this." Skylar said, pulling out the Citrine fragment from her pocket.

The other chosen girls present brought out their fragments too and placed them on the table. It was still hard to believe that such small things could hold so much power. The girls though could feel the power of them as well as the connection to each other. It was a very unsettling feeling for all of them. Belinha barely said a word since waking up, which really concerned her siblings because she was normally very loquacious. A letter was to be sent to the rest of their family in Histadel, but would only include the bare facts. Their parents had traveled with them but at the moment were looking at their own stand and packing up their things from the place they had lived during their stay here. The rest of their family was back at home. Belinha's parents were beside themselves with worry after the ball and didn't want Belinha to go. No surprise since she was the youngest. Belinha had never seen her mother cry so much and even her father was sad. It really worried Belinha and she kept asking herself why the Carnelian picked her. At the time when she accepted the fragment, she felt so certain. Now she wasn't sure at all now that it was morning. Not finishing her meal, she instantly got up, grabbed the fragment, and started leaving.

"Belinha, you okay?" asked Maria.

"I'll be fine." Belinha said, trying to keep it together.

"You don't sound fine." Pedro remarked.

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself." She replied before running away.

Her siblings were at a loss for words.

"I'll go find her. It is easy to get lost here." Eneas said before getting up and following.

Wanting to change the subject, Reika asked, "Do you know where the other girls or the other royals are?"

"No, but we can find out." Jiang said before ringing for a servant.

When a servant boy appeared Jiang inquired about the whereabouts of the other chosen girls and the royal families.

"King Kamir and his family are walking about the city looking at the damage along with the Captain of the guard. The Chosen of the Jasper is with them. I think the other royal families are inspecting their kingdoms' vendors and areas of the Festival also. I believe the Chosen of the Sapphire is trying to get her siblings assembled for breakfast. They should be here soon." The servant said.

Sure enough after he said those words a door opened up and in came Vera with three very loud young men from ages 10 to 15 years. Vera had a frown on her face, but when she turned around to the three behind them and gave them "The Look", which was a very intense glare, all three quieted down instantly. She rarely used it on them, but when she did, it was always effective. The others were very impressed.

"Sorry if I am late." She simply said before sitting down.

Her brothers followed suit.

"Sister, can we talk again?" asked her youngest brother, 10 year-old Fredrick, or Fred for short.

Vera nodded and the conversation started again. Several of the others smiled in sympathy, knowing what she was going through. As they all ate breakfast, Noirin was trying to decide when to tell the others about her dream. She made her decision after finishing her meal.

"Um . . . I have something I need to share with you ladies." She said.

Everyone else had finished eating and would have left, but now they were all looking at Noirin. It felt unnerving to have all eyes on her, but she took a deep breath and explained the dream. It wasn't as hard to do as she thought. After finishing it, she brought out the papers with the tarot card meanings on it.

"According to the spread my mother did, Inaya represents the major arcana card, 'Strength'. Its number is 11."

"And you're sure this person can be trusted?" asked Jiang.

"I know we barely know each other and it's okay if you don't believe me, but the more I think about, the more my instincts feel I should trust her. I felt some kind of connection to her and it feels similar to how I feel about Inaya, Vera, and the others. I just can't explain it."

"Normally I don't trust anyone right away, but I don't know how to explain our connection. It's really scary," admitted Skylar.

"It wouldn't hurt to follow this lead to see if it's real. It sounds like this scroll is in the library in town. So I think for now we should trust . . . um, I am sorry dear, but what's your name again?" Mariko asked Noirin.

"My name is Noirin Fitzpatrick. It might be best if we all introduce ourselves since we're going to be traveling together."

"Agreed. My name is Mariko Yamaguchi. This is my friend Reika Nagasu."

"My name is Prince Jiang Liao. You may call me by my given name. This is my sister, Mao." Jiang said after standing up and bowing.

"Our sister is Belinha Basurto. I am Maria and these two are my brothers, Pedro and Marco. I just want to add, I wish we could go with our sister, but if we can't, we can at least help her get ready for the journey." Maria replied.

Her brothers nodded their head in agreement.

"My name is Skylar Andrews."

"And I am Vera Dahl. These three here are my younger brothers, Fred, Iain, and Hans."

The three brothers waved before going back into their own discussion.

"Oh, this is my mother Lady Ingrid Fitzpatrick," Noirin added.

Lady Ingrid nodded and smiled. There was so much riding here and these young people would be carrying the fate of the world on their shoulders. She would do the best of her own abilities to help her daughter and the others, but she was terrified. She loved all her children, but Noirin held a special place in her heart. There was always something extra special about her and she wondered how she would make her mark on the world. Maybe this is what was needed to happen to help her daughter find her place? She hadn't found it in Sasuren. Her mother-in-law, Dowager Duchess Eileen Fitzpatrick, had been on her case in recent years to get Noirin 'out' more often and now Connor's older brother, the Duke of McDermott, Seamus Fitzpatrick, added more pressure. Noirin was considered a 'black sheep' of the family due to her not doing her 'duties' as her other siblings and cousins did. The sad thing was Noirin was very much aware of the situation and didn't want to be a disappointment to her family. Now that this situation had arisen, the last thing on Ingrid's mind was Noirin 'getting out'.

"So what do we do now?" Skylar asked.

"Well, I really want to figure out the rest of this clue. Would anyone like to join me?" Noirin asked.

"I will. Reika, maybe you can check up on the other dancers and tell them what has happened." Mariko suggested, referring to their dancing troupe.

She also wanted to get to know Noirin better.

"I want to find the Puran royal family to see if they've found someone to be my protector yet."

"I'll come with you Miss Skylar. I need to find my family to see how they're doing also. You coming with us Mao?" Jiang asked his sister.

"Yes I am." Mao said.

"I don't know what I am going to do. I am not very good at solving riddles and I don't have desire to converse with anyone at the moment. Boys, is there anything you want to do at the moment?" Vera asked her brothers.

"Why not we start to pack up?" suggest Iain, who was 13 years old.

"Well, that's something at least. I need to figure out who's going to watch you while I am on this journey and who's taking you home."

"Why not ask Britta for help?" Hans suggested.

Vera thought about that and nodded.

"Sure, but not right now since she's busy. So for now we start packing up. We need to see if the place we were staying at is still standing anyway. I'll admit I was shocked when I found all our things in our room this morning. The Muladi folk are very hospitable and hard working. I'll expect nothing less from this place now." Vera replied.

"Same here," agreed Skylar.

"What are you going to do mother?" Noirin asked.

"I am going to return to our room and start packing myself. If you need my help, I'll be there," Lady Ingrid said.

"Well, my brothers and I are going to find our parents to see if they need assistance. But I wish I knew where Belinha was so I could tell her this. I hope Prince Eneas has found her by now." Maria said.

"You can always have a servant notify either of them if they return to this room," Jiang suggested.

"That'll do. Thank you your highness," Marco replied.

"You're welcome sir."

With that said, everyone left the room to go about their businesses. Maria and her brothers made sure that the servants knew to notify either Eneas or Belinha of their activities. Noirin and Mariko asked a servant if they knew where the Library of Isladam was. She did, but added that it might be hard to find it depending on how extensive was the damage done to the city. Giving them verbal instructions, she wished them luck.

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Meanwhile, Belinha had run off and found herself lost in the palace. She felt pathetic and called herself a dummy over and over.

"Stupid Belinha, just what were you thinking leaving like that?" she mumbled to herself.

Eventually she found herself in one of the palaces' many gardens. This particular one had a pool in it with aquatic flowers in it, mostly lotus. Enchanted, Belinha entered it and looked around. It was amazing that even in a dry land like Mulada, life flourished. And the idea of bad things happening to the planet was very unsettling to her. Life was precious, especially to the Histadelian people. Looking around the garden, it seemed to become more alive to her and she felt herself connecting to the flora. Belinha went into a trance as the Carnelian fragment started to glow in her hand. The plants around her started to grow larger and larger. It was at this time that Eneas walked by and saw Belinha before the bushes started growing at a rapid rate and obstructed his view. The prince was flabbergasted at first but soon snapped out of it.

"Miss Belinha!" he shouted.

The voice penetrated the foliage and Belinha snapped out of her trance. Feeling drained, she dropped to the ground. Eneas tried to get through the tall bushes, but they wouldn't budge. Seeing no choice, Eneas took out a knife that he always carried and tried cutting his way through. He wished he had a machete, but this would have to do. It took him some minutes but he managed to get through. Instantly, he saw Belinha on the ground. He dropped to the ground himself to check her pulse. It was beating and he sighed in relief. She was looking pale though, even with her tanned skin. He wondered what happened exactly and what caused the garden to grow so fast. Answers came later. For now Belinha needed rest. Glancing around, he saw the Carnelian fragment on the ground and put it inside one of his pockets. Taking Belinha into his arms, Eneas picked her up and managed to go through the way he had entered. He returned to the dining room first. When he returned though, he found the place empty. A servant appeared to let him know what happened.

"Good. Get word to Belinha's family that she collapsed and is resting in the room she stayed in last night. Make sure though that they know she'll be all right and I'll be watching over her until they get back." Eneas told the servant.

"At once your highness." The servant girl said and left.

Eneas took Belinha back to her quarters and making good on his word, he sat down next to her as she slept on her bed.

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During this time, Koralia was sitting with her family eating breakfast with them. Her family consisted of her single uncle, her older sister, and two younger brothers. Her parents died some years ago. Her mother got ill several years ago and was never able to recover. When Koralia was a kid her father was killed when a tsunami hit. Her mother had been pregnant with her youngest brother at the time and the family moved in with their mother's oldest brother. At the time, her Uncle Troy had recently lost his own wife and never had kids so he became a surrogate father to them. Her uncle had his own craft store that made different things out of seashells and her siblings helped him out. Normally meals were a time to talk and take it easy. However having explained the whole situation to her family, there was no conversation and everyone at the table was tense. Finally Koralia broke the silence.