Stones of Incienda Ch. 01 Pt. 06

"I am done Uncle Troy." She said, referring to her meal.

The 50 year-old man looked at Koralia and merely nodded. Just by looking at him Koralia could see he was trying to hold it together. None of them wanted her to go because of the danger, but knowing there was no choice, they tried to keep themselves from getting overemotional. Soon everyone else finished and helped clean up as was tradition. Koralia went to the room she and her sister shared. As a vendor of the festival, the family had gotten several rooms in an inn near the palace. The rooms included two bedrooms and room with a kitchen and table. Because it was close to the palace the inn they were in was undamaged structurally, but it was a bit of a mess with many things falling over though. The important thing was no one was hurt, much to Koralia's relief. Inside the room, Koralia started packing. She didn't need to pack much since someone brought most of her things, but there were just several things she had to get. She grabbed a seashell necklace her mother made for her birthday several years right before she got sick. Thinking about her mother brought tears to her eyes. She had never gotten over her mother's death.

"Oh mama, I wish you were here." She said trying to control herself, but the tears kept coming.

It was at that moment that her older sister, Cassandra, came in. Known as Cassie by the family, her sister looked like their late father with dark brown hair and sea green eyes. The sisters had the same skin tone. Seeing her little sister cry, the 19 year-old pulled Koralia into her arms. This caused the turquoise hair teen to cry even more and she wrapped her arms around her sister. After several minutes Koralia started to hiccup.

"Breathe Kora. Nice deep breaths." Cassie said.

Koralia nodded and did as instructed. Soon she had a grasp on her emotions.

"Thanks sis." She said before moving out of her arms.

"Anytime. I just wish you didn't have to go through all this. We lost our father, then mother, and now this. It's not fair."

"Life never is fair Cassie. And even though I don't want to do this, I feel the need to. I couldn't do anything for mother and father, but maybe in this way I can do something for the rest of you. I don't want the world to end."

Cassandra nodded. Her sister was one of the nicest people she knew, always putting their needs before her own. She was wrong about mother and father though. Even as a child Koralia wanted to help their parents and did more for them than most.

"I'll admit it though, I am happy I won't be alone in this adventure. I was very surprised when Prince Cyrus said he would be my protector."

Cassie smiled and replied, "So how was it meeting his highness? I've seen pictures of him and he's quite the looker."

Koralia blushed from head-to-toe. Her sister was a total romantic and a bit of a flirt when it came to boys. Koralia was the total opposite, but now she wasn't so sure. Guys have never been an issue for her and she remembered once her uncle commenting on it.

"It's bad enough for your sister to hook up with guys. I don't know if I'd be able to handle it if you were the same way." He told her once.

Koralia had laughed at the time and said she just wasn't looking since she was content with life. And she had been until she bumped into Prince Cyrus. Now she wasn't sure anymore.

"He was very nice Cassie. I wish you could meet him."

"We probably will meet him Kora. We plan on escorting you back to the palace after you pack so we might meet him. Come one, let's help you finish packing."

Agreeing, Koralia followed her sister's lead.

Downstairs, Troy and his nephews were cleaning up when a knock came to the door. The youngest, 12 year-old Jason, opened the door. The boy was a mirror image of Koralia, only his hair was a bright green. When he saw who was at the door, he gapped.

"Jason, who is it?" Troy asked.

"Uh, it's the prince Uncle Troy." Jason said, his eyes still on the visitor, who was Cyrus.

Cyrus had gone with his father and brother to check out Anahalian sector of the festival to see the extent of the damage and if anything was left standing. The tents were a loss, many booths were down, but at least there wasn't too much structural damage. Seeing everything was under control, Cyrus wanted to check on Koralia. He originally went to the palace to find out she went to see her family. He managed to find it.

"May I come in?" Cyrus asked politely after making eye contact with Troy.

"Indeed your highness. Jason, let him in."

Jason moved out of the way and allowed the prince in. Cyrus certainly looked out of place, especially when one compared the fine quality of his clothes to that of Troy and his nephews. Cyrus wore a fine forest green tunic that came down to mid-thigh with dark green outlines around the edges. There was a silver and bronze belt around it made out of light metal. He also had bronze and silver buckles holding a silver cape on his shoulders. He wore bronze sandals that laced up his legs and were tied on his calves. Troy and his nephews were in simple white tunics with brown belts made of cloth. They were wearing simple sandals. In Anahaly the wealthy were able to afford colorful clothes. Only Koralia and Cassie had colors in their wardrobe but only a few outfits had colors and the material wasn't fine. Even though Troy made a decent living off his trade, he was more inclined to save the money for more important things and Koralia and her siblings were fine with that, for the most part. As the males continued to stare at each other, an awkward silence lingered between them, until Koralia and Cassie came in.

"Your highness, what are you doing here?" Koralia asked, surprise in her voice.

Cyrus turned to Koralia and managed to say, "I wanted to see how you were this morning."

This made Koralia blush but she replied, "Thank you. Would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you. Um, why don't you introduce me to your family?"

"Okay sure. Um, everyone, this is Prince Cyrus. Your highness, this is my uncle Troy Orkirus, my older sister Cassandra Raptis, and my two younger brothers Nikolas and Jason Raptis."

Her relatives either bowed or curtseyed and Cyrus bowed back.

"It's nice to meet you." Cyrus replied.

"Prince Cyrus, I speak for all of our family when I say we're thankful for you volunteering to protect Koralia." Troy said.

"It's my pleasure. I will do my best to make sure that Koralia makes it back safely. I'll also make sure that all of you get back home safely too. Which island do you live on?"

Anahaly was a huge archipelago with many islands. Some islands were big enough to have more than one town. The biggest island had the capital of Corius.

"We live on the island of Agyan, your highness," replied Troy.

"Good, my father will see to it that you'll have plenty of protection. He does request that Koralia and the rest of you spent lunch with us."

"We would be honored to accept such a request."

As the conversation flowed, Koralia kept silent. She was starting to feel ill and felt her heart beat faster and faster. Something weird was happening too. One minute she was feeling terrified, the next she was feeling determination to get the job done. At the moment she couldn't tell what she was feeling. One thing she knew for sure was she had to get out.

"Um, sorry, but I was wondering if I could clear my head for a minute? I just feel so overwhelmed at the moment." Koralia replied, causing everyone else to look at her.

"It be best if someone escort you. The city is still not fully secured because there has been a lot of damage throughout it." Cyrus replied.

"All right."

"Come on, I'll watch over you."

The prince offered his hand to her. Turning red, Koralia placed her hand in his, who in turn tucked it into the crook of his arm.

"I'll bring her back soon Mr. Orkirus."

"Thank you. Feel better Kora."

"Yes sir, I will try my best." Koralia replied before they leave the building.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During this time, the royal family of Mulada was inspecting the city's damage. With them was much of their guard, which included Inaya and her father, Faris Nagi, who was the Captain of the Guard. Also with them were some of the city builders and healers. Even though the land was spared, there was still significant damage. Most of it was away from the center of the city where the palace was. Worse yet, in the most damaged areas, there was a lot of death. Inaya had seen death before, but never this much. Still, she kept her face stoic the way her father trained her. Her own mother died giving birth to her and since her father loved her mother too much, he never remarried. Unfortunately, he also closed off his heart to his daughter too, but did teach Inaya everything he knew and raised her as a boy, for the most part. When Inaya became a young woman though, her late mother's oldest sister added pressure on her father to get Inaya to act like a lady too. He did so her aunt "would get off his back". This actually hurt Inaya, but she kept it hidden. At the moment she looked nothing like a lady, dressed in more masculine clothing. The trousers she wore were brown and were made of out a stretched cloth that all warriors wore called cergah. The material was still light enough for the hot weather, but tough enough for protection. She wore the same material over her wrists for protection also, which were tan in color. Her orange-red top was a regular short-sleeved top but stopped above her belly button. Over it she wore a tanned sleeveless jacket that was used as a secondary weapon if need be. She wore dark brown boots that could go over any terrain but were best suited for desert travel. She wore her hair back in a high ponytail. Around her waist were her trusty curved knives that were 12 inches in length. The Jasper fragment was tied around in a string around her neck.

People around the city were told of what had happened. If Inaya and Aamir hadn't been going on this journey, they would have stayed up all night like their fathers. Both King Kamir and Faris didn't appear to be famished but those close to them could tell they got no sleep. Aamir didn't show it, but seeing all this destruction shook him to his soul. Like Inaya, he was glad to be back in more regular attire. His lightweight closes were sturdy but still regal. His dark brown pants flared out a bit with a brown belt that tied at the waist. He also wore a tan short sleeve shirt with a red and red-brown vest that didn't tie up. On his upper arm though, he still wore his golden armband and at his side he carried his scimitar. They were still surveying the damage when Aamir heard a cry coming from a building that was partially collapsed.

"Father! I hear someone coming from that building!" Aamir shouted, rushing towards it.

Others were quickly to follow, including Inaya. They had to climb through some rubble to get to an opening. Unfortunately, the opening wasn't that big. One soldier responded to the cry for help.

"Hello, can anyone hear me? This is the Isladam Royal Guard!" he shouted.

"Help us please! My brother and I are stuck down here! Our parents and family were crushed though!" cried a young girl.

The soldier heard a young boy crying too and with little light was able to make out that the kids were a good ten feet down and the going would be tight.

"Hang on, we'll save you!" he replied before looking at Faris and the king.

He told them the situation and the circumstances. Inaya listened and knew right away a man wouldn't be able to get in there.

"Sir, I should be able to get inside and get the children. I am going to need some rope and first aid supplies," she said, speaking to her father.

"Inaya, I don't think this is a good idea. You're one of the chosen and it's too much of a risk." King Kamir said.

"The Jasper fragment wouldn't have chose me if I was a coward. Besides, do we have anyone else here capable maneuvering in tight quarters? Now we're running out of time." Inaya replied.

She had them there. So reluctantly, the king and Faris allowed her to go. Aamir didn't like it either. Inaya got some strong rope tied around her and strapped a first aid kit around her too. Slowly she entered the building. The roped had been tied to a beam outside and soldiers were holding it steady as Inaya made her way down to the children. It was very dusty inside and almost pitched black. One thing Inaya was good at was agility and survival skills. One of her hobbies was also rock climbing by freeform and that skill was coming in handy here. Suddenly the building shook, causing Inaya to lose her footing and she quickly grabbed onto something before she fell. Unfortunately the act caused her to cut her hand on the object, which was rock. Inaya groaned in pain.

"Inaya! Are you all right?" called out her father, showing concern for once.

"I am fine! I am almost to the children!" Inaya replied.

Realizing she was on borrowed time, Inaya moved as quickly as possible.

Upon seeing the children, Inaya used her most soothing voice and said, "Hi there. I am here to get you two out. Does anything hurt?"

Both children were caked in dirt. The little girl looked to be six and had small cuts over her body with a few bruises. The little boy, who looked to be four, only had a bruise on his leg. The girl explained she tried protecting her brother and both were hidden in the closet at the time of the collapse. Both were in shock and obviously traumatized by what happened. Still it was miraculous they both were relatively unharmed physically. After patching up a few of the cuts the little girl suffered, Inaya explained what was going to happen.

"Now I want you two to listen very carefully. I am going to put this rope around you both and I am going to carry you two on my back. I am going to take my jacket and tie it around my chest and I want you to hold onto it very tightly okay? Stay still too. Am I clear?" she asked.

Both of them nodded and soon they were all set. Inaya found herself climbing up as the building started shaking again. This time it didn't stop. Even though the kids didn't move they did start crying and Inaya felt this urgency to pick up the pace. Debris started to fall around them. Seeing they were almost to the top, Inaya climbed up as fast as she could with the kids, but it was very hard and her muscles started to scream in agony. She never moved this fast carrying so much. Suddenly, the Jasper fragment started to glow as her strength increased tenfold. Reaching to the top, she made sure the kids got out first, starting with the boy. Just as she was about to get the girl out, the building started to collapse in earnest. Without thinking, Inaya moved the girl into arms and literally jumped backward through the opening, breaking stone as she did.

Flying through the air, the two fell back and landed in the rumble, Inaya protecting the little girl as best as she could. Red energy was glowing around the two, but died down as soon as they landed. Inaya's strength was gone and she fainted again. What proceeded next was chaos. Soldiers were quick to take care of the girl, who was still crying and Aamir came through to check out Inaya. He was shocked to see she had no injuries, considering she just jumped through rock. The king and Faris were just as surprised.

"What in Incienda's name just happened?" demanded Faris.

"No idea, only the fragment was glowing again. It might have had something to do with that." Aamir observed.

"You might be right son. What just happened was nothing short of a miracle." King Kamir added.

Faris nodded, too shaken for words. The king and prince never saw him act this way.

Suddenly, Inaya woke up. First thing she was Aamir's face.

"The little girl is she . . . .?" she started to ask, hating the weakness in her voice.

"She's safe, thanks to you. How do you feel?" asked Aamir.

"Weak, like all my strength is gone. How pathetic."

"Don't worry about it Inaya." Faris said, trying to comfort her.

Now it was Inaya's turn to look surprise. In all of her years she never heard her father sound like that. Did this mean he actually cared about her? She was starting to feel conflicted about the situation. Faris saw the vulnerability in his daughter's eyes and for once didn't comment on it. It occurred to him than that he didn't know his daughter that well and now with her going on this journey, there was a possibility of never seeing her again. The man mentally shook himself. What was he thinking? Of course he'd see her again. She was a Nagi and her mother's daughter. Both were equally strong. Still, there was that doubt.

"You get some rest to regain your strength. This place is not safe in your condition." he told Inaya in a gruff manner.

Those words caused Inaya to stiffen and she became formal again.

"Yes sir," she said tersely.

Both the king and Aamir looked at each other sadly.

"Father, I'll make sure Inaya gets back home safely, if that's okay with you?" Aamir asked.

"Certainly my son."

Without saying anything else, Aamir picked up Inaya. She didn't say anything at first, but then demanded to be put down.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

Inaya sighed and said, "I don't know. I still feel weak."

Feeling miserable, the Muladi woman allowed the prince to carry her back towards the palace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the same time, Mariko and Noirin were trying to find the library. However, that was easier said than done. For one thing, the library was located near the vendors and that area was swamped with people. Also, with all damage, the two ladies wondered if it was still standing.

"We really could be going on a wild goose chase here." Commented Mariko.

"I hope not. There are some buildings standing. I should have grabbed a map of the city that my mother and I had. Of course, with all this damage, it might not be of use now." Noirin replied.

"You never know. Perhaps we need to ask for directions?"

Noirin nodded and the two proceeded to ask around. However, most people were either really busy or simply didn't know. Then there were the ones who wanted to get to know the two, having heard they were two of the chosen. Noirin wasn't use to such attention and barely spoke. Mariko ended up doing much of the talking, seeing how shy Noirin was. It was something she found a bit odd, since she learned Noirin was of nobility, being of higher class than she. Almost every noble Mariko knew were use to attention. After managing to get away from another small group, Noirin showed some frustration.

"Don't people have better things to do than to pester us with personal questions?" she asked.

"People are merely curious. Don't you find yourself that way at times?"

Noirin thought about that and saw Mariko had a point.

"Yes, I am always thirsty for knowledge." She admitted.

"Well there you have it. Hopefully we can find this library soon. I don't like to complain, but this heat is slowly getting to me, even with this lighter wear."

"Same here. It's probably because we come from cooler climates than here. Let's sit down for a bit before continuing. I do want to find this library as soon as possible, but it won't do us any good if we wear ourselves out."

Mariko agreed and they found themselves sitting under a tent near some animal vendors. As they rested they talked about themselves a bit more. Even though Noirin was a naturally shy person, Mariko's kind nature put her at ease. Despite the extreme circumstances that brought them together, Mariko was glad she met Noirin. Unknown to her though, the aquamarine fragment started to glow in her pocket and she started to hear different voices in her head. At first she thought it was the people around her, but the voices were extremely distracting. So much so, she stopped talking to Noirin and started to look around. Noirin noticed the change in her behavior too but kept silent as she saw the Vinsumi woman look around. Mariko was trying to figure out the source of the voices and stood up. Puzzled, Noirin also stood up and followed Mariko, who started walking away. Soon, Mariko stood in front of a pair of camels, who were the loudest of the bunch. Mariko stood in shock as she realized it was the camels that were talking and she could understand some of their words, along with their animal sounds. At the same time, she could feel a headache coming on too because the camels as well as the other animals talking was jarring. It was at this moment Noirin noticed the light blue glow coming out of Mariko's pocket.