Stone Seal

ii. Sealed

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They were here. Ephira ducked her head and grabbed the hem of her shirt, taking in a shallow breath. She knew that if she moved at all, she would be caught. So she flattened herself against the cave wall, kept her breathing as quiet as possible, and prayed.

“Where is she?” said a hushed voice. The sound of a person drawing out a sword reached to Ephira’s ears with a whish. She felt herself gulp in a huge volume of air and exhaled, her heartbeat picking up its pace. Her palms felt moist for the hundredth time in the day. She turned her head to the side so that her cheek pressed against the bumpy surface of the cave wall and let go of her shirt hem, clutching the pouch in her hand. This was all she had. She couldn’t—she mustn’t—lose it.

Beyond the rim of rock she hid behind, the silhouettes of two burly men moved. Ephira ducked her head behind one rock, the usual hysteria leaving her body. She couldn’t lose her mind now. If she did…she would lose her life as well as her sanity.

“Aye, she’s a tricky devil,” another voice answered. “She could be anywhere.” The sound of a torch lighting brought Ephira’s attention to the couple again and she sank down to her knees even though she was standing behind a rock that could hide her even if she was two feet taller.

“I don’t understand why the chief wants her so much. Little girls don’t know enough to do anything dangerous.”

The shuffling of the men’s feet scattered some rocks in Ephira’s direction and she winced, bending down even lower. “You don’t understand, Aldwyn. Little girls who know nothing can be a greater harm to society than an experienced old widow like Mistress Devona by the river.”

There was a pause, and then Aldwyn said, “You’re right…my own little girl could destroy Albourne within minutes if she had those powers.”

Ephira held her breath and slid along the length of the cave wall, following the little ray of light leaking in from a crack. When she was right in front of it, she took another deep breath and poked at the hole gingerly. It had to be there. It was there the last time she had been here…

“She’s the threat in your family.” The other man chuckled. “But this girl we have here isn’t as foolish as we thought. How did she disappear so quickly? A day could not have passed when she disappeared after the news about her impending capture spread through the village.”

“Girls can think, Bryon.”

Ephira saw a flash of the blue light she had seen before and without knowing it, let out a little sigh. It was still here. That had to be a good sign. She pressed the source of the seal, ignoring the shock it sent through her body until it became unbearable. She pulled her finger away and waited.

The men had moved along in their conversation while Ephira had been distracted onto a different subject. Ephira kept her eyes on the widening crack above the blue light, ears straining as she tried her best to catch every single word the men said.

“She can’t be in here. We’ve looked everywhere,” said Aldwyn as Ephira heard a small clack of something hitting the ground barely a foot away from her. She flinched and scooted further away from it. A curse came, and the figure of one man bending over to pick up whatever had been dropped stood out in the dim lighting provided by a torch. Ephira shivered. He was too close.

“No matter, Aldwyn,” said Bryon, “She’s small. She can hide in places we don’t look over.”

Ephira held her breath as she watched the hole grow larger. As she prayed for it to do so faster, she clenched her hands over her knees and closed her eyes.