Marked By Destiny, page 2
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” His tone grew somber.
“I know.”
As much as he grated her nerves, Jameson might very well be one of the only people that understood Ira and how trapped she felt here. He just seemed to confuse those feelings of mutual misery with feelings of love, and Ira couldn’t reciprocate them. She loved him, but not like that. Breaking their forehead contact, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck before tucking herself into his body.
“Still friends?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
“Do I have a choice?” she goaded.
“You know you never did.”
Ira laughed. “Then yes. Still friends.”
Stepping back, she quickly snatched the bottle that Jameson limply held onto and took one last hefty swig. Handing the bottle back and offering him one final wave, Ira turned and clumsily walked her way back to her family farm.
In truth, she had no idea how she would get back into her bedroom window, but that wasn’t what she was worried about. All she could focus on was one thought that kept running through her mind.
She hoped the liquor she drank tonight would do its job in keeping her nightmares at bay.
Chapter 2
The alcohol did not do its job. Even as Ira’s calloused hands pounded away at the berries in front of her, she couldn’t stop imagining the flashes of burning buildings and bone-chilling screams that plagued her dreams the previous night. She swore she even caught a hint of the scent of singed flesh when she woke up, but she knew it was her imagination. Her nightmare leaking ever so slightly into her reality. She let out a loud yawn as she grabbed the next batch of strawberries for mashing.
“Sleep that well?” Her mom laughed as she stoked the fire for the stove top. “I told you it’s your name day. You don’t have to help me put all of this together.”
Ira’s mother stepped around the table, narrowly missing the corner of it with her plump hips, and gave Ira a soft squeeze before pecking her on the cheek. With a warm smile, Ira shooed her away as another yawn escaped her. There were many things that Ira was not, and of this list, being an early riser was at the very top.
“It’s just another day.” Ira shrugged.
She lied. Her name day was her favorite. Her parents always did their best to go all out on making it a fun day that just the three of them would share. Ira kept glancing at her father, who was working in the field. She saw him readying their riding carriage this morning, and her heart swelled with hope. She wondered if today would really be the day they finally took a family trip to the coastal market.
“You’re very lost in thought today.” Her mom plunked one of her slender fingers in the jam before poking Ira in the nose. Her ocean eyes danced with amusement. Ira seethed in jealously at how effortlessly beautiful her mother was with those brilliant eyes and sprinkling of freckles across her rosy cheeks.
“Hey!” Ira laughed as she wiped the jam off on her cooking skirt. Her mom always said aprons were a waste.
“Ira!” Her dad swarmed into the kitchen and scooped her into a giant bear hug. He gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek, his coarse stubble tickling her skin. “Happy name day! Nineteen! That’s a big one.” Ira’s father dropped her back on her feet.
Where her mother was all light and pale features, her father was quite the opposite with his deep brown eyes, black hair, and brown skin.
“Is it?” Ira tried to sound nonchalant as her eyes drifted back over to the carriage.
“I had an idea.” Ira’s eyes widened in glee at her father’s words. “Why don’t you run over to the bakery and get a nice fresh loaf of bread for the morning meal. Maybe see if they have any cheese as well.”
Ira tried to hide her disappointment in her deflated features. “Oh, okay.”
Ira watched as her mother’s shoulders tensed. Her back was to them so she couldn’t see the exact face she was making, but she knew her usually full lips were now a tight line, and her brows were furrowed.
“It’s only a couple of houses down,” Ira reassured her mom, rubbing her back.
Ira hated how anxious her mom seemed to get every time she so much as stepped foot outside. She was convinced this was why her family never left the village, not even to wander into the outskirts of the Hidarthe forest, arguably the safest forest in all of the nine kingdoms. The Hidarthe Kingdom was well into the Infermia side of the land, the side filled with light walkers. They had never so much as even heard a battle cry of the war, but her mother still acted as if they were in the heart of battle with shadow stalkers in Escurmia.
Ira’s mother gave her a tight smile and patted her hand. “Well, go on and hurry then, dear. I’ll have the jam ready in no time, and I’m sure your father is starved.”
Ira didn’t even bother to put on her shoes as she strolled over to the bakery. What did it matter? She knew every person in this village by heart. She knew their favorite foods, pet’s names, and greatest life aspirations without question.
Ira watched as Jameson massaged his temples after the little bell chimed loudly throughout the store as she pushed the door open.
“Let me guess.” She hoisted herself on the counter next to Jameson and began swinging her feet. “You finished the bottle without me last night.”
“Do you mind getting your dirty ass off of our clean counter?” Jameson grumbled.
Ira feigned shock at his words, clasping her hand to her chest.
“I am very clean. I bathed and everything today. Washed my hair with that lavender soap I know drives you crazy.” Ira smirked. Jameson hated the smell of lavender and used every opportunity he had to tell her so.
“Tell that to your feet.” Ira looked down at the dry dirt that had now blackened the undersides of her feet and tops of her toes.
“Jameson! That is no way to talk to a lady.” Ira hopped off the counter and swiveled around to see Jameson’s father, Abram. He was a stocky man, which starkly contrasted his son’s long and lean physique. A bushy mustache, currently dusted with flour, adorned his upper lip.
“Happy name day Ira.” Abram pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s a big one.” He clapped her shoulder, and Ira tried not to wince.
She swallowed her groan and plastered a thin smile on her face. She considered whether staying at home the rest of the day would be best to avoid everyone telling her how great turning nineteen was.
“Thank you,” she finally managed to say. She heard Jameson snicker behind her and had to use every ounce of her self control not to glare at him.
“I’ve got a little something for you here.”
Abram wrapped his meaty paw around the top of a wicker basket with a washcloth covering the contents inside. Ira gratefully took the basket and peeked under the cloth to find some fresh bread, a whole block of her favorite cheese, a small bag of almonds, and one large blue bottle. Ira raised her brows and looked back up at Abram. “Don’t let your mom see that bottle.” He gave her a quick wink before heading back to work.
“So, tonight?” Suddenly, Jameson was no longer massaging his temples.
“Oh, we are definitely drinking this tonight. I’ll meet you in the same spot as always.” Ira’s citrine skirt twirled as she spun around and headed out of the bakery and back to her farm.
The sun splashed on her face as she happily strode back to her barn. As her hand turned the handle to the door, she paused for just a moment. She felt an odd tugging at her center, something pulling her, urging her to look over her shoulder. But, when she glanced back, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. A soft breeze rustled the leaves of the trees in the forest just beyond the village, but everything else besides that was still. Shaking her hand, Ira pushed the door open and entered her house.
“Happy name day!”
Ira jolted, nearly spilling the basket’s contents all over the floor. Once the anxiety subsided in her veins, Ira saw a towering cake with a handful of mismatched candles and her parents’ beaming faces from the kitchen. Both of them held a gift wrapped in burlap.
Ira quickly dropped the basket on the nearest table and scooped her parents into a sweeping hug, slinging an arm around each of their necks. When she pulled away, she noticed her mother trying to fix the now crushed bows tied around each present.
“Presents already?” Ira gently placed one hand over her mother’s to keep her from fidgeting any further. She should have known the effort was futile though, as her mom quickly busied herself by straightening the kitchen tablecloth before placing her present down next to the cake.
“Well, this is a big day.” Her mother winked.
All of this talk of it being “a big name day” had Ira confused. In terms of the nineteenth name day being of high importance, this usually referred to birthmarked individuals finding their specialties in their destined fields, which Ira would not be doing today seeing as she had no birthmark and thus no destiny to pursue.
Ira stopped for the first time that day and really looked at her mother’s face. Her lips were pulled taut in an exuberant smile, but it didn’t fully meet her eyes. In fact, something was lingering on her mom’s face that looked almost like sorrow.
“Is everything okay?” Ira leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder, and her mother leaned into the touch with a soft sigh.
“Let’s do your presents, sweetheart.” Ira’s mother gently patted her hand before nudging Ira off her shoulder.
True to her nature, Ira reached for the larger of the two presents first, but her father stopped her.
“How about you open the small one first? Then, you can open the other one later tonight,” he suggested.
Ira’s brows furrowed, but she shrugged off the peculiarity.
“Okay.” She grabbed the smaller box.
Undoing the still slightly smashed bow, she looked back and forth at her parents’ beaming faces.
“You both are actually starting to frighten me.” She laughed.
“For the love of the Sacred Four, will you just open it?” her mother said, exasperated.
Ira slowly removed the burlap wrapping to reveal a sleek and polished wooden box. A small gasp escaped her as she touched the intricate design carved into the top of the box. In awe, she traced the swirling patterns with her fingers.
“Well, there’s something inside the box,” her mother prodded impatiently. She was rocking from one foot to the other with her hands clasped firmly together in front of her chest.
Ira unclasped the golden hook that was keeping the box shut, and slowly pushed the lid upward. Now, Ira’s jaw fully dropped and no sound escaped her mouth. A delicate silver chain lined either side of the velvet that was encasing the box. A locket hung in the center of the chain. The locket was a simple oval shape, but in the center of it was etched the outline of a bird that Ira had never seen before. Its wings spanned across the locket with flame-like feathers extending onto the first five links on either side of the chain.
Ira ran her fingers along the enchanting bird. There was a crescent moon that spanned across the bird’s chest. It had a long swan-like neck that delicately curved. With its head turned to the side you could see the sharp pointed beak that also looked like it had flames coming from around it. Ira looked even more closely at the gorgeously etched design in the locket to see that the bird was clutching a rolled-up scroll in its talons with an arrow piercing through the middle of it. Something about the design seemed familiar to Ira, but she was also certain she had never seen it before.
“This is gorgeous.”
Ira couldn’t pull her eyes from the necklace. There was something so simple yet so intricate about it. She let her fingers join her eyes in memorizing the details of it.
“Let me.” Ira’s father stepped toward her, and Ira quickly swiveled so that her back was to him. She pulled her long auburn curls over her shoulder in one sweeping motion. Her father fumbled with the delicate clasp before finally getting it open. Bringing the pendant around Ira’s neck, he secured the necklace in place.
“You look beautiful.” Ira’s mother cooed, dabbing at the corners of her eyes.
Ira smiled softly as her fingers traced the necklace’s design again. This was easily the nicest thing she owned, and for the life of her, she could not figure out how her parents could afford such a gift. It made her think of something a High Born would own. Everything for a High Born was fancy, from their family crest that was typically encrusted with more jewels than any commoner would know what to do with to their folded dinner napkins, which Ira found to be a complete waste of time, seeing as they would just get rumpled anyway.
“I’m just so happy for all of the time we got to spend with you.” Ira’s mother reached over and squeezed her hand.
Just as Ira opened her mouth to ask what her mother meant by that, there was a firm knock at the door. All three of them turned to face it. When Ira looked at her parents, she saw an identical expression of grief and concern… not surprise.
It only took three strides for Ira’s father to reach the door, and most of his body blocked Ira’s view of who could be standing there.
Finally, her father stood to the side, letting the stranger in. Before Ira stood the most handsome man she had ever seen. For a moment, her knees buckled, and she had to grab a nearby chair to brace herself as he dragged his eyes over her. She suddenly became very aware of her filthy feet and dirtied skirt.
He ran a hand through his shaggy dark blonde hair to push it out of his eyes. He had the slightest bit of scruff on his face, but his icy blue eyes were what captivated Ira the most. It was like looking into the eyes of a wolf. They contrasted his tan skin quite nicely. He had the kind of tan that let you know he spent most of his time outdoors.
“Ira…” Her mother hesitated for only a moment. “This is Kaiden.”
A smile wide enough to show his canines thinned his full lips. After giving her one nod, he finally spoke, and his words rooted Ira where she stood.
“Are you ready to go?”
Chapter 3
The thrumming of arguing voices intertwined with the sickly sweet smells of lavender and almond bread, coiling in Ira’s stomach to form a nauseating pit. Her mind grew fuzzy as the voices grew louder.
“I thought we were leaving tomorrow.”
“It would be better to leave tonight.”
“The horses aren’t ready.”
“At least we should stay until supper.”
Ira focused on her mother wringing her hands; she was sure that if she did it any more aggressively, the skin would peel away and she would start to bleed.
With one heavy blink, Ira looked up at the commotion by their front door and snapped herself back into focus.
“Go where?”
All three heads turned to her as if they suddenly remembered she was there. Kaiden dropped his gaze and took one small step away from Ira’s parents, making it clear he didn’t want any part in this conversation.
“Ira, sweetheart—”
“Go where?” Ira ignored the hurt in her mother’s eyes as she looked past her parents at Kaiden and repeated her question.
His face fell and paled slightly. He pointed one finger to his chest as if to confirm that he was the one Ira was addressing. With an exasperated half-nod, she urged him to answer.
“Er…” Kaiden cleared his throat. “StoneGlass.” His voice sounded like silk. Ira shook away the slight tingling it caused in her.
“StoneGlass?”
His shaggy hair shook in front of his eyes as he nodded firmly. Ira snorted.
“The warrior training village?”
“Correct.”
Ira snorted again.
“This is a joke then?”
“Ira, honey, please listen.” She shot daggers at her father as he stepped toward her. She just wanted one moment to digest.
“I don’t know if you’ve taken a good look, but I don’t have a birthmark, so try again.” Ira dramatically pulled her hair back to flash the bare skin behind her ear.
“Ira.” Ira’s mother’s voice turned stern now, but Ira met that ferocity with some of her own.
“I will not be going to any training villages. So, to answer your initial question, no. I am not ready to go.”
Kaiden didn’t take any steps closer to Ira. He didn’t begin hounding her with convincing arguments of why she needed to come. He simply crossed his arms over his chest and continued to stare at her with those striking eyes, amusement dancing inside them.
“Ira, please, let us explain. This isn’t how this was supposed to happen.”
Ira finally tore her eyes away from Kaiden to look at her mother.
“I wasn’t supposed to be ambushed on my name day by a handsome stranger coming to take me away to a training village that no one has been able to locate for eras?” Ice laced every one of Ira’s words. A fiery frustration filled her gut.
“Handsome?” She heard Kaiden mumble the question under his breath. A flush entered her cheeks as her eyes darted back over to him.
“I didn’t mean… I just…” Ira huffed out a breath as she stumbled over her words. A playful smile curved Kaiden’s lips as he kept his eyes locked on her. She quickly turned her attention back to her parents, wishing the heat in her cheeks would fade.
“What exactly is going on?” She pleaded with her eyes as well as her voice.
“It’s… complicated. There’s a lot to explain.”
“I have time.” Ira’s patience thinned.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have time.” Kaiden peered out the window nearest to him to check the location of the sun. “If we hope to make it anywhere safe before nightfall, we need to go.”
“Well, you should get going then. However, I’m staying right here.”
“Iradessa!” her mother snapped.
Shaking her head, Ira stomped past all three of them and up to her room. She needed time to think. Her door slammed behind her before she even knew what she was doing.
There was a soft knock at the door only moments later. A loud creak broke the silence as her parents pushed her bedroom door open. Ira kept her back to them as she walked to her bed and slumped down.
