The Beginning (30 page)

That smug little . . . ugh!
Jahrra felt the fire flare up in her own eyes.
What is he doing here? How is it he always manages to show up and ruin the day, no matter how remote or unlikely?
she wondered in desperate frustration. There was nowhere, it seemed, for her to escape from Eydeth.

“What are
you
doing here?” It was Gieaun who asked the question everyone was thinking. She had good reason, too. This was the last place Jahrra would think to run into the twins. She knew that Eydeth wasn’t as nervous as he used to be about being around her since Sobledthe Eve, but she didn’t think he was ready to return to his normal routine of harassing her.

“Oh, just surveying this part of Oescienne,” Eydeth drawled, sitting back comfortably in his expensive saddle and waving his hand around like a wilting prince.

Scede narrowed his eyes and looked up at their enemy.

“Surveying this part of Oescienne? What business could you possibly have here? Since when have you cared about the terrain and wilds of Oescienne? Aren’t you afraid you are going to get your clothes dirty?”

Scede’s observation would usually bring about a few laughs, but no one felt particularly humored at the moment.

Eydeth simply looked down his nose at Scede. “
Anyone
hanging around a Nesnan is likely to become filthy. Luckily, that’s not my business here.”

Eydeth didn’t even have the courtesy to nod in Jahrra’s direction, but she didn’t care. The more Eydeth avoided her, the better. But Mahryn hadn’t liked Eydeth’s remark at all. He glanced over at Jahrra, noticed the look of pure hatred on her face, and burst out, “Why is it that you insist on belittling those around you?”

Everyone started, surprised to hear such harsh words from the usually bashful Mahryn.

“If we are so worthless, why do you even make the effort to come all the way out here just to mock us? In fact, I’m a little embarrassed for you. What would your family say? I would think they would be ashamed that one of their own is not off bettering himself by taking etiquette classes or learning eloquent speech.”

Jahrra stared at him with her mouth hanging open in shock. That was the most she’d ever heard Mahryn say at once. She couldn’t help smiling with appreciation as the freckled boy crossed his arms and gave Eydeth a stern look of victory, his cheeks still flushed from his tirade.

Everyone fought the urge to burst out laughing, despite the look on Eydeth’s face. He began to turn pink, but the bright yellow brim of his hat reflecting on his face made him look more orange than anything else. Jahrra wondered if he had even understood what Mahryn had said to him.

“Well, well, don’t we have a lot to say?” the Resai boy answered after some time, his voice low and dangerous. “At least I don’t have trouble fitting in. You can’t even get that worthless Nesnan to like you, can you?”

The poison in his voice stung harshly, and Mahryn turned bright red, the color drowning out his freckles. Scede and Pahrdh had to grab Rhudedth and Jahrra, for they had lunged forward in anger. Jahrra wasn’t thrilled with the fact that Mahryn liked her, but there was absolutely no need for Eydeth to drag it through the mud like that.

The evil boy sneered in triumph and continued on, “The truth is I’m here with my family. While my father is taking care of business in town, I decided to take a ride down the country road. You have no idea how surprised I was to find the small herd of nags tied up in the grove of trees above. You see, my father sent me ahead to scout the area; he just bought several miles of coast between Hassett Town and Soarna Point.” He grinned and continued on in his droning tone, “Father insists that this land is worth the price he paid, but from the looks of it, and from the looks of how much you enjoy it, it must be worth less than the Nesnan’s life, which isn’t saying much.”

Gieaun and Scede looked deterred, and Jahrra looked simply horror struck. She didn’t care that he referred to her as “the Nesnan”, she was used to that. It was his implication that the Eight Coves had just been purchased by the most notorious landlord in southern Oescienne.

“What did you say?” It was the first time she’d said anything aloud since Eydeth’s arrival, but she wasn’t going to keep quiet any longer.

“That you’re worth nothing?” Eydeth sneered, eyeing his mustard-gloved fingernails indifferently.

“No, stupid, about your family acquiring this land?” Jahrra snapped, becoming more irritated by the minute.

“Hmmmff,” Eydeth snorted, returning both hands to the reins of his semequin.

“It’s ours now. We figured that we had best be investing in the coast, in order to be absolutely sure that our merchant ships aren’t attacked by worthless ruffians.”

Gieaun, Scede, Pahrdh, Rhudedth and Mahryn glared at Eydeth, but held their tongues. Jahrra, however, jumped to her feet and marched towards her life-long enemy.

“You can’t do that,” she declared quietly, stone-faced, her clenched fists shaking with rage.

“My family can, and they did, and you and your fan club are going to have to move out of here immediately. You’re trespassing and I have free authority to shoot any trespassers. And believe me I won’t hesitate to do so.”

He glared down at Jahrra, almost daring her to make a move. Jahrra searched his eyes, and it appeared, as she had suspected, that his fear from the night of the Fall Festival had finally faded.

“I’ve seen your archery first hand, Eydeth, and I assure you, my semequin can shoot better than you can,” Jahrra retorted, her eyes flashing.

The laughter that followed drowned out Eydeth’s seething remarks, but Jahrra kept her sight locked on her enemy’s face.
How dare he?! How dare his family! They can’t just go around buying up land wherever they see fit!

Eydeth saw the storm brewing on Jahrra’s face, and his lip curled in a horrible grin.

“I have also told my father about a very nice fishing lake to the south. He has always wanted his own lake for vacationing, lake monster or not, and I think the boardwalk will come in handy when my entire family visits. We might even hunt down and kill that monster. It would make a nice addition to my father’s trophy room.”

Jahrra could no longer contain herself. Hesitating not a second longer, she flew at Eydeth with the speed of a deer. The charge caught everyone off guard, but instead of jumping up at him like everyone expected, she stopped abruptly and waved her hands in front of the white semequin’s face, causing it to rear in agitation. Eydeth tumbled clumsily from his saddle and slammed into the rough pebbles below. He quickly got up, cursing in anger and brushing off as much of the sand as he could.

“There!” Jahrra shouted. “That’ll teach you not to sit so smugly on your high horse!”

Eydeth grabbed the reins of his spooked semequin and managed to scramble back up.

He glared down at Jahrra, eyes burning, and spat, “When I run in the Great Race this fall and win that prize money, I’ll use it to buy that dump you live in and you and that stupid old lizard can live in the Wreing Florenn!”

Jahrra just glared back at him, refusing to let this pompous boy get the better of her.

He then turned and faced everyone, his voice raised but breaking, “I’m warning you all again, this is private property. If you’re caught here again, there’ll be dire consequences!”

Eydeth gave them all one last furious glance and then expertly turned his semequin around and began the steep climb back up the narrow trail.

“Oh, how I despise him!” cried Rhudedth.

“He thinks he owns everything just because his father does,” put in Pahrdh.

“How can anyone be so horrible?”

Jahrra looked over at Rhudedth, who looked to be on the verge of tears.

“It’s a good thing this place is too far away to visit often,” Gieaun added sadly. “I really hope he can’t buy Ossar Lake like he says he can. I thought we had finally turned him away from there.”

“Come on,” Jahrra said blankly, still numb from what had just happened. “Let’s get out of here.”

The six friends slowly made their way up the steep path, trying to think of anything but what had just happened. A cool salty breeze picked up and pushed the loose hair from Jahrra’s sun-burned face. Her jaw was set stubbornly and her forehead was creased in frustration. She had been unsettled by Eydeth’s and Ellysian’s treatment of her after the night she was attacked, but she would do anything to have those uneasy looks back. It was better than being scorned again.

“How did Eydeth possibly make it down here on horseback anyway?” Pahrdh wondered out loud, his sigh disappearing on the wind.

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Jahrra snapped.

She immediately regretted her outburst. It wasn’t Pahrdh’s fault Eydeth had ruined their day. She shook her head to clear it and turned her head to face Pahrdh. His lips were drawn tight, looking both irritated and apologetic at the same time. Jahrra smiled. He had received a lot of sun as well, his reddened face now matching his ruddy hair.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not mad at you, I’m just, just, well, sick and tired of it all.”

“I know,” Pahrdh answered reservedly. “I know.”

Jahrra took a deep breath as she and her friends crested the top of the cliff. She could hear Gieaun and Rhudedth ahead of her laughing about something, but it didn’t lighten her black mood. Instead of forgetting about the whole thing and joining in with her boisterous friends, Jahrra dwelt on Eydeth’s glorious return to his usual self. The awful Resai boy may have fallen back into his habit of humiliating Jahrra and her friends, but she wasn’t about to lay back and take it like she used to. Now it was time to do something about it, something bigger than lying about the Witch of the Wreing, something bigger than the lake monster. Jahrra had something much more important and much more dangerous in mind.

I’m going to enter that stupid Great Race
, she thought to herself.
I can beat Eydeth. Yaraa and Viornen have to be better trainers then the one he’s got. I can’t let him win and take Lake Ossar from us, to use his money and status to take my home from me. I’ve got to do something.

As they rode home down the dusty road late that afternoon, they all tried their best to set their minds on something more positive.

“Summer is coming up, can you believe it?” Rhudedth said, trying to drive Eydeth and his nastiness from everyone’s minds. “Then we’ll only have one more year of school with Master Tarnik. I can’t wait!”

Soon everyone was talking about the upcoming summer and making jokes about their idiotic teacher. Jahrra laughed along with them. She smiled at the right moments, and commented when questioned, but the entire time she was focused on something else, something much more vital than idle talk about summer vacation or ridiculous schoolmasters. She was focused on something she never thought she’d want to consider again: racing in, and winning, the Great Race of Oescienne.

By the time Jahrra arrived at the Castle Guard Ruin, it was already past dusk. She quickly took Phrym to the stable and fed him. “We’re going to have to work extra hard this summer,” she whispered. “We’ll have to be in top shape if we’re to win this race in the fall.”

Phrym nickered tiredly and she patted him, grateful for his quiet support. Jahrra shuffled back to the Ruin through the darkening fields, the blooming sun daisies almost lighting the way with their bright yellow faces. Hroombra was up, reading through his manuscripts as usual. He had lit many candles, as it was a warm night and there was no need for a fire.

He looked up to greet Jahrra as she came in through the door. “How was your day?”

“Oh, wonderful,” she half-lied. “I met a few more friends in town, along with Gieaun and Scede, and we all went to the Eighth Cove. We had a good time, but I’m exhausted. I ate in town with my friends on the way home, so if you don’t mind, I’ll head off to bed.”

Jahrra really was tired, and she had to go back to school tomorrow, not to mention face the twins after the incident today.

“Very well, have a good night’s sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.” Hroombra smiled and tilted his head back down to read.

Jahrra walked off towards her room with a feeling of vengeance and anger. To try and get her mind off Eydeth’s words, she took out her compass and admired it once more before hiding it behind a loose stone in her wall. She pulled her journal out of her bag and tucked it away as well. The strange words and symbols would have to wait.

Jahrra drifted off to sleep and as she slept she dreamt she was flying through the sky on Phrym. He had grown wings and they were both soaring high above all the other horses, leagues above the Great Race of Oescienne. She could see the entire province, and in the distant ocean she spotted a proud and valiant pirate ship. Jahrra thought, suddenly, horribly, that the crew of the ship had come back for the compass she had taken.

All of a sudden, Phrym no longer had wings and they began spiraling back to earth, the rushing wind making it hard for Jahrra to breathe. She expected them to hit the ground any moment, but they didn’t. Instead, they landed softly upon the sandy beach. Jahrra glanced behind her, hoping to see the other horses far off in the distance, but they weren’t there. She turned and looked down the beach, and far ahead of them she saw the large pack of racers. She and Phrym had been passed up, beaten by all of the Resai men, led by one young man dressed in goldenrod astride a brilliant white semequin.