Alora: The Wander-Jewel (Alora Series Book 1) by Tamie Dearen Page A
Authors: Tamie Dearen
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the waterfall.”
“That wasn’t a waterfall—that was a shower. And why did I always see you in the shower?” She purposefully didn’t mention the bathtub.
He shrugged. “Perhaps because your father was Water Clan, so you have the ability to draw power from water. But you should also be able to draw power from stone, because of your mother, Wendelle.”
“Okay,” she said, thinking the notion of drawing power from water and stone made no sense. But then, what did make sense right now?
“Look, here’s a map of the whole world.” She enlarged the map on the computer screen. “And I can center it over Montana. I can make it topographical, so we can see elevations and such—you know, see where the mountains are. Or I can do a satellite view, so it’s like we’re out in the sky looking down. And then we can zoom in, like this.” She demonstrated the zoom feature. “See, here’s Montana, and this is our county,” she said zooming out further.
He stared at the video screen with wide eyes. “That’s a marvelous gift. But I’m afraid it doesn’t look like any map I’ve ever seen. I might be able to locate a place with mountains, rivers, and seas in the correct places. But I wasn’t aware this much existed beyond the mountains. Laegenshire could be almost anywhere.”
“Well, not really. You have to be some place that’s undeveloped. There really aren’t that many places left. I’m thinking maybe in the Amazon. Did you live in a jungle? Wait—you speak English. I’m trying to think of an undeveloped place that speaks English.”
“I don’t speak English, I speak Tenavae. That’s also the name of our territory.”
“Let me Google some of these words, like Tenavae and Laegenshire, and see what I find.”
“What’s Google?”
How could she explain Google? “It’s magic.”
*****
Uncle Charles came inside just as Alora and Kaevin were cleaning up the lunch dishes. His eyes fell on Kaevin’s hand where it rested on her arm.
“Don’t you think you’ve done this touching thing long enough?”
“The plan is to kind of charge up so we don’t have to do this at all by tomorrow,” said Alora. “At least we hope that’ll work.”
He mumbled something under his breath about his being too old to deal with this kind of thing.
“But we made lunch for you, Uncle Charles. It’s on the stove. Baked beans and ham and fried potatoes with onions.” She peered with pleading eyes. She couldn’t stand having him angry with her.
His scowl fell away. “I’m sorry, Alora, but I feel like I’m out of control here. It’s my job to protect you.” He moved to wrap an arm around her, his lanky six-feet-two frame forcing Kaevin to her other side.
“I want you to know, sir, I intend to protect her also.” Kaevin stood eye to eye with Charles, and held his gaze without flinching.
Charles pressed his lips together in a tight line. “But who will protect her from you?”
“I would never hurt her,” he retorted in an offended tone.
“Look, Kaevin.” Charles cut off his protest with a wave of his hand. “I believe you’d never intentionally hurt her, but you’re both too young to be in this kind of relationship. And if you take her to your home, it sounds pretty dangerous. So, even if you don’t mean to, you could still hurt her indirectly.”
“But Uncle Charles, it seems like it’s kind of my destiny to go there and help. You know, like it’s why I have the jewel in the first place.”
“Destiny or not, you’re too young. You’re not going off alone with anyone, much less with a seventeen-year-old boy we don’t know anything about.”
“But Uncle Charles—”
“I’m sorry, but this discussion is over.”
Alora and Kaevin escaped outside to avoid Charles’ critical gaze. “We need to tend the horses. And then afterward, I thought we might try practicing with the bearer thing. Maybe you could help me figure out how to do it.”
“I’m uncertain whether I
“That wasn’t a waterfall—that was a shower. And why did I always see you in the shower?” She purposefully didn’t mention the bathtub.
He shrugged. “Perhaps because your father was Water Clan, so you have the ability to draw power from water. But you should also be able to draw power from stone, because of your mother, Wendelle.”
“Okay,” she said, thinking the notion of drawing power from water and stone made no sense. But then, what did make sense right now?
“Look, here’s a map of the whole world.” She enlarged the map on the computer screen. “And I can center it over Montana. I can make it topographical, so we can see elevations and such—you know, see where the mountains are. Or I can do a satellite view, so it’s like we’re out in the sky looking down. And then we can zoom in, like this.” She demonstrated the zoom feature. “See, here’s Montana, and this is our county,” she said zooming out further.
He stared at the video screen with wide eyes. “That’s a marvelous gift. But I’m afraid it doesn’t look like any map I’ve ever seen. I might be able to locate a place with mountains, rivers, and seas in the correct places. But I wasn’t aware this much existed beyond the mountains. Laegenshire could be almost anywhere.”
“Well, not really. You have to be some place that’s undeveloped. There really aren’t that many places left. I’m thinking maybe in the Amazon. Did you live in a jungle? Wait—you speak English. I’m trying to think of an undeveloped place that speaks English.”
“I don’t speak English, I speak Tenavae. That’s also the name of our territory.”
“Let me Google some of these words, like Tenavae and Laegenshire, and see what I find.”
“What’s Google?”
How could she explain Google? “It’s magic.”
*****
Uncle Charles came inside just as Alora and Kaevin were cleaning up the lunch dishes. His eyes fell on Kaevin’s hand where it rested on her arm.
“Don’t you think you’ve done this touching thing long enough?”
“The plan is to kind of charge up so we don’t have to do this at all by tomorrow,” said Alora. “At least we hope that’ll work.”
He mumbled something under his breath about his being too old to deal with this kind of thing.
“But we made lunch for you, Uncle Charles. It’s on the stove. Baked beans and ham and fried potatoes with onions.” She peered with pleading eyes. She couldn’t stand having him angry with her.
His scowl fell away. “I’m sorry, Alora, but I feel like I’m out of control here. It’s my job to protect you.” He moved to wrap an arm around her, his lanky six-feet-two frame forcing Kaevin to her other side.
“I want you to know, sir, I intend to protect her also.” Kaevin stood eye to eye with Charles, and held his gaze without flinching.
Charles pressed his lips together in a tight line. “But who will protect her from you?”
“I would never hurt her,” he retorted in an offended tone.
“Look, Kaevin.” Charles cut off his protest with a wave of his hand. “I believe you’d never intentionally hurt her, but you’re both too young to be in this kind of relationship. And if you take her to your home, it sounds pretty dangerous. So, even if you don’t mean to, you could still hurt her indirectly.”
“But Uncle Charles, it seems like it’s kind of my destiny to go there and help. You know, like it’s why I have the jewel in the first place.”
“Destiny or not, you’re too young. You’re not going off alone with anyone, much less with a seventeen-year-old boy we don’t know anything about.”
“But Uncle Charles—”
“I’m sorry, but this discussion is over.”
Alora and Kaevin escaped outside to avoid Charles’ critical gaze. “We need to tend the horses. And then afterward, I thought we might try practicing with the bearer thing. Maybe you could help me figure out how to do it.”
“I’m uncertain whether I
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