She'd thought she could tell him that she loved him, that she needed him. But now, here he was in front of her, and the words wouldn't come. Once again, she was near him and she couldn't think.
Oh, damn the Stones, and damn this stupid pull between them.
“It was like I couldn't breathe when you weren't there,” she tried to explain. “I thought…I thought maybe I loved you. But it's just the stupid pull of the Stones,” she said angrily.
He took a step closer to her. Oh…if he kissed her again, she'd lose all her resolve. She didn't want this. It wasn't real.
“
Torian, I don't think I can marry you. I rode out here to tell you that I would. That I loved you; but Torian, I can't. I want something real. I've never been very good at fitting into a proper lady's shoes. I don't want a marriage chosen for me; I want the chance to suddenly find myself falling in love. I want the chance to choose for myself. I didn't want to marry you when I thought it was just my brother pushing me toward it, and I sure as hell don't want it now that I know it wasn't my brother choosing it, but it was some mysterious, meddling being ages ago, deciding who I should be with before my parents were even thought of.” Tears were streaming freely down her face now. How could she say goodbye to him when being apart a few days sent her into a frantic ride at dawn searching desperately for him?
“
Emariya, forget proper lady's shoes. I just want you. Improper, unpredictable, unforgettable you.” He tried to pull her against him to kiss her.
She pushed away.
He tried again to explain. “Emariya, you are like a magnet, pulling me to you.” His eyes were brave, soulful. Revealing all of his uncertainty to her. He was as confused as she was, but he was willing to face it. To accept it.
“
But don't you see? I don't want you to love me because of some magnetic pull, designed before we were even born, for no other reason than the blood of the mothers who bore us,” she protested.
“
Then maybe ‘magnet’ is the wrong word. Emariya, you are my sun. And just like your flowers, and trees, and your corn, and your wheat all blossom because of and crave the touch of the sun, so I crave you. The flowers need the sun for life, and without you, I would not wish any life I had. If you were gone, my world would be darkest night.”
Torian dropped to his knees, spreading his arms wide in submission. Now it was entirely up to her.
She sucked in a deep breath. Had her world not been exactly that since he'd left? Had she not come out here to tell him exactly that? She needed him, too. Maybe the reason she'd fallen for him had been beyond their control, but truly, could any love ever be controlled? Could she be as brave as him, and face it head-on? She was willing to try.
His arms closed triumphantly around her as she crashed into him.
Swallowing hard, she said, “And you are my moon. In my darkness, you have shown me the truth, the things that were all around me but which I could not see.”
“
But no one loves the moon.”
“
I do.”
THE END
Acknowledgments
It would be utterly impossible to thank each and every person who has helped make Cornerstone a reality. I’ve never been one to shy from a challenge, so let me try.
For my husband - Your love, support, and illustrative procrastination has been monumental in my completing this project. You tolerated a messy house, take out food, and attention starved pets while I wrote, edited, and scribbled. Furthermore, you gave me fantasy. Without you, I never would have known imaginary worlds and fantastical places, nor would I have had the courage to create my own.
For my children - You inspire me every single day. Thank you for tolerating way too many ‘in a minutes’ and cereal for dinner. Oh, and ice cream for bribery.
Ramona Brown - Without your patient encouragement and support, Cornerstone would not have made it any further than your eyes. You were my first reader and you gave me the confidence to share Riya and Tor with the world.
Ashley Davis - Without your patience and diligence, Cornerstone would shine a lot less.
While I have been so fortunate to meet several fantastic critique partners, two in particular have been positively amazing. Without Critique Circle, Cornerstone would be full of a lot more gibberish.
John Kang - Quit hating on Garith.
Jacki - Your enthusiasm is contagious.
To view a full size map, please visit:
http://kellywalkerwrites.blogspot.com/p/cornerstone.html
A letter for my readers
First, foremost and most importantly: Thank you. I cannot thank you enough times for giving Riya, Torian, and myself a few hours of your time to share in their story. Their journey is only beginning and I am so excited that theirs is a story I get to tell. After seeing Riya in my head for several years, I finally gave in (she can be sort of persuasive, you know,) and wrote her story.
Like their journey, my own adventures as a storyteller are just beginning. While I spent a lot of time making up stories, poems, and other creative exercises as a child, writing was never really a part of my adult life. Riya was so vivid in my mind, so
alive,
that I finally decided it would be selfish to keep her all to myself and not share her with the world. To that regard, I am setting her free and sharing her with you. I hope you come to love her as much as I do.
While I really hope you enjoyed Cornerstone, I especially hope you will share your experiences with others. In this changing landscape of publishing it is a very exciting time to be both a reader and an author. Leaving a review of the things you’ve read can help other readers make informed choices when selecting their own reading material.
With self-publishing revolutionizing the book marketplace, publishers are no longer the literary gatekeepers. Readers are. I encourage you to leave a review in whatever medium you prefer—be it your blog, your favorite bookseller, a note to a friend, or on book related websites like Good Reads.
As an author, I want to thank you in advance for taking the time to leave a review. However, as much as I may want to, I won’t respond to reviews on public forums. It is my understanding that while many readers love that an author takes the time to respond, many more feel uncomfortable, especially in cases where perhaps their review was not entirely positive. Ultimately, reviews are for the reader’s benefit, not mine. For that reason, I will leave the reviews to the readers, so you can hopefully feel comfortable in saying how you truly feel about the book, without fear of repercussion from me. Do know this, though: I appreciate each and every review, positive or negative. My lack of response has nothing to do with gratitude.
I love contact with readers. If you’d like to send me a note, please do feel free to. You can message me to tell me what you loved, what you hated or anything in between. If you would like a personal thank you for a review, send me a link and I’ll send you a message back.
I can be reached on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KellyWalkerAuthor
Twitter:
http://https://twitter.com/KWalkerWrites
Good Reads:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10023588-kelly
My Blog:
http://kellywalkerwrites.blogspot.com/
My Email:
Riya and Torian’s story isn’t over; I hope to see you again for the second book in The Soul Of The Stones - Second Stone. It is due to be published in February 2013. Soon, excerpts and the first chapter will be appearing on my blog.
If you would like to ensure you receive notification when I release new books, you can sign up for my
new releases newsletter
.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading.
Kelly Walker