《The Elements》


 PROLOUGE

    The dark blackness of night had pulled a curtain over the city of Sera, inviting the stars to twinkle seductively overhead. The fire of candles and the magic lights of the illusionists kept the cobblestone streets visible from the high window of my bedroom in the Seran University of Magic. Below, humans and elves of various nationalities walked along the streets, either visiting the famous city or possibly perusing its services of healing magic, which were not often found elsewhere.


    From my window in the highest tower of the university, I could see the entirety of the city and beyond its walls for a couple of miles. It was one of the perks of being the daughter of the university headmaster. I was treated like royalty here. Magic was a rare weapon to wield and had to be taken very seriously; the harnessing and use of energy took its toll on mortal bodies, slowly chipping away at life forces until the mage herself died an early death. It was a rare occasion to find someone who not only accepted this and still wanted to wield magic, but was good at it. At the Seran University, there were hundreds of us here, from all over the world. It was because of this rareness that magic was used as a commodity. Kingdoms took advantage of what few mages they did have, particularly healers. Getting a healer to even attempt to cure the illness of a family member was an expense few people could afford, even if they could travel all the way to Sera to try.


    I turned from the window, my thoughts on my studies. Being only fourteen, I had only just learned what elements I could wield. Out of all of the magics, elemental magic, consisting of six elements¡ªfire, water, air, earth, life, and death¡ªwas the most challenging and dangerous to wield, and most mages were only strong enough to wield one. Few could wield two elements, and no known mage in the world''s history could wield three or more. I was lucky enough to have been one of the few who could wield two.


    I walked up to the lone candle holder on my wall that was not lit, intent on practicing what little magic I did know. I lifted my right hand, palm up, toward the candle, and whispered words I had studied intensely over the days before.


    ¡°Creatius les fiers.¡± With a crackle of heat, a ball of flame conjured over my palm, warming me. The intense heat of the flame was kept safely tucked away from burning me with a protective energy barrier between my skin and the fire. It was part of the spell. If I were to mess up the spell, it was possible it wouldn''t be there, and I could burn myself to death. It was little wonder why an entire university was necessary to teach these magics.


    I directed my attention to the wick of the candle, and the fire in my palm transferred to the wick in a tunnel of heat that was gone a moment later. The candle was lit, now, like all the others.


    Again, I lifted my palm. ¡°Creatius le air,¡± I whispered. If it hadn''t been for feeling the swirling air above my palm, I wouldn''t have seen it there. Once more, I directed the energy to the wick, where the oxygen fed the flame. The fire burst upward and out, and I stepped back, a little in shock at the strength of its response.


    ¡°Kai.¡± The rough voice called my attention to the door, and I turned quickly. My father stood in the doorway, having seen the last of my practice, his eyes still on the candle. If he was impressed, he said nothing of it. As always, his eyes held authority and distance, a cool gray in comparison to my own golden pair. His dark hair was specked with silver from the stress of his responsibilities. He looked so different than I. Of course, I wasn''t his biological daughter, and it wasn''t only our physical differences that reminded me of this daily. ¡°Your power is not to be played with like a toy.¡±


    My eyes fell to the ground, and I nodded. ¡°Yes, father. I was only trying to practice.¡±


    ¡°Remember what I told you?¡± He waited a moment for my answer, which did not come. ¡°Kai?¡±


    ¡°You''ve told me many things, father.¡±


    ¡°The day you become a mage is the day you become a woman. A woman wields power. A girl plays with toys.¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°You have the unbelievable talent of being a dual caster, Kai. Do not disappoint me by wasting your talents on frivolous things.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Apologies are words, not actions. Now get to bed. You have class in the morning.¡±


    He was out of the room again before I had time to respond. It was times like these when I wondered why he had ever bothered to take me under his wing. I had been dropped off as an infant to the front steps of the Seran University, as if my parents had known I would be capable of wielding magic. That is why my father had taken me in; it was assumed I would have skill. Now, after years of worrying I wouldn''t live up to that notion, I had found out I was a dual caster. And yet, he still wasn''t happy with me.


    The next morning, my older brother Terran stopped by to take me to class. He was my father''s only biological son, and the obvious pick to be the headmaster in my father''s place when that time would come. Terran had been a nice enough sibling, I supposed. I was a good seven years younger than him, so we had little in common, but when we would socialize he treated me much better than father ever had. It was his work ethic that bothered me. He was a wielder of earth magic, and while he was skilled, he did not take his position very seriously. For being the future headmaster of the university, the one person who basically had a key to the city and was like a second ruler to all of the nation of Chairel, he didn''t seem to have a care in the world.


    It made me a little bitter, if I were being honest with myself. Terran was not as talented as I was, nor as serious at his job, but he had father''s approval and could look forward to a prestigious future.


    Terran''s long, deep brown locks were kept back in a lazy ponytail as he walked with me through the long stone hallways of the University. He looked fatigued, and smelled of ale. I knew then that he had been out the previous night partying again with his group of friends.


    ¡°Did you hear I can wield both fire and air?¡± I asked him, because we hadn''t yet spoken of it. His face brightened a bit, and he grinned over at me, despite the circles beneath his eyes.


    ¡°Yes, sister, I did. Don''t let it get to your head, now.¡± He turned around a corner of an intersection of hallways, before we continued down another. The university was bigger than even the castles of the nation, and could be a maze to anyone who walked through it and didn''t live there. ¡°I wouldn''t want to dual cast, myself. I love life. Want to live as much of it as I can.¡±


    ¡°Do you think dual casters live even shorter lives than other mages?¡± I asked, morbidly curious.


    ¡°No, I don''t think it, I know it. The more magic you wield, the bigger the toll. And you''re no elf, sister. You have a short enough lifespan as it is. I wouldn''t be using your powers fruitlessly.¡±


    His last words reminded me of father catching me practicing the night before. ¡°Did father tell you of last night?¡±


    ¡°He did,¡± Terran replied, just as shortly. He stopped, then, because we had reached our destination. My first class of the day sat in the room ahead. I could already hear the students within chatting and giggling amongst themselves. My brother took one last look at me, and said, ¡°Magic is serious business. Please be careful with it.¡±


    Please be careful with it. I could have asked Terran to follow his own advice, but I knew he was only looking out for me. ¡°I will. Thanks, Terran.¡±


    He nodded with a boyish smile, before turning and heading off to wherever he needed to go.


    I made my way into the classroom a moment later, avoiding stares and whispers. For the few years I''d been going to classes at the university, I was used to my classmates keeping me at a distance. Perhaps they were uncomfortable with going to class with the headmaster''s daughter. Days before, when I''d come to know I was a dual caster, things had gotten even worse. Now the tinges of jealousy were in the glares of my peers.


    I sat in my usual seat, at a table in the far back with only one other occupant. His name was Cerin, and he was tall, pale, with eyes of the sharpest silver and hair long and as black as an abyss. He was shy and without any friends, which gave us something in common. He was also the only classmate I''d ever tried to become friendly with. Despite his dark and foreboding looks, I found him oddly warm and welcoming given his quiet nature. I was also possibly biased; I found Cerin to be quite beautiful, and had had a crush on him since he had moved to Sera to learn magic from the small, northern fishing hamlet of Thornwell.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Until the past few days, I had been worried that Cerin would have been a natural with death magic. He certainly looked the part, and as most elemental mages had found throughout history, their physical appearance tended to resemble the elements they were predisposed to. It was why wielding fire and air hadn''t come as much of a surprise. My hair was a deep red, so deep that many who met me thought I dyed it with the expensive dyes imported to Sera from the desert nation of Nahara to the south. I was also quite pale, a feature that was a common attribute among air wielders. Due to Cerin''s dark features, then, I''d assumed he would have easily learned death magic; it was an element as powerful, if not moreso, than the others, but the art of necromancy was a banned practice in all of Chairel, and much of the world. Bringing the dead to life, wielding plague and disease, and leeching the life and energy from others were all practices considered too savage for warfare. They had no place in a modern society, according to our Queen and the Seran University. The moral and ethics implications of the element were far too complicated and vast to keep the practice legal.


    Regardless, Cerin had found life magic to be his calling. He was very lucky in this respect. Healers were the most sought after of mages, and tended to become the wealthiest. Alchemists could often heal sickness, and surgeons could often mend broken bones. But life mages, well...they could do both, and more accurately, while taking a fraction of the time.


    My ears picked up on whispers, and I glanced up to the table beside ours, just in time to see a classmate use his own air magic to blow a gust of wind in Cerin''s direction. Cerin''s notes from the day before blew off the table, scattering and skidding across the tiled floors. The boy and his friend burst into laughter, while Cerin, humiliated, moved out of his seat to begin gathering the papers.


    ¡°Your powers aren''t to be used so needlessly,¡± I hissed at my peer, getting out of my seat to help gather the papers.


    ¡°Or what, girly? You gonna tell daddy and get me sent back to Kilgor?¡± He sneered back at me.


    ¡°No, I''ll be telling Ms. Ply about this so she makes it known you''re not taking your studies seriously,¡± I retorted, taking the stack of Cerin''s notes and handing it over to him.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he offered, his voice nearly cracking. He looked away in embarrassment.


    ¡°Oh, I''m shaking in me boots,¡± the bully replied to me, carelessly.


    ¡°Kilgor''s not so bad, mate,¡± his friend teased him, as Cerin and I sat back into our seats. My table mate had an arm protectively over his notes, now. ¡°Not if yer lookin'' for the farmer''s life.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I ain''t. Why the hell else do ya think I''m here?¡±


    ¡°Because the only girls in our town are goats,¡± his friend replied, with a snort of laughter.


    The classroom door opened a moment later, and Beatrice Ply, one of our professors, hurried in. As always, she was late and disheveled, her thick mop of curly red hair refusing to be tamed by a few oddly placed hair pins. She carried a stack of old texts to the counter ahead of us, before turning to the impatient class.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone. Sorry I''m late.¡± As she said it, her eyes met mine. I inwardly wondered if she thought I would ever tattle on her to my father. Unbeknownst to her, I never would. I didn''t like talking to him more than I had to. ¡°Please get out the spell books you were assigned yesterday. We''re going to continue where we left off, learning various words for each of your elements and how they connect between spells. Remember, don''t conjure, just read and study. We don''t want any accidents.¡±


    I retrieved my two spell books from my pack, bringing them to the table before me. I caught Cerin''s eyes watching them both with admiration. I knew he was impressed by my ability to dual cast.


    ¡°Now, who can tell me what creatius means?¡± Ms. Ply continued, looking over the class.


    I raised my hand, and when she chose me, I said, ¡°Create.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    ¡°Very easy,¡± the bully from earlier seethed. I ignored the comment.


    ¡°And who can tell me what givara means?¡±


    Cerin hadn''t raised his hand, but he was called on anyway. Perhaps because he was the only one in the class who knew a spell where givara was relevant. ¡°Give,¡± he offered.


    ¡°Correct. Give, as in give life. Create, as in create an element, using the energy in the air around you and harnessing it to your will. Does anyone know what would happen if you were to say a spell incorrectly? Suppose you said, givara les fiers? Or even, creatius le life?¡±


    I raised my hand again, but Ms. Ply decided to call on another student.


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing would happen,¡± came the response.


    ¡°Correct. To give fire is an incorrect statement, as is create life. Even in necromancy, the spells are not stated as you creating life, because you are not. You are using energy to reanimate the dead. Even if you manage to have a corpse standing before you, it is not living, because it cannot. It is only existing and acting upon your will because you are commanding the energy animating it. Does this make sense?¡± A few of us nodded, and she continued, ¡°Now would be a good time to remind you all that if you see any student¡ªor anyone, for that matter¡ªusing necromancy, please report it to your nearest professor or guard. Necromancers are considered enemies of the kingdom and are often put to death.¡±


    ¡°Ironic,¡± I heard a student muse.


    ¡°Now, using the words you know, I want you all to attempt to write new spells using these words. Spells that you think could work, using what little you do know. In order to use magic effectively, you not only need to wield it, but understand its language.¡± She paused, looked around the room, and finished, ¡°I''ll be coming around the room to guide each of you. Please begin.¡±


    Cerin and I were silent for minutes afterward, using our spell books for reference and writing down ideas. Ms. Ply took her time moving from table to table, helping the other students with the language, letting them know when they were wrong about the usage of a word and why.


    After a while, I looked up to Cerin, deciding to attempt conversation with him as I often did. ¡°Cerin, have you ever tried to wield another element?¡±


    His silver eyes rose from his book, meeting mine with a stare that felt oddly distant. ¡°Why would I do that? I''m no dual caster, like you.¡±


    ¡°How would you know if you''ve never tried?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I have?¡± The question was weird and defensive. I wondered if I was annoying him.


    ¡°No. I''m sorry. I didn''t mean anything by it. I just wonder what would happen if you tried, you know? Once you have designated elements, you''re not really supposed to branch out. But what if you did?¡±


    Cerin hesitated. ¡°I''ve heard nothing happens. You can attempt a spell of a different element, but it doesn''t work. If you''re a dual caster, anyway. If you only cast one element and casting another works, well...I guess that''s how you find out you''re a dual caster.¡±


    The beginnings of a smile began to spread on my face. I felt for once like I was finally getting through to him. ¡°Yeah, I guess so,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Do you want to try it?¡± Cerin offered, pushing his spell book over to me. ¡°Let''s see what happens.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so I get to be the guinea pig?¡± I teased him, pulling the book to me.


    ¡°I doubt it''ll hurt you. It''s life magic, after all.¡±


    ¡°How will I know if it''s working?¡± I asked him, reading the beginner''s healing spell. I wasn''t injured. It wasn''t like I would be able to tell if it was working by mending a cut that didn''t exist.


    ¡°You''ll feel a warmth. Put your hand to your skin, and you''ll feel warmth from your hand, and tingling from what it''s touching.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I put my right hand to my left arm, and recited low, ¡°Givara le life.¡± There was a rising heat in my palm. Slowly, I felt the warmth transfer to my other arm, leaving it numb and tingling, like it had fallen asleep. I looked up to Cerin, a little in shock. ¡°It''s working.¡±


    He stared back, unable to believe me. ¡°It can''t be. You already know fire and air.¡±


    I reached across the table to him, grabbing his hand. In normal circumstances, this would have embarrassed me. But right now, I needed him to feel it. I repeated the spell, watching as Cerin realized I was right. He jerked his hand away, before staring at me like I was some kind of a god. ¡°That''s impossible,¡± he whispered, rubbing at his hand.


    ¡°Then how am I doing it?¡±


    Cerin only stared back. He had no answer.


    Ms. Ply was at our table a moment later, asking about the spells we''d attempted to create. I barely heard her. I turned to her, and asked her the first question that came to mind.


    ¡°Why can I wield life?¡±


    She watched me for a moment, before a chuckle. ¡°You can''t, Kai. You wield fire and air.¡±


    ¡°I just used Cerin''s spell.¡± It was stupid of me to admit. We weren''t really supposed to be practicing spells right now, only writing them. My excitement had overcome me.


    ¡°Kai...it is impossible to wield more than two elements. You know this.¡± She appeared uncomfortable and confused by my recent ramblings.


    Risking much, I grabbed the professor''s arm, reciting the spell. A moment later, she, too, jerked back from it like it was hurting her.


    ¡°I saw you wield fire and air yesterday,¡± she said, her words a rush.


    ¡°I know. I''ve done both. And I just wielded life.¡±


    She stared at me, in a state of shock. After a few seconds of silence, she stuttered, ¡°Then¡ªthen do this for me. Lift up your palm, like you''re going to wield simple fire.¡± I did so. ¡°Now repeat after me. Creatius la agua.¡±


    I repeated the spell, and just like that, water began to form from the energy particles in the air, the water splashing slowly up against the protective circular energy barrier just above my palm. Both Ms. Ply and I stared at it as if it shouldn''t exist.


    ¡°Dispel it!¡± She exclaimed, almost as if in fear. I did so with a wave of my hand. The water fell to the classroom floor, splashing across the tile and dampening my shoes.


    Now, I had the attention of the class. Everyone was quiet and watching the history unfolding before their eyes, with me at its center.


    ¡°Repeat creatius la terra.¡±


    I did so. Instead of water, or fire, or even air, I harnessed even more energy within my hand, and a swirling ball of earth hovered where water just had, full of pebbles and dead tree roots, just like if I had gone outside and dug up a shovel full of the earth in the university''s courtyard.


    Ms. Ply stared at the earth, swirling around within its barrier and waiting to be used, and pointed toward one of my peers, the girl closest to the door. ¡°You,¡± she said, her voice a frightened, hushed tone. ¡°Get the headmaster. Now!¡±

 CHAPTER 1

    Towering stone walls rose above me on both sides as I trotted along one of the hallways of the university, on my way to see a good friend. An employee of the university nodded toward me in greeting as he lit the candles along the wall that had died overnight with quick bursts of fire magic.


    At the end of the hallway, the walls opened up to a large gathering room. With polished wooden floors that reflected its occupants and ceilings as high as five stories, it was a sight to behold.


    Halfway across the room, a friendly face came into view. Silas Galan was an old friend, among other things. Born among Celdic elven royalty in the great city of Celendar, he was given a free ticket through the Seran University to learn earth magic in exchange for his service as my personal bodyguard through my teenage years. At just a year over forty, he was extraordinarily young for an elf, as elves were the only race to have an average lifespan of hundreds of years. Elves were mostly known to only die prematurely by battle wounds or extreme heartbreak. Because of this, Celdic elves in particular were not fond of war or battle, and tended to favor peace whilst living tucked away lives in the deep forests of the world.


    Silas was a handsome sight, as were most elves. Because of the delayed aging process elves were known for, he appeared to be no more than twenty or twenty-one, with a mop of sienna brown hair that swept over the points of his ears, and stunning, sharp green eyes. He was taller than most humans, built for speed and agility with practical muscles and a knack for attention to details. His trusty bow sat perched on his back along with a quiver of elven arrows. The weapon was a beautiful one, made out of the pearl-white bark of the trees only known to grow in the forests of Celendar.


    ¡°On your way to see Bjorn?¡± He questioned, spinning slowly to seamlessly go from a standstill to walking by my side. He spoke of the general of the Seran Army, and one of the few authority figures to me that I was completely comfortable around.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, my voice holding a slight tremble. ¡°I''m a nervous wreck.¡±


    ¡°You have your supporters. The only person standing in opposition to you is your father.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I acknowledged. ¡°Sometimes that''s the hardest fact to accept.¡±


    Silas remained silent. I knew he agreed with me, but he was extremely intelligent, probably already thinking through how verbally acknowledging my depressing statement would only make me feel worse.


    We walked together toward the front exit of the building, passing by an entire room full of people waiting to meet with members of the university to discuss magical services. Before even knowing what any of them were here for, I knew most of them would be disappointed. Most were peasants and would be unable to afford the services. Others had trekked seasons from Nahara and would be told that Seran mages dealt in gold, not trade, like many of the Naharans were used to.


    I had never agreed with Sera''s methods of holding its mages above the heads of commonfolk. The only thing I was ashamed of as a mage myself was being an unwilling participant to the monopoly Sera held over magic. It was illegal in Chairel to practice magic without a license from the Seran University, which, of course, didn''t mean that no one practiced it without licenses at all, only that they were imprisoned if they were caught.


    Silas and I exited the university, and the bustling city of Sera opened up before us. Sera was built on the side of a mountain, and was set up in tiers. At the uppermost point of the city was the Seran University, the city''s prized possession. Beneath that was the sector in which the tourist attractions, merchants, and prestigious class of citizens lived, those who either had family members who were mages, or those who could simply afford our services. Beneath that, near the bottom of the mountain, was the poor sector, along the edge of the outer walls. This is where most of the people who kept the city fed and serviced lived. Some of the poor even spilled over to outside of the walls, where small farms were scattered over the surrounding plains.


    From the northernmost points of Sera, the view was incredible. From the courtyard of the university, the rest of the city sloped downward for a few miles, before the plains and view beyond opened up to the horizon. It would be an easy city to defend, if there were ever a need. The view allowed defenders to see for miles, attacking the city would be an uphill climb, and Sera held one of the best armies in the world. Not only did we have the Orders of the Mages, the only army of magicians in the world, we also had the Seran Army, an army of rank and file soldiers armed with some of the best armor and weapons available to humankind. And at the very top of that army was Bjorn.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Hit him like you mean it! Is this a training field or a little girl''s playroom? Bloody hell!¡±


    I chuckled at the sound of Bjorn''s voice bellowing out from the training fields behind the barracks. Turning the corner with Silas at my side, I caught eye of the bulky man behind the voice, yelling at two frightened men who were in a dirt arena, both wielding wooden swords.


    Bjorn was my father''s right-hand man in terms of the Seran Army. He was the best general we had, and also took a front seat in the training of the non-magic soldiers, putting himself in charge of melee fighters. He was a large, towering, and muscular man, with light reddish hair that held stubborn grays that he kept held back from his face in a short, messy ponytail. His face was usually covered in facial hair of some description, though he wasn''t too fond of keeping it tidy. His skin was a natural tan, and his muscles stuck out in sharp angles from his body from years of training and fighting.


    In comparison with my father, Bjorn was frightening in appearance. He reeked of strength and power and confidence. On the contrary, my father was thin and pale, and if one were to glance at him without knowing his name, they could be mistaken in believing he was not a threat. In a sharp contrast to what appearances would have one believe, it was my father I feared, and with Bjorn that I took solace. While I was raised as the daughter of Sirius Sera, it was Bjorn that I looked up to and admired the most.


    ¡°Bjorn!¡± I called. Despite being in mid-training, I knew the man would call off the day''s events to make time for me if he had to.


    He turned from the sparring match, his eyes brightening when he saw me. ¡°Ah! There ya are, my girl. Word from the messengers is that your father''s already looking for you.¡±


    My heart sunk into my stomach, attempting to hide within its acidic bile. I said nothing for fear that my sudden nausea would overcome me.


    ¡°Listen, Kai, I know you''re scared. Your father makes me shit my pants sometimes, myself.¡±


    I couldn''t help but chuckle a bit from the unexpected humor. I could always count on Bjorn to try to make me feel better.


    ¡°You have my support, and that will help. Your father listens to me...sometimes...as much as he tries to pretend he won''t. I''ve already told him of your plans, and I''ve told him I agree.¡±


    ¡°What''d he say?¡± I asked quietly.


    ¡°Well, he had a few choice words for me, to be honest, but that''s neither here or there. Just remember, you''ve swayed your father''s opinion before. I know you remember how much he resisted siding with you on Nyx.¡±


    Nyx. In a quick distraction, I wondered where she was. She knew that today was important for me, and yet I hadn''t seen her. There had to be a reason for it. As stubborn and even arrogant as she was by nature, the Alderi held a deep respect for me after my pleas had kept her from execution. When both of us had been sixteen, five years ago, we''d met under unusual circumstances. I had been sleeping in my bed, and had awoken abruptly to find the girl standing over me, a dagger in hand.


    She had noticed I had woken up, and had said, delicately, ¡°I am here to assassinate you.¡±


    I had heard how young her voice was, as young as mine, and had replied through fear, ¡°Then why are you hesitating?¡±


    She had responded, ¡°Because I don''t feel like it would be right if I did.¡±


    Nyx and I had spent hours exchanging stories and simply talking. It had gone from me talking to her to keep her from killing me, to actually finding a lot in common with her and wanting to befriend her. She''d come from underground, where the massive cavernous cities of her race were hidden discreetly from the rest of the world''s view. Like most Alderi, sometimes referred to as dark elves, she was raised to be heartless, brutal, and vengeful against the races of the above ground world. She had been employed as an assassin from twelve years of age, and though she enjoyed both the chase and the brutality of the job, she''d been searching for reasons. When I had been listed as her target, instead of adding someone high profile to her list, she had finally found someone who understood what it felt like to be raised with certain expectations while desiring something different.


    Nyx had been caught in the morning when we had still been in mid-conversation, and thrown in the dungeons of the Seran University, as it also served as the city''s castle. As with all caught assassins, she was to be executed for her crimes within the fortnight. With much pleading and compromise with my father, I had gotten her pardoned. We had been best friends ever since.


    ¡°You''ll no doubt hear some rough words from your father today,¡± Bjorn went on, pulling me out of my thoughts. ¡°Don''t let him get to you. You are your own woman and you will do grand things with your life, whether or not he has planned them for you.¡±


    I nodded, wishing my father felt the same way. ¡°Will you be disappointed in me, Bjorn?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? You couldn''t disappoint me if you tried, child. I feel lucky everyday just to be a part of your life.¡±


    I smiled wide, before pulling the big man into a hug. His muscular arms surrounded me, squeezing lightly. He kissed me on the top of the head.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to him.


    ¡°I''m here for you, Kai. Always will be.¡± He pulled back a bit, nodding behind me. ¡°You''re being summoned again.¡±


    I turned to see a young, teenage boy running toward me. I recognized the messenger from the previous times he''d come to me.


    ¡°Kai, your father requests your presence immediately,¡± he said, slightly out of breath.


    I tried to ignore the anxiety that traveled up my esophagus from that statement. I nodded, before turning back to Bjorn. ¡°Call upon the Priests of Hades, Bjorn.¡±


    ¡°Why, my girl?¡± He replied, curious.


    ¡°My funeral will be held a few days from now,¡± I said, attempting to jest in my nervousness.


    Bjorn only laughed heartily at my words. I turned back to the messenger, who was listening over our conversation with a mixture of curiosity and unease. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    The boy turned back toward the university. ¡°Follow me.¡±

 CHAPTER 2

    Silas and I walked slowly into my father''s office. It was a large, dark room with floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with spell books and informational texts about various kingdoms. A large map of the entire world of Arrayis hung on the wall to my left, free from markings. A single window made of stained glass allowed little sunlight in on my right.


    Father''s desk was an organized mess of texts, papers, and letters from the day''s mail. A candle holder sat on his desk, allowing a much needed orange glow to wave along the walls. Beneath my shoes was an expensive woven rug my father had received as a gift from the king of Nahara in the capital of T''ahal, an expansive city in the sand dunes of the Arobe Desert, as part of a trade deal from the somewhat recent past.


    With my father''s chair facing away from us, I let my eyes wander around on the rug, taking in the deep red dyes of the thread. After a few moments, I focused on the candles instead, watching melted wax roll slowly down toward the candle''s holder, my mind trying to stay off the impending conversation.


    The chair slowly turned, and my father''s eyes immediately fell upon Silas.


    ¡°I trust you can separate yourself from Kai for the amount of time I need to talk to her,¡± he said. It was a clear command.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Silas said, bowing slightly before turning to leave.


    It hurt me to hear my father talk so bluntly to someone so dear, but I said nothing, for I was as used to it as I would ever get. The door softly closed behind me, my father''s eyes unrelenting on my own.


    ¡°I have secured you a place in the Seran Army,¡± he announced, his stare unwavering as he watched me for a reaction. ¡°The Fourth Order of the Mages will be in town in a few short weeks, and you are to join them. They have plans for you. Plans I expect you to be able to handle.¡±


    ¡°The Fourth Order, father?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You didn''t expect to get a promotion before beginning your career?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I don''t expect a promotion, father. I just expect a taste of combat, and as far as my knowledge goes, the Fourth Order deals in nothing of the sort.¡±


    ¡°Each army is critical to the success of the entire unit. The Fourth Order is currently working on escorting diplomats from Dagmar to T''ahal.¡±


    I hesitated. ¡°How much combat does this involve?¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Kai, get your mind off of combat. Very little, if any. What''s important is that the money involved is better than most, since we''re dealing with dwarves. They''re gullible bastards.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°No, they''re just more willing to trust,¡± I corrected him softly.


    ¡°Yes. As I said. Gullible.¡± After a slight pause, my father went on, ¡°I trust you have no objections to these plans.¡±


    I swallowed hard. ¡°Actually, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Speak up, Kai. I haven''t the time for your stuttering.¡±


    ¡°I heard you''ve talked to Bjorn.¡±


    ¡°Bjorn has absolutely no relevance to this discussion,¡± my father replied sternly.


    ¡°He does, actually, because he spoke to you on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°What are you, a child? Sending men who have much better things to do to me because you''re too lazy?¡±


    ¡°That''s not what happened. I didn''t send him to you. I expressed my concerns, and he took them to you of his own choice.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well. In either case, I cannot see how his words to me about you has anything to do with your plans with the Fourth Order.¡±


    ¡°His words to you should have outlined exactly what I felt about your plans for me and your army.¡±


    Anger slowly creased the skin of my father''s forehead. ¡°You would waste your life? You were trained by this university, and I expect you to show respect for your upbringing by serving in its army. I fail to see how you believe this is up for discussion.¡±


    ¡°Father, you are the one who is wishing me to waste my life. Sending me to the Fourth Order is not a good use of my skills. It borders on insulting.¡±


    ¡°How stupidly arrogant of you to assume your skills are any more valuable to the army than any other mage,¡± he seethed.


    ¡°How absolutely blind of you to assume they can''t be,¡± I retorted, angry. ¡°I know I have no experience on the battlefield. That''s why I desire it. Why waste time sending me on escort missions? Aren''t you aware that I might not have that much time to be of use to you?¡± I spoke of the fears I had of my own mortality. Because no mage had ever before wielded all six elements, it was untested. I was a guinea pig in the studies of magic. My very existence should have been an impossibility. I had the unwelcome knowledge that any day could be my last.


    ¡°What time you have left is of little concern to me,¡± he replied, unaware of how badly it hurt for me to hear him say it. ¡°Regardless, before you are ready for combat, you must be trained in being part of an army, following the orders of your superiors. It is something you have failed at time and time again, so before I can trust sending you into combat, we need to see if you are capable of following simple directions.¡±


    His statement was insulting, and followed too closely to the hurtful words I''d endured from him just before it. Anger sizzled and popped within me from the pit of my stomach.


    ¡°I trust your silence to mean that you have no further questions,¡± he stated.


    ¡°You trust wrongly, then. I reject your plans for me, father. I have something else in mind for my future.¡±


    My father sat stiff in his chair, unmoving save for a nerve beside his right eye. ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter, does it? Regardless of what they are, my plans differ from yours. You won''t agree with them.¡±


    ¡°You are na?ve and juvenile, Kai. Words cannot express how disappointed I am in your decisions.¡±


    ¡°I accept that. Unfortunately, though, father, your approval has not been at the top of my hopes and goals list ever since I found it was impossible to obtain.¡± I turned, opening the door to the hallway beyond.


    ¡°I did not excuse you,¡± I heard him call from behind me.


    I closed the door behind me, calling back, ¡°Yes, I know. I excused myself.¡±

 CHAPTER 3

    Silas opened the door and held it for me, and I thanked him in a mumble before I walked through it and into the Howling Wolf Tavern. I quickly scanned the room for familiar faces, finally finding who I was looking for.


    A thin figure sat at the bar, clothed in light black leather armor and a hood. A belt with a number of sheaths hung from her hips. After the tavern keeper whispered some words to her, Nyx turned, her deep, dark purple face looking up at me from under her thick hood.


    ¡°I was wondering if you''d ever come,¡± she greeted, motioning for Silas and I to take the saved stools from beside her. Nyx''s hair escaped the sides of her hood from around her face in dark wisps, and she watched me with a deep concern swirling in her black eyes.


    ¡°We didn''t have plans to meet here,¡± I replied in defense.


    ¡°No, but your talks with your father usually end in a hefty tavern bill, so I figured I''d wait for you here.¡± Nyx grinned at me, before glancing over at Silas to judge his expression. ¡°I''m paying.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, I can vouch for myself,¡± I replied. I raised my hand at the bartender.


    Nyx called to him, ¡°Anything this woman orders is on my bill. Don''t let her tell you otherwise.¡±


    With a resigned sigh, I ordered a mug of ale before crossing my arms on the bar, banging my head onto them.


    Nyx laughed heartily beside me. ¡°I cannot wait to hear this story.¡±


    I told Nyx the same story I''d told Silas about the conversation with my father. She listened with enthusiasm, as usual, laughing as I told her the final moments.


    ¡°Well, no shit, you told the old man off, did you?¡± Nyx glanced toward the bartender. ¡°Bring us a pitcher!¡±


    I shook my head in response to her antics before taking a few swigs of my ale.


    ¡°So is that it, then?¡± Nyx asked, intrigued. ¡°Are we going on an adventure?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think it''s about bloody time! I''m tired of having to live in this dump of a place. There''s barely any work for me here. I have to take cuts in pay to serve the poor, and the holier-than-thou upper district wouldn''t dare hire me, the racist bastards. There''s coin to be made elsewhere, I''m sure of it.¡±


    I looked to Silas, whose only concern at the moment seemed to be keeping a close eye on how much ale I was consuming.


    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I''d come with you wherever you decide to go,¡± he replied.


    ¡°How sweet,¡± Nyx teased, though she cut it off at that out of respect.


    ¡°But how will we make our livelihoods?¡± Silas pondered aloud.


    ¡°I have enough coin to last the three of us for a few years as it is,¡± I admitted, my voice low as a precaution against any potential thieves. ¡°Though some people can make a fine living off of being a mercenary, and they don''t come from the same background I do. We''ll be able to do it. The three of us.¡±


    ¡°We have to decide where to go,¡± Silas mused. ¡°We can''t leave the city without any direction or clue as to where we''re going.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Nyx retorted, before taking another swig of ale.


    ¡°Because that would be unwise,¡± he replied evenly.


    ¡°Does dear brother know about all this?¡± Nyx asked, a quick change of subject, but a relevant question.


    My thoughts went to Terran, and my stomach soured. ¡°He knows I am unhappy here with father''s direction. He has advised me against disobeying him multiple times. His main concern is my...¡± I trailed off, staring at the swirling gold of the ale below me. ¡°...my lifespan.¡±


    ¡°He would rather you stayed here and wasted your life being unhappy than to leave and find happiness in what little time you may have? Smart one, that.¡± Nyx ran one dark finger around the lip of her mug.


    ¡°He knows my life will be shorter if I use the powers I have, that''s all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you have them. You are the first in history to have such powers, as far as we know. Live a little, right?¡±


    I''d often thought the same. I had come to terms with the death sentence of being a mage long ago, before I''d even known I was more skilled than most. Still, we were talking about how long I had to live, here. Part of me was still uncomfortable with that. I was only twenty-one and still waiting for life to begin. Looking over to Silas, I found him avoiding my gaze. Our vastly different potential lifespans had been the source of much turmoil for us.


    ¡°So, when are we leaving?¡± Nyx asked, once I''d said nothing. I knew she was eager to leave Sera. Much of the pretentious, mostly human populace were judgmental against dark elves, given that they were a rare sight in the city, or above ground at all. On top of that, just the appearance of an Alderi could be frightening; they were known for their murderous ways. If it weren''t for her being friends with me, I was sure Nyx would have left years ago.


    ¡°I don''t know. Give me a few days, maybe a few weeks. I need to talk to Bjorn about it. See if he has ideas for us. And to...say goodbye.¡± Saying goodbye to those I loved who would be staying here would be the hardest part about leaving, but I knew Sera was not where my future was. I''d been flirting with the idea of leaving ever since I had figured long ago my father wasn''t going to take my skills seriously. I should have left years ago, actually. Most mages began fieldwork at eighteen. Here I was, three years past, with a shorter lifespan and still no battle experience. I was flabbergasted as to why he was so afraid to put my skills to the test.


    ¡°Ugh. Please make it closer to a few days than a few weeks,¡± she mused teasingly, before ordering another pitcher of ale.


    It was a plan we finally decided on. After quite a few more mugs of ale and hours of talking, the daylight faded outside and turned to darkness. The tavern held a golden glow from the various candles and the fireplace, and a lute player came into the tavern, setting up a seat in the corner of the room, a small cloth pouch on the ground at his feet for tips. He began to play his instrument, and the music soon swirled lovingly with the effects of the ale in my head.


    ¡°All right, I think you need to be leaving,¡± Nyx said to me, a few hours after the darkness had fallen outside. ¡°You look like you''re ready to pass out.¡±


    ¡°It''s been a long day,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Are we going back to the university?¡± Silas asked from beside me.


    ¡°I''d rather not.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I thought you''d say that. Let''s get a room here, assuming they have a vacancy.¡±


    Nyx lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing. Silas called the tavern keeper over, paying him for one room for the night. Nyx waved us off with a friendly goodbye.


    Silas held my arm as he led me up the stairs to the tavern''s second floor, the room key in his hand.


    I tugged at his hand. ¡°I can walk,¡± I protested.


    He kept his grip. ¡°You''ve had one too many mugs of ale.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Despite the disagreement, I didn''t try to pull away again. Silas unlocked the door before us, leading me within a room that smelled as if it hadn''t been cleaned for weeks.


    ¡°Well,¡± Silas commented matter-of-factly, as was his personality, ¡°That stench is quite interesting.¡±


    I laughed louder than I should have at the statement. ¡°How eloquently put,¡± I said, collapsing onto the bed without a care.


    Silas closed the door behind him, turning to face me. He looked at me for a moment, his eyes portraying words his mouth resisted saying.


    ¡°Maybe I should ask for a second room,¡± he suggested, suddenly uncomfortable.


    ¡°Oh, Silas,¡± I said, rolling a bit on the bed so that it made enough room for him on the other side. ¡°I expect nothing more than a good night''s sleep. Let the past be the past.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn''t be a problem. I''d pay for it out of my own pocket. I simply figured you''d want to save the money.¡±


    ¡°Stop your bickering,¡± I replied, readjusting to be under the covers, lying on my side. ¡°I have respected your wishes for over a year, haven''t I? All I want is sleep. Promise.¡±


    Watching as my eyes fluttered close from losing their battle with sleep, he replied, ¡°As you say.¡±

 CHAPTER 4

    Nyx was waiting for us at a small table the next morning, her hood uncharacteristically off, allowing her to show off her dark purplish-black skin and even darker black hair. The tavern was nearly empty at this hour, so she would have to dodge fewer stares than usual. Despite the thick heat of the air, she was in full leather armor again. It served as more than just protection from elements and weapons; because she was an Alderi, her skin was made for thriving in dark and moist environments. She was constantly avoiding direct contact with the sun, and always carried around lotions that she had made for her at an alchemist''s shop to keep her skin from peeling.


    I hadn''t remembered making plans the previous night to meet her here, but then again, I couldn''t remember much about the night before at all. The pain that permeated through my stomach reminded me that my coping techniques for dealing with my father were sorely due to be revised.


    Nyx wiggled her eyebrows at me before making a crude gesture with both her hands about the night before.


    Glancing back behind me, I saw Silas hadn''t appeared in the stairway yet. ¡°Nyx!¡± I hissed.


    She shrugged, a grin on her face. ¡°I figured maybe Silas had finally come to his senses,¡± she reasoned.


    ¡°He''s allowed to have his opinions,¡± I mumbled. I wanted to leave it at that. Silas had been my bodyguard since just weeks after Nyx had been hired to assassinate me, so we had been inseparable for years. It was only inevitable that we would form a friendship, if not more. After a year or so of a very fulfilling romantic partnership, he had abruptly broke it off and asked to revert to the friendship we''d had. He was uncomfortable with our vastly different lifespans, so I guess he found it easier to cut things off with me than to love me and lose me in what would be a blink of an eye in his own life. His opinions on the matter didn''t fully make sense to me, but he was entitled to them. I just didn''t have to be happy about it.


    ¡°Okay, so you''re allowed to have some wild fun on our adventures, then, right?¡± Nyx went on, pulling my thoughts onto other things. ¡°We''ll find you some fine looking man in some city far away, and we''ll keep your identity a secret from him so he doesn''t charge you extra for a night, eh?¡± Nyx patted me on the back. ¡°One night, hot action, and you''ll never have to see him again.¡±


    ¡°You think it''s that easy, huh?¡± I asked. Who was I kidding? I knew she did. Nyx had never been in a relationship, but she''d had her taste of plenty of men from all sorts of races. The Alderi weren''t known for being a monogamous race, and she was no exception.


    ¡°It''s the oldest profession of them all, my friend, and a woman is entitled to partake in it.¡±


    ¡°True enough,¡± I replied with a sigh. I knew she was trying to get me to feel better, or to look forward to something. I simply didn''t think doing something like that would make anything better for me.


    Footsteps on the stairs alerted me to Silas, and he came over to us, oblivious to our previous conversation, his bow on his back. ¡°Are we off to see Bjorn, then?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Ready,¡± Nyx replied, pulling her hood over her head to leave her face in shadow. ¡°As long as I don''t have to get close enough to the university that I start picking up on its stench.¡±


    ¡°Just to the barracks. He''ll be training again today, until dusk,¡± I explained. I had always respected Nyx''s wishes not to get too close to the university; within it, after all, were the dungeons in which she''d been imprisoned. And despite my father having released her years ago, he still abhorred her, and she returned the feeling with equal passion.


    Nyx led us out the tavern door and into the cobblestone streets. We made our way through crowds of citizens and tourists alike, stopping only at a merchant selling whole turkey legs so Nyx could pick up a few with her incessant hunger.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You want one?¡± She asked me as we left, holding out one of the drumsticks.


    ¡°Sure, thanks,¡± I replied, taking it from her. It smelled delicious and fresh. I knew not to ask Silas. Celdic elves, while not all strictly vegetarian, believed in certain rituals of respect when it came to hunting animals and eating their flesh. Silas did eat meat occasionally, but only if he had hunted the animal himself, and only if he knew he would use the entire carcass for materials and give it a proper death, as he called it, with a prayer of thanks and respect toward the animal that had given its life for a different being''s consumption. I held great respect for Silas for such strongly held beliefs. I always had.


    ¡°You don''t think Bjorn''s going to have me kicked off the property, do you?¡± Nyx asked, just before tearing a piece of bird flesh from its bone. Years before, it had been Bjorn that had arrested her. In the time since, the two had never really seen one another. Bjorn''s work kept him near the university, and Nyx was usually as far from it as she could be.


    ¡°No. Trust me¡ªhe''s come around. I wouldn''t be taking you there if I thought otherwise.¡±


    The three of us slowly made our way uphill, the massive stone gate separating the Seran University grounds from the top tier of the city intimidating before us. Just beyond, the clangs of training weapons clashing and parrying echoed off the massive university walls. I kept my face at a downward tilt as we passed the gate and neared the training grounds. After my argument with my father the day before, I couldn''t be sure he wasn''t looking for me.


    We hurried onto the training grounds and past the small stone wall that separated it from the university courtyard, my eyes on the lookout for Bjorn.


    ¡°Kai!¡±


    I spun, finding Bjorn jogging toward me from a building I''d already passed.


    ¡°Where have you been, woman?¡± He asked, grabbing me into a bear hug. I melted in his embrace. I longed for the physical intimacy of others, and Bjorn was one of the rare people who''d ever given it to me. Perhaps my desire for it stemmed from the way my father had never shown it to me. He''d never hugged me or kissed me, even as a small child. The most he''d ever done was grab me on the wrist when he was impatient, and even then his touch had been cold.


    Bjorn pulled away from me, his eyes glazed with moisture. It was the closest I had ever seen him be to tears. Glancing back at the university in all its glory, the stone walls rising upward to rival the clouds, he told me, ¡°Come with me.¡±


    The three of us followed Bjorn into a nearby armory. We waited until Bjorn led us into a side room from there.


    Nyx pulled back her hood in the shadows of the indoors, happy to be free of her cover, if only for a moment.


    Bjorn blinked at her a few times, surprised to see her. ¡°Nyx?¡±


    She smiled awkwardly, lifting up a hand. ¡°Bjorn,¡± she acknowledged.


    ¡°I haven''t seen you in years.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, my absence was intentional.¡±


    Bjorn laughed heartily, which was odd considering he had been concerned just moments ago. ¡°No need to be uncomfortable around me, my dear. I was just doing my job.¡±


    ¡°The same excuse didn''t work for me, you lucky bastard,¡± Nyx replied in jest, speaking of her assassination attempt on me.


    Bjorn chuckled once more. ¡°I like your spunk, woman. Just real quick, before I get into the thick of things, let me tell you that you''ve proven yourself, at least in my eyes. You''ve become a great friend for Kai, and you started out as her enemy. The decision for that change was yours, and I thank you for making it.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate you saying so, sir,¡± she replied. It was weird to hear her use the word sir in respect. Nyx was definitely a product of her rough, brutal, and crude race, but she could still surprise me from time to time in the classy ways she could handle things if she wanted to.


    ¡°And so polite,¡± Bjorn grinned, before turning back to me. ¡°Your father is outraged.¡±


    Even though I''d expected as such, I still cringed. ¡°Yes. I suppose he is.¡±


    ¡°He claims you disrespected him and left his office without waiting for him to excuse you.¡±


    I hesitated. ¡°Yes, I suppose I did.¡±


    Bjorn snorted a chuckle, surprising me. ¡°By the gods, child, you have balls made out of the finest brass.¡±


    ¡°They''re about this big, too,¡± Nyx said from beside me, holding her hands about two feet apart.


    I laughed at the two of them, though I felt conflicted.


    ¡°How I wish I had half the audacity you do in your dealings with him,¡± Bjorn went on.


    ¡°He definitely provoked it. He told me that the time I have left alive is of no concern to him.¡±


    Bjorn''s amused face faded. ¡°He said that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I told him that I wasn''t sure how much time I had, and that because of my abilities he should put me into combat as soon as possible. That''s when he said that and told me that the reason he was sending me on an escort mission was because I consistently failed to follow the orders of my superiors.¡±

 CHAPTER 5

    Bjorn''s jaw tensed, and a vein rose in the skin of his forehead, a telltale sign of his anger. ¡°Let me tell you something, child. You¡ªor your father, I don''t know which¡ªcame to this world at the wrong time. He is undeserving of you. You are a walking contradiction to all of the studies we have ever done; the limits to our magical abilities and our simple abilities as human beings are being tested by your very existence. You will be remembered throughout history, even if you never accomplish anything, if only for being a living phenomenon. But you will accomplish many things, I am sure of it. And your father? He is no one compared to you. He is but one of many cookie cutter headmasters in a long, boring lineage of the Seran royalty. His name will be forgotten. Yours will not.¡±


    I said nothing. I was simply overwhelmed by his praises.


    ¡°Your father is a bitter and jealous man,¡± Bjorn added.


    ¡°You think he is jealous?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? He once thought himself special for being a dual caster who could cast the coveted life spells in addition to a material element. He worked for decades to become respected. You arrive, and kingdoms on other continents are requesting your attention, not his.¡±


    I stared at Bjorn. ¡°What do you mean, they''re requesting my attention?¡±


    Bjorn hesitated, confused. ¡°Ha. I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised you don''t know.¡±


    ¡°Know what?¡±


    ¡°Do you truly think you''d gone unnoticed?¡± He waited a moment. When I didn''t respond, he added, ¡°News of your abilities spread across the land like wildfire when you were fourteen, despite your father''s best efforts to keep it a secret. The leaders of armies across the world, from lands and cities you have probably never heard of, have offered outrageous sums to get you in their armies.¡±


    This news should have enlightened me. Instead, it was frightening.


    ¡°Why doesn''t he just take the money and send me elsewhere, then? He''d likely enjoy the funds more than my presence,¡± I added dryly.


    ¡°You are the greatest asset of war that currently exists,¡± Bjorn said carefully. ¡°Armies may have mages, they may even have dual casters, siege weapons, and other inventions, but many of all of them exist. There is only one of you. We have no reason to believe there will ever be another one just like you. Your father is keeping you within the confines of the Seran Army to prevent you from being used against him, either in war or within negotiations.


    ¡°It''s why keeping you here, in Sera, is extremely important to him. He is outraged not only because he feels you disrespected him, but also because he''s trained you throughout your life to be the greatest asset of his army, and you''re not so keen on the position.¡±


    ¡°Why does he act as if I am an incompetent mage if he thinks I am so important?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°My personal opinion is that he''s trying to keep you dependent on him. He wants you to think your abilities aren''t marketable simply because he wants you to feel your options are limited.¡±


    I took all of this information in for a few moments, sensing that both Silas and Nyx were also doing the same. Finally, I asked, ¡°Is he searching for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Bjorn replied. ¡°That''s why I hurried you in here. Among other reasons.¡±


    ¡°You''re risking your job for it,¡± I replied.


    ¡°So be it.¡± He paused, searching my eyes with his. ¡°I have no reason to believe your father would ever intentionally hurt you, but his selfishness and arrogance is limitless, and you are defying him. I have no doubt he might try to use intimidation tactics to get you to stay within the university.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I am leaving soon, Bjorn,¡± I blurted then.


    ¡°Leaving? Sera?¡± He cocked his head slightly. ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°Soon,¡± I repeated. ¡°I can''t stay here. I can''t let him control me anymore.¡± Even as I spoke, Bjorn nodded, understanding. ¡°Silas and Nyx are coming with me. I don''t know yet where we''ll go, but I want to see the world. Use my skills. Make a name for myself.¡±


    He smiled, then. I could tell it saddened him that I would be leaving, but I knew he wished me nothing but happiness. ¡°And you will, child. You will. Oh! That reminds me.¡± Bjorn straightened, glancing toward the door of the armory, as if he would be able to see through to the other side. ¡°There is a messenger here for you. He''s been waiting for you since early this morning. Claims he''s from Whispermere.¡±


    I frowned. Whispermere. The word was familiar, yet somehow distant; I knew I had heard of the place before, but it must have been far away, because it didn''t come up very often. ¡°Whispermere is...in the mountains, correct?¡±


    Nyx glared at Bjorn. ¡°I think you have the location incorrect. Whispermere is weeks from here. And even if he made the trip, it''s only accessible by a terrible uphill trek through the mountains and its populace is very...exclusionary.¡±


    ¡°No...Whispermere is correct. He looked very fatigued and said he left two moons ago.¡±


    Two moons? Then whoever the messenger was, he''d been carrying his message for half a year. It must have been important, or he must have been paid a very, very worthy sum of gold for the trip.


    ¡°Did...did he say anything about what his message was or who sent him?¡± I asked, intrigued.


    ¡°No, my girl. He refuses to speak to anyone but you. He''s in the university, waiting for you. I''ll have someone retrieve him for you so you don''t have to take a step in there.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Okay, that would probably be best.¡±


    Bjorn did just that, leaving the three of us in the armory for a few minutes while he made the arrangements. We made small talk while the messenger was retrieved.


    ¡°Maybe we''ll have a destination in mind after this,¡± Nyx commented, wiggling her eyebrows in excitement.


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding,¡± I mused, anxiousness foggy in my chest. ¡°Now that we know my father''s been turning down requests for me from other kingdoms, perhaps it''s a message from one of them that they wanted to make sure got through to me.¡±


    ¡°We can hope so, but that''d be rather convenient timing, wouldn''t it?¡± Nyx mused.


    It wasn''t long before the armory door opened, and Bjorn hurried in, a middle aged human man behind him, with skin made of a tan so unique in hue it appeared gold. I had never seen someone with skin of such a color. I wondered if it was due to the environment in which he lived, or perhaps it was even a type of dye or fashion from his hometown. Other than his skin, it appeared he''d been living roughly since he''d left Whispermere. His long, dusty brown hair was matted and oily, and he had an unruly beard that had grown down onto the tops of his throat.


    The man glanced at the three of us, but zoned in on me, like he somehow knew I was the one he was looking for. He bowed, as if he were approaching royalty. Of course, if he knew where to find me, he probably knew I was an heir to Sirius Sera.


    ¡°I bring you a message from Whispermere, Kai Sera,¡± he spoke, his voice one of relief. After having carried his message for so long, I could understand why. ¡°But I am afraid that in order to fully deliver it, you must be completely alone.¡±


    I hesitated, glancing over to Silas. He was never happy to leave me alone with anyone. Sure enough, he was already staring at the messenger with deep suspicion.


    ¡°It appears to be a letter, messenger,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Surely, she can read it quietly and receive the message alone and in the presence of good company.¡±


    ¡°I apologize, sir, but my direct orders were not to deliver the message in the presence of anyone but her. It is crucial she receives this information alone.¡± The man''s voice was wavering. It was almost as if in fear. I had the feeling that if the orders he''d been given weren''t followed, his livelihood was on the line.


    Silas was already replying to the man, but I interrupted, ¡°No, I understand. I am very powerful here, and you know that to try anything would mean your death. You wouldn''t request this if it weren''t the case.¡± It was true. I was fully capable of defending myself, but the fact remained that the messenger might not be aware of this. In either case, I''d just made him aware. ¡°Come, we will discuss this in the other room.¡±


    The messenger nodded, and allowed me to lead the way. Having been in the armory before, I knew where Bjorn''s office was, and so I headed there. With Bjorn still standing alongside my friends, I knew it would be unoccupied.


    An ache of uncertainty settled warmly in my gut as I closed the door behind us a moment later. I felt no hostility from the man, but whatever his message was, it was surely important.


    The messenger nodded again, despite my silence, and handed over the letter, keeping his eyes to the floor. ¡°Please,¡± he offered, ¡°Read it, and I will attempt to answer as many questions as I can.¡±


    Even as I broke the red wax seal on the envelope, I watched the messenger, concern in my eyes. Pulling out the letter within, I let my eyes finally fall to the paper, and read the few words available to me.

 CHAPTER 6

    41st of Red Mo


    on, 416


    My dearest Kai,


    It has come to my attention that you are causing quite the stir in Sera with your unique skills. Because I care deeply about your safety and well-being, I would love to finally meet you and discuss these powers and how you can best utilize them. There are many who wish you dead for the simple fact that you exist¡ªand, may I say, I am very happy to hear that past attempts on your life have failed or fizzled out. Regardless, my dear, you have such immense power because you are an anomaly, and the fact you exist defies the rules of the gods. I would love to explain more, but it is much too dangerous to put everything in writing. Therefore, I must request that you make your way to Whispermere with haste. I will try to explain everything to you when you get here. There are more options available to you than you may have ever dreamed, and you would be of more use taking one of them than to be killed because of who you are.


    I have instructed my messenger to destroy this letter upon delivery. I am sure you understand, and I trust you will make the right decision.


    Sincerely,


    Your Mother


    My eyes stayed glued to the last two words, my heart having slowed its pace to attempt to meet the stilling of my thoughts.


    ¡°My...my mother sent this?¡± I looked up slowly, finding the messenger to be nodding. ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°I...cannot answer that,¡± he admitted, apologetically. ¡°Only she is permitted to tell you. I assure you, I can say that she is very important, and you would be best listening to her requests.¡±


    ¡°How can I find her if I do not know her name?¡± I asked, the tone of my voice laced with emotional desperation.


    ¡°If you come to Whispermere, we do not allow many people within. Simply tell them who you are, and you will be taken to her.¡±


    Taken to her. It all sounded so...formal. So business-like. ¡°How do I find Whispermere?¡± I asked the messenger next, my voice barely more than a murmur.


    ¡°I have a map made just for you,¡± he replied, pulling out a small, folded piece of paper from a satchel at his side. ¡°This details the best routes for the least resistance. Nevertheless, the path is hard and the weather in the mountains can be finicky. I suggest you bring an entourage of people you trust and enough supplies to last you a year. It took me two moons to get here, but the winter was harsh. If you leave soon, you may get there after only one moon or so.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I nodded slowly, trying to wrap my head around everything. ¡°And you...can''t tell me anything of my mother? Nothing? I''ve spent twenty-one years not even knowing if she was alive.¡±


    ¡°The only thing I can tell you is that she has many people dedicated to her, Miss Sera.¡±


    I swallowed, frowning at him. ¡°Dedicated? Why?¡±


    ¡°She''s very important. Very protected. Going into public would cause a stir. It is why we built Whispermere for her.¡± The messenger hesitated, and his cheeks reddened. ¡°I have already said too much. I am sorry¡ª¡±


    ¡°Whispermere has existed for hundreds of years, has it not?¡± I protested, becoming confused. ¡°It couldn''t have been built for her!¡±


    The messenger shook his head furiously, looking down at the ground and slowly backing away. ¡°I have said too much. I apologize, Miss Sera. Your mother will explain everything. Please, come to Whispermere.¡±


    I was silent for a few moments, watching the man desperately for answers. I was so frustrated. To know more than I ever had about my true parentage, and yet it still wasn''t enough to answer any of the questions I''d never thought I would get a chance to ask. I was good at reading people, however, and I knew by the looks of the man that no more would be said.


    ¡°Very well,¡± I finally murmured, my words barely more than the hiss of an exhale.


    ¡°Oh, thank you. Thank you.¡± The man reached out a hand, as if asking for the letter. ¡°Please, Miss Sera, I must destroy it.¡±


    ¡°May I read it once more?¡± I requested. When he nodded, I did so, trying to memorize as much of it as I could to discuss later with Nyx and Silas. Finally, and regretfully, I handed over the letter, watching as the messenger took it, folded it, and pulled a small box from his satchel. When he opened the box, I saw a green, fine powder inside. He put the box on Bjorn''s desk, before pulling out a small bottle of what appeared to be water, and pouring it into the box. As soon as the liquid hit the powder, it thickened and sizzled as if it had begun to boil. Then, without further words, he put the folded letter within, closed the box, and gave it a shake. I heard nothing but a dull fizzling for a few seconds, and then silence. He opened the box again, and there was nothing visible within, as if the box had never had contents.


    ¡°What matter of magic is that?¡± I asked him, intrigued.


    ¡°A mixture of alchemy and alteration magic, is all,¡± he explained shortly, as if in a rush. I knew of alteration magic, but had never learned it. It was a school of magic much like illusion or elemental, though it was much more focused in the altering of matter to suit certain needs. I knew alteration spells existed for telekinesis, or even to reshape objects or to detect other life from through walls and other physical objects. I wondered what kind of spell he''d used. Perhaps the remains of the letter had been transported elsewhere.


    ¡°May I have the honor of knowing an estimated date for your departure from Sera, to relay back to Whispermere?¡± The messenger asked, as he prepared to depart.


    ¡°I will leave within the fortnight,¡± I replied, because I knew that was possible. It gave me enough time to plan my trip and to say goodbye to Bjorn and Terran.


    He bowed toward me one last time. ¡°Very well. I will report as such back to...your mother. Thank you for meeting with me, Kai Sera.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied, watching him leave the room. I did not follow for the moment, my mind swirling with thoughts and possibilities. I''d had no idea just how much one simple message could affect me until now.


    Bjorn and the others came looking for me a few minutes after the messenger had left, concerned when they found me in such a pensive state. It took me awhile to finally begin relaying what little information I knew about the letter and the upcoming trip. There wasn''t much we did know, but the one thing we certainly could count on was that Nyx''s earlier comment was right.


    We had a destination in mind for our adventure.

 CHAPTER 7

    A plate of uneaten baked partridge sat before me, the bird surrounded by a variety of buttered vegetables. It looked and smelled delicious, but was turning cold. I wasn''t hungry enough to eat it, just yet. I had too much on my mind.


    Nyx, Silas, and I were staying at the Howling Wolf Tavern once again. Now that I knew my father was looking for me, I would probably be staying here until we left. I watched absently as a few tipsy patrons danced with glee to the small band of musicians set up on the tavern''s stage. The music was happy and catchy, but it was dull in my mind, having been relegated to the background.


    ¡°Whispermere is an old city,¡± Nyx was saying, eating her own meal and downing it with ale. She was the only one drinking tonight. Silas didn''t drink, and I had too much to think about. ¡°It was built in the Golden Era. I keep trying to figure out why the messenger would have said it was built for your mother.¡±


    She hadn''t needed to say that. I was already wondering the same. The Golden era ended over four hundred years ago. According to history and legend, it was an age of discovery, an age when gods walked amongst mortals. It was an age when dragons and wyverns ruled over the lesser races, exterminating entire towns and enslaving the survivors.


    History and legend often melted together into one mish-mash of conflicting statements, so I didn''t know how much of that to believe. Many I knew prayed to one god or another, but I was loyal to none. I didn''t really believe they existed. They hadn''t shown themselves for hundreds of years, if legend was to be believed, so I felt they deserved no attention even if they did exist. I knew that the vast amount of dragons and wyverns had been exterminated, but stories varied as to how or why. Some still existed, and this I knew for sure. But I knew them to be an arrogant and greedy race that would rather hibernate in deep caves amongst ill gotten loot than to mess with the lives of mortals.


    ¡°How do you know so much of Whispermere?¡± Silas asked Nyx, before taking a bite of his own dish. He had ordered some type of marinated mushroom. It was so large that when it had been served, I could barely tell there was a plate beneath. The sharp scent of vinegar wafted from his dish from a dark sauce that was drizzled over it and the bed of lively greens beneath. I had to admit, his meal looked more appetizing than mine.


    ¡°There was a man who visited Sera a few years ago and claimed he was from there. After I bedded him, we got to talking. He was actually a pretty interesting guy, but it was of Whispermere that he was most secretive.¡±


    I nearly rolled my eyes. Most of Nyx''s knowledge of the world came from the men she had been with, as she had lived exclusively in Sera for the last five years.


    ¡°He seemed to tell you enough of it,¡± I commented, poking around at the buttered vegetables on my plate.


    ¡°Well, I can be very convincing,¡± she chuckled, before taking another swig of ale. ¡°After all, what little he did tell me wasn''t all that helpful and left me with more questions than answers.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t happen to say anything about a powerful woman there? Or why the city was built?¡±


    ¡°No. He did hint at having a reason he went to live there, but he claimed after a few years he became unhappy and wanted to leave. Whatever had pulled him there had also convinced him to leave.¡±


    That wasn''t the most welcoming news. I stuck my fork through a carrot, before just moving it through the excess butter on my plate.


    ¡°What if the letter writer wasn''t really your mother?¡± Silas asked, suddenly.


    I frowned, watching the carrot gather oil on my plate. ¡°What would be the purpose of writing to me, then?¡±


    Silas shrugged. ¡°Isolating you. Perhaps to make an attempt on your life or to take you hostage to try to use your powers for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess their fishing tactics have worked, because I''m taking the bait.¡± I finally brought the carrot to my mouth to eat it. It felt dry and tasteless in my mouth. ¡°But we''ll be careful. I''ll have you two with me, and we''ll overcome them.¡±


    Nyx held up a finger, as if to interject. ¡°Can I suggest something?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°I think we should hire at least one or two more people. Mercenaries. Don''t get me wrong, all three of us are fully capable people, but it''s been years since either Silas or I have gone on a trip, and your spoiled little ass has never left the city.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Silas added.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Where do you suggest we go to hire someone?¡± I asked, before a hesitation. ¡°And what would I pay them?¡±


    Silas shrugged from beside me. ¡°As for the latter question, pay them a little upfront and promise them a cut of all money made from anything we run across. Offer them another sum when we return to Sera, or at least nearby to it.¡±


    ¡°Why would they work for us for a cut if they could work by themselves for the full amount?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Most jobs require more than one mercenary,¡± Nyx replied. ¡°We rarely work for the full amount. You''d also be promising them security for two moons, assuming they''re good at what they do. Job security is always a plus.¡± After a short pause, she added, ¡°As for where you can hire these mercenaries, I''d suggest keeping your eye out for people who look useful and seeing if they''re for hire, and I can take you to the Lounge tomorrow. I have someone in mind for us, if he''s available.¡±


    ¡°What''s the Lounge?¡±


    ¡°It''s where mercenaries gather to wait on work while they''re in town,¡± Nyx replied, with a shrug. ¡°That''s where I''ve always picked up jobs.¡±


    ¡°Okay. We''ll go there tomorrow,¡± I decided.


    ¡°This letter...¡± Silas began, hesitantly, as if something had been on his mind but he was anxious to bring it up with me. ¡°Did it mention any reason as to why your mother would have dropped you off so far away from her if she knew your powers would endanger you?¡±


    I shook my head slowly. ¡°She really only spoke of my powers and coming to see her. The reason she was writing is because she said she heard I was causing a stir. I don''t even know how she could know that. I have never seen true battle.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she is royalty,¡± Nyx suggested. ¡°Bjorn said other kingdoms have requested you.¡±


    ¡°Then why drop her off at the university?¡± Silas countered. ¡°Why not just raise her as royalty from the get go?¡±


    Nyx shrugged. ¡°It was just a suggestion. I don''t know any more than you do.¡±


    The door of the tavern opened then, distracting me. A man hiding much of himself beneath a hood stood in the doorway, the darkness of night behind him. He was mostly covered, but I recognized him, his clothes and stature a dead giveaway. I wasn''t sure why Terran was here. Perhaps he was going to say goodbye to me, since I hadn''t been in the university over the past day or so to do so myself. Or he could have wanted to try to convince me to stay.


    I looked away with a sigh, knowing he''d seen me and would come over. And sure enough, within moments, a shadow fell over the table as he came to stand beside my chair.


    ¡°Sister, why are you hiding?¡± His rough voice betrayed his concern and confusion.


    Without looking over at him, I replied, ¡°Terran, you know very well why I am in hiding. Father¡ª¡±


    ¡°He wants what''s best for you,¡± he pleaded. ¡°He has been concerned for you since you walked out. He fears you leaving.¡±


    ¡°He fears me leaving because he wants to keep me cooped up and abiding by his will forever,¡± I retorted, finally looking up to him. My brother was a handsome sight, his face made of the hard lines and sharp angles that adorned many of the earth mages. His deep brown hair teased its presence from the bottom of his hood, and his sharp green eyes portrayed his inner demons with the current situation. I was sad I''d had something to do with that, but I wasn''t budging on my stance.


    ¡°He is the headmaster, Kai,¡± Terran protested. ¡°I am also obligated to him. You are not alone in this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you have been taken seriously. I have not.¡±


    ¡°Your lack of fieldwork is proof he takes you seriously. He knows you could die after only a handful of tasks.¡±


    I blinked at him, understanding his concern, but becoming angry at the fact this was brought up again and again. I was sick of hearing it. ¡°So let me die, Terran. Why prolong the inevitable? Let me die in battle, because it is what I have trained years for. At least I will die with some satisfaction.¡±


    Terran nodded slowly, coming to terms with my opinion, though not liking it. ¡°Let me talk to him, Kai. I can tell him how serious you are about this.¡±


    ¡°He knows, brother, and having people talk to him has never worked. He is not budging. Besides, I have plans to leave. I have received a message from my mother, and I am going to meet her.¡±


    Terran watched me intensely. ¡°Your mother is alive?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And she wants to help me understand why I have the powers I do.¡±


    ¡°It does not matter why you have the powers you do, Kai, your place is here. Father has raised you here with me. We are your family.¡± I could sense he was a little hurt by the prospect I was leaving Sera to find my birth mother.


    ¡°My place is wherever I want it to be,¡± I corrected him. ¡°Going to see the woman who gave me life does not erase the many years I''ve spent with you. You will always be my brother, even though we don''t share blood.¡±


    Terran hesitated. I think he was realizing he could not win this argument. I hoped my reassurances had given him a little bit of peace. ¡°I wish I could change your mind,¡± he finally said.


    ¡°You cannot,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I see,¡± he said, resigned. ¡°Can I at least get a hug from my sister before she leaves?¡±


    I stood from my chair. I didn''t say anything; I simply hugged him, because I longed for it. I loved my brother. He had been the one tie to my father who had ever been sympathetic toward me. Despite our differences, we had always been able to pull through them and share the common thread of being siblings.


    Terran''s warmth was comforting. He smelled of ale and sage, as he often did. He squeezed me tight. He knew that if I were to see battle on my journey, it was possible this was the last time he would see me.


    ¡°I remember,¡± he murmured into the hair beside my ear, ¡°when I was seven and you were dropped off at our doorstep. Father said he would raise you, and I was so happy. Before mother died, she always said she wanted as many kids as possible, even though we all knew a second pregnancy could kill her before it actually did. I always wanted a little sister. I am so happy it was you.¡±


    My eyes burned with unshed tears, and I patted him on the back. ¡°Thank you, Terran. I appreciate you saying that. I''ve always felt like a disappointment.¡±


    ¡°I am the disappointment,¡± he replied, pulling back and holding me at arm''s length. ¡°I could never live up to what you have to offer.¡±


    A slice of pain cut my stomach in half at his admitting that. I never knew he felt that way.

 CHAPTER 8

    Terran left the tavern after promises that he would say nothing to father about my departure until after I was gone. I knew I could trust him in that respect. His loyalties had always been split between my father and I, but when it came to something as simple as withholding information until I was safely out of my father''s reach, I knew he would follow through on his promise.


    We stayed the night at the tavern once again, with plans to head to the Lounge first thing in the morning to hire a mercenary. Nyx had mentioned she had someone in mind, and I hoped he would be available. I wasn''t really willing to wait around for very long to hire a particular person. I wanted to leave as soon as possible and make most of the trip to Whispermere while the weather was nice and warm.


    The next morning, Silas and I followed Nyx through the busy city streets, past street vendors and magicians, using illusion magic to awe small children and extort money from their parents. After a good twenty minutes of walking a zigzagged path through the cobblestone streets, we followed her to the door of an unmarked building. Had I not known its purpose, I would have simply walked past it. It baffled me why they didn''t have a sign, and I was sure they probably lost potential customers with their apparent secrecy.


    Nyx led the way inside the building. Curious eyes glanced up at us as we walked in, though Nyx''s presence seemed to sate their interest, as they most likely thought we were all mercenaries. The building was run-down, with a floor of dirt and a stench of body odor. People of all shapes and sizes sat at various tables, some drinking mysterious liquids from bagged bottles, others chatting with their peers. I glanced over to a corner, watching a grungy, shady looking man exchange a bottle of what I assumed was rempka, an addicting and life-altering liquid drug, for a couple of gold coins from a very eager customer.


    I followed Nyx down a short hallway and into another room much like the first, with Silas on my heels. I figured he would be uncomfortable in such a place, and to be honest, I wasn''t too enthusiastic to be there, either.


    I felt a nudge at my side. Nyx leaned close to me and whispered, ¡°He''s here. Back right corner. Male human. Hot. Long brown hair, scar on his face.¡±


    I couldn''t help but chuckle a bit at her description as my eyes found the man she spoke of. ¡°He''s good?¡±


    ¡°He''s always one of the first to get hired. I''d go and interview him, if I were you.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± I replied, starting to walk toward the man. ¡°I''ve got nothing to lose.¡±


    The mercenary noticed my approach and watched me with eagle-like eyes as I made my way toward him, realizing that I wasn''t here looking for work. He sat up straight, clasping his hands on the table as I sat across from him.


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I''ve been told you''re good at what you do, so I want to know what exactly it is that you do,¡± I said, noticing it was an awkward statement only after it had come out.


    He huffed a laugh. I eyed the scar on the right side of his face. It looked like he''d narrowly dodged a sword swing that had aimed to cut his head in half vertically. He had dark brown hair that hung shoulder length, and his face was full of stubble. Slight creases on his face gave away that he was probably in his early forties, and had spent many days in direct sunlight. His eyes were a few shades lighter than his hair and gave away the man''s intelligence.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°You''ve been told I''m really good at what?¡± He questioned.


    I jerked my thumb back at Nyx. The man before me nodded in understanding. ¡°You get hired before the others. There''s probably a reason why.¡±


    He pondered this. ¡°Yeah. Probably.¡±


    ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°I am Theron,¡± he replied, simply. His eyes lowered to the table, taking in my many rings. ¡°You are a mage?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied.


    ¡°What does a mage want with a mercenary?¡±


    ¡°I''m looking to add to my crew,¡± I replied. ¡°We have an assassin, an archer, and a mage between the three of us, and we''re looking to add a few to maximize our abilities before we leave Sera. I have somewhat of a personal quest.¡±


    ¡°Where will you be going?¡±


    ¡°Whispermere,¡± I replied.


    ¡°That is quite far,¡± Theron mused.


    ¡°You will be paid well. We''ll split any loot or profits equally along the way, and I am willing to give you a payment upfront and a payment when we return.¡±


    Theron thought about this for a moment. ¡°How long do you think this will take? Once we get to Whispermere, what business do you have to take care of?¡±


    ¡°I am currently uncertain, which I know is inconvenient to hear. If it will take me a long while, I will pay the remainder to you there. It''s even possible that if we work well together, I would want to keep you with us for permanent mercenary work. It''s an option I, myself, am considering.¡±


    ¡°This seems a bit hard to believe,¡± Theron said, his eyes judging me. ¡°Why would you offer me this without knowing what it is that I do?¡±


    ¡°I''m not offering it to you yet. I''m explaining my plan because you asked.¡±


    ¡°That''s fair,¡± he admitted. ¡°Well, to answer your inquiry, I fancy myself a ranger.¡±


    ¡°What are your skills?¡±


    ¡°I fight with a bow and dual blades, depending on the situation. I am also a scout, trained in the ways of both prevention of attacks and hunting down targets. I know weather patterns and I can judge landscapes well, figure out the best path to take in the case of trouble. I know wildlife inside and out and can keep you alive if tragedies befall us in the wilderness, though I''m sure your elven friend here is well rehearsed in such things as well.¡±


    ¡°What kinds of survival techniques do you know?¡± Silas asked from just behind me.


    ¡°How to make salves to prevent infections or rid the body of poisons. What types of plant and animal life are poisonous, what kinds are edible. How to keep frostbite from taking a limb. Wound care. That sort of thing.¡±


    Theron sounded extremely useful. I decided to ask him a question tailored to figuring out his beliefs. ¡°Let''s say I wanted to hire you to kill a target and I just told you the location. Would you accept the job?¡±


    ¡°Is this a theoretical question, or a real question meant to sound as such?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°Answer it honestly, and I''ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°I would be able to complete the job, but I normally want reasons for killing.¡±


    ¡°What if I gave you none?¡± I asked him.


    He shrugged. ¡°It would depend on how desperate for money I was, and I haven''t been desperate to eat in a long while.¡±


    I liked the sound of that. ¡°It was a theoretical question, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I respect that,¡± the ranger replied.


    ¡°Are you interested in working with us?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°The job sounds tempting,¡± he said. ¡°The only thing keeping me from saying yes is not knowing how much you''re offering.¡±


    ¡°That''s understandable. What are you asking for upfront?¡±


    ¡°A couple hundred gold,¡± he said, before a hearty laugh.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    Theron''s smile faded. ¡°Either you''re joking, you''re desperate, or you''re stupid as hell,¡± he commented.


    ¡°I''d hope I was none of those things. I won''t be paying you the money until we''re ready to set off, which should be in a few days, so I know you can''t run off with it.¡±


    ¡°That''s not the reason I said that,¡± he replied. Eyeing me suspiciously, he went on, ¡°Why are you considering working permanently as a mercenary if you have a few hundred to spend on me upfront? You can''t possibly be hurting for money.¡±


    ¡°I''m not hurting for money, my friend, but for purpose.¡±


    Theron watched me carefully. He looked back down at my rings, studying them closely. ¡°I don''t believe I caught your name,¡± he said.


    ¡°I''m Kai,¡± I replied. ¡°Kai Sera.¡±

 CHAPTER 9

    The day we were to leave Sera was quickly upon us. Silas, Nyx and I had stayed at the Howling Wolf for the last two nights we were in the city. The tavern keeper had become friendlier and friendlier to us over the couple of nights we had stayed, enjoying his constant stream of room income. He had served us mugs of ale on the house the last night, and after getting to know us on a first name basis, he had told us that the next time we were looking for a room and ale to come see him. We had heartily agreed, though it was unlikely we would ever stay in Sera again.


    Silas and I met Nyx in the downstairs tavern, and we left together for the Lounge, where we had set to pick up Theron. I was planning to pay him five hundred gold today, as per our agreement. It was a hefty sum, but the man would be spending at least half a year with us.


    The skies overhead of Sera were overcast, and the usually warm and colorful weather of New Moon had decided to be a bit chilly, taking advantage of the bashful sun. I hoped it was not an omen of things to come.


    The streets of the city were still crowded, as they often were. My home city rarely slept, and most tourists and locals alike would wait until an absolute downpour was among them to seek shelter. I was leery of most of them today in particular, after Bjorn''s warning words and my own suspicion. I pulled my own thick hood over my head to limit others'' view of me.


    Theron was waiting for us outside of the Lounge, his head under his own hood, leaning back against the building, one boot against the wall. As we approached, I saw him open his eyes, as if he''d been resting. Pushing off the wall, he walked over toward us, a large satchel hanging by his side.


    ¡°Good morning, Theron,¡± I greeted, immediately getting to business and pulling out a coin purse with five hundred gold. I''d counted it multiple times the night before to ensure its accuracy, and I told Theron as such when I handed it over to him. ¡°You can recount it before us, if you''d like.¡±


    He shook his head, as if he found that unnecessary. He smoothly put the coin purse in an inside pocket of his satchel. ¡°I can count it later. I can already tell it''s more gold than many in the slums will see in a lifetime. I know I will be paid.¡±


    I nodded, relieved to hear he trusted me, at least professionally. I wasn''t sure if that had to do with who I was, or not. It had been clear by our conversation the other day that he knew who I was, whether he''d heard of my skills or simply related my last name to that of the city and its university.


    ¡°Are we ready to leave, then?¡± Theron asked, his eyes down the slope of the city and toward the walls.


    I nodded, though Bjorn and Terran came to mind. We had said our goodbyes to both, but somehow, it didn''t feel like enough. I had never left the city, and while that was mostly a burden to me, it also meant I had never left those I loved.


    The city of Sera was meant to be a beautiful and overwhelming sight. I had always known this, and yet once I was outside of it for the first time, it truly hit me. It was a masterpiece of a city, taking up at least half of the mountainside with its tiers of buildings and architecture.


    The mountain the city sat upon was the last in a range, surrounded on all sides by valleys of deep green. Lush fields of grass would blow in artistic patterns throughout the day by breezes, a methodical thing to see, and one I''d gotten used to watching with admiration from the window of my bedroom high above the rest of the city. There was very little plant life other than simple grass in these valleys, for the land was a bit of a reach for the seeds of the trees from the bordering Seran forests. Despite this, the valleys were unusually clear of grazing animals. I had once heard that early in Sera''s history, dragons and smaller wyverns, once rare, had a population boom, and before that led to their attempts to take over mankind, any animals that saw fit to graze in the valleys around the city were quickly preyed upon by the beasts, with nowhere to hide once the predator''s eyes were upon them. It was for this reason that the valleys alone were viewed as just something else magical about Sera, for it was a lush landscape uninterrupted by any animals save for the tourists and caravans that traveled along the main road.


    ¡°They say that the building of Sera was commissioned out to the dwarves by the settling humans back in the Golden Era,¡± Theron spoke up after a long silence between us, as if he knew all of our minds were on Sera''s beauty. ¡°Only dwarves could build something so complex and significant, for they can mold mountains like no other mortals.¡± After a hesitation, he added, ¡°I mean no offense, Miss Sera.¡±


    I knew that the people of Sera tended to look down upon the dwarves for their focus on the earth and hands-on work with mining and architecture, so Theron had a reason to worry. ¡°It does not offend me. I want to learn the truth of the world, not an altered version of it. And anyway, call me Kai.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Theron replied, his voice a little more comfortable.


    Sera was so large and pronounced on its mountain that even after a day''s worth of travel, it was still in our sight as we set to camp along the border of the Seran forest. The lights of the city, lights made of both magic and fire, lit the night sky in a halo glow.


    ¡°Do you think we''ll be able to hunt a deer this close to the valley?¡± Theron pondered aloud to Silas. The walk through the valleys had been so uneventful and quiet that it was awkward to talk to one another when we''d trekked through them, as if to interrupt the majestic silence would be to wrong nature.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Silas looked deeper into the forest. ¡°We''ll find one.¡±


    Theron and Silas had talked amongst themselves from time to time throughout our first day. The two men had similar skills, and had found common ground. I was glad for Silas, as his acquaintances seemed to always coincide with mine, and he had very few people he spoke to regularly that weren''t my friends first. Theron, while intelligent and willing to answer questions, was a bit intimidating to me. He had a gruff edge to him, along with obvious experience in his field that made me feel put to shame. He had been a little distant with me thus far. It was probably a mixture of being the only person in our group who was hired by me and not a friend, and me being such an important figure from the city he worked in.


    ¡°We''ll set up camp,¡± Nyx offered the two. ¡°You guys go ahead and get dinner.¡±


    Theron and Silas wandered off together into the woods, bows in hand. The two seemed to be happy to get out of helping to set up camp. Once alone, my best friend and I started unpacking supplies and preparing to settle for the night. Though it would have been easier to use my fire magic to start a campfire, Nyx was kind enough to start one the old-fashioned way. I didn''t want to use my magic unless I had to in battle.


    Before long, Nyx and I sat on a makeshift log bench, our eyes gazing over the miles of the Seran valley we''d trekked through thus far and to the beautiful skyline of the city. A light evening breeze whistled low over the valley grasses, rippling them like the waves of an ocean, the sides of the long grasses reflecting the moonlight of the double moon.


    This was so peaceful, so relaxing. It was also the first time I''d ever felt a true taste of freedom. In Sera, I wasn''t being held hostage by any means; that didn''t mean being held down by obligations never felt restrictive. Perhaps I had never known just how restrictive it was until I was actually free. I wondered what Bjorn, Terran, and my father were doing right now, and if they were thinking of me. Maybe it was a selfish thought, but I was thinking of them.


    ¡°How''s it feel to be out on your own for once?¡± Nyx asked, leaning back on her arms to get a reclined view of the landscape before us.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± I replied, my voice whimsical. I glanced over to her, where she had taken off all of her armor save for an undershirt. In the darkness of late evening and without strangers nearby, I knew she felt comfortable enough, herself.


    ¡°Normally, I''d argue with you that beautiful isn''t a feeling, but I get what you mean,¡± she mused. ¡°I''m so glad to be out of Sera. I''m also glad you decided to actually leave. Part of me thought you never would.¡±


    That surprised me. ¡°You know how tied down I felt. I needed to get out of there.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡ªbut you also felt, as you said, tied down. Some never break out of their ties. I''m glad you did.¡±


    ¡°And I''m glad you''re here with me,¡± I admitted, my eyes focusing on some blinking lights in Sera. I wondered if one of the illusionists was having trouble lighting the street lamps with a spell. I wasn''t able to tell from this distance.


    ¡°Wouldn''t have missed it for the world, my friend.¡±


    My mind floated back to the subject of the letter, and something that had been bothering me about it that I''d wanted to ask Nyx, particularly when we were alone. ¡°My mother said in her letter that many would make an attempt on my life because of my powers, and that she was happy to hear none had succeeded.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t worry about that. You''re surrounded by people who can fend off pretty much anything,¡± Nyx replied, seemingly taking my statement in a different way.


    ¡°Well¡ªI''m glad for that, but the reason I''m bringing it up is because you were sent to assassinate me.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Nyx chuckled. ¡°I''m aware.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember anything about why you were sent to kill me?¡±


    ¡°I thought we''d talked about this before. You''re not second guessing me, are you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answered quickly, because I wasn''t. I fully trusted Nyx with my life. Other than how we''d met, she had never shown anything but gratefulness for my keeping her from execution, and genuine selflessness when it came to looking out for me. ¡°I just thought that now that all of this has come about, you might have new perspective on it, looking back. Maybe you could remember...something. Anything.¡±


    Nyx didn''t like to talk too much about the life she had before she''d been sent to kill me. I knew she had her qualms with the culture she''d been raised in, but in another way, I knew she felt she''d betrayed her own people by settling for a life above ground. Her past didn''t come up very often, because it was a source of introspection for her, something Nyx wasn''t fond of.


    ¡°Assassins are raised to be as cold-blooded as possible. When we were given a target, we weren''t told why. To tell us why would be to give us a reason to form an attachment to the target. I knew nothing about you but your name and your general location. I figured out as I was working that you were very important, given how hard it was to get to you and your location in the tallest building of the most pretentious human city known to exist. That is all I knew. Anything else I knew about you I found out as we became friends.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t know who ordered my death?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Nyx hesitated. ¡°The only thing I figure is that whoever ordered it had a lot of money, because the harder the target is to kill, the more our guild would charge. You were the hardest target I''d ever had, just to reach. And then, of course, I failed at my mission.¡± She turned to smile at me. In the darkness, her teeth were almost the only thing visible on her dark face. ¡°Your mission was the only one I ever failed, but I was glad I did.¡±


    ¡°Because you formed an attachment to your target,¡± I teased, using her own words from earlier.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± She relaxed again, gazing off into the distance. After a second, she sat up, as if remembering something. ¡°Oh! Speaking of forming attachments, do you have the map to Whispermere that the messenger gave you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I reached down next to the log, grabbing my bag and pulling the folded map out of it. I was curious as to what Nyx had to tell me, and handed it over to her eagerly.


    She unfolded it, turning it slightly so the light of the fire allowed her to read it. ¡°Ah! I was right!¡± She finally exclaimed, looking quite pleased with herself.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Whispermere...¡± She trailed a finger across the map, to the northeast, where two large mountains were drawn, a path going up between the two. ¡°...is here.¡± Moving her finger to the left, along the coastline of the Servis Ocean, she stopped at a small section where the messenger had drawn a couple tiny buildings, with one word underneath, which was currently unreadable to me from my distance. ¡°Thornwell is here.¡±

 CHAPTER 10

    Thornwell. It sounded so familiar. ¡°Thornwell...¡± I trailed off, tilting my head in confusion.


    ¡°That healer you had the hots for in school. The one who disappeared. You said he was from Thornwell, correct? The fishing village?¡±


    My mind cleared. Cerin. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, beginning to understand.


    ¡°We''re taking the time to go out to Whispermere. Let''s stop here on the way and pick up his fine ass.¡±


    I couldn''t help but burst into a fit of chuckles at her enthusiasm. When they died down, I admitted, ¡°I don''t know if he''ll be there. I don''t know if he''s even alive. And if he is, he probably doesn''t remember me.¡±


    Cerin Heliot would probably forever be a mystery to me. He was the one and only classmate I''d attempted to befriend, and I had gotten quite close to succeeding before he disappeared without a trace. One day, he wasn''t in class. Thinking him to simply be ill, I tried to think nothing of it, despite knowing he was skilled enough to heal himself if it was anything less than serious. Days went by, and with no one else even acknowledging his absence, I had gone to my professors about it, asking them for information. I was told a variety of things, all of them concerning. Some professors refused to admit they even knew who I spoke of, while others told me they had no idea what had happened to him. One in particular said he''d left the college, as if after a few years of very expensive schooling, that was something a skilled mage would just do. I had even gone so far as to mention him to my father, and after a steady and firm stream of dismissiveness from him, he''d finally gotten angry with me. I eventually stopped asking, and had never heard from or of Cerin again.


    ¡°It couldn''t hurt to try,¡± Nyx said, bringing my thoughts back to the present. ¡°Besides, Thornwell is one of the last villages before the mountain. It wouldn''t hurt to get a last night of sleep in an inn before we have to camp in bad weather for weeks.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°You''re right.¡± Nyx had never met Cerin. He''d come and gone before I had ever met her. So the fact she was mentioning him at all reminded me she had her mind on looking out for me. She had always been angry with Silas for breaking up what we''d had. She was of the belief that if my life was going to be short, I might as well have as much fun as I could with it. And her idea of fun usually revolved around bedroom behaviors, so she was constantly thinking of setting me up with men.


    ¡°Speaking of hot guys, that Theron''s a piece of work, isn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Nyx,¡± I breathed, before a restrained laugh. ¡°Please don''t hit on our mercenary.¡±


    ¡°Aww, why not?¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°He''s going to be with us for a long time,¡± I reasoned, patiently. ¡°The last thing we need is hard feelings between everyone. He''s human. Some humans actually want relationships.¡±


    ¡°I''d be upfront with him,¡± Nyx offered.


    ¡°Nyx.¡±


    ¡°All right, I''ll keep my dirty paws off of him.¡± She huffed, displeased.


    ¡°We''ll find plenty of men out there for you. I''m sure there are plenty hotter than Theron.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, have you seen him?¡± She teased.


    Silas and Theron returned to us a few conversations later, carrying with them a small doe. I knew Silas had already said his prayers over it in the woods. Theron began to butcher the small animal, and when he''d retrieved what was edible, Silas took over, gathering the remaining materials in the ways he knew how. Silas was a very good materials maker; with bone and leather, he could make many things, from sheaths to pieces of armor and even small daggers made of bone. It was mesmerizing to watch him work.


    When Theron was done cooking the venison over the campfire, Silas quickly cleaned up what materials he''d gathered and prepared to break for eating. The mercenary was a fantastic cook. The venison seemed to melt in my mouth.


    ¡°This is delicious, Theron,¡± I commented. I wanted to open up the mercenary to conversation. If we were all going to be together for awhile, it would be best to get along.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He nodded toward me.


    ¡°Are you from Sera?¡± I asked him next, watching him from across the campfire.


    Theron glanced up, his rough face seeming surprised that my question was directed at him. ¡°No. I am from a village called French, a couple of days west in the Hydrin Forests.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°I haven''t heard of it,¡± Silas commented, curiously.


    ¡°That''s because it no longer exists,¡± the ranger replied, taking another bite of venison.


    ¡°What happened to it?¡± asked Nyx.


    ¡°It was a small community nestled in the most perfect of locales. In the forest, but near a variety of fruit trees, and a beautiful waterfall. There was an opening in the earth nearby, where we found gemstone in the caves when I was a lad. It proved too tempting for the orcs.¡± Theron took another bite of meat.


    ¡°They raided the village?¡± Silas asked.


    Theron nodded. ¡°Raided it and attempted to build their own stronghold right on top of the corpses of the people I knew.¡±


    ¡°Attempted?¡± Nyx prodded.


    He shrugged, as if unconcerned. ¡°Well, I put a stop to that.¡±


    ¡°Weren''t you just a boy?¡± I asked for clarification.


    ¡°I was when they raided it. I trained for a few years. Went back on my sixteenth birthday and extinguished the fuckers. Burnt the stronghold, too, and then pissed on their shrine to Malgor.¡± He spoke of the warmonger god of the orcs.


    My eyes widened, and I nodded, pleased with that image. ¡°Sounds like a fun time.¡±


    The hints of a smile teased at the edges of his lips. ¡°That it was.¡± Taking a moment to lick his fingers clean of venison juices, he then directed a question at me. ¡°So, is it true what they say about you?¡±


    ¡°What do they say about me?¡± I retorted, more playfully than anything else.


    ¡°They say you defy the gods. That you have more power than any mortal.¡± His deep brown eyes were on mine, searching, testing.


    ¡°I suppose, if it is possible to defy the gods simply by having an excess of power.¡±


    ¡°You wield six elements, correct? Even the dreaded necromancy?¡± It was a question I wasn''t used to answering. Most people didn''t like to acknowledge necromancy existed, even in conversation. Theron seemed like the kind of guy who had worked on both sides of the law, so I didn''t have a problem answering.


    ¡°I do,¡± I admitted. ¡°Though I only know one death spell, and the only reason I know it was because I was being tested. I was supposed to forget it, but I have a penchant for memorizing spells.¡±


    ¡°What kind of spell was it?¡± He questioned, curious.


    ¡°The plague,¡± I replied. I could still recite the spell in my head from memory. As a fourteen-year-old girl, I had been so excited to find I was as powerful as I was. Out of all of the spells I had learned back then when they were testing me to ensure that I could, indeed, wield all six elements, the necromancy spell was the one I''d wanted to memorize the most. I knew it was the only one I would have trouble accessing ever again.


    ¡°So if you wanted to, you could kill any one of us right now with it? Just have our skin eaten alive?¡± Theron seemed to have a morbid fascination with this. Of course, most people did, when they felt comfortable enough to talk about it.


    ¡°I''m not sure it would work on a human, to be honest. I used mine on a plant. They wouldn''t allow me to use it on a person or animal.¡± Since Theron still seemed intrigued, I went on, ¡°When I used it, the plant started to wilt, then rot, then degrade. Eventually, it disintegrated into ash. It was actually really depressing to me.¡±


    ¡°You felt bad for the plant?¡± Nyx teased. I could tell this admittance amused her.


    ¡°I did,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°That is nothing to joke about,¡± Silas spoke up, his eyes on Nyx. ¡°Plants have consciousness just like other living beings.¡±


    ¡°You eat them without prayer, wood elf,¡± Nyx retorted.


    Silas visibly gritted his teeth. ¡°Celdic elf, thank you, and yes, because that is their purpose. They give us life, and we give them life. Your body will eventually rot into the ground and feed them, and they will offer no prayer to your corpse. It is a mutual agreement.¡±


    ¡°How are animals any different?¡±


    ¡°Guys¡ªguys. I believe we''ve heard this argument a few times before,¡± I interjected, unwilling to hear two people I loved hash it out once again.


    ¡°I don''t yet know the connection between you three,¡± Theron admitted, willing to be the one to lead us away from the moral argument.


    ¡°Silas is my bodyguard and friend. Nyx is a friend.¡±


    ¡°Attempted assassin,¡± she added, with a smile. After a short retelling of the tale to Theron, he was caught up to speed.


    ¡°So if you are all friends, and this is a personal mission you''re on, why did you hire me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°None of us have really stretched our legs in quite a while,¡± I admitted. ¡°It''s been years since Silas or Nyx has been outside of Sera, and I''ve never been. We decided to hire help just in case, and since you''re a ranger, you''ll be particularly helpful to us. None of us has ever been to Whispermere.¡±


    ¡°Nor have I,¡± Theron admitted. ¡°I can get you there, no worries, but I''ve never been there. I hope you know they''re not particularly welcoming to strangers. The last thing you want to do is get there and be turned away.¡±


    ¡°I''m aware. My presence was requested,¡± I explained, though I offered little else. Theron appeared to understand my need to be vague. As much as I told him so far, I wasn''t sure I wanted to tell him everything just yet.


    ¡°Good,¡± Theron nodded, willing to drop the subject at my reluctance to say more. ¡°As long as you know what you''re getting into.¡±


    The group of us chatted some more until the insects around us began to compete for attention, their chirps echoing against the thick trunks of the trees of the Seran Forest just behind us. We decided to take shifts sleeping, since we were having to camp outside. Nyx offered to stay up for the next six hours, while Theron offered to get up early. In twelve, we would set off again. I knew the small amount of sleep would work fine for Nyx, who could survive on little sleep and be just as energetic. I was a little worried for Theron, but he waved away my concerns by saying he was used to this.


    I was concerned I would be unable to fall asleep while under the stars. This would be my first time ever sleeping anywhere other than an inn or the university. In reality, once I was lying beneath the stars, with Silas''s warm body at my side, I found it extremely peaceful. The melody of the insects was like a lullaby to my ears, and the light of the stars and double moon were like my own personal night light.


    On my first night away from home, I fell asleep easily, and slept through the night.

 CHAPTER 11

    The next morning, while Nyx was still sleeping, the rest of us packed the majority of our things and put out the campfire. Theron went off into the forest for a half hour or so, coming back with a bag full of gotton berries. They weren''t known for being the sweetest berries in the world, but as breakfast, it was an energizing one.


    During the last hour that we let Nyx sleep from her late shift, Theron and Silas pored over the map I had to Whispermere. Eventually, I wandered over to them, to learn their plans if nothing else.


    ¡°...it''s a tiny village made of nothing more than huts,¡± Theron was saying. ¡°I doubt it.¡±


    Silas glanced up as I approached. ¡°We''re trying to figure out if we should head to Amere.¡± He pointed on the map, where a tiny village was drawn with its name beneath it. ¡°We''ll be passing there a little before evening, so it would be ideal to stop and rest, but Theron''s been there, and says they probably don''t have an inn.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t been there,¡± Theron corrected. ¡°I''ve passed it. There''s literally nothing to stay for.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°It couldn''t hurt to stop there and ask for shelter. Perhaps they have something they need help with that we can exchange.¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, I doubt they have any gold. Shelter would be the only thing they could offer,¡± Theron mused.


    With that, we planned to stop at Amere that evening, after a full day''s walk. Even if they had no shelter, staying the night near the village would be better than in the middle of wilderness.


    The four of us set out as soon as we woke Nyx, our pace brisk with the energy of a night''s sleep. With the valleys of Sera to our left and the forest to our right, we would eventually hit the village we were looking for, which sat on the edge of the Seran Forest. Today, we passed a few other travelers, some on horses and some on foot, and we offered greetings before continuing on our way.


    Just as the sun was painting the sky a beautiful mirage of coral and mint green, we saw smoke rising from the distance at the edge of the wood. A few minutes after that, and a tiny, ramshackle village began to come into view, nestled at the bottom of a small hill, the backs of its huts to the forest.


    ¡°Maybe we should just pass it,¡± came a mumble from Theron''s direction.


    Amere was unimpressive overall. It was a ragtag group of houses, nothing more. The homes were made of rough stone with roofs of layered straw, giving away the fact that the village was a pretty poor one. Fields of grain swayed softly in the breeze within the confines of short, hastily built stone walls that looked as if they hadn''t ever kept anything out as intended. The gray smoke that rose into the early evening sky from the village came from a small outdoor fire, where a few people clad in dirty, frail clothes huddled to cook a meal.


    I heard a moo, and looked around to find a pasture of cows, most of them teetering on the edge of malnourished. Hearing the curious noises of their livestock, the villagers looked our way, their eyes following our footsteps.


    This was probably a stupid idea. The group looked as if they didn''t have two gold coins between all of them. I felt particularly awkward about going up to such a group of poor people and asking them for shelter.


    One of the group, an older woman, stood from a roughly made bench that sat beside the fire, wiping her hands off casually on her pants. She wore a bonnet that kept her greying hair and most of her face out of the sun, and her skin held a map of wrinkles that directed toward the sun spots that were the result of years of hard labor. She watched us approach cautiously.


    ¡°Hail, travelers,¡± she greeted, glancing through all of us, her eyes lingering on Nyx. ¡°Welcome to Amere. Where are you from?¡±


    ¡°Sera, originally,¡± I replied. ¡°You have a nice little village here.¡±


    The woman chuckled. ¡°I appreciate your courtesy, though you are either lying or blind. We do what we can. Is there something we can do for you?¡±


    I glanced back at my group. Everyone seemed content with at least asking. ¡°Maybe, ma''am. We''re mercenaries, and we''re making our way east. We were looking for shelter and would be willing to trade a night''s stay for work. Would any of you here happen to need assistance with anything?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The woman took in my statement with curiosity, before turning back toward the group. ¡°Hank?¡±


    My eyes followed her gaze to a plump, middle aged man who looked perplexed. ¡°Vilma, I ain''t got nothing for them.¡±


    ¡°Your livestock¡ª¡±


    ¡°Listen, friends, here in Amere, we got problems, but no gold.¡±


    ¡°We''re not particularly worried about that,¡± I replied. ¡°We''re just looking to stay the night.¡±


    The villagers didn''t look like they fully believed that statement. Perhaps no mercenaries had ever bargained with them before.


    ¡°What kinds of problems do you speak of?¡± Theron finally asked the man.


    ¡°I got livestock that goes missing. One cow a week, like clockwork. Didn''t know if they was gettin'' out or what, until last week, when I come out one mornin'' and one of my cows is eaten alive, right there in the pasture. Something''s stealin'' my cows, and I ain''t got a clue as to what.¡±


    Theron looked off into the forest, thinking. ¡°We''re about a day''s travel from Sera. It can''t be much more than wolves, goblins, or bandits. Considering they only take one, and they''d usually disappear for all but last week, I don''t think it''s wolves that are to blame.¡±


    Hank watched us for a moment, before reiterating, ¡°I ain''t got no gold.¡±


    ¡°What do you have to offer?¡± I asked him.


    With a glance off toward his pasture, Hank twisted his lips, thinking. ¡°I got cows.¡±


    I chuckled lightly.


    ¡°If you''re considering helping us, I''m sure we could scrounge up some type of reward,¡± the older woman interjected, a little desperately. ¡°We owe a lot of money to Sera, and Hank''s the only one here who raises livestock. His losses are making us all try to bridge the gap in profits, but grain doesn''t sell for as much as beef.¡±


    ¡°Ma''am...we''re not looking to take your gold,¡± I repeated, feeling like that wasn''t getting through to them.


    ¡°Mercenaries never stop here. They figure we''re poor, I suppose. You all are our only hope, unless we all get our weapons and try to take care of it ourselves, and we''re farmers, not fighters.¡± The woman''s voice held a tinge of desperation, as if she figured we were about to turn and leave.


    ¡°I''ll tell you what, ma''am. If you can give us food and lodging for the night, we''ll pull this problem of yours out by the roots.¡±


    ¡°By the gods, you''d have yourself a place to stay whenever you''re in town if you''d do that.¡±


    ¡°...and the loot,¡± Theron hissed from behind me.


    ¡°Oh, and if the creatures that are causing this ruckus happen to have any gold on them¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s all yours,¡± the woman replied, nodding with hope.


    ¡°You have yourself a deal, then.¡±


    The look of absolute relief on the woman''s face filled me with joy. I was also just relieved to have finally bargained with them.


    The old farmer led us out to his pasture, and he showed us the location where the cow had been found gutted. By this point, the corpse was gone, so we had to rely on the farmer''s memory.


    ¡°Was it just killed, or was the meat torn from its body?¡± Theron asked, crouching to the ground and sifting through the grasses.


    ¡°A lot of the meat was gone. Not all of it,¡± the farmer replied, watching Theron as he pulled something out of the grasses. It was a dark brown tuft of hair. Bringing it to his nose, the ranger looked up, and toward the woods.


    ¡°Goblins?¡± Silas asked, watching as the ranger stood, and walked to the small stone wall separating the pasture from the nearby woods.


    Theron shook his head distractedly. ¡°Brownies.¡±


    ¡°What''s a brownie?¡± I asked. I was unfamiliar with the creature.


    ¡°They''re small woodland creatures. Usually quite peaceful,¡± Theron explained, following a specific path to the woods from the small wall, stopping and crouching along the way. At the edge of the forest, he took note of the matted grass between two particular trees. ¡°Easily controlled, though. They worship these...totems. Somewhat like goblins, in a way. If a smarter creature gets ahold of the totems, brownies have been known to treat them like gods and do their bidding. Any time I''ve ever heard of brownies getting into trouble, they''re being controlled.¡±


    ¡°How do we kill them?¡± Nyx asked, getting straight to the point.


    ¡°They''re small and frail. Made of equal parts wood and flesh. So use weapons against flesh, and avoid their mouths. They''re poisonous.¡± Glancing back at me, he added, ¡°And obviously, for your sake, use fire.¡±


    I nodded, understanding. Because Theron was already in the midst of tracking the creatures, I turned back to the farmer, who was still in his pasture.


    ¡°We''ll be back when the job is done,¡± I said.


    The man nodded. ¡°Please be careful.¡±


    Nyx looked nothing but excited as she began to follow Theron into the woods. ¡°Let''s bake us some brownies,¡± she said to me, as she passed.


    The four of us slowly made our way through the woods, allowing Theron time to correctly track the creatures. Above us, through a canopy of leaves, the evening sky was darkening. I hoped we would be able to finish the job by the time it got completely dark.


    I found that I was quite nervous leading up to my first real battle. I had trained for years at the university for this, but somehow, this already felt much different than practice. Mages had to consider all of the reactions their elements could have on environments, and even the allies around them. When in controlled environments at the university, this was simple, and even educational. Out in the real world, I wouldn''t have anyone warning against my move if I were to misuse an element or not fully consider its repercussions.


    Also, I had never actually killed anything or anyone with my magic. These brownie creatures sounded like victims themselves, beholden to another creature''s will. How would I feel right in killing them?

 CHAPTER 12

    Off in the woods, a short distance away, a slow, rhythmic beat met my ears, pulling me from my thoughts. Theron held one finger back, keeping us quiet and still. My heart picked up its pace, knowing now that we were closing in the culprits.


    After a few moments, Theron continued, and we followed him, quiet and preparing for a fight. The closer we got, the louder the beat. It sounded like the drums musicians would sometimes bring to the tavern back in Sera, only now, we were in the middle of the woods, and the beat being played was much more tribal.


    Past the trees ahead of us, an orange glow shone against the bark. Small, tiny high-pitched voices were chattering with glee, some to a melody, in a language unbeknownst to me.


    They''re singing. My stomach churned. How was I going to kill such happy creatures?


    Theron slowly looked past the trunk of the tree before him, seeing the scene ahead. Raising my head up just a bit, I looked over the foliage and into the forest clearing beyond.


    There was a small fire, and over it, roasting beef. Around the fire in a small circle, tiny, short and fat creatures danced, almost as if they were worshiping the beef. The brownies were stocky, probably only two feet tall; and half of that height seemed to be in their disproportionately large heads alone. There were eight of them, just around the fire. All around them, there were tiny makeshift huts, and even small piles of wood that some creatures were using for burrows.


    In the background, directly across from us, larger greenish-gray humanoid creatures sat in chairs, one looking like a throne. I assumed these were goblins, because I''d seen drawings of them. They were ugly creatures, with swollen, misshapen joints and rough, clumsy facial features. Their ears were large and pointy, even more so than the elves, and many of them were pierced. Behind the goblin who sat on a throne was a shrine built out of bone and wood. On it sat a totem carved out of wood. Around it was a magical aura that glowed a light blue.


    Overall, there were dozens of brownies, and probably half a dozen goblins. We were outnumbered, but we were skilled, and the brownies were tiny creatures. It wouldn''t take much to fell them. My mind began to sort through the spells I''d learned, trying to figure out which one would be best. Using fire would be dangerous here; we were in a forest.


    Luckily, I had access to all elements.


    Theron lowered his head and faced me. ¡°Let''s take as many out as we can from here, and let the stragglers come to us.¡±


    In a whisper, I replied, ¡°Let me make the first move.¡±


    He nodded, fine with that idea.


    I moved forward and past him, standing up against the rough bark of the thick tree that separated us from the seemingly happy little community of thieving creatures beyond. I held both palms upward. Directing my attention to my left hand, I recited in my mind, Creatius les fiers a nienda. Even before the flame appeared, I was already reciting another spell for my right. Air magic soon swirled within its magical barrier.


    I stepped out from the tree, alerting the creatures to my presence. The dancing stopped, and the goblin stopped beating on its drums. Rough screams of alarm began to echo from the forest clearing. Directing my arms toward the sky above the population of them, I directed both elements together and forward. The resulting power blew the hair back from my face, both fire and air thrusting forward to combine and become one spell before me.


    The evening sky above darkened and began to crackle with energetic activity, small bursts of lightning flashing in the sky as a funnel cloud swirled down to the earth below, flames licking out from the clouds. As the tornado reached the earth, it was already too late for the small creatures below. The flaming tornado began to swirl and rip through creatures and huts alike, its whirling winds deafening to my ears.


    I heard Nyx curse and run. Like her, I also felt the fear of my own power. I had created what was normally a fatal storm, and it was just before us, killing the creatures below by setting them aflame and lifting them up to displace them, leaving bodies broken and discarded. As the tornado ripped through the small clearing, it continued on its path, into the forest. The trees nearest to it caught fire, just before the flaming branches were broken and thrown elsewhere by the storm itself.


    ¡°By the gods, put it out!¡± Theron screamed at me. ¡°You''ll burn down the entire fucking forest!¡±


    Reaching upward toward the sky, I once again called upon the weather, quickly reciting two identical water spells to both hands, doubling my efforts. Pulling my hands downward, the spell was complete, and the skies darkened further, before rain meant to accompany a hurricane fell from the sky, pelting both corpses and trees with thick droplets. I dispelled my earlier tornado spell, and the storm funneled back up into the sky, as if it had never been here at all.Stolen novel; please report.


    Afterward, I was left breathing hard and looking over the damages I''d just inflicted upon creatures and the earth. With the rains still plastering my hair to my face and neck and adding weight to my armor, my eyes looked over the scene before me.


    All of the creatures were dead. Nyx, Silas, Theron¡ªnone of them had had a chance to do or fight anything at all. My spells had killed everything, and if it hadn''t been for my quick rain fix, it could have very well erased the forest from the map. The trees nearest the clearing were charred, the new rains dripping from blackened bark. The only color from the scene beyond was the blue aura of the totem, which somehow had made it through the attack.


    With a quick murmur, I dispelled the rain, and all was silent but for the drips of the remaining water off of leaves. No one spoke for a long while. I heard Nyx approach us once again, slowly, from having run for cover earlier. She still said nothing.


    We all took a moment to survey the scene and think about what we''d just witnessed. No one said anything for a long while, until finally, Theron began to walk past me to loot the huts and bodies before us.


    ¡°You could take over nations with that power,¡± he mused, his tone awed and even somewhat reserved. He was clearly shaken. We all were.


    Nyx stared at me as if she barely knew me.


    ¡°I''m sorry it scared you,¡± I offered, my voice low and nearly ashamed.


    ¡°I guess I just never knew how powerful you really were,¡± she replied, her voice lacking energy. ¡°I mean¡ªI knew. There''s only one like you. But...¡± she looked over the destruction in front of us, and simply shook her head. She offered me nothing else.


    Nyx left then, moving to look through the wreckage with Theron before it got too late to see anything. Silas walked up to me, and I felt a hand at my back, slowly rubbing me, trying to comfort.


    ¡°You need to leave some of the fighting for us,¡± he commented. As usual, he was hard to read. His green eyes were on the results of my spells, but they did not offer me any insight to his thoughts.


    ¡°I will, next time,¡± I promised, leaning toward him, because it comforted me. Though we were both wet with the rain, I could still feel his warmth. ¡°I didn''t really know I would start and finish the fight like that. Plus...I guess I just got it out of my system, now.¡±


    ¡°The eagerness for battle?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I''m glad.¡± After a hesitation, he asked, ¡°Do you feel...okay? Weaker?¡±


    I swallowed hard. I knew he was worried. ¡°No,¡± I answered, honestly. I was grateful for that.


    ¡°Good.¡± He squeezed me toward him, in a comforting move I was no longer used to from him. I missed it, but I respected him and could leave it in the past.


    ¡°Ah! We''ve got a hoarder,¡± I heard Theron speak up, crouching as he came out of one of the goblin huts. ¡°A whole chest full of gold in here,¡± he clarified.


    ¡°Now, that''s what I like to hear,¡± Nyx replied, walking over to the hut to see for herself. The energy in her voice made me feel a little better. I was worried she felt less of me for my display.


    We finished looting the small huts, and Silas went over to the trees I''d damaged, lying his hands upon them and whispering in Old Elvish. I knew he was offering them apologies and healing. He knew earth spells that could stimulate growth in plant life, and I saw him use them on the trees. I felt guilty watching him do this; it made me feel like he was cleaning up after me, in a way. Still, I was glad he knew how. Otherwise, I would be leaving damages in my wake with no reparations.


    ¡°They appreciate the rains you offered them,¡± Silas said to me, just before we left to go back to Amere. ¡°This forest is in the midst of a drought.¡±


    His ability to communicate with plants never ceased to amaze me. It was an ability innate to the Celdic elves, but then again, Silas was the only one I''d ever known so thoroughly. He was my little window into a world I wouldn''t have otherwise known existed.


    ¡°I''m glad I offered them more than destruction,¡± I replied, a little relieved.


    ¡°You stopped it before it got out of hand. That''s all that matters.¡±


    We offered the villagers of Amere the totem that had belonged to the brownies, both as proof we had found the culprits and as a gift that they might be able to use in the future. I wasn''t sure as to the origins of the magic of the totem. It was possible that the creatures were drawn to it, and that the villagers would someday find brownies on their doorstep willing to peacefully coexist with them and treat them as gods.


    Other than gold, the loot from the creatures hadn''t been too impressive. We were able to pocket some goblin-made weapons, which would go for a decent amount of gold at the next merchant we came across. From the merchants in Sera, I knew goblin weapons fetched some gold for tourists who came from places goblins weren''t common in, and also, they made good first weapons for children, because they were often smaller and more blunt than most. Gold-wise, we had found a total of two hundred coins, which we split evenly, each of us getting a little over fifty gold a piece.


    By the time we left Amere the following morning, my share of the gold was left on the kitchen table of the family home we''d been given as shelter for the night. Due to my place in Sera, I was privy to the financial information of the villages on the outskirts of the city, and I knew what Amere was charged in taxes. They needed the money more than I did, especially given they had to build up their livestock again. I wasn''t hurting for gold, anyway.


    I knew Amere would forever hold a special place in my heart, even as it disappeared behind us as we traveled on. Though the goblins and brownies there hadn''t been able to put up much of a fight, it was there that I realized just what I was capable of.

 CHAPTER 13

    Scrapes and knocks on stone created a pattern in the air between us as Theron set to work grinding down an herb in his mortar and pestle. The rest of us continued to eat, watching him.


    The night sky twinkled overhead, and was brighter than it would have been just weeks ago, when only one moon hung over us. Now, a few weeks into our journey, the season of New Moon was slowly heating up and preparing to hand the reins over to the hot and dry season of High Star, so the second moon had made its appearance, as it did for a few weeks twice each year. Our planet of Arrayis only had two moons; the first, visible year round, was Eran. It was quite small and not very bright despite its white and grey coloring. It appeared smooth save for long, mostly straight lines across its face, as if one of the gods had reached up and scratched at it with uncut fingernails.


    The second moon, Meir, only appeared over Chairel twice a year, and only for weeks at a time. It came to help the exchange of seasons from New Moon to High Star, and then from Red Moon to Dark Star. It was much larger than Eran, appearing almost like another planet. Some astronomers argued that it was, indeed, another planet, but arguments had ensued over that for years. For now, we considered it another moon, and many in Chairel celebrated its appearance in festivals and events twice a year. Meir would first appear low on the horizon in the east, and for the first fortnight, makes its way to the top of our sky. Over the next fortnight, it would slowly make its way to the west horizon, before disappearing for half a year. Meir was a soft cream in color, though its surface sways also toward reds and some browns in the imperfections of its land. The northern half of the moon was dotted in craters of various sizes, but the bottom half was mostly smooth. Those with clear enough vision even would claim to see waves on its surface, like it was a type of desert.


    I stared at the celestial object for now. On the horizon, it seemed so bright and large, like it was ready to fall to our planet at any time. When I lived in Sera, Meir had only been slightly visible at select days of the year, as its course was mostly hidden behind the Seran Peaks that ended in my home city. Our group had kept the Seran Forest to our right over our journey thus far, since the edge of the forests would lead us straight to the Cel Mountains, where Whispermere was buried. Nothing but plains were to our left, and had we walked across those plains, the Servis Ocean would eventually come into view. Over this, Meir etched its path in the sky, allowing its full glory to be seen in a sky that had gone mostly unrivaled.


    I found Meir beautiful. I also found myself grateful for it, because it was something that had always been there, but I had been unable to see it. There truly are no limits to the benefits of freedom.


    ¡°We''ll let this sit for an hour or so, and it will congeal.¡± Theron''s voice pulled me away from viewing the sights, for the moment. He had a wooden bowl in his hands, where he''d combined the powder from the herb earlier with water and oils. The result was a milky green looking liquid. Theron spoke to Nyx as he said, ¡°Then you can try it, see how it feels.¡±


    Nyx glanced over to me with a glimmer in her eye. I knew she was giving his words a double meaning, given her nature. I shook my head in humor at her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said to him. Theron had made the lotion for her skin, since the warmer weather was causing it to dry out quicker than usual. She had already gone through most of the supply she''d brought with her. ¡°Do you think there will be enough herbs like this the rest of the way to Whispermere?¡±


    Theron shrugged. ¡°In the forests? Yes. Once we get to the Cel Mountains? Not as much, but you won''t have as many problems with your skin then. It gets pretty snowy and cold within a few hours of being on the mountain path. I can make you some extra lotions before we get there.¡±


    ¡°I have a better idea,¡± Nyx mused, leaning forward on her log. The campfire cast her face in light, though she was mostly hidden in her armor and hood, to avoid dryness from its heat. ¡°Teach me how to make it and how to spot these plants in the forest.¡±


    Theron nodded. ¡°I can do that, too.¡±


    Silas and I both stayed quiet for the moment, eating. I hoped Nyx''s idea was more about her learning something useful than getting closer to our mercenary, but I could say nothing more on the subject that I hadn''t already. She knew I didn''t want her crossing the professional line with those in our group, but I couldn''t keep her from becoming friends with anyone, and I wouldn''t have wanted to. Silas and Theron had already developed a type of mutual understanding between the two, and it was possible it had started delving into friendship. I was happy for that. I wanted Silas to have more friends than just having me, and if Theron ended up liking being with us, it meant he would probably stay with us past Whispermere. He didn''t talk much other than business, but he was useful to have around, despite the fact that we hadn''t been in any trouble since fighting with the goblins and brownies at Amere.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Maybe now would be a good time to mention what we found today,¡± Silas said, seemingly out of the blue. I looked over to find him staring at Theron, who nodded.


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Theron''s sharp brown eyes found mine. With no amount of emotion in his voice, he said, ¡°We are being followed.¡±


    A sharp pain sliced through my stomach. The new knowledge began to sink into my skull, immediately making me paranoid. My eyes darted to my right, as if they''d be able to see anything through the thick blackness of the forest. I was opening my mouth to reply when Nyx spoke first.


    ¡°Maybe your father sent his men.¡±


    I glared over at her. I knew she hadn''t meant to let the cat out of the bag in front of Theron, but her forgetfulness had gotten the best of her. Theron knew I was a Seran heir. He didn''t know I was a Seran heir who was technically on the run.


    Theron''s facial expression didn''t change. ¡°These aren''t men who are following us.¡±


    ¡°Then who is?¡± I asked, desperate for clarification.


    ¡°Orcs,¡± Silas replied, looking slightly more concerned than Theron. ¡°When Theron and I were hunting this morning, we ran across a human tracker. He had an orcish-made slave collar around his neck and was sleeping at the base of a tree within distant view of our camp, but didn''t wake up in time. We woke him and attempted to get him to answer our questions, but he wouldn''t.¡±


    ¡°So...what happened to him?¡±


    Theron shrugged. ¡°I killed him. Some human slaves try to negotiate for freedom, but sometimes they have family that are enslaved, too. Sometimes they are the only ones in their family who are slaves and refuse to give information for fear the orcs will find out and then find their families. There are all sorts of reasons. The only thing that matters now is that he was following us and relaying information back to other trackers. Orcs sometimes use this method of tracking until they''re able to get an army to a location.¡±


    ¡°An army?¡± My jaw went slack. ¡°Just how many orcs do they think they need to send for four people?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure. We found no evidence of any orcs yet, but they will be coming.¡± Theron reached into a satchel and pulled out a handful of nuts, which he held in a hand to snack on. ¡°They might send a few, thinking they can overpower us. They may send more than a few if they have an inkling that you''re as powerful as you are. Which they must have an idea of, or else I don''t know that orcs would bother attacking us. None of us look rich, except for him¡ª¡± Theron nodded at Silas, whose armor still had the emblem of Celdic royalty ¡°¡ªand we''re not transporting much of anything, let alone goods that are expensive.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they see that we are capable,¡± Nyx suggested. ¡°If they enslave humans, they could just be looking for more people to corral into their pens.¡±


    ¡°That''s one idea,¡± Theron admitted, before eating another nut. Putting the rest back into his satchel, he leaned back on both forearms.


    ¡°You''re not in the least bit worried about this?¡± I asked him, taking note of his relaxed body language.


    The ranger returned my gaze thoughtfully. ¡°I''ve dealt with orcs many times. Haven''t lost yet. And besides, I''ve seen you fight. You shouldn''t be worried, either. If anything, I''ve gone weeks without a fight and I''m itching for the bastards to give me a reason.¡±


    ¡°Surely, in the many years you''ve been a mercenary, you''ve seen people you like get killed?¡± I questioned. ¡°Maybe even brutally?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I have,¡± Theron agreed.


    ¡°I''m sure you''ve seen someone make a mistake and get hurt or killed, or even be ambushed by the enemy and killed before they can defend themselves...?¡± I watched the mercenary carefully. ¡°Any of that could happen to us.¡±


    ¡°It could. There would be no use in worrying about it now. Those kinds of things usually happen to the weak, so I wouldn''t waste time thinking about it.¡±


    I knew Theron was right. Worrying wouldn''t do anything productive, let alone change the outcome of any potential fight. Perhaps it was my lack of experience that caused the anxiety to build in my gut. Perhaps it was the fact that I''d never faced an orc, but knew much about them due to the reputation of the race. Orcs were responsible for the eradication of many a town and city, and they weren''t known for being fair in the game of war. I''d once heard that one orc was worth the strength of three battle conditioned men, and I had never really wanted to test that saying out by facing the brutal race myself.


    ¡°I''d like to know why Nyx here seems to think it''s a possibility that we have the Seran Army chasing after us,¡± Theron went on, after the silence had befallen us for some time. I exhaled through gritted teeth when he brought it up again. I had figured he either hadn''t heard us or hadn''t much cared. ¡°Unless you are not who you told me you were, I don''t see why Sirius Sera would send an army after his own daughter.¡±

 CHAPTER 14

    The others were silent. I understood. This was my responsibility. The mercenary did deserve to know fully what he was getting into with us. ¡°How much do you know of Seran royalty?¡± I asked him. It would be easier to explain it all if I knew how the commonfolk thought of us and what they knew of the lineage.


    ¡°I know that Sirius is the current ruler of Sera, and reports to Queen Edrys in Comercio. I know he has two heirs. Terran Sera, and you.¡±


    ¡°Terran and I are both heirs, but Terran is his only child,¡± I replied.


    Theron was listening, emotionless. ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°Sirius is not my biological father, but my adoptive father. I was dropped off at the Seran University as an infant, and he decided to raise me as his own. I realized my powers at fourteen, and my father has tried to control me ever since.¡±


    ¡°For his army?¡± Theron asked. Perhaps I was mistaken, but there seemed to be a smidgen of sympathy that crossed his features.


    ¡°Well...yes and no. He wants me for his army, but I think he was putting off letting me use my powers because he knew that once I did, I wouldn''t live for long. Maybe he was waiting for the right time to use me as his joker card. In either case, I wasn''t willing to let him use me. I disobeyed his orders to join the Fourth Order and left Sera without his permission or knowledge.¡±


    Theron hesitated a moment, looking like he had a lot on his mind. ¡°You used your powers that day at Amere. Did that give you a death sentence?¡±


    ¡°It''s always been a death sentence,¡± I replied. ¡°It is for any mage, but me moreso than others. Some mages can wield one element and live almost a full life if they''re smart about it. Two elements, and you start to shave the years off your life. Six?¡± I shrugged. ¡°You can see my issue.¡±


    ¡°Then why use your powers at all?¡±


    ¡°I''d rather live a short life doing what I love than to live a long and unsatisfying one.¡±


    Theron nodded, as if he agreed. More questions were in his features, but he remained quiet.


    ¡°You have questions,¡± I said.


    ¡°I do, but they are mostly out of ignorance,¡± Theron admitted. ¡°I have worked with mages before, but I have never understood them.¡±


    One corner of my mouth raised in amusement. ¡°What''s there to understand?¡±


    ¡°How magic works. Why it kills you. Why anyone would wield it since it does.¡±


    I thought about my upcoming words carefully. ¡°Magic is essentially the manipulation of energy. In order to manipulate energy, you have to understand it and where it comes from. Bodies make energy, movement makes energy. Weather¡ªwind, lightning¡ªmakes energy. Mages have the ability to mentally call this energy into submission. That ability comes to people in a variety of ways¡ªgenetics have a lot to do with it. Some races are predisposed to magic, particularly different types. Most elves have magical abilities. Some humans. Few to no dwarves. Regardless, if someone has a magical ability, their children are likely to have it as well.


    ¡°When mages call upon energy to use in spells, it is pulled from reserves in an order we like to call The Kilgorian Law, given the name of the man who founded it.¡± Using my fingers, I counted down as I spoke the order. ¡°Environment, weather, self. It will not pull reserves from the life of plants, animals, or other forms of life, because that is reserved for necromantic spells. Imagine going to a recent battlefield rife with the bodies of melee soldiers and getting into a fight, as a mage. When you use your spells, the energy you use is pulled according to the Kilgorian Law. So here, the first energy used would be residual energy from the battle. The energy from the exertion of bodies that are now deceased. The type of energy that hangs in the air, that most people can feel even if they are not mages. Next, it will attempt to pull energy from the weather. If there are winds or a storm, mages will pull energy from this until that weather dies down and ceases in the area. Then, it will pull energy from yourself¡ªmeaning, essentially, it begins to drain your life, much like a necromancer would do in a spell to someone else. It is not necromancy when self-inflicted, because you have permission to give your life energy to yourself. You are not taking from one and giving to another.¡±


    ¡°And when you run out of reserves, you die?¡± Theron asked. I gave him credit for listening. He did seem legitimately intrigued by it all.


    ¡°You can. For the most part, mages know they are running out of reserves and retreat from battle, or they never let themselves get that desperate. Running out of reserves means that yes, you run out of life, but most mages pass out before they get that far.¡±


    ¡°But mages have shorter lifespans than others in general,¡± the ranger pointed out. ¡°It seems like even the ones who are smart enough to conserve their energy still die younger.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°They do. Allowing yourself to use any of your life energy at any point will cause that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The same reasons why someone who never gets enough sleep will die younger, or why a poor diet can lead to sickness and early death, or why starving kills people. Depriving mortal bodies of energy weakens and ages them, whether you are a mage or not. Mages just do this as a living, so it happens much more often and tends to be much more severe because it is a deliberate act and takes more than if it were to happen naturally.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Are there exceptions to that?¡± Theron questioned. ¡°Perhaps elves aren''t as affected by it because of their long lifespans?¡±


    ¡°We are still affected,¡± Silas spoke up, for the first time in awhile. ¡°It just doesn''t seem like nearly as bad of a sacrifice as humans have to give. A full life for a Celdic elf who does not practice magic can last anywhere from six hundred to one thousand years. For a Celdic elf that does practice magic, you''re looking at four hundred to nine hundred years, depending on how often magic is used. It is rare to see any Celds die from magic use, or even die younger than eight hundred because of it, because we battle infrequently. Celdic mages tend to visually age faster, as well. A Celdic mage of two hundred might appear to be twice that or more.¡±


    ¡°There are two other exceptions,¡± I added, once Silas was finished. ¡°Out of the six elements, there are four material elements, and two wild cards. They are all under the banner of elemental magic because they are used the same. The spell language is the same. Sometimes, you''ll hear someone say destruction magic instead of elemental¡ªit means the same thing, and is sometimes called that because that is elemental magic''s number one use: destruction, or use during battle. The material elements are fire, earth, air, and water. The wild cards are life and death.


    ¡°Life and death aren''t considered material elements because it deals with the transfer of energy alone, as its own element. The other four elements use energy to create that element, whether it is water or earth or otherwise. With life magic, you are using energy itself to transfer into a body and accelerate natural healing processes that would otherwise have been impossible without weeks of time. With death magic, you are, again, using energy itself to reanimate the dead.¡±


    ¡°Life and death mages are the exceptions to the rule, then?¡± Theron prodded.


    ¡°Yes¡ªessentially. While these mages can still die from their magic use, they tend to not be affected near as much as other mages in terms of its detriments. This is because their elements combat the side effects that the magic use itself gives their bodies. Healers can reverse most damage done to their own bodies, with the exception of the aging process itself. Necromancers can transfer life energy from other life into themselves, in a spell known as leeching. Not only can that help to heal them, it can also render them essentially immortal, and is part of the reason they are so feared. Taking in that much life energy can actually slow down and even reverse the aging process, in some extreme cases, even for humans. This is why there are documented cases of human necromancers living to be two hundred, three hundred, and even four hundred years old by the time they are caught or killed.¡±


    ¡°Valerius the Undying,¡± Nyx mused, speaking the name of the oldest human necromancer ever recorded. He had lived to be 457 years old by the time he was finally cornered in his tower on an island in the northern Servis Ocean. Not wanting to face him, the combined armies from Chairel did the only thing that could ensure their army''s safety while killing the target: they''d lit the tower on fire, and hadn''t left until it was in rubble.


    ¡°How do you think he got away with it for as long as he did?¡± Theron asked, speaking of Valerius.


    ¡°I know how he did it,¡± I replied. ¡°I read books and books on him at the Seran University. He made a pact with a family of krakens that were known to roam the Servis before he made his home on the island there. The krakens would sink merchant ships on the trade route between Chairel and Glacia within view of the island. They had free reign of the treasure aboard the ships and would eat their fill of the seamen they could catch. The remaining seamen would do the only thing they could to survive, and swim to the shores of the island, where Valerius was free to feed upon them.


    ¡°There were so few survivors that Chairel had no firsthand knowledge of what was going on save for knowing that trade between them and Glacia was at a full stop, so they sent a navy out to investigate and put a stop to it. Well, the same thing happened to them, and Valerius got even stronger, and had enough weapons and armor to equip any of the thousands of skeletons he''d been collecting on the island if he needed to use them. Chairel finally wizened up and sent scouts along with an army and found out about the necromancer that was aiding the krakens. Before long, a full-scale war broke out between a handful of sea creatures and a necromancer and the entire country''s army. Two hundred years later, Valerius was finally dead.¡±


    Theron chuckled, surprising me. He looked extremely amused by the story rather than disturbed. ¡°It took two hundred years for an entire army to take out one necromancer,¡± he mused, shaking his head. ¡°I can see why it is banned.¡±


    ¡°Keep in mind that this necromancer had allies and strategy on his side,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Also...human armies take time to build. Valerius had thousands of skeletons at his disposal, all of which he could use multiple times if he had the energy for it. And considering the attacks came in waves, he always did.¡±


    ¡°You know much about this necromancer,¡± Theron mused, smiling over at me. It was the first time the mercenary had shown genuine admiration for me. I wasn''t sure if he liked my knowledge on the subject or the fact that I liked knowing a lot about something that was so taboo.


    ¡°I know a lot about a lot of necromancers,¡± I retorted, with a hint of my own smile.


    ¡°Why? Your own father has necromancy outlawed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but its illegality does not make it less interesting. Necromancy is quite possibly the strongest element of them all. It intrigues me.¡± I shrugged. ¡°As does battle tactics and strategy in general. I used to read books on all of history''s greatest war generals, regardless of their race or type of weapon. It''s interesting to see how the world was shaped and by who. What decisions made victories, what mistakes ended in losses.¡±


    Theron watched me carefully. Our entire conversation had seemed to get him a little more warmed up to me. Perhaps he had once seen me as a green and inexperienced person of royalty. Technically, that''s what I was. But he''d now seen me in battle, heard my story of refusing to cave to my duty as an heir of Sera, and knew that I was knowledgeable of my craft, among other things. I was half his age, but he now knew I was both talented and motivated. It was enough to help him see me in a different light.


    Finally, the ranger spoke again. ¡°It would be interesting to me to see you put all of that intrigue and battle talent of yours to the test,¡± he mused.


    I wasn''t sure what all he meant by that. He''d already seen me in battle. Unless he meant on a large-scale, like the war generals and wars I spoke so fondly of. But I would never have the opportunity to be like those historical figures I had always admired. The only army I ever would have a chance to be a part of was the Seran Army, and I''d already squandered all chances of joining it.


    I was afraid I''d have to disappoint Theron in that respect. There weren''t going to be any large-scale battles or wars in my future.

 CHAPTER 15

    It was so deep into the night, even the insects were sleeping. I watched the night sky, my mind on our little group''s previous conversations. The others were asleep. Both Silas and Theron were silent. Nyx snored lightly beneath her tent. It was like this every night when it was my turn to keep watch; the assassin was somehow always the loudest sleeper.


    I had described magic and its use to Theron in such great detail earlier, that now it wouldn''t leave my mind. I had been alone for long enough into my watch that my brain was creating new weird and ridiculous things to focus on. For example, I could wield six elements, which meant I could also wield life and death. Would it be possible to prolong my inevitable early death, much like Valerius and other necromancers had?


    Of course it would, I argued with myself. The only difference between Valerius and I was that I was unwilling to feed off of the energy of others. There was a reason necromancy was banned. Leeching energy was almost akin to cannibalism, was it not? And regardless, to learn and use death spells would be to sign my own death sentence.


    Crack!


    My head whipped to my right to follow the noise, my gold eyes staring into the abyss of the forest, beneath where the light of our campfire flickered off of the leaves. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, shapes began to form, differentiating themselves. For the most part, I only saw the vertical lines of the trees. Perhaps it was only a woodland animal, like it had been so many times before. Perhaps it¡ª


    Then, the campfire flickered over the outside edges of the shadow, pushing it back into the forest by a couple of inches. I saw the glimmer of silver on a sharpened point, and immediately thrust my hand out. By the time my arm was straight, the spell was recited. With a zwip, a clear, flickering energy spread out in all directions from my palm, surrounding my body in an egg-shaped orb. A split second later, the arrow that had been meant to kill me bounced harmlessly off the shield, landing in the brush some feet away.


    ¡°Company!¡± I exclaimed, keeping the shield up with my right hand while trying to decide what spell to recite with my left. I heard the others waking to help fight, even as the uncertainty of our attackers still hung like a heavy curtain in the air.


    I saw the silver glimmer again. This time, the arrow wasn''t meant for me. Before I could decide on a different spell, I was shielding Silas, defending him against the next arrow.


    The elf already had his beautiful pearl white bow in his hands, and was firing off arrows.


    Arrows. Plural. I refocused on the forest. The would-be assassin had only been the first attacker. Perhaps he had meant to kill me, the look-out, so that the others could be killed quietly; now that his plan had failed, the shadows of his friends grew in the forest until an entire group of orcs were rampaging toward us.


    I had heard of orcs. I had seen paintings and drawings of them. Nothing could compare to seeing them in person. In drawings, one cannot see that orcs tower above most men at seven to sometimes eight feet tall, or that their muscles bulge much too far in husks of dark green and grey skin, thick veins threatening to pump their raging blood straight into the air. Drawings cannot recreate the seething hatred that is exuded from the blood red or black irises of the creatures. They were running so fast, their heavy footsteps causing the ground to tremble, even the flames of our campfire shaking in intimidation. Each orc held a weapon that was stained in the blood of previous battles, while more swung heavily from sheaths at their waists. There were no orc archers; the archers in the woods were all human or goblin slaves. Orcs were clearly partial to melee weapons, particularly of the ax, mace, and club varieties. Most of their axes had either holes in the blades or were hooked at the end, ensuring maximum pain and trauma when creating a wound or exiting it.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    I knew orcs were distant relatives of other races of elves. So despite how different they looked from humans, I knew they were mortal and could die by battle. I had all of the elements at my disposal, but this close to the forest, I didn''t want to use fire and recreate the risky battle at Amere. I needed to remember that forests catch fire much too easily, and that like the orcs, my friends could also die by flame.


    Nyx locked her attention onto one of the first orcs to make it to our camp, and engaged him in melee. She was much quicker than him, dodging around most of his weapon swipes that meant to crush bone or break skin and muscle. At the same time, she was slicing and dicing through him with her blades, and he barely noticed.


    There was another orc engaged with Theron, who was prickled from Silas''s arrows. It was only when one of the arrows went through an eye that he fell.


    I decided then that I needed to support my allies rather than attempt to kill the orcs through full force. There were probably fifteen or so orcs, with three slaves left shooting arrows from the edge of the forest. We had only killed one orc and two slaves thus far. I needed to buy my friends time.


    Creatius la agua a friz. Water lapped up against the magical barrier above both my palms, before a crackling, sizzling noise began to pop in the air, the water beginning to harden and freeze, the sharp designs of ice clinging to the barriers. I felt a faint coolness on my hands, the ice I held so frozen that the temperature began to leak through the safety of the magic shield.


    I hurried over to Nyx, who was still fighting the same orc. The orc noticed me, and sidestepped Nyx to focus on me instead. Perhaps he was tired of getting nowhere fighting her, and wanted to try his hand at me. I thrust my arm toward his legs, and the ice immediately surrounded them, crawling up his legs with a crackle, until he roared in frustration and became stiff, stuck to the ground in one place. It wasn''t but a few seconds after that when Nyx was able to slit the orc''s throat, hot blood pouring from his wound and running deep red over the bright whitish-blue of the ice below. The deceased orc''s red eyes still showed rage, even in death.


    The orcs were surrounding Theron. He was holding his own, and had even felled two of them thus far. Silas was still loosing arrows from near the campfire, and had added another orc to his kill count while I had helped Nyx. It was Theron who needed the most help, as he had attracted the most attention by engaging the enemy in melee, where they were most comfortable.


    With my remaining ice spell, I froze two of the orcs'' legs that were focused on Theron. Because I had split the energy between two targets, the spell didn''t quite freeze them to the ground, but it was enough to make them stiff and slow to react, which was enough for Theron to finish them off.


    I heard a growl. One of the orcs before me redirected his attention at me, sick of my meddling. He swiped his ax toward my stomach, but I jumped back to avoid it...just barely.


    I''m not trained for this. I could hold my own in a fight. I could not go up against an orc physically and win. The orc knew this; most mages were trained to support and complement melee fighters in battle. He wasn''t interested in fighting fair. He was interested in killing me.


    The ax was swiped again, and this time, when I dodged, I didn''t dodge far enough. The sharp, filthy blade missed my stomach, but ended up slicing across both of my arms, which I''d held before me defensively. The pain was immense and biting, and I tried to re-focus myself over my own whimpers as hot blood ran down my arms. The orc smiled, pleased to see he was making progress. Yet another one of Silas''s arrows pierced the orc''s back as the elf tried to protect me. It was yet another arrow that was ignored in the orc''s rage.


    The orc went for another swipe. He knew I''d been forced to the defensive; I was getting clumsier and had to spend most of my time defending rather than thinking of an attack.


    Focus. You didn''t leave Sera just to die here. This time, when the ax started to complete its arc toward my gut, I shielded myself while backing up. Most of the ax''s momentum was absorbed by the shield, but it flickered with the force of it. I knew without looking that my light armor had been pierced. Thankfully, I didn''t feel any wound on my stomach.


    I left the shield up, allowing the spell to continue taking energy from my environment. I knew my energy reserves were running low. It was a dry, calm night. My spells so far had probably taken energy from the exertion of the warm bodies surrounding me, and in the distance, I could see our campfire wavering, and I knew that my magic was taking the energy from its heat. There were still orcs fighting my friends, and I would need to heal myself after the fight. I needed to save all the energy I could...


    ...or recycle it.

 CHAPTER 16

    The shield shuddered as the ax once more attempted to break it. Within its protective barrier, I lifted a hand toward the sky.


    Generat la bolta!


    A low rumbling vibrated from the skies above me. Thick, dark clouds accumulated in a thick blanket that blocked out the stars and part of Meir, stealing some of the light the large moon had cast over the land. The orc before me knew I had cast a spell, but he wasn''t going to let that slow him down. As the sky prepared its attack, I quickly whispered another spell command, leaving the shield up in my right. A new protective barrier spread out from my left hand, its energy clear with a tint of blue. It was one of the stronger ward spells I had access to, meant to protect me from magic energy. As the sky opened up above me, I knew I was going to need it.


    Sss...CRACK!


    The lightning bolt was so bright and had such purpose, that I was thrown back by my own spell, landing on the ground some feet away. I watched through dazed eyes as the orc jerked around in place, the lightning channeling electricity through him from the sky. Within seconds, his deep green skin was sizzling, and the skin on his upper arms began to get etched, the brutal energy scarring the skin in such a way that looked like the branch of a fir tree.


    The brute''s eyes rolled back in his head, before they began to smoke, wisps rising from his sockets. Then, the bolt retracted into the sky, and the orc collapsed, dead.


    I dispelled both my ward and my shield, and hurried to stand, the stench of charred flesh heavy in my nostrils. The lightning bolt had been powerful and had taken a lot of my energy; but, as I had planned for, the result of the spell had left the energy rife in the air, prepared to be reused. Now, another orc was dead, and I was no worse for wear¡ªsave for the deep gashes in my arms.


    I ran back toward the camp site, where my friends were still fighting the remaining enemies. In my defensive maneuvers, I had led the now fried orc quite far away from where we''d began. As I approached everyone, I let myself take note of the situation.


    Nyx had an arrow sticking out of her upper arm, and had left it in its wound. She knew better than to remove it and cause unnecessary blood loss. She was fighting an orc that was missing an arm, and it must have been removed recently, as the limb was limp on the ground nearby.


    Silas was untouched. He''d remained on the outskirts of the battle, letting his arrows puncture the softest of places, killing a number of orcs and fatiguing others.


    Theron had taken the brunt of the damage, and was fatigued from his efforts. Blood dripped from a wound in his upper thigh, and his right eye was closed. He had missed fully dodging a hit with a blunt weapon just above his eyebrow, and the blood had overwhelmed his eye. When he grunted, I could see blood between his teeth, from where it had seeped into his lips from the wound. I didn''t allow myself to be overly concerned; head wounds tended to bleed far more than most, so I doubted the wound was as serious as it looked.


    By the time I arrived, there were only three orcs left, one focused on Nyx, the other two on Theron.


    ¡°Givara la mana,¡± I breathed, dodging the two orcs with Theron, and directing the energy toward the ranger. Theron became distracted for a moment, glancing up at me, before he realized what I had done. No longer as fatigued, he took on his remaining foes with much more gusto, and they were dead within the minute. By the time I turned to help Nyx, her foe was already dead and lying on the ground, blood still leaking from his stump of an arm.


    The four of us just stood there and breathed hard for a few moments. The thick clouds from my earlier spell had dissipated, allowing the moonlight to display the scene of the battle. The stench of clotting blood and body odor from the orcs was overwhelming, as was the smell of burning flesh. With a glance toward our campfire, I noticed that one of the deceased orcs had fallen partially into it, and the fire was currently making short work of the flesh of his back.


    ¡°Ah. Well,¡± Theron finally spoke up, before wiping some of the blood from his face with a forearm, ¡°That was refreshing.¡±


    Nyx laughed heartily, the edges of her voice laced in fatigue that did not seem to affect her spirit. ¡°I knew I liked you for a reason.¡±


    ¡°Just one?¡± I teased.


    Nyx glanced over at me, her dark eyes catching on the blood running off the tips of my fingers and to the ground. ¡°Kai, take care of your arms.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Both you and Theron have wounds,¡± I replied, nodding toward her arrow. ¡°Let me help you both first.¡±


    Theron shook his head, wiping his swords off on an orc corpse nearby to get the majority of the blood off of them, before sheathing them on his hip. ¡°The healer is healed first, lest the healer be rendered unable to heal.¡±


    I wasn''t sure if that was a saying, or if it was Theron''s own words. In either case, they made sense to me.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I agreed, sitting down on the log near the campfire like I had when the battle had started. Putting my right hand to my left arm''s wound, I murmured, ¡°Promotus le imun.¡± Though I felt the heat on the wound, it did not close. But it wasn''t supposed to. I remembered how filthy the orc''s ax had been. Before closing the wounds, I needed to boost my immunity to infection. After the heat from the spell settled into my arm, tingling through my blood stream past the wound, I went on to use the next spell. ¡°Givara le life.¡± Holding my palm just an inch or so above the wound, the energy transferred to it. More tingling, and then itching. I watched as new, fleshy pink muscle began to build in the cut, slowly connecting itself to either edge of the hurt muscle. I''d never had a wound this bad, and it itched more than anything I''d ever experienced as my body repaired itself at an intensely accelerated speed. Once the muscle was fully repaired, my skin followed, the two broken halves of it slowly mending together.


    Healing my wounds had all of my attention, so I was a little startled when I heard Silas''s voice just beside me. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Tired,¡± I admitted, watching my second cut slowly heal itself.


    ¡°From a lack of sleep, or otherwise?¡± I knew from this second question that he was truly trying to figure out how the battle had affected my mortality. At this point, I supposed I should have just started expecting him to ask.


    ¡°A lack of sleep combined with the thrill of battle, I think,¡± I replied, watching my healing wound push a rush of blood out of its edge. The blood had a tiny piece of leaf in it, that must have gotten there when I''d fallen to the ground. It always amazed me how the body could detect such things and proceed to help itself heal, with or without the spell.


    ¡°I am sorry I could not protect you.¡± Silas was normally good at keeping emotion out of his voice, but there was legitimate sorrow that exuded from him this time. Perhaps he had thought he was really going to lose me.


    I wanted to tell him it was not his job to protect me, but it was. It always had been. Of course, that job was bestowed upon him by my father, not me.


    ¡°As far as I''m concerned, Silas, it is not your job anymore to protect me. For as long as my father is out of my life, his actions should not affect us.¡± Finished with my healing, I stared up at him.


    ¡°Regardless of your father''s actions, I am here to protect you.¡± He said it as a statement, not a question.


    ¡°You may be here for that, but I''m telling you, you don''t have to stay for it.¡± I looked away from his gaze for the moment to stand. ¡°I want you to be here because you want to be, not because you are obligated.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t felt obligated in a number of years,¡± he replied, his voice soft.


    I hesitated from walking over to where Nyx and Theron were chatting. I needed to heal them, but at the same time, Silas was being oddly personal at the moment. I looked back to him, and was uncertain as to what, exactly, his deep green eyes portrayed.


    ¡°I have a lot on my mind. It wouldn''t be wise to distract me with conflicting statements that make me wonder what the last year has really been for you.¡± I was calling him out for confusing me. It was almost as if he was opening himself up to something more with me again. As much as I would have loved that, I didn''t want to be jerked around.


    ¡°My apologies, Kai. It wasn''t meant to be conflicting.¡± He hesitated. It was a rare moment when the elf sounded as uncertain as he did now. ¡°I, too, have a lot on my mind. I am not used to failing you like I did tonight, and you were seriously hurt as a result. It calls a lot of things into question for me.¡±


    I looked away, toward the friends I had yet to heal. I swallowed hard. I hated being rejected, and had already experienced heartbreak by Silas just the year before. For him to seem to be warming up to me just to wave away my concerns hurt all over again.


    Silas spoke when he realized I wasn''t going to. ¡°Theron told me today you have plans to visit Thornwell, and that is why we are making our diversion from the forest tomorrow.¡±


    It was true. Nyx''s idea to visit the small fishing village and look for Cerin had planted itself into my plans. Because the village sat on the northern edge of Chairel beside the Servis Ocean, we would need to take a detour to visit it. There was quite a distance of plains between the ocean and the Seran Forest, which we''d been following thus far on our trip to the Cel Mountains. Everyone knew of these plans except for Silas, at least, until today. I hadn''t told him simply because of the reason we were going.


    ¡°Yes. It is one of the last villages marked on the map before the mountains,¡± I replied, vaguely.


    ¡°There are villages too small to be on any map,¡± Silas pointed out. ¡°Amere was not on our map, and we had shelter there.¡±


    ¡°I realize that.¡±


    ¡°You are hiding something from me.¡±


    ¡°I am not,¡± I said, realizing that could be seen as a lie. ¡°Ask me anything you wish, and I will tell you the truth.¡±


    ¡°Why are we going to Thornwell?¡±


    Despite how I had said I would tell him the truth, it was still hard for me to respond. ¡°There''s an old classmate of mine that I would like to find. He is from Thornwell.¡±


    ¡°Cerin Heliot, the healer,¡± he said, almost as if he was answering a question. I was shocked that he remembered me telling him the story, let alone that he remembered his name. I had only mentioned Cerin to him once, and it had been many years ago. ¡°Do you think he will join us?¡±


    ¡°I don''t even know if he''s alive, but he was the closest thing I had to a friend until I met Nyx.¡±


    Silas nodded. Just before I left his side to go heal the others, he said, ¡°Then we will go to Thornwell and we will find him.¡±

 CHAPTER 17

    The aroma of salt and fish hit our noses over a day away from Thornwell, and only became stronger as our journey continued. The plains on the way to the village were beautiful. Long, green and yellow grasses waved rhythmically in patterns over rolling, small hills, creating a constant hum as a backdrop to our conversations. Up ahead, toward the Servis Ocean, the sky grew grey and cloudy. When we were still half a day''s travel from our first destination, the first of the storms came.


    ¡°What is it about the ocean that makes the gods so angry?¡± Theron mused, hints of annoyance in his voice. We were in the midst of the plains, and the sun was setting somewhere behind the thick storm clouds. We were all tired and looking to rest for the night, but we had no shelter save for our tents.


    Needless to say, it was a miserable night, spent cold and soaked under tents that did little to keep the pelting rains off of us. I woke up in the morning feeling as if I''d barely slept. Within an hour or two of resuming our journey, the rains ceased, as if mocking us.


    ¡°This Cerin better be the hottest of the hot,¡± Nyx teased me, just as the first sounds of the ocean met our ears. Out of all of us, Nyx was the least miserable. The heavy rains and lack of direct sunlight had been more comfortable for her than the previous hot and dry weather.


    ¡°He better be here. If he is, then we''ll worry about his hotness,¡± I replied, in jest. In reality, that was my main concern. If I were honest with myself, I didn''t even think we would find Cerin here. I normally had a good intuition, and it wasn''t anxious about seeing him again, which meant I probably wouldn''t. Regardless, I wanted to find out as much information as possible about what had happened all those years ago, if his family or neighbors knew anything at all. It would at least ease my mind about the college''s secrecy when it came to one of their most promising students.


    Rising smoke in the sky was the first bit of Thornwell we saw over the last hill before the ocean. Then, the small village opened itself up to us. It was far bigger than Amere, and much better built. Cabins made out of stone and thick wood dotted the beach and the plains immediately by it. The village had a few different docks, some attached to buildings that sat above the ocean on pilings. Boats were tied to the docks in various places; most were small fishing boats, though an impressively sized merchant ship swayed beside a large trade building, its wood creaking and sails flapping thickly in the wind.


    The people here looked to be pretty poor, though self-sustaining. A man in commoner''s clothing chopped wood beside one of the cabins, a wagon full of logs beside him. A corral nearby held a few pigs and chickens.


    There were men, women, and children moving about the small village, working or fishing or transporting. It seemed as though everyone was a cog in a singular machine, and to watch it all was intriguing. While Thornwell did report to and pay taxes to Sera, it was so far removed from its mother city that the civilian hierarchy was non-existent. In Sera, there were clear differences in the classes of its people. Here, everyone was working together.


    Our presence was soon noted. A middle aged human man was the first to approach us. He had been in the middle of descaling fresh fish at an outdoor butcher''s table in an open shack, but came to see us with nothing more than a wipe of his bloody hands on his apron and a smile on his face.


    ¡°Hail, strangers,¡± he greeted, eyeing us with curiosity. He didn''t seem to much care about Nyx, though he did take a second glance at her. Most above ground mortals had immense fear or hatred of Alderi elves, and usually for good reason. Perhaps he was smart enough to realize she was with us and not a threat, given two humans and a Celdic elf trusted her.


    After we all greeted the man, he asked, ¡°Here to trade?¡±


    ¡°Trade, shelter, and information is what we seek,¡± I replied. The man focused his attention on me, figuring me for the group''s leader.


    ¡°Well, you can trade with anyone here, but if you go up to the trading hub on the dock¡ª¡± he pointed at the biggest building on pilings beside the large merchant ship ¡°¡ªTiana there can direct you to where to go and take any supplies or goods you have and give you coin. Our inn is the two story building poking its head up over those cabins there.¡± He nodded toward his right, where I looked to see the taller building. ¡°It doesn''t look like much, but it''s the last inn you''ll see for quite a ways in either direction, and it''s quite popular with the merchants and sailors. As for information, what is it you''re looking for?¡±


    ¡°I''m looking for a man who used to live here, about ten years ago or so.¡±


    ¡°Ten years, you say?¡± The man asked, before nodding back toward the inn. ¡°I just moved here a couple of years ago, myself. I would go to the inn and ask Red. If she didn''t know him, she might know who you can go to.¡± He hesitated. ¡°Not a criminal, is he?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°I would hope not. Just a former friend and classmate.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Aye. I hope you find him, then.¡±


    We said our thanks and goodbyes to the man, who went back to descaling his fish. I turned to our small group, where everyone seemed unwilling to split up.


    Nyx looked at Theron and Silas. ¡°Why don''t you two take our loot to the trade hub? Kai and I can get started at the inn. Check the place out.¡±


    Theron glanced down at his satchels. Both he and Silas had been carrying the loot, while Nyx and I had been in charge of the tents and other supplies. ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Though Silas looked a little reluctant to leave my side, he said nothing, and the two men went to follow our plan.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Nyx glanced at me. ¡°I figured you wouldn''t be as willing to talk about Cerin with the innkeeper if Silas was glaring over your shoulder.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. Thanks.¡±


    We started walking toward the inn, our supplies heavy on our shoulders. It would be bliss to be able to have a warm meal and bed for the night, and somewhere to put our stuff. Thornwell was a little less than half of the way from Sera to Whispermere, so to know this would be one of the last inns on the way there was daunting.


    ¡°You told him why we are here, I''m assuming? He didn''t seem too shocked to hear you tell that fisherman about it.¡±


    ¡°Theron told him we were coming here. Silas asked me why on the night of the attack.¡± I watched as a little boy walked by us, a fishing pole and a bucket full of bait in his hands.


    ¡°And he wasn''t angry?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t seem to be. He remembered Cerin''s name, though, which was a surprise. It was years ago that I told him the story about his disappearance and the college waving me off about it.¡±


    ¡°He remembers because he''s not stupid,¡± Nyx commented. ¡°You were mostly a pre-teen when you knew Cerin, right? There''s only one reason why a girl that age wants to befriend a boy. Silas is probably jealous because he knows you had the hots for the guy.¡±


    I gritted my teeth. ¡°He doesn''t have the right to be jealous. We''re not together, so it''s none of his business.¡±


    Nyx nodded. ¡°Right. So let''s find this guy and get you laid.¡±


    ¡°Nyx.¡±


    She only giggled.


    The inn was much larger on the inside than the outside would have one believe. The front door was on the far right-side of the building, leaving the entire floor open to the left as soon as we walked in. For a village that wasn''t very large, it was a nicely sized inn equipped with a small stage for musicians or performers. Small tables dotted the floor save for a dance area next to the stage, and the bar was directly ahead, as long as the building itself except for a stairway to the right of it that led up to the rooms. Clean mugs hung from pegs above the bar, and alcohols of various types were lined up on three shelves behind the innkeeper.


    As for the innkeeper, I saw why the man had called her Red. Her hair was as red as mine, and this was notable because it was rare. It wasn''t the orangey-red like Bjorn had, it was the deep red that many leaves would become in the middle of Red Moon. Because of how deep the color was, I instantly wondered if she had the ability to wield fire. With a glance at her hands, I noticed she wasn''t wearing any rings. Most mages did, since spells were more accurate and strong when transmitted through metal, though the lack of jewelry didn''t discount the notion.


    Red was an extremely obese woman, but I had the inkling that she was able to act as her own guard, so there were probably muscles beneath the bulk of her weight. She smiled when we approached the bar, exuding the same friendliness of our greeter outside; however, I had the feeling she could be extremely mean when the situation called for it.


    ¡°Welcome, ladies. Looking for a room? Exotic ales?¡± She took a step to the side, waving toward the shelves of alcohol behind her. I could practically hear Nyx salivating.


    ¡°Uggh, both,¡± my friend groaned, plopping heavily onto a bar stool.


    Both Red and I chuckled. Before we could be barraged with a sales pitch, I spoke up, ¡°I''m looking for someone. I was told you might be able to help me out.¡±


    Red''s thick, unruly eyebrows raised. ¡°Oh? What''s their name?¡±


    ¡°Cerin Heliot.¡±


    Red''s green eyes flashed with recognition. A pang hit me in the gut. She knows him. It didn''t appear to be the best connection, though. She hesitated before she asked, ¡°What brought you here to look for him?¡±


    ¡°He was a classmate of mine at the Seran University. He up and disappeared one day, about six years ago. I knew he was born and raised here, so I thought he might have returned.¡±


    Red grabbed beneath the counter, pulling out a wash rag. She started to wipe down the bar, which was already clean. ¡°How well did you know his family?¡±


    I swallowed hard. I wasn''t sure why this was relevant. ¡°I didn''t.¡±


    Red sighed, before looking up at me. ¡°Look, you seem like the honest type. I''d like to return the favor, but I need you to promise me you''re not gonna cause a scene in my bar.¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that? I''m just looking for information.¡±


    ¡°Because the information I have for you might not make you happy.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care if it makes me happy or not. I want answers.¡± I paused. ¡°I won''t cause a scene in your bar, I promise.¡±


    Red stared at me for a few seconds, before exhaling. ¡°Okay¡ªI knew the Heliots, ever since Lucius was a teenager.¡±


    ¡°Lucius is...?¡±


    ¡°Cerin''s father,¡± she answered, before putting her attention into her wash rag once again. ¡°Lucius went into the same line of work as his father, and became a trader, transporting goods from here to Glacia.¡± She spoke of the country that was also a continent of its own, north of the Servis Ocean. It was a frozen land and the home of the race of elves with the longest and oldest lineage on all of Arrayis, the Icilic elves, casually referred to as snow elves. I had never seen one. Icilic elves were known to be extreme isolationists and a proud and arrogant race.


    ¡°Well, you know how the story goes,¡± Red continued. ¡°Lucius crossed the line of professionalism and fell in love with the daughter of a very prestigious Icilic merchant. Of course, Icilic elves don''t approve of diluting their blood, so when she inevitably got pregnant, she ran off with him and came back here. Sweet woman. Twice Lucius''s age, but looked eighteen the entire time I knew her.¡±


    ¡°Who was she?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Her name was Celena I''lluminah.¡± Red raised her eyebrows. ¡°Try saying that ten times fast.¡±


    I chuckled softly. ¡°She was Cerin''s mother?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Red said this like she wasn''t sure why this was surprising to me.


    I looked to Nyx. ¡°I would have had no idea Cerin was a half-breed. He had human ears.¡±


    ¡°The kid was pale, though,¡± Red commented. That was certainly true enough. He''d been so pale that the others had made fun of him. His skin had been closer to pure white than the cream color of most of the mages at the University.


    ¡°Icilic elves are pale?¡± I questioned.


    Red nodded. ¡°Outrageously so. They have this glow to them at night, much like many creatures of the ocean. When some of the Icilic traders come here on their ships, which is rare, you can see the veins under their skin if you get close enough to them. They''re pretty elves, for sure.¡± Red hesitated. ¡°Pretentious bastards, the lot of them.¡±


    ¡°So Cerin was born here?¡± I asked, eager to get back to the story.


    ¡°Yes. Born and raised. Lucius quit his job as a trader and became a fisherman to be close to them both. Celena taught her boys everything she knew about fishing. If them Icilics know anything, they know how to fish. They are also good mages¡ªyou''d never know it, if you never went to Glacia and saw it for yourself. Most of everything we know about the Icilics, we learned from Celena. They don''t like to talk much to races outside of their own.


    ¡°Anyway, to get on with it, Cerin was sent to Sera when he was eleven. Icilic elves are highly magical creatures, and given the boy had the elven blood, they knew he would make it far with magic. About two years later, we were attacked.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°By who?¡±

 CHAPTER 18

    ¡°A small army of Icilics. It was so out of the blue that we had little time to prepare. They hadn''t stopped trading with us or anything. A ship of them came to our shores one day, and attacked with little rhyme or reason. The story was that one of their own traders had relayed the information back to Glacia about Celena living here with a human husband and a mutt of a child, and they didn''t take kindly to that. Killed a good number of the sailors and merchants on our dock before Celena came out to offer herself up if they''d stop their attack. Thankfully, Cerin was in Sera, or else they would have killed him for being an impurity in the bloodline.¡±


    ¡°Offer herself up for what? What did she think they''d do, forget their grudge?¡± I knew this was going nowhere good, and it frustrated me. To have tragedy befall what was a happy family because of some elven racism and arrogance enraged me.


    ¡°I don''t know what she thought, dear. I wasn''t in her head. She just saw innocents dying and thought it was because of her. So she went with them as Lucius was held back and screamed after her.¡±


    I watched Red as she exhaled slowly, and stopped wiping at the bar. She looked as if it would upset her to continue. ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°And then we waited. Lucius knew she would come back to him if she could. It was a full season before an Icilic trade ship arrived with a package addressed to him.¡±


    My stomach felt like it was drowning in its own acid. ¡°What was in it?¡±


    ¡°Two things, actually. Celena''s head, and her arm with a ring Lucius had given her still attached.¡±


    ¡°I have to be honest,¡± Nyx spoke up, ¡°I''ve never seen one of these elves, but if I ever do, I''m pretty sure I''d be stabbing first and asking questions later.¡±


    I felt nauseated knowing that Cerin''s parents had gone through so much, and then, by association, him as well. ¡°How can the oldest race of elves in the world also be the most savage?¡± I pondered aloud, my voice lacking energy.


    ¡°You''re asking someone who doesn''t have the answer,¡± Red replied. ¡°As you can probably understand, Lucius went a little crazy. He became an alcoholic overnight. His neighbors started telling me they could hear him screaming from his cabin. He''d come here and drink all day and night until I''d kick him out. He would ramble drunkenly about getting a war party together and going to Glacia to kill every elf he could, but he was never sober enough or motivated enough to try to follow up on it. Sometimes he''d go into rampages. Sometimes he''d cry. It didn''t become a problem until he started picking fights with my patrons.


    ¡°So one night, he''s sitting at the bar, and I have this lute player up on the stage, working for tips. Well, Celena played the lute, so that didn''t sit well with Lucius. He got up from the bar, shambled on over to that stage, and knocked the musician straight to the floor. I was halfway to him, since it wasn''t like him to get up from his bar stool without some prodding. He fought me for a little bit, until finally, after one good punch to the head, he went down.¡± Red hesitated. I stared at her, waiting for her to continue. She didn''t seem to want to.


    ¡°You took him home?¡±


    ¡°No, he was already home. All it took was that one good punch to the head.¡± The bartender''s voice was thick with remorse.


    ¡°You killed him?¡± My chest felt heavy. This was too much tragedy for one family, particularly one that included someone I once cared about.


    ¡°I didn''t mean to. But sometimes, that''s all it takes.¡± Red watched me through glazed over eyes, as if waiting for me to cause a scene.


    But I didn''t. Because I believed her. I knew she felt for the family; I could see it in her eyes. She had simply been protecting her bar and her patrons.


    ¡°It wasn''t long after that when we received a messenger from Sera. I remember that day, because it was the first and only time I''d seen a griffon.¡±


    ¡°They sent one of The Twelve?¡± I asked. The Twelve was a small arm of the Seran Army, which included twelve of the most experienced battle veterans from across Chairel, each of them with their own griffon mount. It was the only armed unit I knew of that utilized griffons, as the beasts were notoriously hard to train and equip.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°They did. Can''t remember the man''s name. He asked if we had heard from Cerin Heliot yet, and we told him we hadn''t heard from him in a number of years. He went on to tell us that if we were to ever hear from him, to send an immediate message to Sera. He told us that if Cerin were to come back to Thornwell and we were to be found to be harboring him, our village would become an enemy of Sera and everyone with knowledge of him could be imprisoned.¡±


    A sharp pain sliced across my stomach at the severity of that statement. ¡°Why?¡± I asked, desperately.


    Red simply replied, ¡°He wouldn''t tell us.¡±


    ¡°Did Cerin ever come?¡±


    Red watched me carefully. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You''re lying,¡± I retorted, testing her. ¡°I am on the run from Sera, myself.¡±


    ¡°Why would you tell me that?¡± She asked me, concern etching itself through her skin.


    ¡°Because you won''t tell me the truth with the fear it will reach Sera, and it won''t. I have no plans on returning.¡±


    Red''s eyes glanced over to Nyx, who had been quiet for awhile. My friend lifted up two deep purple hands.


    ¡°I know the discomfort of the Seran dungeons,¡± Nyx said. ¡°I have no love for Sera.¡±


    Red looked conflicted. In the end, she must have decided we were as trustworthy as I had deemed her to be. ¡°Yes, he came. Once, about six years ago. The loss of his parents was a shock to him, and the reason he left the university was kept from us. The lad was only fifteen. He''d traveled for the better part of two seasons to get home, just to learn all of that. And then, he found his childhood home had been sold since his father''s death, so he came here looking for a place to stay. He didn''t have any money, but he offered to trade me a night''s rest for any of his belongings.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°No.¡± Red paused, looking downright depressed by this point. ¡°I told him he wasn''t welcome here. I told him what the messenger had told us, because no one else had the guts to tell the kid that after learning everything he just had. I told him that I could lose everything I own and my life if Sera were to find out I''d even spoken to him.¡± The innkeeper paused, inhaled slowly, and went on, ¡°Poor kid was a broken mess. Begged me for help. I told him all I could do was give him a loaf of bread and send him on his way. I promised him that I wouldn''t ever report his visit here to Sera, but I couldn''t promise that someone else wouldn''t.¡±


    ¡°That was the last you saw of him?¡± My heart broke for my former friend. I wish I had known any of this was going on at the time. Though knowing about it wouldn''t have made it easier to do anything for him.


    ¡°No...he asked me where his father was buried. So I told him about the small tombstone we''d had fashioned for Lucius up on the hill, and he left. The last time I saw him, he was standing over his father''s grave. I''ll never forget that, because he had such long, black hair, like both of his parents, and it was waving in the wind.¡± Red paused for a moment. ¡°It stormed heavily that night. I remember having trouble falling asleep, hoping he was safe.¡±


    Silence settled over us in the bar. Even Nyx was quiet and thoughtful. After a few minutes, the innkeeper said, ¡°I haven''t heard from him or of him since. I hope he''s okay. Can''t imagine where he would have gone, given this was his only home. Was hoping maybe he''d figured out how to get through whatever trouble he''d gotten himself into in Sera, but given you came here from there, that''s unlikely.¡±


    I turned around on my bar stool, glancing out the window. ¡°Where did you say Lucius''s grave was?¡±


    Red pointed to the right, where there was nothing but more bar. Outside, though, there was a crest of a small hill. ¡°We put him up on the hill, where him and Celena would picnic in better times. Lucius made his wife a spyglass that she would look through up there. Swore up and down she could see Glacia if the skies were just right.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, before standing. Turning to Nyx, I added, ¡°I''ll be back.¡±


    I walked alone out to the grave, finding it only after some intense searching in the long grasses. The gravestone was a simple cube of smoothed stone with Lucius''s full name etched through the polish, and the years of his birth and death. It was a nice gesture from a village that had been the life and death of the man.


    The wind blew past me, coaxing my red hair to ride along its current. I looked to the ocean, where the water was waving in trepidation for another oncoming storm. I could see why Cerin''s parents found this to be a beautiful and peaceful spot. I tried to find Glacia somewhere along the farthest reaches of the ocean that my eyes could see, but I could not.


    My eyes found the gravestone again. I tried to imagine what was going through my former classmate''s mind as he stood here, broken and alone. Where would he have gone? Would he have survived? I glanced up. Along the horizon from which we''d walked from not long before, I could see just the slightest image of the forest we''d left behind. Far to the left were the peaks of the Cel Mountains. If I were him, I would have sought the shelter of the forest.


    I began to walk slowly back toward the inn. Perhaps I would never get any more of the answers I sought, and perhaps I would never see Cerin again. Seeking answers had only created more questions. Perhaps finding out the answers to my parentage in Whispermere would allow me to be at peace with leaving one mystery in my life behind.

 CHAPTER 19

    The table before me was of normal size, but it was so stuffed with extravagant foods that my little girl mind looked upon it as a feast. Roasted pheasant, desserts made of exotic and rare desert fruits from Nahara, all manner of other meats cooked in ways I''d never tasted before.


    Father had entertained Naharan diplomats just hours ago, and what was left of the feast was given to Terran and I to pick over. As a child, times like these were almost as fun as entire event festivals held in the merchant district. Food was my only vice.


    As I chewed through a mouthful of pork, I looked over the table at Terran. I found him to be so cool. He was fourteen. Fourteen! As a seven-year-old myself, that was so old. Terran was now at the age where girls in his classes were swooning over him, but he didn''t seem to notice. Yet, anyway. Despite father''s grunts over the length of his hair, Terran kept it shoulder length. Now, it was kept in a ponytail as he ate. At some point over the past few years, Terran''s face had sharpened. He had the high cheekbones normally reserved for the models that the expensive clothing merchants hired to show off their clothes to leering tourists.


    I was glad he kept his hair long. I had always thought men looked better with longer hair, and my brother was no exception. His hair glimmered in the nearby candlelight, the shine a golden hue over seas of dark chocolate. Then, my mind moved back to my father''s disapproval of its length. I realized that had it been me who asked, father wouldn''t have relented. But because it was Terran, he''d allowed him to make up his own mind.


    I frowned over my next bite of food. I didn''t know why that still hurt me so bad. It was the way it always was. Father would refer to me as his daughter, but he didn''t feel it. I was often reminded of the sacrifice he made to raise me, to the point where I wondered why he''d decided to if it was going to be so much trouble.


    ¡°Brother,¡± I blurted, before I could stop myself. Terran glanced up at me, the bright green of his eyes much darker in this light.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He murmured, through a mouthful of pie.


    ¡°What was mother like?¡±


    Terran''s eyebrows betrayed his amusement at my question, and he smiled. After he finished chewing his bite, he asked, ¡°Mother? Is that what you''ve taken to calling her? You two never met.¡±


    I felt embarrassed, then. I''d just assumed that father''s wife would have been my mother. I knew she''d died before I had even been born.


    ¡°You can call her mother, you know,¡± Terran went on, when I hadn''t responded to him. I had been too hurt. I think he sensed that. ¡°She would have been, had she been alive to see you.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she would have liked me?¡±


    ¡°Of course she would have liked you. Mother liked everyone.¡±


    ¡°Just like father hates everyone.¡±


    Terran chuckled. ¡°Precisely.¡± He took another bite. Chewed, swallowed. ¡°Did you know that mother was pregnant with a girl?¡±


    ¡°The second time?¡± I asked, stupidly.


    ¡°Yes, silly. The first time, she had me. The second time she was pregnant, she wanted a girl so bad. She prayed every night to the gods for a girl. Then, she hired an illusionist to finally tell her when she was far enough along. And he told her she was having a girl. Everyone was so happy. I think even father was, in his own way. Then, of course, you know the rest of the story.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I did. Mother had been in labor, and had had immense complications. She was a dual caster, and before marrying father, had been one of the Seran Army''s top elite soldiers. It had taken a huge toll on her, aging her past her years. The pregnancy had ended in death. Both for her, and her baby.


    ¡°As for what she was like...¡± Terran trailed off, pushing the last bite of pie around his plate, distracted. ¡°She was strong. And smart. Really, really smart. I could ask her anything and she would have the answer or would know where to go to get it. If she wasn''t training the mages or working, she was reading. She was like a kid in that way. You know how kids go to school, and some of them actually like to learn?¡±


    I nodded. I knew exactly how that felt. I thirsted for knowledge.


    ¡°Well, then you become an adult, and you stop caring. At least, that''s what it seems like. Not mother. She was always learning about something new. Annoying father by talking his ear off about her latest obsession. She read me a bed-time story one night, when I was about your age. And when she got done, she told me, ''Terran, never stop learning. If I have one regret in life, it was that I took advantage of my years in the army and didn''t learn everything I could about the places I went.'' In a way, I think she even kind of regretted marrying father, because it tied her down. But don''t tell him I said that.¡±


    ¡°She sounds a lot like me,¡± I said, unable to keep the hopefulness out of my voice. There was no bringing her back, but I wished to make some sort of connection with her, anyway. The only father I''d ever known didn''t care for me. I could hope for a mother that did.


    ¡°You are a lot like her,¡± Terran agreed, with a smile. He was so mature for his age, able to talk about his deceased mother without a tear. Perhaps he just had too many good memories of her and could not find his sadness. ¡°Sometimes I think my memories serve me incorrectly, sister. Sometimes I think the baby was born that day, and that she''s sitting right across from me.¡±


    Terran stood up in his chair, just to lean across the table and ruffle my hair. It was a loving gesture, but as a child, I wrinkled my nose and acted annoyed.


    I was unable to get the idea of parents who loved me out of my head after finishing my meal, so I headed through the castle to outside. I didn''t hear the sound of fighting, so I figured melee training was done for the day.


    I found Bjorn sharpening a sword at the grindstone just outside of the armory. His cheeks were red from a day in the full sun. His hulking frame looked too large for his tiny seat. People of his size normally scared me, but his familiar form was nothing but comfort.


    Dad. The word really only made sense with Bjorn. As a little girl, I simply didn''t have the guts to ask him if I could call him that.


    Bjorn looked up, saw me standing outside the gate and watching him. He must have been fatigued after a day of training. Still, he greeted me with a beaming smile.


    ¡°There''s my girl!¡±


    A cheesy, child-like grin spread across my face, and I squeezed between the wood planks of the heavy gate, hurrying to him. Bjorn dropped the sword he''d been working at beside the grindstone, and opened his thick arms just before I jumped into them.


    ¡°Ohhh, boy!¡± He feigned falling backwards a bit, before catching himself. ¡°Uggh, girl, you''re going to kill me one of these days. What are you, two hundred pounds?¡±


    I gasped. ¡°I''m fifty-seven pounds, not two hundred!¡±


    ¡°Fifty-seven...two hundred...¡± Bjorn trailed off as I pulled back from his arms. I felt his sweat on my own skin from a long day''s work. ¡°Not too far off though, are ya?¡±


    ¡°Bjorn!¡± I groaned, embarrassed.


    He laughed. ¡°I''m just teasing ya, lass.¡± He watched me with suspicious eyes. ¡°You''ve got something on your mind.¡±


    I nodded, too shy to admit it verbally.


    ¡°What''s going on in that little head of yours?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°Do you think mother would have loved me?¡±


    His hazel eyes widened. ¡°Are you kidding? She would have adored you! Who doesn''t love you?¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± I replied, a sharp pain in my gut accompanying the word.


    ¡°Ohhh, come now. Your father loves you. He''s just a grumpy old man.¡± Bjorn reached over, rubbing my forearm affectionately. ¡°He''s a smart man when it comes to politics and magic, love, but he is socially and emotionally stupid.¡±


    I frowned over at Bjorn. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He''s not good at showing love or letting you know he cares.¡±


    I blinked up at Bjorn bashfully. ¡°Do you love me?¡±


    ¡°You know I love you. Very much.¡± He grabbed me around my waist with an arm, pulling me toward him for a quick peck on the cheek. ¡°Do you love me?¡±


    ¡°Mm...¡± I looked away. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Bjorn scoffed playfully. ¡°Maybe? Now, that''s not fair at all. I think I got the raw end of the deal!¡±


    I was overcome with giggles.

 CHAPTER 20

    ¡°I hope that smile means it''s a man you''re dreaming about.¡± Nyx''s voice mused from beside my ear.


    I opened my eyes, and looked over at her. ¡°It was, but it was Bjorn.¡±


    She made a disgusted face, and I laughed. ¡°I mean, if that''s what you''re into,¡± she offered, with a wiggle of the eyebrows.


    ¡°Get your mind out of the gutter. I was just reminiscing about him and Terran. I miss them both.¡±


    ¡°As I''m sure they miss you,¡± she replied, before laying back, staring at the peak of our tent. ¡°Just don''t be getting so homesick that you want to go back to Sera.¡±


    ¡°To live?¡±


    ¡°Uggh...you asking me for clarification means you''re thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I retorted. ¡°I don''t want to live in Sera. What if we were to visit again someday? Would you go with me?¡±


    ¡°If I could spend the entire time in the tavern? Maybe,¡± she answered. ¡°You know...you better think long and hard about doing that, if you wanted to. Your father''s treachery has few limits.¡±


    I frowned. There was much to be desired when it came to my relationship with my father, but Nyx flat out abhorred him. Still, I didn''t find her to be exaggerating when it came to her words. It was hard to admit I didn''t know what he was capable of. For all I knew, the Seran Army could have been looking for me, much like I''d been told they''d been looking for Cerin.


    ¡°What do you think our plans will be, after making it to Whispermere?¡± Nyx pondered.


    ¡°I don''t know. I guess that depends on my mother''s plans for me.¡±


    ¡°Your mother,¡± Nyx murmured, before a huff.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I just think it''s weird that you called her that.¡±


    ¡°Why? She birthed me. That''s what she is.¡±


    Nyx shrugged, her shoulder bumping into mine. ¡°In that same sense, Queen Achlys is my mother, but I couldn''t stand the bitch.¡± Disgust lined my best friend''s voice.


    ¡°She''s the one who¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she retorted quickly. ¡°She personally picked out the ten males each year for the Reaping.¡± Nyx spoke of an annual event held in her underground home city of Quellden, where the female Alderi celebrated their coming-of-age by sexually dominating a handful of males. While most cultures considered both genders to be equals, the Alderi were a race where only females could be in power, and males were thrown into servitude.


    ¡°It made me sick,¡± Nyx continued, after a moment. ¡°She picked Jemia''h as one of the males, thinking she was gifting me something. I grew up with the kid. I considered him a friend, as much as I was berated for it. And there he was, being raped repeatedly by my peers, and all I could do was watch.¡±


    I stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue. Nyx had told me about the Reaping, that she sometimes nastily referred to as the Raping, because in her words, ¡°Well, that''s what it was.¡± Never before had she been this detailed. Perhaps all this talk about parentage was bringing those bad memories of hers to the surface.


    ¡°So, I did the only thing I could think of to do, and I stood there. Let all the other girls go before me. Achlys thought I was just waiting for everyone else to finish so I could be the center of attention, because she was demented like that, and thought I was, too. There I was, the only one left, and those poor ten juveniles on the floor in chains, all watching me to see who I was going to victimize. And my mother is standing outside of the arena, reminding me that she picked Jemia''h for just such an occasion, like I was fucking blind and didn''t see him laying there shaking.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I turned to her and said I felt sick. She told me maybe a little sex would make me feel better. I thought about telling her I didn''t want to have sex in front of my mother, but many of the girls there were my blood. I ended up saying I didn''t want to do it. I didn''t tell her that I found sex horrific if the men weren''t into it, because I knew such heresy could get me killed. So I found a safer way to say it, and told her I wanted to take sex from men on my own time. That''s when she insisted, and all the other girls started their ceaseless chatter.¡±


    I swallowed. It was an intensely uncomfortable story to hear. I couldn''t imagine growing up in such a culture. Now that Nyx was talking about her own mother, I felt like any issues with mine should be non-existent.


    ¡°In the end, I finally decided to fake my way through it. Out of the ten guys there, Jemia''h was the only one I knew. I knew he had a crush on me, and I thought he was cute. In a fucked up way, I thought maybe it wouldn''t be so bad, because we did feel something for one another. But...¡± she trailed off, her voice breaking at a point. ¡°It''s not like he consented. I knew he had a crush on me. He didn''t walk up to me on his own free will and tell me he wanted me, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied, softly. After a few moments, when she said nothing else, I asked, ¡°Did you end up sleeping with him?¡±


    ¡°Well...eventually. I just straddled him for so long that the audience got bored, and Achlys was grumbling a bunch of different words, many of them some rendition of disappointment. I said something stupid to Jemia''h...something like, ''I really do like you,'' which sounded so childish, but he seemed to appreciate it. Then he told me he liked me, too, and then awkwardly told me to go ahead and do what I needed to. So...¡± She hesitated. ¡°I did. And then I apologized. And I kissed him on the cheek, because I cared for him. And the audience found that to be a show of weakness, so I lost most of my high regard and any friends that I''d managed to make, and Jemia''h was tossed into the crawler pit, for fear he was weakening the women.¡±


    I stiffened. I wasn''t sure what the crawler pit was, but I knew it sounded awful. I also knew that whatever it had contained had killed Jemia''h.


    ¡°So...yeah. You can share blood with someone, and not be family,¡± Nyx finally continued, completing the circle of conversation. ¡°Don''t forget, Kai...you''re an adult. Whatever your mother has planned for you doesn''t matter. I mean, if it sounds good, by all means, go for it. But it took you long enough to escape your failure of a father. I don''t want to see you run to a mother who has convenient reasons for missing out on the first twenty-one years of your life just to become enslaved in her plans for you. Make your own.¡±


    I nodded slowly, as if Nyx could see it; we both had our eyes on the roof of our tent. The morning sun tried hard to shine through the canvas, but only succeeded in poking light through the tiny holes in the crisscrossed pattern of the fabric.


    ¡°Like you,¡± I said, after a moment.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She must''ve been lost in thought, and had forgotten what I might be referring to.


    ¡°You made your own plans and escaped the underground. And now you live a relatively normal life.¡±


    Nyx chuckled. ¡°Relatively normal,¡± she repeated, finding it amusing. ¡°Is that a compliment or an insult?¡±


    ¡°A compliment, coming from me. To you, probably an insult.¡±


    She huffed in amusement.


    ¡°Seriously, Nyx...thanks for telling me about that. The whole story.¡±


    There was a short silence. Then, ¡°I''ve always been afraid to. I''ve fought with self-hatred over the years for the way I handled it. Wondered what I could have done differently. I''ve even wondered if I''d just went ahead and gone through with it right away, if Jemia''h would still be alive. He''d be traumatized, but alive. But then I think...could I have lived with myself? It would have been me who assaulted him, which might have been worse because it wasn''t me who ended up killing him.¡± She paused, before a long, frustrated exhale. ¡°I don''t know. I could go back and forth with myself all day over that. I just appreciate you listening.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate you telling me. And as sex crazy as you are, it''s nice to know you have limits and boundaries.¡±


    ¡°I can''t imagine anything worse than being intimate with someone who isn''t into it. That''s what makes it so fun, you know? Being wanted. Being attracted to someone and finding out that they have the hots for you, too.¡±


    ¡°And then moving on to the next,¡± I teased.


    Nyx chuckled again. ¡°Well, that''s the best part. You don''t know what you''re missing.¡±

 CHAPTER 38

    After two nights in the village that rivaled the skies, we were headed back the way we had come. The others had been updated on what information I had found out from Nanya on our first morning in Whispermere, since none of them were there to hear it other than Nyx. For the most part, they listened and offered their support. There was nothing any of them could do to ease my disappointment over learning my true parentage. There was nothing they could do to erase the anger I felt toward Sirius for raising me as his for a number of years, just to try to have me killed. The only positive thing that had come of the whole experience was learning my lifespan was not as finite as I had originally thought.


    My twenty-second birthday came and went midway through our trek back down the mountain, which was quite the experience. Occurring close to the end of High Star, I was used to celebrating it in the blistering heat of Sera, during peak festival season. This year, it was spent fighting to breathe as a blizzard wind refused to stop blasting me in the face with snow chunks so frigid and biting they nearly tricked our brains into thinking they were hot. I was sure that if we''d been able to hear each other over the weather, Nyx would have been lamenting the lack of festivities. She had always treated me to a night on the town in Sera, which was probably as much of a present to herself as it was to me.


    By the time we finally reached the warmer embrace of the Seran Forest, it was early Red Moon. The trees were slowly getting sleepy with the cooler weather, injecting their leaves with spouts of reds, oranges, and yellows. Even the long grasses had a yellowish hue. Gray skies, thick clouds, and stormy weather became the norm. Other than having to sleep in the rain, I loved the cooler, stormier weather. Red Moon had always been my favorite season. Not only were the colors so vibrant, but the fierce storms of Chairel were abundant with energy for mages.


    The group of us had followed along the edge of the Seran Forest, using the same route back toward Sera as we had taken to get to Whispermere. It was here that I finally decided to break the ice when it came to my plans. I''d had an idea swimming around my head since that second and last talk with my mother, and so far, I''d been pretty vague with my friends on what I felt the future held for us. As far as they knew, my personal mission was over, and we were about to embark on the mercenary life once we broke free of the forests and could find work. It was part of the reason I hadn''t wanted to bring up my idea. It was yet another personal mission, and they had already done so much for me.


    We were sitting around a campfire, eating. It seemed like the most talking we ever did as a group was during these times. There was a break in conversation, a comfortable silence. I decided to blurt it out to get it over with.


    ¡°I''d like to return to Sera.¡±


    I received four intense stares, three of which stated I was crazy, and one of which was Theron, who seemed intrigued to know my reasons why. Cerin seemed most upset, which I could understand, though it pained me to see the look in his eyes turn to an angered disbelief when he looked at me. While we talked often, he was always reserved, despite seeming to want to befriend me at the very least. He was constantly internally torn between trusting me or not. And now, here I was, suggesting we do the very same thing I said I''d never do.


    ¡°I am not returning to Sera,¡± he finally spoke, his voice heightened with panic. ¡°You said you never wanted to go back.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to go back, but I feel I need to,¡± I replied, having a hard time keeping eye contact with him out of shame.


    ¡°For what? Your funeral? Mine?¡±


    ¡°I left two men I love in Sera who both unwittingly do the bidding of a man who tried to have me assassinated,¡± I said, my voice teetering on the edge of a plea. ¡°I want to take them with us. Or, at the very least, inform them.¡±


    Cerin didn''t reply. In our talks, I had mentioned Bjorn many times. He knew what the man meant to me. He also knew Terran from his time at the university. Anyone who had seen my brother and I together had to know I adored him. Perhaps my brother''s work ethic left much to be desired, but he had forever been a welcome reprieve from Sirius''s scorn.


    ¡°Kai, you have to know neither will come with us,¡± Silas said from across the fire, his voice lacking energy. He had been quieter than ever since Whispermere, looking as if he were always treading a fine line between feeling depressed or conflicted. ¡°Bjorn has worked for your father for forty years. He is human and fast approaching sixty. The last thing he needs to do is go on a trek with us avoiding your father''s armies, which he will send.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Sirius knows how much I love Bjorn. For all I know, he could have found out that Bjorn knew of me leaving or even that he is the one who allowed the messenger from Whispermere to meet me.¡± I frowned at Silas, desperate. ¡°He could have thrown him in the Seran prisons, or worse. This is the man who tried to assassinate me, Silas!¡±


    ¡°And he is the same man who hired me, is he not?¡± Silas retorted. ¡°You are assuming that everything your mother told you is correct. Why would he have gone to such precautions to prevent further assassination attempts if he had tried it himself? Why would he have let Nyx live after hiring her? For all we know, Nanya may be trying to get you to pick a fight with Sera.¡±


    ¡°Sirius knew I didn''t know he was the client, you idiot,¡± Nyx spoke up in my defense. ¡°It would have been incredibly stupid of me to befriend Kai rather than kill her if I knew her father had hired me. And besides, Sirius is no stranger to the Alderi ways.¡±


    ¡°How would you know that, if you never know the client?¡± Silas mocked in return.


    ¡°Because it was after I escaped the underground that I started noticing certain people popping up dead, all of which would have been convenient for him. Do you remember Dali Miri? The protester who was always parading around in Comercio''s square four years ago yelling about how her child died of a simple wound because they couldn''t afford a healer from Sera?¡±


    I stared into the campfire before me, remembering that woman''s story all too well. ¡°She managed to get an activism group started calling for affordable healing services and lower restrictions on magic licenses,¡± I said, softly.


    ¡°Yes, she did. Her main target was Sirius. Called him out for things time and time again. Held him responsible. Spread the message. Then¡ª¡± Nyx swiped a deep purple hand across her throat. ¡°And by an Alderi blade, no less. And I could go on with others, Silas, but that''s not really the point, is it? Kai''s mother was many things, but she was not a liar. She admitted to throwing her daughter out to the wild for the fun of it and to the possibility of helping the other gods come find her in the future. She admitted to not knowing why Sirius tried to get Kai killed before simply using her as a pawn. She admitted when she didn''t have the answers. But that was one answer she gave, and it was one of the things she said that was easiest to believe.¡± Nyx squinted her black eyes at Silas. ¡°Perhaps if you didn''t have your Celdic nose shoved so far up his ass you would see that.¡±


    There was silence, then, and my heart was beating so hard I was sure the others could hear it. Nyx and Silas had always had their differences, and sometimes they''d argued, but Nyx had never gone this far. Perhaps she was fed up with him hurting me, no matter how unintentional it was. She had been angry with him for his words to me in the wyvern''s lair all that time ago, that I had told her about after the fact and made her promise not to mention. Maybe not mentioning it had allowed that anger to boil over.


    ¡°Your undying loyalty blinds you,¡± Silas finally retorted, his voice shaky with held back anger.


    ¡°My loyalty to who?¡± Nyx asked, genuinely confused.


    ¡°Kai.¡± When he said my name, I felt my heart drop. There was pain in his voice...along with regret, and rage.


    ¡°If you are not loyal to her, maybe you need to move the fuck on,¡± Nyx seethed.


    Silas hesitated a moment, thinking through his words before saying them even when this angry. ¡°You are helping her go down a dark path, Nyx, and you will come to regret it. Kai''s decisions will get you killed. She is now a practicing necromancer and going back to Sera is a death sentence. For all of us.¡± His intense green eyes moved to mine. ¡°You used to want to help people, Kai. I don''t know when you strayed so far from the path of righteousness.¡±


    Now it was my turn to be angry. ¡°How dare you suggest I have changed, and all for practicing necromancy! It is for the sole purpose of helping those I love that I want to go back to Sera! Don''t you think I''m aware we could be caught? Is it not a selfless act to risk my own well-being to go back? Your opinion of me must be so low as to suggest I''m on a dark path, Silas. Well, let me tell you what I think of you.¡± I hesitated, before standing. My anger was getting the best of me, and the tinges of my vision were stained a blood red. ¡°You are a pretentious coward who is more concerned with telling me how to live my life than supporting me. I do not ask for your agreement. I ask for your support. It sickens me that you are so concerned for yourself that you would leave Bjorn and Terran to whatever fate Sirius has decided for them.¡±


    I walked off, then, into the night, leaving the silence behind me. I needed to breathe. I needed to figure out what the hell was going on in my life. Just a year ago, Silas was one of my closest friends and was a staunch supporter of me. Life, then, seemed so much simpler. Maybe I hadn''t known just how good I''d had it. Perhaps I had been in fear of an early death, and avoided dealing with Sirius. But at least I was basked in ignorance to his true intentions, and I wasn''t losing friends, and I could continue fantasizing about how great the mother I''d never met could be. Right now, that seemed like the better alternative.