Chapter 3

Fire and Water

The Water Kindred treaded closer to the old council hall. Siren was ablaze with emotion. It had been many years since something had made her unsure in her action, but the child she had parted ways with miles back made her unable to think clearly. There were only two persons alive to this day that knew the girls past, and future. Siren was one of them, the other was her father. The girl had a mysterious past, which even she herself did not know. Siren only knew what her mother had told her when she left her in the care of Siren in the village of the water sign. Siren only knew the child had to be protected. She only knew that if any harm befalls on her, something would happen to change the world.*          *          *The night was calm, and the stars were brighter than usual. The planets were all in alignment, and she knew this could be the night of the coming of the girl. Days ago Siren had received word that a child had been born in the Village of Tine. She had heard whispers that the Fire Elder in Tine had foretold a prophecy the hour of the birth, and that the prophecy was meant for the baby girl. The Fire Elemental had a vision that the contract of time would expire with in the child’s lifetime, and it would be up to the child to finish the battle that had been left incomplete so many years ago. The mother of the newborn feared for her child’s life, and had sent word to the village of Adrid that she was unable to care for her child and would be sending it to the care of Siren, who was to raise it as an innocent girl, and to say nothing about the prophecy. Her mother had told the messenger to keep what the prophet Elemental had told her a secret. And only to tell the Village Elder of Adrid that if this prophecy were to come true, the Tine Elder had said it was sure to claim her life. So here Siren stood in the door of her house waiting for this small baby, who had the power to change the world. A slight movement at the gate told her that the messenger with the baby had arrived. As he moved closer, Siren could make out the features of his face, and she was sure she knew him. “Feothan?” she spoke into the night. “Feothan is that you?”“Hush you’ll wake the whole village,” he replied. As he got closer to her stoop she could see the tears that streamed down his face. He would not look at her, but nor would he look at he child in his arms. He stood in front of her, and she could see all the pain in his eyes. He did not explain why it was he who had come, and not the fire village messenger, or even what he had been doing in the fire village, but Siren could guess by his wet cheeks, and the permanent frown on his face. He handed the small bundle that was the baby to her and started to leave. Siren looked down at her and into her green eyes that sparkled and glistened in the moonlight, and back up to where Feothan had stood.“Feothan, I do not condone what you have done,” Siren whispered to him as he walked away towards the gate. “I will keep her safe until the time comes that her destiny will unfold. I expect for you to be the one to tell her the truth, and I expect that you will do it on your own. I cannot say anything; I promised Naomi I would not tell her of the prophecy. It is up to you, and only you.” She knew he could still hear her even though he was no longer in sight. And she knew that when the time came, he would do what he knew to be right.*          *          *The memory of the night Aquarian came to Siren welled in her head, and Siren started to become sure of herself again. The old council hall came into view, just as the sun peaked over the horizon and onto the tall rocks that lingered in the grass as the Kindred exited the wood. Siren knew she had stayed true to what she told Feothan almost seventeen years ago.  She had kept the girl safe and the prophecy a secret.  It was in Feothan’s hands now to tell the girl of who she was, and what she had really been born to do.*          *          *Aquarian and Feothan continued their path in the wood, and sunlight began to peak though the overgrown trees. Aquarian could tell by the silence that now befell them that there was something Feothan was not telling her, and she was trying to find the words to ask him the truth, but the sound of footsteps and the clanking of a staff interrupted her thoughts. She had been looking down at her feet and watching the dirt and smooth pebbles pass her. Her head moved upward to see what had been making the noise. She saw for the first time in her comparatively short life the entire Kindred of Wind Elementals.  Feothan stopped and waited for their paths to cross, before gliding forth and greeting them with a bow and a smile. “The night has passed, and Mennen tells me that the clouds move closer. We are close to Talahm, what is it you wanted to show this human?” An Elemental at the front of the Kin asked. Aquarian was confused. Had the entire kingdom known she had been following Siren? And how did they know she was with Feothan now going to Talahm? “She has a past with me. Siren wanted to show the girl what will happen if the Elementals vanish from Talbarah. That is the meaning of this.” Feothan stood erect, and held his head up high. The girl didn’t know what was going on, but she was soon to find out.*          *          *The Water Kindred marched on closer to the council hall. A sigh of relief exited their mouths as the old vine covered building came into view for the rest of the Kin. Siren slowed down as the long line of Fire Elementals appeared form over the northern hills. Ahead of the procession was a tall dark man. His face was covered in tattoos of fire colored black and purple. The staff he wielded bore the same markings as Feothan’s and Siren’s. They were a burnt orange that faded into sky blue, and the crystal imbedded in the top was clear, like all the staffs of Element. He wore a black robe that covered his body, and his head was almost hidden under the hood. Siren stopped her procession, and waited.   Over the western hill came the Kindred of the Wind Elementals. Hand in hand, Aquarian and Feothan lead them onward. Siren smiled, feeling that the secret she had kept all these long years was off her shoulders. She could tell by Feothan’s dimpled smile, and the way that Aquarian’s bright eyes glistened that he had told her. Told her the truth about her past and the prophecy, and about her mother. In her heart, Siren wished Naomi had been standing beside her, sharing this moment. But in her mind, Siren knew that wherever the girl’s mother was, she was better off not knowing her daughter was soon to be consumed by what the prophecy had foretold, the death of Aquarian.