Note:Hello, this is the second half of chapter 1 and all of chapter 2. Thank you for reviewing, and for any comments you may have.
Moving south, the terrain had gotten steadily rougher as they neared the
base of the mountain. Coming out of the forest, the rocks that jutted up
from the ground seamed to become more jagged, and knife like, and although
the grass had gotten harsher miles ago, the tall thin stalks became scarcer.
Night fall was upon them, but it seamed to the human girl there was no sign
of stopping for the Water Elementals.
The sun slowly drifted behind the mountain, and then the bleak night
engulfed them. Her feet hurt from the march, but she drove herself onward. A
thought entered her head that made her move faster. Louder her muscles and
frame swore at her. Her pace quickened, her heart raced, and her bones
ached. She must have realized what was happening, and she knew that if she
did not hurry, the vanishing Elementals would disappear soon leaving her in
the dust.
A council meeting was a once in a life time sight to witness. There would
be at least one Fire and Wind elemental at the hall. And despite what the
legend told, this would be a perfect opportunity to see the Earth Gohn. It
was not an elemental, but rather the descendant of one, mostly human, still
possessing the power to weald a staff of Element.
Elementals can produce healthy offspring with humans, but most hold their
noses up to the thought of it. Mixing species is not exactly the brightest
idea; one never knows what could result. There are only a few of them,
half-breeds known as a Gohn. They must spend most of their time trying to
blend in with the human side of Talbara since their kind is strictly
unaccepted by the Elemental side. This gathering is one of the few times a
Gohn can have civilized conversation with elementals, and have a voice in
the decisions made by them.
For a few more long hours, the girl marched on thinking about how exciting
it would be to meet a human elemental. She was so deep in thought that she
almost didn't notice the water Elementals slowing their pace and turning
back into the tree thicket away from the tall grass, sharp rocks, and
mountain mahogany that had become their trail. She followed making sure to
stay somewhat hidden, although she didn't know for sure that the kin of
Elementals would greatly protest her presence. She was convinced the humans
were bound to find out what was happening anyway. The kin stopped suddenly
and another blast of air came rushing through the wood. Ahead of the
procession was Siren, who had her back to the rest of the kin. Stagnant she
stood waiting. The wind began to encircle her, and then it came to a
standstill.
"I thought you were following us. Feothan." Siren spoke in a confidant
voice. The wind Elemental that had been in Arid gusted into a solid form,
and smiled in a friendly sort of way. There was something different about
him this crossing. He held one of the staffs of Element. It was glass
looking, clear and bore the same harsh markings on the stem that Siren's
staff did, but they were evergreen colored. His long white hair was tied
back in a ponytail, and his skin was so pail if it had been snowing, the
girl would have lost track of his thin body. He was the same age as Siren,
and looked just as young. His features were almost perfect and the way he
moved, even when he stood corporeal, was especially graceful and light, like
the wind. His long white cloak was made out of a thick velvet fabric, and his tan
pants and blouse clung loosely to his body, and rippled in the wind that was passing.
The tall boost on his feet were a dark green color, almost matching his staff.
"The breeze has been blowing in an odd direction for the past hour or so.
You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?" Siren asked.
"I have been following you," he lowered his airy voice so only siren could
hear his words, "why are you taking the old path towards Talamh, there is no
reason to go there. It is an abandoned village now. Without the earth
Elementals to run the hall the admin couldn't keep order over the humans and
everything fell apart. They all left. The town is empty now, just ruins, you
know this."
"The child, the one who follows us,"
"Oh so you did notice,"
"Yes we've all noticed," siren replied impatiently, "She needs to know. She
has a role yet to play in the council, what it is I'm uncertain, but I have
a feeling, and you know my feelings are never wrong," She straightened up
and stared at Feothan with an expression of knowing. Siren always seems to
have the right answer, or be positive of the outcome of any situation. The
look on her face and the feeling in her heart was sure and confidant, so
Feothan did not question her. After all Siren was one of the oldest and
wisest of all the Elementals.
"You are wasting time going this path, let me take her, we will move
quicker if its just the two of us," He lowered he voice even more, "she has
a familiar presence to her, an energy similar to Naomi's. Do you think she."
"I don't know," Siren cut him off, "you guide her, but tell her nothing we
don't need her or someone else knowing. I feel another presence near, I'm
not convinced it should be welcomed with information kept hidden for thus
long. Understand?" Siren's voice cut sharply on her last word. Feothan
nodded to her, and then bowed with respect. Siren returned the gesture and
then the water Elementals began to move again.
"Child walk with me, I will show you the path from here," Feothan's voice
was no louder than a whisper, but seemed to come from the wind bouncing off
the trees coming from every direction as it echoed through the woods.
The girl realized he was referring to her and stepped out of her hiding
place behind a large leafy bush. She slowly walked closer to the wind
Elemental, and he held out a hand of welcome. His face was unemotional
however, so she did not quite understand the gesture, and paused.
"What is your name girl?" Feothan spoke in a calm, soft sort of way almost
like a whisper, but louder.
"Shelia," She spoke in a nervous manner, and didn't know why but this made
her embarrassed so she looked to the ground while her cheeks flushed
brightly. This action made Feothan smile, and he glided closer to her.
"I meant your sign," He said still smiling friendly.
"Aquarian," she replied as her face lifted from the ground and gazed at
the Elemental before her. He studied her features for what seamed like a
long time before saying,
"Heh, I knew your mother."
Chapter 2
Leon's Stronghold
The height of the mountain and the way the moon fell on the towers and
walls of carved rock made the fortress look mysterious, and threatening.
Light shone through windows and cracks in doors onto the side of the
mountain casting eerie shadows on its slope, while sounds of laughter and applause came from the main floor.
Leon stood on the balcony of his quarters staring off into the distance and
listening to the roar of noise coming from the dinner region. Although the
celebration was in his honor, he felt nausea at the thought of going to join
the party. He let his thoughts wander in and out of focus while trying not
to pay too much attention to the racket from below. The day had been long
and strenuous and he was tired, but the thought of sleep seemed like an old
joke to Leon. He wondered if his father would have approved of his actions
due to the recent loss of his mother, or if he would have told him to put on
a face and join the fun. Sometimes Leon felt so lost without his father's
guidance, and now the pain of losing his mother weighed more heavily on him
as the burden of ruling Talbara passed so quickly into his lap. His family
was vanishing like the Wind Elementals, except they would not return to his sight.
Too overwhelmed by thoughts of the slow-paced week, he decided to go for a
walk to cool his head. Quietly sneaking out of the fortress, he headed down
the rocky dirt road in darkness. Being of the lion kindred, Leon could see
quite well in the bleak darkness that surrounded him. Having traits similar
to the free-roaming lions served the kindred well in the forest, they could
hear prey or enemies sneaking up, ready to attack, and see the path they
tread when the sun could no longer guide their way.
It was cold out, and Leon wished he had thought to bring his thick cloak to
keep himself warm, but he figured if he could keep moving fast enough the
air wouldn't seem as chilling. As he walked he listened to the song of the
nocturnal forest. Exotic animals rarely seen in daylight scurried about,
while birds who kept Leon awake at the fortress when night fell were louder
here, and their song seemed more obnoxious than ever.
Leon's mother was a gentle sort of woman who had love for the forest on the
slope of Brink, and when Leon was a boy she would take him walking through
it. They would laugh at the funny insects and odd creatures they would
happen upon as she gave him lessons about Talbara. But the world he knew
seemed to disappear when it was just the two of them, and everything was
knew. Once Leon almost stepped on a walking stick bug thinking it was just
another twig in the road. His mother screamed at him telling him not
everything it as it seems and he should be more wary of where he let his
foot fall.
The fond memories that flooded his overwhelmed mind gave him a moment of
peace. As if the world did not exist, and it was just Leon, alone in the
forest with his Mother again.
The peacefulness was broken when out of the corner of his eye Leon could see
a large figure on the path. A human wouldn't have been able to hear their
voices over the sound of the night, but Leon could hear them quite clearly.
"She was a beautiful woman, your mother. I had not been told that she had
any children before she died," Feothan's voice was distant although he was
drawing very near.
"Truthfully I didn't know her very well. She died when I was four, and the
village elders raised me after that. I asked about her constantly, but no
one seemed extremely interested in telling to me about her." Aquarian had a
much more distinct voice than her companion, although she looked so timid
and small. She was a young little thing, barely old enough to call herself a
woman.
The finery Leon was accustomed to made him cringe at the sight of the
girl's appearance. The raggedy scraps of cloth she wore had been poorly sewn
together to create a very makeshift dress, while her dark brown hair was
knotted and askew to create a sort of mad look about her. The cloak that was
draped across her shoulders was torn and old, but the cloth, Leon could
tell, had been quite a catch in its prime. The smooth pale face of the girl
was covered in dirt smudges. Leon thought she would have been quite a
beautiful girl had she been cleaned up, and then she looked up and her eyes
gave her away. The sort of green eyes he had heard stories of Earth
Elementals possessing. The green was so bright, and had a mystical quality
about it that made her now seem not dirty, but mysterious. She walked
quickly, and her companion, he could tell, set the pace. They neared the
bend where Leon stood, and he concealed himself behind a tree. The dark
night would have hidden him well enough if the girl's companion didn't have
a lantern.
As they stepped in front of Leon, he saw the light the man carried was not
a lantern, but a staff of Element. The crystal imbedded in the top of the
staff was aglow, and set off quite a bit of light. They moved past, and Leon
decided to follow them. Wind Elementals hardly ever come this close to the
fortress, and they are it is even rarer to see them with humans.
After the rise of the Lion Kindred, the Elementals went quietly into the
villages. They became known as the village elders, and governed the towns
like mayors. Elementals were old and wise, and the humans knew enough not to
protest their power. After time past however, they slowly started to lose
their power over the humans, and had to settle as towns' people. Humans
accepted the Elementals as just another person in the village, but the
Elementals still had power in their staffs, and even though they recognized
this new place in life, they envied the old ways.
Leon crept quietly following the two strangers, curious to learn more about
the arcane maiden. He darted swiftly form trees to overgrown shrubbery and
ferns, careful to stay hidden from the soft glow of the Elemental's staff.
"It seems silly of me to ask now, but how did you know my Mother?"
Aquarian's face was lit with interest. Her eyes looked to Feothan, and bored
into him. It wasn't the type of stair that sends shivers up one's spine and
makes one want to run and hide from those eyes. It was a stair that looked
into Feothan's soul, that made him feel safe and as though he had known this
young girl all his life.
"I met her a long time ago, she was probably just a little older than you,"
he smiled, and held his head high as if he was looking into his past and
could see happy memories in the stage of darkness that surrounded them, "she
had been lost for hours probably, and the sun had been set for a while. I
didn't sleep much in those days, and had been wandering in the forest near
Seithe, the wind village. I could hear her crying through the wind. I went
to her, and took her back to the Village. She said she had been looking for
a man who had told her about an old contract, one that could be used against
the Superiors."
Leon stopped dead in his tracks; he didn't care if the staff revealed his
presence. That contract was well known to the royal Family of the Lion
Kindred. His father, Superior Ragoth, had told Leon about it as a child, and
he knew that if humans had knowledge of it, the entire kingdom of Talbara
could fall apart.
