“Where?”
“Sapphire Creek”
“Feeling ambitious, aren’t you?”
“We have tiny fish in our stream. I’m hungry for something larger.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
Niv put on her dress, grabbed an apple, then ate it as she walked to the creek. Mae’s wagon and horses were gone, so she assumed she was with her mom in town. As she walked, remnants of last night’s conversation about her childhood in Selandis crept into her mind.
She heard the creek long before she arrived at their fishing spot on the bank. The waters were usually pristine blue, but the water flowed swiftly today as the creek was swollen from the previous night’s torrential rains.
“Any luck?” Niv asked.
Jarris handed her a rod already baited and ready to cast. “Not yet.”
“You’re eager today, aren’t you?”
Jarris recast his line. “I want to spend as much time with my favorite sister as possible before she leaves to join the Ael’Shanar.”
“I’m your only sister, and I’m not joining the order. Who told you that?”
“Mom and Mae were talking about it during breakfast.”
“Breakfast? What’s that?” Niv asked.
“It’s supposed to be your first meal of the day. You might know if you’d get up earlier.”
“Are you supposed to be talking like that to your older sister?”
Jarris laughed. “We both know you’re going to leave.”
“I might leave the woods, but I have no plans to join the order.”
“Did you see the mushrooms? They were dark today.”
“I didn’t,” Niv replied.
The white mushrooms near the bank had lost their subtle glow.
“We’re headed for a rough winter,” Niv predicted. “I’ve never seen them go dark this early.”
“You’d normally be the one telling me about it,” Jarris observed.
“I’ve been distracted.”
“Understandable. I still don’t understand why they bought you here, though. It would have been fun to grow up in a big city like Selandis.”
“They said they wanted me to be normal.”
Jarris laughed. “It clearly didn’t work.”
Niv rolled her eyes. “Yea, yea…”
“I can tell you’re distracted. You don’t have a good comeback for that.”
The wind blew through the canopy, showering a beautiful array of orange, red, and purple leaves around them.
Niv shivered. “That’s a cool breeze. A bit too early for that.”
Another gust swished through the clearing near the creek, chilling them both. The leaves gave up the bit of water they had previously collected as the wind howled, making it seem as though it was raining.
“Maybe the fish will get worried and bite,” Jarris said.
The gusts grew and caused the branches to creak as they bowed. A sense of dread washed over Niv. “We need to go home.”
“Maybe the water is running too fast for the fish.”
A large gust made its way to ground level, forming vortexes of fallen leaves in its wake. A large groan, followed by progressively louder crashes, echoed from the trees. Niv looked up in time to see a huge tree falling toward them.
“Watch out!”
Jarris was slow to respond, so she grabbed his hand and pulled. He finally looked up to see the danger, but it was too late. The main trunk missed them both, but a large limb hit Jarris in the chest with a dull thud and pinned him to the ground.
Niv brushed away the multitude of branches and twigs away, clearing a path to her brother. She called his name, but he didn’t answer. She checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one, but it was rapid and weak. She franticly removed the smaller branches but couldn’t lift the main limb.
“Hang on, Jarris!”
She repeatedly tried to pick up the limb. Eventually she was able to budge it a little, but not enough to free him. She could run and get her father’s help, but that would mean leaving her brother.
Cool air burned her lungs as she cried for help until her voice cracked. Soft, muddy earth swallowed her feet as she moved to where the branch was thinner and she could gather more leverage. She pulled with all her might and lifted the limb from Jarris’s chest but couldn’t reach him to move his body out of the way. Anything she could use to prop the branch was far beyond her reach.
She gathered the remaining strength within her and walked towards him with the branch still in both arms. The load became increasingly heavier, but she managed to reach him with the limb still elevated. She tried in vain to shove him out of the way with her feet. She would need at least one free arm to move him.
Niv took several deep breaths and did what she had taught herself to do when confronted with an impossible task—imagine it completed. By focusing on the outcome, not the problem, she had been able to surpass previous seemingly insurmountable challenges. She hoped this was no different.
She closed her eyes and visualized the limb easily being held by one of her arms. Gradually, the load diminished. She opened her eyes and repositioned herself to be closer to Jarris, then carefully shifted the load to her right arm. Her muscle strained under the pressure, but to her relief, she now had use of her left arm. She grabbed onto his belt and pulled hard, drawing him away from the limb. As soon as he was out of its way, she released the branch.
Jarris was free, but far from safe. She checked his pulse again and felt nothing. His skin had paled and he wasn’t drawing breath. Her hands trembled, and she broke out into a cold sweat in fear of losing her brother.
“Jarris, wake up! Come back to me!”
Blood soaked his shirt. Large gashes crossed his chest in vicious patterns as a horrible bruise grew in the center of his chest. He was bleeding, but that was not his worst problem. The impact from the limb could have broken his ribs and punctured his lungs. He would die. She had to save him.
I can heal him.
Though it was a stray thought, Niv’s confidence grew that she didn’t have to accept this fate. She had heard of the healing powers of the Ael’Shanar. Some were skilled enough to heal significant wounds, but this required time and training, neither of which were a luxury at the moment. She had to try.
Niv recalled a painting she had seen of someone putting their hands on a sick person. She wasn’t sure if that was how it was done, but it was the only thing she knew to do. She placed her hands on his chest and closed her eyes, using the same mental focus and surety she had used to lift the limb.
Niv envisioned her brother, recovered from his wounds. In her mind, he was sitting upright, talking with her family. His boisterous voice filled the room as he recanted the tale of how his older sister had saved him. He proudly showed the well-healed scar and took a breath of fresh air.
She opened her eyes and looked at her brother. He was still as lifeless and cold as when she had started.
This isn’t working.
Doubt was her worst enemy. She hadn’t left the woods because she was so unsure of her path. But now a great challenge was before her. This was no time for indecision or doubt.
This is going to work.
She closed her eyes and imagined a burst of pure white energy flowing through her, filling her body with warm, healing energy. Warmth seeped into her hands until the tips of her fingers burned. She envisioned the power flowing into Jarris’s chest, revitalizing every tissue and organ in his body.
One eye fluttered open to the sight of her hands bathed in a pale-yellow glow. White, wispy energy swirled around her, forming a cocoon of healing that protected and empowered her work.
She threw her head back, providing a direct path for the energy to flow. Light poured from the sky and into her head, then surged through her hands and into her brother. Her body shook with the intensity of the power that flowed through her. She realized, with passive detachment, a reality of her own creation was manifesting, infinite in depth and experience. Nothi
ng else existed but her, Jarris, and the warm light now flowing through them.
His heartbeat pulsed in her fingers, and his chest rose as he took a breath. Time had no meaning. She was so enthralled with the experience she found herself lost in its overwhelming intensity. The warm glow of energy took on a life of its own, completing its healing work then leaving them. The vortex of energy disappeared.
Her brother stared up at her.
He was going to be alright.
Chapter 4
Niv took dinner to Jarris’s room. Cloudy late-afternoon light filtered through the double window behind his bed. His room was furthest from the fireplace in the main room, so even in the warmer months he had two quilts on his bed to chase away the cool evenings.
Jarris grimaced as he tried to sit upright, so she set the tray next to him on the bed and arranged his pillows so he could comfortably eat. She lit the oil lamp and placed it on his oak bedside table. Her hand trembled as she set the tray in his lap, nearly spilling some soup. Despite his pain, he flashed her a reassuring smile, helping to calm her nerves.
Jarris dunked a cracker in his chicken soup. “You and mom are spoiling me rotten.”
“After what you’ve been through, you deserve it.”
“What if I get used to this?”
“I expect you will. You’ll soon be incorrigible. For now, enjoy.”
Jarris offered her some bread. “Have you eaten?”
“I had some soup already. But I’m too tired to eat anything else.”
Jarris pointed to the bruise on his chest. She turned away to avoid a reminder of the still-fresh trauma he had endured. “You saved my life.”
She focused on the soup to distract herself. “I was scared I might lose you.”
“How did you do it?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Maybe Mae will know. She is in the Ael’Shanar, after all.”
She glanced towards the door as though all the secrets she suspected her parents kept from her lingered on the other side, just waiting to be discovered. “Maybe. I haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet.”
“Whatever you did, I’m glad it worked.” He pointed at the dried, deep red stain on her skirt. “I’m sorry I bled all over your dress.”
She inspected her clothing. She had been so shaken, so focused on her brother’s well-being, that she had been oblivious to anything else.
“And your arm.”
She noticed dozens of small scratches on her arms from the branches.
“I’ll be alright. Don’t worry about me.” She put her hand on Jarris’s shoulder, but he pulled away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s alright.” Jarris took one more bite of soup, then pushed the bowl away. “I can’t eat anymore.”
She inspected the half-finished bowl. “Now I know you’re in pain.”
“I’ll be alright.”
“I know you will. But you need rest.”
“Thank you, Niv. I owe you.”
“Jarris, you’re family, and you would do the same for me. You don’t owe me anything. Now get some sleep.”
Jarris rolled his eyes. “Yes, mom.”
Jarris’s smart replies would normally irritate her, but she was ecstatic he was well enough to still give her a hard time. She returned the dishes to the kitchen and started to wash them.
The scent of the spicy oil her mother used to soften her skin reached her nose as the warmth of her hand came to rest on her shoulder. “I’ll do that, dear. You’ve done enough for today. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
Niv put the dishes in the basin, and her mother took over. “I feel like I could sleep straight through winter.”
“I want to talk about what happened.”
Cherin stopped scrubbing the bowl. “I thought you might. Let me—"
“I’ve waited long enough, mom. I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Cherin returned the bowl to the basin and motioned toward the main room. “I’m sorry. I’ve put this off long enough.”
Put what off?
Cherin joined Ren and Mae near the fire. The room was filled with warmth and nostalgia: handcrafted furniture, porcelain and wood figurines, a large painting of Sapphire Creek by Niv, and several mushroom-shaped stools decorated with copper inlay to mimic their summer glow.
Her father sat in his large, overstuffed leather chair, and her mom sat on the edge of her rocking chair as though she could bolt at any moment. Niv and Mae sat on the sofa across from them.
“You have always been a curious child,” Cherin said. “You soak in knowledge like a sponge and ask for more. Your father and I have answered you the best we can, but I am sure our explanations have never felt sufficient.”
“It’s no secret I’m not like the other girls in the woods.”
“And that’s a good thing, especially when it comes to that Frasie—"
“Dad!”
Ren chuckled. “I’m just kidding.”
“You two have always been evasive about certain things. My unusual sleep, my unique eyes… I mean, neither one of you have blue eyes.”
“Oh, your grandmother had blue eyes,” Cherin replied.
“But it’s not just that. The mushrooms. No one else in Brenloh can do that.”
“Mushrooms?” Mae asked.
“Yes, they glow brightly when I hold them. Even if they were picked the day before.”
Mae raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”
She opened her palms. “And it’s not just the mushrooms. Now my hands are different. When I saved Jarris, they glowed. That’s not normal.”
“You are far from normal,” Cherin said. “But that’s not a bad thing.”
She leaned towards her mother. “Please, tell me what’s happening to me.”
Cherin leaned back, putting some distance between them. She grabbed the arms of her chair and took a deep breath. “Niv, you have magic. That’s how you healed your brother.”
“What?”
Mae took a sip of tea. “Everyone has the ability to perform magic. But some are more gifted than others.”
“Yes,” Cherin said. “Your abilities are stronger than those of most of the Ael’Shanar.”
“But, I’ve had no training.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Mae replied. “Some have a natural aptitude for the craft. Just as others are skilled at sports, archery, and cooking, you have a considerable advantage in the practice of magic.”
“So why all the secrecy? If you had told me—"
“Then you would have been a beacon for those who intend to steal that power,” Mae interrupted. “We had to keep you safe.”
“We?”
Cherin tugged at her skirt. “All of us. The three of us protected you.”
“Then why could I heal Jarris when I couldn’t have done so before? Why can I now hear people’s thoughts in my head?”
“The spell of protection that we cast over you has waned,” Mae replied. “Cherin concealed you in the woods, while I spelled a quilt I made for you to prevent others from finding your power.”
“My red and white quilt?”
Mae smiled warmly. “Yes, Niv. I made that for you.”
She stood and held her hands above the fireplace. They weren’t cold, but the warmth provided some comfort as she took in this startling information.
“Who’s trying to steal my power?”
“A young woman in Selandis with almost as much natural talent as you,” Mae replied. “She is quite disturbed and has a very jealous personality. From birth, she envied you.”
This is familiar.
“This woman… does she have pale skin?”
“She does.”
“And long, blond hair?”
“Brighter than corn silk.”
Niv turned to Mae. “Her name is Vorea, isn’t it?”
They all jumped. “How could you have known that?” Cherin asked.
Niv ran to her room and fetched her journal. H
er hands trembled as she thumbed through it. She stopped on a page near the end and read:
Vorea, daughter of Vella, pale in color but eyes rich with devilishly green envy, covets the power of a sequestered young sorceress.
Mae and Cherin’s mouth hung open in shock.
Cherin struggled for words. “I don’t understand. How could—“
“Clairvoyance,” Mae exclaimed. “Combined with the magic of words, logomancy. Your gifts are more powerful than I imagined.”
Niv let the journal fall to her side. “So, this is true?”
Mae looked at Cherin, then back at Niv. “Please, Niv, read us more.”
Chapter 5
Niv closed the journal. “There is nothing else about Vorea.”
“I don’t pretend to know much about the Ael’Shanar, let alone magic,” Ren said. “But isn’t it possible you were simply daydreaming about what life may be like in Selandis.”
“Exactly,” she said. “I made all of this up, or at least I thought I did. I used the name Vella because she’s high priestess, but I didn’t even know she had a daughter.”
“And yet you knew Vorea, and that she was envious.” Mae reached for the book. “Do you mind if I see it?
She handed it to Mae. The book fell open to the beginning pages. Niv abruptly flipped to the later sections. “Some of this is personal.”
Mae nodded. “I understand.” She skimmed through the pages surrounding what Niv had written about Selandis. Her expression intensified until she closed the book. “You know of my sister’s poor health.”
“Well, I… in my story, Vella is… dying.”
Cherin gasped. “Oh no, Vella.”
“That was another reason for my visit.”
Niv picked up her journal. “I don’t know anything about Vella’s family, other than her daughter. I wanted her to have a sister, but I couldn’t think of a name. I usually have no problem coming up with names.”
“Vella has two sisters,” Mae said.
Cherin reached out to Mae, but she ignored her.
Niv took a seat on one of the stools. “Then I guess this logomancy you say I possess is flawed. Somehow that makes me feel better.”
Silence fell over them while Mae stared at her mother. Cherin shifted uncomfortably under her impatient gaze. “What is wrong with Vella?”
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