by Toni Cox
“It’s all so exciting. I can’t wait to move in. Then the four of us can live like a family again.”
Aaron coughed into his glass and almost spilled its contents. Jasmin grinned and Luke nudged her in the side with his elbow. Maia just stared. Live with them? She had not even considered that possibility when they announced they were building a house. Now she felt like someone had just pulled out the rug from under her.
The days that followed were difficult, but went by quickly. There was so much to do. Maia was glad for it, as it kept Aaron busy most of the time. He spent most of his days with the construction of their house, but when he came home in the evening, he would often sit with Maia to talk.
It was awkward at first. She would tense every time he came near, worried that he would look at her like that again and that his body would betray his intent, just like it had the other day. But, after a time, Maia realised he could be quite charming and he seemed to know the limitations, even if he tested them on occasion. He now hardly ever made any advances that would make her feel uncomfortable or were inappropriate. She learned that he was intelligent, determined and serious, but also that he had a gentler side and a certain dry humour that amused her. It was easier now to talk to him, and she came to like him as a person, but she could not find any feelings of affection towards him within her yet.
Luke and Jasmin spent an equal amount of time training; Luke with Silas and Jasmin with the Hunters; and helping with the construction of their house. Both seemed pleased with the progress of their parents, making Maia feel uncomfortable and guilty.
Maia also finally introduced them to her magic. Although they had seen her display at the ceremony, they had not fully understood what it was that the Elves do. She spent many evenings with them, demonstrating and explaining.
“The magic is more like an affinity one has for a certain element. Malyn’s power is with Earth, that’s why she is such a good potter. She can talk to the clay, encourage it to hold a certain shape or accept a certain colour. Most of our Builders have an affinity for plants, which is part of the Earth Element. They can encourage a tree to grow, know which branches they can cut off without hurting the tree, and they know where they can use nails and bolts and where they should use rope instead. They never hurt the trees they build in, but rather encourage the tree to accept the construction and thrive around it.”
Maia took a bowl with earth from the table. She had filled it this afternoon before she came home for this very purpose. Now she held it in her left hand, made a small hole in the dirt with her finger and then dropped a seed into it. She poured a little water from her glass into the hole with the seed and then covered it with soil.
Rapt, the Humans watched as she closed her eyes and murmured words too softly for them to hear. Slowly at first, then growing stronger, a tender green shoot broke through the surface of the soil. It grew taller, split to form leaves and a tender bud formed at its top. Once it reached a certain height, it stopped growing taller, thickened out at the base and its bud opened to form a perfect white flower. It had only taken moments for the flower to form and Maia was pleased with all the oohs and aahs it elicited.
“Silas can manipulate Fire and Earth. Have you ever watched him light a fire in his cave?” When they all shook their heads, she continued. “Although he cannot create fire, he can control any flame, no matter how big or small. When he lights a fire, he usually strikes a flint for a spark. Most people do this, but then have to wait for the spark to catch on the kindling and then for the wood to catch fire. Silas skips this part. Once he has a spark, he encourages it to grow, engulf the wood and burn instantly.”
“Can you also do that?” Jasmin asked with big eyes.
“I can.” Maia smiled. “But fire is not my favourite. Although necessary, fire can be very destructive, which goes against my nature. I prefer water.”
She lifted her cup, then let it go and caught the cup with her other hand just before it dropped on the ground. The Humans watched its descent and were at first unaware of the water that had remained in the air. By the time they noticed it, Maia had it already spinning in the air, creating a tiny whirlpool. Periodically she let little drops fly from it, striking her spectators in the face. Soon they were all laughing, but when Maia noticed the look on Aaron’s face as he looked admiringly at her, she lost concentration. Maia dropped the water to the floor. Hastily she grabbed a cloth to mop it up before her mother noticed. To cover her confusion, she quickly resumed her talk about the elements.
“So, there are the four elements; Water, Fire, Earth and Air. Earth encompasses all types of soil, as well as all plants. Air is the most difficult to control, unless you are in a small space, like a house or a cave. Fire and Water have their uses, but the most common is Earth. Air is rare; only two in our entire city have an affinity with air. Somas, who works with Jaik, is one of them.”
Maia poured more water from the decanter into her crystal glass and then took a sip of water before she continued.
“Every Elf can control at least one of the elements. Those who can control two or three are called Minor Elementals, although we mostly refer to them as Elementals. About one in fifty is an Elemental. And those that can control all four are called Prime Elementals.”
The Humans were quiet for a moment, before Aaron voiced what everyone had been eager to know.
“So you can control all four elements, which makes you a Prime Elemental, right?”
Maia nodded; she knew where this was going.
“But if there are others who can also do that, why are you so special?”
She had expected the question, but for some reason it always made her uncomfortable. She did not like to be treated differently, or as if she was somehow worth more than any other Elf. She took a deep breath and was about to answer, when Jaik cut into the conversation.
“Prime Elementals are rare. Sometimes millennia can go by without one being born. What makes Maia special is that she can control a fifth element.” He glanced around at the Humans, letting his comment sink in before he continued. “She is a Life Elemental. Life and Death are treated as elements as well. There has not been a Life Elemental in Grildor, or in any of our neighbouring countries, for almost two millennia. The main purpose for Life Elementals is to maintain and encourage life. Maia can heal anything that is broken, whether animal, plant or person. She can encourage fertility in people who struggle to reproduce and make barren soil bear fruit once again. It is a great honour for our clan to have her and an even greater honour to have her as my little sister.”
Jaik sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and a single tear ran down her face. Jaik had always admired her for her abilities and she knew he was proud of her, but she wasn’t sure if she deserved his admiration. Sometimes she felt inadequate for the tasks ahead of her.
She did not feel like showing them her magic anymore. She felt sad and lonely. She snuggled closer to Jaik and let him carry on the conversation. He sensed her sudden change of mood and smoothly distracted the Humans so she could relax against him. His familiar warmth and smell soothed her.
Being a Life Elemental came with a whole lot of responsibilities that she was not sure she was ready for. History taught that Life Elementals were only born during a time of need for the people. They were the ones that were supposed to set things right again. Usually, those times of need occurred towards the later years of the Prime Elemental’s life, but with all the attacks, and her visions of Death, Maia wondered if her time might come sooner.
While her family was busy during the day, studying and building their house, Maia spent much of her time with her father and Jaik. People had arrived from Tarron Heights to claim their deceased and discuss the incident. Cinaed, lord and leader of Tarron Heights, was an old friend of her father’s and with him he had brought Reandor Lothbrooke, who was one of their Elders, as well as two Guard, Erendal and Arabas. Maia found out more about the other attacks from them; the littl
e they knew.
She wondered about the attacks and if they had anything to do with her dream. She had never thought this much about death and people dying, and the Death Elemental and what he stood for. She had lived her entire life in peace; there had not been war on Elveron in over five hundred years. Although the different regions sometimes had disagreements, they were mostly settled amicably.
These attacks were something completely new to her and elicited feelings she struggled to control. All this talk about people dying was making her physically ill. It had happened before, but not as severe as this. The day she went with her brother to look at the men that had been killed, she had thrown up and had been so shaken and weak that Jaik carried her home. Silas said it was because her powers were fully developed now. As a Life Elemental it was in her nature to heal, to save lives and to bring forth new life. To see the destruction of life so close at hand, without being able to change it, was bound to have effects. Silas said, in time, she would get used to it and it would be easier to deal with and to control.
She hoped he was right.
“I won’t be long, Jaik, I will meet you in the hall with the others a little later. I just want to clear my head.”
“Alright,” Jaik smiled at her, “but don’t go too far. Wolf,” he said, turning towards the animal, “you look after her, alright?”
Maia smiled back at her brother and then stepped onto the path that led into the forest. Wolf bounded ahead of her, his tongue lolling out to the side.
Her days had been filled with meetings and talk of the attacks and she felt unsettled and ill at ease. She hoped to calm herself by spending time in the forest to walk off her frustration. It was a hot summer’s day, but in the shade of the trees the air was pleasantly mild and the dappled sunlight soon lifted her spirits.
They walked for about half the morning, always keeping Shadow Peak to their left and staying close to the city. The terrain was gentler here, not as rocky and steep as to the west and walking was easy. Soon Maia was laughing at Wolf’s exuberance and watched him with delight as he chased squirrels and flushed grouse from their resting places. She had opened herself up to the forest and she felt each Life Force as a bright spark in her mind. After so much talk of death, all this life around her relieved the pressure on her heart and she felt better than she had in days.
“What is it, Wolf?”
Maia stopped next to him, copying his tense posture. He had stopped suddenly, his right forepaw off the ground, tail stiff. Maia looked in the direction he was staring, but saw nothing. Then, just before she heard it, she sensed the pain that was soon followed by a squeal that chilled her to the bone.
Nausea washed over her as felt the pain in her mind. She tried to close herself off to the Eläm around her, but it was too late. Retching, she stumbled forward. Maybe she could get to it in time and heal it. Wolf followed, but the fur on his neck was raised and he was growling. Maia was too absorbed in the creature’s pain to take notice of Wolf’s demeanour, otherwise she might have taken more care. But she didn’t and, completely unaware of danger, she stepped out into a small clearing. She looked up, drawn by the animal’s suffering.
The air rushed out of her with a whoosh and she stopped dead in her tracks. Wolf gave a small warning yip, but then continued growling.
There in the clearing, in broad daylight, stood Death. His hulking, black wolf form crouched over a deer. With one swift motion he bit the deer’s neck, killing it instantly. Maia felt its Life Force extinguish with a suddenness that left her feeling too weak to run. Wolf growled again, but remained by her side. Death looked up and stared her straight in the face. Even from this distance she could see that his eyes were completely black; they looked like bottomless pits.
Death stepped over the deer and with deadly grace walked towards her.
Maia was rooted to the spot. She could not move. Her body tremble and she felt the sweat run down the centre of her back. Run, she screamed at herself, but her legs would not obey.
Death came closer. Maia’s breath now came in short, sharp bursts, but she saw the wolf with a clarity that startled her. It seemed as if he was the only thing she saw. He was large; much larger than a normal wolf. The top of his head would be level with hers, if he were to stand in front of her. His coat was an even, deep black, but it was even shaggier than the coat of Wolf. His paws were large, the long claws clearly visible, and his footsteps sounded strangely familiar.
Then he growled and bared his teeth. Maia recoiled when she saw the size of his canines.
As Maia let out a small scream, Wolf charged.
“No, Wolf,” Maia managed to say, but it was too late. Wolf charged, his teeth bared and his fur bristling. Maia reached for her bow, but then remembered that she had not brought it. Frantic, she looked around, grabbed a branch off the forest floor and sprinted after Wolf.
Wolf danced around Death, nipping at his legs, biting here and there. Death growled, but otherwise took little notice of him. Death looked at Maia. She felt certain he was here for her; it was her time to go, to leave this life. If that was so, she would accept it, but she would defend Wolf, even if it was the last thing she did.
Death took another few steps in her direction. They were so close now. She could see that he had no white in his eyes at all. Wolf followed and, in one last desperate attempt to protect her, launched himself at the black wolf and clamped his jaws shut on his throat. Death growled louder and shook his great head. Wolf lost his grip and fell to the ground. He immediately picked himself up and launched another attack. Death gave a short howl and then swiped his great paw across Wolf’s face, snapping his head back and Wolf lay still.
Screaming, Maia swung her branch and brought it down on Death’s head with a satisfying crack.
Death whined, wiped a forepaw over his right ear and retreated. He looked at Maia one last time as she stood there panting, glowering at him, then he turned and ran into the forest.
Shaking, she knelt down next to Wolf. It was not a serious injury and she healed it quickly, but what had transpired had shaken her to the core; she would not mention it to anyone.
A few days later, Jagaer announced that he was sending a delegation to Braérn to discuss the attacks with other clan leaders. Lord Swiftfisher of Braérn had sent a message that Thala Yll and Alea Yll had requested a meeting to discuss the attacks and, as Cinaed from Tarron Heights was already here at Shadow Hall, he deemed now to be a good time to go to Braérn; they could travel together. It would be safer for both groups. He had already let Lord Swiftfisher know and the meeting was arranged for a few days hence.
Jagaer could not go to Braérn himself, because he had other business of state to attend to. He selected three Elders and three Guard to accompany the people from Tarron Heights. Jadae Longshadow, Jagaer’s father, as one of the Elders, would also step in as leader in Jagaer’s absence. The other two Elders were Ramaer Moonswain and Livarion Summerlot.
The three Guards were made up of Jaik, Archer and Boron, and Maia suspected Jagaer had chosen Jaik to go to keep an eye on Maia. As Silas had wanted to go to Braérn to acquire more scrolls anyway, this trip came at an opportune time. Maia could collect the scrolls from the library while she was there.
Because Maia was now officially recognised as their Prime, Silas deemed it necessary for her to present herself to the people of Braérn. She was their princess and Prime as well and she had a duty to her people.
Arrangements for a feast in her honour had already been made and the most important people of Braérn had been invited. Although she looked forward to going, she also dreaded the attention it would bring her. Here, everyone knew her and it was not such a novelty for them to have a Life Elemental in their midst. But the people of Braérn had only met her a few times before, and she had been younger and had not had her ceremony yet. This time would be different.
The day before they left, Maia packed her travelling clothes, as well as the note Silas had given her for Dorien, Elder of the library, and
then went to the Grazing Grounds to fetch Fire. As always he was excited to see her. It made her feel guilty for not having spent much time with him since she’d been home. She used to ride him almost every day before she left for Earth.
She spent most of the morning grooming him and making his coat gleam like copper, before she put him in one of the stables and then bent to the task of cleaning his tack. It had sat unused in the tack room for over two years, or even longer, she thought, as she mostly rode Fire bareback. He was now standing in a stall opposite to where she sat, snorting his displeasure at her for being confined within the stable.
“I know, Fire, you don’t like to be in, but it is only for tonight. Tomorrow night you can sleep under the stars again.” She smiled fondly at him.
“He is lucky.”
Maia jumped; she had not heard Aaron approach. “Why is he lucky?”
“Because you are taking him with and are not leaving him behind.”
“Oh.”
Aaron moved some of her cleaning cloths to the side and sat beside her, so close their arms touched. She was acutely aware of where his skin touched hers. They had never been this close. There had always been some space between them.
“How long will you be gone?”
“I think just over a fortnight. Three Quarters at the most.”
Maia tried to keep her tone neutral, but it required all her concentration. She itched to move over to break the contact, but she thought it would seem rude. He acted as if he was completely unaware of the contact, or her discomfort.
“It will take us five days to get there, then three or four days of meetings and another five days to get home.”
“Mm.” Aaron reached over to grab a piece of straw and proceeded to break it into small bits. “The house might be finished by the time you get back. We’ve made a lot of progress.”
Maia was aware of how the house was progressing. She spoke to them about it every night. So why was he mentioning it now? Suspicion dawned on her and she dreaded what he would say next.
