by Toni Cox
“I think this is it,” Blaid said, finally, coming to a halt and looking around.
Loose rocks dominated the narrow trail that led from the dock to this point; steep cliffs closing in the path on both sides. It had been a difficult walk and they now looked at the inviting clearing ahead of them. The cliffs on either side opened up wide enough for a forest to have made it its home. A spring bubbled out of the rock to their left and flowed in a shallow bed through the pine trees. Close to the spring, a circle of blackened rocks marked where travellers usually made camp.
Blaid removed the burden from Lilith’s back, giving Maia a sideways glance as he realised what she had done. Then, with a soft tap on the mare’s neck, he sent her away to forage on the sparse mountain grass between the trees.
“Thank you for looking after her,” Blaid managed to say before Maia crumpled. “Maia?”
“I’m all right,” she said, breathlessly. “I just need rest.”
Blaid helped her up and moved with her over to the tiny camp site. He sat her down next to the stones of the fireplace and then busied himself with making a fire. With plenty of dry wood around, Blaid had the fire going quickly and made tea before hanging a pot over the fire for their evening meal. While Maia gratefully sipped her tea, she watched him as he cooked, getting hungrier with every passing moment.
“I don’t understand why we have been given this power if it takes so much from us,” she complained. “How is it any good to us if it makes us so weak?”
“Master Margoth explained to me that the magic saps your power to teach you not to abuse your power. Most simple magicks, such as those used daily in our cities, hardly require energy and most people get on with their jobs without ever becoming exhausted. More complicated magic, however, will use more of your strength. The more difficult the magic, the more energy it requires.”
“That is how Silas explained it as well,” Maia agreed, “but we were chosen to wield the higher magic. Could we not have been given the strength to allow us to handle the additional energy requirements?”
Blaid was silent for a moment, stirring the pot, looking at her. Deep inside her she felt something stir as she watched the handsome, dark-haired man, dressed in battle leathers, doing this menial task of cooking. Blushing, she looked down into her cup.
“When we fight together,” he mused, “it is as if we are temporarily granted this extra energy you speak of. I have never felt anything like it. When we go into battle together, I feel invincible, all powerful. We have this power inside us, but we are only allowed to use it during moments of intense need.”
“Then why did I not feel this power when I went over the waterfall? What use is it if I cannot command it to save my own life?”
“There must be a way to trigger it without going into battle. We have been together for over a Moon now and I have not felt this surge of energy I feel when we fight for our people. Yet, I believe it to be there. We just need to discover how to unleash it.”
“Maybe we are only given this power when we fight for our people. Maybe this power is for them, and not for us.”
“Plausible,” Blaid said, “but I don’t believe it. Like you said, we were chosen. The Mother would not have given us these powers if we were not strong enough to wield them.” He paused, cocking his head to the side, thinking. “Maybe … maybe we should take what our Masters have said by their word.”
Maia looked at him questioningly.
“The magic saps our power to teach us not to abuse it. Maybe, once we have learned not to use our power for our own gains, we will be given the energy to wield our magic unrestrained.”
Blinking, Maia opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She thought about the little things she did; the trivial magic that did not sap her energy, such as swirling the ball of water above her palm. Simple magic. She did not even have to think about it and she hardly felt the effort it took to control it. Yet, the moment she tried to do something bigger, she either lost concentration or did not have enough energy for it.
The same magic that floated the ball of water over her palm could have saved her life after going over the waterfall. With the right amount of concentration and energy, she could have balled up the water at the bottom of the river to catch her and carry her safely to land. Yet, even thinking about achieving that made her dizzy with fatigue.
“I do not think either of us abuses our power. I have seen you hunt. You have been given the power to take life with a mere flick of the wrist when someone calls for the Death Elemental, yet, when you hunt, you use your physical body to achieve your goal. Even during battle, you do not use the Death Elemental power to overcome the enemy.” She frowned. “Why don’t you?”
Blaid took the pot off the fire and placed it on a stone on the ground. Rummaging through their bags, he produced two plates.
“The Death Magic is sacred,” Blaid said. “I use it to free people from their pain and misery. I have never used it for anything else. In battle, I use my other skills, as I was taught by Master Margoth, except …” He stopped, his hands hesitating over the pot.
“Except when the darkness, the dark rage, takes control,” Maia finished the sentence for him.
“Yes,” Blaid said with surprise. “How do you know?”
“Because I have felt it. I have fought my way through fifty Vampyre Generals, killing them all, when that black rage had me in its grasp. It took me some time to understand what happened, but I now know the rage comes from you.”
Setting his utensils on the plates, Blaid sat on the ground, looking overcome. “I had hoped you would never see that side of me.”
“Blaid,” Maia moved over to sit beside him, taking his hand, “it happens to me too. Mine manifests differently, usually with the forest around me erupting in life, but it is the same, uncontrollable power. I do not ask for it and I don’t usually notice it until someone dares to stop me.”
They looked at each other and for a moment Maia was lost in Blaid’s violet eyes. His warm hand squeezed hers and his mouth pulled into a crooked smile.
“That must be our answer then,” he finally said. “Only once we have learned to control our magic will we be allowed to use it unchecked. We are still so young, Maia. From what I have read, no Life or Death Elemental has ever had to defend their people before their first millennium. I wish there was someone we could speak to about this.”
“Maybe you are right,” Maia said, “but how would you explain to the people that we could not save them because we are too young? Besides, Kanarel used his powers for evil and his magic was strong.”
“So it was,” Blaid replied. “I believe he had at least three of the powers. I cannot fathom how, or why, he managed to hide his powers from everyone. He should have been one of Braérn’s Primes, which in itself would have given him the standing he so craved. When I fought Kanarel, I felt his power lurking beneath the surface. I believe that only his fear of me stopped him from using it. Have a look at what he did to that Ice Dragon. Only Earth magic of monumental proportions could have commanded that beast.”
“Yes, Kanarel’s magic was strong.” Maia’s voice choked with emotion. “That poor beast was so deranged; he had hardly anything of himself left in his head. Kanarel took over the dragon’s thinking and it drove him mad.”
“If someone so evil can wield such complicated magic without it draining energy completely, surely it should be possible for us.”
Blaid busied himself with the plates again and handed Maia her food. Gratefully, she accepted it and spooned the hot dish - an elegant balance of grains, vegetables and meat - into her mouth, immediately replenishing some of her energy.
“Thank you, this is wonderful,” she said between mouthfuls.
Lilith wandered over to stand closer to the fire as they ate and they noticed it had gotten dark while they talked. Once they finished their food, they set out their sleeping mats and arranged them around the fire. Blaid brought more wood, enough to last them through the night. Midnight s
ettled on an outcropping high on the cliff’s above them. Maia could not see him, but she knew he was there, watching them.
“First, we need to find our way to the border of Bron. From there, travelling will be easier and I will teach you how to shadow travel. If you like, you can still practice how to shape shift, but your power with Air is strong and I believe you will learn to shadow travel swiftly. I am surprised it was not taught to you.”
“I thought shadow travelling to be something only Death Elementals did, same as the shape shifting.”
Blaid grinned, looking somewhat mischievous. “I am glad we are travelling together. I cannot wait to get to know you better and learn everything about you and your beliefs. Also, I cannot wait to teach you some Death magic.” He laughed. “Beware the shadow travelling Life Elemental.”
“There was a fire,” the warrior who had been on guard said defensively, pointing in the direction he had come from. “It whistled and then exploded.”
“Popper nuts,” Rothea said, exasperated. “I should have known Maia would find a way to get to her things. I should have stood guard myself. I just didn’t think she would come tonight.”
“I don’t think this is your fault, Rothea,” Aaron pointed out. “She is an Elemental, after all. Do you really think anything could stop her if she wants something?”
“I suppose not,” Rothea sighed. “All right then, let us use what we have and make the most of it. If Maia is so desperate for her belongings, it means she is planning to travel. Let us follow her spoor to see where it leads. Maybe it will give us an idea of what she is planning.”
“But her spoor leads into the dark forest,” the guard commented. “Are we going to follow her in there?”
“If she can travel through it, then so can we,” Rothea said confidently, but Aaron saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “We shall camp here for the night and then trace her spoor in the morning. I doubt we could catch up with her now, even if we tried. Everyone,” Rothea waved at the warriors standing around her, “back to your posts.”
Walking side by side with Wolf trailing them, Aaron and Rothea made their way back to camp. They retook their seats by the fire, but conversation had left them, both disappointed that Maia had managed to outwit them.
Soon, they went to their tents. Wolf curled up by Aaron’s feet, sound asleep within moments, but Aaron struggled to sleep.
He thought about what he said to Rothea. If Maia really wanted something, would anyone be able to stop her? He now questioned his sanity for thinking they had a chance to bring Maia home.
Yet, the stubborn side of him would not relent. He had a Regiment at his disposal and he would search for Maia until they either found her or she came home by herself. He could not see himself sitting at Shadow Hall pining after her with nothing to keep himself distracted.
Although it made logical sense in his head, the heartache never stopped. Strangely, he understood why Maia did not want to be with him and did not hate her for it. He had let go of his resentment; now he just wished for the pain to go away, too.
Keeping himself busy was his best option and, if he was lucky, something might come of it yet. At the very least, his riding, as well as his understanding of this world, would improve.
In the morning, they broke camp and Aaron put his decision to learn as much as he could about this world into action. Instead of riding with the main group, heading north along the treeline, he accompanied Rothea and two warriors from her Regiment as they tracked Maia’s spoor through the outer edges of the dark forest.
Even here, barely two hundred strides in from the treeline, it was clear to Aaron why they called it the dark forest and why no one usually ventured into it. Hardly any daylight filtered through and Aaron wondered how Rothea managed to track Maia’s footprints at all.
Maia had kept to a narrow game trail, but the path was so overgrown with vines, Aaron did not understand how she had gotten through in the first place. More often than not, Rothea had to take her sword to cut away the vines so they could pass.
In places, rocks and roots tripped them up causing them to fall often. Overhanging branches made it near impossible to stay on the path at all times and they had to walk around, climbing through brambles and thorn bushes to get back to the trail.
“It is as if this confounded forest conspires against us,” Aaron said after Rothea had to cut another path for them with her sword.
“I believe it does, Aaron. Maia would not have been able to get through here in the time that she did if the forest had been this way last night. I have no doubt that it let her pass freely and is now trying to stall our progress.”
“But, why?” Aaron asked, although more concerned about the how.
“Maia is a Life Elemental. Nature in general favours her. We cannot compete.” Rothea shrugged and carried on.
“How do you simply accept it as it is?” Aaron wanted to know, and then ducked as a branch took an actual swing at him, he was sure. “Is this not strange magic to you?”
“It is, Aaron, but I have travelled with Maia and seen things I had not thought possible before. I have come to expect the unexpected when it concerns Maia. It preserves my sanity.”
“Ah.” He ducked under another branch and stumbled over a rock. “How do you even see her spoor? I cannot see anything.”
“A little trick I learned from Maia,” Rothea answered. “I assumed she did not want to be caught, so used her Air magic to make herself invisible. While cloaked in her invisibility, Maia leaves no footprints, but the bubble of air that surrounds her still leaves its marks. One just needs to know what to look for.”
Aaron gaped at Rothea. Invisible? Shaking his shock off, he took a close look at the spot Rothea now pointed to.
“Do you see the depression in the sand here?”
Aaron nodded.
“It hardly looks like a footprint and even a good tracker would dismiss it, but I know this is the mark left by Maia’s foot cushioned by a layer of thick air. I am hoping she only cloaked herself within a mile from camp and that we will be able to see her proper footprints soon.”
“We have not even travelled a mile yet?” Aaron asked.
“Almost,” Rothea answered, and concentrated on their way forward again.
After three hours they finally reached the point where even Aaron could clearly see Maia’s footprints in the soft soil of the forest. From here on, the forest seemed less intent on hindering them and the game trails widened to an extent where they could at least walk upright and without branches snagging at them around every corner.
The light strengthened, too, and they made better time. By noon, they reached the point where Maia had exited the forest and here they discovered the deep fissures left in the grass by Midnight’s talons.
“She was not alone,” Rothea said, scanning the ground around the trampled area where Midnight had obviously waited for her.
“So, she has found him then.” Aaron could not keep the disappointment from colouring his voice.
“It could be anyone,” Rothea replied, “but I agree. It seems she has found him. They both rode the dragon away from here, as there is no spoor leading away from this place.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“We shall ride back towards the south,” Rothea said. “I want to find the place where Maia exited the forest on the day we found her. Maybe it can tell us what she was doing there and lead us to where she was going.”
Aaron thought it a vague plan, but did not have a better one. He would have to trust Rothea’s judgement on this, as he had no experience in this area. He paid close attention, though, when Rothea gave her Regiment its orders and they all rode back the way they had come.
He was glad they did not have to travel through the forest this time and they reached their old camp within an hour’s ride. Aaron glared at the forest, wondering how a collection of trees could be so malignant.
“The dark forest has always just been,” Rothea said next to him as they st
opped their horses. “We do not go in. Whatever is inside does not come out. It has never threatened us, so we only mark it on our maps as impassable. Although,” she giggled, “parents often threaten their children with sending them into the dark forest if they misbehave.”
The thought sent shivers down Aaron’s spine as he took the saddle off Mist King. After seeing to his horse, he helped set up camp and then settled by the fire to wait for Rothea, who was still giving out orders for the night.
“I have spoken to my second in command,” Rothea said when she finally joined him, “and we have decided to leave the camp here for tomorrow and ride out to the forest entrance where we saw Maia. We will take some men to investigate the area and then make a decision from there. Will you accompany us?”
“I look forward to it,” he said, and Rothea smiled at him.
It was as his father had foretold. Life in Shadow Hall carried on, even without him. Jagaer had given him orders on how he wanted certain things done, which Jaik handled with his usual efficiency, and the rest was up to Jaik to deal with as he saw fit.
During those first few days of Jagaer’s absence Jaik noticed something odd about his mother. Malyn spent most of her days showing Siya around the city and introducing her to life at Shadow Hall. Jaik was glad her mother had taken on this duty, as running Shadow Hall took up much of his time.
Yet, at night, when Siya had retired to the guest house she called home until the time of the wedding, and Jaik and Malyn sat alone around the hearth of their home, Jaik found that his mother was melancholy and spoke rarely. It took him days to gather the courage to ask her what put her in this mood. He only knew his mother to be strong and independent; this woman was different.
