“Yes,” the man chuckled, answering as if he had heard their thoughts. “It could be.”
“Have you-have you, um...hydrated the rest of the Council?” Andon sputtered.
“Yes,” he nodded. “They asked far fewer questions than you,” he added with a chuckle, which Andon echoed, though his was slightly nervous.
“What about our children?” Veria asked, concerned with the prospect of not only watching them age and pass before her, but also how an elixir that slowed aging would affect them while they were so young.
“The Water has no affect on growing bodies,” the man explained. “But do not worry, their time will come to stand where you're standing and take from my tray.”
Veria and Andon exchanged another glance, then nodded in agreement before reaching simultaneously for the glasses of sparkling blue water on the man's tray. They grinned and clinked them together in a toast.
“Cheers,” Andon sighed with shrug of his eyebrows, and they both drank.
The Water was sweet and crisp, a slight effervescence that jumped on Veria's tongue and tickled her throat as it slid down and refreshed her wholly.
“Thank you,” she said and turned to place the empty glass back on the tray, but the man was gone.
“Where did he go?” Andon asked.
“Invisible, is my guess,” Veria said with a shrug.
“Well, he'd have to have Water powers to make this drink and be keeping himself alive for who knows how many hundreds of years—you think he controls Wind, as well?” Andon asked cocking his head at her as he set his glass down on the buffet.
“And he practically told us our children's futures, so probably Earth,” Veria replied, nodding. “Possibly Fire, too. You know, Strelzar wanted me to master all the elements with him.”
“Of course he did,” Andon chuckled. “I can clearly picture the two of you huddled up in some cave somewhere poring over every book in the world while wearing matching clothes.”
“Well, I don't think he would have been the first...” Veria sighed with a smirk. “I think mystery man beat him to it, a few hundred years ago.”
“Could be,” Andon considered with a nod. “Sounds like we have a long time to figure it out.”
“And a long time to do other things, too,” Veria purred.
He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him.
“Oh, really?” he murmured, dropping his lips to hers until they brushed against each other. “Such as...?”
“Dancing lessons,” Veria teased, her lips curling seductively and playfully up her face.
He threw his head back and laughed heartily.
“Dancing lessons!” he echoed raucously, still laughing as he dropped his forehead against hers and clutched at her waist. “Oh, vina, I'm the happiest I have ever been in my life.”
“So am I, viomo,” she whispered. “Now take me home.”
EPILOGUE
Veria and Andon moved to the avadiso farm in the jungle of Esperan with their three children, who were joined by a fourth child a year later. They named the boy Strelzar, and by age three, he was already displaying signs of possessing great skill with Fire, which they all assumed came from the energy his namesake imparted to Veria in his final breath.
Tanisca and Turqa built a small cottage on the far end of the avadiso fields and conducted their High Council business from home, or traveled when necessary, and spent all of their free time gardening vegetables or enjoying the company of their grandchildren. Turqa retired from the physician profession, but not before completing Pascha's physician training so she could take over his patients.
Sarco moved into Andon's mother's house in the seaside city of Barril, just a two hour trip from the rest of the family, and enjoyed a lavish retirement full of fishing and sailing—afforded to him by a sum of gold Strelzar had given him in his generous pre-Almost War phase. He visited often and the children loved his tales from his life on the sea.
Aslay and Sureven stayed at the Elemental Shrine in Tarddiad and handled the bulk of the High Council affairs. Virro stayed with Sureven, who he saw as the son he never had, a majority of the time, but did visit the Villicrey and Coriant families for special events, such as birthdays and anniversaries.
Veria and Andon each took apprentices when time allowed, but with four children, running the farm, and their own studies, the time to devote to students was rare. However, they both knew the time to train the next generation of Magers would come. They had many, many years in which to pass on their knowledge...
Just as the man at the ceremony had intended.
A note from the author
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the fifth and final book of the Elementals Series. I would be so grateful if you would leave a review, as it is an invaluable feedback tool for both readers and authors alike. I'd also like to invite you to visit my website, www.authormarisol.com. There is information about my other books, news about upcoming titles, and opportunities to get free copies! Again, thank you for your support and I wish you happy reading always!
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Books by Marisol Logan
THE ELEMENTALS SERIES
BOOK I-Lord and Servant
BOOK II-The Second Talisman
BOOK III-The Twin Dragons
BOOK IV-Daughter of the Diamond
BOOK V-Queen of the Earth
Adventure Romance
Morning Star
Paranormal Romance
Captive
Short Stories
Hometown Hero
APPENDIX
'Natural state'—a state of tranquil calm that some Earth Magers can impose upon other people.
Diamond Mager—sect of Earth Magers who specialize in natural state and memory clearing.
Sand Mager—sect of Earth Magers particularly skilled in finding truths across all possible times, for example, possible truths in the future (precognition).
Sapphire Mager—sect of Earth Magers who specialize in detecting lies and deception, and seeking the truth. Their skills can even be used on inanimate objects by seeking the 'energy imprints' left on the objects.
Guyler—Estate assigned to Willis and Andon Villicrey, then stripped from them by King Browan after the birth of Aleon.
Longberme—the Estate belonging to the Laurelgate family.
Esperan—Kingdom south of Londess. Close allies. Birthplace and home of Andon Villicrey. Capital City: Barril
Govaland—Kingdom directly East of Londess, mostly mountainous with some barren valleys. Home of Diamond Mager Ellory Mielyr. Capital city: Varfelg
Morenet—former Kingdom that once occupied the northeastern peak region of Londess. It was taken over by Strelzar Plazic and eventually sold to the Kingdom of Londess.
Kortamant—castle in Govaland that served as the hermitage of Diamond Mager Ellory Mielyr.
Tal'lea—Kingdom comprised mostly of desert terrain. Neutral with Londess, but very territorial, and has had issues with a Separatist movement that is hostile to Londess, Govaland, and Esperan. Capital city: Indil'la.
Plazic Peak—home of Strelzar Plazic. A spacious, luxurious dwelling in the side of a volcanic peak in the northeast peak region of Londess. Used to serve as the headquarters for the Miner's League of Morenet.
Solderess—a seaside city in South Londess. Ships for Esperan and Tal'lea depart from its docks.
Volglang—“The Bowl of Flames”. A large valley, featuring red dirt, in the Southern Range of Govaland that holds a large section of a multi-kingdom trade route.
Daloes Caircliff—Veria's first elemental master. A highly respected Sand Mager, member of the Ageless Council, former Master to Willis Villicrey, and, for a time, Lord Gordon Laurelgate (Veria's father)
Cadit Ohren—former apprentice of Strelzar Plazic. A Fire Mager who served as an advi
ser to King Browan, along with Lord Gordon, and forged his suicide letter. Fled Londess and took refuge with Tal'lean Separatists.
Lady Emmandia Haleshore—former fiance to Andon Villicrey. The Haleshore Estate sits between Dranspor (a major city) and the northeastern peak region.
Lord Rames—Heir to the wealthy Chadron Estates, initially thought to be the father of Veria's daughter, Irea, because of a deception placed by Tanisca. His first marriage was to Lady Ambra (deceased), originally of the Foreshore Estate.
Elemental Consortium—the once thriving and influential organization for all practitioners of elemental powers. Served as record-keepers, promoters of ethics and standards, and high-ranking members were often seen as world leaders and sought after for their advice and inspiration. Relatively defunct since the banning of hard elementals. Their base of operations was the Elemental Shrine on the island of Tarddiad, just north of Londess, but was destroyed in a violent ocean storm and never repaired.
Ageless Council—a group of highly-skilled Magers who were promoted to the highest positions in the Elemental Consortium two hundred years ago, and, at their reception, given a drink that made it so they would age very slowly and not die of old age. The Ageless Council was comprised of: Daloes Caircliff* (Earth/Sand), Ellory Mielyr (Earth/Diamond), Strelzar Plazic* (Fire), Urtiz Agion (Water), Virro Ladny* (Wind) and Adierre Ladny (Wind)
*indicates still living
dragonskin—an elixir, created by Urtiz Agion, that renders one indestructible for a short period of time, around two hours, however, the subject will still feel pain.
jarrienta—a large, single-story home in Esperan, generally located near farmland, similar to a hacienda
avadiso—a tropical flower found in Esperan, similar to a 'bird of paradise'
dracon-tongue—a flower, similar to snapdragons
Irea—Veria's daughter. Also, a flower, similar to an Iris
flora—a flower bush with large blooms, similar to hydrangea
braiberry—wild, juicy berry that grows on tall bushes in wooded areas, similar to a blackberry
Caro—an earthy root vegetable, similar to a carrot
beardclove—a pungent plant used in cooking, similar to garlic
sweet roots—sweet, orange root vegetable, similar to sweet potatoes
coacoa—a flavorful, yet often bitter, ingredient that gets used commonly in desserts, drinks and baked good, similar to cocoa (chocolate)
Rosa—a spice, and also an Esperan main dish soup named for and featuring the spice, that typically contains ox meat, eggs, caros, and a meade broth.
Queen of the Earth: Book V in the Elementals Series Page 19
