Underestimated Affinities

by Matthew Scarcella

  I look down at the floor and I’m not sure, but I think I may be wobbling in my chair. How embarrassing. He doesn’t have to repay me for anything. I just did what anyone else capable of doing so would have done in my position.

  Attempting to regain my composure, I adjust my posture and look back up at the Council. Theodora is staring daggers at me. If looks could kill… I’d probably be dead. I’ve never seen such malevolence in her eyes; it’s a stark contrast to her delicate and beautiful features.

  “Well,” Fara speaks up after a look from the rest of her colleagues, “We are willing to grant you temporary status here. However, your movements will be restricted for an undetermined period of time. Also, if you so much as look viciously at one of our citizens, you will be cast out of Belarin. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal.” Piero nods at her.

  “Safeyya,” Bayleigh calls to my sister as she flies down to the center of the room. “You and Aethyr will bring him to his temporary quarters.”

  “Yes,” Safeyya answers. “Of course, Bayleigh.”

  “Piero Intessa, it is officially nice to meet you.” Bayleigh walks up to him and shakes his hand, the rest of the Council following her lead. Theodora sighs remorsefully one last time. “Welcome to Belarin.”

  CHAPTER IX

  WHAT DWELLS BENEATH MAKORO

  "Do you have your accessories?” Alexyo shouts at me from my garden.

  “Yes, yes. I’m just about ready to leave. Are you two all set?” I reply.

  “Ready!” Celestra calls from outside. “Let’s head out.”

  “Okay, I just want to finish getting dressed.” I toss on my shoes and fasten the buckles on my shirt. Our clothing is simplistic, but it doesn’t need to be extravagant by any means. Our tops are open in the back, allowing our wings space, and they’re just fastened by a buckle around the neck and one on the waist. As they both click into place, I leave my house, closing the door behind me.

  The two of them are sprawled out on the grass in the garden. Celestra pokes about, helping my vegetables grow faster than they should. She picks one from its stem and pops it into her mouth, chewing fervently. Alexyo’s mumbling something under his breath about wood wielders as he notices me.

  “Finally, man!” he says as he gets off his haunches. “I’m so psyched to head over to Makoro.”

  “Me too.” She grins. “I haven’t been to the Waterfall of Makoro in ages. What about you, Selvyn?”

  “I went with Aislynn once. I think that it was last year, maybe two years ago. Can’t be sure.”

  The three of us head over to the south guard tower, and check out with the guards, one of whom turns out to be Felix. Great.

  “Well hello again, Selvyn.” His voice takes on a less toxic tone as he addresses my friends. “Good morning, Celestra, Alexyo.” He turns to face me, his face a more abhorrent shade of pink today. I wonder if he always looks annoying, or if he was born that way.

  “Any plans on getting into trouble today? Maybe you should start letting us know before you leave, that way you can save us time when you get back.”

  “Very amusing, Felix,” I remark. I have a few choice words I’d like to spout at his plump face, but I hold my tongue. It gets tiring being the bigger person, but the high road is always better. Especially if you can fly there.

  “We’d like to head out if you please,” Celestra says.

  Felix walks over to the monitor and inputs some information. “Don’t head east,” he says. “There was a minor attack about three hours ago.” I guess he can’t find anything wrong because he waves us along without any further issues.

  Celestra and I jump off the edge of the guard tower, gathering enough wind under our wings before soaring back up into the sky. Alexyo dive bombs toward the ground, pulling his wings in tight around his body, spiraling to increase his speed. Just before he hits the ground, he pulls upright and spreads his wings, taking his time to catch up to us. Show off.

  As we head south, they ask me some questions and I fill them in about Piero and Petalsong Forest.

  “So he was just like, there, lifeless?” Alexyo asks.

  “Well,” I say, “Not lifeless. Clearly. If he was lifeless, then he wouldn’t be alive now.”

  “Yeah,” Celestra speaks up from my left, “But he was almost dead, right?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” I reply. “Maybe he would have thawed out eventually, once the fires subsided. How do we know what could have happened? But, he was, and is, alive.”

  Alexyo looks over to Celestra before addressing me again. “Pretty lucky that you came along, eh, Selv?”

  “I suppose so.” I have to think for a moment about what Alexyo said. Was it really luck? Is luck what determines when one person intervenes in another’s life, or is it something else?

  “I’m so hungry, guys.” Alexyo’s sudden complaint interrupts my thoughts, as per usual.

  Celestra sighs and shakes her head. “We’ve only been flying for an hour. You ate just before we left Selvyn’s house.”

  “I know. But that was so long ago!” he yells. “I’m starving!”

  “Ugh,” I grunt. “Do we seriously need to stop already?”

  “Yes. Yes!” Alexyo pumps his fist into the air, and a few flames spark from his knuckles.

  “Fine,” Celestra says. The moment the word leaves her mouth, I can tell where this is going by the tone of her voice. “We can take a break to get some nourishment, but we’re not eating any meat.” I’m going to let the two of them sort this one out.

  “Hmph. You’re such a pain in my ass, Cel!”

  “How am I the pain in your ass, man? All that meat is going to make the pain in your ass. Not to mention, all the fat is going to head straight there.”

  “Hah, I have a great figure. Everyone loves it!” he spouts, flexing his biceps in midair. “I have nothing to worry about in that regard!”

  “Eh.” She rolls her eyes in response. “You still have to digest all of that meat, and it’s not an easy process. It’s quicker and healthier to digest fruits and vegetables.”

  “Whatever, Cel. I don’t give a shit. I’m just hungry.”

  “If you keep packing on the meat, one day you’ll be so constipated that you really won’t be able to give a shit…” she trails off as she spots a patch of greenery below, signaling we should land there.

  She and I stop midflight and head down to the spot she noticed. It takes Alexyo a few seconds to realize we’re not next to him anymore, and he follows suit, yelling the whole way down.

  “Hey! What the hell?! I was still talking to you!” he shouts at us as he pulls his wings in, landing quietly beside me.

  “I know. You’re always talking,” Celestra jokes. We both burst into laughter as Alexyo’s hands turn a bright shade of red. “Hey now,” she chides him, “No need to get violent.”

  I watch her work effortlessly, moving her hands from the top of one patch of grass to another. Some bird must have dropped different seeds around the area because in a moment a hoard of fruits and vegetables begin growing from beneath our feet. Once she seems satisfied with her selection, she stops weaving her fingers in and out and spreads her arms out wide. She always does this after procuring food for us; I’m not quite sure if it’s to stop the process or to give a message of thanks.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “Thanks,” Alexyo mumbles in her direction. He’s already stuffed his mouth and bits of vegetables fly out in her direction as he tries to speak.

  “Say it, don’t spray it,” she retorts, while wiping food particles and some of his slobber off her shirt. “Anyway, of course. You’re both welcome. So, Selv, where is Piero staying while he’s in Belarin?” She takes a bite and waits for me to finish chewing before I speak.

  “Hmm,” I say. “Safeyya said she was able to find him a vacated house up by the Academia in the northern district. Not too many people live up there these days.”

  “Do you have to check in with the Council again for u
pdates?” she asks.

  “Nope. I’ll probably check in with him to see how he’s doing and see if he needs to be shown around the city. Aside from that, Bayleigh has Klaryk and Melandria monitoring his movements. Bayleigh wants to trust Piero but I think it’s because he’s a Tune. She’s still wary of his story and where he came from, thus the whole overseer protocol. I think for now they just want to pay close attention to him whenever he leaves the city, with permission, of course, so that they will know if he talks to someone strange or dangerous.”

  Alexyo opens his mouth to speak, but it’s still full. Celestra must have noticed this out of her peripheral vision because the next thing I know, her fist is up in the air and he is choking on his food.

  “Are you trying to kill me?” he sputters. “You’re crazy!”

  “I’m crazy? I’m crazy? Stop talking with your mouth full, you imbecile,” she spouts. She grins at him, menacingly. “But yeah, I’m fucking crazy. Deal with it.” She rearranges her pixie haircut innocently as I stare at her, perplexed. “Not like I would have killed you like that.”

  “Yes,” he shudders. “You’re crazy…. What about ‘no need to get violent?’ Anyway, I was going to ask Selv if he thinks that would be the case.”

  I shrug, swallowing the food in my mouth before speaking. “I don’t think that Piero would do something like that. I kind of get the feeling he’s a good guy, but then again, I barely know him. I guess Bayleigh and the others are warranted in their suspicions, at least for now.”

  Alexyo stands, and after shaking off the crumbs on his clothes, he stretches his body this way and that. “Let’s get going, shall we?”

  “Sure,” I agree. “I’m finished here as well. Celestra, are you done eating?”

  “Yes… though it would be nice to digest our food for once. However, I suppose we shouldn’t get there too late. Let’s go.”

  We jump back into the air, leaving the remnants of our food left behind. Some wild animal will be grateful for the meal — one of the benefits of us eating in nature.

  ***

  After another hour and a half of flying, we hear the roaring clamor of cascading water that signifies our destination. My water wing trembles excitedly in its socket, aching for interaction with the Waterfall of Makoro.

  I grin at each of my companions in turn, before accelerating my speed using my wind affinity. I leave them trailing in my wake and am greeted by the most beautiful site that resides in Makoro; possibly the most beautiful in all Cinderfal. Then again, I may be biased because of my affinity for water.

  The waterfall itself is enormous. It must stand at least nine hundred meters tall, not accounting for the fact that the gorge it empties into is below normal ground level.

  The crystal-clear water rushes endlessly over the face of its rocky cliff, thundering against the sunlit jagged rocks protruding from the mountain on the way into the gorge. Dark green moss grows in irregular patterns up and down the mountain, illuminated by sunlight rebounding off the waterfall.

  I hover in midair, looking over to see how close the two of them are. Noticing that they’re furiously beating their wings to catch up to me, I give them a backward wave and dive headfirst toward the gorge below.

  I flip over so that I can watch Celestra and Alexyo approach. They grin down at me, making their way to the gorge just as I plunge backward into the water with a resounding splash. I keep my eyes open, watching the waves resonate out across the surface, and the rain of droplets from my entrance soar into the air.

  After doing a few spins and somersaults underwater, I am completely soaked. I could have generated my bubble atmosphere, but I don’t care. I’m here to have fun and I’m enjoying myself right now.

  I rise to the surface of the gorge and poke my head out from underwater, calling to my friends. “The water’s wonderful! What are you two waiting for?”

  “Incoming!” Celestra yells as she dives, making a beeline for my head. I dodge to the side to avoid a collision.

  Alexyo smirks maliciously from above, spreading his hands wide. They turn a bright shade of red as a shower of tiny fireballs plummet toward me. It’s kind of pointless because each fireball extinguishes as soon as it hits the water. Still, I suppose it’s his idea of fun.

  “Enjoying yourself?” I ask.

  “Just starting to!” he shouts as he folds his wings back. He proceeds to drop feet first into the water below, screaming the entire way. Celestra surfaces just in time to get hit in the face by a wave made from his careless entrance.

  We spend a good half-hour swimming and splashing each other like restless children. It seemed idiotic to me to be doing this at our age, but after inhaling a significant amount of water, I realized that it’s occasionally a good idea to relive childhood memories.

  Afterward, someone had the brilliant idea to rock climb our way up the sides of the waterfall… probably Alexyo. Celestra and Alexyo are far ahead of me, approximately halfway up the mountain. I realize that I am ridiculously unprepared to do something like this; I think it’s mostly because I can’t be bothered.

  I get about halfway through an inner monologue with myself when I sense it: a stiff, threatening wind is picked up by my left wing. I take a quick look over my shoulder, but don’t see anything out of the ordinary. After a few more minutes of climbing, the wind persists.

  I jump backward off the cliff into the air and fly up to my friends, both of whom at this point have almost reached the top of the waterfall.

  “Hey,” Alexyo whines, “No cheating. We agreed on climbing the rocks. Climbing.”

  Celestra, however, is always one to pick up on subtle cues and notices the worry on my face. “What’s wrong?” she inquires.

  “E-er,” I stammer. “I’m not actually sure just yet. But something’s up. The wind changed, and I feel as if it’s as a warning. We should probably be a little cautious.”

  “Hmm, alrighty,” she responds. She too jumps into the air to hover beside me. “Alexyo, time to move.”

  “Where would you like to go?” he asks. “I don’t want to leave Makoro just yet.”

  “Well neither do I,” she says, “But we should at least move somewhere with a little more cover.”

  “Okay,” he shrugs, joining us in the air. “Do you see anywhere that resembles any shelter?” he asks in an oafish voice. He feigns looking around the vicinity, surveying possible hiding locations. “It’s basically all open space here. Besides, we’re all in our element in this area. Look, there’s the mountain for me, plenty of moss and other green crap for you, and all the water Selv could ever want. Well, maybe not all, but you know what I mean.”

  “He’s right,” I respond. “Though we may as well be on solid land for now.”

  We decide to sit on a large rock resting outside of the gorge, yet the sensation in my left wing intensifies. Within the next minute, it reaches its apex and I see what the reason is: four Zicarna fly overhead and land atop the waterfall. One with primary earth and secondary wood wings, one with dual ice wings and tertiary water wings, one with solitary fire wings, and the last one with earth and ice wings. They glare down at us and have some sort of minor discussion amongst themselves.

  Celestra picks out a branch from behind her ear. “Is this going to be a problem?”

  “I’m not sure,” I reply. All Alexyo does in response is grind his hands more firmly into the stone beneath us.

  We sit waiting with bated breath, wondering what the Zicarna above are here for. Leisure, or other — yeah, it’s not leisure.

  The one with ice and water wings, evidently the leader, points his hands at us and a rain of miniature ice spikes heads in our direction.

  Without missing a beat, Celestra twirls the branch between her fingers, and I watch as tendrils emerge, spreading out in all directions from her hand. Within two seconds we are surrounded by a semi-permeable dome of bland brown branches. The branches intertwine and create a tight lattice structure. After another two seconds, I can see an abundance of
bright mint green leaves and beautiful pink petals emerge on either side of the walls, forming a barrier.

  Her timing now, as almost always, is perfect. I see a flicker of light reflecting off the surface of one of the small ice spikes, just as the last petal forms above my head, obscuring my vision from the outside. As the spikes collide with the intricate wooden dome, I have a mild bout of anxiety.

  I’ve never been in this situation before, but now is definitely not the time to have a full-blown panic attack. I take a deep breath, and try to analyze the situation quickly; my friends are going to have to depend on me, and I upon them.

  It’s four against three. Gauging their elemental affinity capabilities, it strikes me that our best odds may be to scatter and each take on one foe. But that means one of us will have to take on two.

  “I think our best bet,” I look between the two of them, “Is to split up. We can each take one, but…”

  Alexyo volunteers to solve the flaw in my plan: “I’ll be fine taking on two of them. They don’t look that strong. Child’s play, I bet.”

  Celestra speaks up from in between us. “Are you sure?”

  I tap into my wind affinity and can tell they’ve already left the top of the waterfall. “Okay,” I agree. “He’ll be fine, I’m sure. Not much time has passed since the ice hit our barrier, but they’ll be closing in on us soon. We have to move.”

  “Selvyn,” Alexyo stares at me. “Are you going to be alright?”

  Celestra looks at me anxiously.

  “I will be,” I say. “I have to.”

  Alexyo signals Celestra to head off to his right, which leaves me to head left. She breaks open the barrier and, our vision back, we see the four foes approaching us over the middle of the gorge.