by Morgan Wylie
“Wait!” Kaeleigh shouted. She ran to him without shame and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, truly not knowing if she would see him again. There were no more words needed; they were above all, family. She released him after looking into his tear-filled eyes. He smiled and turned quickly away, vanishing within seconds.
✧✧✧
“This is fascinating,” Kaeleigh commented as they watched Arileas work with Metrí in the training room. Seated with legs crossed on the ground facing each other, Metrí and the Elder closed their eyes. They were supposed to be meditating and focusing on their inner energy and releasing their magic for different tests.
“Yeah, except Metrí seems distracted. That’s like the tenth time she has dropped her item,” Chel whispered.
“Well, it’s good they switched to wooden and natural items, I think she broke an entire place setting of dishes,” Hal interjected from behind Chel. They were sitting on the ground off to the side, watching the training. They were supposed to be doing their own meditation to learn to join their magic as one, but so far they hadn’t been able to accomplish that. Their thoughts were scattered as they pondered the future. They needed to take a break, and so they did.
“Maybe if you would stop talking and do what you’re supposed to do, I wouldn’t be so distracted!” Metrí snapped, her eyes still closed and her hands still relaxed on her thighs.
“Oops,” Chel snickered. They were all quiet for a change as they continued to watch for a few more minutes.
Scattered around the two in the center ring were various items they scrounged from around Ehsmia: wooden bowls, a few things that looked like wooden children’s play toys, some shattered pieces of glass from the dishes, a spear—they all opposed Arileas when he laid out one of his small swords—and a few boxes of various sizes. Most were inconsequential items, except for a smoky gray orb of glass that the Elder kept at his side. They had not yet worked with that item, but Kaeleigh watched as Metrí kept sneaking a peek at it as if it had done something different, which it hadn’t.
Thud. Another box made of wood, similar to a crate, fell to the ground, luckily not cracking into several splintered pieces. Metrí sighed and her shoulders fell. “What am I doing wrong? And don’t say I am not concentrating hard enough, because that was the hardest and longest I have ever focused on anything.”
Arileas opened his eyes and looked at the young girl with the bouncing blond hair. She had innocence written in her features, but there was also a relentless curiosity to her. Metrí was sweet and snappy, strong and yet a slip of a girl, curious but also guarded. She seemed to have formed an attachment to Daegan that the others didn’t really understand. He looked at her like she was a painful memory come back to life. Even now, he focused intently on her training with the Elder—not in a creepy way, but like he was studying her, understanding her. With his empathic abilities, perhaps he was able to read her better than even Arileas.
“It is not something you are doing wrong, child. I believe it is more what we are not doing right,” the Elder said.
“I’m confused. Isn’t that the same thing?” Metrí groaned.
“Think of it more like a puzzle to which we need to fit the correct pieces together.”
Metrí just looked despairingly at the Elder. Anyone looking at her could tell she was on the verge of either a colossal fit or a breakdown. Suddenly the gray orb next to the Elder began to levitate off the ground just above Arileas’s head. It lit up with a soft white-gray light. Surprise lit not only Arileas’s eyes but also those of Metrí, who obviously did not intend for that to happen. It fell from where it hovered, snapped out of the air by the quick hand of the Elder before it could crash to the ground.
Daegan cleared his throat. They both turned to look at him, one curious with relief and the other with snapping agitation.
“Her magic feels different than yours or Kaeleigh’s or anyone here actually. I believe it will react and be trained differently as well. Do not glare at me like that, little one,” Daegan admonished her. As soon as she softened her expression—eye roll and all—he continued. “What I feel from her is a mess of emotion and chaos. She needs to loosen herself from the inside out, to find unity with her energy. It is the how of it that I am uncertain of,” Daegan said with a frustrated frown.
“I see something when I look at her. I do not know if it would help, but may I share?” Kaeleigh asked as she stood up.
“I do not know,” Chel mimicked in a whisper to Finn. “There she goes dropping her contractions again.” Chel smirked and shook her head, muttering, “More and more like him, I swear.”
“It’s not just him, though, most speak that way here if they have had no interaction with mortals,” Finn stated quietly as they had a side conversation.
Chel frowned, the wheels in her head turning as she nodded. “Hal doesn’t.”
“If there is occasion to be formal, notice that he does. But I think he’s more humored by it and chooses it because it is different.”
“Why don’t you do it more since you’re back then?”
Finn frowned, suddenly closed off. “Because I choose to retain the mortality I have adopted.” End of discussion.
Chel looked up to see Kaeleigh staring at them with her eyebrow cocked. “Do you mind? I’m trying to offer my profound insight here.” Chel gestured her hand in a sweeping motion for Kaeleigh to continue.
“Webs. That’s what I see. Tangled and broken webs in and around her. They aren’t scary or malicious, but layered protection.” Kaeleigh looked at Metrí with soft understanding. “I think she is the only one who can unweave them enough to control her magic. I can tell she contains quite a bit of raw energy and I’ve felt her magic when she’s used it before, but it’s stifled.”
Tears filled the young girl’s eyes. The warmth in Kaeleigh’s voice and her perceptiveness made her feel vulnerable. The instant she let it hit her, though, she stiffened and held back the rush.
“Well perceived, Kaeleighnna,” Arileas said as he watched Metrí. “The question for you, Metrí, is if you will choose to untangle the webs of your past and see what your potential is to create your future.”
Metrí looked away from everyone. With a sigh she released her greatest fear. “My future couldn’t be that great if whoever abandoned me didn’t want me in theirs.” Tears began to fall from her eyes, slowly chipping away at the dam constructed around the young girl’s heart. “I have nothing,” she whispered as Kaeleigh came up behind her and simply held her. It was uncomfortable and slightly awkward for everyone in the room, but something in Metrí broke as she began to sob, turning into Kaeleigh and gripping her tightly.
After several long moments, Metrí hiccuped and took in deep lungfuls of air trying to settle her breakdown. She wiped the tears from her eyes and her face and, embarrassed by the outburst, she let out a strangled laugh. “Oh, look at your shirt, Kaeleigh, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I chose to hug you. You must have needed the release. I always feel better after a good cry.” She smiled at the girl, looking over her now blotchy red cheeks.
Metrí looked up to see Arileas in a state of meditation on his own or perhaps another vision. But to her relief and continued embarrassment, she had driven everyone else out of the training area. Except for the shadow of a bulky Ferrishyn off to the side leaning casually by the weapons near the entrance, giving them the semblance of privacy without going too far. He was probably more there for Kaeleigh than for her, but it still warmed her heart that he was there. She always had wanted a big brother.
Arileas opened his eyes to see straight into Metrí’s soul. She was caught off guard and even a little startled, but that only made her mad so she stared back, challenging him to look at what he would with her arched eyebrow and attitude. Unfortunately, it only made the Elder laugh out loud with a deep belly laugh.
Metrí glowered. “That’s not usually the reaction I get to my attitude.” She looked over at Kaeleigh, who only smiled.
<
br /> “I am sure it is not,” Arileas answered in a semi-grandfatherly manner, “and while many would not tolerate it, I am amused by it. Your spirit and fire are important to who you are, but do take care with whom you use it and use it sparingly with purpose.” He stood up and reached for her to take his hand, pulling her up, and then he offered the same to Kaeleigh. “Now, I do believe I have what could be an understanding to your magic. I believe what Kaeleigh has said is right and true. This is a battle within yourself. It will be a day-to-day unraveling until you have found the center and source of your magic. I do not know why I did not consider it before now, but I had a brief vision of you in the mortal realm and your magic’s reaction to the land. I believe your magic to be elemental. That is not a magic derived from the source of Alandria’s magic.” Both Kaeleigh and Metrí looked on with intense interest. “Some might call it a human magic or even witchcraft or wizardry. It is very much the same as magic here, but it is different in that the sources are different. Kaeleighnna, your magic comes from the energy within you that makes you who you are, born of the energy of Alandria. Metrí, your magic comes from the elements themselves. They combine with your natural energy that has an affinity—in this case a very strong affinity—to accept and use them. Our earth Faeries use the elements, but they are elements strongly rooted in Alandria. Their magic would suffer greatly in the mortal realm without stronger blood or gifts—which some have been given, but not as a whole.”
“I think I understand.” Kaeleigh practically bounced.
“I don’t,” Metrí replied with a wanting expression.
Arileas explained further. “Your magic will still work here because we have elements that are basically the same as in the mortal realm. However, you will have to learn to navigate their properties in different areas. This is actually very exciting! I have not met an elemental before and have only heard of them as being extremely rare in the mortal realm.”
“So this is something I can learn? Can you teach me then?” She looked expectantly at the Elder.
“In a manner. Some of it will be experimental, I am afraid, but I will help you. Your patience and understanding will be required, of course,” he said.
“So... basically, are you saying that I’m a witch?”
“An elemental, but in simple mortal terms... basically, yes. But you do not need spells and things for a casting—as far as I understand,” Arileas considered with a slight frown.
Kaeleigh watched cautiously, waiting for Metrí’s reaction. She was thinking so deeply the crease in her forehead was taking the form of a canyon. Suddenly the girl’s eyes lit up.
“So instead of being a freak in this realm, I’m actually a freak in my own realm.” Metrí looked back and forth between Kaeleigh and the Elder, then also noticed Daegan had come out of the shadows and stood waiting and watching.
“Sweetie, you’re not a freak—” Kaeleigh began.
“But don’t you get it? I am, but that’s okay with me. I always knew I was some kind of freak, I just hated not knowing how I fit. And while I’m still slightly different than all of you, this tells me who I am. Now I can finally figure out how I work.” Her genuine excitement was infectious as Kaeleigh’s face lit with reserved amusement and then a gleeful grin.
“This will change things for you, warrioress,” Daegan informed her.
She nodded with exuberance. “I’m ready to realize who I am and see what I can do.” She was excited, yet also aware of the possible challenges that were now before her. But, at least she had an idea of what she would face.
The unknown was a dark and lonely place, Kaeleigh knew. Even on the edge of it, it was enough to change people and challenge who they believed themselves to be with who they thought they were not. The confusion and insecurity of the unknown could tear a person apart from the inside out if they do not have something to anchor their beliefs to: a revelation, a dream, a drive, a soul mate... anything that would face them with the truth of who they were and to remind them of why they were there.
Kaeleigh turned to Daegan’s face and searched his eyes. He was her anchor. He stepped close to her, so close they were front to front but not quite touching. He laced his hands with hers and whispered, “You are mine as well.” Then he moved away and placed a hand on Metrí’s shoulder, giving it a brotherly squeeze. “How long until you think she might have a little more control of her power, Master Elder?”
Arileas cocked his head, scrutinizing the young girl before him. “Not long. She is ambitious, perhaps a couple days for her to rearrange the webs in her attic, so to speak, and then she will feel what her magic is truly responsive to.” He winked in Metrí’s direction. A blush crept up into her cheeks, creating a nice rosy glow.
“I think it is important for her to stay here in Ehsmia and continue her training.”
“What?” Metrí turned on Daegan, her eyes smoldering with the injustice of his words.
“You would be safer here and can train more focused with your magic. I know you are significant in the freedom of Alandria, but I need you to be safe and learn all you can,” Kaeleigh pleaded with the girl.
Metrí’s eyes softened and covered her disappointment with her bravado. “Safer? I can still outmaneuver you on the field, Lumieth girl.”
Kaeleigh gave her a funny look. “You need to work on your smack talk too.” She giggled, but then turned serious eyes to Daegan, who spoke.
“It is a feeling I have. I understand it is disappointing and it is not that we do not want you with us, but I know this to be the right path for now,” he said with conviction.
Metrí stared at him intently for longer than comfortable to others in the room. Conceding to his “gut,” she nodded. “Okay. I trust you.”
“Thank you.” Daegan smiled at her and then ruffled the hair on the top of her head.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Elnye
The Castle in Elnye, the capital of Feraánmar
Maleina’s steps were loud as she walked into the old wing of the castle. The slap of her heels on cold stone reverberated off the walls, the sound empty and lonely. She walked slowly, her movements svelte and purposeful. Her emerald dress trailed slightly behind her. She walked down one side of the hall and held out her hand, her fingers absently trailing the stones in the wall. Her fingers itched for the powerful energy she could feel buried behind the stone. The walls in the rebuilt part of the castle were smooth ivory marble decorated with spidering veins of red, whereas this was an older section of the mansion. It was what was left of the original castle before it had been mostly destroyed in the last great battle along with the slow decay of time. The library was sheltered in this part, but other than that there wasn’t much left in the old wing. At the end of the hall, there was a discreetly sheltered stone stairway that was originally used for servants. Also sheltered at the end of the hall was a hidden doorway. A doorway that led to the floor below.
The closer Maleina walked to the end of the hall, the stronger she could feel the pulse of magic that drew her there once again. No one followed her, she made sure of that. With single focus and intent, she stopped before the stone wall. She walked around the false wall encasing the old servants’ stairway leading to the upper levels and into the darkness that lay below it. A flick of her index finger lit the first torch, guiding her foot down the stone steps that led below. With every few steps she took, the torches lit, continuing to light her path down the spiral. The temperature began to drop, as the air became moist. She couldn’t see the bottom—all that lay below was darkness—but she did not fear the dark or what lay beneath the library.
At the bottom, she took a deep, heady breath. The scents of mildew and moss were strong, but the scent that drew her above the dankness was bitter and metallic. She could see her breath as she exhaled. As she continued to step further into the room, the torches sprung up all around the room that was not much bigger than the library above it. It looked like a cellar encased by ragged stone rock walls. There was a hum o
f energy that drew her to a wall off to the side. She could hear the faint rhythmic beat. Thump thump... thump thump. She smiled.
To anyone besides Maleina, it appeared as the rest of the stone walls in the lower level: stone standing the test of time, the foundation of a castle’s former glory. As she rested her hands upon the stone, infusing her magic into the rock, it slowly shifted. The wall groaned as it slid apart at the middle like two doors opening. Opening several feet, it revealed another wall behind it. This wall, however, was different. It was made of different colored stones, yet similar in the smooth texture of the other walls. These stones appeared to be porous and even had mosses of light-deprived green growing on them. It was humid. It had the same musty smell, the same overriding scent of metal that she encountered upon first entering the room, but stronger... much stronger.
There was what looked like a spindly tree growing against, and attached to, the stones of the wall. Rooted into the ground through a crack in the floor, it then grew up from there and continued through multiple cracks in the ceiling. The branches were not brown or green like vine, but a deep red. This was no plant at all but it was alive. It was life itself. It was a vein and in it, blood flowed. Darkness radiated from this monstrosity that grew under her home.
Maleina could feel her magic responding to the beat of the sound she had heard. It was usually enough to siphon the essence of it from the very veins spidering throughout the castle trapped within the marble walls. It should’ve been enough for her to simply stand before the veined tree to absorb the energy it provided. However, this time was different. She needed more. Maleina had done what She, her now former mistress, had told her wasn’t possible. Maleina had broken her tie with the witch in the mountains of Exhile. Maleina was free and could now reign in Alandria on her own, or so she believed.
