Born of Water: Elemental Magic & Epic Fantasy Adventure

by Autumn M. Birt

Chapter 38

  THE RIVER DHAZOH

  “The Temple is forbidden,” Yihn said, voice firm. Zhao expected nothing different from his sister, or really anyone who lived in any of the villages along the fjords of Karii. The rules were driven into them from a young age.

  When Zhao didn’t say anything, the natural slant to Yihn’s eyes rounded. She stared at him. “The Elders have said so. It is forbidden for anyone to go there.”

  Zhao’s gaze never wavered. “The Temple belongs to Air Elementals not to the Elders. It is up to me to say who goes there.” Zhao didn’t realize he was the one speaking until the final word fell from his tongue.

  Yihn was quiet. “They won’t give you permission to let them go,” she responded in their musical language so that only he would understand.

  “I wasn’t going to ask.”

  Yihn stood up and walked to the back room where her kitchen and pantry were housed. Zhao looked at the mat made of dried and woven seaweed under him.

  “Why is it forbidden?” Niri asked after a moment.

  Zhao looked up into her strange lavender eyes. The sudden arrival of three Elementals continued to astonish him.

  Zhao had frozen mid-step when he had seen five strangers approaching the door to his sister’s house, three of them Elementals. How the Elders had not known Priests were coming worried him. They had always known before. He had been safe. The thought of what the Church would do with him now, far older than a typical acolyte, froze his mind.

  His initial reaction to turn and walk back up the path quickly left. One of the Elementals, a woman with long brown hair and lavender eyes had stopped and was watching him. The others turned as well. Zhao swallowed his anxiety and smoothed the yellow and cream trim on the sleeves of his burgundy tunic, a design that his sister had woven for him. He stood straighter and walked down the path past the stone pagoda, its basin of water reflecting the cloudy sky.

  Niri met him on the path and introduced herself first, ridding him of his first worries that the group was with the Church. His sister, Yihn, invited everyone into her home for a greeting of tea and sweet rice before asking their business, which was how things were done with the Tiak. That they wanted to go to the abandoned Temple intrigued Zhao. His world was turning upside down this day.

  Yihn came back carrying a new pot of tea as if that was the reason for her quick departure. She peaked at him through her lashes, her mouth a pert line. It was up to him to answer even though it was her house.

  “It simply is forbidden. The Elders give us rules passed down from generations. It has never been up to us to question.”

  Zhao’s gaze stayed on his sister as he finished speaking. She sank slowly to her woven mat on knees that did not seem to want to support her. The anger was gone from her eyes as well as the fear. She looked at her brother with a sorrowful face softened by love.

  “Why is it you want to go to the Temple?” Yihn asked her guests as she folded her thigh-length violet tunic under the knees of her cream pants.

  Darag answered. “We have been to the Temple of Ice and the Temple of Dust. The Temple of the Winds was the last destroyed during the war. We hope to find some answers there, some way of finding out how to hide Ria’s gifts from the Curse.”

  “By the Curse you mean the Church?” Yihn asked.

  The group of strangers exchanged glances. Ria took a breath, holding it for a second as if to organize her thoughts or brace her courage.

  “No, not exactly. You see, I’m a Spirit Elemental.”

  Ria did not wait for Zhao to say he had never heard of such an Elemental. She did her best to explain what they had learned on their journey from Mirocyne and the summer solstice ceremony. Details swirled in Zhao’s mind. He had never been further than the villages of the fjords. He had never seen the Sea of Sarketh or magical beasts.

  “Nirine is from the Archipelago, a Water Elemental and former Priestess?” Zhao waited for a nod that he had gotten this correct. “Darag is Kith and so an Earth Elemental and Ria is Sarkethian and is a Spirit Elemental. But if this thing that hunts Ria was created from the same power she wields, it is a Spirit Elemental as well?”

  Darag rocked back on his heels where he knelt. His jaw tensed as his eyes found Niri’s. Ria paled.

  “The letter said it was magic so as to hunt magic,” Niri answered. “It may be. I don’t know.”

  “You can see,” Ty cut in. “There is quite a bit we need to learn. The Temple holds our best chance of finding answers.”

  “The villagers showed you here because they said my husband navigates the Dhazoh? You told them you needed to go upriver to the Temple?” Yihn asked, her voice warm with concern.

  Lavinia leaned forward. “Yes, why?”

  Yihn looked over at her brother. “They will go to the Elders and tell them. They’ll come and prevent this.”

  Zhao felt a flush swell across his skin and sicken his stomach. Yihn was right. The Elders ruled the fjords. He knew what he was in their eyes. Under the dark hair and unwrinkled skin, nearly the same creamy tan as the Yisha trees, he was an Elemental. He deserved respect, even from the Elders. Despite silver eyes unlike the normal night-black, or that he followed the traditions and kept his temple locks cut chin length and tipped in white, no matter those things, what concerned them was that he was not yet twenty. He was young before he was an Elemental.

  “The tide was wrong for anyone to leave. The Elders are in Himil for the summer. By the time someone leaves and comes back, we can be gone. Gagee will be home before dark. We can head out by dawn.”

  Darag, Niri and Ty exchanged looks. “We don’t wish to cause you trouble,” Niri answered.

  Yihn snorted delicately, shaking her head and casting Zhao a sidelong glance. “Zhao does not mind challenging the Elders.”

  Zhao’s heart panged at the story Yihn referred to. “What my sister means, is that I am an Air Elemental and the oldest Elemental of my people. By rights, I should have a seat with the Elders, but they deny it to me. It was the Temple of the Winds. It should be my decision to say who is allowed.”

  Ria’s forehead was scrunched. “You are the oldest Elemental here?”

  Zhao’s mouth was dry. Yihn glanced at him before answering. “In our traditions, Elementals are not allowed to marry or have children. It was thought the trait was gone from our people. It has been many generations since the last Elemental was born here. The Elders were ... surprised when Zhao showed abilities.”

  “Are you the only Elemental?” Lavinia asked.

  “No, there have been three more since I was born, two boys and a girl.”

  “How did you learn?” Niri had a line between her brows. “I know it was not with the Church.”

  “No, the Elders have always hidden the gifted children from the Church. There were books and some scrolls on calling air. I try to teach the younger ones what I have managed to learn.”

  “They are all Air Elementals?” Ty waited for Zhao’s nod. “The Temple of Winds was here. It might not be a coincidence.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Darag answered in a measured voice. “It could be like the Kith. We are all Earth Elementals. The Temple might have been built here not because of the mountains, but because of a grouping of Air Elementals.”

  Zhao leaned back, staring up to the wooden timbers of the ceiling. “It could be. None of the writings I have say such a thing.” He said the words, but in his heart he knew it was true. The Temple of Winds was his by right and legacy.

  “Do they say anything about the war?” Niri asked.

  “No. There is very little about the Temple either. I always thought the Elders had removed passages before they gave the pages to me.”

  “Zhao!” Yihn’s face was pale as she stared at her brother. “It is one thing to stand against the Elders and give permission to go to the Temple, and another to accuse them.”

  “Accuse them of what? Keeping me in a shrine where I know nothing and am forbidden to learn? Wher
e I cannot do any of the things it is in my heart to do?” Yihn looked away from Zhao’s angry stare. “I wasn’t going to give them permission to go, Yihn. I am going to take them.”

  Talk stopped soon after. Yihn was more afraid than angry, Zhao knew that. But the Elders would not dare harm her or Gagee. They would know it was his fault, as it had often been. If there was time, Zhao felt he could make the Elders see reason. But like the argument to allow his sister to marry when they had feared she would pass on her brother’s gifts, it would take months. From the story Ria had told, they did not have the time to wait. After years of following the role laid out for him by others before his birth, Zhao’s step was light as he walked the path to the Dhazoh to prepare two boats for the journey upriver.

  Gagee was back before nightfall, a question in his eyes to see two of his boats upright and half-packed. The cuffs of his emerald shirt were still rolled to protect them from dampness as he worked in the river and his long, dark hair pulled into a pony tail, its length nearly touching his shoulder blades. He held a catch of fish, which he handed to a quiet Yihn. Then, Gagee turned to his brother-by-marriage.

  Gagee said nothing as Zhao told him of the five strangers and their journey. His face did not alter when Zhao said he had given them permission to go the Temple. Gagee only looked up to meet Zhao’s eyes when Zhao told Gagee he was going along. When everything was said, Gagee did not argue. He merely agreed they needed to leave before dawn. Yihn sighed and continued packing with the help of Niri, Lavinia, and Ria.

  Zhao was not surprised. Gagee had stood for his sister when no one else would. He had been a friend to Zhao, someone who listened and helped plan arguments to the Elders, before he had become a brother.

  The mist clung to the river in the morning as Gagee said a quiet goodbye to his wife. He cupped Yihn’s cheek gently, brushing away the few loose strands of escaped hair from her tight bun. Zhao waited until Gagee had given his assurances and turned to finish loading the boats before he approached Yihn.

  “You will see me again, sister.”

  Yihn nodded, but did not look at him. Her downcast face was doubtful and her dark eyes were full of tears. She turned away, eyes only for her husband. Zhao left her to the morning shadows.

  Unacknowledged doubts left Zhao as he watched the first two adult Elementals he had ever met use their power. With a touch, Darag lightened the wood of the boats so that they slid effortlessly into the water. Niri created an eddy, keeping the boats close to shore and pointed upstream. They were not Air Elementals, but for the first time Zhao did not feel alone.

  Darag and Lavinia took the second boat with Zhao while Ria, Ty and Niri rode with Gagee. Even with the four Elementals, the way upriver was hard. In the long flat stretches, the two boats were easy enough to propel upstream under Niri’s skill alone. Zhao had little difficulty believing she had called the sea into the heart of the desert. But when they reached the many rocky sections of fast tumbling water, the work became more difficult.

  Gagee knew where the old iron rungs were driven into the rocks at the head of the rapids. A rope could be tied to a ring in the stout prow of the heavy, twenty foot boat and taken upriver to be fed through the rung. Then the boat, with Darag’s and Niri’s help, could be pulled through the torrent. Only one person could ride in the boat, keeping it steady and upright, as it was hauled upriver. The rest walked over the slick boulders, Darag occasionally creating steps to surmount impassible sections and saving them miles of hiking.

  By dusk, everyone was tired. Camp was set up on a wide sandbar upstream from a set of rapids. In the evening air, click beetles snapped their songs in the darkening, damp woods. Darag formed a fire ring by calling rocks out of the sand while Zhao watched, his arms full of forgotten sticks.

  “Too bad we are missing a Fire Elemental,” Zhao joked as he dropped kindling into the newly formed circle.

  Ria, Darag, and Niri exchanged fleeting glances. Zhao stiffened. He knew when information was being kept from him. He had seen it often enough growing up. Eyes narrowing, he drew in a slow breath.

  Before he could speak Ria sighed, “Oh well.”

  Ria flicked a fireball into the mass of bark and sticks, holding it in existence until the tinder caught on its own. Ria giggled at the look on Zhao’s face.

  “But you are a Spirit Elemental. You said you could manipulate living things, not create fire.”

  Niri leaned forward from where she sat next to Ty. “Have you ever heard of the Ashanti?”

  Zhao had heard of the mysterious desert tribe, which helped him believe the story that unfolded. When it was done, he was shaking his head.

  “It isn’t possible.”

  “It is,” Darag said. Without any warning, he created a tiny fireball and tossed it at Niri. Niri didn’t even flinch. A sudden, damp wind struck the ball so that it winked out. Zhao didn’t know what to think. Ria intruded into his gasping silence.

  “That is what I need to learn! You both can react so quickly. I’m never sure what to do.”

  “We’ve had years of lessons and practice. Darag has even trained to fight.”

  “Yes, well, then I need practice.” Ria crossed her arms and tilted her chin.

  Niri eyed Darag, who smiled with a hint of challenge in his gaze. “There is some light left. It would be only fair to show Zhao how to summon the other two elements.”

  “Two?” Zhao asked.

  “Water and fire, you don’t want to try to summon earth. Trust me,” Niri shivered.

  “And spirit is off limits until we deal with the Curse,” Ria said, rising to her feet. “Where shall we go?”

  “Over by the river and away from camp. No accidents that way,” Niri replied.

  Darag cast a sidelong glance toward Ty and Lavinia as he stood. “So you have the advantage?”

  Niri’s eyes flickered. “We will be standing on rocks, if that will make you happy.”

  Ria bounced in Darag and Niri’s wake the short distance to the river, Zhao following with a little less certainty. Next to the older two Elementals, he felt unskilled. Learning to call new elements seemed far more then he needed when he barely knew what he could do with air.

  But as Darag showed him how to summon fire and water, he found the thrill of touching new forces far outweighed his worry. It was even fun. Zhao found himself grinning with much the same anticipation as Ria.

  Darag and Niri squared off first, Ty, Lavinia, and Gagee watching from the sandbar. Without any formalities, Niri sent a wave skimming at Darag. He parted it before it touched him and made the stone under Niri’s feet rock. She fell backwards, but softened her fall by thickening the air and making the sand absorb her impact. Despite how quickly it was over, Zhao was impressed. Which had become a new state-of-being since he'd met the five friends.

  Niri laughed as she stood, wiping sand from her skirt. “Well, you knocked me over first. So I guess it is Ria and Zhao’s turn.”

  Nervousness flooded Zhao so that his hand shook when he took a position facing Ria. She was pale as well, smoothing her tunic over her hips. Then, Zhao grinned. This was the first time he actually had a chance to practice under the eyes of trained Elementals.

  Zhao pulled a mist around Ria, blinding her. She used the wind and blew it back into him. He rose the level of water in the sand under her feet, so that she began to sink. Ria yipped in surprise and jumped sideways.

  “I don’t know. It just isn’t natural for me to fight.” Ria said, laughing at her reaction.

  The sparring went on another twenty minutes as the shadows crossed the stream, spreading to engulf the camp. For the last match, Ria managed a cunning feint against Darag, tossing a fireball at him while swamping him with a wave from behind. She grinned and danced in the sand. As they walked back to the campfire, Zhao played with fire, sparking it over the river's silt.

  “Is it really so bad to call your opposite element?” Zhao asked Darag and Niri.

  “Yes,” Darag said. “It is very unpleasant
.”

  “I agree. But it isn’t impossible. If you need to do it, you can. Just be ready for it,” Niri cautioned.

  Zhao nodded. “This is more than enough.”

  “This is something the Church can never learn,” Niri said soberly. Zhao swallowed, the smile pulling out of his lips as he sat.

  Joining his wife, Darag shook wet hair at Lavinia. She blocked herself with her hands the best she could, giggling.

  “I heard you laugh when Ria soaked me.”

  Lavinia rolled to her feet, tossing a handful of sand at Darag before running down the beach. He chased after her, catching her in his arms when she had to stop or jump in the river. Lavinia’s laughter rang back, bubbling over the stream.

  Gagee gave Zhao a sad smile. “Our ways are not the only options in this world. It is good for you that they came.”

  Disconcertion swept over Zhao, brought on by the sudden changes and new thoughts. He watched Darag and Lavinia walk back hand in hand.

  “Yes, this is good. Hopefully Yihn will understand.”

  Gagee put a hand on Zhao’s shoulder as he stood up. “I’ll make sure she understands.” Gagee walked to the forest to hunt for more wood.

  Niri eyed Zhao a moment. “You do not intend to go back at all, do you? Even after the Temple.”

  Zhao flicked a glance up at her face, then looked back down to the fire. “No, I left the books the Elders gave me for the others. Gagee is to see they are given to them. I know your way does not lead back to Xiazhing and I would go with you. There is nothing for me back there.”

  “There was once,” Darag said from where he sat, Lavinia held in his arms.

  Zhao nodded, swallowing with difficulty. “Yes,” he said poking the fire with a stick. “There was a girl I loved for a long time. But the Elders would not change the law. I convinced them to allow Yihn to marry, but they forbade me.”

  “What became of her?” Lavinia asked.

  Zhao sighed, the ache duller than it had been. “When I realized we could never be together, I told her to marry someone else.”

  “She did?” Ria asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

  “Not at first, but a year later she did. After I stopped seeing or talking to her. She married a boy from another village down the coast. I don’t go there anymore.”

  “I didn’t mean ...” Ria said, voice contrite.

  “It is okay. It is not a choice everyone would understand.”

  “We are glad to have you,” Darag told Zhao after a quiet moment filled with the sound of the river and the fire.

  —

  Morning brought rain and slate gray skies. It wasn’t an effort for any of the Elementals to keep the rain from soaking the gear, but Zhao and Gagee eyed the river cautiously.

  “If it rains hard enough, it will rise quickly.”

  “We’ll watch it,” Niri replied.

  The rain eased up, but the day remained choked in mist. The rapids became steeper. The short sections of flat water ran between high cliffs. Gagee kept them going until he found a pool where a large stream hurtled down a cliff to join the waters of the Dhazoh. Opposite the waterfall, a sandy bank stretched before a low escarpment of bedrock with the forest above. It was where they made camp for the second night.

  “It is the other branch of the Dhazoh,” Gagee said, nodding toward the waterfall. “I can take you another day.”

  It was a quieter night than the first, the darkness thick with dampness.

  —

  The third day was a series of portages one after the other until Ria wondered aloud why they bothered with the boats. But finally before noon, the narrow river leveled out. They floated on flat water for hours before the stream churned to froth again over boulders.

  They were in the mountains now. Their heights towered in the distance, snowcapped monsters visible far to the north. The air felt cooler and thinner, carrying the smell of pines and damp ground. They managed a few more portages before the light faded. The Dhazoh was smaller this far into the mountains, more a large stream than a river. The boats, even with the aid of Niri and Darag, scraped the bottom of the channel.

  They beached on a fine pebble bank as the sun set. Ahead the stream fell in thin sheets from a series of rock ledges. They had gone as far as they could by the boats. The mountains rose around them. Somewhere on the tallest to their west was the Temple of Winds.