by Toni Cox
She could hear herself panting, the burning a familiar sensation within her lungs. Soon, she picked up a scent and slowed to a stealthy walk. The forest here was darker, but she could see the doe clearly in the small clearing between the trees.
Nestled on a bed of dry grass, the deer was still drowsy from the night. It would be almost too easy, but her grumbling stomach told her she needed to hunt. Saliva dripped from her canines at the thought of the doe’s hot flesh. She crept closer, staying downwind. Her large paws made barely a sound on the springy, forest floor. Finally, she was close enough and she felt her muscles tense as she readied herself for the attack.
Then she ran, covering the short distance between her and the doe faster than the eye could blink. Surprised, the doe bleated feebly as Maia’s mouth closed around her neck. As the hot blood from the carotid artery filled her mouth and then spilled over onto the ground, the doe finally fell silent.
Maia held on for a moment longer, until she was sure the doe was dead, and released the animal from her grip. It dropped with a soft thump. Panting, she walked around the lifeless body once, sniffing the still warm body.
It was a sad sight. The animal was in her prime and would have mated to have many fawns in her lifetime. Then, saying a prayer to the Mother, she took her first bite, starting on the soft underbelly of the deer.
More blood coated her tongue and then, finally, she tasted its tender flesh, warm from the life only moments ago.
Maia woke up screaming, the taste of the animal fresh in her mouth. Tears ran as she tried to erase the dream from her mind.
Shaking and sweating, she climbed out of bed. Wolf lay whining at the foot end, looking at her, frightened.
“Just a dream, Wolf, just a dream.”
She reached out to him, but he ducked under her touch and jumped to the floor.
“The time has come, Wolf. Blaid has hunted. He is alive. It is time for me to leave.”
The dream followed Maia all the way to the stables. She could not forget the feeling of the springy forest floor under her soft paws or the taste of hot blood in her mouth.
Only when she reached the buildings on the other side of the ridge, did she finally shake free from the hold the dream had over her. The smell of wood shavings, hay and horses finally erased the last vestiges and, by the time she reached Fire’s stall, she was calm.
“Hello, handsome,” she greeted him and he nickered back at her.
Maia retrieved her grooming kit from the tack room, and entered Fire’s stable to give him a good clean. She took her time, enjoying the nearness of her stallion.
“Do you remember when you first came to me? You were only three years old. Your red coat gleamed so brightly in the firelight, I named you Fire.”
Fire snorted, as if to acknowledge her statement, and rubbed his head on her leg, making her stumble.
She laughed. “You were the fastest horse Shadow Hall had ever seen. Even at only three years old, no other horse could compare to you on the race track. Father was so proud of us when we won our first race. Do you remember it?”
Maia packed the brushes away and selected the hoof pick. Picking up his left foreleg, she carefully cleaned out his hoof.
“And on the battlefield, you were as brave as any of the battle-hardened chargers. Even Father’s stallion, Cloud, could not compare to your grace and beauty when you kicked and bit your way through the throng of Vampyres. I am so proud of you.”
She put down his last hoof and packed the hoof pick into her bag.
“I am sorry for what I have done to you,” she said, leaning against his neck, stroking his gleaming coat. “I know you don’t mind your new duties and I know you will make many beautiful foals. I am going to miss you, Fire.”
Her stallion snorted and pressed his head against her back, hugging her to him. They stood like this for a long time, until she eventually found the strength to let go.
She nodded to the Horse Master on her way out, but was unable to speak to him. Tears flowed as she made her way over the ridge to the city.
By the time she reached Aaron’s house, her tears had dried and she steeled herself for what was to come. She looked up at the staircase, wondering if Aaron was home. It was almost midday, so he should be home for lunch.
Although the Humans had taken on many of the elven traits, they still needed to eat and sleep more than the Elves. Aaron usually came home for lunch, as did Luke. Jasmin was out most of the day, hunting.
She had just taken the first few steps of the staircase, when Aaron called her name. She turned to see him running up the path.
“Maia,” he smiled brightly at her, “have you come to join me for lunch? I don’t think Luke is here yet. Shall we wait for him out here?”
Maia had to smile. Aaron took the chaperon idea seriously and never spent time alone with her. It was one of the few reasons she had endured his courtship until now.
“If it is fine with you, I would like to speak to you alone. Do you think we could go inside before Luke comes home?”
Aaron frowned at her, worry etched on his face. “As you wish,” he agreed, his voice clouded with uncertainty.
They climbed the stairs, Aaron ahead of her. It was considered impolite to walk behind a lady up the stairs. Aaron observed every decorum. Maia could not fault him on it.
He opened the door to his home for her and went to pour her a glass of water before taking a seat opposite her at the dining table.
“I have a feeling you are the bearer of bad news,” he said. “What is wrong?”
Maia looked at him. His once grey hair had returned to its former brown and grown long, held together in the back by a leather band. His face no longer held the lines of age or worry and it made him appear years younger. There was an air of confidence about him even Maia found attractive. She also knew how charming he could be and, if he gave it a chance, he would find love again among her elven people.
She fidgeted with the glass in front of her. There was no easy way to tell him. She had considered not talking to him before she left, but her conscience would not allow it. He needed to know, so he could move on with his life and not live in hope that, one day, she would return to him.
“I am terminating our courtship,” she said, unable to find kinder words. “I …”
“Maia, what has happened? I thought we were happy? I know you have troubles beyond our relationship. I understand and will give you all the time you need. If you want to postpone the wedding until the Vampyre problem has been resolved, then I am happy to wait. Please, Maia, I only just got you back.”
“Aaron, I am truly sorry, but I cannot be with you. You deserve to be happy and I cannot give that to you. You deserve someone who truly loves you. There are aspects of my life that you … that most people, are not aware of. I am a Prime and that comes with responsibilities that reach further than just the wellbeing of Shadow Hall. There are things I must do, things that will make you see the person I truly am. We will never be able to find love together.”
“You agreed,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “I do not understand. What things are you talking about? I love you, Maia. I want you to be my wife again.”
Maia shook her head. She liked Aaron and this was breaking her heart. She wished she could make it easier for him. She reached out and put her hand on his. At first, he tried to pull back. Then, as she let him feel her Eläm, the parts she wanted him to see, he relaxed.
No words could ever compare to feelings conveyed via touch. It was not common and few people had the ability. Most Elves could project or hide their Eläm, as well as read the Eläm of others if shown. Being a Prime Elemental, however, gave Maia the ability to convey her Eläm via touch, which was how she often communicated with animals and, as Aaron felt her emotions, he began to accept. She only showed him what he needed to see. She showed him her worries for her people. The strain the responsibility put on her. The love she had for Luke and Jasmin as her children. The affection she had for him. The need she
felt to protect them. And she let him feel her certainty that she could not be with him.
He looked up at her in wonder when she let go. “How did you do that?”
“It is my Eläm you felt. I could not find the right words to tell you how I feel, so I showed you. I do not want to hurt you, Aaron. Please, accept that we cannot be together. As a Prime Elemental I have responsibilities far bigger than my own needs. You need to let me go. Please, will you accept the termination?”
Aaron stared at her for a moment, and then blinked rapidly a few times. “Accept?”
Oh, no, Maia thought, just as Luke walked through the door.
Grinding her teeth in frustration, Maia made her way to her home. Why did Aaron have to make this so difficult? She should not have asked him if he accepted her termination of the engagement.
Shaking her head, she cursed their traditions. An engagement had to be terminated by both parties and, if the one did not agree, both parties were made to work on the relationship until they either continued with the courtship, or both agreed to the termination.
Of course, once she asked Aaron if he agreed, he realised she could not make the decision alone and promptly declared that he would not, under any circumstances, accept.
Maia had hung her head, but did not argue. She would be gone by tomorrow and, if she wanted to save her people, she might never be able to come back.
Luke had watched his parents in silence, but the hurt was written all over his face. He had been looking forward to his parents getting back together. Jasmine and Luke were the two people she would probably miss the most and she regretted having to hurt them. She would not even get a chance to say goodbye to Jasmine, who was still out on a hunt and would not return today.
Angry, she pulled the door to her home open and stepped inside the large common room. It was empty. She took a seat at the dining table.
Too long had she sat idly by. Leaving on this quest, though, proved to be the most difficult thing she had ever done. She could not tell anyone where she was going, or what she planned to do. She did not know herself yet, but as it involved Blaid, whatever was going to happen, it would be forbidden.
So far, her plan was to fly with Midnight over the Grildor-Bron Mountains until she picked up some kind of sign from Blaid. The wind had whispered to her, called to her, told her about Blaid, so she knew he was within the forest somewhere.
With Midnight’s extraordinary senses and her elemental powers, she was confident they would find him. Eventually. This was not what had her sitting at the table with her head in her hands. No. What worried her was leaving her people. Leaving her family and friends. Leaving Silas.
What upset her most was that she could tell no one, except Silas, who said he would keep her secret. Not even her parents could know, for they would surely stop her.
Once she was gone, everyone would speculate. They would think she had abandoned them, even if Silas did tell them she was on a quest to save them. Some might even think worse. Rothea, for one, knew about Blaid, and Maia was sure Rothea would put it all together
Letting out a harsh breath, she stood up, determined. The only way to save her people was to be stronger. To be stronger, she had to be with Blaid. This was something she had to do, no matter how much it hurt or upset her.
In her mind, she felt Midnight agree with her. Her dragon had seen into Blaid’s mind and found the Death Elemental worthy. Dark-Silver-Moon was what Midnight called him and the depth of respect that came with that title was staggering, especially considering how Midnight regarded Blaid before.
Feeling slightly better knowing her dragon agreed with her decision to leave, Maia went to her room to pack the rest of her belongings. Her parents would be home soon and she wanted to have everything ready, to at least spend one last evening with them.
Once in her room, she rummaged through her kist for boots, took underclothes from her chest of drawers and selected warm clothes and coats from her cupboard. She had to pack sparingly due to space constraints. Even Midnight could only carry so much.
When she heard the sounds of someone coming in downstairs, she stashed her heavy bag under her bed. Standing in front of her mirror, she looked at herself for a long time. Tired, thin and worried, she almost looked like a different person. She pulled back her slumping shoulders, put a smile on her face and then left her room to spend some time with her family.
After tonight, they would not see her again.
Silently, Maia rose from her bed and got dressed. Wolf watched her with interest, his head tilted and ears forward. He sensed something was happening.
“I am sorry, Wolf. This is one adventure you cannot accompany me on.” She patted his head and he wagged his scruffy tail.
Being careful not to make a noise, she dragged the bag with her clothes from beneath the bed, and put on her thick, winter coat.
Now really excited, Wolf jumped off her bed and paced in front of her door.
“Wolf, you have to stay. Someone needs to look after Jaik. Promise you’ll be a good boy.”
Maia let her emotions flow to him and he whined softly as he realised she was leaving without him. Kneeling, she hugged him, remembering all the good times they had together.
“I must leave now,” she finally told him and rose to her feet. She signalled for him to jump on the bed again. Obediently, he complied. “I’ll leave the door open a little, so you can go out in the morning. Now, stay quiet. I love you.”
Maia kissed the top of his head one last time, picked up her bag and left without a backward glance. If she thought about it too much, her resolve started crumbling.
Stepping lightly, she made her way down the stairs. At the front door, she grabbed her bow and quiver off the hook and slung them across her free shoulder.
Cold wind hit her as she opened the door. Quickly, she stepped through and shut it behind her. Standing outside her childhood home in the middle of the night, a half-formed plan in her head and provisions for a few weeks stored up on a cliff in the mountains, she suddenly felt very lonely.
She had given this much thought, she told herself. Ever since she recovered from her injuries after the war, she thought about nothing else. Of course, Blaid was one of the main reasons she was going, but not only because of her own desires for him. Guilt, for not having been able to protect her people thus far, was her driving force.
There was no other solution but to join up with Blaid to become strong enough to defeat the enemy. She realised this came with potentially detrimental side effects. She had studied the story of the two Primes that joined up over eight thousand years ago to save their people. She also knew, afterwards, they had not only destroyed each other, but their nation as well.
Yet, she did not see another way. Midnight agreed and, to her surprise, so did Silas. Although her mentor did not know of her plans, what they had discussed in his cave made it clear he trusted her judgement.
A mental nudge from Midnight made her realise she was still standing on the porch. She gave herself a shake, pulled her coat tighter and then took the narrow path that led to The Median.
She had decided against walking across The Gathering Grounds, although it was the shorter route. It was too open. As it was, she passed many of the Night Watch patrolling the city’s paths and only her Air magic, allowing her to cloak herself in invisibility, made it possible for her to sneak past them.
When she finally reached The Crags, she was tired, having expended so much energy to hide herself from the eyes of the Night Watch.
With a rustle of wings, Midnight dropped down from the granite formation and landed in the small meadow below it. Midnight was so large, he almost filled the entire space. His heavy dragon scent wafted over her as he settled on the ground.
Dropping her bag and leaning her bow and quiver against it, she ran to him. She leant against his chest and his deep rumble soothed her.
“It is time, Midnight. Are you ready?”
Ready. The thought materialised in Maia’s hea
d, along with images of them flying over the mountains.
“We need to put your saddle on first. I swear you have grown over the past few Moons and I can only hope the straps will be long enough. Come,” she pointed towards the large, wooden contraption that held Midnight’s saddle, which they used to lower it onto his back, “let’s see if it still fits.”
Rising to his feet, Midnight prowled on over to the device, treading as softly as he could. Although The Crags were somewhat removed from the city, the Night Watch still patrolled the paths surrounding it. The last thing they needed now was to be discovered.
Once Midnight stood beneath the framework, Maia got to work turning the wheel that lowered the saddle. The saddle was made from thick, black leather, made especially for Midnight and intricately carved with dragons and battle scenes. It had been a gift from Galassan, their Leathersmith. He made it for her before the first war.
Midnight let her know once the saddle touched his back. She stopped the wheel, then ran deftly up Midnight’s left foreleg. Careful of the large spikes on his back, she navigated to where the saddle was. Once she had guided the saddle to the exact place over Midnight’s back where she knew it would be the most comfortable for him and would not chafe him even during longer flights, she released the clip that held the saddle on the large hook of the crane.
Maia shifted it some more, until Midnight was completely happy, then released the many leather straps that tied around his stomach and chest. The buckles clanged as they smacked against Midnight’s tough hide. Maia cringed, but Midnight assured her there was no one within hearing distance.
Walking along his shoulder, she draped one of the straps over his left leg. She then climbed over Midnight and brought the strap from the right hand side to drape over his right leg. Hanging precariously off one of Midnight’s neck spikes, she buckled the two straps together in front of his chest.
“This is difficult alone,” she complained. “I wish we didn’t need it, but I don’t know how to carry all my things without it.”