Her thoughts continued to blur and swirl, and long-forgotten memories forced their way to the forefront of her mind. Memories of strangers shuffling away quickly as she greeted them on the street, memories of Morro and Kulpa sending her on long journeys with Sheelo, always with the same crew on the ship.
Kamo leaned over the stone toward the still pool in the fountain. Her reflection tinted blue in the moonlit water, taunting her with everything she thought she was.
“Morro and Kulpa loved you as their own,” came Pacha’s voice from nearby the fountain. Kamo didn’t look up to see the Earth elf join her on the bench. “They would have moved heaven and earth just to protect you from harm.”
Kamo scoffed and still didn’t lift her gaze.
“Sheelo was their confidante, he with only a few others, knew who and what you are,” she explained gently. “He swore his crew to secrecy, and he trained you as a sailor among them.”
Kamo clutched the stone edge of the fountain with a clawed grip. “Why didn’t they tell me,” she seethed, the stone growing hotter underneath her hand.
“Love blinds the best intentions,” Pacha said. “The older you grew, the harder it became, and then there wasn’t time. Kulpa tried to warn you that day,” Pacha trailed.
The stone under Kamo’s hand glowed red with heat, and Kamo flinched as it began to steam. She pulled her hand away, expecting to see blisters forming on her palm.
When she looked back at the stone, it was cooling quickly in the night air, returning to its gray, mute shade.
Kamo finally looked at Pacha, a wild fear in her eyes. “You told me I have fire in my bones,” she whispered.
Pacha met her eyes with pity.
“Yes, you do.” Then she added quietly, “you climbed the rigging that day and lost your grip on the ropes. Do you remember more than that?”
Kamo examined her hands, concentrating on her fall.
“I saw Sheelo fall,” she said slowly, “and the ropes seemed to burn away under my fingers… I thought maybe I had just imagined it. My mind might have been playing tricks on me.”
Pacha shook her head sadly. “You were angry that day, angrier than perhaps you will ever be, and it appears that your anger is what fuels the fire in you.”.
Kamo looked at her hands again, and tears threatened to brim in her eyes. She shook them away.
“I’ve been angry before,” she said. “And nothing’s been… burned,” she winced at the last word.
Pacha considered her for a moment, closing her eyes reverently and opening them again to stare from Kamo’s eyes to her hands and back again.
“Magic is closely tied to strong emotions, but not only that, to the things and people most dear to the wielder,” she explained.
“My family,” Kamo breathed. Tears fell freely from her eyes, the flame of her anger extinguished in a flood of teardrops down her cheeks.
“I’ve never shown… that is, magic is bestowed upon those of a royal lineage,” Kamo replied. Her voice shook, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. “So I have a royal lineage?”
“Yes.”
“A lord? Duke?”
“Not exactly.”
Kamo fell onto the bench. “The king?”
Pacha nodded, gently folding her arms in her lap.
“I don’t understand,” Kamo whispered. “Why would the king want his own daughter dead? Why did my magic only appear that day? Even if it’s tied to strong emotions, shouldn’t there have been some sign, some manifestation before then?”
“As for your first question, I cannot tell the answer. Perhaps I’ll never know, but you might,” Pacha winked at her. “And for the next questions, I can see you were not a very diligent student of history. For elves of all tribes, the first signs of magic don’t appear until near adulthood- sixteen or seventeen years old. Sometimes later.”
Kamo nodded again and rested her head on her hands.
The night was still as they sat together, only interrupted by a whisper of wind and the “sh-sh-sh” of leaves rustling on the ground. Pacha seemed content in her silence, perhaps understanding that Kamo’s aching wound needed more than kind words. Kamo examined her hands and wondered about the magic within her. She mourned the family she thought she had known, and tried to imagine the mother she never met and the father who may have cast her into a life of loneliness.
“Why did Mara send me away?” Kamo asked, the question piercing her heart.
“I’m afraid that’s something I can’t quite see,” Pacha said. “Everyone said they were certain that the king adored Mara, and that she had found some affection for him as well. There are questions only you can find the answers to.”
Kamo wilted with exhaustion, her body and mind overwhelmed with the weight of the truth.
“And the answers begin with Elesun,” said Kamo.
“He has served under the king for many years, longer than almost anyone can recall. If you can obtain his good graces, he will make your introductions to the king. As I told you, you may find him in celebration after the festival, but there is another way to meet him-- to impress him.”
“What’s that?”
“During the festival, there will be an opportunity to use your magic. A competition between the royal elves. I did not mention it in front of your companions for obvious reasons.”
“A competition? How am I to compete? I don’t know anything about magic, let alone my magic.”
“If you are willing to learn, you will find those who teach.”
Kamo nodded slightly, too tired to fully appreciate the consequences of the secrets and history she had learned. She ached for a bed and a feather pillow, and stood up to seek them out.
“Thank you for your honesty, Pacha,” she said quietly.
“It is my duty to protect my princess,” Pacha said. Then, she bowed low.
Kamo, startled by the gesture, insisted that she rise quickly. “You shouldn’t bow to me.”
“Now that you know your identity, I feel it is only proper to address you appropriately,” Pacha said, loyalty shining in her gray eyes.
Kamo shifted her weight, uncomfortable with the way Pacha had so readily accepted her as one made to rule.
“Just please, I don’t need bowing and titles,” Kamo told her. “Rolin and Gobi are bound to notice, and that’s not something I feel like explaining to them. At least, not right now.”
Pacha bowed her head in understanding.
“I’m going to bed,” Kamo said. “Unless there’s something else that needs to be said tonight?”
“Just two things,” Pacha answered. “This is a part of you and your life that you have not yet learned how to balance. You may resent it, you may even be afraid of it. But when that resentment comes and when that fear threatens to destroy you, you must also remember that there is much of your life that is not new. It is familiar and comforting. You are a Sea elf. That blood runs in your veins just as you always knew that it did. Don’t reject that heritage in light of a newer, stranger one.”
Kamo peered into the pool of the fountain once again. Her blue scales shimmered in her reflection, catching the moonlight, offering her solace and comfort. “And the second?” Kamo said softly, staring into her brown-eyed reflection.
“Don’t wait too long to tell them who and what you are. Secrets between friends become valleys of mistrust and contention. Gobi and Rolin deserve to know exactly who they are loyal to,” Pacha said with some assertion.
Kamo tore her eyes from the pool and glanced up to the inn's dark windows, imagining her two traveling companions fast asleep.
“I will tell them soon,” she promised.
“Good. Then it is time for you to rest.”
Kamo bade her good night, and started toward the inn. Each step felt heavy and slow as she climbed the stairs and opened the door to her room. She didn’t bother to kick off her shoes as she climbed into bed. She pulled the heavy quilt over her legs, then over her arms and chest, and finally pulled it over her head
to hide her face. Her head hit the pillow, and she fell fast asleep without another thought.
Chapter Ten
Kamo woke up to the sound of birds chirping a melodious tune. Her head ached, and she moaned as she closed the curtains left open the night before. There was a soft knock on her door, and she grumbled, throwing herself back onto her bed.
“Who is it?” she muttered loudly.
“It’s Gobi,” he answered. “I’ve got bacon!”
Kamo smothered her face in her pillow before getting out of bed to open the door.
“Long night?” Gobi asked, setting a breakfast plate on Kamo’s bedside table and taking a seat on her now-empty bed.
Kamo plopped down next to him and stole a piece of bacon from the plate.
“The longest.”
“Pacha seems pretty incredible, though, right?” he asked enthusiastically, trying to perk up Kamo’s mood.
“Mm-hm,” she mumbled with a mouth full of bacon. She kept her mouth full as Gobi asked about what happened after Pacha excused the men from the table.
Finally, feeling she could no longer avoid his questions, she swallowed a mouthful of bacon and eggs and cleared her throat. “She was just asking what our plans were once we reach Ferena,” she said. “But, we still need to gather supplies and everything for our journey. I’ll get dressed, and we can go find Rolin to get a start.”
She heard another small knock at the door, and Rolin cracked it open, and stuck his head in slowly.
“Did someone mention me? What did I miss?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Kamo said, gesturing for him to join them. “I was just reminding Gobi that we have a lot to do this morning before we leave, and I’d like to leave as soon as possible.”
“Why the rush?” Rolin asked, curiosity playing on his lips. “I promise we’ll make it to the festival in plenty of time.”
Kamo ran her fingers through her hair and thought regretfully about the scorch mark her palm most likely left on the fountain below her.
“I guess I’m just eager to get out,” Kamo said, hiding her palms as she folded her arms across her chest.
“And we will,” Rolin assured her, “just as soon as we’re properly prepared. The last thing anyone should do is enter the Pennifold mountains without the proper materials. Why don’t you get dressed and finish breakfast, and Gobi and I will find Pacha to get the salve and the disguise paraphernalia.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Gobi said.
Kamo wasn’t keen to see Pacha again so soon after last night’s revelations, so she agreed to meet with Gobi and Rolin a little later.
They left Kamo’s room, and she finished breakfast and changed for the day, specifically avoiding the mirror that hung over her sink.
When she descended the stairs, she was surprised to see Gobi and Rolin seated at a table with a young green-haired woman. The woman was pulling out beautiful red tunics and shiny, black leather boots. Gobi cradled a small jar of salve in his hands.
She approached the table just as the woman pulled a beautiful fur coat from a woven basket.
“That’s stunning,” Kamo cried, picking up the coat and letting its folds drip through her fingers.
“Pacha had it made special,” the woman gloated. “There’s a hat and matching boots. I made the boots with sturdier soles, but I lined them with this same fur,” she said, glowing with pride.
She pulled out the rest of the matching pieces, and Kamo examined them. The hat was round and deep enough to cover both ears. The inside of the boots felt cushioned and cozy.
“They’re simply breathtaking,” Kamo said, pulling the hat snugly over her ears.
“Pacha also sends word to visit the armory before you depart,” the elven woman said.
“Won’t she meet us again?” Gobi asked, tucking the salve gingerly into his pack.
“I’m afraid not,” she answered regretfully, “she got called away late last evening. But she left all instructions and arrangements with me. I am Poco, her eldest daughter.”
“Who called her away?” Kamo asked, gently removing the hat from her head.
“Elven leaders constantly get called to protect their people,” Poco said. “It is not uncommon for Pacha to come to the aid of any elven citizen who asks for her. In this case, I believe it was a family who lives near our border to the north.”
“The border we entered through yesterday?” Rolin inquired.
“I believe so,” Poco said. “We have some elves who live outside the protection of the city wall, though their homes are well disguised. You probably didn’t even notice them yesterday as you walked through the forest.”
It was true. Kamo had seen trees and rocks and flowers but no dwellings that she would pinpoint as homes.
“I hope she’s back before we take our leave,” Rolin said, storing the boots in his pack.
Kamo wrestled with the coat as she decided how she felt. On the one hand, Pacha knew her secret and would undoubtedly remind her of it when they met again. On the other, she was a source of great knowledge and comfort for the journey on which they were about to embark.
“Me too.”
They left the inn with Poco close on their heels and visited several elven establishments: an armory where they were each fitted with fine hide armor; a weaponry where Gobi picked a few daggers and a light crossbow, Rolin got two longswords of curious design, and Kamo contented herself with a few spears and a short blade of steel; and an odd little shop that sold dyes and paints and facial make-up of every color and shade. The woman there showed Kamo how to apply white, then red liquid to her scales to change their color and handed her a bottle of red dye, explaining how to apply it to her hair. Rolin and Gobi spent a lot more time there, choosing to don their disguise while in Blosso. The artist women worked their magic, and Gobi and Rolin both walked out with red scales and pointed ears.
“They said the paint will only come off if we scrub it with lemon juice and vinegar,” Gobi said. “And that the ears will only melt when hot wax drips on the tip of them.”
Kamo grinned at their transformations. Gobi’s now pointed ears made his nose seem short and stubby. But Rolin wore them well. If anything, his strong jaw was more prominent with the new sharp angles of his ears and the dull shimmer of his scales.
“Aside from the hair, I don’t think anyone would question your race as an elf of the Fire city,” Kamo told them. “Pacha has some incredible people and resources.”
Poco beamed at her. “We are happy to serve,” she said. “Discreetly, of course, these elves will not spread gossip of disguise around to the rest.”
“I appreciate it,” Kamo said, grasping her hand in gratitude.
“Is there anything else I can help you find before you leave?” Poco asked sincerely. “There is already elven wine tucked into each of your packs,” she said, eyeing Gobi, who had inhaled to ask a question.
He smiled at her. “I see you are your mother’s child,” he winked at her, a sparkle in his green eyes.
“I think you have provided us with plenty,” Rolin said.
“Indeed,” Gobi added.
“Then I will take you to the path and bid you farewell,” Poco said warmly.
She led them off the town's main road and toward the thick grove of trees to the west. They walked only a few minutes before reaching a series of switchbacks roughly hewn into the mountain to create a trail. Poco stopped shortly ahead and turned to face them.
“Rolin can guide you from here,” she said, laying a hand on Rolin’s shoulder. “I wish you the best.” She shook hands with Gobi and Rolin and curtsied solemnly to Kamo. Her face wore the same expression as Pacha when she had bowed, and Kamo couldn’t shake the feeling that the seer’s daughter also knew her true elven identity.
“Thank you,” Kamo said, hoping her cheeks weren’t too red. “Please tell Pacha how grateful we are for all of her help.”
Poco’s head bobbed to agree, and she turned to leave.
Rolin, Gobi,
and Kamo stood at the bottom of the trail for a few quiet moments.
“Ready when you are,” Gobi said.
Rolin didn’t say a word, but he looked ahead at the peaks, determination in his brow.
Kamo pondered Pacha’s last advice to her and spoke.
“I don’t know how to thank you for coming with me,” she stuttered. “I wouldn’t be here without both of you, and I… well, thank you.”
The words she meant to say had caught in her throat, and she determined that her appreciation would have to suffice for now.
Gobi blushed and brushed it off awkwardly. To her surprise, Rolin took her hand.
“Everyone deserves answers,” he said, “yours are just a little harder to find.”
The same spark from last night jumped to her fingertips as he squeezed her hand. She stared at him, again thinking of what Pacha had told her. He dropped his hand to his side. Kamo wanted to reach for his hand again, to let his peace and determination fill her, but the secret she hadn’t had the courage to share kept her arm firmly at her side
“Let’s go,” she said as she took a step up the trail. Gobi and Rolin followed close behind.
The switchbacks seemed never-ending. Each one they climbed only led to another and another. Their progress up the mountain was slow and difficult. Fog obscured some of the trail as they climbed in altitude, so they traveled the switchbacks slowly and cautiously through the thick mist. Gobi called for a meal break, eager to fill his aching stomach and rest his sore feet as it reached midday. Rolin and Kamo agreed, and they stopped to eat and rest.
For the first time, Kamo looked out onto the horizon. From their vantage point she could see the city of Blosso and the wall that encompassed its border. She listened for the bustling of the town, but she knew they were too far above to hear the elves busy below.
Suddenly, a shadow covered her head, and she heard a loud, terrifying screech. She looked up and saw the most enormous bird she’d ever seen in her life, diving quickly toward her resting spot.
“Duck!” Rolin shouted, tossing his food into the air.
The Last of the Sea Elves Page 7