Children of the Elementi

by Ceri Clark

  Happy with the new look, Mirim felt the coarse woven material of the blue trousers. She supposed it would be hard wearing but was pleased with the feel of the short-sleeved yellow top. Mirim again turned to the network of information and searched for their current technological level. Deep in an article on computers, she marveled at how different their technologies were. A hundred years ago, Eleria was far superior in technology to here, but now... Aras’ family had done far more damage to their civilization than she had even suspected. Reaching the end of the article, she felt a powerful surge of power shimmer the air around her. Quickly she requested the location of the source from the Matrix.

  Alert, she realized that if she knew the High-King was alive and was now active, others would not be far behind. Mirim cast about with her mind, pulling strands of energy from all directions around her. When she sensed she had enough, she concentrated on the coordinates the Matrix sent her. Her vision blurred as her surroundings morphed into the immediate area of the source of the surge.

  Fighting the nausea that always followed teleportation, Mirim scanned the data banks for information on the building in front of her. It seemed this was a place of learning. There were only certain circumstances that she would be able to take the boy out but first she had to find out his name. Again connecting through the cables above, she was able to access the school computer system easily. She almost felt contemptuous of the security measures she met. Using the street name she had first teleported to, she searched through the list until only one pupil matched her search - Jake Richards.

  Mirim looked deeper into the records. His parents were dead. They died last year in a car crash. He had no siblings. There would be no real ties to this place for him. His guardians were Ben, his father’s brother and his wife Emma, who worked for the local government. Mirim nodded. It was all perfect.

  Back on the Internet Mirim quickly found the local government website. Eventually finding a picture of Emma Richards, she smiled. Excellent; time for an illusion.

  *************************

  A few yards down the road, an old lady sat patiently waiting at a bus shelter. Bored and uncomfortable on the hard plastic seats, her gaze wandered aimlessly. Idly looking across at the old private school in front of her she spotted a young woman dressed in jeans and a sunflower yellow t-shirt vacantly staring at the brick wall surrounding the school. Curious, the old lady watched the younger woman as her features gradually morphed. As the psychic field reached the old lady she saw the girl change shape. Her long blonde hair shriveled to make a neat bob, its color darkened to become a dark chestnut brown, almost black. Her cheeks became plumper, while her lips thinned. The jeans and t-shirt blurred to become a calf-length green dress. The woman gasped. The girl twisted to look at the startled old lady and grinned. Patting the creases on her dress, she walked through the gates of the school.

  *************************

  A short driveway led up to the main school and the first door she tried opened into a reception area. A young chatty receptionist with a ready smile greeted Mirim as she stepped in.

  “Mrs. Richards? We haven’t seen you in a while, have you come to pick-up Jake? He’s in the Headmaster’s office at the moment. He’s been in a fight, I’m afraid.” Without waiting for a response the receptionist continued. Her voice turned quizzical. “I didn’t realize the Headmaster had phoned you himself.”

  Further up the hall, the door to the headmaster’s office opened and Jake walked out in a daze.

  “Good timing.” said the receptionist turning to her computer.

  Mirim tentatively reached out to sense his thoughts. She had to be careful. As the son of the last High-King, he would have the powers of the air element as well as the others. He would easily be able to sense her intrusion if she wasn’t discreet. Luckily he was too wrapped up in something that had just happened.

  Mirim watched the drama unfold in Jake’s mind. So that was the source of the power use. Great timing indeed, she thought. I couldn’t have planned it better. Striding up to Jake, she took his hand and walked him outside. Still lost in his own thoughts he didn’t notice something wasn’t right about his guardian - or even that it was strange she had come to pick him up.

  They stopped at the corner down the street and Mirim turned to look fully into Jake’s eyes. Making sure that he could see her clearly, she began little by little to drop her disguise. Jake gasped. Her hair was growing, her face thinned... she was getting younger! There was something eerily familiar about her, but he didn’t recognize her. Jake snatched his arm back. It felt like something in him was tugging towards her, telling him that she was to be trusted... but another part was screaming that he didn’t know her. She could be anyone. His world changed in an instant.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “My name is Mirim Ariel. I’ve come to take you home.”

  CHAPTER FIVE: ARAS

  “My Lord, the healer is here,” the attendant announced. She quietly ushered through a gray-robed man into the chamber. Once they reached the front of the dais, she moved back into position beside Aras.

  Through the agony of another migraine, the young Emperor watched the other man approach. Aras cursed. The man had to be another fake. He was gratified to feel fear in the other man’s mind.

  Turning to his attendant, he said gruffly “Has he been told everything?”

  “Yes my Lord.” The servant whispered back. “He knows to make as little sound as possible during the ceremony.”

  Relieved, Aras nodded at the visiting wizard to continue. Aras plucked the man’s name easily from his mind. Ecu bowed in response and drew back his hood to reveal hawk-like features, with dark close-set eyes, under heavy brows with a nose too prominent, Aras’ thought uncharitably.

  The man’s mouth set in a grim line as he silently drew a wide chalk circle on the marble floor. Careful not to smudge the chalk, he began to put his equipment into precise positions within its confines in front of the dais.

  First, he placed a bowl of oil in the center. This was set on a tripod representing birth, death and life - Magi magic.

  Aras relaxed, settling back in his chair. He was familiar with this. Next the man surrounded the tripod with objects in a circle to represent the elements; a feather for air, moss for earth, a lit candle for fire and a small vial of water.

  Aras glanced at Ecu for an explanation.

  “Your power is from two sources, my Lord. As you know, one is from your great-grandmother who gave you the undiluted power of the Magi, and the other from the Elementi. Your powers are disharmonious. One is fighting the other.

  “These two forms of power should never be combined in one man. Your great-grandmother did something admirable. However, by tricking the last High-King and bearing his child, she created something against the forces of nature. You can command both forms of magic but it was at a price.”

  “I know this!” Aras snapped. He winced at the pain the outburst cost him.

  “My Lord, as your Magi power is corrupted, I must use a corrupted magic to find out why you are being affected this way. Why now? I understand from the attendant beside you that usually you only suffer mild headaches and that you have been able to live a normal life until now.

  “It is my belief,” Ecu continued, he looked even more nervous, “that your inheritance of these powers can only lead to a premature death. However, something has happened recently to hasten this. I need to use the tripod to ascertain what has happened. The spirits that guide me cannot only look into this world but can seek through the veil into other dimensions as well.”

  This was new. Aras hadn’t been told of these places before. He leaned forward in interest.

  “Dimensions?”

  “Sire, I have reason to believe that your grandmother was not able to slay all of the Elementi. Records at the Great Library indicate the bodies of the High-Queen and one of the lesser queens were never found. Furthermore, the children were also never found. She thought they were destr
oyed in the Winter Palace fire, but...”

  He broke off as he nervously fiddled with the collar of his robe.

  “There is a possibility that the Elementi may rise again. With another High-King and a representative from each of the other four families, your throne may be in danger.”

  Aras looked skeptically at the old man. “The old king died without issue, except for my grandfather - my great-grandmother made sure of that! Still, you have my interest; continue.”

  Ecu finally had the objects to his satisfaction. He stepped into the center of the circle beside the tripod. As he stirred the oil, a putrid fragrance rose from the bowl that swamped the sweet smell from the lit candle nearby. As he breathed in the odor, Ecu’s eyes rolled back to leave a milky mist in their place. The courtiers’ clothes rustled as they craned forward to see more.

  Ecu’s body began to shake as the Magi and Elemental magics fought for dominance. To keep them in check, he laid his hands over the bowl, muttering words that neither the surrounding servants nor Aras could hear clearly. The objects in the outer circle began to glow and slowly rise.

  The smoke swirled over the bowl and spilled to fill the circle. Aras could just make out the objects representing the elements spinning haphazardly inside the vapor. The smoke gradually coalesced to form a thick dense sheet over the bowl. The floating objects slowly sank to the ground. Images emerged against the grey background at an incredible speed. “Show me the source of the king’s pain,” cried Ecu. The images slowed down, forming and reforming until finally, a small room appeared.

  Aras leaned forward. The wall of smoke towered over Ecu. It was the breadth of five hand spans wide and around two finger-widths deep, he reckoned. The images shown within were incredibly clear. Standing up with difficulty, Aras walked around the outside of the spelled circle. The steam from the oil swirled in the upright oblong with the picture overlaid. Aras could see the same image from all directions. He stumbled back to sit on the throne.

  The room in the smoke held a bed, a table to the side of the room with a small narrow box on the top and a larger square box beneath. There was a boy lying on the bed. Moving closer again, Aras’ breath caught in his throat.

  The boy could have been his twin - only a few years younger. The boy was young, obviously. He could be only fourteen - sixteen at the most. He was tall, had the same blond hair only lighter and... His eyes narrowed - he had a crystal. Aras could just make out the glow from under the boy’s clothing. This was impossible, but he was there. How could he exist?

  The old man’s eyes cleared. As they did, the smoke evaporated along with the picture.

  Aras looked at the faces of the courtiers standing around; they did not seem to have grasped the full import yet.

  “Out,” he snapped.

  “Lord?” replied a dignitary. He quailed as Aras turned to look at him.

  “You dare to question me?”

  Standing quietly to the side the First Advisor stepped forward and grabbed the young boy roughly by the collar of his tunic.

  “You heard him, everyone out.” He shoved the boy towards the door. The room shuffled to the exit. Satisfied the room was emptying, the first Advisor moved back to stand once again beside Aras.

  Aras looked at him sharply.

  “You too,” he said quietly

  “But Sire, you don’t know this man.”

  Aras’s headache throbbed, his temper rose to breaking point.

  “Get out now, or all your years of service will not save you.”

  His tone brooked no argument. The Adviser’s face drained of all color. He took a step backwards and left glancing back at Aras and the stranger with speculation in his eyes.

  Exhausted but watching the Advisor leave with interest, Ecu asked, “When did your headaches begin at the level you have them now?”

  Aras looked thoughtful “Only a couple of days ago.”

  “That is when the crystal was first used. It would seem the High-Queen was pregnant when she escaped. If you want the headaches to disappear you will need to eliminate the boy. If not to save the Empire your great-grandmother founded, you must do it to save yourself!”

  Ecu paused to emphasize his point, “that boy is the true heir. His families have been prepared for the power of the Matrix for generations. His blood is not only pure, but the Matrix must have accepted him before being sent to safety. Without him the Matrix may be persuaded to accept you. The scrolls say the Matrix needs a human mind to be sentient and for true sentience it needs to bond with a Spirit Elemental. While he is alive the Matrix, even buried in the Citadel will know this and you will never gain the full power of the Elementi.”

  “Citadel, what Citadel?”

  “Did you think the fabulous power of the Elementi were from those small crystals they carried around their necks? In part, that is truth, but from my research, these were just conduits to the power of the Citadel.

  “Your great-grandmother did not know this or she would not have been so quick to have killed the Elementi without first obtaining its location.”

  “Do you know the location of the Citadel?” Aras asked.

  “Sadly not.” Ecu shook his head. “I do know that it was built near the location where the first settlers arrived here. Legend has it that explorers found themselves in a crystal cave. Five of their number were somehow... changed. They became the Elementi - half of your ancestors. As you know our race came to Eleria later.”

  Aras leant back against the chair, trying to block out the pain. “This is all very interesting, but all I can think of at the moment is this pain!” Bored with the audience he scanned Ecu’s mind for all the information he had on the Matrix. There wasn’t much but it was enough to think about.

  “My Lord, I am sorry.” Contrite, carefully stepping out of the circle, Ecu moved to give the young Emperor some tablets he took out of his robe. Guards at either side leaped forward to block his access.

  “My Lord, you need only take this medication I have distilled from some herbs and it will abate the pain for a couple of hours. They will help until another remedy can be found.” He offered the tablets.

  The guard on his left reached out to pull on a silken chord suspended from a bronze frame. A bell sounded in the distance. Moments later the attendant who ushered Ecu to the room earlier, quietly stole in. The guard nodded at the tablets. She took them and swallowed one. Everyone froze in a still tableaux waiting for a reaction. Seeing none, Aras nodded at the guards. They stepped back into position. The attendant passed the remaining tablets to Aras.

  “Do you have any more?” Aras asked.

  “I need only a workroom and a few hours to make more, my Lord.”

  A young girl, sitting quietly in the corner stood up. Reaching for a glass on the gold table beside her, she carried it over to Aras. Grimly, he took the glass and swallowed the pill. Everyone in the room from courtier to servant tensed, praying that this time it would work. Five minutes passed before Aras’ face calmed showing the pain receding. As one, everyone in the room visibly relaxed.

  Aras, stood up, “Ecu! You are a good man to have around. Please stay for a while. Marta will show you to one of the guest-rooms with enough space that you can make the tablets and more.”

  “My Lord, you are too generous.” Ecu bowed and followed the attendant out of the room.

  Entering the corridor, Ecu and Marta walked in silence for a moment. When they turned the first corner, Ecu whispered conspiratorially to Marta, “Who was the girl?”

  Marta eyes appraised him for a few moments before replying.

  “That was Shenella. They have been grooming her to become the next Empress. She was against the idea to start with but I hear her family soon beat her out of that notion. I suppose she knows whatever child she has will suffer the same fate as Aras.” She added conspiratorially, “To be honest it is better to be the power behind the throne. Consorts do not last long with that family.”

  Ecu thoughtfully stroked his red beard. “Indeed, wit
h a good adviser and a good woman, who knows what can be achieved?”

  Marta giggled. “I see we are in agreement. I am already one of his favorites. By the by, do you have a potion or spell which could cement this?”

  “You are his favorite, yet he still chose you to test the pill?”

  “He trusts no one. I am as much a favorite as much as anyone can be.”

  “What about the girl?”

  “It would be better to be his love than his wife, she is welcome to him,” she said derisively. “What did you mean that he would not live long in there?”

  “With just one source of magic, he would live a long life, indeed with our magic - a longer life than most. The Elementi use a natural source of power. They are incompatible, theirs is fighting ours, curtailing it. Every time he uses it he loses a few years.”

  “But, I haven’t seen any evidence of him using the crystal power. He doesn’t even possess a crystal.”

  “He’s been using it whether he knows it or not. Every time he unintentionally reads another’s thoughts, or even when the other boy uses his powers. They are linked. There can only be one High-King, one of the spirit.” At her blank look, he explained. “The white crystal, he instinctively draws power from the Matrix, all be it weakly. His body is not strong enough to withhold that sort of energy - as well as Magi power.

  “Aras should not exist at all, but a small part of the power resides in him nevertheless. As the other boy gets stronger, so does the Elementi power - this weakens Aras and with it our chances to rule through him.”

  Searching through his robe, Ecu pulled out an elegant ruby ring. Pressing lightly on either side, the ruby popped up on a hidden hinge. Within, she saw a small amount of white powder. “Find a way to mix this in a drink and he will fall in love with the first person he sees.”