by Kelly Napoli
CHAPTER 2
MAGICAL PROTECTION
Kiethara woke at random intervals during the rest of the day, but in the end she fell into a very deep sleep just as the sun was setting. The sleep was filled with many dreams, some just as terrifying as the others were comforting. Gentle dreams consisted of images of her sitting with her mother, basking in the warmth that filled her when she was just to be able to be in her presence. Her mother’s figure was blurry, and she couldn’t make out a single detail, but still, for a dream, it was nice.
Her mother was talking to her. Talking with gusto, in fact, using her unclear hands to help her speech. The frantic motions made it appear urgent, but Kiethara could not make out was she was saying. Not a sound could be heard; not from her mother, not from the numerous animals in the forest, nothing.
Then the dream changed.
Her next dream was not nearly as pleasant. In fact, it was downright petrifying. She was kneeling before Gandador, the trees surrounding them on fire. But just like her previous dream, she couldn’t hear a sound. Gandador’s victorious laughter was muted, along with the crackling of the burning timber, and then, with a final smirk, Gandador raised his arms.
Kiethara bolted upright, cold sweat running down her neck and her breath coming in gasps. She put a hand to her head, trying to get the image of Gandador out of her head. Her throat burned for water. So, with a sigh, Kiethara got up and started walking west.
The sounds of the morning reached her ears. She had to admit, she was relieved to hear them. Each sound from an animal or rustle of a leaf brightened her mood slightly.
Finally, she reached another small clearing where a small, oval lake was neatly placed in the center. It was beautiful this time of day, with the sun sparkling of the surface of the water, the cool liquid tantalized her to quickly make her way to the shore. She bent down and splashed the cool, crisp water onto her face and took a gulp of lake that soothed her dry throat as well as her pounding head. Smiling, she got up to leave.
However, to her surprise, none other than the Spirit of Aaron was standing right across the lake.
“Good morning, Kiethara,” he greeted her. “Come.”
Kiethara lifted her feet of the ground with a suppressed groan. She knew his appearance signified something important—whatever she learned today would be important—so she glided over to Aaron without making a verbal complaint.
“We will be training today,” said Aaron as they left the clearing.
Of course, she had already known that. Only rarely were they together when she wasn’t training, such as the time where Aaron had told her everything about the surrounding kingdoms; what the people were like, how they lived. Most of everything he had told her had sounded completely outlandish. For example, their homes were made of bricks and stones, or sometimes made of wood, but not a single tree could be found in these places. She had shaken her head at the alien ways of the outsiders.
Well, she certainly wasn’t hearing stories today. The thought of learning more about her power made her ache all over again—training could be painful. She could still remember the day Aaron had taught her how to fly. She had climbed a tree and jumped out of it several times, only to land painfully in the grass. Her temper had flared so much that she had slipped out of the tree, which was outrageous, because she never fell out of trees.
Instead of landing in the grass again, however, she had found herself floating. The happiness that had followed had been so potent that she had lost concentration and fell.
Kiethara chuckled. It might have hurt back then, but it was funny now.
“Why are you laughing?” Aaron’s tone was funny, as though he was questioning her sanity.
“Oh, just a happy memory,” Kiethara said with a distant smile. She could definitely use a few more of those.
The trees began to get thicker and thicker, indicating they were fast approaching their destination.
And what a destination it was.
It seemed to be just another clearing. A clearing with a wide lake placed in the back of it, the edge of the water backing right into the northern trees. The trees surrounding the perfect circle were so lush, colors so rich and vivid, that the eyes strained to look at them. They seemed to be at their peak in life, and soft, emerald grass swayed slightly as a sweet breeze tickled them. The beautiful rays of sunlight were tinted green ever so slightly, the light sparkling and dancing off the crystal blue water in beautiful reflection. Every detail was illuminated. It was beauty beyond compare.
Yet it was so much more.
This enchanting place was the center of the forest. The guardian’s lake. This place had come to mean something almost sacred to her, holding her in a reverent state as she stood on its soil. To the guardians, this was the real proof of their heritage—they were to be born here, just as they were to be buried here. Just as her mother was.
The lake was very important for other reasons, too. It healed. Not physically, but it could restore lost magic or calm down a strong emotion, dulling the sense of any pain of any wound. It was impossible for a guardian to die in the lake. Nothing could reach her down there.
Without waiting for Aaron to speak, Kiethara dove elegantly into the lake. As soon as her skin made contact with the cool water, every ache from the previous day seemed to vanish. The rush of the water over her head was just what she needed and a wave of warmth overtook her, even though the water was cool. Every pain was numbed and every worry was calmed.
She opened her eyes and her mouth. The water rushed in, sending a flurry of bubbles to make their way to the surface. She could breathe under water in this lake as easily as she could breathe with her head above the surface. With a laugh of relief, she propelled herself to the bottom.
Her feet made contact with the sooth, mushy bottom of the lake. Not a feeling she particularly enjoyed, but there was nothing she could do about it; beside, it was too amazing at the bottom of the lake for any type of reluctance to keep her from it. Light filtered down from the surface, casting it in an eerie gloom.
In front of her, there were rows of stones, parallel to each other and neatly carved. It looked just like an underwater graveyard.
It was.
Kiethara pushed herself down the last row and swam slightly to the right, feeling that if the grave was above on the surface she would have worn a path to it by now. Finally, she stopped right in front of one of the numerous stones, the sparkling lavender crystal on the top of it indicating she had arrived before the right one. Words were carved neatly into it:
EARTHAPHORIA
LIVED FOR 35 YEARS.
“OUR GREATEST GIFT IS LOVE”
Every tombstone had an adage on it, a saying that the guardian used often. She took one last glance at her mother’s grave before turning back to where she had started. Down the center of the graveyard was a small path that led her down to the very front of the resting place for the deceased, where a huge stone was looming over the other stones, casting an almost menacing shadow. This stone was by far the most important thing in this silent lake.
Four glass balls were engraved into the gray stone, each one holding a wisp of colored smoke in them. The first glass ball on the left had red smoke and, like the others, a small description was carved directly beneath it. She read it for what seemed like the millionth time.
FIRE
The element of light and heat. This element is mostly controlled by anger. To control this element, you must control your anger.
This was supposed to be the first element she was to control with her power, but she had trouble with this element. The true problem was she was a patient person, one who had spent all of her life alone in a mundane forest just waiting for something to happen.
Aaron had attempted to teach her it, and had failed. She never had any good reason to get angry. No matter what Aaron threw at her, the greatest her mood would escalate to was a mellow annoyed. With a sigh, Kiethara turned her eyes over to the next glass ball, which was filled with a sl
ightly green wisp of smoke. She read:
EARTH
The element of nature. This element is mostly controlled by happiness and love. To control this element, you must not be burdened by your misfortunes. To control this element, you must love. Do not hate.
Kiethara smiled. This was one element that she had no trouble with. When Aaron had finally given up on the fire element they had gone on to the second element, she had learned the basic principals in record time. Now, she hardly had to draw up a happy memory or find something to love, simply because it came so natural. She went on to the next element, which was a glass ball filled with a blue wisp of smoke. She read:
WATER
The element of liquid and ice. This element is mostly controlled by sorrow. To control this element you must control your sorrow.
Kiethara had no experience with this element, because this seemed to be the last element she was supposed to learn. She didn’t know why, since the lessons had been going in order so far. Of course, it wasn’t as though anything sad was about to occur. Aaron was the only one she cared about and he couldn’t even die. She hadn’t known her mother that well, either. She thought it might be entertaining to learn how to control water, but Aaron refused to teach it to her. She exhaled sharply, a fit of bubbles, and went on to the next element. This glass ball had a wisp of white smoke in it. She read:
AIR
The element of wind. This element was mostly controlled by fear. To control this element, you must control your fear. Do not panic.
Kiethara had a little difficulty with this element. During the rather dull years of her life, she hadn’t really had anything to fear or panic about. It had been strenuous to master the basics, but she—with much concentration—could control it if needed. Now she did have something to fear, but it was something she didn’t want to dwell on.
Now these were the four elements. Separated, each held a dangerously unique and unyielding power. Aaron had hinted that together, they were stronger than anything she could imagine. If used together, they would create an inexorable offense and an unwavering defense. When she had pressed him on what he meant, he had refused to go into any further detail except that it was the most intricate form of magic.
Kiethara, ready to resurface, headed up towards the bended light that made its way through the water. She came up with a small gasp as air rushed greedily into her lungs, the warm morning kissing at her damp cheeks. She clambered onto solid ground, all aches and pains returning, to find Aaron waiting patiently for her. The light radiating of Aaron dried her in seconds.
“Are you ready to begin?” Aaron asked.
“Yes. Um…what will we be doing?” Kiethara asked.
“Magical protection.”
She hadn’t expected it, even though it should have been observable. Yesterday, she had finally summoned some great defense; of course she should learn it. But she knew it wouldn’t be easy. Fear might have triggered it before, but it was difficult to feel frightened with Aaron standing next to her and her surroundings so pleasurable. It would most certainly prove a challenge to imagine a horror in the sun kissed clearing surrounded by verdant trees.
“As you know, fear is what triggered your shield. Now, what you need to do is direct that fear, bottle it in a way, but be able to release it when necessary. Can you recall the emotion you had yesterday?” he asked. She grimaced.
“Probably.”
“All right then, attempt to pretend that I am your adversary.”
Aaron backed up slightly, positioning himself as though he was going to attack. Kiethara raised her arms and focused upon on him, recalling the rush of emotion she had felt just the day before. She could remember the fear that had channeled through her blood as she waited for her death to come. How the seconds had drawn out! How the gut wrenching terror in her stomach had nearly incapacitated her! She could recall all that in vivid detail.
Nothing happened.
Kiethara let her arms drop to her sides, clearly dissatisfied. Aaron saw her distress.
“Don’t fret. You’re just not using your fear. You’re only remembering it. Think of Gandador’s attack and let the fear empower your magic, but keep it under control,” he explained.
Kiethara took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Behind her eyelids, she saw Gandador, with his dark hair and pale skin as clear as if she was looking at him. She managed to bring forth the same feeling of fear she had when he had really been standing before her, but this time, she let it take over her. The image of her shield came to mind, and she focused on it with all her might.
“Well done,” she heard Aaron say. She opened her eyes.
She was surrounded by her shield. The golden sphere was almost unreal, shimmering in the sun around her. Now that she wasn’t in danger, she could really marvel its beauty. Inside it, she felt….protected. That fact made her smile, her fear disappearing, and she reached out to stroke it….
It vanished.
“Now that wasn’t so hard, now was it?” Aaron asked. Her grin grew more pronounced.
“But how could I do that so easily? Everything else took much longer to control,” she asked.
“It’s really Gandador’s fault. I have explained to you that your emotions are linked to your power. Before his attack, you had no examples of strong emotions. There was no reason to be afraid, or angry, or anything but content. I know your life was simple before, but now it’s going to be complicated. More training, definitely, but it shouldn’t be too hard. You have stronger emotions now,” he surmised.
“I wonder what he would do if he knew that.”
“We can only imagine.”
They kept training. It wasn’t the simplest thing she had ever done, but the feeling of fear was easier to recall. Aaron seemed to be pleased with their progress, even though it was slow. Both of them were also giddy with relief.
Her shield meant much more than just a new talent. She could be safe, protected by at least a diminutive amount, and the reassuring thought made her light-headed. Of course, it was probable that Gandador could make his way through her shield, but still, it was something. In seconds, she could be safe from harm’s way.
Aaron then allowed her to leave. She felt more tired than she had yesterday; drained, in a way. She would have flown to her hammock, but the thought of using any more magic made her head throb. Instead, her feet dragged against the grass as she pulled herself between the trees.
Kiethara pondered over Aaron’s words, trying to understand how Gandador had helped her. Well, everything happened for a reason. The reason Gandador attacked was so she could do better and learn more magic, so she could wield the power she had been given. It made….sense. Without any threat on her life, what would motivate her to train? No danger, no need for magic.
Though, if everything did happen for a reason, then why did her mother die? So she would be strong enough to fight Gandador alone? That didn’t seem like a very nice reason. Had that really done anything else for her except scar her life? So many questions, but not enough answers.
For the first time, she honestly wondered what life outside the forest was like. In her mind, she had no images than those her imagination had construed during Aaron’s descriptions, and even those, she felt, did not give her the full picture of a world shadowed in obscurity.
And what were the kingdoms like? In her mind, they were nothing short of marvelous. Great throngs of people, noisy marketplaces, tall buildings that cast great shadows, matched with sights and smells she had never encountered before; maybe a life that was free of tragedy and pain.
She suddenly felt…lonely. Well, for good reason. She only lived with a spirit and had a conversation once with her enemy. She laughed darkly to herself.
What type of magic did the kingdoms use? Did they even know about the forest?
Kiethara stopped walking and shook her head. It was pointless asking questions that weren’t going to be answered. Sooner or later, they were going to drive her insane.
That was the difference between a normal life and her life. That was the reason she didn’t run away from it all. She had something to live for. All those normal, supposedly lucky people didn’t have a bigger or better reason to live than she did.
That reason ran in her blood.