Chapter one (part three)

I watched a show about JK Rowling last night.  I could see how her life experiences prepared her to be the perfect person to bring Harry Potter to life.  She brought back more than magic into the lives of those touched by his story.  She brought back imagination.  She made me remember the things I had forgotten about my own childhood and for that I will forever be grateful.

This is the continuation of Chapter One of my work in progress:  Elemental Origins.  (If you like it, I'd appreciate it if you would tell your friends about my blog.)


I shake my head slightly.  The word slips from my lips like a sigh, “Fae.”  It feels foreign on my tongue.

Luthais smiles broadly at me.  He takes my hand.  His skin is warm against mine and I feel a sudden spark of light inside my chest.  He brings my fingers to his lips slowly.  Every agonizing moment of anticipation makes my heart race.  I try to hide how much he makes my head feel as though I am in the treetops, but I hold my breath when his lips reach my fingers.

Electricity snakes up my arm and ricochets through my body.  I am trembling inside and out.  I take my fingers from his light touch and his eyes collide with mine.  I could get lost in the depths of the blue pools staring back at me.

“Come,” he says simply.  He walks ahead of me and pushes branches out of my way as we traverse the forest.
We walk for hours and the wind is chilling me under my skin.  I wrap my arms around my chest in a futile attempt to keep the warmth from escaping.

I am startled when he begins to sing.  His voice is pleasant and calms my nerves slightly.  I do not know what to expect from this counsel.  Are they the same as the leaders of my village?  I hope not.  Some of my worst memories involve the withered old men that look at me as though I am possessed by an evil spirit.  One even suggested that I was last year.  Somehow Mother managed to quiet the rumors, but only after I told her I would leave if the stares and words spoken softly whenever I passed didn’t stop.

We have been climbing steadily for hours, and I feel as though my knees will buckle if I take one more step.  I lean against a large trunk and my vision dims.  Not now.  It can’t happen now.  But it is and I am lost in the images that flash through my mind.

Luthais surrounded by carnivorous blackness.  I feel his sadness crawl up my throat and tears seep from my eyes.  It is not only him, though.  There are more.  I feel their souls and their cries for mercy.  Countless people surround him in this vast wasteland that eats the light until it is no more.  Is this hell?  Am I glimpsing the past or the future?

His thoughts find their way to my mind.  He is their leader and he blames himself for the ruin of his people even though I feel it is not entirely his fault.  I feel the vastness of the sky surrounding me, and I slide into the darkness.  The pit opens up to claim me, but before it can I hear a woman screaming.  Her voice is shrill and loud in my ears and I cover them to ease the pain of the sound.  Then I realize it is me, and I cry out louder, trying to find my real place again.

I have never fallen this deep into my visions, and I am thankful that at least I know it is not real.  I say a silent prayer of gratitude that I am not in that place.  I feel hands on my shoulders, shaking me.  He is bringing me back.  It is slow and just before I depart this land I see the blackness for what it is…nothing.

“Are you all right?” he asks softly.  His finger traces the line of a tear down my cheek.

I swallow a whimper and nod.  No one other than Mother has seen me during a spell.  What does he think of me now?

He smoothes my hair and pulls me toward the ground.  I rest against the rough bark and try to take small breaths.  This usually helps, but it isn’t now.

“What did you see?” he asks.  His eyes hold no judgment.

“Complete darkness.”  I look into his eyes and say, “And you.”

He cringes.  “I am sorry.  You have had to see that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You do not need to worry about it.”

“That doesn’t mean that I will not.  What was it?”

“Dark energy.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You are not meant to right now.  Maybe later…when I know what will be done with you.”

I frown, but I don’t know how to ask him what I really want to know.  Will I be with him?  Does he want me?
For one moment I remember Abram and I wonder if I will ever regret my decision.  I do not think so, but I can’t be sure.  Even though I don’t know what will become of me with these people, I feel a sense of hope that has never been there before.

I move to get up and Luthais reaches out to stop me.  “You need to rest.”

I do not argue.  His touch is so foreign but welcome.  I feel heat spread through my cheeks and I give him a small smile.  He moves across from me and leans on a nearby tree.  He looks so natural here but out of place at the same time.  I wonder what his life has been like.

“How old are you?” I ask when the question strikes me.

He laughs.  The sound is rich and vibrant and the trees seem to vibrate in time to the melody.  “Why would you ask me that?”

“I don’t know.  I just wondered.”

“What if I were to tell you I was older than your earth?”

I had never thought of the world as mine before and it feels wrong to think that way.  “Are you?”

He ducks his chin so I can’t see his eyes anymore and says, “Yes.”