.A Spark From Before.

-7-

The few days I spent here were... Something else I tell you.

Despite having been an elemental mage to my queendom first and foremost I was still the queen and part of the royal court before that since elemental mages are raised as nobility too... Or at least were in the past.

That means I never learnt how to work the land or such as a peasant would even if I hadn't been born into royalty and simply as another mage only.

I sighed, I miss them... So much, I did love my husband despite the forced marriage, a fight for my hand in a hand to hand trial of combat, beating out every others.... I did love him in a way but not like he did and for that I am guilty because his known death hurts less then it should, we loved each other in a different way.

What pain didn't leave me was that my own flesh and blood grew up without me, no guide nor mother to look over her, what if she was left there and grew to be a mage? No one to teach her and left with old books only? I am sorry.

I shook my head, concentrate Seva you got work to do.

I found it amusing that to lodge me here instead of chasing me out they were making me work for it tho I am not complaining, I can get used to the changes here that way.

I changed a bit too my outfit but not much, leaving my leather armored top behind and choosing a dark green short sleeved top along with a red cloth piece I tied around my head to hide my hair, we don't want trouble would we?

"Come on lady I thought you were strong!"

"Skarla I might be who I am but have you ever considered I don't know how to handle sheep?!" I snapped a bit forcefully at the girl as I felt like I was trying to manhandle a bucking sheep who needed its wool sheared while it was just standing there and refusing to move.

"It takes practice." She muttered, faux-offended but letting me struggle with the animal.

I flicked my wrist discreetly causing a gust of wind to slam the barn door shut and scaring all the sheep to the other side of it.

"There." I said, letting the animal go as I stood. "This will be easier this way."

I lifted my hand, fingers opened up before turning it towards the ceiling and closing them, the few tufts of grass growing in here almost shivering as they grew in lengths like vines, grabbing and immobilizing the animals. 

"Amazing." I smiled at how easy the younger woman was impressed, poking the plants.

"It is not often that there is magic cast, not even by your Elite is there?" I asked, this could help me, those wild mages thinking they are powerful but losing strength in actuality as there is no reason to perfect it and use it in fighting.... Plus they haven't met an elemental at full strength and training in centuries.

"No, it really isn't." I let her caress the plant in amazement before she shook herself out and grabbed the sheer and got to the sheep. "Only those on the battle fields can see it mostly."

"Yeah those wars you talked about Solor having, how did we mess up such a great queendom in this way?"

"Sssh!" She hushed me, my words if heard and passed on talked of my treason.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, just be careful, all has ears."

"I know that very well... Why have you never rebelled? They have magic yes but they are still a minority, and you could get the help of the other races."

"Seva have you heard of-- No of course you didn't I always forget you're old."

"Hey."

"Sorry, but so, there was something called the Blood Uprising that happened two to three centuries ago, skin-takers and humans uniting, humans lending their blood to the skin-takers to spy, the day the uprising came it was a blood bath, somehow the Elite and the Capitol knew what was going on and they let it happen."

"So the skin-takers hate humanity even more."

"Seva.... There are no more skin-takers." She breathed out with pain in her eyes as if she had seen it happen but I knew she never did. "They are gone, Solor slaughtered the kingdoms in its way and killed every skin-taker it knew off, those that might exist still today are looong hidden away and don't use their gift of magic anymore."

My blood froze remembering the alliance made in my time, how skin-takers, humans and elves died for a common cause and now Solor destroyed a whole race, a culture, a part of this world.

"Lazars?" I asked, morbid curiosity taking the best of me, feeling worst was to come.

"Those lizard pets the Elite have?"

Pets... That word echoed through my mind, once a glorious race of reptilian fighters that rivaled any armies despite their already small numbers, a race bathed in the glory of blood and gold, mercenaries of the highest of casts and skill.... Nothing but pets.

"They were no pets," I whispered and she looked saddened as she worked away at the wool, they really destroyed all. "Tell me about the rest, orcs, halfmen, Devines, elves, anything!"

"And not spirits?"

"Spirits?" I clutched my head, feeling a headache come, now the common folk know of the spirit realm too?

"Yeah spirits, the one place Solor is unable to invade inside its own boarders, the Sanctuary of spirits, it is said to hide the gate between our two worlds."

"The army there must be powerful."

"It is not an army, it is one person, she goes by many names and is the only reason people might still have hope to beat this corrupt system, Spirit whisperer, the Gatekeeper..." She took a deep breath. "The last elemental."

This could change everything! Another elemental!

My chest almost swelled with pride knowing one of us was so powerful.

"About the rest?" I swallowed my question about this Gatekeeper as I still wanted to know the rest and despite it being forbidden to pass on this knowledge everyone seemed aware of it.

"Orcs, they sailed away from the continent long ago leaving just ruins with no record of their history, the halfmen having concluded a pact with them and we believe they left together."

"Good choice."

"The Devines were all decimated, now their bodies harvested for its riches and the powerful magic trapped in it, they had enough of them trampling towns and villages." A tear escaped my eyes, another of the gods' creations, gone, forever. "The elves still hold their land, hostile to any human that comes forth after the assassination of king Alabard and his son taking the throne."

"Alabard." He was just a baby when I heard of him when I had visited the land of the elves.

"Dragons?" I whispered, dread setting in me.

"Dragons they are alive I think."

"You think?"

"I love to believe in their existence but the fabled land of dragons is no more, they were already gone when Solor first attacked, but with you here I know they were once real."

"They were." I whispered, eyes staring at the wall, the image of the red scaled beast with it's silver scaled face that chose me as the queen flashed before my eyes before the vision was dashed away by the pain of knowing she was gone. "They dragons will come." I declared despite what she said.

"How are you so sure? They have not been seen in years, centuries."

"Because-" I glared at the roof. "-They will come to my call, as I am the one the lives with a bond to them."