Whisper to the Wind

(5) A Life After Death

She hadn't been able to sleep one minute throughout the entire night. As soon as she closed her eyes, she heard the screams of the people she had abandoned, the terrified face of her little sister, her mothers lifeless eyes. She couldn't close her eyes at all without these nightmares attacking her. When morning came, she had given up on trying on sleep and just laid in her bed, staring at the end of her bed. When the door opened to her room, she didn't need to look up to know it was Master V'yndarr.

"Good morning, Whisper. Did you sleep well?" She picked at her calloused fingers and shrugged nonchalantly at his question. He only nodded his head as he leaned against the gnarled staff for support. "Whisper do you know where you are? Do you have any idea?" This caught her attention. She had noticed during the night when she had been running their conversation over in her head that the old man had never answered any of her questions.

Looking up, Whisper stared at him, studying him and his colorless eyes, before shrugging and shaking her head. Her eyes turned back down to her hands and from the top of her vision, she saw Master V'yndarr settle himself down on the end of her bed.

"Have you ever heard of Alanex, child?" Whisper shook her head at him again. The name sounded familiar, but she was sure that the only time she would have heard a word like that would have been in one of the stories that the runesayers would tell the small children of Rippleville. "Have you ever heard the tale of the beginning of the world and it's Ways?" Again, Whisper shook her head. Master V'yndarr edged back into a more comfortable position on the end of her bed. Whisper had the feeling this might be a long story.

"Well, a long time again, before the beginning of our world and the things in it, Alkeif, the god of our world, was sadenned by what he saw. He saw his world falling apart. People were turning on each other; brother against brother, father against son. They were forgetting how to appreciate the land and how to love one another. As a last hope for his people, Alkeif sent down seven of his children, the children of the Earth. Each were born by a human family and each had a specific ability to control different parts of the land; Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Leaf, and Ice. These children showed the world how to appreciate the land. When they saw that their work was done, they knew that their legacy had to be continued, so each of the Children of the Earth had a child of their own. These children had the same abilities as their parents had. The bloodlines were mixed and soon, the Way, as we call them, made their way into many families. You will find all around the world, there are various schools that teach these children how to control their powers. Alanex is one of those schools." Whisper looked at Master V'yndarr with a vacant expression. It took her a little bit to wrap her head around what he had just told her. He looked quite satisifed with himself as his milky eyes watched her, reading her.

"Well... wait..." Whisper knitted her eyebrows together and looked up at the old man, confused, "How does this apply to me?" 

Master V'yndarr cleared his throat and tipped his head to the side. "Well, my dear, there is always a way that we can tell who has found their Way and who hasn't. A key indicator is their name." Whisper continued staring at him, her eyebrows still tightly scrunched together. 

"Their name?" Master V'yndarr nodded.

"Yes. A child's name shall indicate that they will most likely find their Way. For example, if someone is discovered their Way in Water, they might have a name such as Ripple or Storm. Storm could also be a name for someone who has found their way in Lightning. Your name, though, my dear, sings heavily of Wind."  Whisper's expression still did not change. She didn't even blink as she stared at the Master. 

"Me..." She said bluntly, "A mage?" Master V'yndarr chuckled at her as she ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her forehead. It was a nervous habit of her's. 

"No, no, child. Did you not hear my story?" Her eyebrows furrowed even more. The Master sighed. "The Children of the Earth are not what we would call a mage. Mage's specify in magic, alone, and many of them are not Children of the Earth. Some, but hardly any. You are a warrior. Not only do we teach you how to use your Way here, but we teach you how to fight. Every student, before they graduate, find a weapon they are comfortable with and construct one of their own before leaving the school and heading out into the world in search of their own adventure. Many students become Hero's and make a name for themselves. Some..." Whisper raised the edge of her eyebrow as Master V'yndarr began to say something else, but stopped suddenly. A sad and distant look grew in his eyes. For a few seconds, he stared at the gnarled staff in his hands before clearing his throat and looking up at Whisper again. 

"Do you have any family, Whisper," he asked her. She sighed and leaned back against her pillows. Her eyes turned to look out the window as she thought about her mother's sister. She was a ditzy woman. She lived in Valleystone and was very used to the pampered life of the city. Virginia, her aunt, was nothing like her mother. She was the complete opposite. Whisper had always speculated that she had a different mother than Whisper's mother did. Virginia's husband was a quiet man who had been whipped into marrying her aunt, but Whisper assumed her money had something to do with it too. The last thing she wanted was to live with them. 

"An aunt in Valleystone," she replied after seconds of thought. From the corner of her vision, she saw Master V'yndarr nod slowly. 

"We are only allowed to keep you here until you are fully healed. After that, you may choose to go where you wish, but you are welcome to stay here at Alanex, Whisper. This school could become your home. It has to many other children whose parents shared similar fates to your's. You have the potential to be a great warrior." After Whisper didn't acknowledge his statement for a few moments, he rose to his feet and leaned against the staff for support. "I shall contact your family. You may stay here and decide what you wish to do." He stood, waiting beside Whisper's bed for a few seconds, before turning towards the door. As he made his way through the doorway, she heard his voice come around the corner. "May you find your Way," he said quietly before closing the door.

Whisper continued to look out the window. It was a small window, but she could see out into the courtyard behind the building. There were two girls walking down the rock path. They looked at each other and laughed, continuing on their walk. 

What would my mother do...