The Elemental Realms - Book One

Chapter 2.

I didn't know what to expect when the ship docked, and I stepped foot onto this strange new territory. It was so different to the realm of Earth. My homeland is rich with nature - lots of forests, hillsides, rivers, and lakes. It's an oasis for my kind and that's why witches, warlocks, wizards, and shifters have claimed it as their home since the beginning of time. Magic lives there, it runs through the soil and brings everything to life, and we can harness that magic to produce wonderful things like spells and potions.

The realm of Wind is beautiful in its own way, but it lacks the magic of the Earth realm. It doesn't thrum with power or feel alive with magic. Instead, it's a mostly flat terrain with little greenery and lots of strong architecture - like huge columns, massive archways, and lots of sweeping steps. Everything feels more open and spacious and is built to withstand the wind. It has a minimalist design with everything being constructed from light beige sandstone which is set against the beautiful backdrop of the crystal blue sky. It's a heavenly kind of paradise here, but I miss the trees, the flowers, and the magic.

Sylphs, Fae, and Spirit Shifters call this land their home. I have seen other beings passing through from the realms of Earth, Fire and Water, but mostly airborne beings reside here. I've learnt that Sylphs and Faeries are very similar but whereas faeries have wings, Sylphs don't need them - instead they travel by merging with the wind. They are all gifted with abilities that allow them to manipulate their environment, such as using the wind to move objects, but they don't tend to have active powers unless they are members of the Court. The spirit shifters are pleasant folk when you can actually see them, but they spend most of their time in the wind and prefer to keep to themselves. I met one on the ship and they guided me here to the capital City of Ventus and introduced me to Aya, a wonderfully kind fae who has quite literally taken me under her wing and looked after me since I arrived. Aya owns a popular watering hole called the Tavern. It's a lively place at night, full of drunken Sylphs, sexually promiscuous Faeries, and troubled Spirit Shifters, all looking a good time and a place to escape their problems. Luckily for me, Aya was in desperate need of a waitress, and I was in desperate need of a job and a place to stay. So, for the last six weeks, I have built up a stable routine of serving ale to the rowdy creatures of Ventus by night and visiting the library by day, where I've been desperately searching for any information that can help me to grow and control my new power.

The library is where my world expanded and exploded with vibrant colour and the shocking truth. Everything that Imelda kept from me, all the knowledge that exists outside of the coven, lives here in these books. I had no idea how sheltered or how small my world truly was until I came here. During my early years in the coven, I was taught how to read, write and count - which is a luxury for a woman - but after that, my only teachings were of the rules of the coven, potion making and spell casting. The only thing I knew about life outside the coven was that there are four elemental realms - the realms of Wind, Earth, Fire and Water. We lived in the realm of Earth and that's all we were permitted to know about the outside world.

Despite the many hours I've spent in the library, I have yet to find anything substantial or concrete about the origins of Witch Wind. All I've discovered so far is that it's an ancient elemental power that is thought to be extinct. Apparently, elemental powers can only be gifted by the Gods or Goddess of the elemental realms - whom I had no idea even existed, thanks to Imelda's lack of teaching. The only logical explanation I can think of is that somewhere in my lineage, an ancestor of mine must have been gifted this power by one of the Gods and it has been lying dormant in my family's bloodline for centuries. For some reason, this power has chosen me as it's vessel to re-activate. With no knowledge of my birth family and no idea how or where to start looking for my biological father, my research has hit a dead end.

According to the history books, there has always been four of them - Arlo, Atticus, Apollo, and Atlas. One Goddess and three Gods.

The Goddess Arlo presides over the realm of Wind. She is described as an Angel of 'ethereal beauty', with skin as pale as snow, long flowing locks of platinum blonde hair and golden eyes that can penetrate the soul. She is tall and slender, has gilded wings of gold and wears a crown that fizzes and sparks with pure lightening. She is said to be a fierce warrior and relentless protector of her realm. She resides at the Court of Breeze with her fated mate, Celestia.