Aura

Chapter Three

   "I don't get why we have to become Smetlars," Rowan remarked as they headed towards what Zoe had called her "camp".

  "Because," Zoe sighed. "There's no way we're going to be able to steal any gem without experience, let alone the Aura, the king of all kings of gems. Even the best Smetlars haven't gotten anywhere close."

  "So why do we think we, out of all the people in existence, can do it?" asked Rowan incredulously.

  "If I'm honest? I don't really think we can. But it's worth a try. It's the only way you're getting your grandfather back, and it's the only way I'm ever getting a life," Zoe pointed out.

  "Okay," Rowan agreed. He was starting to see how long their path would be, but he shut off his thoughts and continued, "So tell me about this Seraphina Sullivan."

  They had arrived at a small clearing, where there was a small structure, almost a fort, built out of sticks. It was well built, and there were no gaps except for an irregularly shaped "window" on one side, closed by a curtain of a wide leaf. The fort walls had a core of dried large leaves and dry grass to keep the water out when it rained. The entrance had no door, but a worn cloth to conceal the inside. In front of the fort was a small fire pit made out of stones.

  Rowan and Zoe sat down, and Zoe lit a fire.

  "It started a long, long time ago," Zoe started. "Long before anyone here was born. The beginnings of Auradelle."

  Rowan could slowly see in the flames, a land of fire, ice, sand, and forest, and he knew maybe it was his imagination, but he felt as if he could reach out and touch the towering volcanoes and the majestic sand dunes, feel the frost and the leaves on each of the trees.

  "The land was divided into four sections. The North was the Adar Mountains, a fiery range of volcanoes, lava, and dragons, inhabited by the Vuur people. The Vuurs are a tough tribe with hearts of stone, and have mastered the use of fire. The Southwest was known as the Pyla Desert, home to the Anwea people, a clan of quick-witted, endurant people who can survive in any condition. The Southeast was an icy terrain known as the Boreas Mountains, and living there are the Ayisi, brave, clever people who will pay back anything you provide for them. The last section was the Yardley Woods, an empty expanse of trees and vegetation."

  "For generations the Vuurs, Anwea, and the Ayisi lived in peace. But they were not the only ones. Miles off the coast of Boreas was an island, inhabited by witches and wizards with technology and power unheard of. On this island lived a man named Viator. Viator was always seen staring out to the ocean, wondering what was ahead, until one day he set sail and arrived at the Yardley Woods. He and his crew explored the land, and named it Auradelle. Soon, though, Viator discovered that the Crystal Islands had something Auradelle did not. Auradelle had no naturally occurring magic of its own, while the islands did. So Viator, with the help of some of the most powerful wizards and witches, put a bit of the islands' magic into a stone, and brought it to Auradelle, hiding it away. It was known as the Aura."

  As Zoe told the story, Rowan could see in the flames the Vuurs and the Anwea and the Ayisi, and Viator gazing longingly into the distance, and the gem being created. It was almost magical. No, it wasn't almost. It was magical.

  "Centuries later, a young girl from the Crystal Islands by the name of Pearl came into the story. No one knew her surname, because she was abused and mistreated by her parents. Pearl ran away from home at the age of ten, and enrolled herself in an elite academy for the young wizard. It was there that she studied hard and practised often, and became the top witch of the time. Pearl graduated early, and after picking Windshadow as her last name, set off to explore Auradelle."

  In the flames emerged a girl with a coy expression and bubblegum pink hair. She wielded a wand of pale blue crystal, and was holding a map and studying it with glowing green eyes.

  "During her travels, Pearl studied the cultures and the stories of the Ayisi, the ways and the knowledge of the Anwea, and the heart and soul of the Vuurs. The Yardley Woods had been inhabited by Crystallian wizards since Viator had hidden the Aura, and when Pearl came to the Yardley Woods she was entranced by the concept of the Aura. Pearl devoted her life to the finding of the Aura, and others, whether they be Vuurn, Anwean, Ayisan, Crystallian, or Yardley, inspired by Pearl's passion, set off as well. They called these treasure hunters Smetlars."

  Rowan's eyes were glued on the fire, dancing with the fiery longing of Pearl Windshadow, and the thousands of people hunting for the Aura. It was truly powerful, and Rowan's heart could be beating to the footsteps of the new rise of the Smetlars.

  "Smetlars had great talent, wit, knowledge, and strength, and for a while they were seen as the wise. But soon many began disappearing, and they were seen as crazy people who endangered the lives of themselves and others. And so it was that the population of Smetlars declined."

  One by one, each of the embers faded and died, but there was one left.

  "Pearl Windshadow refused to stop. She had become obsessed with adventure, with the endless adrenaline and toil of running and the purpose flowing and coursing through her veins. Even when she was cast out for being a Smetlar, she continued. Through the icy oceans, through the sweltering Pyla, through the mysterious Yardley Woods. Nothing could stop her, but then she met, not something, but someone."

  Rowan watched as the struggling Pearl journeyed on, until she reached the Adar Mountains. The lava around her bubbled, and the volcanoes spit ash into the dark night. A stranger stood in her path, faceless, and yet Rowan felt a longing tug in his heart.

   "That day, Pearl met Simon Sullivan, a young Vuur with dreams as vivid as hers. When she searched the village for clues to help her to the Aura, Simon only helped. When Pearl had had what she needed, she couldn't bring herself to leave. She stopped right at the border and turned around, and there was Simon."

  A slight breeze was blowing, and it ruffled the flames slightly, so that Pearl's bubblegum hair rippled as she ran into the arms of the man she so loved, and Rowan's eyes widened, but quickly he shoved the thought away. It couldn't be.

  "They gave birth to three children, Adar Sullivan, the oldest, an Aardian, Seraphina Sullivan, the middle child, a Genesis, and Viktor Sullivan, the youngest, a Gwydion. Adar left for the human world early, and Viktor got a job because he was a Gwydion, and he was valuable. Seraphina stayed, and Pearl taught her everything she knew about being a Smetlar. Mother and daughter became trapped in the always-moving world of a scavenger, until Pearl, too, disappeared and Seraphina was forced to abandon treasure hunting."

  Adar had the face and the expression of the mountains he was named after, fiery and tough. On the other hand, his sister Seraphina had the beautiful, gentle smile of her Crystallian mother. Viktor was handsome, a perfect mix of the Adar Mountains and the Crystal Islands. He had eyes that flashed fire, but a grin of pure light.

  "It's rumoured that Seraphina still has the heart of a Smetlar, but she's moved to one of the villages in the Yardley Woods," Zoe concluded.

  The fire had faded back into normal flames, and Rowan snapped back.

  "Is that where we're going?" he inquired quietly.

  "Tomorrow," Zoe told him. "Now we go to sleep."

  They headed into Zoe's tent, and Rowan settled down. Gone were the thoughts of the human world, for his head was filled with visions of Viator and the Aura, Pearl and Simon, Adar and Viktor and Seraphina. Visions of the ways of the Vuur, the culture of the Anwea, the homes of the Ayisi, and the magic of all the world. For the first time, Rowan felt like he belonged. He drifted off to sleep, and though the fire pit outside was nothing but smoke, inside Rowan could still see the flames burning his eyes.