Sol's Shine and the Kingdom of Terra

Chapter 6 Roots

Countless search parties were sent out moments after everyone realized Sol left with Hendrick. Of course, Ella could already sense that something was wrong as soon as she realized that Sköll was missing from the barn he was supposed to stay in. She had gotten up early that day, wanting to check up on the wolf and it was only moments later after that they found the guard Sol put behind bars so he could leave for the Kingdom of Terra.

And out of every way she was told how she and her father could help everyone out, looking for Sol was probably the last thing she expected to do. "Prince Sol!" Ella could hear her father and a few others from Luminar cry out his name. Ella tried to call out his name as well but not as much as anyone else. She had the sense to understand that it was pointless. Yet their group was wandering around, trying to search for a set of people that was already long gone.

"Do any of you not understand how fast a blood wolf can run? They probably made it to the Kingdom of Terra by now." Ella kicked a small rock and slouched her shoulders, finding the search to be exhausting and a waste of time. "We need to keep trying. If you've seen the melted bars, you would know that Sol himself used the Shining Giant to free a dangerous criminal." Vincent told her.

"Why does it have to be us then? I think Sol made it pretty clear that this was an issue he would take care of. At this point, I don't believe we can stop him." Ella said to him. "It has to be us Ella. Most of our soldiers are on the front lines." Ella had to cross her arms and started to repeatedly tap her foot with impatience. "As much as I want to tell Sol how dumb he is for doing something like this, we don't have much of a choice but to believe in him if this is what it's going to take to just defend our home." Ella had to say it out loud, plain as day.

If there was one trick that Mari taught her about plant magic, it was that she could use it to sense everything in her environment as long as she was surrounded by greenery. And just like the time she used her magic to sense dozens among dozens of endless flowers in the meadow back in Silverlite Village, Ella got down on her knees to do the same with the plant life here. She placed her hands on the ground and had them glow a faint green again and closed her eyes. The roots from the plants she touched started to grow longer underneath the soil. Trees, shrubs, and even dandelions, she could sense them all with the roots she was using. She could even go as far as to sense every single person interacting with that same environment around them.

"I think I've been using my magic a lot better lately. The distance and range has gotten a lot bigger since the last time I've done this." Ella said to her father, who continued to watch what she was doing. Although as strong as her magic has gotten, she knew there wasn't any doubt that Sol was no longer in the Kingdom of Fire. So she got up from where she was to sweep the dirt off of her pant legs and opened her eyes again.

"I'm starting to understand how Mari was able to protect Barrow for as long as she did. Our magic in this world used to be so widespread and powerful but it's hardly seen anymore. Well- it's still powerful but not in a way that should normally be used for wars or fighting." Ella spoke to her father as they walked back to Luminar together. "I'm sure that this Mari you speak of was amazing. You had an amazing teacher." Vincent said.

"She was. But with her gone, Barrow's best defense just got trampled. With her plant magic, she could successfully survey the land and know where the enemy was at all times." Vincent figured what she was trying to say and where she was wanting to go with their conversation. "No. I can't let you go to Barrow. Forget it." "I wasn't going to ask you for permission. I was going to ask the queen. In the end, she has the final say." Ella said.

"She's going to say the same thing I am. Even if she said yes, I would go against her word to keep you from getting hurt." "Oh please,... do you see anyone else out here that uses magic? Besides, I still need to come up with a plan to fix the hole in Mari's work." "Which is?" Vincent had to ask. "Mari was able to miraculously help on the ground but dwarven airships are still a problem. I figured she wasn't able to do much against that. I'm afraid that the next time they attack Barrow, we might lose it completely."