The Ephean

Chapter 1

Hey Guys so this is a story that I am working on. Everything in this story is made up by me so let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy it . :)

"Raelia I'm running low on some items could you head down to the market and get them for me?" Mum asked walking into my room.

"Maybe later." I mumbled holding the book I was currently reading closer to my face.

Mum snatched the book out of my hands. "Do it now otherwise there will be no dinner." I groaned and got up off my bed. She handed me a list and a money pouch. "Try not to be too long." I had a look at the list mum gave me.

Two Onions

Venison

Mint

Two Peaches

Okay that's not so bad. I looked around at all of the shops before I spotted the one I need to go to.

"Hello there Raelia, how may I help you today?" The shopkeeper asked.

"I would like Two Onions, Venison, some Mint and Two Peaches please." I replied.

"Also here is the Harmless Stammerwort your mother asked for a little while ago." He handed me a little satchel along with the sack of ingredients. "That's 20 gold altogether."

"Thank you, she will be happy to know that these came in." I smiled. I opened the money pouch that mum gave me and handed him the gold.

He waved a hand. "Have a good day."

"You too." I turned around to leave when a man had crashed into me. "I'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going." I said trying not to drop everything. He was wearing a dark brown cloak with a hood that covered most of his face. He almost looked like a priest. Although he wasn't one. He didn't speak and all he did was stare at me. "Can I help you?"

"It's true." He whispered.

"Sorry, what's true?" I asked. He bolted. I attempted to follow but thought against it. Instead I just walked home.

"Did you get all of those items Raelia?" Mum asked from the kitchen.

"Yes and he gave me that Harmless Stammerwort stuff you asked for." I said handing her the items.

"Oh wonderful." She gasped. "After dinner I can show you how make that fun potion that I have been talking about."

"Finally." I said to myself. Mum is a great alchemist. She started learning from Grandma when she was 7 and she started teaching me at the same age. Every female in the family is to learn how to create Tonics and Poisons. It's law, well for Ephean's anyway. We always get mistaken for Humans because of our appearance. That is because we are related. Ephean's are Half Human and Half Strymmith. A Strymmith is a type of elf that lives in the forest. Ephean's are supposedly extinct but my mum and I are the only ones still alive. The Ephean's were a big race and most had a very big part in the Northwald council, until one day the head council grew jealous of the Emperor and attempted to murder him. This act of foolishness led to the banishment of The Ephean's. Most of the Ephean's died, since there was nowhere to go. Nowhere to go means, no shelter, no food and no safety. The only ones that had actually survived were my mum and dad. Dad stood alongside the Emperor as The Knight of Northwald. They both fled to Freyden and then had me. Dad passed away a few years ago of an infection in a scratch he got from a Klork.

" dinners ready Peachy." Mum said.

"Don't call me Peachy." I mumbled.

"Why not? You used to love being called that."

I cut off a piece of Venison and stuck it in my mouth. "Because I'm too old for nicknames anymore."

"21 isn't too old and eat with your mouth closed." I leant over the table and purposely chewed in her face. "Stop!" she laughed as she pushed my face away from hers.

"Okay so this potion is called Elixir of Madness. This is...well...more of a poison than a potion. When consumed, it plays with the brain. Makes them See and hear strange things. Eventually they go mad and kill themselves in the most brutal ways." Sounds creepy.

"Sounds like a pretty serious potion." I said.

"It is. Don't mess around with it." Mum pulled out some ingredients that we needed and placed them on the table. She told me what to put in and how much.

I crinkled up my nose at the foul odour that was coming from the cauldron. "It smells."

"Thats what happens. You make some potions that smell good and some that don't." Mum poured the potion into a bottle and sealed it with a cork.
"There you go. Put that with the rest." I walked over to the shelf that was holding the other potions I had previously made and placed it on the end.

Since it was getting late I decided to head upstairs into my room and lay on my bed. I was trying to sleep but the thought of that man kept popping up in my mind. Who was he? Does he know about me and who I am? What happens if he does? Fear started to overwhelm me. What happens if others find out about me?
Well they would surely kill me.

Weeeeell that was the first chapter of my story. Let me know what you think of it and more should be posted soon. :)