Moon Kingdom: Fair Warning

The Orders

       Athena was puzzled by this. Her mother had passed the ring and it's magic on to her when she was younger. After her mother died, Athena kept the ring in her memory. It was her mother who had told her about the monastery, but she definitely had never belonged to it.
      The three women entered a room that was brightly lit by lamps on the walls. Inside was an elderly woman with white hair. Sitting behind a wooden desk and tapping repeatedly on her ring, she didn't seem to notice them enter. Another woman sat in a chair to her right. This woman was closer in age to Athena and Bree.
       "Welcome," the younger woman greeted them, "A rather late hour to join us, isn't it?"
       "They aren't here to stay, Diana," O explained, "They're just passing through."
      Athena and Bree nodded in agreement. Neither of them had any interest in becoming a Spiritess; regardless of their rings, the two of them had more pressing matters at hand.
      "We just want to stay overnight." Athena elaborated, "We've travelled from the south wall of Marama to speak to the king."
      Athena studied the woman in front of her. She was fairly short and had shoulder length blonde hair. She was dressed in a lilac purple dress with a darker purple coat over it, even though it was still quite warm. Her face was pale and freckled. Diana stood before them without saying a word, deep in thought about something unknown to her guests. Around her neck she wore a pendant similar to O's but with a different pattern etched into the silver.
      "Well, have you eaten?" Diana asked after a long silence.
      "We're pretty hungry." Bree said.
      "Well, we did have lunch, but if you have anything to spare..." Athena didn't want to impose but her stomach had been growling.
      "I'll take you to our kitchen and we can find something." Diana smiled as she spoke, "O, would you mind staying with Sonya?"
      "I'll be glad to." O replied, taking a seat next to the white haired woman who had yet to acknowledge anyone in the room.
      Athena and Bree followed Diana back out into the hall. A few turns and a flight of stairs later, they were in a dimly lit kitchen. It wasn't anything fancy but it was warm and had a comforting smell of spices and bread. Diana brought out three plates and filled them with food- a green salad of lettuce, spinach, and cucumber topped with feta cheese and an oil dressing.
      "We also have some bread if you're still hungry." Diana gestured to a bread box on the kitchen counter. "I know I'm feeling hungry even though I've already had dinner!"
      The three young women sat around a small table and were mostly quiet as they ate. Athena noticed that Diana also wore a ring- one with a pale amethyst stone in the centre. It made her wonder what power it held and how many women actually owned these rings.
      "Did you know that many women who own rings of power don't even know what the power is?" Diana asked, as if she knew what Athena had been thinking. "Before joining a monastery, we are tested for our potential as elementresses, our capability to use the power entrusted in us. Yet, if nobody knows what the ring does, how can one test it? It often happens accidentally."
      "My mother knew the power of my ring." Athena said, "She taught me how to conjure ice and snow- she was never in a monastery."
      "That's very unusual." Diana admitted.
      A silence fell over the table. The three women finished their meals slowly as though deep in thought. Athena was curious about the rings, about the Spiritess women and their knowledge. She wondered if this was the place for her- away from the wall and the worries of the warm winter. She knew deeply, however, that if Marama was not warned about the bears, there would be no place for any of them to hide.
      "We should all get some sleep." Diana said, as she cleared the table. "I'll show you to your room for the night. We get up bright and early in the morning- and I'm sure Sonya will want to discern your elemental abilities before you leave."
      "What does that even mean?" Bree asked suddenly. She hadn't spoken much since they'd arrived.
      "There are five elemental orders that a woman can belong to." Diana explained, "This is the Spiritess monastery. In Luna there was the Wateress order which is now mostly wiped out as far as we know. The Firess order is in Alqamar, the Earthess in Candra, and the Airess in Kuu."
      "I didn't even know all those places existed." Athena admitted.
      "Marama is the largest kingdom and since we're walled in people often forget that there are people- and creatures- who live beyond us." Diana said. "We lack communication between the orders as well. If we had only known about Luna..."
      Diana sighed, frustrated that it was too late to help the Wateress women. Bree glanced at her uncomfortably. Athena noticed this and wondered how much Bree knew about the elemental orders; how much she know about the world.
     Athena and Bree were led into a small room with two thin mattresses on the floor. They had small pillows and two warm blankets. One small lamp hung on the wall. It was a bare and gloomy looking room. Athena wondered if this is what all the rooms were like and if the women who lived here had any trouble sleeping.
      For the moment, she was too tired to ask or complain. Grateful for the place to rest, they thanked Diana who left to get herself ready for bed. The two guests didn't bother to change out of their clothes but simply lied down to sleep.
      "We tell our stories tomorrow." Bree sighed before drifting off. Athena nodded in acknowledgement and then she fell asleep almost instantly.

[note: want to take a quiz to see which elemental order you would be in? http://www.sarahwilder.co/leading-elementress/  Comment your name and result below to possibly earn a mention in future chapters! Again, I have no actual connection to the fifth elemental life or Sarah Wilder.]