Hidden - The Hidden Chronicles - Volume 1

Chapter One - The Decision

Part One - Soldiers

 

"You cannot deny that they have disobeyed our laws, our way of being! Stolen away in the night, disloyalty in their hearts and for what? Pleasures denied by nature? We cannot look past this matter or upon it with gentle eyes! A child now conceived who may never survive! Who may be driven mad by its own blood! Uncontained power, unharnessed and unpredictable."

Iara, graceful as ever, stared into Endellion with eyes blue as the Crystal River. It was not his fault he was so passionate and rage came so easily to him. He was, after all, a fire elemental and those happened to be typical characteristics of such a being. There was no denying it, his appearance alone told this much about the man with the darkest of eyes and most brilliant red hair, containing so many shades and pigments that when light shone down, it could often play tricks with your eyes. The colors seemed to shimmer and sway, resembling very much a most brilliant fire.

"We cannot say that just now, Endellion. We do not-" Iara did not get far in her thoughts before Endellion's booming baritone filled the room once again, cutting off anything any of the eight councils may have been saying.

"You have heard the tales, Iara! Child elementals with powers unable to be controlled. Spreading fire for miles when angry or drowning entire islands while dreaming! It is un-"

"Tales I have heard, Endellion. I have seen no such children with my own eyes, perhaps in thanks to the laws of our kind or perhaps due to the falseness of these tales. Rumors and ignorance are two characteristics often encountered together, would you not agree?"

The counsel sat quietly, rage simmering in Endellion's eyes, Iara's own brilliant blue satisfied. It was Avaneese who spoke next, her calm demeanor never wavering in even the most trying of times. Her ability to remain calm along with her exceptional sense of reason were characteristics sought after by the high counsel, not to mention the fact that anger and rage rarely crossed her conscience. Just like nature itself, the council was also a careful balance.

"It is agreed that punishment must not be overlooked for their carelessness, but let us also remember as survival runs in our blood, so do our elemental natures. The fact that the fire elemental in question would feel such passion as to be blinded to consequence and the earth elemental such welcome and nurture towards one so desperately needing of her is also understandable, when considered. Let us not forget that to such dark matters one must bring forth light. We must always be merciful, my council, or we should lose the most beautiful pieces of ourselves."

As an elemental Avaneese was naturally breathtaking. One couldn't help but notice the abundance of beauty she possessed at times like this, when her elemental nature was so obvious. Her need to nurture, to help. Her dark hair flowing naturally down her back, eyes green as grass. There was nothing artificial about her appearance. Her beauty was as raw as the earth itself. Sometimes she was thought to be a little too lenient, a mothering lesson was always her preference when it came to punishments. Today, she thought, would be a devastating one for her. A punishment was sure to be dealt, and this matter, as it turns out, involved much more than a little disobedience and pleasure. A child is to be born. A life these two elementals have both created, and destroyed, in one single act. A world bereaved of its natural balance. An uncertain future and, if there was anything Avaneese knew for certain, it was indeed that elementals, like most creatures, feared the unknown above almost all else.

Zephyro sat at the table, considering all the arguments thrown passionately about the room. He often felt pity for Avaneese, who was so kind and affectionate no matter the circumstances. Always, she would feel the most compassion and empathy and in doing so be punished along with those in question of the council. Today, at the end of this meeting, he had no doubt there would be one more small fracture settling itself among the others in the web of her heart.