Elemental Witch: Child of the Earth (Part I)

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"You let me sleep through half the morning..." Verana muttered, still groggy from sleep, even as she braided her hair. It was wet from her morning swim in the river and she pulled it back from her face and followed Sencha through the woods. 

They stood on the edge of the Wild side by side, watching the rolling fields and stretch of road towards and away from the large, imposing keep. The river grew deeper here, faster, as more streams and rivulets joined its final journey to the ocean. 

The giant expanse of salt water was one thing on this island Verana had never seen, though she could smell it, if the winds were right. The Wild did not come close enough here, for the Feysha to venture out towards the sounds of distant thunder and desolate salt water.

Sencha offered a shrug, indifferent to her as always, his sideways glance weighing her, finding her lacking as it always did. "You should have slept through the day. I was going to let you."

Verana snorted as she stretched, feeling the exhaustion in her body agree with his words. "I promised them I would go back. It seemed as if when I was leaving, they were afraid to let me go."

"You have that quality with everyone, Verana." He said softly, turning his eyes to the road and nodding towards the appearance of a large group of riders. The men and women on horses surrounded what appeared to be  a box on wheels, pulled by a team of  more of the large, hard hoofed animals. 

The box itself had ornamentation on it, colours and metals in designs that marked it as something more than the average wagon, while the hard looks and weapons of the riders indicated that whatever was in the box was important. Sencha tilted his head to the side. "Why are all their fighters male?"

"Human males are bigger, from what I've seen. Women wear silly clothing, dresses, that restrict their movements. I think they keep them trapped to breed them." Verana offered a shrug, letting her eyes scan over the group and finally pointing to two riders positioned directly behind the box. "Those are women. And they're wearing pants."

"No weapons though, unless you count the giant stick on the one's back  and the bow with the other." Sencha watched them curiously, leaning forward to catch the breeze moving from the group. "They smell well-fed."

Verana frowned for a moment, putting a hand on his chest and pulling them both back further into the shadows as the group stopped. "Can you really smell the difference? I can smell their perfumes, their emotions but you can tell if they're hungry or not?"

Sencha nodded, glancing to her for a long moment, again judging her, "its the smell hidden under their emotions. Perhaps your sense of smell isn't quite as refined as..."

"A Feysha. Cause I'm not really one of you." She said sharply, taking a step to the side, putting distance between them. Like that, she feelt the anger boiling through her chest, tensing her shoulders and neck and she focused on the humans in the distance. Watching the two women dismount and climb into the box on wheels with scowls on their features. The human women looking for all the world that  their day had been ruined. 

"That's not what I meant, Verana. But you are different, you know that." Sencha murmured softly, offering a shrug. "You are at least part Feysha, no one has ever denied that."

Verana barked a laugh, shaking her head as the group of riders continued off towards the Keep once more. She still refused to look at the man beside her. "Oh, so I wasn't born from an egg? I'm glad someone knows my pedigree."

Sencha grabbed her arm, pulling her around to face him, his expression dark as his eyes searched her face, his own fury rising to meet hers. "No. You were not born from an egg, Verana. I had hoped you never would have heard those comments, but it appears that you have. And your pedigree is such that it would put the rest of us to shame. Your difference doesn't make you less, it makes you more. Why can't you see that?"

"But I did hear them." Verana said bitterly, wondering why he didn't understand the meaning behind her words. 

She had heard him saying them, so long ago, the only adult who had shown her any kindness, and he believed her to be a freak unworthy of their people as much as anyone else. He had argued with the council to send her somewhere else. Her eyes narrowed further as she took in the rest of Sencha's words. "You know who my parents were."

"I do." He nodded and looked back out to the road, watching the dust settle as the group faded from view towards the Keep.

Verana let out a slow breath, "but you won't tell me who they were."

"No. The Council believes that you should focus on what you are doing now. This is your mission, your purpose. Finish this and perhaps they will show you your past. But you know only the present matters Verana. Who you are, right now, is what matters. All the rest of that is done and unchangeable." Sencha sounded sad for a moment, his voice pulling her eyes back to him. 

She hesitated upon seeing pain and regret flash over his features before he focused back on her, and his face became unmovable stone once more. "Those guests looked important. Do you think your King and Lord, do you think they will even notice if you arrive or not?"

"I will go to the smith and the baker at the very least. If these guests are important, then they will have no effect on my promises to those women." Verana offered a shrug, knowing how rigid human society was.

"The pie was good. You were right." Sencha offered, as he unbuckled his sword belt and handed it to her.

 It was only then that she realized he had one of his blades, long and curved with one serrated edge and a blade similar to the style of hers, but older, less ornate on his belt. Usually he wore two of the curved blades, his weapons of choice. "Take these, she might need to have examples with her, as she's working."

Verana nodded, offering him a tight smile, "alright, so another pie, and how many swords?"

Sencha grinned to her, "make it two of the pies, and twenty-five pairs of each sword. That will cover my people at least and I will send word to the other groups for their requests. This many weapons will take time."

"Alright." Verana nodded at that, strapping the second sword belt around her waist, letting out a slow breath as she glanced down at herself. She was wearing practical clothing, breeches and a tight shirt, reinforced with leather around the chest to block minor weapon attacks and hold heavier materials like knives. 

It was clean and of the best workmanship the Feysha made, leaving her feeling far too overdressed considering she had washed the forest camouflage off her skin and out of her hair, "I look like I'm about to petition the council."

"No. You would be wearing a formal robe, with colour, if you were going to do that. It is fine. This is a compromise." Sencha sounded amused,and she couldn't look back to him, knowing his expression would replicate the sound of his voice. For it would only make her feel even more obtuse than she already was, so she nodded and strode off, slipping out of the forest and making her way towards the Keep without sparing him another glance.