Amber Eyes

Chapter 2

     Mina woke up with her head resting on an open book. Good thing I didn't drool, she thought as she sat up, stretching her legs and arms. Looking through the tent flap, it was clear she hadn't slept that long, a couple hours, maybe. She looked back down at the book on the table before her- a book of legends of gods that detailed the Great War. She read the passage she had slept on.
     'There he waits, The Dark King and His mistress Lady Chaos, waiting for the Amber Eyed One to free him of his prison. He corrupts his brother and sisters people to make his own- his eyes and ears in a world he cannot touch.'
     Mina knew the story was true. Although her kind had rarely stepped off their island, they fought in the Great War all those centuries ago. Hyria had fought, Scatha had fought, Ju-Long had fought. They told stories of the war to Mina and her friends at kids. She smiled, remembering how awed they'd been. They'd gone outside and reenacted the stories in the dirt paths of the island until it was time for The Great Fire. It used to be a nightly ritual for them.
     Mina closed the book with a quiet thud and began roaming the shelves that came up to her chin, finding its place and returning it. A book beside it had caught her eye. It was old and beaten, probably hadn't been touched in years. It had a thick layer of dust she blew off, her eyes tearing. She gently brushed off the remaining dust as she walked to her small table and sat down, sweeping her skirts out. The dust was so thick before she couldn't see the name before, but it was clear enough that she could read it: Amber Eyes. The author was illegible- was there ever one there?
     It was extremely unlikely for this to be a coincidence. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since she found out about her destiny, it just couldn't be coincidental.
     Mina opened the book to the first page and read. It read:

     'Last night I had a dream that I believe was a prophecy. A stormy sky, a single mountain. There were two smiles, floating in the air. They had had six servants, who were looking down at one girl. Of this whole dream, she is the only one colored. Everyone else is dark purple, almost black, like Corruption. She had long dark red hair like dying embers and burning amber eyes. I understood the moment I woke up that I was meant to find this girl. I gathered all of the females of the tribe, but only one matched the Amber Eyed description: Libelle Ryoto. I took her under my wing today. I'll train her further in medicine and fighting, but I won't tell her of the prophecy. Not yet. Only the council will know.'

     The rest of the book detailed Mina's Mothers training and life- almost anything a girl could want to know of her mother. Mina found herself proud of her mother, a woman who loved everyone, who went through men like butter until her father came along, who was just as headstrong as Mina. Then, she got to the end.

     'Libelle and Pendragon have asked to leave the island. I can only hope that this is the right decision. This must be the gods doing. I will let them, and foster their daughter, Mina. I can only hope they'll come back. Their dragons, Goldired and Muheart, will be steering the boat for them while they stay below deck. I have taught them everything I know and could find of sailing. I just hope it's enough.'

     And that was the end of the journal.

Libelle, Libelle

     It was when Mina was walking on the beach that Shikari finally found her. She had a lot to think about, naturally, and this was the place she had always gone to think. Sun and Moon were cooing and groaning gently in an attempt to comfort her. Mina strolled down the beach, hair in the wind, and the journal in her hands. She was thinking of all the things she had found about her parents and prophecies and the gods when she was tackled by the blond half elf.
     Mina and Shikari were knocked to the ground, laughing and crying. "We all thought you were going to die!" She exclaimed, sitting up next to Mina. "Walking into the ocean is a very serious matter! If any of it had gotten into your bloodstream, you'd be paralyzed forever."
     "Sun and Moon had it all under control. Besides, I'm alive," Mina shrugged carelessly, spreading out in the sand.
      "We shouldn't depend on our dragons. One day, you might not have them to help you. Although, I don't know what could happen on the island that would separate us and our dragons." Shika shrugged slightly, dismissing the idea. She was right- there was no where a dragon couldn't go, unless they were still nestlings. Dragons helped hunt, build, everything.
     Sun and Moon slid out of the way of the two as Mina cringed slightly. "Actually, Shika, you aren't going to see me for a while." She refused to look up from the sand to see Shika's confused expression.
     "Whatever could you mean? If Hyria is taking you on a camping trip again, that isn't that big of a deal. I can still come visit you," Shika rambled. She always got worried when it came to Mina, no matter how much it got on her nerves. She wasn't a child!
     "I'm leaving, Shika," she hesitated, making up her mind, "Hyria told me of a prophecy I must fulfill. To do it I'll have to, well, leave. I spent all night in the library reading about sailing and history and prophecies. Sky and Moon will sail, and I'll be below deck, safe." She bit her lip as Shika went quiet and still.
     "That's funny, I didn't know it was fools day. That's one major prank you've got there, Mina." She chuckled nervously. This wouldn't go over easy, would it?
     "No, I'm serious. If I don't do this, then The Great War will have been for nothing. Here, look at this!" Mina pulled a book from her bag, one of ancient heroes in legends and mythology. "Look here," She explained, opening to a bookmarked page, "Look! It's real! Back when The Dark Lord, Abanus, was imprisoned, the Dream God Amaniguifa prophesied that The Amber Eyed, chosen by the gods, would imprison or free The Dark Lord and Lady Chaos." She pointed to one of the passages, forcing an excited tone into her voice.
      Mina was taken aback by the sad tone in Shika's voice. "So you're leaving me?" She asked softly.
     "I have to. I'll come back once he's freshly imprisoned, and I find out what happened to my Ma and Da." Mina leaned forward and cupped Shika's cheek gently. "I'll come back, promise."
     Shika turned her head away, refusing to look at Mina as she graciously stood up. "Go," She snapped before walking back into the jungle. Her dragon, a pink and black scaled creature, crooned and gave Mina a sympathetic look before scurrying after her elf.
     She looked after her childhood best friend with a lost look. If she could, she would have cried. But she didn't. She couldn't. She dropped her head, long hair shielding her face. Sun and Moon pushed through to comfort her.
     She'll understand, Moon promised, She is a smart girl.
     "I don't know, Moon. She hates me for sure, and so she should. Tradition is so important to her," Mina trailed off and gathered up her dragonets in a tight embrace.
     She could never hate you. You're her best friend, and that love surpasses any tradition, Sun nudged her cheek with his snout. He pulled away to lift her chin up with his tail. Stay strong, Mina.
     They stayed like that for an hour until Mina stopped shaking. She slowly rose to her knees, then one foot, and then the other. Her hair tangling in the strong winds sent forth by the sea, she looked out upon the crashing waves. Shapes dove in and out of the water on the horizon, slowly making their way east. Mina envied them. They were free to go where they want, anywhere in the sea. She longed for that freedom. Trapped on one island for eternity was her own personal hell.
     That would change now, but at what cost? She would never be the same. The world must have changed so much since volcanic elves had stepped foot on the mainland. What had happened to their language? Would she even be able to understand anything? There were spells to understand different languages, but they tended to cause headaches. Perhaps she could stay with other elves? They had the same languages, hopefully. There were always spells for that dilemma anyhow.
     Mina sighed and put the problems out of her mind. She'd cross those bridges when she got to them, what was the point in worrying about it now? She walked backwards, savoring the sight of the seas she'd have to brave. Finally, leaves from the brush blocked her view of the hypnotic waves. She finally spun on her heel, raising a hand to steady the blue and white dragon on her right shoulder. She ignored the call that pulled her out to sea and made her way down the game trails left by deer and wallabies, breaking off when the tan and red tarps of the village came into her sight.
     Two villagers kids were running around their parents knees with wooden swords, waving the weapons at each other. All elven children were trained to fight at a young age, five, to raise their chances of surviving the hazards of the island. They were all born in December, just before the winter rains came. Born in eggs, they all hatched around the same time, when animals were lower on food and were forced to eat anything they could. Even elves.
     The girl child yelped as her brothers sword hit her square on the shoulder. Mina winced as the girl started screaming and balling. She had probably just started training, and that would hurt more than any hit she had gotten. Beginner classes for younger kids were mainly academics and talking, with occasional single drills on basic movements and stances. Learning to control their temperature and their fire powers came even sooner so they wouldn't burn down the village. Later would come offensive use of their powers. Training so young was beneficial, it made Mina the sword master and mage she was.
     The parents consoled the hurt child and scolded the other one. A band tightened around Minas heart, a feeling she was familiar with. She never had parents to kiss her wounds, to ease her hearts, to be scolded by. Why did she want to be scolded?
     Mina shook her head and turned away, back into the shadows of the trees to find a back entrance to her hut. She pushed away a boulder with a bit of effort, settling it right next to a hole in the ground where it had previously been. She lowered herself into the hole, pulling on a rope to pull the boulder back into place.
     It was a nifty escape she had found and expanded upon when Hyria started to ground her for bad behavior. It used to be a mine shaft, but it was abandoned when there wasn't any materials there. No one knew about it besides Shikami, not even Hyria. Mina whistled softly as a fire sparked in her hand, fed by her magic. She held it in front of her as she advanced down the hall that took five years to dig out and made stable. It ran under the Great Fire, Hyrias hut, and led out to the forest.
     The tunnel was ill lit by the flickering light of her hand-torch, sending scary shadows across the walls. She paid the monsters no mind as she jogged down the tunnel, careful not to bump her head on the low ceiling. It was a matter of minutes before she reached a ladder and trap door.
     Mina doused her fire and climbed up the first three rungs before lifting a hand to the stone ceiling. She felt around expertly, finding the handle within seconds. She grunted and pushed the slab of stone up and to the left. She sneezed from the dirt that fell before pulling herself up, kicking her legs a bit before she could sit on the floor of her tent.
     It was a very cozy hut, with pale purple walls and one opening on the far side, hidden with a white curtain. Behind her was her dresser, and next to that a desk and chair. She had an unorganized bookcase of books and paper on the far wall. Another white curtain hid her bed and dresser from view of the entry.
     Mina swung her legs out of the hole in the Stone floor and slid the slab back over it, adjusting it so it was barely visible to her, let alone someone unsuspecting.
     Satisfied, she stood and dusted her bottom. She stripped and pulled on a new bright red dress. There wasn't anything extravagant about it besides the gold rune trim, but this style of dress was her favorite. It was loose enough to let her move at free will, but fashionable enough to look nice.
     She ran a brush through her long, unruly hair and let it hang down to her knees, free to tangle in the breeze beyond her walls. She tucked the purple hibiscus flower behind her right ear. The light brown of her skin faded to a lavender color, and the tips were twisted like a dragons. It made a perfect place to hold a Life Object.
     A Life Object is an object, often small, that was linked to a conscious beings life. Some elves used Life Objects, like Mina, who linked her life to a flower. When she died, the flower would burn to ashes. The effects were one sided, and the flower would live as long as she.
     When she looked in the mirror, it was the amber-eyed girl that stared back at her. Mina hastily rubbed her eyes. When she looked again, she was gone, and Mina was alone.