Born of Water and Flames

In Thy Stream

•Thailand•

The earth passed swiftly beneath our feet, the coast a growing line in the distance. Suddenly, a gooey, black thing shot out of the woods and seized Akemi. She didn't even have time to scream. Yuke immediately raced after them, as Lien and I hurried to catch up. We saw a swirl of red fabric vanish into a tightly knit grove. The trees parted before me and then brilliant orange light sprang up, and the air was with the smell of clover. When we finally caught up, the creature lay in a heap. Akemi looked relatively unhurt at first, but when we got closer, we saw a bloody gash in her arm. A bloody tooth lay at her feet. Lien was immediately at her side, lighting one of her candles, a blue one that smelled of cedar. Yuke must have used one of her candles to kill the monster. Akemi's injury closed up, the blood vanishing, leaving only a thin white scar.

"While we're here, we should discuss the candles and the pendants." Yuke spoke up.

"Agreed," Lien said. "Mine are cedar for healing, chamomile for sleep, and lavender for peace. I think each candle has multiple uses, but that may depend on what we're using it for. Mine has melted a little, but not too much. Only around an eighth is gone. But Yuke's orange candle has lost nearly a quarter. What are you guys' candles?"

"I have two red and an orange." Yuke answered. "The red ones are ginger for power and thyme to enhance powers. The orange smells of clover, as you know, and helps me to succeed."
Akemi looked thoughtful. "Mine are two white and one yellow. The white ones are cinnamon for protection and lavender for peace. The yellow one smells of damiana, and is supposed to give me visions. As for the pendants, I think we should wear them. I believe that they may have some sort of power, and so we should try and use that to our advantage."

Lien nodded, reached into her bag, and looped a lapis lazuli pendant around her neck. I did the same with my emerald one. Yuke fastened an amber one onto her neck, and Akemi clasped her diamond pendant on. The moment it was secure it flared with a bright white glow. The glow faded to a cluster of tiny sparkling lights in the center of the jewel. Everyone quickly glanced down at their own pendants. Yuke's had a tiny amber flame in the middle of hers. I had a diminutive flower in mine, and a tiny wave rose and fell in Lien's. Symbols of our elements it seemed. Everything we had seemed to go hand-in-hand with our elements. The only question was, what did the necklaces do? And what did the glowing mean? Akemi's flared every time she looked at Yuke. Was it because they had met each other first? Or was it something else?

"Apinya!" Lien's voice cut through my thoughts. "Are you paying attention?"

"No," I admitted.

"Well, we're close to the coast. I was thinking that we should rest so that we might be able to make it to one of the islands in the South China Sea by tomorrow night. After all, we have to make it out of Vietnam fast. There's for sure a death warrant out for me and Yuke, and it's likely that there's one for you and Akemi. If we get to one of the islands either owned by China or not owned by anyone, we should be safe."
"Key word being 'should,'" Akemi commented.

"True," Yuke agreed. "We should put up protections around this grove. Anyone have any idea on how to maintain the protection while we sleep?"
"My time has come to make you all look like idiots," Akemi announced. "Anyone have a light?"

"We have Yuke," I suggested. "She's like a human torch."
"True," Akemi said. "Yuke, come light my yellow candle on fire."

Yuke obliged, the tip of her finger flaring. A yellow light blazed up and Akemi was gone. Seconds later, the same light flashed and Akemi was back, her face white and set.

"We can't just switch out who's guarding. There are creatures after us sent by Raja, Emperor of Heaven. They are just a few of the obstacles sent to us. They travel in four packs, and each pack has a different elemental vulnerability. They cannot be harmed except by a specific element. The pack closest to us is only vulnerable to water. Lien wouldn't be able to get any sleep, and she needs to be at her full strength to get us across the sea. That leaves us with only one option. A spell of sorts. It requires a lock of hair from one of us, some blood from two of us, fire, the element that we need, and the leaf of a bay tree. The hair is meant to be soaked in the blood, wrapped in the leaf, and sprinkled with the element we need, so, in this case, water. We must then light the wrap on fire. I don't know how the water will burn, but we must try."

"How will we cut the hair, and get the blood out?" Lien asked.

"I have a hairpin," Yuke said. "It is sharp enough to get the blood and cut the hair."

"I can give blood," I said.

"Same," Akemi said.

"I'll give you hair and fire!" Yuke volunteered.

"And I can provide the water. But we need a bay leaf."

"There is a bay tree just over there," I said, reaching up to the tree and plucking a leaf. "Yuke, may I borrow your hairpin?

She nodded, and handed me it. I quickly stabbed it into my arm. There was a sharp flare of pain, which then dulled. Blood began to trickle from the wound. Yuke quickly took the hairpin from me, yanked out a piece of hair, and held it underneath my arm, drops of blood falling onto the hair. Akemi took the hairpin then, and her blood soaked Yuke's hair as well. Lien stepped forward with the leaf, and wrapped up the bloody hair. She then swirled her hand above the leaf, droplets of water falling from her fingers. Yuke then strode forward, her hand blazing. Water erupted from the burning ingredients and formed a wall of water around the interior of the grove. Yuke and Lien immediately fell asleep and as I drifted off, I saw Akemi, staring blankly at the water wall.