Bloodline of a Tempest

Chapter 13

'The earth is dominant,' a woman said.

Nema thought she heard the voice coming from a great distance, but the energy of other beings occupying space near her was too strong to be so far away. She couldn't open her eyes.

'Of course the earth is dominant, Terra.' A man said. 'All you have to do is sit long enough, hoping someday something would grow out of it. Something that will not move either. Ever.'

There was a pause, a tense one. 'There is no need to be unkind, Orrel. We are all here for the same reason.'

'I said,' the man countered, with some violent air about him, 'that only because something takes the least effort it can hardly be labeled as dominant. The abundance of space something consumes can not compensate for the lack of force behind it.'

Nema's eyes were open now. There were four mages, masters of the four elements, their indigo tunics distinguishing them from the others. Terra, the mage of earth, was standing opposite the mage they called Orrel.

Terra was smiling, her voice ever so gentle. 'It takes a lot of courage to watch something grow,' she said, 'knowing how easily it could perish before it reaches its full potential.' Her dark curls coming down to her waist made her look like a forest goddess. 'Those who measure their strength by the might of their destruction are denied of the sweetest fruits patience can bring.'

'Terra,' the mage mocked, 'there is nothing courageous about watching your forests burn if you can do nothing to protect them.'

She wasn't smiling anymore. 'And there is no honor in burning something down only because you can.'

He took a step closer. 'The power is in the fear of your opponents. The mightiest stands alone and those defeated bow to him.'

'Bow?' Cay cried. 'Should we bow to you now, Orrel?' He was walking towards the other mage with a murderous look in his eyes.

Nema's eyes were open but her body was immobile. Two men were ready to go at each other throats while two women observed them idly.

'Oh, how many tales were told about the golden days of your rulership,' Cay grinned. 'Too bad your reign is restricted to your own yard now.' He was goading the other mage on purpose. 'And how we miss your golden kings telling us what to do.'

It was Cay - the angry one. She would recognize the ire anywhere. But the other man seemed even crazier. When she saw the rage in his eyes she realized he was a fire-feeder.

A blast of heat swept over the plane as the mage burst into flames. His arms were like torches, his skin emanating heat like a furnace. 'Once you bowed to our kings, master,' Orrel reached for the mage and the darts of fire almost caught Cay's tunic, 'you and all of your treacherous kind!'

Cay took a step back, undisturbed, folding arms on his chest. 'They'll put the bind-rings on you before you set a foot across the threshold of her world.'

Nema had to give him credit for playing this cool being so close to a gruesome death many had died.

The fire on the mage's palms still burned brightly. Nema was already faint at the sight of it.

'I will die soon, one way or another,' Orrel closed his fist and the fire disappeared. 'It would bring me nothing but joy to take you with me.'

Cay rolled his eyes. 'Though the temptation is irresistible-'

'Enough!' One of the women stepped between them. 'We all swore an oath to protect her. You too, Orrel. It was your people who had to complicate the process or it wouldn't hurt this much,' she laughed, tossing her brilliant emerald hair back. Without the hood that was hiding her, mage they called Aves was the single most beautiful being Nema had seen in her life. Only Terra matched her with the serenity she brought with her.

The fire-feeder, Orrel, didn't seem affected. But then again they never were. 'I will repeat,' Orrel leaned closer to her, his burning eyes filled with rage, 'there is no fire in her. Not a flicker. She's incomplete.'

'Aves, dear,' Terra asked, 'what do you say?'

Aves closed her eyes for a moment, turning her face towards the sun. There was something so ethereal about her Nema was waiting for the moment she would just spill into silvery dust and breeze away.

When Aves opened her eyes she turned to the other woman, seeming very pleased. 'She created the storm inside the forest,' she said. 'It was so strong I felt it here inside the fortification. There is a tempest inside her, and a mighty one.'

Cay scoffed. 'It is the anger that is driving her. That is hardly a good start.'

'The girl had no proper training.' Brown-eyed Terra said, her voice gentle. 'They kept her destiny from her.'

'Oh please,' Cay said, 'I know how far your enthusiasm goes. Always further from the truth. This girl can't help us. She can't control her emotions more than a five-year-old can.' Seeing no one is willing to argue, Cay sighed. 'The water is subdued. Look,' he tapped his foot against the surface, 'I would need a century to train her to tame this. We can't take the seals off of someone so unstable. No one of us would survive the ritual. Even worse - she could destroy the world. I can't teach her stability.'

Orrel laughed. 'Light protect us all if you're the one to teach her stability.'

'Orrel,' Cay said coldly, 'I am not getting into the same argument with you again. They killed the boy because you encouraged him to forgo any notion of control.' Even spoken evenly Cay's words struck a chord. 'I needed time,' he said, 'and you weren't willing to give me any because of your escape plan and look where we are.'

'This is different,' Orrel said, looking somewhere in the distance. 'This one is incomplete. We've all read the scrolls - it sometimes happens. She has no fire inside of her and has no training and if you push her beyond her limits all you'll manage to do is release the amount of power no one of us could control. If you want to kill yourself be my guest, but if you decide to risk destroying this world I'll kill her before you manage to take off her seals.'

The silence lasted for a long time.

'They are dying every day, Orrel,' Terra said, the pain twisting her beautiful face.

Orrel shrugged. 'I'm sorry I refuse to mourn the death of cowards.'

'Orrel!' Aves cried. 'They are your people!'

The fire-feeder shook his head. 'My people are locked inside the dungeons.'

'We'll do it without you!' Cay threatened.

Orrel was just watching him. 'She will destroy this world.' He pointed at Nema. 'I said we should have killed her before he took her inside. Now it's too late.'


Nema's insides were shaking. They couldn't have been talking about her. Two days ago her blood was so worthless smugglers had to mix it with Orion dust just to pass it as magic blood and now she was someone who could destroy the world.

The world.

Even the fact that they had been negotiating should they keep her in life fell into another plan.

At this point, Nema was trying to kick, scream, anything but she was completely paralyzed. Only when some strangled yelp managed its way out of her did someone notice.

'She's awake, release her,' Aves said to someone.

Once freed Nema tried to sit up, breathing with difficulty.

'What did you say?' She asked Orrel. He was staring at her with that look of boredom that only enraged her more. 'What did you say about me?' Nema repeated.

Orrel took a step closer. 'What are you trying to do, pup? Intimidate me?'

The four mages were standing on her plane, each on one side of the world, watching her with such carefulness Nema knew she'd be bound immobile after a first sudden move.

'You said I could destroy the world,' she said with as much calmness as she could muster.

One of the women stepped out. It was Terra. 'You could also create one.' She pointed at Nema's feet.

Nema looked down suddenly aware of fresh wet grass under her feet. There was a small island covered with grass and flowers around her. She smiled seeing a young oak tree, already three feet tall, growing a few inches away from where her head rested during the night. Nema doubted this altitude would work for oaks but she doubted many oaks were growing from the marble either.

'I made this?' She whispered.