the Forest of Emmitaenu

Collision Course

Lienkin cut in on the dancing couple attempting to look occupied. Fartharc honorably stepped aside and Tres beamed at all the attention. Lienkin, however, had no intentions of actually dancing with her. As he expected, the council rejoined the rest of the circle and called them to attention. Leann announced to the coven that the fair one was to be welcomed and thanked the Immortals for her.

He was glad. Even though his mother's voice was underlined with a dangerous edge, her words weren't just good news, they were great news! He knew Lara was special when he found her, but he didn't realize just how special.  Beyond the shadow of a doubt, now he knew he would see her again, and whats more, she was going to change their village and the coven of Opal for the better.

Then something changed; the moon disappeared behind stormy clouds and the last beams of light stretched out to the west on some unforeseen mission. The celebration deadpanned in the darkness and quickly came to an end. The coven closed the circle and carefully returned to the village filled with anticipation, and in Lienkin's case, a small sense of foreboding that he couldn't seem to shake.

Most of the villagers were sleeping in after being out all night but he just couldn't stay in bed so shortly after daybreak, he decided to take a walk under the early morning sun. Now, the more he thought about it, the more obvious his problem seemed. It was no wonder he felt a sinking feeling when the coven elders and their parents were playing match makers behind their backs.  Did they think they could just force some arranged marriages on them?  He kicked at a root sticking out of the ground.  Like hell.

Lienkin had practically reconstructed every step from yesterday leading all the way back to the clearing before it hit him. Never mind that the adults were playing match makers, the real issue was his mother Leann didn't like the prophecy.  But why would the priestess of any coven dislike a prophecy given to her by her very own patron Immortal? It definitely didn't make sense. 

He imagined if he was the high priest, which one day he would eventually be, there would be no reason for him to get upset if an Immortal offered to fix his covens problems. It would be as the elders said: a gift.  So then why was the priestess so hell bent against receiving this gift?

Maybe she doesn't believe there is a problem, Lienkin considered. In a way that actually would make sense. As far as he could tell, his own mother didn't realize that he or any of the others his age even existed. Perhaps to Leann, time had stumbled to a big stuttering halt the day Alec died. Maybe she didn't want to face any changes because to do so meant accepting she would have to change.  Or even that they were changing whether she liked it or not.  Just the other day he was restless and feeling underutilized like some kind of errand boy rather than performing the duties of a young man.

Lienkin shook his head. These were unpleasant thoughts and they were already ruining his day. He pushed them aside and opened up his senses. Just like before, he constructed a magic map of the forest surrounding him, etching in the whole clearing and the perimeter of trees around it. If Lara came back to this place, he wanted to know about it. He would wait here all day if he had to, rain or shine, as long as it meant he could see her again.

Settling down in the open, Lienkin made himself comfortable in the tall grass. Replaying their short interlude in his head like a reoccurring vision, he ruefully wondered if fascination would descend into obsession for a maiden named Lara. Then he laughed at himself. He had never been romantic before. That kind of thing was more suited for Fartharc who dreamed of family ambitions. But that all changed as quickly as a cupid hitting its mark, if he were the target.

He spent hours cloud gazing and whistling through a sleek blade of sharp grass before the sun shone directly above, giving away the noon hour. Already dozens of potential dialogues had passed through his mind as he tried to decide how he would greet Lara when he saw her again.

He wanted to introduce himself properly, invite her to the village, offer to court her and learn everything there was to know about her. He remembered how magically potent it felt being around her, and suddenly more than anything he wanted to do magic with her and experience her power.

As if inspired by the memory, the air turned sweeter, the birds in the trees began twittering, and the sunny rays intensified. She's near, Lienkin thought excitedly. Before he had come completely to his feet and dusted off his dark trousers, Lienkin identified her aura surrounded by two others.

No, no, no! He thought in frustration. He didn't want to see the nomad or the demon. He especially didn't want to see the demon. Lienkin began drawing runes in the air to hide behind when he froze in place. There was a fourth aura. This one wasn't with the others, in fact, it was coming from the opposite direction. Quickly he finished his casting. With the runes in place, he stood utterly still in the middle of the clearing. Although he was right out in the open no one would see him past his shield.

He was familiar with the fourth presence. Tres' inadequacy never ceased to amaze him as she failed to hide herself while tracking him. Why is she here? He almost wanted to know. There was nothing for him to do but wait, as it was impossible to predict who would enter the clearing first.