Search for the Kindred Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Aquamarine
No one knew about my secret. Only Eva was smart enough to but two and two together. I hated to lie to the others about my past, but I had to because they won't believe me. I used to a human, living in the Limerian palace in Mytica.
When I was a little girl, my father died of a terrible disease that no healer can heal. As a last resort, me and my mother took him to the Goddess, Valoria, the embodiment of earth and water. We begged her to use her magic to heal him. Valoria refused. That is when I lost my faith in her as a Goddess. There was no use fighting with her, so we left the palace to our home. Then, my mother told me something I would never forget. The reason he lasted this long was because she was a witch, that I was too.
"I can use earth magic." Mother said. "That's why he didn't die earlier this year." Her voice cracked as tears started to run down her cheeks. I was shocked to learn that I was a witch like her.
"Maybe if you put our magic together, we can save him!" I said, unsure if would work.
"It won't." She was crying softly now. "You don't possess earth magic."
"I don't'?" I was shocked and heartbroken that I could help her in any way. "Then what Elementia do I possess?"
"Water, powerful Elementia. More powerful that any common witch like me."
That night he died. My mother clutched me has she wailed, tears streaming down her face. I was crying too, hugging her back. When my mother finally fell asleep, next to my dead parent, I decided to leave tomorrow, at midnight. That night, I fled the house, going to the south.
Weeks passed. I was tired, dirty, and I had no money. I had to sleep outside in the dirt. I finally made it to the middle of Paelsia.
"Only another five days and I will be in Auranos." I whispered, my throat parched. I heard a commotion in one of the nearby buildings. I slowing made my way over there. I used the little bit of strength I had to push open the large wooden door. I creaked open. Everyone looked at me.
"Water." I managed to say, loud enough for someone to hear me. Some kind women gave me her cup of water. I grabbed out of her hand and drank deeply. "Please, more." I whispered. I handed the cup back to her to refill. She complied. After a moment, she gave the cup back. I felt better than I had today. "Thank you." I said, meekly, as I hugged her. I felt dizzy when she picked me up. She moved through the crowd and walked up the creaky wooden stairs. I passed out.
I woke up in a cot. Beside me was the women sitting on a stool sleeping. She must have looked after me all night. She looked like my mother. If I had enough water in my body, I was sure that I would have cried. There was a night stand with a pitcher and a cup. I filled it and drank from it. I stayed there for about a week until I left again. This time, I stole some food and a pitcher of water. It was a grueling journey through Paelsia, but I managed to get myself all the way to the Auranian boarder. A lush forest with a road cut through the middle of it. I started to slowly walk in that direction. I took me another week to reach the palace.
There, I dragged myself to the golden arch entrance.
"Holt!" One of the guard shouted. I did, not being able to stand any more.
"Please!" I begged. "Let me see the Goddess of the south, Cleiona!"
"Sorry. Can't let you in without the Goddesses permission."
"Then I give permission for this witch to enter my palace." I looked up to see the southern Goddess staring at me. "Come." She boomed, gesturing to the inside of the golden palace. I tried to stand, but I had no strength to move.
"Carry her inside and follow me." She commanded one of the guards.
"Of course, your Radiance." He immediately said, bowing. He moved to where I was and picked me up with his to muscular arms. He then followed the Goddess inside to her throne room, where she sat on her golden throne.
"Tell me where you are from." She asked.
"L-Limerous." I stuttered out. Wincing from the pain of speaking.
"Get her some water." Cleiona commanded. Another of her guards moved to obey her command. He handed me a goblet filled to the brim with glittering water. I clutched with two hands and drank the whole thing quickly. It tasted delicious, unlike the water in Paelsia.
"Thank you, Goddess Cleiona!" I said, very graciously. In Limerous we were told that the southern Goddess was ugly and evil, that she ate her people.
"Tell me why you came here."
"We begged Valoria to heal him, she refused, and when he died, I left home. I came here because I hated her, I didn't want to live in her land anymore." I summed up my entire purpose of coming here.
"You can stay here in the palace, if you wish." Cleiona offered. My I eyes beamed as I enthusiastically said, "Thank you so much, Goddess!" She smiled at me. I smiled back.
I lived in the palace for months before Cleiona summoned me to her throne room.
"It is time for you to train your Elementia."
"I know, but I can't even make the water ripple in a cup."
"You will get it eventually, my dear. You have strong water magic within you. I sensed when you spoke my name at the arch. That is why I let you in, to train you when your Elementia has manifested." The ground began to shake, not violently, but enough to knock me off my feet.
"What was that?" I screeched. Cleiona swiftly moved to the window.
"Storm clouds." She muttered.
"What?"
"She's coming, I thought I had more time to train you. Apparently, I didn't. Quickly, go to your room, lock the door, and don't have a sound."
"Huh, why?" I whined, not knowing who "she" was.
"Just do it!" She snapped. "Valoria is coming and she want you." I gasped as I fled the room to sprint to mine. The hall ways were filled with guards running to the entrance to defend the palace, if needed. I pushed my way to my room and locking it just as Cleiona commanded of me. The earth shook again, this time violently. I was knocked to my feet again, this time on my left shoulder. Pain flooded my body, has my eyes started to water. A loud splintering sound came from everywhere as the palace of gold crumbled at the overwhelming power of Valoria's earth magic. The roof of my room began to collapse. I looked up to see a giant beam began to fall, its path head towards me. I swung my right arm over my face, prepared for the beam to strike. It never happened. I opened my eyes, not realizing that I closed them. I gasped what I saw. Ice. An ice dome formed over me, protecting me from the beam. The earth still shook violently. I usd to much of my magic, I started to black out. Darkness consumed my vision as I lost consciousness.
I woke up to see my ice dome gone, the palace in ruins. I grunted, my head throbbed in pain. I put my right hand on my forehead. I looked around to find Cleiona. I found her blasting fire at women with black as night hair and a crimson red gown. Valoria. Anger bubbled inside of me at the sight of her. She used water magic to deflect the fire blast. They were not too far away from me. Valoria turned her head to face me. She smiled so wickedly, I instinctively started to back up. She raised her hand and it glowed, not of the healing golden light, but a venomous green. It enveloped me. I started to panic. Then, I felt something. Pain, it was tolerable at first, but it grew much worse. Something else happened to me. I could feel myself getting taller, bulkier. I looked at my hands has my skin changed to a turquoise color as it spread to the rest of body. What is this? I thought. Then, my skin changed to form scales, faster and faster they spread. I felt something pressure on my lower back. My pants ripped has a blue scaled tail began to grow to three feet in length. Finally, my head expanded to form a muzzle, horns grew out my head. What horrible magic was this? My transformation was completed has the green glow disappeared. I looked at my new body. I was horrified to see that I turned into a creature I had never seen before. I began to panic as a tried to catch Cleiona's eyes. She looked at me and paled. I looked at Valoria as she shouted, "There can only be one user of water magic at the level of the Sorceress. Now, be gone!!" She began to say something in a language I couldn't understand. White light circled my new body as I felt like I was floating.
"What are you doing?" I growled angerly. My eyes widened in shock at my voice. The light blinded me and then I cloud feel my the back of my body against something soft. I opened my eyes and moved into a sitting position. I looked up to see three faces staring at me.
"Please don't hurt me!" I yelled moving my arm to cover my face.
"Relax. We aren't going to hurt you." The voice a gentle. It remined be of my father my eyes stung and tears began to roll down my muzzle. I cried, softly. I was never a loud crier.
"Hey, there is reason to cry." It was that same voice. A brown hand moved to my face to wipe away my tears. I let it happen. My father did that whenever I cried.
"What's going on here?" It was a new voice a female one. I looked at her, her golden hair reminded me of Cleiona.
"She just came out of nowhere." Another male voice.
"Where am I?"I asked her. She smiled at me and said, "Home." I continued to cry, sitting there has the brown dragon comforted me.
Next morning, the women to me that her name was Eva. I told everything that happened to me. Over the years, she was the only other soul that knew of my past and where I came from.
A knock woke me out of my memories. The door opened. It was Obsidian, the dragon that had the same caring personality my father had.
"Dinner is ready." He said.
"Thanks, but I'm not going to eat with you guy tonight." He just said, "Ok" and didn't persist as to why. I looked down at my hands. Being this far away from Valoria and her evil magic was slowly undoing my transformation. My scales already starting to change back into skin. I knew I can't tell any of them. They will only know when I turn back into a human.