What if instead of four children, Niko had found five? This is the story
of Kiana, whose magic is with water. A Circle-of-Magic story.
Kiana's Story:
In Summersea, in Emelan:
Kiana stood, as she so often did, on the sand by the shore. She loved to be around water, and now that her parents had died, she had nowhere else to go to. She considered just throwing herself in, just letting the waves take her out as far as they could. Perhaps she would drown, perhaps not. She never had actually swum before, but it looked easy enough, and she didn't think the water would hurt her. How could it? For as long as she could remember, the sea had been her friend. Why would now be any different? She had no parents to pull her out, no one who would be sad if she did drown. She dipped one bare foot into the water. It was cool, not cold. She moved forward so that she was in the water, the salty spray swirling around her ankles, and then she began to run. She was up to her neck in salty water when she pushed herself off the sandy bottom and realized she was floating. She had been right. The water wouldn't hurt her. She lay back and just floated there, letting the water carry her further and further out.
A few hours later:
Kiana had no idea how long she had been swimming. What had she been thinking when she threw herself in? Did she think she could make land eventually? An island where no one knew who she was? She was thirsty, and the salt from the water was drying itself on the skin, flaking off, drying again. She was also tired, but if she stopped swimming, she would stop moving, and she wouldn't be getting anywhere nearer to land. When she turned around, she couldn't even see the beach where she had set out from. Which was closer, that shore, or the shore of the nearest island? She couldn't see land anywhere. She stopped swimming, treading water. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear. Was that the cry of a seagull, or was it the creak of oars? "Hello?" she said, as loud as she could. "Is someone there? I can't swim for much longer..." The sound grew louder. "Hello.?" And then she could see it, a small, wooden rowboat rowed by a tall man with long, gray-streaked brown hair.
"My name is Niko," he said. "I heard about your parents dying. Perhaps you would like to come live at Winding Circle Temple."
"No, really, I'd rather stay right here and keep swimming toward non- existent land," she said under her breath, but aloud she said, "I'd be honored." If Niko detected the tiniest hint of sarcasm in her voice, he said nothing. He helped her climb into the boat, and then began to row.
So there's the first chapterish. thingie. Should I write more? Please review and tell me. The next chapter will longer.
Kiana's Story:
In Summersea, in Emelan:
Kiana stood, as she so often did, on the sand by the shore. She loved to be around water, and now that her parents had died, she had nowhere else to go to. She considered just throwing herself in, just letting the waves take her out as far as they could. Perhaps she would drown, perhaps not. She never had actually swum before, but it looked easy enough, and she didn't think the water would hurt her. How could it? For as long as she could remember, the sea had been her friend. Why would now be any different? She had no parents to pull her out, no one who would be sad if she did drown. She dipped one bare foot into the water. It was cool, not cold. She moved forward so that she was in the water, the salty spray swirling around her ankles, and then she began to run. She was up to her neck in salty water when she pushed herself off the sandy bottom and realized she was floating. She had been right. The water wouldn't hurt her. She lay back and just floated there, letting the water carry her further and further out.
A few hours later:
Kiana had no idea how long she had been swimming. What had she been thinking when she threw herself in? Did she think she could make land eventually? An island where no one knew who she was? She was thirsty, and the salt from the water was drying itself on the skin, flaking off, drying again. She was also tired, but if she stopped swimming, she would stop moving, and she wouldn't be getting anywhere nearer to land. When she turned around, she couldn't even see the beach where she had set out from. Which was closer, that shore, or the shore of the nearest island? She couldn't see land anywhere. She stopped swimming, treading water. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear. Was that the cry of a seagull, or was it the creak of oars? "Hello?" she said, as loud as she could. "Is someone there? I can't swim for much longer..." The sound grew louder. "Hello.?" And then she could see it, a small, wooden rowboat rowed by a tall man with long, gray-streaked brown hair.
"My name is Niko," he said. "I heard about your parents dying. Perhaps you would like to come live at Winding Circle Temple."
"No, really, I'd rather stay right here and keep swimming toward non- existent land," she said under her breath, but aloud she said, "I'd be honored." If Niko detected the tiniest hint of sarcasm in her voice, he said nothing. He helped her climb into the boat, and then began to row.
So there's the first chapterish. thingie. Should I write more? Please review and tell me. The next chapter will longer.