Wow, hello there! :)

Once again I am really sorry it has taken me so long to update this story. Life's been crazy lately and I'm tending to too many things all at once it feels. But finally, here we are. This is chapter 12 for you.

It's the last of the three calm parts, and something I just *wanted* to write right from the start. :3 After that, we'll return to the main plot (I've just started writing ch13 so be assured this story is still progressing). I guess I ought to mention though that in "Fire and Water" you'll find some things mentioned that refer to two of my earlier fics - "Till we meet again" and "Things do change"- , but quite frankly I believe that it's no problem if you haven't read those [do let me know though if it is!].

Well, as always my biggest thanx goes to my faithful reviewers (Anime Princess, AFairy88, Stitch and Yen! You guys are awesome!) for still following this story. I really hope you will like this chapter, too. :3

Hope to see you again soon in ch13: "Darkness falls". ;)

Love,
TK

- As always: feedback is very much appreciated and guests can leave a comment as well. ;) -


Chapter 12: Fire and Water

Sinbad stood at the temple gates, just where mere hours before Bryn had lingered to ponder the quest they all had believed was hers to accept. The tall captain had felt for her just then, had tried to reassure her when he knew how hard it could be to be the one all the others expected to work miracles. He had appealed to her belief in herself back then, to her trust in her heart and magic but now as he stood here himself, he found it hard to follow his own advice.

Saving a mythical creature from a dark might that seemed far too great for a mortal soul to be fought sounded too big, even for him. And unlike the brunette he held no magic himself, had no powers aside from the very human ones that had always helped in physical combat.

And still he had been able to protect the phoenix earlier. Somehow, and the sailor still didn't have a clue as to what had happened there exactly, he had been able to stop the attack on the beast and save it from extinction. And maybe he could do so once more, he mused, maybe he could summon this same kind of strange power that had taken a hold of him back in the chamber and which had made him reach out for the fire one.
When he had heard the phoenix' call he had felt like he just had to answer, and he had done so without really knowing what to do. It was as if something inside of him had acted autonomic and without his control. His senses had been flooded with the smell of the ocean then, with the distant murmur of dancing waves and the endless freedom of a sea untamed. It was a most special feeling that never in his life had he encountered before, but now that the creature rested in its stone again, it was gone. And the mere memory of it didn't seem enough to enable him to fulfil the task that obviously fate had set on him. Not, when this power that felt so unknown and yet familiar to him wasn't even what this world needed.

A deep sigh escaped the young man's lips as he closed his eyes tiredly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. His brows moved to form a frown, his shoulders slumping at the same time, while he recalled the high-priestess' words.

The waters do surround the phoenix now but it is the fires that will have to call out to the bird. It will need both of your strengths to release and protect the great spirit and with that fulfil what you are here for.

The fires. Her fire. Sinbad felt his heart ache at the connotation this carried. To him it meant that Maeve was supposed to be here now. That it was her spirit they needed - her light and her strength. It meant that fate had never planned for this happen; that they should never have been separated.
And now he was left to fight for this world when in reality he felt he was just a stand-in, someone who was chosen to fight with means he didn't have.

"You still question what has been decided by forces far beyond our understanding?"

It was Chiara's voice that suddenly cut through the night and it made the captain jump slightly. The people in this temple definitely had a way of sneaking up on others that Sinbad wasn't all too fond of; and for a split second the thought crossed his mind that they did in fact do so deliberately - maybe because they just enjoyed the look of surprise on a stranger's face - which again didn't really help improve his mood.

"Just how I am supposed to protect a magical creature when I don't hold any magic myself", came his tired reply after a moment and although he finally opened his eyes again, Sinbad did not turn to the young girl but looked straight ahead instead. His sight met the town that stretched along the horizon. A living entity that pulsed with the rhythm of fire as the festivities were reaching their climax.

"They don't know the phoenix is hurt, live unaware of the danger it is in." Chiara's words sounded absent-minded as she spoke them. Her blind gaze was directed down the lane as seemingly on purpose she ignored Sinbad's own statement; a sad but fond expression gracing her features as she did so. Sinbad tensed visibly upon what she said, the fact that this girl seemed to know exactly what was going on in the people around her still unsettling him somewhat.

"They trust that we will guard them, believe in the power they think we have. But all we can do is pray; support the keeper in their task."
While he could tell from how quiet her voice sounded that the priestess had lingered at the gates till then, Sinbad sensed how she came closer now, her even and almost soundless steps leading her to the statues that flanked the entrance. As soon as she reached the one to his very left, she halted and lifting a hand she traced the lines on the white granite with her delicate fingers.
"You still believe it is magic you need", she then suddenly spoke, her eyes lying on the lithic creature alone. "Still think that the spell she used was just meant to grant you access to these powers for such a short amount of time. Think that she should be here while you are so sure that she is not."

At her words, Sinbad listened up. His eyes widened and as his body tensed he turned his head ever so slightly, an expression of confusion written on his face.

The sailor didn't understand how the blonde could possibly know about what had happened these many months ago, didn't understand how the other seemed to be able to read his very mind. While something inside him cringed in anticipation of what she would say next, his gaze finally settled on her delicate form.

Her own expression was blank as obviously she contemplated his situation.
"You have no idea what she has done, have you?"

Sinbad froze. All his senses seemed to sharpen and focus on the priestess alone while her words rang through him, leaving a faint echo to linger in his mind.
What she had done.
She had cast a spell, had given him access to her magic when he had needed it so badly. She had saved him and the island that day, and gifted him with that crimson glimmer that ever since was to be seen on his rainbow-coloured bracelet whenever the same was exposed to sunshine.

"She...", he opened his mouth, let this one word escape his lips but then he fell silent.
This was all she had done. Or wasn't it?

Suddenly, as he stood there, a trace of doubt mixed with his thoughts and he felt his heart-beat quicken as he stared at the girl, waiting for and at the same dreading the truth that she would reveal to him.

"She gave so much to you; so much more than just her magic."
Chiara, whose left hand still rested on the statue's surface, didn't move albeit she could feel the sailor's questioning gaze lie on her. The priestess was well aware the meaning of what had happened, and the impact the knowledge about it could have on the sailor next to her, but she also knew just how important it was that he would understand.
Her fingers flexed for a moment, the rough sensation beneath them distracting her only for second.

"You cannot just grant another soul access to the world beyond their reach. And you cannot lend them these powers for a limited period of time either", she eventually began to explain. "Magic isn't just an object that you can trade and then take back, good captain. Your friend was bound to its laws just like any other mortal who carries it within."

Sinbad, who had tensed visibly upon her speech, drew in an audible breath at what she said. He felt his lips part slightly as he willed the question to leave his very throat. But when it did, it sounded more like a whisper than anything else.
"Which laws?", he managed to bring out, the sound of his quiet voice making Chiara tilt her head a little.

"The ones that are meant to make sure that magic stays a gift which is valued by those who possess it. The ones that make sure you don't share it with others without thought.", the young one stated calmly, her empty gaze remaining distant as she spoke. With her left hand she caressed the statue one last time before she tore apart from it and turned to the sailor completely.
"A sorcerer", she then continued, "may decide to share their magic with someone else; to give the other access to the powers they hold. But if they do so they will have to do it fully, and with the knowledge that there cannot be a way back. Once magic is being shared it cannot be returned again. The source, the very core of their abilities, will then be not only theirs to use anymore but the other one's as well. What they must be ready to share, captain, is not only the skill of spellcasting. It's their soul and their heart. It's their very essence of life. And they must be willing to give part of the same away."

By the time she had said this, the priestess' voice had dropped low, its sound emphasizing the importance of what she spoke.

"She shared with you all that she is, Sinbad. And she did so knowing she could never make it undone. Only did she not realize..."
And suddenly she halted in her words, her eyes flickering to lie on the torches' gentle flames behind them.

"What did she not realize? What's she done?"
Sinbad felt how his uneasiness grew with every minute that passed by, his worry for the one he missed so dearly finally taking the better of him. His alarmed voice was barely able to conceal the trace of panic as he questioned the young one in front of him and he frowned deeply when a small smile tugged at the corners of Chiara's lips.

"She did not know that what she would share would outreach the normal boundaries of magic for what she also gave to you was the eternal flame she carries within."

For a moment the priestess' words lingered in the warm air, their echo strangely sounding in the captain's head. Her flame. Her fire. The young man's eyes widened with unexpected realization as he remembered what had been spoken in the sacred chamber only hours before: The trace of another elemental one - the pure and holy might that belonged to the phoenix and which, as he understood now, has never really been his to reach out to in the first place.

"Maeve", he breathed and his voice almost seemed to break as her name left his lips, "She's the keeper, isn't she? She's the one who should be calling for the creature you protect?"
The sailor seemed breathless by now, his mind trying frantically to keep up with what was being revealed and seeing his own ponderings be confirmed.
Chiara's eyebrows rose a little upon the other's hasty drawing of conclusions before she shook her head softly, the smile not fading from her face as she did so.

"No, you didn't listen well, good captain. It is you. It is you the phoenix responded to, you the new moon revealed. It is your heart the creature chose to follow, you it chose to be its guardian. And it is you because, out of all souls who walk this world, you are the only one who carries both – the gentle and cool seas of the water serpent and the hot dancing flames of the phoenix itself."
With a flicker of her gaze then, Chiara paused shortly. It seemed as if she was waiting for any response of his' but when he remained silent she slowly carried on. Taking a deliberate step towards him, she lifted her chin a little and while she did so her white eyes once more locked with his own blue depths.

"Do you remember what I said about the firebird? About how dangerous it was to release its might?"
She challenged him to reply for a moment, transfixed him with those seemingly empty lights of hers. She felt him nod slightly, a bewildered I do on the brink of escaping his throat.
"The might I mentioned", she then continued without waiting for him to speak out, "the only one that could hold the firebird back – it's Water, captain. When the firebird had fought back the armies that darkness had sent out, it was the holy Serpent that curbed its rage. Without the calm seas fire would have spread to devour this world, and light along with it. This is what you have to understand, Sinbad. Water and Fire are connected to one another. As much as the burning flames need the gentle waves to keep them from destroying what they live from, as much do the cool waters need the warmth that keeps them flowing. None of the two can exist without the other. And the phoenix needs both your strengths tonight in order to survive."

The captain frowned deeply upon what he was told, a slight shiver running down his arms. For a moment he felt like touching his bracelet just as if it could steady him when he felt the world around him started spinning. Finally the events of this evening seemed to have an effect on him as he breathed heavily and tore his gaze apart.

Noticing the young man's uneasiness, Chiara leant back a little, her body now giving the perfect impression of a relaxed posture.
"It is your fate to guide it", she then stated and her voice was gentle when she spoke to him. The priestess was well aware of how the man in front of her struggled to understand what she knew was the truth, and so she granted him a moment of silence – her words melting into the dancing fires behind them as the mild night breeze kindled the torches' flames.

"But how?" It was a question that left the sailor's mouth bluntly, his lips already forming the words while they only just entered his mind. His blue eyes narrowed for a second before they opened wide again, their open stare revealing his every doubt.
"How am I supposed to use this power you are talking about? How am I to find something that up till now I didn't even know was there?"
His words were cautious, his voice dropping and resembling a whisper by the time he finished speaking. Chiara listened intently and her eyebrows furrowed a little when she heard them reach her ears.

"You didn't know it was there?", she echoed and there was the slightest hint of incredulity in her words. Almost unnoticeably she weighed her head slightly before she stepped forwards, deliberately invading the captain's personal space therewith. Her blind eyes captured his' and as she spoke, to him it seemed like she was looking straight into his soul.

"The first time I saw you, the moment you entered the temple I was able to see her fire within your heart. Her spirit is with you, whether you're aware of it or not."

Her gaze held him captive for yet another instant, her sincerity suddenly triggering a memory that he realized he had almost forgotten about.

"Sinbad", Bryn smiled at him, her warm brown eyes speaking of honesty "on our journeys I've met so many people. I have seen so many things. But never before have I felt the aura of a person be so strongly connected to another one. Believe me, captain. She is there with you."

Sinbad remembered how his friend's words had been so convincing to him back then, remembered how he had watched his bracelet glimmer as if to prove the young sorceress right. Back then he had believed to have understood what she had wanted to tell him, and it had even eased his mind. But now he had to realize that he had not been able to conceive what she had really meant, what she had truly felt, and deep down this newfound knowledge made him feel slightly nauseous.

As though Chiara had noticed the captain's brief mental absence she suddenly released him of her presence, her moving away from him yanking him out of his reverie.
"Sometimes it is amazing to me how people fail to see what is obviously there", the girl muttered while she turned to face the distant coast rather than the sailor next to her. Her gaze however still lay on him as she seemed to watch his features change while slowly she spoke on.
"Only because your eyes cannot perceive her mortal shape you believe she is not there. Only because your hands do not sense her warmth you believe you have been bereft of it. But there is so much more to this world than what is obvious to the mind, good captain." Chiara drew in a deep breath at that and her own expression softened as she tilted her head back at the statue to her left.
"My eyes have long lost their sight and yet I know you are here. The day the phoenix appeared to me they sent the last pictures to linger in my soul forever. The firebird's light will remain with me, as will his gift. I know you wonder just how I seem to be able to see even though I am blind. How I can walk around like any of you, not needing any guidance when my world should be all dark and empty. But what you ought to know is that it's not. I just don't see the same way you do. You, Sinbad, rely too much on what you think should be the truth, while really you should rely on what you feelis true. You want to know how I can see. It is the heart, captain. The heart which can lead you on unknown paths; the heart which can show you the world as it really is. And all you have to do is listen to it."

Albeit her body was still turned from him her focus had clearly returned to lie on the sailor and while she drew in a sharp breath, she once again started to watch him from the corner of her eyes. Only this time it wasn't his face her gaze fell on – it was his wrist. The bracelet which he suddenly became so keenly aware of. Unconsciously Sinbad directed his own eyes to take in the colourful surface, his shoulders tensing as he dared to follow the priestess' lead.
Concealed in the shadows of this momentous night the normally shiny metal seemed dull to him, the usually bright stone sans its brilliance. He reckoned it was due to only so little light meeting its surface but before he could even ponder on it any further something remarkable happened. Although the sun didn't shine a tiny sparkle suddenly started to hush across the bracelet's lines – just as it had these many months ago. Only so small at first it quickly grew to cover the colourful stone with a crimson shimmer completely.
Sinbad stared wide-eyed at what he saw as he tried to comprehend what a small part of him already knew the answer to. And just for once he decided to not ignore what deep down he had always hoped for but had denied himself to believe.

"You know the way, captain. You know how to reach out to her and all that she is. Her power is now a part of you. This is what you have to understand and what will lead you on your path."

Chiara's voice yet again filled the air but her words were gentle; her face covered with a sympathetic smile. Her delicate shoulders moved as if she heaved a sigh yet no sound seemed to travel the distance. And as her gaze continued to lie calmly on him, Sinbad drew in a deep breath of air. Somehow he felt he should say something to her, felt the urge to reply but as much as he wanted them to no words formed in his mind. The high-priestess had given him all the answers he had sought to get and now it was up to him to follow what she seemed so sure about he would succeed in. Unconsciously the captain brought up his right hand to let its palm cover the cool surface of his bracelet, his skin perceiving only the faintest trace of tingling warmth as it shielded his view from the glimmer that still lingered there.
Sinbad's head moved in a small nod as he signalled the young woman that he took her words seriously, their meaning being of too much importance to be doubted. For a last time he let his eyes meet with hers and as he saw the soft shadows dance across her lovely face he felt that he was more than willing to share her belief.

"Will I be told when the time has come?"

It was a needless question he knew and yet he voiced it nevertheless. Sinbad wanted to go back to the chamber the priests had set for him - maybe get a little rest before the ceremony would begin or ponder about the knowledge he had just been given – but he felt he owed it to the young woman to at least announce his leaving to her.
The high-priestess herself seemed little surprised by what he asked for and bowing to him slightly she replied: "Of course."
More she did not say but to Sinbad it seemed she knew exactly what he hoped to do and she respected his wish to be on his own just for a while.
When he sent an honest "Thank you" her way, the true denotation hidden by the simplicity of his words, the young girl stepped aside a little, showing him with this simple gesture she considered their conversation to have found its end.
Gratefully the sailor accepted her offer and with a final glance towards the lithic phoenix behind the priestess he set himself into motion, his quiet footsteps echoing between the columns that flanked the temple's entrance.

Chiara's blind eyes lay on the retreating form of the young man for just one moment more, her face showing a curious mixture of determination and fondness when suddenly she tilted her head to the right.
Unnoticed by the Nomad's captain a shadow had long settled behind them, a soul that knew better than to make its presence known. The priestess smiled warmly at the attendant, her senses having told her about his arrival the moment he had settled on top of the statue.
"Do not worry, my friend", she softly spoke to him with a voice that bore distinct honesty. Her head she then turned just a bit more and as her gaze settled on the little hawk it seemed to him like she saw what lay beneath the mortal form for she directed her words straight at his human heart.

"Your sister and him... Fire and Water might be hard to combine", she stated serenely, "But fate chose well to put those two together."