THEN CAME WATER

"Can you believe it, Siefoth?" Amirie asked her husband while they were at the bar counter. "Our little niece whom we've known for years is actually becoming an owner of the elements."

Siefoth nodded his head slowly, "Yes, she is becoming much more than what her parents had hoped."

"It's too bad It's too bad they're not around anymore. I'm sure they'd be proud of her." Amirie thought aloud.

"Well, her teacher did raise her well, my wife. There's no doubt in my mind, that if the situation had been different, she would not be the owner of an element right now." Siefoth reminded.

"That is true." Amirie was about to continue agreeing with her husband when she noticed Aariah taking a seat at the bar counter. Amirie leaned around her husband, "Aariah, how did your session go? Did you find which direction the water elemental is?"

One of the other bartenders passed her a short, round mug of wine. "Well," she sighed, "I followed everything by the letter." She sipped her wine, tasting it slowly, "And not a single thing happened." She set down her mug after a second sip.

"What do you mean, my dear?" Siefoth turned.

"Well, the staff was suppose to point in the direction of the elemental" she sipped the wine, "It just didn't move" another sip "not a single twitch, not a single twinge. Just stick-strait up is all it did or didn't for that matter." She swirled the dark liquid around in her mug and watched it ripple about.

"What do you think went wrong?" Amirie continued with the questions.

"I don't know!" Aariah said a little too harshly. She placed her hands flat on the counter and stopped the wash of anger that was about to break. "I tried. I worked by the book and word for word It just didn't work" She sighed and this time swigged her wine. "I guess I guess, I'm just out of energy I'm too tired to to do anything, I guess." She paused while her aunt and uncle did the same. "I'm going to sleep. I'll take a rest and get the energy I need" She downed the last of her wine, "then, I'll try it again Just. One. More. Time"

"Alright that is a good idea, Aariah Get some rest. You shouldn't rush things." Amirie consoled.

"I shouldn't rush things" Aariah puffed a laugh and smiled slightly, "I should have remembered that from him my teacher I should have thought of that first and always." She looked at her relatives, "Good night, I shall hopefully get a better idea -- and result -- at a later hour."

"Good night my dear." Amirie acknowledged.

"Sleep peacefully." Siefoth added.

Aariah wandered off to her room, tired from the frustration the event had caused her. She shuffled into her nightgown and tugged out her leather hair tie. However, she did not blow out her candle, instead, she lay back on her bed, resting her head on her folded hands. She looked around the room and heard the quiet whisper of water moving. It had been a wonderful idea of her aunt's to round the ceilings. That way, the condensation of water would flow harmlessly down the rock wall behind the wooden panels. Of course the panels were spaced away from the stone, so as not to get wet. She remembered how her aunt had once told her how the water then drained into a reservoir below the whole facility. This condensation was of course from the heat that flowed throughout the facility and also from the living inhabitants that blew their moist breath. Aariah saw the candlelight flicker faintly off from the moist and rippled surface of the stone.

"That's it!" Aariah cried as she realized her mistake. "The reservoir!" she quickly grabbed her pendant and ran down to her aunt's living room. "Auntie Amirie!? Auntie Amirie, I know where the elemental is!"

Her aunt shuffled in from the door to the bar, "My child, hush! Do you wish for my patrons to know?" She bustled up to her niece. "I saw someone who may or may not be a magic user He may want to take your elemental."

Aariah paused, "I understand" She drew her aunt away from the inn, farther back into her home. "Is there a way to get down to your reservoir?"

"Is that where it is? Is that where Water is?" Amirie could barely keep her enthusiasm to a whisper.

"Yes, I believe so So how can I get down there?" Aariah pushed.

"There is a ladder in the back of my home go down it and at the bottom there is a hall. At the end of the hall is the reservoir. I use it in case I run out of water for boiling." Amirie told her.

"Thank you, my aunt. I shall be back shortly with the elemental in my possession." Aariah quickly went to the back of Amirie's home. After some searching, she found the hidden door that revealed the descending ladder. She quickly hopped onto it and shut the door behind her. Unfortunately, this action cut off her only light. Through the dark, she found each step and slowly inched her way down.

Aariah was unsure exactly how long it took her to reach the bottom, nor how far down she went. All she knew was that she hit direct stone beneath her, ending the monotonous climbing. Carefully, she checked the walls to find the tunnel she needed to follow. Opposite of the ladder she found it, narrow and low. She again slowly followed her aunt's word and trailed her way down the invisible tunnel.

"Oof!" Aariah puffed when she collided with a wooden door. She slowly released the latch, and found that the door was almost sealed to the stone. She had to pull rather hard to get it open, but understood that this was waterproofing should there be too much water right? Finally, in a big whoosh, the door swung open revealing a round torch lit room. There was but little floor. A small wooden balcony of sorts hung over the dark depths of the massive well-like reservoir. She stepped out onto the balcony and looked up. Above her was a tall shaft that ended in several holes, both on its end and on its sides. Beside her were the torches, one on each end of the balcony.

Aariah looked down and gasped. Below her were the inky depths of this massive reservoir swirling unnaturally like a whirlpool. A lone bucket hanging on a rope was desperately dancing on the surface before it was sucked into the center. It was not long before the rope snapped, dooming the bucket to the bottom of the dark depths.