A SMALL BREAK

"Aye you've had a long day." Siefoth carefully picked up his niece from the wooden balcony. "Time to get you some place warm." She began to shiver in his arms; her sopping wet hair a dangling mass of black around her face.

"It's alright, Aariah. You did well We're going to help you now." Amirie had followed her husband no more than a minute later. She closed the door behind them and lit the way back to the house with the torch she brought.

Siefoth placed Aariah onto her bed and quietly left the room. Amirie carefully took her niece out of her wet clothes and into some warm blankets. The blankets had come from the warming area and so were toasty now even though the fires had just been rekindled. At that, Amirie also took her leave.

Aariah slept uneasily. Her ability to control more than one elemental was being tested. Both air and water were within her and on their own are rather strong. It almost seemed as if they did not appreciate eachother's close company. But they were there, and had to cope within the power that Aariah maintained.

Amirie checked in periodically on her sleeping niece, making sure everything was all right. She understood that the power from two elemental beings must be hard to control and thus, Aariah must rest. But this rest worried Amirie, for it seemed almost an eternal slumber.

Several days passed before there was a flicker in Aariah's eyes and they opened. She stayed there rather silent and unmoving. In fact, it took the slight creaking of the door and Amirie's quiet cough to bring her aware that she was awake.

"Aariah?" Amirie tried quietly, as she had always done when she entered the room.

"" Aariah could hardly tell her voice was answering.

"Are you awake this time?" Amirie was still in a hushed tone.

"Yes I believe I am" she turned her head towards her aunt, "And how are you? Did my capturing cause any disturbance in--"

"It did actually" Amirie smiled and sat at the desk. "But I was able to handle it and yes, I am fine." She sighed, "I'm more worried about you, my dear, for your troubled sleep lasted quite a while are you alright?"

Aariah looked at her aunt strangely, "Yes, I feel well how long have I been asleep?"

"Four days" Amirie answered.

Aariah's eyes widened, "Four days?" she received a nod from her aunt in confirmation. "I I feel like it has only been but a few hours!" Aariah looked rather confused.

"It's their strength, Aariah, the strength of your elemental beings held within you. They are tapping into and testing your own strength, making sure that you can handle them"

There was a long and uneasy pause, for neither of them could think of something else to say. But then Aariah began to worry, "Auntie Amirie? Where am I to go next? And what elemental should I go after now? Fire? Wood? I have no idea what my path is to be!"

"Well" Amirie thought about this like a mother to a child, "perhaps you should figure out which elemental is most weakened by the powers that you hold What will be the easier fight?"

Aariah thought quietly to herself before answering, "Fire? Would that not be the most susceptible to my strengths of air and water? For wood lives off from air and water so fire must be the one most affected" She was now thinking aloud.

"Then take that as your choice, and follow what you think is pulling you." She consoled.

"Yes I suppose that would be best" She began to think about the easiest way to locate a fire elemental. The directional spell would help at lest. "I shall start making plans to go then. I don't want to hesitate if for some reason it may cost me."

There was a long pause, "You're hesitating right now aren't you?" Amirie saw the shock on Aariah's face, "because you're unsure you're not quite sure what's going on, or how to deal with it, but you're not willing to let that show and you hope to know what to do when you get there Correct?" Amirie knew she had hit the nail on the head when Aariah's eyes lowered submissively.

"I I don't want to lose" she admitted.

"Lose what? You may have gained much, my dear, but I know you will lose nothing." With that, Amirie would not let Aariah speak and promptly left the room.

Aariah sat quietly contemplating what she was going to do. She knew she had to leave soon at least, for that would make it easier on her relatives. But when will she go? After several minutes of wondering while she got dressed, she decided she could at least know the direction she was to head.

She carefully placed the candle on to the floor and took her pendant off. "I call upon my own might, to release the staff of my right!" Once again the dagger lengthened itself in front of her and she grasped it firmly. Then, holding it just above the candle she closed her eyes and began the locating spell, "Either East, West, South or North; I am in search of something to me it's worth; I am in search of Fire" this try she didn't waste any time wondering if it was going to work. When she let go of the staff, she could almost feel it move from her fingers and hear it whip into place. She opened her eyes and sure enough, the staff and candle flame were flat horizontal and pointing their tops towards the Southward direction of Mataria. "Mataria?" she wondered aloud.