Chapter Two: Mysterious Woman in the Night
*Where am I? * She thought as she fluttered open her eyes. *Why is that girl sitting so close to me? Why am I in a bed? * She began to sit up and groaned from the aches that were left in her muscles.
Upon hearing movement and a groaning sound Amy jerked awake. "Oh, your awake!" She said as she walked over to the girl. "Here let me help you sit up. Apparently, your fever broke last night, well that's good." Amy removed her hand from the girl's forehead and then leaned forward to look into the girl's violet eyes. "Everything seems to be fine. Your eyes are not glossed over and your color has returned." Amy walked away from the girl and poured some kind of liquid into a cup and placed it in front of her. "Here drink this. So, what's your name?"
For a moment there was a bit of silence. "My name is Raye." She stated fatly, while taking the cup from Amy, "What is this?"
"Chamomile tea with honey and lemon. Now drink, it's to relax your muscles." Amy pushed the cup closer to Raye's lips. "There are clothes on the chair here for you, they might be a bit big but they are definitely warmer than what you were wearing. When you've finished just sit in front of the fire. I'll be back in a little bit." Amy then left Raye to her own devices.
Raye drank the tea and dressed. She was unaccustomed to clothes but the blue haired girl was right she was warmer. She moved to the fire and there she sat staring into the flames.
The minutes passed and as Raye looked into the fire she began to see pictures of people she didn't know. Her black/violet hair began to fluff as she stuck out her hand and called a dancing flame to her. Being alone she was unafraid to call upon her magic.
She watched the flame dance in her palm. Her violet eyes dancing while watching her flame. She felt connected with fire and never knew why.
"I've never seen a dancing flame before. How do you do it?" Serena asked from behind the chair as she looked over Raye's shoulder.
Raye let her magic flame fade and turned to face Serena wide eyed. Fearful that this blonde haired girl would cast her out because of whom she was. But then Raye remembered her as the one who opened the door.
Flashback"Amy come quick!" Serena shouted as she closed the door. "Bring a blanket and wake my father."
Amy still in her barrowed nightclothes, shuffled down the stairs with Serena's father and blanket in tow.
"Let's get her to a room and cover her." Serena's father took the blanket from Amy and wrapped up the girl. "Some one is going to have to stay with her, to be sure to keep her warm." He said as he picked up the bundle and began to clime the stairs.
"I'll do it, and Amy can help." Serena walked ahead and opened the door to Amy's guest room. Serena pulled back the covers and her father laid down his burden. He then turned and whispered something to Serena, kissed her forehead and left the room.
"What did he say?" Amy asked.
"To use my magic to help her recover. Amy, please use your gift to heat some water and bring it here." Serena sat on the bed and saw that the girl was conscience. "Don's worry everything will be fine." She smiled and turned to take the steaming water and cloth from Amy. Serena began to bath the girl's forehead. "Mother goddess of us all, hear my call. With this water let me cleanse the illness that lies within." She stopped for a moment and concentrated. Soon her power spread and encompassed the girl.
Serena felt weak, she told Amy to watch for any change in status and then left the room herself.
End of Flashback"I remember you. You have magic like me, right?" Raye asked.
"Well not actually, I have magic but I am much stronger than you and Amy both. Amy has magic just like you, only her magic is connected with water. So how about you answering my question. How do you work with fire like that?" Serena asked as she took a set across from Raye.
"I don't know really, the gypsy woman who found me doesn't know either. But she did say, 'your gift will change the world and one day you will met a kind and gentle man who will love you.' I've always been connected with fire, the gypsy woman helped me to learn to control my magic, but that was it." Raye looked down at her hands and then turned to the fire again.
"Something happened to her didn't it?" Amy asked as she sat on the floor beside Raye's chair.
"She died about a year ago. Ever since then I've been wondering from town to town. Cast out as soon as my magic was discovered. But you were the first that has shown me kindness and I thank you for that." Raye looked from Amy and nodded her head in thanks to Serena.
Serena was taken aback for a moment. She never realized that the world outside could be so cruel. All her life she had been sheltered from the world and now she was finally realizing what she would be facing. "I never realized that people were so cruel, but if you lived with the gypsy why didn't you stay with your…err…clan?" Serena asked as she brought over some tea for each of the girls.
"I wanted to stay but something else pulled me away. I knew I wasn't meant to be with the clan. Like I was suppose to met some one who would be my life long friend.
I have a sense that no one else has. I have the ability to see parts of the future and the present in the flames of a fire. The last time I did a fire reading I saw the figure of a woman and a man and I knew that I was to meat them some day. It was then that I began to travel after the gypsy woman's death. It was then that I also realized that the world was a cruel place to be in when you have magic." Raye took a sip pf her tea and remained silent.
"I know, I know…" Amy said as she looked up at Raye.
Serena had no idea, but she was beginning to understand why her father found it so important to move. "Well, Raye I have a proposal for you. Because you have nowhere to go you are welcome to stay with me. If you chose to leave please remember that you are welcome to stay here if you ever travel back this way." Serena stood and walked to the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have to see to the lunch and my horse. I'll be back soon."
Raye sat silently with Amy for a few minutes before she moved to the window on the far side of the room. "Serena is so nice and I feel as if I've known her before this life time." Raye sighed as she watched Serena walk in to the stables below.
"I felt the same way when I met her. Its as if we were destined to be friends. Serena has a way of understanding people. The day we knew we were to be friends for life was the day when she gave me this." Amy was standing next to Raye and held out the wrist that her bracelet was on.
Amy's bracelet was made of silver and sapphire stones had been placed into each link between the silver. "For some one like me, I should not wear such jewelry. But because of my magic I can change its true form." As Amy finished the bracelet began to change. It changed form silver to blue ribbon and a lone small stone of sapphire hung from the ribbon. "See, now you know that Serena and myself hold magic."
When Serena returned Raye told her that she had decided to stay. As the days turned into weeks Serena slowly decided and realized that it was time to let Raye into her circle.
As they entered the forest Serena asked Raye to make a vow of silence just as Amy had. Raye having no doubts obliged quickly. As they entered the clearing Serena began to feel the same weakness that she had felt when she first brought Amy. Taking her purse from her belt she opened it to find a bracelet glowing as red as blood.
She motioned for Raye to come forward. As Raye walked forward Serena spoke the spell that released Raye's full powers as she clasped the bracelet onto her wrist. Raye asked the same questions that Amy and Serena answered her quickly and quietly.
As Amy hugged Raye in congratulations all three at the sound of a scream. "What was that?" Serena asked as she gathered her skirts and began to run toward the road, leaving Raye and Amy trailing behind.
Rounding the corner of the trail that met the road she stopped. A monster larger than life was attacking a tall athletic built girl, who seemed to be holding her own against the creature. Because Serena was behind the creature she had a chance to attack it by surprise.
"By moonlight and fire, destroy this creature as it is my desire." As Serena pointed her hand toward the creature, a white flame (almost as if a volcano on the moon had erupted) shot from the palm of her hand straight at the monster's heart. Howling in pain the monster turned half way around before it crumbled into dust.
Serena stared for a moment before she passed out and fell to the ground.