Aether Winds

Chapter nineteen- Simply Magic

By- IceWind

A/N:

This is my first fanfic for The Protector of the Small books by Tamora Pierce. The names, places, things, ect, all are credited to her. The word Aether goes to Juliet E. McKenna, but the way I use it and the gem idea is all mine. This fanfic is set in an alternate universe. I.E: Joren is NOT dead, Cleon and Kel are not together (hehe), and other incidents that have I messed up on and don't feel like making it exactly like the book. Please REVIEW *grins* and as long as its not flames on how Kel and Cleon should be together or something of that trivial nature, flames are fine. This story is PG-13 for anything that might come up lol.

IceWind: *hums* This story is getting rather long lol. I have about 5-10 chapters left… and that's an estimate, so I might go above… I know I won't go below 5 though. ^.^;;

Raen: *pads up and whines* You gotta hurry!

IceWind: *rolls her eyes and mumbles something about impatient people* I'm trying! Anyway… let's just say that this chapter is rather interesting… *smirks*

Xelena: *sweatdrop* I love writing them but I hate reading them… *shrugs* It helps me to remember what I have to do next chapter, so the answer is… probably not.

Dream Wind: *blinkies* Yeah lol, though it's not really like SM… ^.^;; For one thing, Kel and Joren wear sensible outfits when they go out and fight, not miniskirts and high heels *suddenly falls over laughing of the idea of Joren in one of the SM outfits* Oh don't get me wrong, I like SM… lol.

Serenity: They won't stay very long, I really have to get this story moving along… And yes, Raen is coming with them; he won't go anywhere without Kel remember?

Rhysati: *grins* It's okay, you're here now aren't you? And Kel's lineage… she's half elf, half-human and comes from the world of Medea to Tortall because of an incident a long time ago. She's younger then the current elf queen because… *trails off* You'll find out in this chapter lol.

Marek: *gives a silent groan* (2) I know, I know… *sighs* I'll try, don't worry… if you want I'll go place some bad guy in front of her for her to kill and save Joren with okay? Lol (3) She's not bonded to the elves lol… they're her family! I know I kinda over did it *understatement* And the horses could have been left out… but think of it as a stage I went through! Hehe, I promise no more… well except one 'cause it's already moving into place. If you want I'll kill off some bonds for you *cheeky grin* (4) Err… sorry about that, I happen to like writing cliffhangers and my reason for them is with the message I gave to Serenity lol. (5) *pouts* Goof up… I'll get him shot with an arrow or something! ^.^;;

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Joren walked out the door casually, debating to himself whether or not he should tell the others about that gem he just received. They others were standing before him, all the others indifferent except for Kel who looked at him inquisitively. He just raised a brow in return, asking in a cool voice, "What Mindelan?"

She looked at him with confusion, isn't he going to say why he was in there for such a long time? Her hazel brown eyes looked him over carefully, searching for anything that might be off or different about him, he looks the same…

He rolled his eyes, saying with a smirk playing on his face, "Like what you see?" He looked amused, watching her blush a slight red. As she opened her mouth to retort, he cut her off swiftly, brushing back a piece of hair, "I'm fine, nothing happened… well except for the fact I got one of those gem things all the other elves have." With that, he casually raised his chain, showing the ice blue gem with different colored lights swirling in side, acting as if it wasn't a big deal.

Arylanth and Elladon looked stunned at the sight of the gem, while Raen seemed to smirk, as if he had known it all along. He pricked up his ears, his mind-voice distinctly arrogant, I knew the boy would receive one, it was very obvious to me At the confused looks pinned on him, he seemed to become even more arrogant in his stance, I'm not telling you more then that He seemingly pranced to Kel's side, nudging her hand with his nose, Mistress… let us go to the meeting room. Arylanth shall explain the rest of everything there He ignored the glare the elf queen pinned on his form.

Kel gave a slight nod, shooting a puzzled look towards Joren and his gem, I feel… warm slightly, I think it's Joren's energy… how strange. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, giving a slightly strained smile towards them all, "I think Raen's right… we have to talk." She gave a questioning look towards Arylanth, eyes slightly uncertain.

The elf queen seemed to shake out of her stupor, giving a slight smile at her aunt, "Of course Auntie, the meeting room is this way…" She grab Elladon's arm and tugged him after her, acting like a small child for once. Her thoughts were much more serious though; He got one… so that mean's that it's definite then. She gave a secret smile towards Joren and Kel, a thoughtful look in her gaze, He better be nice…

~

They seated themselves comfortably in the room. It was a large room, with an round oak table in the center, chairs surrounding it. Stately furnishings adorned the room, giving it a dignified air. The chairs were also made of oak, designed with scenes from nature carved on their sides. The room was in pale green and ivory; everything blended together smoothly, giving it a nice look.

"So…" Kel trailed off, looking around the table. At her side sat Joren and on her other side Raen was sitting, looking comical in the chair. She gave a sheepish smile at them all, fixing her gaze on Arylanth, calm down Mindelan… I am like stone… Finally she spoke, her voice steady and deadly serious, "Can you explain everything else now?"

Joren fixed on the elves a mild glare, they have been dodging everything long enough, it's time for them to start talking. He said in a brisk and uncompromising tone, "Why is Kel your aunt? Do you know how much older you are then her?" he was vaguely aware that he was slightly insulting, "What is aetheric magic exactly and how the hell do we get home?!" As was expected, he sounded pissed off, his glare getting more pointed by the minute.

Raen also looked at the elves, his gaze serious, It is time for the rest of the answers Queen Arylanth, King Elladon… it is better for them to find out now His ears were pricked up towards the nervous duo, My Mistress is getting rather worried about getting back to 'Tortall'

The elf queen gave a soft chuckle, her eyes apologetic, "Maybe… yes, I'll explain how you could be my aunt, Auntie" She gave a slight smile, musing over the question, thinking how to explain it so that they could all understand it clearly. "Time is not definite, between worlds or dimensions it flows differently." A wry smile appeared, "The time in our world flows much faster then it does in your world Auntie, even with elves long lives, which are due to the gems just to let you know, your world time flows much slower then ours. I estimate that in total, so far you only missed several minutes…"

Kel gaped at the elf queen, for once dumb struck by the information, "Only several minutes?! That's impossible…" She glanced down at her white gem in thought, trying to calm herself down and present herself professionally, "And that means I'm going to live a very long life then too? With Joren and Raen?" She wouldn't forget Raen… or Joren. They too had the gems, though Raen was a hizar.

Elladon gave a nod, now speaking instead of his queen; his voice was smooth and sure, "Yes… Raen is a hizar, they are notoriously long lived, and since Joren has a gem now, he to will live a long time. Unless you die an unnatural death, be it by wounds and such."

Joren seemed slightly stunned by the news, though he strived to put on his regular emotionless face, "Are you telling me that we will live longer then the rest of our family and… friends?" He gave a slight frown, ice blue eyes in deep thought. That's not really comforting… rather disquieting really. Not that I have many friends... He glanced towards Kel, feeling tension rise from her, Kel…

"I think that's what they're telling us," Kel's voice was low and slightly troubled, "I think… that we should think more about that later Joren," for whatever reason, she thought to include Joren in the sentence, "How about the rest of our questions now?" She tried to block out the thought of living longer then anyone else out of her mind, refusing to dwell on it until necessary.

Arylanth gave a nod, after some concerned looks from her to the two humans… well one human and one half elf, half human, "Do you wish to know about aetheric magic now Auntie?" Her voice was questioning, watching her aunt protectively. Time was running short, everything was starting to fall into place, she just hoped that everyone would come out alive.

With a slight nod Kel sighed softly, eyes troubled, "Yes… I think I should know. When I wished us here, why couldn't I wish us back? I tried every night so far… nothing has worked," she was dimly aware of the surprised look Joren had on his face at her last sentence before it went away quickly. I wonder if I was the only one who saw that.

"You couldn't wish yourself back because aetheric magic is not an endless source of power that just flows through you," Arylanth paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts, "It is like the wind, not the tide and flow. Sometimes the magic is low and sometimes its high, but at random intervals. We cannot predict when it will be low or high or just medium for long periods of time. Only in the near future." She gave a slight smile at all the confused looks Kel and Joren were giving her, "Think of aetheric magic as the wind, it dies down and then flares right back up, but it never completely disappears does it?" She gave an approving nod at Kel's look of understanding, "Of course that part only holds true for the aetheric magic. You also have all the other kinds in you Auntie and they do not change." There was confusion again, Arylanth had to hold back a laugh, "Your gem is white because you have predominately aetheric magic, but aetheric magic is also made up of all the other magic, of course with a big add on in abilities and power. Understand?"

She gave a nod, thoughts whirling around in her head at lightening speeds, "So when can we go home?" She had a hint of longing in there; I really miss everyone… Not to mention Joren and I would have to report to the king about all that we have done and seen so far. "And what does Joren's gem mean?"

Joren looked over at her, tilting his head slightly to the side, little wisps of hair falling across his forehead, "It's supposed to be a ice, fire, psy sort of deal. That's what the dead queen told me anyway." He smirked at the fact that he was acting rude again, not that I care. Casually, he leaned back against the chair, watching the entire table digest the news.

With a startled look, Arylanth tried to think that statement over, ice, fire and psy!? What are the gods planning for us now? "I… He can control those three powers, I do not know how strong he'll be in it though… we're going to have to train you both to use the fullest extent of your powers." Suddenly it seemed as if she remembered the first part of her aunts question, "Oh, and in a couple of days, that's when your power would be at it's fullest once again."

He gave her a glare, training… and felt himself give a slight sneer, "Training? We do not have enough time to train! Fuck this, I know it would take longer then a couple of days to finish training us, it would probably take years!" Ice blue eyes looked angrily around the table, his voice low and cold, "We are going back to Tortall in two days."

Kel rolled her eyes, her voice laced with amusement, "Really Joren, I think that they know that…" she trailed off and gave the rest of them a hard glare, very similar to what Joren was wearing, "Right?"

Why do I feel like I'm about to cringe? Arylanth gave a nervous smile at the duo, nodding her head, "No you are going back in two days! Really Auntie! The training shouldn't last more then a couple of hours… it's what all elves have to go through when they reach the age of 75… but you'll just have to do it now I suppose." She gave them both a winning smile, trying to lessen the tension.

Raen suppressed a chuckle, dark eyes amused as he watched over the scene. He knew that the elves had some way of teaching their kind on how to use magic quickly, but he never figured out what it was and how quickly. Interesting…

Joren continued to give the elves a stony glare while Kel spoke for them both, "It's not going to hurt is it?" Her voice held slight caution, "How can anything teach us that fast?" This magic the elves have… well Joren and me to, has me tying myself into knots. It's confusing and there always seems to be more to confuse myself with.

Arylanth gave a nod, speaking rapidly in reassuring tones, "No, no it won't hurt at all! You will just get the memories of past elves who will teach you everything they know about the gems in a compressed time frame." She paused, "Auntie will have the memory of the only elf to have a silver gem before her and Joren shall just have to have three separate memories for his training."

With a smile, Kel nodded her head, "So… are we going to get those memories soon?" She gave a smile, "We could do it tomorrow we have plenty of time then." She was much calmer now, more secure in the fact that they'll actually be able to get home now.

"No…" at the confused looks Kel, Joren, and Raen shot her, Arylanth gave a triumphant smile, "You'll have to do it today Auntie! We're holding a ball for you tomorrow!" At Kel's slightly horrified look, she seemed to falter for a bit, "Really Auntie, I had to! All the elves knew about your coming and they all wanted to meet you. It's hard to get elves excited, but once they do then POW!"

Wide eyes tracked the elf queen's words and movements with her hands. At the last part, her fist slammed into her other hand as she said 'pow', making their eyes even wider. Disbelieving looks ringed the table, making the queen color and grin at them all feebly.

Finally Joren broke the short silence that followed the queen's statement, his voice low and drawling, "So your telling me that Kel has to show up at some elf ball of yours?" He looked vaguely amused, toying for a brief time an idea of what she looked like in a dress. What the hell am I thinking? He subtly shook his head to clear it of any weird thoughts.

Arylanth gave a slight nod, a nervous smile on her face, "Not only Auntie actually Joren… but you as well."

"What?!" He leveled a glare in her direction, before asking in a cool, tightly controlled voice, "Why?"

Kel swallowed back a chuckle, hazel brown eyes warmly amused by the entire conversation. She watched Joren glare at Arylanth, wonder if I should call her my niece… nah, it would be much to weird. She propped herself up with an elbow, leaning against it as she watched the exchange, I would be mad about the ball thing, but I can't do anything about it can I? She heaved a mental sigh.

"Well… they would like to see the one that has been traveling with my Aunt… and they would doubly want to meet you since you got one of those," Arylanth pointed across the table to where his gem was hanging, "They would be fascinated by it."

He gave a scowl and shot a quick glance at Kel, damn… she seems to enjoy this, he looked back at the queen and said in a cold tone, "Only if Kel wears a dress." He smirked at that statement, it wasn't bloody likely she would and that meant that he wouldn't have to go. Oh, contrary to what many people might think about him, he disliked going to those idiotic social events where nothing but flirting gets done.

"Done!" she quickly said, a grin on her face. Arylanth gave a proud smile, ignoring the stunned look Kel gave her. Now… the hard part done… She turned and looked at Kel, giving her best pleading look towards her, "Please Auntie? Wear a dress, just this once?" Silently she noticed that Kel was on the verge of saying no and pressed on, "Please? It would mean so much to the elves that you look your best…"

Kel's eyes widened, looking like a deer caught in headlights, should I? I really don't… but… oh fuck- she gave a defeated sigh and nodded, "Okay…." She groaned softly at the delighted look on Arylanth's face.

Joren gave her a slightly stunned look, actually leaving it on for a couple of seconds before striving to put on a blank mask of indifference, What the hell? Damn Kel and her sense of duty. His stream of thought continued on with plenty of profanity.

Arylanth gave a smug smile and stood up from the table, pushing back her chair, "Well, since the ball's tomorrow, let's go to the memory chamber today!" She smiled and began to walk out, calling over her shoulder, "Don't worry, it's much different from the psy tower!"

The rest of them held back a sigh as they followed the elf queen out of the room, towards where ever she was currently leading them.

~

They arrived at a different kind of door this time, much more plain then the one that held the psy tower. It was of a plain brown wood, but it seemed to be intricately carved with many figures and images, they seemed to move and come alive. A stag bounded across a short span of wood, while some dogs bayed at its heels. A running waterfall was seen with little salmon jumping up through it. It was simple yet elaborate at the same time, exquisite.

Kel looked at the door with delight, a smile appearing on her lips, "That's wonderful…" she trailed off, watching with amusement as she saw a rabbit jump over a rock and run head first into a moving tree. The little thing looked dazed for a moment before getting back onto its feet and bounding away in high leaps.

Arylanth gave a soft chuckle, murmuring softly, "I used to love watching this door when I was younger. All of it constantly changing, moving, never becoming dull. Grand master elf carver Grandell, hundreds of years ago, spent decades carving it, infusing power into it." She raised a hand and lightly stroked a young walking dog. The dog actually raised its head to be scratched under its chin, "But… we should start, who shall go first? Auntie or Joren?"

Hesitating, Kel gave a glance over to Joren, seeing his mounting caution with a sigh. Her hands twisted a part of her tunic, betraying her nervousness, as she asked, "We have to go in one at a time? Why?"

Elladon gave a slight smile, answering Kel for his queen, "It's the nature of the room. You shall see out of the memory giver eyes, and examine their minds. There can only be one person receiving each training or else it won't work. Your sense of time is distorted and you assimilate information in a very rapid pace. Arylanth and I have been through it remember…"

Kel sighed, I really don't want to go in there first… but it's only Joren and me. Her eyes expressed her uneasiness as she spoke, "I'll-" She was quickly cut off by Joren.

"I'll go first," he gave a slight smirk, ignoring his inner confusion, Why did I do that? Say that for Kel? She looked so uneasy… He strode over towards the door and quickly opened it, walking inside before he could betray his own nervousness.

She stared at the closing door in slight shock; eyes widened slightly, Joren… Unbeknownst to her, a small smile curved on her lips as she waited, ignoring any fear for him.

~

Joren looked around the room, eyes expressing some slight confusion. It was a room full of a mirror like substance, it did not seem as if it were separate mirrors placed in a room, all around; instead it looked as if the entire room was just one gigantic mirror. He walked carefully towards the other end, as if afraid to break the substance under his feet that were the same as the walls, reaching out and lightly touching the glass, seeing his reflection perfectly in it.

Light suddenly swirled behind him, and seeing it in the reflection, he whirled around, hand pulling out his ebony dagger with surprising swiftness. He stared, nonplused, as the light formed into three separate beings, three separate elves. Two of them were men, the other a woman, and each held around their necks gems of the colors ice blue, red, and purple. He watched them through narrowed eyes, his grip tightening as they began to speak in unison.

"We shall not hurt you for that is not why you are here. You are here to receive training from us, in your unique powers and abilities. Remember young one, what we shall show you may not be the full extent of your abilities, that you must find out for yourself." With those words, the elf with the red gem stepped forward and the other two backed away slightly.

He stretched out his hand, eyes a stormy red as he intoned, "Take my hand young one, the connection works better if you do it our way." He gave no reason or explanation why, not trying to cajole Joren into taking his hand, just demanding in an imperious way.

Joren gave a slight glare, one part of him wanting to bolt towards the door… he gave a glance around, fuck! It disappeared! He grimaced, knowing that there was only one choice that he could make. Coolly, he slid back his dagger into an arm sheath; reaching out and clasping the red elf's hand firmly, eyes locked with him to show that he was not in the least bit afraid.

The red elf gave a slight smile that could be interpreted as either amusement or approval as red colored light swirled around them both, embracing them in its power. The mirrors in the room started to change, reflecting the man's memories and skills, planting them into Joren's head at an incredible speed.

Suddenly it was all over, the mirrors suddenly back to their smooth silver color, the red elf withdrawing his hand. Joren looked around wildly and staggered slightly, clutching his head as the information sorted itself and was stored away. The pain suddenly disappeared as everything fell into place and he breathed a quiet sign of relief, looking back up at the three elves. His eyes expressed some trouble in them as he strove to remain calm.

The purple elf gave a soft affectionate smile at Joren, her purple eyes seeing as if into the deepest crevice of his soul. She stepped forward now as the other two stepped back and silently held out her hand, eyes imploring him to take it.

He looked at her hesitantly and reached out, silently dreading this encounter. The skill assimilation wasn't the easiest process to go through, it made you feel as if you were overwhelmed, as if you couldn't do anything to stop and you wanted it to stop… oh you wanted it to stop. It felt as if you were trying to shove a bag of grain, all at the same time, through a small hole hundreds of times smaller then the amount of grain. It was not a pleasant experience.

As soon as they clasp hands, the room once again changed and became more then it seemed to be. If the red elf's power felt hot and dangerous to touch, the purple elf's power was sly and tricky, concealing many things under its rather pretty demeanor. It felt even worse this time; his mind already raw from his previous training was once again battered with more information. He just gritted his teeth and stolidly tried to ignore the pain until it was all over.

He gave another soft sigh as it was over, his hands once again clutching his head. This time though, the pain lasted longer and was more intense, little black dots dancing in his eyes. He gave a soft growl and shook his head to clear it, waiting until the pain faded and he felt some semblance of normality until he looked up.

When he did, he saw the ice blue elf in front of him this time, the other two a slight distance away. This elf seemed to radiate coldness and stability, a sense of power about him. He calmly held out his hand, eyes expressionless as he waited for Joren to right himself.

Joren gave a slight glare at the elf, straightening abruptly; do I look like him when I'm around others? He relaxed suddenly, as if determined to look unconcerned as he reached out and clasp the other man's hand in his.

It was worse this time, much, much worse. The purple elf had tried to ease his pain slightly, by slowing down the rate of information a little bit, but the ice blue elf seemed to not care and overwhelmed his mind with information. Joren tried to cling to consciousness; his eyes set with determination. As abruptly it started, it ended just as swiftly and the ice blue elf stood back, watching impassively as Joren stumbled to the ground.

Joren looked up from his haze of pain as he heard them begin to talk in unison to him once more, trying to focus on their words as he concentrated on keeping the pain away.

"You are not bad human, you may be worthy of what the gods bestowed upon you."

He suddenly thought of many nasty little comments to throw at the trio, and would have done so if the pain hadn't been so overwhelming. He just gave an icy glare at them all, silently gaining more control over the power.

"Use the power well, never for evil, always for good. Take care of our little sister." And with that, the elves disappeared in shades of light, vanishing quickly from Joren's senses. The door suddenly appeared again when they were completely gone, as if it never left in the first place.

Little sister? Joren stumbled towards the door and pulled it opened, suddenly wanting to get out quickly, even if he wasn't fully composed. Kel… it's Kel they were talking about.

~

Kel was pacing in front of the door, a slight frown on her face as she waited for Joren to come out impatiently, "It has already been three hours! What happened to Joren?" She looked slightly annoyed, and even more worried, her steps quickening.

Raen looked at her in amusement, his dark blue eyes soft as he watched her progress, It takes longer for some to assimilate the information I suppose. Besides, the boy is a human and that room was designed for elves, it may be some of the reason why he is taking long He sat down patiently across from her, watching her movements calmly.

Suddenly the door was yanked open and the person in question stumbled through it, slamming into Kel and knocking them both to the floor. She froze, eyes widen slightly as she stared nose to nose into Joren's eyes. Goddess… for once his defenses seemed to be down and she glimpsed for just a second some unreadable emotion in his eyes mingled with tiredness.

Joren looked down at her in shock, so close… His gaze trailed down from her eyes to her lips and just stared at it for a second, wondering idly if she tasted the same as before, sweet like chocolate… What the fuck am I thinking about? He jerked his gaze away and abruptly got up, looking away from Kel as he tried to get back his composure.

She blinked in confusion before a light blush appeared on her cheeks. Kel also got up and shook her head as if to clear it, looking at Joren, wondering silently what was wrong with him. "Are you okay?" her voice held slight tones of worry in it.

He looked at her calmly now, vaguely aware that the two elves and hizar were watching them like a bunch of eagles, "Fine Kel, I'm just fine. You could go in now," he gestured to the door and leaned against the wall casually, getting his rather hurried breathing back under control. As she turned and opened the door, he called out to her softly, "It will hurt, a lot, just get ready."

She stole a glance back at him and gave a slight nod, her hazel brown eyes determined as she walked through the door and into the mirror like room.

~

Kel looked around in wonderment, a slight smile appearing on her lips as she examined the mirrors with a curious eye. They are flawless… not even a scratch on them… amazing. She glanced back behind her at the door, silently noting that it had disappeared, the elves have the strangest rooms. As light filled the room, she looked on with confusion, wondering what was happening.

Suddenly a tall elf appeared with a silver gem and silver eyes. He seemed to be rather young in her estimation, looking to be about 30 years of age… that probably translated into 100 in elfin years. He watched her silently for a moment, his head tilted to one side as if making a judgment about her. Slowly a grin appeared as he spoke in ringing tones,

"You are the holder of a white gem, powerful for one so young, for one who has to go to battle at such a young age." His eyes held traces of sadness as he spoke, "You are my descendent, that is certain, what is set before you is a cruel task and I for one shall watch over you." He stretched out his hand towards her, eyes kind, "Take it, for your destiny has been written in the stars and the coming time is not going to be easy on you," suddenly he gave a mysterious smile, "But maybe, just maybe, there will be some form of hope and love guiding your way."

She stared at his hand for a moment, her mind storing away what he was telling her. She stepped forward resolutely and took his hand in hers, a small smile gracing her lips as she mentally prepared herself. Kel made no sound, no indication that anything was happening to her, that she was seeing anything, her eyes smooth and slightly glazed, stubbornness in her form.

Pain lanced through her mind, the pain deep and nearly unbearable. She stood against it like a rock against a swift current, ignoring it stolidly until it was over. As it finished, Kel leaned against a wall; her forehead slightly matted with sweat as she ran through the information she now knew and obtained. She looked over at the silver elf, her eyes questioning.

He gave her a proud smile and a slight bow, straightening once more to look into her eyes, "You shall be great, though tragedy may seem to only come from this all at first, it will get better down the road, this I promise you. Be careful little one, the road ahead it full or rocks and deep holes, make certain you don't get trapped in any of them." With that, he disappeared in a flurry of silver light and the door appeared before her once more.

Kel walked through it calmly, eyes set with determination.

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A/N:

IceWind: *grins* OMG! I'm going on to chapter 20! *makes big eyes* Amazing! And I'm not even close to being done yet.

Kaori: *smirks* Stop congratulating yourself, it's not as if anyone cares anyway!

Raen: *rolls his eyes and changes the subject* Look! Kel and Joren are… err… almost together! *silly grin*

IceWind: *evil smile* Let me just say that they are getting together very, very soon. Hope you guys can wait until the next chapter! :P this chapter was not bad lengthwise, enjoy it people! Well… nothing else to say, so ja ne!

~

Facts:

Seibutsu Bond: A bond between a creature and a humanoid. It is less powerful then a life-bond yet it is strong none the less. The bonded can thought-speak to one another and they also feel the others emotions. If one of the bonded dies, the other feels a deep and wrenching pain in themselves, but they don't die also.

Seibutsu Items: These are the items that Raen and Kel got when the bonding was over. Kel had gotten a dagger and Raen a chain. If one of them breaks it symbolizes that one of the bonded has died.

Hizar: A highly intelligent species who are organized like wolf packs with a dominant male and female. All hizar are black and look like large cats, panther sized. They are lithe and graceful, all of them agile and fast. Each one has their own type of magic and that type, and power, is shown by the color of the gems on their forehead. When using their power the hizar's eyes turn that color. The types of gems are fire, water, earth, air, light, dark, ice, lightening, psy, and a silver unknown color. The alpha males must have the silver kinds of gems to lead; the alpha females can have any kind and are chosen by the males.

Jerogil: A type of creature in the world of Medea. They are usually peaceful animals and tend to stay away from others except their own kind. Their color range from black to a muddy gray and they have large eyes for seeing at night. Their tails are curved like a monkey's and can pick things up in that fashion. All over their body they have hard plates for armor, something not easily dented or broken through. Running along their backs is a series of sharp spikes.

Elves: They are tall human like creatures with pointed ears. They all live extremely long lives and each one has magic gems, such as the ones the hizars have, only their powers are stronger. They are a peace-loving race, but they will fight if they have to. They have one king and one queen, both who watch over their lands justly.

Soul Mates: Soul mates are extremely rare in any type of creature. Two people share one soul, literally. They can feel their beloved's emotions and in some occasions, talk to each other mind-to-mind. If one dies, the other dies also because half of their soul just died. You do not know you have a soul bond until you and another acknowledge your feelings for one another, you may go through your entire life without knowing that you have a soul bond. As soon as you acknowledge it, your souls connect and you cannot stay away from the other in a great distance for very long or else you get weak and might even die after an extended period.

Kalyrath Horses: These are extremely intelligent living beings with high stamina and running speed. These horses all have blue eyes, in varying shades, but it is all blue to symbol their purity. They chose their rider, and only one person is allowed to ride the kalyrath horse that is bonded to you unless you are soul mated to a person. Occasionally, there pops up a human/humanoid that can talk to their kalyrath horse, and the horse can talk to any of its kind up to a certain distance. Kalyrath horses are in-tune with their rider and it's rare for any none elf to bond with one since they usually only dwell in Elfin land. They are adept at fighting with their chosen and can be extremely protective depending upon their nature. It is said that they were a gift from the great mother goddess of the elves and they cannot be subvert by any dark magic for that reason.

Aether: The last element, the other nine elements are- fire, water, air, earth, psy, lightening, ice, dark and light. This element is the strongest by far and rare for hizars, extremely rare for elves. It controls all of the elements and its color is always silver for hizars and either a silver or white for elves. White is the most powerful, but none knows why. Aether is not an element known too much about, especially for the elves, all they could discern is that it has something to do with stars… The last elf to have this kind of gem died in a great battle, saving the world of Medea from certain doom.

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My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Aether Winds, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? Thanks for listening to me ramble for that you get bubble gum *hands person bubble gum*

Raen and Kaori (hizar and rabblite) are MINE! GET IT? MINE!!! *they sweatdrop in the background* no stealing or else I'll blow you up! MWAHAHAHA! Also any other made up characters in the story are mine to, if you want to use any of them please ask before doing so, same goes for Raen and Kaori. ALSO, the poems that appear in the story are also mine (duh) I'll tell you if I use any that aren't. BYE NOW!