Blix: I'm so tired
Nana: So am I
Dressi: We haven't slept all night
Blix: And I've written two chappys for diff stories. Damn, I need sleep
Nana: But you have to meet up with your girlfriend
Blix: Argh, I know!
Authors Note: A chapter introducing some of the people. Im tired, I might take it down later. I dunno. Review and give opinions.
Chapter three: Legends And Fact
Sere looked around the Gate and sighed. She was going into a world she knew almost nothing about. Draca said she was going to a place called California, and that she would be able to pay for a small apartment for herself and her cousins. She would be in a city called Sacramento, where the governor was a man named Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Draca had explained all she knew of how the world had developed after the war. There was no belief in the Blood, no history of the Blood. No one knew anything of the jewels or of the ancient legends. Basically, the people were worse off than landens had ever been, except they had developed things such as electricity, which powered different appliances. Sere herself knew she'd have little fun or time to explore this phenomenon.
She did know that she should wander in a place that went back to Sacramento's history, which meant she would have to search for a historical part of the city.
Sere watched Draca, reassured by the presence of her two male cousins behind her. They had bonded themselves to her earlier. Both were of her first circle, and Daemonar, being much older, was her Steward, while Severnar was the Master of the Guard.
The candles were lit in the specific order. Draca was uttering the spell. Everything began to shift around them, not spinning really, more like cracking. Shattering into millions of jewel colored pieces. She saw faces blurring into one, and suddenly she was in a very warm, dirty place. Sere took in her surroundings.
She was under a bridge. Everywhere she looked there were sleeping bags and tarps and clothes. A few bottles of beer littered the ground, as well as cigarette butts.
"I guess we're here," Severnar said as he walked out from under the bridge. There was a path leading up a grassy hill and onto the bridge. The three Blood walked up the hill and onto the bridge. They walked across into Sacramento and Ebonsere was surprised to see Old Sacramento on a huge sign.
"Well, maybe this is where I'm supposed look for everyone, you think boyos?" She asked. She knew by their energy that they agreed.
They walked through the small city and noticed several people their age asking for spare change. She felt energy pouring off of them, but she didn't know how to approach them. Suddenly one called out to her.
"Hey, you a squatter?" A guy yelled out.
"What the hell is a squatter?" Severnar yelled back. He was immediately defensive of his queen, coming around to protect her.
"Homeless dumbass," The guy yelled back.
"Dumbass? That's a new one. Care to get a better vocabulary?" Severnar growled. The uy and his friends began to walk towards the three jeweled blood. Sere felt Severnar rising to killing edge simply because he was in a new place and he felt his queen was threatened.
"Better vocabulary? Give me a pointer then," The guy said.
"Tweak leave them alone. I've never seen them here before," Another guy said. His hair was bushy and unkempt. He wore a black trench coat. Sere couldn't see the other man's hair, but he wore glasses and had an angry expression.
"Sever, it's not worth it. We are new here, and I don't know all the laws, but I'm sure murder isn't legal here," Sere said. Daemonar himself had moved to protect his cousin.
"Oh bloody hell, you two never learn do you?" Sere yelled. "We're not here to cause trouble dammit!" She yelled.
It didn't affect her cousins at all.
She decided to use the Ebon Thunder to control them since they weren't open to listening. Very quickly she sent an image to them on a spear thread that showed what would happen if they didn't pay any attention to what she said. Both relaxed their stances immediately. A warlord prince's anger was an asset in Kaeleer, but here it was not at this moment.
"Where are you guys from?" A blonde man of about nineteen asked. Ebonsere looked at him.
"We're from the East, Europe. I'm Sere, this is Sever and Daemon. We just arrived with nothing really except what's in our packs," She told him.
"I'm Bob, that's Stormy," He said pointing to a bushy haired girl. She waved cheerily.
"I'm Faygo," The bushy haired man said. "That's Liz, and her boyfriend Matt," He said pointing to a tanned girl with dark hair and the male with his arm around her. "And that's Pyro and the grumpy dude is Tweak, and the guy with all the metal in his face is Sam," Faygo finished. Sere smiled.
"I'm trying to find an apartment complex. Could you guys help us out? I have no clue where to start," Sere told him.
"Sure. If we can't find anything, you're welcome to camp under the bridge with us," Faygo told them. Sere nodded and smiled happily.
"Thank you so much," She replied with true sincerity. She had found dreamers, strong dreamers. Even the angry man was a strong dreamer. She couldn't imagine what he dreamed for, but he was of the Blood. All of them were. She could feel Blood singing to Blood.
That's why they were being kind. They were all drawn to a dream they had helped create.
Tweak watched the girl with a mix of fascination and fear. His dreams had always seemed too real. And he had dreamed of this odd, beautiful girl before. She had worn a crown of silver with a jewel that flashed lightning in it and a black gown that had made her look like a Queen of the Night. She had called to him, calling him the Blood and saying it was his birthright to do what he did. Now he could move things with his mind if he thought about it really hard, and he could sometimes think hard and people would hear the thoughts.
Her gold eye and blue eye flashed with humor as she listened to the history of the circle kids. Faygo was telling funny anecdotes about all of them. Sere nodded and giggled at the appropriate times.
Suddenly, the light rail stopped and Faygo stood up.
"This is our stop," He told her. Sere looked around the middle class area and smiled as she stood up and got off. Tweak watched the two men follow her, as if they were body guards. She had said they were cousins. Hmph,more like brothers.
Faygo led Sere to an apartment complex and she walked into the office. Everyone watched her from the outside and saw the owner smile. Money exchanged hands and Sere walked out with a set of keys.
"Well, that was easy," She said. Everyone stared at her in amazement.
"Well, the paperwork is for tomorrow. She gave me the four bedroom suite apartment. It's late. You guys want to go get a celebratory dinner? My treat," Sere offered. Tweak let out a snort.
If she was trying to buy them all she didn't need to do it. They were drawn to her like a smoker to a cancer stick.
"Okay, where you want to go?" Liz asked.
"Well, I don't know the restaurants here yet," Sere said. Liz laughed.
"How about Carl's Junior?" She suggested. Sere nodded and smiled the okay. Everyone piled back onto the light rail. Since it would be a long ride everyone began to pelt the three newcomers with questions.
"What does your name mean?" Liz asked.
"My full name is Ebonsere, and in the old tongue it means Black Warrior. It pertains to being a warrior of the highest rank," She replied.
"What about Daemon and Sever?" Liz asked.
"Daemon's full name is Daemonar, which is Daemon, another spelling for Demon and the 'ar' ending is customary for his heritage. Same with Severnar. Sever means Vengeance and it's the same with the ending. All males from that heritage had the suffix. Females had the 'ian' suffix."
"That's so cool! I wish my parents were cool like that. What part of Europe are you from?" Bob asked.
"Ireland," Severnar replied. Bob nodded.
"Where'd you get that necklace, it's so pretty," Stormy said suddenly. Tweak then noticed the spider web necklace around Sere's throat. It was so fine a silver that he had barely noticed it on her pale skin.
Sere pulled the chain out and everyone gasped at the beautiful stone set in the middle of the web that tapered as a v on her neck.
"Wow, that's beautiful," Stormy breathed.
"It's nothing, just a family heirloom," Sere told them as she put it back in her shirt.
Tweak hadn't gotten a chance to see it, but he knew what it was without looking.
"We're here guys," Tweak told them in an angry voice.
Everyone got off of the light rail and avoided the light drizzle by running fast into the restaurant. Sere smiled and told them to order whatever they wanted. Everyone ordered and Sere paid the astronomical bill. They got a number and went and sat down at three booths. Severnar ended up sitting next to Stormy and across from Bob and Sam. Daemonar sat next to Sere and they sat across from Faygo and Tweak. Liz and Matt sat in a booth with Pyro across from them.
Everyone chatted amiably except for Tweak. He sat in a sullen silence that made Sere edgy.
"Tweak here is quite the artist. He can draw anything. He's got this awesome portfolio under the bridge. You should see it sometime," Faygo told her.
"No," Tweak said suddenly. There were pictures in there he hadn't shown anyone, including pictures of her!
"Okay. Well, what are you in Sac for anyways?" Faygo asked Sere and Daemonar.
"I'm just looking to make some friends, have a good time. Meet people like me," She told him.
"Like you, what do you mean?" Faygo asked.
"Just people who are laid back, who feel drawn to the Earth and to legends. I've read some crazy stuff," Sere told him.
"Like what? I love legends," Faygo told her.
"Well, I read this legend that once there was a race called the Blood. They were magical peoples. Some were human, others were long lived humans, some were Eyriens, who are a proud race that looked like men, except they had the wings of bats. Then there were the Kindred, who were the animal Blood. And Lorn, the Dragon that held all of the Blood's knowledge.
"The blood had a ranking system of power built on Jewels and what you were born to be. The darker the jewel the more powerful you were, and there were certain things women were that men could never be. The highest rank a man is in society is a warlord prince, and he is a long step below the highest female rank, a Queen. A warlord prince seeks to find a Queen and to protect her. It was a very detailed legend with so many myths, like Witch, who was dreams made flesh," Sere started, Tweak interrupted.
"What do you mean dreams made flesh?" He demanded.
"Well, there was a taint in the Blood and it was about making males subservient, not just serve. That bred fear and hatred and greed for power, which spread through many of the Blood. Many people dreamed of someone who would destroy the taint and call in the debts, and supposedly, a woman was born who did it. She did something that destroyed all the bad. But that's just the most famous Witch. There were others. Witch was always dreams made flesh. Sometimes the dream was not quite so urgent, others it was. Legend goes that the arachnians would weave a web that made dreams into reality, like with Witch, supposedly they put all the dreams together and gave it a spark of life. Since she had so many different dreamers, she had a unicorn horn, hooves for feet, pointed ears, and unsheathed claws at her fingertips," Sere finished.
"Wow. If you have a book or something about all of that I'd like to read it," Faygo said.
Tweak himself was deep in thought.
Dreams made flesh. The Blood. Sere spoke of all these things with an easy manner that spoke of intimate knowledge. Was she of his dreams, of his poor mother's who had been killed because she had been able to move things without touching them. Like him. She had often spoke of someone who would bring them friendship and a way to control their abilities.
That person had to be Sere.
Sere, is there any way I can talk to you in private later?" Tweak asked. Sere looked at him, startled. Tweak realized he had interrupted something and shrugged.
"Sure. I invited everyone to stay at my place tonight since its raining and the river might flood its banks since it started coming down so hard. You want to talk when we get there?"
"That's cool," Tweak replied.
To Sere the rest of the evening passed in a haze of everyone chatting except her and Tweak. They all ran through the rain to the light rail and caught it back to her apartment.
When they arrived, she pulled her key out and unlocked the door. Daemonar whistled as they checked out the living room.
The apartment was fully furnished with some of the nicest, most comfortable looking furniture Sere had seen in a long time. Everyone walked in and dropped their packs and took their soggy shoes off. Sere walked into the bathroom and came out with the eight towels she could find, plus four more she had summoned with her jewels. She had more than she had let on, but it was all stored so she could summon it with magic.
"Here you guys go. These will help a little bit," She laughed. Everyone said thank yous as the males in the room pulled off soggy shirts. Sere looked at the girls and took her pack to her room and returned with two pairs of pajamas.
"You guys can change in the bathroom. I'll throw the clothes in the dryer," She said. The girls took the pajamas and quickly wet to the bathroom. Sere guessed they changed together often since they were both in there at once.
"Daemon, Sever, you guys think you can rustle up some clothing for the guys? I'm sure they would appreciate it," Sere asked. Daemon and Sever both grabbed their packs and went to their rooms. Daemonar was slightly more built than the lean Severnar, and both came out bearing clothes that would fit the boys. Sere watched them file one to each of the two males' bedrooms.
She herself went to her bedroom and summoned her favorite pair of grey and black flannel pajamas. She quickly changed into them and saw that everyone was finished changing. She motioned to Tweak and he stood and followed her to the bedroom she occupied.
"What did you need to talk about?" She asked him quietly. Something about his posture indicated that she was about to be surprised by the moody artist.
"Earlier, when you spoke of the Blood and Dreams made flesh, something clicked in my head," He began. Sere sat down o her bed and he sat in the chair at the vanity about ten feet away from her.
"And I put a few things together in my head. Sometimes there are strong dreamers and soft dreamers. Was my mother one of the dreamers that made you?" He asked quietly.
Sere didn't know how to reply. She hadn't shown any powers at all or anything. She had mentioned the Blood as a legend to plant the seed in their brains. Legend was always based in fact. Half of Kaeleer was legend, but that hadn't kept Jaenelle from meeting some very interesting individuals.
"I don't know," She finally whispered.
"I dreamt of you. You told me it was my birthright and that I belonged with the Blood. I remember you mentioning a birthright ceremony."
"Yes. All of the people in the living room are Blood. I was brought here because I am dreams made flesh, just as my mother. She is Kaeleer's heart. Two thousand years ago, before I was born, she destroyed the taint and threw a veil around Terreille to keep it away from Kaeleer. I was the dream of those who are the Blood descendants of the exiled. The ones who aren't tainted. I was brought here to defend, to protect, to be friends. My mother is Kaeleer's heart. I am to be Terreille's if I succeed," Ebonsere sighed. A sniffle escaped her.
"What's wrong?" Tweak asked, coming towards her.
"It's just, I didn't know about any of this until a couple of days ago, and suddenly I have to leave home and come here. I don't know anything about electricity or light rails or buses. I know the Winds, I know Craft. I don't know how I'm supposed to find the right people for my court. I am drawn to all of you here tonight. I know you belong in my court; I feel it in my core."
"Then let us claim what is our right. All of us know about our little talents. I think its time everyone knew that we're really something, that we're not freaks," Tweak told her.
"Can we just save it for tomorrow Tweak, please?" She asked in a small voice. Her emotions had gone through a roller coaster in the past ten minutes. She didn't need any more.
"Okay," He told her. Sere nodded and crawled under the covers. Tweak turned out the lights and left the room, finally feeling somewhat at peace.
Blix:I have to go now
Dressi: She gets a break for a day or so
Nana: We all need it
Blix: Please reveiw