Ummm… Hey.
Comet- You took your time getting back.
Right. Sorry about that. I meant to have this up first for my 3rd year anniversary of having a name on FF, then again for this story's 3rd B-day, then again when I got my 100th review (Which I am ecstatic about. Thank you everyone.). But as you can see that didn't exactly happen. School and my personal laziness came into play a lot.
Comet- No really?
Hush. Though I'm still not sure about this chapter I did go over it once twice to make sure everything made sense. I'm still looking for a Beta reader if anyone wants to offer.
Comet- Ok now you be quiet. You can ramble more later.
Elemental Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
After the surprise party Daja, Briar, and Sandry left Discipline to go to Winding Circle's library. Once there they set on the task of looking up some information on Elemental Mages. A search that was becoming more and more hopeless the deeper into the library they went.
"I don't think anyone's been back here in decades." Briar commented pulling a book off the shelf and coughing with all the dust that came down with it.
"I think you're right." Daja replied as she looked at all the titles. "I mean Fortune Telling with Fungi? Inner Tide? Who reads this kind of stuff?"
"Hey guys I think I found something." Sandry's voice carried from further back in the library.
"Satti? Where are you?"
"I'm in the next isle over all the way at the end."
Briar and Daja looked at each other and put the books they were looking at down and hurried to Sandry's side. Turning the corner they saw the petite girl sitting on the floor with a rather large book in her lap.
"What did you find?" Briar asked squatting next to her to look at the page she was reading.
"Rare and Uknown Magics. It has a whole chapter on Pure Elemental Magic."
"Just a chapter?" Briar looked at it skeptically.
"Hey it's more than we've found yet." Sandry replied defensively.
"She has a point. So what does it say?"
"I'm not sure It's too dark back here."
"Well come on then. Let's bring it to one of the tables up front." Briar stood up and held out his hand to help Sandry. Sandry took it pulling herself to a standing position. Tucking the book underneath her arm the three of them waked to the front of the library where there were tables set up for people to do research on.
Taking the book Daja opened the book up to the first page. Glancing briefly at the list of names of people who had taken the book from the library she spared a smile before flipping to the chapter on Elementals.
"Hey guess who were the last two people to take this book out?"
"How should we know?" Briar asked looking at the trader funny.
"It was Niko and Tris." Daja said looking up at the other two.
Sandry smiled shaking her head. "It is a type of book those two would be interested in."
"Hmmm…" Daja skimmed the content of the chapter. "Oh no."
"What?" Briar and Sandry asked at the same time.
"It seems that Pure Elemental Mages are extremely rare. They only appear every couple of thousands of years or so and they are rumored to be four times more powerful than your average mage. They all are born with in a few years of each other to balance each others powers. They need each other to prevent their powers from spinning out of control."
The three friends looked at each other worry evident in all of their eyes.
"If they're so powerful what do they want with us? We're just regular magic users." Daja and Briar looked at each other again and then at Sandry.
"Satti. We're far from ordinary." She was cut off from saying anything else by a runner who approached the table.
"Excuse me but Honored Dedicate Moonstream want to speak with you three."
"How did she know we were here?" Sandry wondered as she tucked the book in her arms after signing it out.
"Someone must have told her. We have been here all afternoon." Briar reasoned as they walked toward the Winding Circle's main gates where all the main offices were located.
They found Moonstream at her desk shuffling some papers around.
"Hello you three. Have you been successful in your search?" She said looking up as they entered.
"Not exactly." Sandry replied as the three of them sat down facing Moonstream. "We found this book. But all that we've really gotten from it is that Elementals are extremely rare and powerful."
"That and that they need each other to survive." Briar inputed.
"Well I found some more information about those four mages from a travelers log from three years ago. Sit down and I'll tell you what was written."
The three friends looked at each other before taking a seat around her rather large desk.
"Now this traveler came from Nogard."
"That's where your said the mages were from."
"Yes, your Grace."
"Please, just Sandry. My Uncle isn't gone yet."
"As you wish. Well this traveler had quite a lot to say about four elemental mages that were found in his land. It seems as if their powers began to show themselves at a young age. Around four or five if he was to be believed. Now their family was extremely well off to begin with. But once the government realized what they were they immediately moved them and their entire family to a large palace near the capital. There the four were trained to control their magic."
"That sounds all well and good but how does that make them want to come here and destroy us?" Daja asked as she rubbed her good had over the metal on top of her trader's staff.
"I was getting to that. This is where we slightly begin to deviate from the log. As you know Elemental mages are practically unheard off. Now their government was extremely proud to have all four, so they did everything to keep them happy. They were given an exorbitant amount of freedom. They were also praised at being the most powerful mages in the world."
"And don't tell me all of this went to their heads." Briar interrupted glaring at the ground. "Each of them was spoiled rotten never knowing a hard days work just because of their powers. Being praised a glorified as the most powerful beings on earth. Then we come along just four normal mages with hardly no rank what so ever." At that he paused and looked at Sandry. "Well almost no rank." He amended.
"Just a thief with no family. A trader who was declared a trangshi. An unwanted merchant's daughter. And me. Daughter of a Count who suffered from endless amounts of wanderlust."
"Who would have ever thought any of us would have amounted to anything." Daja looked over at the two of her friends. "Yet we surpassed what anyone would have ever expected and went beyond."
"Indeed." Moonstream nodded watching these three young mages with a smile in her eyes. They had come to Winding Circle as a last resort. Alone, and basically abandoned by the world. Yet they managed to overcome what the world thought about each of them and create a new image far greater than anyone would have dreamed possible. "You four were, are the pride of the Winding Circle."
Daja smiled and glanced back down at her metal covered hand. "Niko said we reminded him that magic is unpredictable and works in ways beyond our control."
"He is right. The only other piece of information I can give you is that their ship is scheduled to arrive in the port in exactly nine days."
"Nine days. How can we manage to find a way to defeat these bleaters in only nine days." Briar fretted as they found themselves back in the quartet's favorite place to rest and think, Discipline's roof.
"Less. They have control of all the elements. I bet they're using all their powers to make the trip go faster." Daja pointed out from her position on the opposite side of the roof.
"No. They want to draw this out."
"Sandry's right. They were almost too strong to handle from over two weeks away. They want to give us time to do everything we can to defeat them because then when they do triumph they can say we were at our strongest."
"They're just children playing a game." Sandry said sadly as she looked out past the walls to the sliver of ocean that could be seen.
"Moonstream said they're two to three years older than us. How could they just be kids?" Daja looked at the noble confused.
"They never had to face what we did. You have to admit it aged us. Not physically. But mentally. These four never had to deal with plagues, pirates, or forest fires. They never saw the horrors of the real world like we have. And they never had to fight for their lives. They were sheltered from all of that and so never had to grow up. This is all a game to them."
Daja and Briar looked at each other before looking down to think about Sandry's words.
"It might just be a game to them but it's a deadly game and we know better. We can't underestimate them or feel sorry for them. That's how you loose a fight. They might be kids mentally but they're still powerful we can't forget that."
Suddenly three voices pierced though the silence that had befallen the trio.
"Phan Briar!"
"Lady Sandry!"
"Daja!"
The trio looked at each other then peered over the side of the roof that the voices were coming from. There on the ground was Evvy, Pasco, and Kirel
"There you three are." Kirel exclaimed finally catching sight of them. "We've been looking for you everywhere. Daja, Frostpine needs you for one of his project."
"Alright catch." Daja tossed her trader's staff off the roof at him.
"What?" He barely had time to react before he saw Daja roll of the roof on the other side. "NO!" The three on the ground rushed around the building to see the tall trader brushing a few pieces of grass off of her clothes.
"How?" Kirel looked up at the roof to see Briar and Sandry's faces smiling down at him from the roof before being startled back into reality by Daja walking past him taking her staff out of his hands.
"Secret. Now come on I'm sure Frostpine has gotten in a mess without us."
"You would think that he was the student and she the teacher the way she talks now." Kirel whispered to Pasco and Evvy. They just snickered quietly as they watched Kirel shake his head one more time before rushing off after Daja.
"You're going to break your necks up there." Evvy called up after the two had faded from view. "Phan, you're a plant mage you would think you would want to stay closer to the ground."
"Yes plants. Plants can float to the ground. Unlike a rock."
"Briar." Sandry shoved him over in the direction of the end of the roof. Briar wind milled a bit before Sandry grabbed his collar and pulled him back firmly onto the thatch.
Briar turned to glare at his friend but suddenly a large explosion shook the earth. All four looked toward the rest of Winding Circle.
"What was that?" Pasco called unconsciously grabbing Evvy's hand.
"It sounded like a boom stone." Sandry replied glancing at Briar.
"It can't be. We would have heard of pirates… Wait look at the Earth Temple. It's on fire!" Sandry glanced at the Temple almost directly in front of them that was spewing smoke at an alarming pace.
Glancing to the right and left Sandry gasped. "The Air Temple is sinking. And the Water temple is shaking so hard I think it's about to fall apart."
"Get Lark and Rosethorn." Briar called down to the shaking students. "I have a feeling The Fire temple is having some pluming issues. And I bet I know who's behind all this." Briar stood up only to jump off the roof and land on a soft patch of grass. Turning he held out his arms to catch Sandry as she jumped.
Once their feet were on solid ground they both dashed around the corner almost running into their teachers.
"What's wrong?" Rosethorn demanded grabbing Briar.
"Everything. The Elementals are attacking again."
"How?" Larks asked as she pulled out a set of needles from her waistband.
"Their attacking each temple with it's opposing element." Briar summed up.
"We have to go help." Rosethorn announced taking off with Lark.
"We'll come" Pasco said coming up behind them holding Evvy's hand, which he grabbed after the first shake.
"Oh you'll so no such thing." Sandry said turning on her student.
"But…"
"No buts."
"I helped fight them before."
"That was an emergency. Now there are experienced mages around."
"Just like there were experienced mages when the pirates attacked, or when that un-magic mage was running around." Pasco yelled out.
Sandry stared at her student in shock. Her nerves had been thin ever since the first attack. The pressure of keeping the country together while her uncle was incapacitated was finally getting to her. She had thought that this getaway, back to Winding Circle where she had always thought of a home, would let her relax, even for a moment and get herself focused again. Yet once again she found herself being attacked again. Not just by these elementals, but by Pasco as well. She had come to care for her young student and only wanted to keep him safe.
"Listen kid." Briar growled. "We don't have time to listen to your bleating. You stay put or you'll answer to me. You too, Evvy, stay here." Evvy just nodded she could feel the rocks in the earth shake and it scared her.
"You're not my teacher!"
"Well you ain't listening to your teacher. So maybe you'll listen to me. I grew up in the streets of Hajra in Sotat. I ain't squeamish in giving out punishments when a body's deserving them." Briar grabbed Sandry's hand with one hand and the other held up one of his hidden knives.
Pasco gulped as he stared at the knife. He had a lot of weapons training while growing up in a Harrier house but his mother never let him or his cousins actually fight against real weapons.
"Briar!" Sandry cried causing the boy to lower his knife. "Don't threaten him."
Briar took a deep breath slipping slowly into the meditative breathing pattern. Suddenly a shot of pain went coursing though both Briar and Sandy causing them to wince visibly. They looked at each other eyes widened.
"Daja." They said at once before turning toward the Earth temple which was still spewing smoke at a rapid pace.
"What is it?" Evvy asked looking to her teacher for support.
"We have to go help. Both of you just stay here. They need all the help they can get."
"If they need help…"
"No, Pasco. Please just stay here." Sandry pleaded with her student even though she was looking in the opposite direction. "These mages may be unstable. I don't want you to get hurt." She turned to look pleadingly at her student. Pasco stared at Sandry for a long second before taking a deep breath and nodding. At that motion Sandry turned and started to dash toward the trouble.
"Evvy, stick with Pasco and stay here." Briar ordered and with one more glare at Pasco he turned toward the Earth temple and started off at a run after Sandry.
There finished with yet another chapter. I hope it was up to my usual standards.
A note on Briar's behavior in this chapter: Now I wasn't that sure about having Briar practically attack Pasco. But my reason for having that scene was that Sandry isn't the only one stressed. Briar's feeling the pressure too and he lashed out. Sorry if you think that little scene was OOC for him. Briar would not have really hurt Pasco, just scare him. He just needed to get Pasco to calm down fast and people have a tendency to listen better when they're scared.
Possible Interlude: I actually have plans of an interlude about what happened with Evvy and Pasco while the trio was in the library. I just wanted to let you know and ask if you would want that part first of the next chapter, and I'll just post the interlude as a separate fic altogether.
Review Response(Just some review I felt needed an answer)
AnimeKitty: I this fic the quartet's around 15-16. It's been about 1-2 years since the Circle opens series. And if anyone else asks this will be cannon only until the end of the Circle opens because that's as far as I've read.
Metamorphmagus-Barbie: I actually went to the Gov school of Engineering and Technology in NJ. Where I had a great time. And yes Tris will be bringing her group that she gathered back to Winding Circle(That includes Keth, Chime, and Glaki).
Everyone else thanks for your reviews.
Now you know what to do.
Comet- Yah, yah, Review.
Hey that rhymed. Hahaha.