The Legend of Ajira
By Madame Ergoth
Chapter 5: The Warrior and the Mage
"Does she know where we've gone?" asked Darq nervously to Stella. A silvery orb of smoke was glowing and shivering between Stella's hands. It looked cold, but the air around it was warm with magic. She was gazing into it intently, as though it was trying to tell her something.
Darq frowned. He had never been able to see anything in that orb of hers. He guessed it was a mage's gift, and that only they could see what lie beyond. He supposed it was one of those Forbidden Powers, something that a mage had learned that they had to swear not to share. Sharing a Forbidden Power was like sharing intelligence from the FBI, and sharing a Forbidden Power with a non-relative was even worse. Stella had taken the sacred oath the day she graduated from the Magical Academy; she knew the punishment: permanent revocation of her powers. But after she had taken the oath, she was then allowed to share all of her magical knowledge, save the Forbidden Powers, with any member of her family.
As Ajira grew, in fact, Estella had shared many of her books with her, and informally trained her in the First Magical Art, Alteration. The Art of Alteration included simple spells and charms such as Levitation, Water Walking, and Shield. Stella was surprised as she began to train her daughter; she showed an unusual talent for Alteration. Her Shield charms were exceptional.
As Stella stared into her Seeing Orb, Darq began to gather firewood. It was nearly nightfall; the sun was beginning to set and he could just begin to see the outlines of the moons over the horizon. It would be cold soon, and they would need warmth.
Finally, Stella looked up from her Seeing Orb, her eyes wild with fear. "What did you see?" whispered Darq. He had returned from gathering firewood, laying several large twigs and sticks in an arranged pile over in a good flat area.
Stella sniffled, looking up at Darq with her huge eyes. "She's...crying," she said softly. "Do you think she misses us?"
There was a short hesitation, but "no," said Darq, lying a comforting hand on her furry shoulder. He looked into her eyes; something he knew always calmed her. "She's used to us being gone. That can't be the reason. Besides, she can take care of herself. I'm sure she'll be fine."
"But what if she's not? What if something's really wrong?" Estella spoke in a shaky voice, on the brink of crying. "It...It was those idiots, Arthyn and Marx."
"Who?" asked Darq quietly.
"They were standing right outside her tent, just standing there, talking about the prophecy! They had that set up, I'm sure of it...!" Stella was breathing heavily, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
There was a long moment of slow sadness. Darq closed his eyes, sighed. Everything was ruined. In a solemn voice he said, "So she knows."
Stella took a deep breath. "No, not yet anyway. Those fools were out there arguing over whether to tell her or not."
"That is so stupid! Why would they do that!"
"One of them wanted to tell Ajira about the Prophecy, another wanted to keep it from her."
"So what do you think?" Darq sighed. There was no turning back now.
"I'm with Arthyn on this one. If we hadn't been sworn to secrecy, I would tell her everything." She looked at Darq with a pleading face. He replied with a slow sad kiss, wishing he could change what happened. As they broke off, Darq was the one with the mournful face.
"It would break her heart..." said Darq slowly. "But you're right, she needs to know."
"It just tears me apart that we can't tell her."
"I know, honey. Me too." He drew her close and they stayed there, clinging to each other, each feeling the other's worry and dismay. There was nothing to do to change the past. There were cases of Time Travel, but they had strong, usually negative effects on the time stream. Even Estella Swhen, one of the greatest Mages of her time, was not authorized for that High Magic. It was a power limited to the Gods and Immortals of the heavens.
"I should start the fire. It's getting colder." He was correct. The sun had almost completely set, and a blanket of cold darkness now covered the land.
Breaking apart from his wife, he made his way over to the pile of wood he had collected earlier. He began to dig through the dust with a stick, looking for a stray rock. He found a large black stone after not much searching. He picked it up, tossing it around, testing it. "This'll do," he called over to Stella, who was watching him. "Come on, I'm getting cold."
Stella pointed one finger at the stone. A small spark appeared at her fingertip. At the same time, that spark shot across the air to the stone, which ignited immediately into a blazing stone of green flame. Darq did not appear to be burned by it, seeing that Khajiits have a certain resistance to fire, especially magical fire. He dropped the flaming stone on the pile of sticks, which slowly started to catch, forming a glowing green fire. The air around the fire was growing warm, not only from the fire, but also from the natural heat of magic.
They settled around the fire for the night. Darq put his arm around Stella, and they sat there, admiring the stars and being warmed by the flames. It was completely dark now, except for the light from the fire and the feeble moonlight of the three moons: Luciduan, Auclid, and Ebyrea. Luciduan was the largest by far, and glowed a dull yellow color. Auclid was second in size, and it shone a dark blue color. Ebyrea was the smallest of the moons, but it was the brightest, glowing a bright red. In the morning, they would clean up their site, and continue on their way. It was turning out to be a beautiful night.
Suddenly, Darq's extra-sensitive ears perked up. He laid a hand on Stella's. "Quiet," he hissed. "I hear someone." There was a long, eerie silence as they tried to remain utterly still. The only sounds that could be heard were the crackling of their fire, and they prayed it wouldn't give them away.
After what seemed an eternity, there was a rustle of movement in the bush behind them. Stella and Darq both gasped. There was someone (or something) out to get them!
Darq spun around, adopting his best fighting stance, sword drawn. Stella, with her hands apart and fingers spread, was ready with a spell. They both stared at the bush intently, waiting for something to spring at them.
The rustle came again. As the silence deepened, so did the intensity and their anxiety. A roar rung through the night, an ethereal howl that chilled their bones. "It's coming," whispered Darq, grabbing Stella's hand. "Be ready."
"What is it?" Estella was almost afraid to ask. Anything could be behind that bush, and death could be lurking right around the corner. There was nothing to do but be ready for it.
"Just be quiet. And follow me." Darq began to sneak toward the bush, his sword drawn.
Estella held her breath, sneaking after Darq. As they drew nearer, she saw Darq raise his sword high above his head, ready to strike. Stella's heart was beating faster now; she had never used magic for battle. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, exhilarating her. Purple light began to glow at her fingertips. Darq continued slow, deliberate steps toward the rustling bush. He let out a roar, and brought his sword crashing down. The air whistled around him as his sword fell, and it caught only bush. "Damn," whispered Darq. "Missed him."
Suddenly, Darq felt a cold pain in his back, raging up his spine. He was being attacked from behind! Darq screamed, whipping around. He could see his attacker properly now. He looked like a member of the Zainab tribe, as he had grey Dunmer skin. He had several jagged scars along his slender body, showing that he had been in battle before. He had glowing red eyes and a menacing scowl on his face. He pointed a Daedric longsword threateningly at him, his breath coming in deep grunts. "Stay away from here!" he yelled, striking out again.
Stella leaped in front of Darq just in time to cast her best Shield charm. A shimmering pink bubble formed around her. Stella knew that fighting was not right and she despised it wholly, but this was life-and-death. She and her husband both could very well be killed tonight. Spreading her hands again, she prepared to cast Fire, a spell from the Art of Destruction. While in training, Estella had never thought she would find a use for any spell in the Art of Destruction, but now she was fighting for her and Darq's life.
"NO!" yelled Darq, pushing Stella out of the way. "This is my battle. This bastard's mine!" Stella hit the ground hard, sliding through the dust. Her Fire spell was misdirected when Darq had pushed her, and it hit the bush nearby.
"Damn," whispered Stella, watching the bush catch fire. She quickly directed a jet of water at the flaming bush, hearing a sizzling sound as it was extinguished. Smoke plumed into the sky, obscuring her view of Darq. "Darq!" she screamed. "Darq!"
There came no answer. Coughing, pawing herself through the smoke, she tried desperately to see what was going on. She Conjured up a bow and notched a glass arrow to it, slowly advancing through the smoke.
Stella heard a scream. She couldn't discern whose it was. Stepping faster now through the gloom, feeling her eyes burning with the smoke, adrenaline rushing through her veins, she had the bow drawn, ready to strike. Straining her ears, she heard a sword whoosh through the air, and a desperate scream. The clash of metal on metal, and then...silence.
Stella was at a run now, still squinting through the night air. Suddenly she tripped, flying through the air, not having time to think or act before she crashed onto the cold dusty ground. Coughing, she struggled to her feet. "Light," she said, and her paws began to glow. She felt her Magicka drained with every step, making her more and more weary. At least she could see properly now.
Seconds later, she wished her vision was still obscured.
"Darq," she said softly, seeing him sprawled out on the ground. Blood was oozing from various wounds on his body, and his clothes were soaked and dirty. His sword lay on the ground next to him, a few inches from his hand.
She dropped to her knees on the ground next to him, caressing his tired and bloody face. "What happened?" she asked him.
Darq groaned, driblets of blood oozing from his mouth. "I...don't know. I just wasn't myself...I felt so heavy..."
Stella leaned closer over him, sniffing at his wounds. "Magic," she said simply. "Your attacker was a mage."
"What?" asked Darq, delirious. "I saw him carry a sword..." He groaned again, slipping out of consciousness.
"He was both then!" She sniffed him again. "Burden." she whispered, and gave him a hug. "It'll be all right, hang on, stay with me..."
Darq's breathing slowed, his eyelids fluttering. "No, baby, don't leave me. Come on now, wake up." She gave him a gentle slap in the face.
"Don't leave me now." She leaned over his limp body and wept.