Chapter 1: Phoenix Runes
"Keisha come look at this." Analia called over her shoulder, her dark brown hair continuing to fall from the ponytail that held it loosely. She gazed at the deeply imprinted red runes on the cave wall with electrifying green eyes.
A blonde haired girl with sapphire blue eyes appeared at the entrance to the small cave. Small pointed ears protruded from the sides of her head, poking out of her hair. She wore a thin silk tunic and matching golden breeches.
"What is it this time?" She asked impatiently. Analia withheld her retort and beckoned Keisha to come inside. The cave hung off an old mountain called Belgaurd, five miles away from the Valley City of Kalere, where the elves flourished for thousands of years.
"Just come look at this." Analia commanded. "I'm no expert, but the last time I saw runes like these they were on display at the Phoenix Gardens. Not that these are going to be about-"
"Why should they be any different?" Keisha interrupted, settling into a crouch next to Analia. She studied them for a moment then said, "These are very difficult to decipher."
"Where are Tallor and Sylvana? Tallor may be able to help,"
"Coming!" a voice shouted from the entrance of the cave. It was Tallor, followed closely by Sylvana.
Tallor was a spectacular person. She had black eyes (which were a sign of significant evil until she came along) and curly locks of ebony hair. Because of these features, her sense of style varied a good deal from most elves. She wore midnight black outfit that covered every patch of skin except for her head. And Tallor was renowned among the elves for her skill at interpreting ancient runes.
Sylvana was more of a typical elf. She had blonde hair and green eyes that blended gracefully from one feature to another. There was only one truly special thing about her. That was that she was Keisha's half sister. But since they had different fathers Keisha had a difficult time accepting that fact.
"Hello Sylvana, hello Tallor," Analia greeted them. Keisha simply nodded her greeting to them, not entirely wanting to acknowledge her younger sibling. "Don't be like that…" Analia whispered threateningly into Keisha's ear. Keisha turned her head a glared at her, eyes flickering dangerously with flames. Analia rolled her eyes and beckoned the other two women to join them.
Since Tallor was exceptionally good with translating ancient languages Analia and Sylvana wrote down every word they said about the runes. Kiesha took a less active approach and gazed at the endless rows of blood red runes, a look of astonishment on her face. When the sun moved into an angle where they could no longer make out the runes they all returned to their quarters in the castle to get their regular tasks done before the sun disappeared behind the mountain.