Gallel's Heir

Chapter 3: Power

Freedom is the most important gift from the Taleni; indeed, freedom of thought is what separates humans from animals.

----Gizelle Floren Elkek of Toopek

The sun had passed its zenith. Dylin breathed the fresh air of Darkwood, free from Gallel for a few hours. Arms empty without her baby, she stretched her back as she skipped along the foliage-strewn path, her linen skirt swishing the bright leaves. Autumn chill had returned, and other than a hint of acrid smoke, the air felt fresh and clean, like that dazzling object had made everything new.

A pile of cloth lay rumpled on the side of the path just outside Ocher. When Dylin stepped closer, sunlight glinted on a bluish, thin hand stretched over roots. The hand was a little too pale, and a little too blue, but she recognized to whom it belonged.

"Gizelle!"

She ran to the side of the old woman and touched Gizelle's forehead to check for any stirrings of wari, just as Amara had taught. Dylin's wavy black hair had been pulled back, but a few strands fell over her shoulder as she leaned over her would-be trainer. While warmth lingered in Gizelle's flesh, the wari was silent, as was the heart. Dylin's fingers warmed as her wari infiltrated Gizelle's waterways, and the girl's arms and feet cooled. The old woman's heart stirred, her throat rasped, then her eyes slit open. Orange sunlight slanted across her thin face, and the eyes seemed large and dark.

"Hel...!" Gizelle's throat tightened; Dylin doubted words could easily form without her wari flowing freely.

"What's happened?" said Dylin. Her energy pushed heat from inflamed flesh, encouraged Gizelle's wari to flow. Gizelle relaxed. "I can't find anything broken, but your muscles are swollen! You likely can't talk much now, but I want you to tell me what happened when you can. I think your spirit was gone when I came, but I see only symptoms, no cause. I'm not very experienced, but I've never heard of anything like this, and Amara told me many stories."

Gizelle's breaths came deep and slow as Dylin let her energy seep into her, and a few minutes later, the old woman whispered, "I was dead?"

"I think so, your heart wasn't beating, but you weren't cold. Your spirit hadn't found the Escort yet, or you wouldn't have come back. I don't know what I did, because I don't think it's possible to bring back the dead."

"Experienced water mages can work miracles." She brushed trembling fingers across her forehead. "But it is nearly impossible to permanently take a water mage's life by merely stealing her wari, unless you do some serious damage, or the mage doesn't want to return. Especially with another water mage close at hand."

"I didn't know that was possible."

"At your age, I'm not surprised." Gizelle's breath rasped. "Though, you have the potential to do miracles. Thank you." Her eyelids twitched, and she seemed to focus on Dylin only with difficulty. "You did nothing more than passively fill my waterways."

"Amara told me a little about waterways. That's where wari flows."

"Your trainer was called Amara?" Dylin nodded. "Dear child, I had a water mage cousin by that name. We grew up together, went to school together, but parted ways when I followed my enemy, and she did not."

"Amara Elkek of Toopek," said Dylin. "She protested my marriage."

"Undoubtedly."

"My... mother... had her killed when she tried to go after me."

"Dear Taleni!"

"But you're... well, old," said Dylin. "She was merely middle aged. How could you have grown up together?"