Brethren

And just like that it was gone with the wind. The ashes shifted through my fingers, the dust clouding over my heart. I bit my lip in defiance, before the tears could spill over. The pain in my side found a way to outdo the pain that charred my soul, and my vision turned black against the sight of the battle field.

I woke up feeling as if my soul itself were being crushed, a tight squeezing pressure. But it was sorrow that was crushing against me, leaving the surface hollow and empty. My expression blank, my body twitched hearing the pained cries of the other soldiers, the medics doing what they could as fast as their health would allow. There were a little over one hundred of us left.

My ears twitched as someone whispered my name. I looked to the broken body of Syxx, in the bunk next to mine. "Syan." He whispered again. He coughed, blood bubbling over his lips as his eyes focused into mine. "Are you alright?" I thought about his words, the condition his body was in, the way the silver tree was now in ashes along with half of our people, and I closed my eyes as I shook my head.

"No, brother. We are far from okay. But our race will not perish like this. We shall not be lost to dust before we have the opportunity to strike back."

"The Medics..." he coughed out. "Will they... will they be here soon?"

I reached out my hand, taking his in mine. "I don't know brother." Syxx closed his eyes, passing into a fitful sleep.

His grip slackened on mine, and I retrieved my hand with a sigh. Every one of my people was apt at magic, but there were those better suited for it, those that trained. I had not, and even at the cost of my life, I couldn't get the fear of losing Syxx out of my mind.

I reached out with my consciousness, drawing up the remainder of energy from the fire on the battlefield, borrowing some from the air, from the earth deeply hidden under layers, from the animals that had no hope left, for the death that plagued the land left no mercy for them either. I pulled it toward me, until I felt I would explode. I looked to the side to acknowledge a gentle pressure on my shoulder, and was startled to see Einya smiling at me.

"He will be fine, Syan. And I must return to the stars soon. I bid thee well, great warrior. Do not let them forget us." She moved her hand to one of mine before disappearing.

Focusing, I moved the energy toward my hands until they began to glow in a healthy light green aura. Quickly, I placed one hand over either of Syxx's lungs, moving them slowly around his heart. As I did, I released the energy I picked up into my brothers body. I watched as the aura slowly and thinly spread over Syxx's body, and the small cuts and bruises faded. I smiled to myself before passing into the black void.

The images that flowed through my mind were dream like in nature, but when unconscious, a dream is hardly ever just that. The war blazed in my memory, the slaughtering of our people as the village was ransacked. We could not rally fast enough to save those along the border.

Through the confusion, after we had defended our home from the first onslaught, the higher elves came to counsel. Was this a rogue group, what did they want? Were the humans attacking? Why? What have we done?

Memories began to flash of Humans who came to us, siding with us...Humans coming to us, pleading with us; Humans coming to us, threatening us.

Einya.

My peregrine falcon circled and dove, following her through the forest. She flew to me, cooing a signal. A human woman stepped out not long after. Her clothes were dirty from travel and ripped from where she had resisted the forest. She glanced around slowly before locking eyes with me. She made her way towards me, Vena perched on my shoulder. She bowed the way humans do when making a show of respect.