Ardiel awoke to the sound a soft rapping on her door.
"Yes?" The door creaked open and Angela popped her head in.
"Good morning love, I've got something for you when you get out of bed. Sorry to wake you."
Groaning, Ardiel rolled over. Mornings had never been her thing, she would prefer to be up all night, but life doesn't exactly allow for that. She realized the door hadn't completely been shut when she saw the familiar sight of a black snout nuzzling it open.
"Brise! Come here girl!" The husky threw the door open and bolted towards the bed with excitement. Leaping up on the bed and giving her good morning licks to Ardiel, just as she did nearly every morning. Ardiel grabbed Brise under her arms and rolled over with her, leaving them in a position suitable for cuddling.
"I love you so much my big goofy pup." Brise propped her head back in a silly fashion, trying to lick Ardiel's face. "Alright, let's get up and get you outside shall we?"
Ardiel sat up and stretched, producing a yawn to go along with it. She got dressed in a pair of black leggings, a grey tank top and a greyish-silver cardigan. She had the today, tomorrow, and Sunday off and planned on taking a bit easy, at least for today.
After getting dressed, Ardiel walked down the arched hallway and into the living room. She slid open the back door and let Brise run free in the 12 acre back yard. She knew Brise would never run off too far, she always came back. Ardiel slid the screen door closed behind her and walked over to her Angela and Melisa sitting at the dining room table, drinking coffee and reading their laptops.
"Everything is good in the world, I trust?"
"Well, I don't know about good," Melisa said, "but the planet hasn't blown up yet." They read the Canadian Broadcasting Company, or CBC, news page every day.
Ardiel took a seat at the table. "That's good then. So what did you wake me up for?"
"Here, this arrived at the door." Melisa moved a small package on the table toward her.
"Oh, huh, why didn't it go to the post office?"
"It was sent by UPS."
Ardiel peeled the tape off the box, opened it and peered inside. Resting on top of two sheets of rectangular paper was a small wooden box with intricate carvings in it. Indiscernible, the carvings seemed to breathe life themselves. So delicately carved with obvious care and precision, the design seemed to be a cross between a Celtic design and ancient Egyptians hieroglyphics. There was a circle shape that formed a Celtic knot at the bottom, within the circle was two shapes; one that looked like a seat and another beside it that looked like a half moon on top of an incomplete rectangle.
"Oh my god, this is beautiful. Who sent this?"
"Look at the packing slip."
She picked up the small piece of paper out of the box and read it.
"It says it's from 1 Unum Lane, Collegium Elementa, Head of the Elements. Head of the Elements, is that an actual title?" Ardiel asked, sounding skeptical.
"Well open it! I'm curious."
Ardiel flicked over the small pin that was keeping it closed and lifted its' lid. In it was a single black stone, polished to a shine.
"Black?" The single word fell from Angela's mouth, a stone into a lake.
"What, you got one too?"
"Yes, I used to have one. Mine was green, and normally they are vibrant colors, I've never seen a black one before."
"Why was it sent to me?"
"And why would hers be black?" Melisa chimed in
"Well every student of the Collegium gets one, and I don't know why it's black."
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The Lost Element
काल्पनिकA woman goes to what she thinks is a normal college, and finds out she has more power than she thought she could ever have. After learning who she truly is, she attempts to rescue a long lost relative. When this turns sour, she needs to fight a bat...
