Elemental Witch: Child of the Earth (Part I)

Wildheart

".. explain to me again, child, why you allowed them to imprison, torture and injure you, when we both know you could have walked out of that building whenever you wanted?" Sencha growled as he watched Verana sag exhaustedly against the trunk of a tree. Soon, one of the group's healers  had started to tend to the abrasions and bruises caused by the humans.

"It was my mission. They were scared. They honestly believe we eat them." Verana murmured softly, her expression as guarded and stubborn as it had always been around him.

No, not always. 

When she was a child and he was starting to teach her how to fight, she had been his most devoted student. But as she had grown up and proven herself, stronger, better than the others chosen to be fighters, the rumours and derision had gotten worse. She had been isolated by her peers and those people who didn't understand her and then one day she had isolated herself from him as well. 

It had been sudden and she had never explained it but that day she looked at him as if he had betrayed her. His daughter now only trained and listened because she wanted to prove him wrong. Sencha saw how motivated she was to prove herself, to achieve more than him. And she didn't even know he was her father.

Usually it wasn't important, the whole community raised the children and most  didn't know their parents until their naming day. The day they were given their purpose, they were also given back their family after decades of being raised as merely one of the community. 

But the elders had not let him step up when Verana had been brought forward only weeks ago and her mother was too far afield, the separation too complete. Her only friend had been named, given his path and had left for the other side of the island that same day. So even when she was named and acknowledged, she was an outsider amongst her own people.  

Even though the Feysha did not ostracize, her separateness had been profoundly clear, more so than before. His little girl was so alone, it had broken his heart as he stood stoically to the side as a mere teacher. Sencha thought he was beyond redemption in her mind, he didn't want to know how much more she would hate him when she was given her wings back and told the truth.

"It was your mission to find the Sword Keeper and give him the message." Sencha growled, turning to look at his platoon, who sat around the concoction that Verana called a pie, eating it silently. Though they pretended not to hear the argument between their leader and the chosen ambassador, who had been one of their team so recently.

"The Sword Keeper wasn't back until today. They have the message. I'll maintain contact until they have their decision." Verana winced at whatever the healer was doing to her, leaning her head back against the tree. "Just enjoy your pie and let me sleep, Senchalneeria."

"And that's another thing. You could have been very vulnerable if you had used much more of your powers. You were barely conscious when we found you on the edge of the forest. You should not be going back there alone." He ignored the painful twinge from her formality of his full name, as lonely as she was, she still pushed him away.

Verana smirked to him, knowing the answer even as she made her offer. "Then come with me tomorrow."

He bared his teeth at that, flashing his sharp canines and growling. "Within those stone walls, away from the Wild and Earth? No. Wait until they signal their decision."

"No. This is a wasted opportunity. I believe they want to learn about us, actually work with us,  even understand us. They actually believe we steal and eat their young." She had a point. It was something that he believed with his whole being. That there needed to be less animosity and more understanding between all the races. 

But then he looked at her head sagging with exhaustion and the clothes tinged pink with her blood as the healer looked after her. He noticed the gaunt look on her features that told him she had barely eaten while expending more energy in a day than he would have let her in a month. And he wanted nothing more than to cut the throats of the primitive imbeciles who had hurt his daughter. The Wild that was in him was raging to get out and it took all his strength to keep it reigned in.

Which wasn't normal. The Feysha were calm, peaceful people. It was rare that one could be found with any desire to fight or learn to injure someone else. He was one of those rare few as were the rest of his platoon and the small percentage of the other warriors. All  of them varied in their capabilities to cause harm. 

Usually, he felt the peace and tranquility, the aloofness from the darker emotions, that was the Feysha's sole existence.But when it came to protecting his daughter, he felt a darkness in him that would allow him to destroy an entire army. 

Sencha shook his head and let out a slow breath, " what could creatures that dumb, that forgetful, offer us for all this trouble? Sure, if they fight for the island, we could use more soldiers but beyond their capacity for violence, why do we bother teaching them these things? They knew it. We told them before, we explained the balance, who we were, their responsibilities. And within two generations, they forgot."

"It was two generations for us. The man your father spoke with, the original Sword Keeper, was the great, great, great, great, great grandfather of the man I just met." Verana offered softly, sounding far wiser than her 80 years. " And besides all that, I found someone who can make us weapons."

The entire clearing froze, turning to look at her in askance and hope. They all used ancient blades, some of which had seen better days centuries ago and their supply was dwindling quickly. They could always find human weapons but the large human blades were heavy and ill-suited for a Feyshan warrior. 

Sencha tilted his head, raising a brow, "You what?"

"They're called black smiths. They make things for animals as well, I think, but she had travelled past this island to study different techniques. When I showed her my blades, Miss Greylin said she could create Fey weapons and all she wants is gold coins. I told you, their most valuable possessions is money, it's how they survive." Verana said easily, settling back against the tree more comfortably as the healer moved away from her. Closing her eyes, sounding closer and closer to sleep with every word she murmured. "She just wants to know how many we want."

He watched her as she relaxed into much needed slumber, cradled in the roots of the tree and soothed by the earth as it hummed its soothing melody to soothe her soul. Sencha pondered over that last bit of information she had given him. 

He wished for the thousandth time that he didn't listen to the Elder Council so well, that he could make one act of defiance on behalf of this girl. But he was Feysha and he believed them to the depths of his being, even when  they refused to explain the reasons for the restrictions they put on him. 

They had only told him that she needed these trials. 

That there was a reason why his daughter had to do all these things on her own.