Elemental Witch: Child of the Earth (Part I)

History

Amiya shivered as she listened to the air still for the brief moment between their salute and the horn blare, watching the two fighters fall into stances, with concerned looks on their faces. The tips of her fingers tingled and she glanced at the sky, half expecting a storm to be brewing, frowning as the high, strong bugle note announcing the start of the fight rang out. She heard it peal through the air and lowered her eyes back down to the arena as the world began to make less sense.

As the blades of the two fighters came together, crashing into an overwhelming melody of metallic music, the world in front of her went out of focus, Shelby and Verana fading from view, and then the entire arena disappearing as well.

Gone were the spectators, the crowds, the fences and tents. She seemed to sit alone, watching an open expanse of Wild land that she recognized as this Island without, before, humans being approached by tired, battle worn men on horseback. Their armour was of a style gone out of fashion centuries before, heavier and less manageable than what was used now, all carrying large, heavy swords and shields, battle scars crossing their skin and haunted expressions on their faces.

She watched as they dismounted near the forest and each went to one knee, bowing their heads as if towards a Regent. 

 The foremost man, spoke then, his voice rough and exhausted, dripping with desperation as he spoke. The language was old, as if read directly out of one of the ancient tomes from the palace library, but she was able to understand the words after a few moments of piecing together the ancient dialect that had become Clairvalan, "please. I know you do not know us. I know all you smell is violence and metal, but the world behind us is falling. Even if it takes another thousand years, the darkness is coming and the Wild is falling to it, everywhere but here. We seek shelter from it."

Out of the woods stepped a Feysha that looked almost like Sencha, though she couldn't shake the thought that that this wasn't the Feyshan man that she knew. He looked at the human with indifference, before glancing down the coastal planes, as if he could see the sea and the threat beyond. "It will not come for us."

The human stood slowly, glancing behind him at his companions, then back to the Fey who stood there wearing simple clothing, holding no weapons, "It comes for everyone. Fear of it infects man, they become so desperate to escape that they become evil themselves and destroy their worlds, trying to find safety, when it begins to devour them."

"We've seen that threat. But it will not come for us. It will come for our children, or their children." The Feyshan man finally looked at the human again and it was then that she recognized the set of the human's jaw, the shape of his eyes, she had seen a very old portrait of this man, hanging in the Keep behind her, it was one of Shelby's oldest ancestors, possibly the first Rakier of Clairval. "Why should we hope that you humans will not be the same? You could become your very own destruction and destroy our world as well."

The man stood there for a long moment, looking at his companions, who stood, exhausted, defeated, then he shook his head. "Because no human has ever asked the Feysha for help before. It is said the Gods protect you, but the winged ones have turned their backs on your brethren across the sea as much as they have ours. Perhaps the evil has consumed them as well... but this island, your people and mine, we have a chance to stand together. That's never happened. And I have to believe, I have to hope, that that's enough to be different. To change the story, I've seen how nations die without their Wild. We need you to stay around and you need our weapons to help you fight."

The Feysha nodded then. "Yes, that has been seen."

The magic faded and Amiya blinked and was watching a fierce battle between Verana and Shelby, metal clashing together as the two fighters moved across the dirt, focused on their own battle and oblivious to what had just happened. She turned and looked at Cavin, who looked pale and sick . "Cav.... Did you...?"