The Girl with an Owl

Chapter 40

Cassie wasn't very comfortable telling the young ones that particular tale, it wasn't a nice little fairy tale to recount at bedtime, but she had to tell them parts of it since they needed to understand what was happening. It was obvious to her that Bluebells and Ajana would react better if they knew exactly what and why was happening while the same was not true for her own children who were far too young for that kind of knowledge.

"So I am guessing you both know about the changes which happened to the elves over the years?" Cassie asked.

Both Bluebells and Ajana vigorously nodded their heads in agreement. Bluebells had heard many different stories about what really happened and he thought he had a good understanding of what had happened but still, he was sure more details wouldn't hurt his understanding.

Ajana on her part, having heard the story only once, was hoping for some nuggets of information that Wallace didn't want to tell her or simply didn't consider relevant in the given situation. It was in her nature to try to understand every living being as best as she could and potentially help out in any way possible so she felt the knowledge she acquired would be indispensable.

"Very well then, you know the background story of why they had become so divided and some of them became so violent and fierce. However, what the rare few want to talk about in Mag is the Sudden War. It brings up to many bad memories and reopens too many old wounds.

As you might have guessed from the name, it was a war we were not prepared for and thus the decimation it left behind was even greater. People of Mag have always been very powerful but also very peaceful. We were not fully aware of the ways power could be used in a war. We were unable to comprehend what the war truly was, or how to defend ourselves.

We were helping out in the other worlds, that much is true, but we were helping out from the shadows, by bringing peaceful resolutions, by helping the good to drive away the evil. Never in our wildest nightmares did we think that war would come knocking on our door.

Anyway, it was a day like any other, beautiful and filled with joyous wonderings and happy discoverings. We were all content with the life we led and the help we provided for others. Mag was as it is now a sanctuary, a safe place to go to.

As it were, many elves had run away from the conflict and into our own peace adorned the world. Of course, we accepted them with open arms, the same way we accept all the living beings who seek a better way of life.

It never even occurred to us that it may cause us some problems. We were doing the right thing so we expected nothing bad could come of it. We were wrong." Cassie said.

For a moment she stopped telling her tale, wondering if what she was saying was maybe too much for Ajana and Bluebells but seeing that there was only curiosity in their eyes she realized that they were both old enough to hear the truth. Maybe not in physical age but in wisdom they had.

Ajana was born with a deeper understanding of the human psyche than Cassie had ever seen and that made her more capable of dealing with the truths of life, somehow. As for Bluebells, although he was clumsy and energetic most of the time Cassie knew that there was a depth to him that was uncommon in his kind and thus something he felt he had to hide.

"At the time, there were no protection wards, no protection spells in case of an emergency, there was just a welcoming committee. My dear friend Delinda was the only person in the welcoming committee at the time.

Honestly, it wasn't necessary to have anyone else there since she was the kindest of us all. She was always soft-spoken and polite, making the newcomers feel relaxed and welcomed. It was part of her magic without her ever using any actual magic, a part of who she was as a person.

Even though she had a young daughter at home, she still felt it was her duty to do her job and then go back home and be the best mother she could be, the best wife she could be. And I must say she was amazing at both. She was the glue that kept her family as joyous as it was.

She had a loving family, a wonderful husband and the cutest little angel of a daughter. Not only that, but she also brought joy to everyone she met. She was a true whirlwind of positivity energy and joy until that fateful day.

Delinda never saw it coming. Her heart was too pure to recognize the hatred that burned in the eyes of the elves that were approaching her post. In her mind, they were just magical beings looking for safety and comfort in the wonderful world of Mag that was her home.

I can imagine it even now, her smiling at the hatred-filled faces, her heart refusing to see the darkness in their souls and them looking at her with loathing. Then in the blink of an eye, it was all over, she was lying dead on the ground while a larger group of soldiers exited the portal and entered Mag.

We only found out all of this much later at the request of her grief-ridden husband. Honestly, I wish he hadn't insisted on seeing it, it was painful both for him and myself as one of Delinda's closest friends.

Anyway, after that cruel and unnecessary extinguishment of a precious light that Delinda was to all of us, a large troop of elfin soldiers started plundering the land and murdering whomever they could. Luckily for us, the moment the first violent murder was committed Wallace could sense it and he quickly organized our defense.

Still, before we could be properly organized, or properly drive off the elves, many lives were lost. The lives of young, adult and old equally, it didn't make any difference to them." Cassie said.

Then she cut herself off having already said too much. She wanted to avoid mentioning the bloodshed, but it was the truth that she didn't want to hide from the wise souls in front of her. They deserved to know what had happened, what might happen again if they were not vigilant.

Both Ajana and Bluebells were stunned with the story, partly because it was the first time that an adult was truly honest with them and they couldn't help but gain a new appreciation of Cassie. It was different from the stories either one of them had heard, not only because it was honest, but also because it was so deeply personal.

Ajana couldn't help but feel immense sadness for the lives that had been lost but especially for Delinda and her family. It was as if through Cassie's eyes she could see what Delinda was like and it was even more sad to think about her death and the suffering of the family she had left behind.

"What happened to her family after you drove the elves back through the portal," Ajana asked.

As she asked that, she couldn't control one runaway tear that betrayed how deeply saddened she was by the story. Still, she held on because she knew that Cassie would stop talking if Ajana gave in to her grief and sympathy she felt for the poor family.

"That's the tragic part, what was once a perfect family became so dysfunctional that it pains my heart. The husband became a harsh cynic towards everyone but his daughter. And the cute little girl that I once adored spending time with became a mean little girl who tortured others so that they would feel even an ounce of the pain she felt by growing up without a mother.

Sadly enough, her father was and still is unable to see that part of her and she gets away with doing too many bad things. Even if he did, by some miracle see the truth, he would still refuse to see her as anything else but his precious little girl, his angel and the only thing he has left from his wife." Cassie said.

As she finished her tale, a silence wrapped itself around them as a thick layer of unpenetrable fog and Cassie wasn't sure which part of her story was too much for them. She tried to retrace her steps and mend her mistakes in vain. All she was met with were blank stares.