Etherea: The Lost Daughter

9

Perhaps this has been a terrible idea, Nia thought; as they trudged through slop and sludge, covered in dirt; bruised and battered. It had not begun that way, no, their journey began in the scorched lands of the Sapphire Court. Nia longed for the burning heat of the sun once more, all she had known for days now was a murky mist. One would not think a place such as this existed in a land so mystical, yet the stench of despair stung their senses. 

Torrin eyed his companions wearily, he did not wish to set forth on this journey, but they had been left with no choice. With scarcely anyone left above the earth he would trust enough to ask, their best chance was to find the seer in Galeria and gather information on Nia so that they might stand a chance against Ciar. He took some comfort in the unwillingness of Nessa to share the location of Abbán, Torrin hoped this meant he would help them. 

Nia climbed over a dusty hill, keenly aware of Torrins blue eyes watching her like a hawk. She wiped her brow of sweat and glanced towards the horizon, burnt trees and glaring sun stretched as far as her eyes could see. It pained her to know this was once lush forests and bustling towns, homes once stood where they walked, turned to ash, and blown away with a strong wind. It was devastating. She pushed the thought from her mind, felt her magic reach out once more towards the light. She embraced the warmth of the sun on her face, let it fill her bones with heat. 

Uaine walked ahead cautiously, his eyes ever watching their surroundings. Rian trailed by his side, Torrin trusted none to keep his brother safe but himself and so, he was forced to be brought along. Uaine had argued with Torrin, of course. The arguments of the two Fae Lords had woken Nia from her slumber, she had chosen to ignore them as they would bicker with or without her. Torrin had won, clearly, much to Uaine's disappointment. 

Rian was not disappointed at this, however. Always ready to get into trouble, he had danced inside as Torrin told him to pack his things. His eyes, like Uaines, scanned the horizon; but Rian, unlike Uaine, had a different objective. He jumped with delight as his eyes found their target. Nia had forgotten, they had taken this same path to Avenere and there -where that lone flower had broken through the earth- a bushel of flowers had sprouted from the dust. Torrin and Uaine stopped dead in their tracks. 

Too shocked, too delighted to speak they simply looked from the unexpected life growing from the earth to Nia and finally, to each other. The sheer joy which rippled from their auras almost knocked Nia over, it filled her with such lightness she felt almost drunk. Is it possible to get drunk on the happiness of others? Nia wondered. She supposed it would make sense, if she could feel their emotions as if they were her own. Uaines eyes were firmly locked on the cluster of flowers, while Torrins darted to the glowing girl at their side. The light that framed her contained a hundred colours, yet it was translucent all the same. Her eyes, like the lavender that once grew in their gardens, were hazed as she grinned at the horizon "are you alright?" He asked, his joy only outweighed by the care that had grown in his heart with every moment she spent in his company. 

Nia beamed brightly at him, quite literally. White light surrounded her, one did not need the gift of half-sight to see it seeping from her body. Joy bounced between the pair as Nia's power unwittingly flowed outward, piercing Torrin's heart with a weightlessness he had never felt. "You need to calm down" Torrin guffawed, nothing was particularly funny- yet he laughed all the same. Uaine looked at the pair, too enthralled in their own joy to notice the two they had travelled with. His eyes widened with surprise as wisps of sapphire and scarlet danced between them, it was almost like their magic reached out to one another. Uaine did not wish to see what would happen should they collide, not as the light grew brighter with each second; he pulled the two apart. Torrin took a deep breath to steady himself, Nia supposed it would take something stronger than calming breaths to settle the glowing aura around her. So, she did what she could and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. It worked a small amount; if nothing else it curbed the magic seeping from her. 

Nia realised just how dangerous her power could be, she could bring joy to illuminate this world, or she could bring enough pain to tear it down. The thought unnerved her, she understood she had a choice, yet she feared the journey might cloud her morals. And so, they pressed on, a renewed sense of determination alight in their hearts. Uaine understood more than the others, his ability to sense magic around him allowed Uaine to see the sheer power still rolling from Nia, it was like a wave of iridescent light. Uaine hoped that Abbán would have the answers they had set forth to find. 

Before long, they reached Avenere. "We should stop here for the night" Uaine told the group as they entered the abandoned town, he knew it would pain Torrin to stay there but they would be fools to venture further as darkness fell. It would do them no good to be attacked while weary from their travels. Nia stretched her limbs and agreed. Rian and Torrin looked around the town with sadness in their eyes. Torrin felt the weight of Ciars destruction heavily, for although he could not have done much to aid their cause he still felt that he should have done more; but what good could a child have done against an evil King? 

Nia lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, the light finally dimmed around her. "We will rebuild Torrin, I swear it, this town will be alive once again" her words rang with such honesty, Torrin found himself hopeful once more. "Why don't we begin practicing her magic now?" Rian suggested, it was about time they helped her use her powers rather than continue to be blindsided by it. 

Uaine nodded in agreement "come, Nia, Torrin may be more adept at physical activities" Nia did not miss the innuendo or the playful glare Uaine cast to his friend "but I am far more skilled with magic" Torrin opened his mouth to protest, until Uaine had lifted him five feet off the ground and turned him upside down. Nia could not help but laugh at Torrins surprise "put me down you fool" Torrin groaned. Then, as if realising his mistake, he rushed to add "don't drop me on my-" too late, Uaine had dropped his friend on his ass. Rian and Nia howled with laughter as Torrin grumbled, dusting himself off as he rose. He shot a glare at the trio; it only caused their laughter to grow. 

#

"Focus Elvinia" Uaine said for the fourth time as she stared at the ivy covering the sapphire building before them. Nia glared back at the blonde Fae "stop calling me Elvinia" she snapped back, it was difficult to focus. Her mind raced at every moment, "why do you hate your name so much?" Uaine questioned, allowing her a reprieve for a moment. Nia groaned and kicked a rock at her foot "mortal children are cruel beings" she did not wish to explain, he did not wish to pry. The look in her eyes as she cast them downwards told him enough. Bredas grandson had proved less than grateful for her mothers help. She still bore the scar of the day he had thrown her into the creek. 

With that Nia returned to the task at hand and glared at the ivy ascending the building before them. She thought of how she had summoned the light within the chamber beneath the manor and used that thought to comfort her. I can do this, Nia reached out to the ivy and closed her eyes, watched it retreat in her mind, until the walls became clear of debris. She repeated this, several times until a soft gasp escaped Uaine. Nia finally opened her eyes and took in the sight before her, she had not just cleared the building, she had cleared the entire quarter in which they stood. "I can tell you I am very glad you did not meet Ciar first" Uaine admitted as he looked around in admiration. Nia nodded in agreement "we should head back to the others" she said as she felt her fingers shake "are you alright?" Uaine asked, noticing the change in her demeanour "yes, thank you, sometimes it takes a lot more energy from me than I realise" she admitted. Uaine thought for a moment "then perhaps we have approached this wrong, that is my fault alone. I forget that your magic is not new, it has been growing for over two hundred years, perhaps we should focus on honing it rather than testing it" Nia supposed he was right, the memories of her mother teaching her spells were still unclear and fragmented. 

They returned to their makeshift camp within a building still overgrown, they did not want to be found in the darkness by any of the creatures that roamed these lands. That first night was filled with laughter and joy before they retired to their makeshift beds. Uaine took the first watch, as his friends lay their heads to rest. Neither knew, as they slept, what would come in the days ahead. Each prayed silently, for the strength to withstand whatever may come.