Burning Bright

  Dari crouched in the shadows of Water Clan capitol wall. Fireworks burst and crackled overhead in the black sky,  shimmering against the stars that speckled the night. The assembled crowd below oohed and aahed, enjoying their pathetic little holiday.  She narrowed her eyes. That was how Water elementalists did things; graceful and glamourously. Rolling her eyes, she pressed herself against the cool stone as not to be seen. If she was found, there was no doubt she would be sentenced to hang to entertain the masses. She shuddered at the thought. Completely vulgar.

  The fireworks kept going, still transfixing the crowd. Dari partially stood up, ready to start moving. She'd been here long enough as it was. She'd need to start heading back to the City before her parents noticed she was gone, then she'd be screwed.

  Suddenly, a loud crack filled the air. A huge wave of water rushed toward the crowd, the fireworks above now streaking the sky blue. Riding the wave was a tall graying man in long, flowing robes of expensive-looking material. The people gasped and screamed, starting to run away from the terrifying mass. Then, it evaporated, sparkling in the air as the man floated to the ground like a saint. She sould have known. He was the Water Clan Senator, after all. They were known to pull stunts like that to impress the people. What a show-off.

 As he touched down on the green lawn safe inside the city walls, two men carried a podium in front of him.  They bowed, then turned to stand on either side of him.

  " Hello good people of the Water Clan," he began, his voice amplified somehow. The crowd roared in approval, showing their support of the man. 

  He hushed them, continuing his little speech. " As you all know, today is Peace Day, the day the war ended. The day the clans won. The day we enialated the Fire Clan!!"

  This time the crowd screamed and yelled, flags and Fire Clan dolls waved up high, with their bright red hair and fire for eyes. Dari winced as one was hung in the air by a watery noose, then swished around in a whirlpool in midair until it flew out in pieces. If they did that to a doll, they wouldn't hesitate to do it to a human being.

  " 200 years ago, our ancesters were threatened by those mongrels. But we came together as one, all four clans."  As he began to list them off, the clan symbols flashed in the air.

  " Terra!" A leaf appeared, hovering in the air as water.

  " Rock!" A large boulder flashed, rolling around midair.

  " Sky!" A water made sun gleamed above him, Sky Clan's symbol.

  " And..." he waited, using dramatic pausing. " The nobel and mighty Water Clan."  A huge, single droplet of water showed up, bursting into rainbow-colored bits. The crowd roared and screamed again. Even it was believed all clans were equal in strength, each was still biast to their own element, creating heated feuds.

  " The great clan leaders knew that after being decimated by the Fire Clan forces, they had to unite to defeat them. With our the clans seperate, we sustained heavy loses." He waved his hands above him to show singularity. " But together, we defeated them handily, driving them out into the ground and the outer limits of the planet. Because WE are superior to any fire monsters that try to rule!"

  He screamed the ending, pumping his fist above his head, grinning as the crowd chanted " Burn the Fire Clan!" over and over. It was sickening, really. Dari couldn't help but feel the urge to slice them all to bits. She tensed, automatically reaching for the twin blades hiden under the black jacket fluttering around her in the breeze. Destroying them would be so fun, teaching them a well deserved lesson. But, she withdrew, placing her hands by her sides. No leaving evidence, or Father will kill you, she thought to herself, picturing her father's reaction if he ever knew she ventured into the water capitol, much less killed a water elementalist.