Windswept War of the Elements

Zylena scraped the hair from her eyes, painting slightly lighter streaks on her forehead.As she sat leaning against the tree, the warm winds blew in gusts around her. The dust in the air mixed with the sweat of her brow became the art she created.

She could see them now, just a dot on the horizon.She stood quickly.Squinting into the sun, with a hand shading her eyes, Zylena still saw nothing more than a dot. Time to face destiny.Clapping her hands together, removing the dust, she turned towards her village. Taking the quicker way back she jumped between rocks and slid in some dust and gravel, stopping once to look behind her, then paused looking over the village.The low one story buildings scattered over the landscape before her; all circling a very large well in the center.Zylena watched as the people scurried about like ants.Jumping down one last time, she landed close to the back of her house.

“I see them coming, Mama.” Like a drifting breeze, she entered her home. She draped the light blanket she used to shade her face across a chair. A desert dweller with fair skin! A cruel joke to be sure.

“Then you better clean up, my love.” Her mother, Theola, looked up from her sewing,

They lived near the desert, it was arid; yet life could be seen everywhere.Mature trees, like the Joshua tree she had sat by, many succulents like Datil yucca plants were plentiful as well as edible.Underground streams fed the well in the center of town. The underground systems supplied each home with water. The remote village of Seriton was small and mostly self-sustaining.The houses were rudimentary but comfortable.

Zylena took her mother’s advice and headed for her room.Knowing she had at least an hour before they arrived she didn’t rush.She looked in her mirror as she removed her clothes, is this what I really want?

The visitors came from very far away.They lived in a large city, Tivolty, on the other side of the desert.The group from Tivolty made the trip to the outlying villages approximately every ten years in search of girls who had the gift.A certain type of gift, some would call it magical. They searched for girls who had shown some signs of being able to control an element; whether it would be fire, earth, water, or wind.The men who had this gift were born only to women residing in the town of Tivolty, it was unknown why.They had to seek an element mate in the outlying villages who complemented the element they had full control of.

If the two people were compatible, then the man would share a part of his power, making her control stronger.This was a secret ceremony which was never spoken of by the recipients.The girls could choose to stay in their own village or travel back to Tivolty.

“I just need a little more power!”A girl just outside Zylena’s window called out.Her friends all giggled and laughed as she made water bubble in a cup she held.

“We have the water element here anyway, you won’t be chosen…” an older boy taunted.

“I, on the other hand, have something we can use.”Another smaller girl snapped her fingers and sparks appeared.

They all poked fun at each other, as they strolled by, their voices drifting away.

You would become a great asset to your village; or if you chose to go to Tivolty, your village could still enjoy the benefits remotely.The village Counselor would be given several glass containers that would be filled as they depleted by another secret process.These glass containers would, upon opening them, control an element for an allotted time.

The village Counselor was a disciple of the Divine Counselor who lived in Tivolty. His job was many faceted. He resolved differences, maintained the element jars, if needed, and provided divine guidance to the village.The people of Seriton worshiped the earth and its element forces, as did all other villages and cities of the region.They gathered to give homage twice a week. The Counselor, Suzerain-Thomas guided the girls who were believed to have potential to control of an element.The gatherings consisted of meditation followed by a short time allotted to allowing the girls to practice their gift.