Wild Jewel [Enter a world of Faerie Romance]

Wild Jewel - Chapter 12

COMMENT AND VOTE PLEASE?! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 12

Days flew by, turning into weeks, which turned into months. I could feel my muscles developing with each new stride. My senses became sharper, seeing the tiny almost invisible flecks on the leaves, the dust mites in the air, even small animals from a far off. Smells became stronger, leaving me intrigued and dazed by intoxication. Every taste, touch and sound was more definite, more defined with my newly developed senses.

The language came naturally to me now. I was completely fluent and managed to use the language instead of my old language, and in fact; which allowed me to talk freely to some of the other faeries and creatures. In fact, since I was only speaking Elvish, I began to forget my old language. I could run faster now, as well. And I found that I much enjoyed it, feeling the wind stroke my hair, the forest ground under my bare feet and the sheer freedom of the motion was what made me feel most alive.

My magic was getting stronger still, and I managed to control some sequences without exhausting myself, yet the feeling of the magic flowing through my entire body came with complete exhilaration. I was able to grow more plants now and feel the core roots of the trees. Arielle explained to me that considering I've only been learning a short amount of time compared to the rest of them, being all their lives, I am actually exceedingly good, and I should be able to be ready for an initiation by the end of the fall.

My fighting skills have advanced, thanks to the tutorial skills of Delius, though ever since the day that he fell on me, he can't seem to look at me the same way again, and I manage to feel completely embarrassed every time I see him.

One day, I mentioned the word parents, and Arielle suddenly seemed to have a sadness about her, deliberately diverting her eyes from me. I couldn't seem to hold it in any longer, we were getting ready for bed when I knew I had to ask Arielle where their parents were.

"They were killed," she told me grimly in Elvish, "by the wraiths of the Otherworld. Delius was fourteen and I was barely ten."

I looked at her astonished. I guess I knew they were dead somehow, but to know that it happened so young; I couldn't seem to contain my horror. "So young! How did you cope?"

Arielle kept a hard expression, though I knew the questions made her sad. "Indriel managed to take us in under her ruling. When Delius was sixteen, he was allowed to make a house, and so we both chose this tree in memory of our parents," She managed to give me a tight smile in reassurance.

I decided I wanted to deter from her loss, looking for something more excitable or daring. "So what is this 'Otherworld'?"

It worked. A little bit, she still had the sadness in her eyes, but she seemed momentarily distracted, and suddenly she seemed fierce and excited. "It is what we call the world between the Glade and the Human world. All that is evil or banished lives there; or mainly all that turn from the Hiril are cursed to stay there. The border between the Glade and the Otherworld is beyond the mountains, and it was Elvóthien, the great-great-grandmother of Hérion, our King, who ruled out the border, placing a spell on it so no cursed creature that has turned from the Hiril may pass. It is always the Queen's responsibility to act as Priestess for the people, and it is the King's responsibility to act as Chief of the tribes.

"Being Priestess also allows Indriel to sense the future...is able to get the flow in the wind from the Hiril and knows immediately when a battle is near, for instance, but only major events is she able to see. I wouldn't doubt that she saw you coming to the Glade."

I think about what she says, "Does she know what the future is like...for now?"

"It is full of peace, she tells me...for now," She tries to keep a straight face at me when she says the last part, but we both end up giggling at each others expressions, until we are forced to face the opposite direction from each other.