the Elements

Chapter 1: the Land of the Rising Sun

         Isis

     "AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!" I shrieked as I lept towards the swordsmaster. Sword in hand, I made a beeline for him. He readied his stance and smiled. He had expected a direct attack. I gave a smirk of my own. What he didn't expect was my change of tactics in hitting the floor and sliding under his open stance on the slick, marble floor. Faster than he could turn around, I concentrated on my surroundings. My body tingled as energy ran through it. I felt myself fading into the background as my body became transparent. Becoming invisible was a bit more difficult enchantment, but one I could easily manage. Magic is what I'm best at.

       My name? I'm Isis (like eye-sis) Wild-Heart Willows. I am untamable as the wind, they tell me. Free as the summer breezes. Nature is my best friend. I am the only known fluent in asrinina, the language of the wild. Asrinina is difficult for most. Only the dryads or animals can teach it to you. The trees will offer no wisdom but in their own language. They are the ones I go to when I need help. Magic is a gift. One handed down to me through the generations of my family, but I am told that I show exceptional talent, even for the ancient Willows family. And my family is pretty hard to live up to. 

         Other than magic and nature, the only ability I have is music. Yup. That's all I got. I love to play instruments. I love to sing to the flowers to make them bloom. That, however, is something not handed down. My mother adores my music. My father laughs, says only I could rebel that much. I suppose I am a rebel to our family. Nature should be preserved, but is not interacted with. Music has not been studied in a thousand years. Only magic and defense for our family. 

               "Isis, I know you're there, coward. Your family has been taught by my family for generations," the swordsmaster taunted, "It's all the same. You hide, like the coward you are. And I will find you." I began to walk, but froze as my barefeet squeaked against the floor. He started walking in the opposite direction. I thought about what he said.

                 Coward? There were no cowards here. I may be a rebel, but a family of cowards?  Not my family. I let the spell ebb away from me, immediately revealing my location. I shrieked again, taking a strong strike towards my pretend-a-foe. Then I realized his master plan. Insult my family. Take a hit to my pride. Perfect. Now I was out in the open- right where he wanted me to be. He spun around and parried my strike. He struck my hilt and my sword clattered to the floor. Before I could say  "I need a timeout," his sword was pointed inches away from my chest.

                  "Gotcha," he smirked, "Always be on your guard Isis."

                Yes, always be on your guard, Fletcher. He certainly wasn't on his guard when my sword flew across the room into my outstreched hand. In fact, his eyebrows raised in surprise, an unusual reaction from Fletcher. Before he could say for the thousandth time "no magic, Isis" , his own sword clattered across the floor. He was not skilled in magic. There was no way he would be able to control the telekinetic ability.

               He put his hands up. "Ok, you win, lesson learned." I let my sword drop from his chest and put it up on the rack. I ran from the arena, past the beautiful stone palace it sat next to,  and into the Cloud Drape woods.The fog was heavy here, but I could see the green, the life in the woods easily. I heard the conversation of two trees, women by the sound of their voices. It was kinda fun to know I was the only one in the universe who could understand them. But I kept going. I knew where I was going. Past the two-faced branches. Through the path in the blackberry brambles. Into the only sunny parts in the Cloud Drapes. Here there was a clearing, where the sun shined. A meadow, where all kinds of flowers, regular and magical, grew. There I would see.....wait.

                  Someone was following me. I sensed a presence. My ears, with their animal-like abilities, heard someone coming. They were close. Almost within the range of a normal person's hearing. I poised to attack. My bow was armed. I had a thousand spells I was about to unleash on whoever crashed through the branches, when I paused. This mind presence was familiar to me. I took a peek into the mind. Those thoughts. Yes, it was a palace guard I happened to know pretty well. He was pretty cool. Pretty obsessed with mortal technology...not an interest of mine. Briars crashed through the branches

                 "Pri—," the poor man had to pause to catch his breath. He must have run a long way. I was tempted to read his mind, to find out what was so important that Briars had run all the way from the palace to tell me. I refrained. I try my best to keep everyone's private thoughts..well...private. No one needed me nosing around in their head. 

                    "Princ—" he started again.

                  "Don't," I growled. I should tell you that I have an uncanny amount of natural animal magic in me, so when I said I have animal hearing, I wasn't kidding. In this case, my growl was enhanced by the animal in me, so my words almost came out as a literal growl. "Don't use that word."

                    He frowned. "Sorry Iris, but this is no informal matter." Uh oh, that probably meant.... Briars straightened. "Princess Iris Wild-Heart Willows, you are summoned to the presence of King Redmond Strong-Sword Willows."

                  Now I knew for sure something was wrong. Briars had rushed to find me because it had been crucial he do so. For the first time since our war with the Shadowlands, my father, the king, was actually using the royal/formal protocal to summon me. Wonderful.