A sequel to "Floating Stars"
Generations have come and gone in Natanstrelle. The people have been free to live without fear for almost a century, since the light magic's triumph over the darkness. However, hatred still lurks within the land; the Tro...
"Indeed, my sister has taught you Astrid the First's background well I see."
"Do you really think that the magic possessed James' late wife?" Beanni questioned and glanced at the smoke pillar as she contemplated such a thought. "I mean, what if it was somebody else with the same name?"
"I suppose that could be the case," Genelle responded through gritted teeth, but then jumped into further explaining the theory she preferred, "But what if the reason that James found Rachel - somebody to guide him within the non-magical realm, somebody to understand him despite being from another dimension, was more than just chance? What if the magic brought them together?" The look that Beanni gave in response wiped the smile from Genelle's face, she got to her feet without saying a word, then looked down her nose at her daughter. "Get back to gazing! You clearly have not got enough information yet!" she said in a strange, irritable tone then stood there with her arms crossed.
Beanni didn't dare argue, she turned towards the smoke, took in a deep breath and let her mind wander to a land far away.
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Beanni found herself standing amongst countless, towering trees, in the forest that Ethan had shown her only a day or so ago.
She no longer knew what day it was, had no idea how long she had been away from her family and friends. Every waking hour she was forced to either gaze or speak about what she saw. She could feel the effects of gazing even at night, for what she saw in the smoke took over her dreams too. Every time she had a quiet moment to herself she could not switch off the smoke's influence on her mind. When she tried to think of anything else, anybody else, all she could see was Ethan's violet gaze. A heavy ache weighed on her chest as she longed to be found before she lost herself completely, for she was beginning to forget what those she truly cared about looked like. She struggled to summon their faces to her mind's eye.
"Beanni!" Ethan interrupted her spiralling thoughts.
"Hello, Ethan Robson..."
"You sound sad, what ails you Natanstrellean?" Ethan said in his usual all-knowing way.
"I feel trapped," Beanni answered, not feeling any need to be dishonest to the embodiment of the Troll Land's magic, however a thought then came to her mind, "I suppose you of all people would understand what it is to feel trapped."
"I do indeed, I have been trapped in this realm, for many many years. Forced to move from fragile body to fragile body until I can finally come home." Beanni was then made to focus on the trunk of a familiar tree. She watched Ethan's hand reach forward and caress the rough bark with the ends of his fingers. "I could've stayed inside this tree, lived a long life waiting for chances to stumble upon my roots. Instead, I decided to possess the moving and the speaking, then I could seek out answers for myself and speed along the process. I mean, who is willing to wait around for somebody else to come and save them? Are you?" This question struck Beanni hard in the chest, it made her feel sick to the stomach. She felt so foolish, for that's exactly what she had been doing. She hadn't even tried to escape her captors, such a thought hadn't even crossed her mind until now. What was wrong with her? Why hadn't she tried to escape?
