Kingdoms of Light and Sorrow

Chapter One

I breath in. The smell of fresh tilled earth and morning dew hit my nose. Goose pimples rise on my arms when the damp breeze brushes my skin. I can feel the moisture of the soil beneath me seeping through the knees of my pants. The sun is beginning to poke through the trees on the horizon. Beams of sunlight stretch across the field like the arms of the Gods are trying to touch the earth.

    I look over at Cassidy. She digs a small hole in front of her and lovingly places a tree sapling inside. She pushes the mound of dirt back over the roots.

    "What is it, Jade?" She asks, without looking up from the sapling. "You've been eyeing me all morning." Cass spots a decaying leaf on a lower branch and scowls.

    "It's nothing," I lie and look back down at the ground, starting to dig my own hole.

    I know Cass rolls her eyes. It's her reaction every time she knows I'm lying. Out of the corner of my eye I watch as she lightly taps the dying leaf. The dark brittle half of the leaf wakes up with it's original green color.

    "It's something," She brushes her thumb over the now smooth leaf and smiles. "You know I can tell when your not telling me the truth."

    I heave an exasperated sigh. "I just wish I had your gifts. It would make my life easier."

    "Is this about tonight? You know you could just... not go."

    I chuckle. "If I don't show Rain would have the whole royal guard out looking for me. You remember what happened the last time I was late? I was only a few minutes late and the guards almost knocked me out because they were barreling through the front gate!"

    Cass lets out a small laugh, helping me with my own hole now. "I remember. Half the produce we collected tipped out of your basket and was crushed by a passing carriage."

    I look down at the hole I've been digging and see that Cass has made it a perfect circle. When I place my sapling inside I can tell she has made it the perfect depth as well. We both push the dirt back over the roots and softly pack it down.

    "Alright!" Cass perks up with chipper energy. "That's the last of them."

    When I look around I see she's right. The other Earthlings are standing around the freshly planted grove of trees. They're all spaced out along the border. Cass looks to her right and left, smiling and nodding to the Earthling on each side showing she's ready. I take a step back to watch.

    As a child, I always admired the earthling abilities. I envied Cassidy every time I saw her use her abilities. I remember watching her grow a vine of beautiful flowers over her bed once. I went home that night a tried as hard as I could to muster up the magic inside. However, all I managed was a few faint sparks.

    I cringe, pushing the thought of my mother out of my head and focus instead on the ritual taking place in front of me. All the Earthlings have their hands raised as if in prayer. A faint green aura forms a ring around the saplings, connecting them all. Many of them have their eyes closed in concentration, but I see one woman with her eyes open a giant smile plastered across her face. Her eyes are bright. Glittering green energy lights up the iris of her eyes.

    I feel the change before I see it. A rumbling buzzes trough my feet. The sound of wood grinding against wood fills the air. Then I see it. The small weak saplings begin to shift. Their twig like trunks begin to thicken and grow taller. Their branches multiply and bark hardens and splits across their trunks. Leaves sprout from tips of their branches, blossoming them into strong full grown trees. The green aura of energy dissipates and the Earthlings relax.

    "They look pretty good don't they?" Cass chirps. She skips over to me, smile on her face and blonde hair bouncing behind her. She takes my hand and leads me to the tree we just planted moments ago.