Angelwolf

Sorry for the delay. After everything with the holiday, I didnt have time to work on the chapter. Then I got a new job and had to work out my schedule, along with training. So, without further ado, I give you this amazing chapter. I hope you love it!!!

I awoke with a start as I felt something pushing on me. Opening my eyes, I found what looked to be a very tiny girl flying over me. Then it hit me that it was the sprite from the forest. I turned over to see that Amethyst was still asleep.

“Do not worry, she will be fine in the morning,” The sprite said. I looked again and realized that this was a different sprite. This sprite looked a little older. Granted, she still looked young, but you could tell that there was an age difference.

“Who are you?” I asked, rubbing my eyes. The aura coming from her was a little too bright for me in the dark.

“I am Lavendra, queen of the forest sprites,” she said as she sat on my thigh. “Now, what brings you this way. I have not seen your kind in many a moon.”

I tilted my head. What did she mean, my kind? Were there more like me? I mean, I didn’t think anything about it before because as far as the Keyama knew, I was the first they had ever seen. Softly I asked, “What do you mean, my kind?”

“You don’t know? Well, I guess not. There aren’t many around who remember now. Long ago, there was a war between humans and the fey. Neither side was backing down, and it looked like both sides were on the brink of extinction. Just when things seemed over, the goddess sent us a savior. They looked just like you. And with their help, a treaty was struck. However, a few generations later, that treaty was forgotten. Humans began hunting and enslaving us once again. Only, the fey aren’t fighting back,” she said. She adjusted herself and sighed.

“What happened to the other one?”

“Oh, they lived here until they passed. They were a friend to all and were highly respected,”

“So you think that that is why I am here now? To bring back the treaty?”

“No, I think we are past that. No, I think you are here to lead a rebellion.”

“But how do I do that. I am just one person. Not to mention, I know nothing of war or weapons.” I said, shaking my head at her words. How could she think that I would be able to lead a rebellion? She didn’t even know me. And why didn’t the last savior just lead the rebellion then?

“You will learn in time. As for weapons, I am pretty confident that you will not need to worry about that. I felt your aura all the way here in the village,” she said with a little too much enthusiasm. I still didn’t know how I did what I did, and here she was telling me that this magic was my weapon.

“I didn’t know I had magic, let alone how to use it,” I said, slightly annoyed. I didn’t ask to have magic. Nor did I ask to be part of some rebellion. I had just kissed Amethyst, for crying out loud.

“Nevertheless, you do have magic, and I am sure that some human mage has sensed it by now. Now, you still didn’t answer my question,” Lavendra said as she stared at me.

“We came seeking sprites to help with the barrier that protects the Keyama village,” I said as I tried to sit up. As I moved, Amethyst turned and wrapped her arm around me. I stiffened for a moment, thinking that she had woken up until I heard the

slight breathing of her sleeping.

            “You came seeking help when you clearly don’t need any? That doesn’t make sense. Your magic alone would be enough to fix the barrier. However, I suspect that the barrier weakened because of your magic. From what Nivtal explained, you were able to harness earth and fire. If I am right, then you also possess the ability to control wind and water as well. Perhaps light and dark as well,” Lavendra said. Then she went on to explain that it isn’t typical for anyone to be able to control more than two elements.

            “There is still the fact that I don’t even know how to use magic. What happened in the forest was pure instinct,” I said with a sigh. Lavendra didn’t seem to be listing to me one bit. Irritated, I moved so that I wasn’t lying on my tail. That’s when I saw it—my tails. I only remember having six before, but now as I counted them, I found that I had seven.

            “Such beautiful tails. It has been too long since I saw tails like that. I never thought I would lay eyes on them again in my lifetime,” Lavendra said as she stared at my tails. It didn’t bother me, though. I was too worried about the fact that I now had seven tails. Slowly, she reached over and touched one of my tails. The sensation was overwhelming. I wanted her to do it again

            “Now then. I apologize for waking you. Please get some more rest. There are a great many things I would like to discuss with you later,” Lavendra said as she got up and flew off my thigh. Then she nodded and headed back out. It was a strange visit. Taking her advice, I laid back down, wrapping my arm around Amethyst, and fell back asleep.

            The following day, I was awoken by movement. Opening my eyes, I saw that Amethyst sitting up on the bed. Turning on my side, I smiled. It was nice to see that she was doing better. The last thing I wanted was for her to end up dying because of something that was my fault.

            “Where are we, Coralin?” Amethyst asked as she turned to look at me. She had a worrisome look on her face. She hadn’t been awake for our travel to the little village, so it was understandable that she be a little confused.

            “We are in a little sprite village. A sprite found us and lead me to her village after healing you. They had us rest here for the night,” I said as I watched her. She nodded, then looked at her side. It was astonishing that there wasn’t even a mark from where she had been stabbed.

            “We are confused. Where did the sprite come from?”

            “The woods that we had been in. Apparently, she had been watching us the whole time,”

            “Then, why didn’t she help us?”

            “Because we sprites do not interfere with the troubles of others,” came a voice from outside. I recognized the voice right away. It was Lavendra. She fluttered in and sat on the bed next to us.

            “But if you do not interfere, why help at all,” I asked. It was a little redundant to say that they don’t interfere and still help out.

            “Nivtal is young and nieve. She doesn’t understand why we do not meddle in the affairs of others. Unlike other races who tend to mingle in the world, we stay to ourselves. It is how we survive,” Lavendra said. I didn’t know if it was just her wording, but how she talked made it sound like her race was better than others.

            “We do not mingle. We do what is necessary to survive just like any other race,” Amethyst said defensively. I could hear an undertone of anger in her voice.

            “Do not mistake my words child, I mean no ill thoughts. I am merely stating that our race lives in a state of total isolation. As we do not need the same kind of nourishment as others, we do not need to leave our protections,” Lavendra said. I wondered for a moment what she meant by not needing the same kind of nourishment, but it wasn’t essential.

            “But what about the ents. Apparently, they aren’t in your protective measures,” I asked. If their protective barrier was anything like the Keyama, there is no way it extended to an entire forest.

            “We have ways of disguising ourselves when we are tending to our charges. We are born of magic after all,” Lavendra said. I guess that made sense. At least, that’s what I had to accept. After all, after everything I have seen and now did, Nothing could be explained away. At that thought, I looked back at my tails again. There were still seven. It was strange how the new tail just appeared. I didn’t even feel it.

            “Now, I was told that your people were looking for the means of fixing your barrier. I hate to say that you have wasted your trip, as the means of fixing it has been with you this whole time.” Lavendra said. Amethyst and I both gave her a look of confusion. She just laughed before saying, “I mean you, fox girl. Your magic alone would fix the barrier, though I am sure that you are the cause of it weakening as well. The amount of energy you give off is quite baffling.”

            Amethyst looked at me. I could see the question burning in her eyes. Did she forget about what happened to her? Or was she so out of it that she didn’t notice? Either way, it looked as if she didn’t understand the comment.

            “She possesses magic. Some of the most potent magic I have felt in a long time. I would even wager that it is stronger than my own. But she is untrained and ignorant in how to fully control it. Magic can come from emotion, but that is the most dangerous kind of magic because, without focus, she could be a danger to herself and others,” Lavendra said. I felt my face flush as she spoke. She made it sound like I was a little child throwing a temper tantrum.

            “So, how do I learn to control it?” I asked. I guessed that this was the question that she was waiting for because she stood up and cleared her throat.

            “While you could stay here and learn from us, I think that it would be more beneficial for you to learn where you live. Therefore, I am sending Nivtal with you. She will be teaching you how to focus and channel your magic. Now, I have some matters to attend to. I will leave you two to prepare for your trip home. I will send Nivtal for you when you can leave,” Lavendra said as she flew off, leaving Amethyst and me by ourselves. There was a bit of silence between us for a bit. I wondered what was going on in her head.

            “We wanted to thank you for saving us. We froze. All we could think about was our sister. We think that those men were talking about her,” Amethyst said, looking at the floor. I remembered them mentioning someone marrying a Keyama and one of the slaves kidnapping the child. It was just too much of a coincidence not to be the same guy.

            “I just did what I could to protect you. I didn’t even know I had magic. And what I did to those men… It wasn’t something I thought I was capable of,” I said as I sat there thinking about it—the look on the first man’s face before he burned alive. It would be a while before I got that image out of my mind. I felt a soft hand on my shoulder as I continued to picture that image.

            “It was courageous. The kind of brave we have been looking for for some time. Someone strong and compassionate. Someone who made me feel joy,” Amethyst said before pulling on my face till I was looking at her. Then she said softly, “Someone like you.”

            I sat there staring at her for a long time. It didn’t feel real. The words she was speaking to me were words I had never heard from anyone. Had she just admitted that she was in love with me? Somewhere deep inside of me, I felt butterflies. Before I could respond, she licked my cheek for the second time, sending chills down my spine. Then she did something that surprised me, she lightly nipped my ear before rubbing her nose against mine. Whatever she was doing felt a little strange.

            “Well, looks like I came in at the right time. I’ve heard about your kinds bonding offers, but I never thought I would actually see one,” came a voice from outside. It was Nivtal. I guess that the elder had already spoken with her, and it was time to head home. Then a lightbulb hit me in the head, metaphorically speaking.

            “Bonding offer?” I asked curiously. I remember Keba mentioning Bonding, that it was different than mating. From what I understood, it was their equivalence to marriage. Did Amethyst really just offer to be bonded? Was it too soon? I didn’t want to turn her down and hurt her feelings.

            “Yes, bonding offers. It is when someone offers the spend the rest of their lives with a person. If the offer is accepted, they will be loyal to that person until they die. I had never seen it before, but we have heard about it,” Nivtal said. Amethyst remained quiet as she looked at me with pleading eyes. It was almost as if she was aching for me to accept her offer.

            I sat there for a moment and considered what Nivtal had told me. I thought about everything that had happened since I came to this world, as we as everything that had happened before. After a few moments, I realized something that I should have realized long ago. I have wanted this for a long time. I was just afraid to admit it to myself. I didn’t want to have to worry about being hurt or hurting her. Plus, I didn’t know that she felt the same way. Though people told me, I thought they were just nice. In that instant, I mimicked what she had done. The moment it was over, she let out a soft cry of excitement.

            “I never would have thought that I would be able to witness a bonding like this before,” Nivtal said. The way she said it confused me.

            “Do sprites not bond?” I asked. I watched as Nivtal suppressed a laugh.

            “Of course we bond. But it’s different. When we find someone we wish to spend the rest of our lives with, we find a precious gem to present to them. This, however, was more beautiful,” Nivtal said. Then she sighed and said, “ anyway, it is time for us to leave. From what I understand, it will be quite a journey to where you live.”

            After Nivtal said her farewells, we began our trip back to the Keyama village. I could tell that this was hard for her. I could only imagine what it was like to be told that you would have to go live somewhere else for a while just so you could teach them to use magic.

            As we returned to the village, Kiena was already waiting for us. You could see the excitement on her face as she ran to greet us. Talissa was there as well. Amethyst was beaming as she picked up Kiena and nuzzled against her. I watched in awe.

            “Are you the sprite that is here to help us?” Talissa asked, staring at Nivtal. Nivtal shook her head and pointed at me.

            “I am here to teach this one how to control her powers. She will be the one helping you with your barrier,” Nivtal said, pointing at me. Talissa gave me a puzzling look.

            “I don’t understand. You are saying that Coralin has magic,” Talissa said, still looking at me. I nodded slowly. Then Talissa looked at Amethyst. She tilted her head to the side before asking, “Is everything alright, Amethyst. You seem… happy.”

            Amethyst smiled as she looked at me, then at Kiena. I think Kiena got what was going on because she let out a squeal of excitement. Then Amethyst looked at her mom and said, “Coralin and we are bonded.”

            After a lengthy explanation, Amethyst, Kiena, Nivtal, and I headed home. It was nice to be home. I know it had only been a couple of days, but they were exhausting days. After a small debate on where Nivtal would sleep, it was finally decided that she would be staying with Kiena in her room. That night, we ate dinner and talked about everything that had happened. I couldn’t believe that after everything that had happened to me in my previous life, for the first time, I had everything I could ever want.