"Pure Elemental" for venturous1
Title: Pure Elemental
Gift for: venturous1
Author: rena_rules
Characters/Pairing: Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor (I’m sorry, there’s not really any romance unless you count the references to Rowena/OMC but I just couldn’t seem to get the characters to be anything with each other but gen)
Rating: PG, I guess.
Warnings: Um, I don’t really think there are any.
Genres: Gen.
Author's Notes: Okay, so this was my first exchange. I just finished it on the day of the deadline. I’d like to thank the mods for extending the deadline because no way I could have finished it without it. I tried to stay true to the request, and I hope it shows.
Summary: When an evil spirit rises, the Souls of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire must join to defeat him, by invoking an ancient magic that will require the highest payment of all.
Rowena unrolled the scroll slowly, carefully. Helga saw the parchment was worn and yellowed with age. Faded ink symbols, that looked to be the old runic tongue, covered the page.
“This document almost certainly predates the time of Merlin.” Rowena spoke quickly, flushing with excitement. “It may even be a transcription of some far more ancient etching, perhaps translated from a language long lost -”
“Yes, yes. We understand it is old. But why does it matter?” Godric interrupted, his impatience bursting out.
Red tinted Rowena’s cheeks, this time with embarrassment. Still, she retained her composure, and she carefully extended her hand to indicate a particular rune, her finger hovering just above the parchment, as if she were afraid to touch it.
“Air,” she pointed to the rune filled with gentle swirls.
“Water,” this rune included curved lines that probably represented the ocean.
“Earth,” this rune was less obvious, consisting of rigid squares.
“And, of course, Fire.” Rowena’s finger stopped above the rune consisting of a rough drawing of a flame. Withdrawing her hand, she began to translate, “When these elements four join in willing union, guided by singular purpose and desire, an Elemental shall be summoned, and this Elemental shall perform the bidding of this union, provided that the ends are not perverse in nature.”
Rowena looked up, expecting to see dawning comprehension on each of their faces.
Instead, Godric said, “And, pray tell, what in bloody hell does that mean?”
With a huff of frustration, Rowena explained slowly, as if speaking to a small child, “It means, that when Air, Water, Earth, and Fire combine and Elemental will show up and do whatever we desire. Namely, destroy Daemon.” She took her withering glare off of Godric, now addressing the entire group. “If any of you remember your childhood lessons, you will know that Elementals are beings of pure natural energy. Furthermore, they are the only beings in existence that can force Daemon out of his parasitic relationship he has with his muggle’s former body.”
“Is that because Daemon can’t control pure nature? Only living magical things?” Helga questioned.
“Yes.” Rowena beamed, and then turned to glare at the two men, “Glad to know that someone was listening to my talk earlier.”
“It was near midnight, and we had just fled for our lives, Rave - Rowena.” Salazar caught himself as he remembered, but not before he glimpsed the sadness, his slip had brought into Rowena’s eyes.
Helga asked, to diffuse the tension, “Well, it’s all very well that we know what can banish Daemon, but how can we summon an Elemental in the first place. Yes, Rowena, I was listening to you translate the scroll, but how are we to combine the elements in the first place?”
“I suppose we could use Incendio for Fire, Aguamenti for Water, and perhaps a variation of Leviosa for Air. But what spell creates Earth, and doesn’t just move it around?” Godric answered in an attempt to show off his knowledge.
Of course, Rowena scoffed at him, without a trace of her previous emotion. “Clearly, the text is not meant to be taken so literally. Anyone who would have read it would have known.”
“I apologize for having so incomplete knowledge of a language that passed from usage a century ago. Not all of us have had the years of intense schooling you have been privilege to,” Godric said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Rowena's breath hitched slightly, but she continued on, keeping a calm and steady tone. “I believe that the text is referring to the elemental personalities, rather than the pure elements. In simple terms, the spell requires the willing involvement of four individuals, each with a clear elemental association in his or her personality.
“Earth, the element associated with work, caution, reliability, responsibility, and motherly affection.” Rowena met Helga’s eyes, and smiled.
“Fire, the element associated with honesty, playfulness, leadership, stubbornness, and far too much self-confidence.” Rowena met Godric’s eyes, and smirked.
“Water, the element associated with attentiveness, charm, emotion.” Rowena met Salazar’s eyes, and smiled sadly. Salazar shied away from her gaze, and looked down at the scroll.
“And Air, the element associated with the knowledge seekers, the detached. It must be fate that brought us all together, the perfect combination needed to defeat Daemon.”
“It’s that simple? We all join together, say we want to destroy Daemon, and an Elemental will appear? Why has no one done that yet?” Godric asked, incredulous and a little angered.
“It can’t be. Rowena, you have yet to mention what this will cost us. So powerful a spell surely will require some great source of payment,” spoke Helga.
At that moment, Salazar looked up from the scroll, slowly meeting Rowena’s eyes, ignoring the other two. He spoke slowly, as if he could not believe what he had seen, “This rune, here,” He pointed, and unlike her, actually touched the ancient parchment.
Rowena winced, although Helga could not tell whether it was because he touched the parchment, or the rune itself that caused her to do so.
“This rune,” Salazar repeated, “is the rune for death.”
All eyes turned from Salazar to Rowena. Godric openly gaped.
“No, no, no. It is not at all what you are thinking. Not at all.” Rowena spoke quickly, looking as one might if one had been cornered by a dragon. “The cost isn’t death. I would have told you at the beginning if it were. Do you not know me at all?
“The cost…the cost is…our magic. All of it,” Rowena admitted, reluctantly.
Godric, not quite understanding the implications, sagged with relief, “Well that is certainly not as bad as death.” Then it dawned on him, “Wait, all of our magic? We would become muggles?”
“Squibs, more accurately.”
“I’ll still do it, of course. I would rather live without magic and Daemon, than with my magic and with Daemon. My conscience couldn’t take it, if I knew it was within my power to stop him and I hadn’t.” Helga looked at Godric, “Isn’t that right, Godric?”
“Yes, yes, of course. We must do what is right, of course. Never is the easy choice, the right way,” Godric hastily agreed.
Rowena smiled at them, and then looked towards Salazar.
His chair was empty, the door ajar.
“How does he do that? Bloody serpent, that man,” Godric cursed.
Helga looked to see Rowena’s reaction.
She just caught a glimpse of Rowena striding out of the room, before the witch rounded the corner and disappeared from Helga’s line of sight.
“Do you suppose she learned it from him, or the other way around?”
Rowena approached the lake at a run, though she slowed when she saw the familiar figure hurling stones across the water.
“You do realize that brute force is never the answer to anything, including skipping stones,” Rowena commented once she reached him.
He did not start with surprise. “How did you know where to find me?” His tone conveyed a silent always.
Instead of answering, she gathered the skirts of her robe, and sat down, not caring that the ground was wet and muddy. She was not wearing anything nice; she had not since…well, since he died.
Once Salazar had done the same, she finally replied.
“Water,” she nodded toward the lake, “You truly are the water element. You always seem to gravitate towards it. Do you remember when we were young, all those times you would beg to go out in the rain, and Silas and I would moan?”
“You said his name.” Salazar’s head turned away, but Rowena would bet anything that the man was crying. “You haven’t said his name since-” He broke off and faced her, and yes, there were tears in those gray eyes of his. “You loved him, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”
“Yes.” A tear slid down her cheek, “Yes, I did.”
“He loved you, you know,” Salazar whispered, “Of course you know. Still, he told me, once.”
Rowena met those silver eyes in shock. “He actually said that to you?”
“He did. I was shocked as well, at the time. The confession convinced me to let go of my crush on you. Thinking back, that was probably why he told me. He didn’t want his 'little brother' encroaching on his territory.”
“You had a crush on me? Why?”
“Ra -Rowena, you were the only girl the two of us ever really came into contact with. We had no sisters, our mother died a few months after we were born. One of us would have sought you out even if you hadn’t been permitted to be our childhood playmate.”
“You can still call me Raven, Salazar. Just because he called me that as well, doesn’t mean I’ll break down into tears at the sound of a childhood nickname.”
“But I might.”
“Salazar, you must stop this. The way you are acting, trying to be like Silas. You aren’t him, you don’t have to behave like him just because he d….just because he’s gone.”
“But don’t you understand? I am the heir of Slytherin now, and I have acted accordingly. The heir cannot let himself crumble because of a family death. It is a sign of weakness.”
“What, are you Godric now, as well? Or is it just a quality all men have, seeing weakness in grief?”
“Said by one who has yet to shed a tear for the death of her love!”
Rowena gasped, feeling as if a dagger had been shoved in her side.
“I apologize, O’ Great Heir of Slytherin, if my lack of hysterical outbursts offends you. I have only been trying to discover a way to gain revenge on the horrid creature that caused your brother’s death!”
“I know, I know. I didn’t mean…I am sorry.”
Long moments later, Salazar spoke again. “I detest myself for this, I truly do, but I have doubts to whether I can honestly perform the spell. I do not know if I can stand the loss of my magic, even to revenge myself on my twin’s murderer. Death would have been a better alternative.”
“Kill yourself afterwards then, Salazar. I certainly am considering that option. But this is our only choice, our only chance.”
“For what does the Elemental even need our magic? Surely, it has reserves of its own. And certainly not as a bribe, they are said to detest demons more than anything!”
“From what I understand, the loss of magic is merely a side effect of the Elemental’s presence. Magic simply cannot resist an Elemental’s power. It will desert us with no compulsion on the Elemental part.”
“So we could contain it, with no detrimental effects to the spell?”
“Probably. But, Salazar, it is impossible. To retain all our magic in an Elemental’s presence would surely kill us.”
“It does not have to be all.”
Rowena’s eyes brightened. “A seed, then? To grow into full magical power over the years? Yes, that might be possible. If we could enchant containers.”
Salazar’s brow furrowed. “Such containers would have to be very attuned to us. Something of extreme personal value…”
“Your locket! The one from the Old Lord and Lady! You had it with you, did you not?”
In response, Salazar lifted the chain he wore to show that indeed he had the locket in his possession though he averted his eyes. Rowena understood. She herself had no desire to look at that picture of the family. Seeing Silas’s image would surely tear her heart into even more pieces.
“Godric has that fool sword of his, never mind a proper wizard does not need one, that should do for him. And Helga…I suppose that goblet she says her mother gave her as a parting gift will suffice.”
“And for yourself?” Salazar inquired. Rowena turned her head so she did not have to meet his eyes.
“You know I do not come from the kind of background that the rest of you do. There are no precious family heirlooms for the bastard daughter of a common maid.”
“I did not say the container must be of monetary value. It must only be valuable to you personally.”
“Well…I suppose the diadem will work.” Rowena fell silent as Salazar moved to look her in the eyes.
“You…you still have that thing?” Salazar asked in quiet disbelief.
“It was the first gift I’d ever gotten. Of course I kept it.” Rowena carefully took a cloth-wrapped item out of her pocket. As she removed the wrapping, she spoke, “It was the first time I was treated like I was worth something. And after all, every girl dreams of being a princess.”
The last of the cloth fell away, leaving a small bronze tiara, decorated with interlaced leaves and the words inscribed on it 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'
“Those words, they were his idea, after I’d convinced him to buy it with me.”
“I know.” Delicately, she traced the inscription. “Yes, I suppose this will do the job.
“You’ll do the spell then, Salazar? We cannot do this without you.”
“I suppose I must.”
“Who do you think you are?” Daemon’s taunting question was cold and haughty.
“I am Earth,” Helga repeated in the ancient tongue that Rowena had taught her hours before.
“I am Fire,” Godric shouted, in that same ancient tongue.
“I am Air,” Rowena looked at the demon before her in contempt.
“I am Water,” Salazar finished the first part of the spell, glaring at the demon, tasting sweet revenge.
Fear showed in Daemon’s eyes, as he realized what they meant to do.
“We call on the powers of the ancient elementals that embody all that we represent to destroy this demon before us.” They spoke in unison, invoking the ancient magic.
And then the world turned to light, the demon screamed. And so did they, as they felt all their magic torn from their bodies, rushing with joy toward the Elemental.
And then there was nothing.
Salazar awoke in a bed in some peasant’s hut. A man, presumably the owner of the hut, rushed outside, screaming, “He’s awake!”
What a strange dream I have had. I must tell Silas…
But then Godric walked in - not Silas - and Salazar remembered.
His brother was gone. He was still here.
But the murderer wasn’t.
It was over.
There was that much to be thankful for, at least.
But why was Godric here? He had only met the man recently, drawn together as they all were in their quest to destroy Daemon. Why Godric? Why not Rowena?
Her words came back to him: Kill yourself afterwards then, Salazar. I certainly am considering that option.
Had she actually done it?
“Rowena will be here in a few minutes as soon as Old George has found her and my cousin.” Godric babbled on, not realizing that he had assuaged Salazar’s fear, “They’ve been going off on their own quite often these past few days you’ve been out.”
Days?
“My cousin, she’s got it in her head you two have got some great dark pain you haven’t told either of us about. Silly, I know. But women are stubborn, and Helga’s the most stubborn women of all, I am sure.”
“I am going to pretend I did not just hear you say that, Godric.” Helga glared from the doorway. “I am not stubborn.”
“Yes, you are.” Godric smirked. “But I love you anyway.” He looked past her to the old peasant man, “George, could you not have waited to let her in until after Salazar and I were finished with our man to man talk?”
“Sir Gryffindor, while I am eternally grateful to you for vanquishing that evil being, I will not put my life at risk by attempting to stop your Lady companions from doing anything.” He replied before leaving the hut.
Godric grinned. “Isn’t Old George great, Salazar? He found us unconscious at the scene of the spell and dragged us back to his dwelling while we recovered and has been entertaining me with his odd quips and remarks ever since. It is rare to find such spirit among the commoners nowadays.”
“He is certainly odd,” Rowena commented as she crossed the room to kneel by Salazar’s bedside. “He refuses to admit to having a surname. But no matter. Do you feel well?”
Salazar thought on it. “Well, aside from losing my magic and apparently sleeping for days, I feel well. Better than before, in fact. Much better. And you?” He searched her eyes.
“I suppose there are beneficial side effects of Elemental presence: the healing of a broken soul.”
“If you are done with your little cryptic comments, we have important things to discuss,” Godric called from the other end of the room.
“What would those things be?” Salazar inquired, confused. They had vanquished their enemy, and soon their paths would separate them. Godric would return to his family’s fief, with a story unlikely to be believed. Helga would go with him, and then on to relations, while her family continued to look for a suitable husband.
As for himself and Rowena, well, they must go back…yet the thought of returning to an empty castle pained him, healed soul and all.
“What are we going to do now?” Godric asked, “I’d rather not go home and be the useless seventh son of a seventh son again, not after being part of something great like this.”
“This?”
“You know, this. We are special. We can do great things when we unite. That spell, it proved it. We called up an Elemental and defeated a demon. Together, we are great.”
“We were great, Godric. As in past tense. Even if the seed of magic we contained successfully grows into something of our previous magical prowess, we have no power now.” Salazar frowned.
“No, you’re wrong, Salazar. We still are great. Mayhap we cannot perform the spells any longer, but never mind that. We still possess a great deal of knowledge and talent. It is only right that we use it.” Rowena stood, an idea dawning.
“And how, may I ask, shall we do that?”
“Simple. An old proverb says, ‘Those who cannot do, teach.’” Rowena smiled.
Gift for: venturous1
Author: rena_rules
Characters/Pairing: Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor (I’m sorry, there’s not really any romance unless you count the references to Rowena/OMC but I just couldn’t seem to get the characters to be anything with each other but gen)
Rating: PG, I guess.
Warnings: Um, I don’t really think there are any.
Genres: Gen.
Author's Notes: Okay, so this was my first exchange. I just finished it on the day of the deadline. I’d like to thank the mods for extending the deadline because no way I could have finished it without it. I tried to stay true to the request, and I hope it shows.
Summary: When an evil spirit rises, the Souls of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire must join to defeat him, by invoking an ancient magic that will require the highest payment of all.
Rowena unrolled the scroll slowly, carefully. Helga saw the parchment was worn and yellowed with age. Faded ink symbols, that looked to be the old runic tongue, covered the page.
“This document almost certainly predates the time of Merlin.” Rowena spoke quickly, flushing with excitement. “It may even be a transcription of some far more ancient etching, perhaps translated from a language long lost -”
“Yes, yes. We understand it is old. But why does it matter?” Godric interrupted, his impatience bursting out.
Red tinted Rowena’s cheeks, this time with embarrassment. Still, she retained her composure, and she carefully extended her hand to indicate a particular rune, her finger hovering just above the parchment, as if she were afraid to touch it.
“Air,” she pointed to the rune filled with gentle swirls.
“Water,” this rune included curved lines that probably represented the ocean.
“Earth,” this rune was less obvious, consisting of rigid squares.
“And, of course, Fire.” Rowena’s finger stopped above the rune consisting of a rough drawing of a flame. Withdrawing her hand, she began to translate, “When these elements four join in willing union, guided by singular purpose and desire, an Elemental shall be summoned, and this Elemental shall perform the bidding of this union, provided that the ends are not perverse in nature.”
Rowena looked up, expecting to see dawning comprehension on each of their faces.
Instead, Godric said, “And, pray tell, what in bloody hell does that mean?”
With a huff of frustration, Rowena explained slowly, as if speaking to a small child, “It means, that when Air, Water, Earth, and Fire combine and Elemental will show up and do whatever we desire. Namely, destroy Daemon.” She took her withering glare off of Godric, now addressing the entire group. “If any of you remember your childhood lessons, you will know that Elementals are beings of pure natural energy. Furthermore, they are the only beings in existence that can force Daemon out of his parasitic relationship he has with his muggle’s former body.”
“Is that because Daemon can’t control pure nature? Only living magical things?” Helga questioned.
“Yes.” Rowena beamed, and then turned to glare at the two men, “Glad to know that someone was listening to my talk earlier.”
“It was near midnight, and we had just fled for our lives, Rave - Rowena.” Salazar caught himself as he remembered, but not before he glimpsed the sadness, his slip had brought into Rowena’s eyes.
Helga asked, to diffuse the tension, “Well, it’s all very well that we know what can banish Daemon, but how can we summon an Elemental in the first place. Yes, Rowena, I was listening to you translate the scroll, but how are we to combine the elements in the first place?”
“I suppose we could use Incendio for Fire, Aguamenti for Water, and perhaps a variation of Leviosa for Air. But what spell creates Earth, and doesn’t just move it around?” Godric answered in an attempt to show off his knowledge.
Of course, Rowena scoffed at him, without a trace of her previous emotion. “Clearly, the text is not meant to be taken so literally. Anyone who would have read it would have known.”
“I apologize for having so incomplete knowledge of a language that passed from usage a century ago. Not all of us have had the years of intense schooling you have been privilege to,” Godric said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Rowena's breath hitched slightly, but she continued on, keeping a calm and steady tone. “I believe that the text is referring to the elemental personalities, rather than the pure elements. In simple terms, the spell requires the willing involvement of four individuals, each with a clear elemental association in his or her personality.
“Earth, the element associated with work, caution, reliability, responsibility, and motherly affection.” Rowena met Helga’s eyes, and smiled.
“Fire, the element associated with honesty, playfulness, leadership, stubbornness, and far too much self-confidence.” Rowena met Godric’s eyes, and smirked.
“Water, the element associated with attentiveness, charm, emotion.” Rowena met Salazar’s eyes, and smiled sadly. Salazar shied away from her gaze, and looked down at the scroll.
“And Air, the element associated with the knowledge seekers, the detached. It must be fate that brought us all together, the perfect combination needed to defeat Daemon.”
“It’s that simple? We all join together, say we want to destroy Daemon, and an Elemental will appear? Why has no one done that yet?” Godric asked, incredulous and a little angered.
“It can’t be. Rowena, you have yet to mention what this will cost us. So powerful a spell surely will require some great source of payment,” spoke Helga.
At that moment, Salazar looked up from the scroll, slowly meeting Rowena’s eyes, ignoring the other two. He spoke slowly, as if he could not believe what he had seen, “This rune, here,” He pointed, and unlike her, actually touched the ancient parchment.
Rowena winced, although Helga could not tell whether it was because he touched the parchment, or the rune itself that caused her to do so.
“This rune,” Salazar repeated, “is the rune for death.”
All eyes turned from Salazar to Rowena. Godric openly gaped.
“No, no, no. It is not at all what you are thinking. Not at all.” Rowena spoke quickly, looking as one might if one had been cornered by a dragon. “The cost isn’t death. I would have told you at the beginning if it were. Do you not know me at all?
“The cost…the cost is…our magic. All of it,” Rowena admitted, reluctantly.
Godric, not quite understanding the implications, sagged with relief, “Well that is certainly not as bad as death.” Then it dawned on him, “Wait, all of our magic? We would become muggles?”
“Squibs, more accurately.”
“I’ll still do it, of course. I would rather live without magic and Daemon, than with my magic and with Daemon. My conscience couldn’t take it, if I knew it was within my power to stop him and I hadn’t.” Helga looked at Godric, “Isn’t that right, Godric?”
“Yes, yes, of course. We must do what is right, of course. Never is the easy choice, the right way,” Godric hastily agreed.
Rowena smiled at them, and then looked towards Salazar.
His chair was empty, the door ajar.
“How does he do that? Bloody serpent, that man,” Godric cursed.
Helga looked to see Rowena’s reaction.
She just caught a glimpse of Rowena striding out of the room, before the witch rounded the corner and disappeared from Helga’s line of sight.
“Do you suppose she learned it from him, or the other way around?”
Rowena approached the lake at a run, though she slowed when she saw the familiar figure hurling stones across the water.
“You do realize that brute force is never the answer to anything, including skipping stones,” Rowena commented once she reached him.
He did not start with surprise. “How did you know where to find me?” His tone conveyed a silent always.
Instead of answering, she gathered the skirts of her robe, and sat down, not caring that the ground was wet and muddy. She was not wearing anything nice; she had not since…well, since he died.
Once Salazar had done the same, she finally replied.
“Water,” she nodded toward the lake, “You truly are the water element. You always seem to gravitate towards it. Do you remember when we were young, all those times you would beg to go out in the rain, and Silas and I would moan?”
“You said his name.” Salazar’s head turned away, but Rowena would bet anything that the man was crying. “You haven’t said his name since-” He broke off and faced her, and yes, there were tears in those gray eyes of his. “You loved him, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”
“Yes.” A tear slid down her cheek, “Yes, I did.”
“He loved you, you know,” Salazar whispered, “Of course you know. Still, he told me, once.”
Rowena met those silver eyes in shock. “He actually said that to you?”
“He did. I was shocked as well, at the time. The confession convinced me to let go of my crush on you. Thinking back, that was probably why he told me. He didn’t want his 'little brother' encroaching on his territory.”
“You had a crush on me? Why?”
“Ra -Rowena, you were the only girl the two of us ever really came into contact with. We had no sisters, our mother died a few months after we were born. One of us would have sought you out even if you hadn’t been permitted to be our childhood playmate.”
“You can still call me Raven, Salazar. Just because he called me that as well, doesn’t mean I’ll break down into tears at the sound of a childhood nickname.”
“But I might.”
“Salazar, you must stop this. The way you are acting, trying to be like Silas. You aren’t him, you don’t have to behave like him just because he d….just because he’s gone.”
“But don’t you understand? I am the heir of Slytherin now, and I have acted accordingly. The heir cannot let himself crumble because of a family death. It is a sign of weakness.”
“What, are you Godric now, as well? Or is it just a quality all men have, seeing weakness in grief?”
“Said by one who has yet to shed a tear for the death of her love!”
Rowena gasped, feeling as if a dagger had been shoved in her side.
“I apologize, O’ Great Heir of Slytherin, if my lack of hysterical outbursts offends you. I have only been trying to discover a way to gain revenge on the horrid creature that caused your brother’s death!”
“I know, I know. I didn’t mean…I am sorry.”
Long moments later, Salazar spoke again. “I detest myself for this, I truly do, but I have doubts to whether I can honestly perform the spell. I do not know if I can stand the loss of my magic, even to revenge myself on my twin’s murderer. Death would have been a better alternative.”
“Kill yourself afterwards then, Salazar. I certainly am considering that option. But this is our only choice, our only chance.”
“For what does the Elemental even need our magic? Surely, it has reserves of its own. And certainly not as a bribe, they are said to detest demons more than anything!”
“From what I understand, the loss of magic is merely a side effect of the Elemental’s presence. Magic simply cannot resist an Elemental’s power. It will desert us with no compulsion on the Elemental part.”
“So we could contain it, with no detrimental effects to the spell?”
“Probably. But, Salazar, it is impossible. To retain all our magic in an Elemental’s presence would surely kill us.”
“It does not have to be all.”
Rowena’s eyes brightened. “A seed, then? To grow into full magical power over the years? Yes, that might be possible. If we could enchant containers.”
Salazar’s brow furrowed. “Such containers would have to be very attuned to us. Something of extreme personal value…”
“Your locket! The one from the Old Lord and Lady! You had it with you, did you not?”
In response, Salazar lifted the chain he wore to show that indeed he had the locket in his possession though he averted his eyes. Rowena understood. She herself had no desire to look at that picture of the family. Seeing Silas’s image would surely tear her heart into even more pieces.
“Godric has that fool sword of his, never mind a proper wizard does not need one, that should do for him. And Helga…I suppose that goblet she says her mother gave her as a parting gift will suffice.”
“And for yourself?” Salazar inquired. Rowena turned her head so she did not have to meet his eyes.
“You know I do not come from the kind of background that the rest of you do. There are no precious family heirlooms for the bastard daughter of a common maid.”
“I did not say the container must be of monetary value. It must only be valuable to you personally.”
“Well…I suppose the diadem will work.” Rowena fell silent as Salazar moved to look her in the eyes.
“You…you still have that thing?” Salazar asked in quiet disbelief.
“It was the first gift I’d ever gotten. Of course I kept it.” Rowena carefully took a cloth-wrapped item out of her pocket. As she removed the wrapping, she spoke, “It was the first time I was treated like I was worth something. And after all, every girl dreams of being a princess.”
The last of the cloth fell away, leaving a small bronze tiara, decorated with interlaced leaves and the words inscribed on it 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'
“Those words, they were his idea, after I’d convinced him to buy it with me.”
“I know.” Delicately, she traced the inscription. “Yes, I suppose this will do the job.
“You’ll do the spell then, Salazar? We cannot do this without you.”
“I suppose I must.”
“Who do you think you are?” Daemon’s taunting question was cold and haughty.
“I am Earth,” Helga repeated in the ancient tongue that Rowena had taught her hours before.
“I am Fire,” Godric shouted, in that same ancient tongue.
“I am Air,” Rowena looked at the demon before her in contempt.
“I am Water,” Salazar finished the first part of the spell, glaring at the demon, tasting sweet revenge.
Fear showed in Daemon’s eyes, as he realized what they meant to do.
“We call on the powers of the ancient elementals that embody all that we represent to destroy this demon before us.” They spoke in unison, invoking the ancient magic.
And then the world turned to light, the demon screamed. And so did they, as they felt all their magic torn from their bodies, rushing with joy toward the Elemental.
And then there was nothing.
Salazar awoke in a bed in some peasant’s hut. A man, presumably the owner of the hut, rushed outside, screaming, “He’s awake!”
What a strange dream I have had. I must tell Silas…
But then Godric walked in - not Silas - and Salazar remembered.
His brother was gone. He was still here.
But the murderer wasn’t.
It was over.
There was that much to be thankful for, at least.
But why was Godric here? He had only met the man recently, drawn together as they all were in their quest to destroy Daemon. Why Godric? Why not Rowena?
Her words came back to him: Kill yourself afterwards then, Salazar. I certainly am considering that option.
Had she actually done it?
“Rowena will be here in a few minutes as soon as Old George has found her and my cousin.” Godric babbled on, not realizing that he had assuaged Salazar’s fear, “They’ve been going off on their own quite often these past few days you’ve been out.”
Days?
“My cousin, she’s got it in her head you two have got some great dark pain you haven’t told either of us about. Silly, I know. But women are stubborn, and Helga’s the most stubborn women of all, I am sure.”
“I am going to pretend I did not just hear you say that, Godric.” Helga glared from the doorway. “I am not stubborn.”
“Yes, you are.” Godric smirked. “But I love you anyway.” He looked past her to the old peasant man, “George, could you not have waited to let her in until after Salazar and I were finished with our man to man talk?”
“Sir Gryffindor, while I am eternally grateful to you for vanquishing that evil being, I will not put my life at risk by attempting to stop your Lady companions from doing anything.” He replied before leaving the hut.
Godric grinned. “Isn’t Old George great, Salazar? He found us unconscious at the scene of the spell and dragged us back to his dwelling while we recovered and has been entertaining me with his odd quips and remarks ever since. It is rare to find such spirit among the commoners nowadays.”
“He is certainly odd,” Rowena commented as she crossed the room to kneel by Salazar’s bedside. “He refuses to admit to having a surname. But no matter. Do you feel well?”
Salazar thought on it. “Well, aside from losing my magic and apparently sleeping for days, I feel well. Better than before, in fact. Much better. And you?” He searched her eyes.
“I suppose there are beneficial side effects of Elemental presence: the healing of a broken soul.”
“If you are done with your little cryptic comments, we have important things to discuss,” Godric called from the other end of the room.
“What would those things be?” Salazar inquired, confused. They had vanquished their enemy, and soon their paths would separate them. Godric would return to his family’s fief, with a story unlikely to be believed. Helga would go with him, and then on to relations, while her family continued to look for a suitable husband.
As for himself and Rowena, well, they must go back…yet the thought of returning to an empty castle pained him, healed soul and all.
“What are we going to do now?” Godric asked, “I’d rather not go home and be the useless seventh son of a seventh son again, not after being part of something great like this.”
“This?”
“You know, this. We are special. We can do great things when we unite. That spell, it proved it. We called up an Elemental and defeated a demon. Together, we are great.”
“We were great, Godric. As in past tense. Even if the seed of magic we contained successfully grows into something of our previous magical prowess, we have no power now.” Salazar frowned.
“No, you’re wrong, Salazar. We still are great. Mayhap we cannot perform the spells any longer, but never mind that. We still possess a great deal of knowledge and talent. It is only right that we use it.” Rowena stood, an idea dawning.
“And how, may I ask, shall we do that?”
“Simple. An old proverb says, ‘Those who cannot do, teach.’” Rowena smiled.