Manifester: I Can Fix All But Myself
Tempyst waited until she was sure Fenix was asleep. She walked over to the shattered chess set. She closed her eyes and separated the pieces. Fenix had told her to leave it alone, that they would be cleaned up. "Why waste good crystal?" she whispered.
She held up the frosted knight and willed the tiny fractures to fuse together and to fill in the missing pieces. Her Father did teach her how to mend, but not complex substances like crystal. That, she learned on her own.
Fenix shifted. Tempyst froze and stared at his huge bed. Satisfied he was just repositioning, Tempyst turned back to the knight. After another minute's concentration, the piece was good as new. --And only thirty-one more to go.--
She picked up the clear king, repaired it, then held both it and the knight. --Knights protect the King. Knights kill the other army, That's all they do.-- She looked back over at the sleeping Prince. --But he knows I'm more than just a Guard.--
What was it her Father had said? He had said it just before the end of her training, right about when most other females her age were being courted.
*You are not allowed to be courted, but that does not mean you cannot love. You always love the one you cannot have.*
Drakin hit that on the nose. Besides, who would want to court someone who was a Manifester? --Fenix is a Manifester But he's a Royal, and everyone wants to be courted by him.-- She sighed and turned back to repairing the chess set. There were sometimes she wished she was normal, that she was a true Solaris, that she could one day replace her Father as Head Mage. That would never happen.
She placed the repaired chess set on the table and looked the room over. These shadows weren't the ones caused by flame...
A flash out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
--Was that lightning?-- A distant rumble of thunder answered. Tempyst barely kept from bouncing like an excited child and eyed the bookshelf under the window. She climbed up as quietly as she could and settled into the large windowsill. It had been a long time since she had seen the first summer rain.
She took a deep breath of the pure midnight air and sighed. She wanted to dance in the rain.
She watched as the storm came closer, just over the Lynidae forest. Tempyst had some good memories of those trees. Though, she remembered more of the mists contained within.
--"Legends say there are wolves hidden in the mists," An'gelucis had told her during her first trip with her Father to the castle. "And they only show themselves to a worthy one who can speak to and for them."
Tempyst looked up at her Brother. "Have you or Daddy seen them?"
He shook his head. "Why?"
"'Cause their leader's looking at us."
Drakin stopped and stared at his daughter. "You can see the wolves?"
She nodded. "Arankaré's right over there," she said, pointing into the deepest part of the mist. "He's their leader."
Drakin and An'gelucis exchanged looks as they searched for some sign of the lupine king.
"He says we're free to go through his forest if we leave him our leg of lamb."
"How do they know we have a leg of lamb?"
"I told them."
Drakin wrapped his midnight blue traveling cloak around him and looked to his son. "Pick her up. I am not leaving the King's birthday dinner to a pack of feral mongrels."
"They're not mongrels! I can walk!" she yelled and slapped her Brother's hands away. "Daddy, listen to me!" She stomped her feet and crossed her arms.
The Summoner continued down the path. "I will not listen to a Nen'roma who speaks to beasts and pretends to be the child of my first wife Somis. Pick her up, An'gelucis. We're late."
Tempyst stared at the ground and didn't move as her Brother picked her up. She didn't even notice the tears that ran from her eyes. Why didn't her Father ever listen to her? "An'gelucis, what's a Nen'roma?"
"The ancient bloodclan that the Manifesters are from. The Nen'dori are the counterparts."
"What do they do?"
"They're the slayers of the Nen'roma," Drakin answered bluntly. "Be thankful they do not know you are the Solaris they are looking for. You may not be a welcome child, but you are mine, and I will not let them kill you."
For the first time, Tempyst smiled at her Father. "I love you, Daddy. You too, An'gelucis."--
She held up the frosted knight and willed the tiny fractures to fuse together and to fill in the missing pieces. Her Father did teach her how to mend, but not complex substances like crystal. That, she learned on her own.
Fenix shifted. Tempyst froze and stared at his huge bed. Satisfied he was just repositioning, Tempyst turned back to the knight. After another minute's concentration, the piece was good as new. --And only thirty-one more to go.--
She picked up the clear king, repaired it, then held both it and the knight. --Knights protect the King. Knights kill the other army, That's all they do.-- She looked back over at the sleeping Prince. --But he knows I'm more than just a Guard.--
What was it her Father had said? He had said it just before the end of her training, right about when most other females her age were being courted.
*You are not allowed to be courted, but that does not mean you cannot love. You always love the one you cannot have.*
Drakin hit that on the nose. Besides, who would want to court someone who was a Manifester? --Fenix is a Manifester But he's a Royal, and everyone wants to be courted by him.-- She sighed and turned back to repairing the chess set. There were sometimes she wished she was normal, that she was a true Solaris, that she could one day replace her Father as Head Mage. That would never happen.
She placed the repaired chess set on the table and looked the room over. These shadows weren't the ones caused by flame...
A flash out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
--Was that lightning?-- A distant rumble of thunder answered. Tempyst barely kept from bouncing like an excited child and eyed the bookshelf under the window. She climbed up as quietly as she could and settled into the large windowsill. It had been a long time since she had seen the first summer rain.
She took a deep breath of the pure midnight air and sighed. She wanted to dance in the rain.
She watched as the storm came closer, just over the Lynidae forest. Tempyst had some good memories of those trees. Though, she remembered more of the mists contained within.
--"Legends say there are wolves hidden in the mists," An'gelucis had told her during her first trip with her Father to the castle. "And they only show themselves to a worthy one who can speak to and for them."
Tempyst looked up at her Brother. "Have you or Daddy seen them?"
He shook his head. "Why?"
"'Cause their leader's looking at us."
Drakin stopped and stared at his daughter. "You can see the wolves?"
She nodded. "Arankaré's right over there," she said, pointing into the deepest part of the mist. "He's their leader."
Drakin and An'gelucis exchanged looks as they searched for some sign of the lupine king.
"He says we're free to go through his forest if we leave him our leg of lamb."
"How do they know we have a leg of lamb?"
"I told them."
Drakin wrapped his midnight blue traveling cloak around him and looked to his son. "Pick her up. I am not leaving the King's birthday dinner to a pack of feral mongrels."
"They're not mongrels! I can walk!" she yelled and slapped her Brother's hands away. "Daddy, listen to me!" She stomped her feet and crossed her arms.
The Summoner continued down the path. "I will not listen to a Nen'roma who speaks to beasts and pretends to be the child of my first wife Somis. Pick her up, An'gelucis. We're late."
Tempyst stared at the ground and didn't move as her Brother picked her up. She didn't even notice the tears that ran from her eyes. Why didn't her Father ever listen to her? "An'gelucis, what's a Nen'roma?"
"The ancient bloodclan that the Manifesters are from. The Nen'dori are the counterparts."
"What do they do?"
"They're the slayers of the Nen'roma," Drakin answered bluntly. "Be thankful they do not know you are the Solaris they are looking for. You may not be a welcome child, but you are mine, and I will not let them kill you."
For the first time, Tempyst smiled at her Father. "I love you, Daddy. You too, An'gelucis."--