Serial Saturday: "Clan of Outcasts" Season 3, Part 3

Part 3

"Unsettled Currents"

Three Years Ago....

"Hail, King Jaran!"
"Good health to Your Majesty!"

Jaran nodded and acknowledged the salutations from Realmish citizens--My subjects, he thought to himself--as the carriage pulled through the Harbor. The docks were full, and the streets were busy with repair work, new buildings, and shipments that would no doubt translate into increased revenue for The Realm. He glanced at the old, bearded man sitting across from him.
"I see now why you recommended that I do this, Korsan," he said. "It is indeed helpful for me to see all the progress being made in the Realm, now that I am King, and will be responsible for the well-being of everybody within its boundaries."

A splash of water landed on his sleeve, and Jaran glanced up, out of habit. What few clouds dotted the sky were white and wispy--nothing that would carry rain. He heard several gasps and the laughter of children, and glanced to the side.

A girl danced in the middle of the square, surrounded by buildings and people. She wore a blue dress, and her dark braid swung around her shoulders as she twirled and skipped. Her hands twisted, and a glittering rainbow seemed to splinter off from it.
Jaran leaned forward, a humming building under his fingertips as he detected the source of the rainbow spinning around the girl's hands: a stream of water wrapped around her like a ribbon, twisting and spraying in time with her movements. Jaran called for the carriage to halt so he could watch more of this Gifted water-dancer. She finished her performance with a huge burst of droplets that soaked only the people nearest her, but nobody minded. It was a warm day, and the spray felt nothing short of refreshing.

The crowd dispersed, and the water-dancer slipped away. Jaran sighed and signaled the carriage onward.
"That was fascinating," he mused to the Mage. "I'm glad all these Gifted people are finding their place in the community. My father did his best to implement his plans for integration, but there was too much unknown about the Gifts--and then, thanks to Shadows like Troy, that fear was exacerbated and manipulated into outright animosity." Jaran wagged his head, well recalling how it felt to be on the receiving end of such persecution.

Korsan fingered his talisman, nodding as if he could read Jaran's mind. "Yet it was those very experiences at the hands of enemies that equipped you to be the leader The Realm needed, one who would understand the Gifted people enough to not just use them, but allow them to thrive."
Jaran let his gaze wander over the city as the carriage took a turn away from the docks and toward the thick trees of the Forest. He hoped Azelie had remembered to send word to Velora that he'd be coming...
A flash of blue caught his gaze. "Speaking of thriving..." he murmured. He quickly raised his hand. "Stop the carriage!" he called to the driver.

The man obeyed, and Korsan said nothing, merely watched the young king as his sage eyes twinkled. "Have you seen something, sire?"

Jaran stepped down from the carriage and picked his way along the buildings. "Indeed, I have."
He followed the flash of blue and the sound of footsteps around corners, between buildings crammed together and stacked atop one another so closely, it was merely a matter of stepping from one roof to the next, or taking a narrow flight of stairs up to the next "lane" in front of a few doorways on the next level. He recognized the water-dancer from earlier, but what was she doing over here?
He followed the sound until he came to the farthest corner of this block of buildings, so far from the middle of the city that he couldn't even hear any sounds from the marketplace, and furthermore he could see the tops of some of the outermost trees. He arrived in a cramped lane with only one doorway. Inside, he could see a pile of cloth scraps, a short table that looked to be the hacked-off corner of a larger one, and a single, mismatched stool. Upon the table stood a large jar full of coins. He wondered how much a girl of her skill would make, dancing in the square every day.

"Stay out of there!"
The warning came along with a massive deluge of water sloshing over him. Jaran stumbled back, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes. The determined young girl stood on the roof of the building, just above the doorway, staring down. When he looked up at her, her eyes bulged wide and she immediately leaped to the ground in front of him. Trembling all over, she threw herself at his feet and said, "Oh, your majesty! Forgive me, I thought you were--"

"Someone chasing after you for money?" Jaran guessed, shaking the water off his hands. It didn't bother him, as this was little more harm than the outcome of an argument with Beren. "No, I saw you dancing earlier, and I was curious to find out where you lived." He gestured to it. "I might have expected a little better accommodations for someone of your skill."

The girl accepted his assistance to stand before him. She blushed and fidgeted with her braid as her bare feet scraped along the ground. "You are kind to call it a skill," she murmured. "Unfortunately, there are still too many who regard the Gifts as curses and inconveniences."
Jaran frowned. "Forgive me, but that large jar of coins seem to suggest otherwise," he tilted an eyebrow.
The water-dancer hesitated. "Um, that is not mine. It belongs to the person I pay for a chance to sleep on the corner of his roof." She gestured upwards.
Jaran tried not to let his horrified astonishment show too much on his face. "You sleep on the corner of a roof?"
The girl shrugged. "It's better than a hovel on the street, and it's safer. I keep dancing in the hopes of someday being able to afford my own place."
Jaran stared at this simple young girl, envisioning Jade bestowing the water Gift upon her, the same as she had done for Beren--surely the effectiveness of one's Gift didn't depend so entirely on one's social standing!

"You know what," he crossed his sodden arms. "I think, as your King, it's high time I did something about that!"
The girl's eyes flew wide again, and she shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, Milord, I don't need charity money if I haven't done anything--"
"Nonsense!" Jaran beckoned to her and started edging out of the small alleyway. "On the contrary, I was thinking of offering you a job at the palace."
The water-dancer reeled back in surprise. "The palace?" she squawked, sending a jet of water shooting up both arms.

Jaran smiled. She couldn't have been much younger than Azelie, yet she looked so small and lithe. "What is your name, miss?"
She smiled, her cheeks coloring at the sound of a King calling her "miss." "Anahita, Your Majesty."
"Well, Anahita, I have just one question that would qualify you for the job I have in mind."

A hint of eagerness took over her expression. "Yes? You would like me to water the gardens?"
Jaran shook his head. "No, we already have someone to take care of the plants. No, my question is: can you read and write?"
Anahita wagged her head, hanging in a frown. "No, I haven't learned yet. I don't need education such as that to be a dancer, you see--and right now, it's money for a roof over my head that I need."
Jaran shrugged. Wasn't Zayra moaning the other day about needing an assistant for that project she started with Beren, about processing and assisting all the Gifted in The Realm? "No matter, I know that your new employer would absolutely be willing to teach you."
"New employer?" Anahita skipped down the steps behind him as they made their way back to the road again.

Jaran nodded. "Yes, you will be working alongside Princess Zayra, to offer homes and help to Gifted citizens just like yourself, who don't already have a place of their own. She needs someone to read correspondences and keep track of populations in the new Wilderness community." He pointed to the carriage, where Korsan sat quietly waiting for his return. "Does that interest you, Anahita?"
The poor girl stood between the king and the carriage, glancing from one to the other in bewilderment.
"Interest me?" She spluttered. "I would do anything for a decent meal and a place to sleep! Oh, thank you, Your Majesty!" She clapped her hands together, unleashing a mini-geyser into the air as she did.

"Your Highness!" a young man came running down the roadway, his face red as if he'd come from quite a distance. He stumbled to a stop and bowed low to the King. "Sire, his majesty, Prince Beren, has dispatched me with all haste from the gates of Wildhaven, where a most astonishing thing has taken place. You are bid to come with utmost speed!"
Jaran inhaled sharply. "My brother? Is he all right? Has there been an accident?"
The messenger only hesitated a moment before nodding. "An accident has taken place, sure--but not of the sort that wounds a body--only one's temperament, in a matter of diplomacy, if you get my meaning, sire!"
Jaran rolled his eyes and climbed up into the carriage. Of course, Beren couldn't start something without incurring a diplomatic incident. He wondered whom his hot-headed brother might have offended this time.

Jaran took his seat. Anahita still remained standing on the side of the road. He gestured to her.
"Well?"
Anahita traced a few lines in the dirt around her feet with her toe. "Well, what, sire?" she echoed.
Jaran smiled. "Are you coming?"
Alarm flashed across her face. "With you, sire? In the carriage and all that?" Her eyes traveled to the white-haired mage sitting placidly without speaking.
Korsan kept his eyes fixed steadily ahead.

Jaran pointed to the seat across from him. "Why not? There's plenty of room, and Wildhaven is on our way to the castle, anyhow. I can let Mage Korsan here escort you the rest of the way, and he'll manage the introductions between you and Princess Zayra--how does that sound?"

Anahita's only response was to spring up into the carriage as fast as she could.
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Present Day....

Anahita set down her pen and massaged her sore hand. So many letters from the people of Wildhaven! She surveyed her written words with a critical eye. "Princess Zayra will indeed be grateful for the gift you have bestowed--"
"Ana!"
The young woman bounded to her feet, brown braid bouncing out of the way as Queen Azelie swept into the room. "Yes, Your majesty, what is it?"
Queen Azelie didn't look straight at her, waving a hand. "There is another loaded wagon approaching from Wildhaven. I've instructed the driver to meet you at the side gate. Hurry, before Zayra notices anything!"
Ana curtseyed deeply, and left the room. Three years ago, when she came into the castle ready and willing to do anything they asked for a mere bed and food, she never expected to find such acceptance. Zayra taught her to read and write, Damaris welcomed her assistance in the kitchen, and when neither the Queen nor the Princess needed her assistance, she could go wherever she liked, explore what interested her. Prince Beren even started to teach her water-combat, and they would spar to the point of drenching one another out on the parade grounds.

Anahita traipsed down the long hallway to the main entrance hall, and stopped to see if anyone might notice her--but the only person she saw was Risyn the Mage, and he barely glanced in her direction. The water-dancer slipped down the hallway next to the science tower, and swung open the large door. Sure enough, a wagon laden with crates and baskets pulled through the outer gate.
Anahita smiled and waved. "Greetings, Bennett!" she said.
The driver gave a whistle and the horses stopped of their own accord. A whisperer like Bennett needed no reins.
"Special delivery!" He called, stepping down and moving to the back of the wagon to unload the crates. "How are preparations going?"

Ana smiled as she saw the colorful bows and bits of fabric poking out from between wooden slats. "We're getting the throne room decorated today--it's going to be a party fit for a Princess!"
"A Princess who takes such care for her subjects ought to have the best party out there!" Bennett nodded. "Well, that's the last of them." He dusted off his hands. "I'd best be getting the rest o' these goods to market. Give my respects to the King and Queen!"
Anahita finished letting the horses drink fresh water from her hands and patted them each on the neck. "I will indeed. Good day!"

She beckoned to a few of the guards to help her move the crates inside and over to the unused guest room directly across from the throne room, where they were keeping the gifts as a secret from Zayra. Azelie had taken great pains to mask the door from her perception, so that Zayra continuously forgot that there was even a room there every time they were together.

Anahita smiled as she saw the pile of presents. Ever since she found out when Zayra's birthday was, she had listened closely as Zayra longed for a birthday celebration, but didn't want to appear selfish in asking for one. Now, Anahita and Azelie were conspiring to bring her the biggest surprise party they could manage, and as many people as they could possibly fit without raising too many suspicions were in on it, working out of sight and behind the scenes, to make Zayra's wish come true.
"And she didn't have to force anybody into it this time!" Anahita murmured to herself.

<><><>

Over in the library, Kaidan sat at the long table full of book stands. As the Royal Historian, he took his job of verifying the reports contained in The Realm's early records very seriously. The memories seemed embedded in the very ink and parchment themselves, and by brushing his fingers over them while activating his Gift, Kaidan could see glimpses into what truly transpired, and whether or not it matched the written record.

Today's metaphysical travels took him far back, before even the time of the Seramis royal line, to an account of a race of giants from a faraway kingdom. They stormed over the borders of the Realm, attacking the current king and laying waste to many villages. Kaidan watched as the massive, humanlike shapes stomped on houses that only reached their knees, and picked up people like nothing more than field mice in their enormous hands.

His Gift ended the vision abruptly as his instincts detected someone behind him. Kaidan froze, trying to reorient himself back in the dim library. He lifted his hand as someone slurped noisily from a goblet behind him.
"Hello, sister," he said, turning to face her.
Javira's red hair hung sleek and smooth as ever, and she still wore her black cloak emblazoned with the Seramis crest on the back, signifying her as a servant of the family. "Having fun, brother?" She set her glass of wine aside with a smile on her dark lips.

Kaidan shoved his hands in his pocket so he didn't accidentally brush something in the midst of speaking. One couldn't be distracted when talking to Javira. She might not carry the old Gift of Charisma their father forced on the two of them when they were too small to remember, but the habits were still very much in place. 

"Well enough," he said. "What's your business here? I thought the King and Queen wanted you out in the gardens." His sister wouldn't shirk her duties if Aurelle was here. Kaidan wondered in the back of his mind where the Archivist and part-time Illusionist would go every time she disappeared. In three years, he never figured out where she went or even when she left and returned. He wasn't one to pry.

His twin sister, on the other hand, was a different story. "I got bored and I wanted to see how you were getting along." Her eyes scanned the pages over his shoulder. "What are you reading about? Scandal? Battle?" Her lips flicked from a sneer to a smile as she caught at least one word on the page. "Giants?"
Kaidan stepped toward her, and Javira tensed. She always hated it when he touched her with his Gift. 

He pointed toward the door. "Get back to your post, before anyone catches you in here."
Her smirk dimmed into a scowl. "All right, then I won't tell you about the thing I've discovered hiding in the royal forest!"

Kaidan's eyes focused on her sharply. Their empathetic bond as twins told him it was something that both frightened and intrigued her deeply; one brush along her hand would let him know what sight lodged within her memory would prompt such a response.

He didn't have time to pursue the point. The door slammed open, and Aurelle appeared, her fists clenched, face drawn in pain. She opened her mouth to say something to Kaidan, but her eyes fell on Javira standing there. Her eyes narrowed.
"You should not be here," she growled. "Get out!"

Javira rolled her eyes. "Just visiting my brother for a bit. Don't worry, I'm going." She sauntered past the Illusionist and into the hallway. Javira heard the door slam behind her, and she snorted. Aurelle was one of those who had the hardest time letting bygones be bygones. At least Kaidan had somehow redeemed himself in her eyes, but she still treated Javira like the enemy.

Javira played with a patch of ivy clinging to the wall at the top of the staircase leading to the gardens. She spun her finger in slow, lazy circles and watched as the vine followed her down, twining and braiding itself in time with her gesture.
The thing in the forest was still there. She could feel it standing between a couple tree roots. Whatever it was, she could picture it through the frame of reference of the trees themselves: it was humanoid, standing on two legs, wearing clothing--but excessively old, and yet younger on the outside. Javira twitched up a few roots and even beckoned some branches to move in closer to the intruder, fighting for a better look. She identified leather belts and cuffs on the person, and perceived the golden eyes and the pointed ears....
And then it was gone, in the time it took her to blink. Javira stormed out to the very spot she had sensed, and saw the remains of two footprints in the dirt between roots. Where had this point-eared stranger gone, and why were they watching the palace?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Velora waited at the edge of the woods. Erlis arrived, shrouded in her heavy, dark cloak, the cowl hanging loose down her back. The Alpha observed her friend with keen eyes. She had known Erlis for so long as a half-dragon and as a full dragon, it seemed almost strange to see her without any of the green scales covering half her exposed skin. The elliptical earlobes were merely incidental.

Erlis nodded to her out of respect. "Where is this crystal you mentioned?"
Velora gestured to the massive log cabin that served as their headquarters. "It's in there."

Erlis drew within the shadow of the threshold, and her hands began to tingle--particularly on the left side, the side most covered with the dragon scales. She flexed her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists to stimulate regular blood flow--but the moment she entered the building, the sensation only increased. Erlis tried to focus on being present for her friend.
"Where exactly did you find this thing?" She asked, her own voice sounding faint and far away, like speaking from around a bend.
Velora's nose twitched, and she frowned. "Are you okay, Erlis?"

The healer could only nod. Such an action was as good as an admission to the keen Alpha. She answered her question anyway. "One of my scouts was doing his normal rounds, when his bond-wolf discovered it under a bush in the middle of the Forest. We could see no disturbance in the foliage or the soil around it, almost as if it just popped up there out of nowhere, with no indication as to who or what left it behind." She paused at the table in front of the crystal and looked back at Erlis.
The sensation was stronger now. Erlis could feel it overwhelming all of her other senses--including her sense of balance. She leaned against the table, fighting to stay coherent.
"What's wrong, Erlis?" Velora's face emerged very close to hers, and Erlis was dimly aware of a shoulder underneath her arm, supporting her. "Is the crystal letting off some frequency that Elves are sensitive to?"
Erlis tried to shake her head, but it only made the dizzy feeling worse. "It's... It's--" She reached out, and her fingertips rested on the faceted surface. Immediately, a jolt traveled through her entire body. At the same time, Erlis found her feet securely on the floor, and her head clear of the overwhelming interference. All that save a very clear picture in her mind that could only have come from the crystal itself. Her hands now rested on the crystal.

"Whoa!" Velora gasped, watching her within arm's length. "Do you want to tell me what just happened?"
Erlis smiled. "I saw what was in it."
Velora's eyes glinted and she stared at the surface of the crystal. "There's something inside this rock? Is it some kind of treasure chest, then?"
Erlis shook her head. "It's not treasure--it's a life. This crystal, Velora--it's an egg."
The young woman's eyes widened. "An egg? How did you figure that out?"
Erlis felt the thrum of excitement emanating from the developing offspring. "Not just any egg--it's a Dragon's egg!"

"All the more reason it cannot remain in The Realm!" commanded a voice behind them.

Velora and Erlis whirled around to face the dark-haired Elven Prince standing behind them, his golden eyes narrowed as he glared at Velora. His gaze shifted to Erlis, and his face relaxed. He bowed his head--Velora didn't remember a time when he'd ever shown her so much respect.
"Lady Vel-Thane," he murmured. "Allow me to wish you good health."

Velora shot Erlis a look, and saw that her cheeks burned bright-red. "Vel-Thane?" She thought, using the talisman-crystal to transmit the missive to the woman standing next to her.
"It means Two-Blood," Erlis answered in the same manner. "I'm more Elf and Dragon than I am human, anymore. And both those of Elvish blood and Dragonish blood are held in high esteem among the Elvish community."

As she explained these things to Velora in her thoughts, Erlis accepted Spruce's gesture and said, "Why must the egg travel with you back to Elvendom?"

The Elvish prince coughed, averted his gaze, and fiddled with the cuffs on his wrist.
Velora's Alpha-wolf instinct prodded her forward. "Don't forget, Prince Spruce--I can smell a lie coming while you're still trying to work out what to say," she growled, sniffing for emphasis.

Erlis folded her arms. "You've already lied once, in my estimation, by not telling Velora everything she needed to know, back when you had that information before. You owe her the truth now."

Spruce's gaze narrowed onto the young Forest Warden. After several tense moments, he sighed. "Very well. I shall tell you all that we know of this egg."

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