The Blessed City

The summons came in the hours before dawn. A fair-faced brownie donned in brown clothing knocked incessantly on the door until she peeled herself from the bed to answer. Not an hour later, Maleah and Rhys strode into the library while others trickled in slowly behind them.

She dreaded the punishment. Her anticipation waging its own pity-party in her empty stomach. She paid little attention to the others and only acknowledged Arik with a nod before he buried his nose into a book. Cam poked around the library, examining the trinkets and spines of Rohan's collection as if he was a child discovering a book for the first time. Rhys had curled herself into a small seat by the window and slept while she sat by the fire with Kalli's book.

She was pondering her predicament when the doors to the library flung open. Rohan waltzed in with Rowena and the rest of the High Court in tow. All except Dramir and Zadkiel appeared furious and spent. The echo of the doors slamming shut reverberated through the room. All sleeping heads raised quickly from their perches.

Rohan stood at the head of the table while the court filled in the remaining chairs. The four of them gathered opposite of him and awaited his reprimand. "I trust that you are all satisfied with your actions. You were reckless, foolish, and selfish. You put everyone in danger and put not the best of Sabhille before your own whims."

"Brother, if I may -"

"You are as much at fault as they are, dear sister. I have known you for as long as you have lived. But never have I known you to make such careless decisions. At the cost of our people, no less."

Horror struck her cheeks before cold defense took over. "You were prepared to send all of our people to a battle that need not have been wrought. What I did - what they did - was admirable and brave and it brought Tally back to us."

"You have exposed us to the outside world."

"As I tried to explain to you before, with ration you could not see, we were exposed before they disobeyed you. We would have been attacked regardless of our actions."

"If not for the nymphs, we would be at war right now."

"If not for these four, we would have lost that war before it began. Without Tally, we are defenseless."

Maleah looked to the others as the twins argued. The High Court watched them silently but listened with open ears. She could see the dark circled forming under their eyes and the slight bend in their postures. The amount of magic they performed cost them their strength. And she knew their cost weakened the protection around Sabhille, too.

Dramir's voice broke the argument. "We knew our secret would not last forever when we first put up the veil. It was only a matter of time before someone stumbled upon us who had darkness in their hearts."

"As negligent as they were," Zadkiel added. "We would not be sitting here without their sacrifice. Their distraction won us Tally. Even as your gifts wane from last night's defense, it is because of this that we are safe for the time being."

"Be that as it may," Rohan countered. "We haven't much time before those men return to our corner of the world to take vengeance."

Rhys cocked her head. "I do not understand. If you did not kill those men, what did you do?"

"As nymphs, we do not have the capability to kill. We can, however, manipulate the elements." Connaleigh waved his hands nonchalantly.

"We sent them far away. A simple act of displacement. With the force of nature, anything can be displaced." Penni added.

"Like a portal?" Cam asked.

"Similar, but not the same, as you are aware."

Juniper grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "It's quite a fascinating process if you think about it. The dryads who live in the hollows of the earth will guide the men through its heart. Magic will keep the air circulating around them until they are far enough to be spat out the other side."

"As it stands, Sabhille is no longer safe." Rohan walked the length of the table.

"What can we do?" Maleah caught his attention but he wasn't the one to answer.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do. Not here at least." Rowena gestured to Kalli's book, still in her hand. "I believe it is time you take your studies out of Sabhille."

Wide-eyed and unsure, Maleah looked to Arik, then to the High Court. Shaking her head she denied the idea. "I am not ready. I have hardly any definitive to work on. Only theories and vague references. We could be following false trails or searching in places they have left behind years ago."

"There is no other option." Rohan grabbed the book, held it high. "Our time has come to return to the stars and heal the world from the destruction the king has brought upon us. We need to bring the others home."

"Wait," Cam interjected. "Someone explain to me what is this quest you are sending her on is about?"

Sighing, Maleah turned to her friends. Simply, she described the prophecy, her connection to Kalli, the gods, and what they aimed for her to do. Curiously, Cam took the book and flipped its pages. Rhys stepped beside him and glanced over his shoulder.

"I have never seen such a language," she whispered.

"It will not be easy. As you know," Rohan began. "We did not part on good terms. Should you find any of us, they will need to be convinced to come of their own free will. No amount of force will persuade them to return. All you must do is remember that we were all once normal creatures and we were never immune to the transgressions of our innate instincts."

"Well," Cam crossed his arms and peered around the room. "I suppose we shouldn't waste any more time with the details. When do we leave?"

"You are not coming," Arik protested.

"The hell I am not."

"Where she goes, so do we," Rhys added. Her icy tone contrasted Cam's.

"No, I cannot ask you two to - "

Rhys rolled her eyes. "I will have no arguments about this. We promised each other some time ago that we were in this together. Now, however which way you intend to travel, ensure there is enough room for two more."

She wanted to argue but lost all will for words. Her gratitude ran deep even as she realized how much she did not want to pursue their quest alone. Turning to the High Court, Maleah raised her chin.

"When do we leave?"

. . .

Maleah stood barefoot on the cliffs overlooking the red rock, savoring the smell of saltwater air and memorizing the sounds of the crashing sea. She wiggled her toes in the wild, unkempt grass where the blades grew long and the weeds tickled her calves. It had easily become her favorite spot in the city and she spent as much time there alone in the calm since Lord Brae's attempt to siege the city failed.

Focusing on the sea, she drew her hands up and pushed the water outwards. Then, as she imagined it, she forced the water barreling back into the bowl below. Swirling like cyclones, she smiled as it climbed towards the rim.

"How long have you had that inside you?" She smiled over her shoulder as Penni walked quietly to her.

"I believe it's always been there. Laying in wait for the ripe opportunity. How goes the preparations?"

He smiled back. "Your ship awaits you."

Lingering a moment longer, lazing over the red rock as the water slipped back into the sea. Despite her desire to stay, she left with Penni.

He guided her to the docks. A hidden pocket of the city that held a small fleet of ships for emergencies. Aboard the ship that would be hers for the foreseeable future, Cam and Rhys waited with a litter of people.

"What is all this?"

"A send-off." Penni winked cheekily at her then joined the party.

Looking around, Maleah noted the different faces she had met since they began planning their embarkment. The blacksmith, a slightly older man named Gawen sported a trimmed black beard and cool blue eyes muttered to a younger man with a boyish grin. Cale, his son, laughed easily at his father. The tips of his ears blushed, accenting his dazzling long blond hair. Sloane joined the group. She had cut her raven hair just above her shoulder. The sun emphasized the deep purple tones under the black.

They were to join the four of them, each prepared with their own skills. Gawen knew metals and how to forge or carve weapons from near any material. Cale knew botany and how to spot poisonous plants. He was also blessed like a nymph, though his specialty was growing things from the soil. And while all that would ensure basic survival, Sloane was Arik's best fighter.

She found Arik among the High Court. Laughter bounced around them as if they did not fear having to leave their home behind in search of a new one. But it all stopped when they saw her.

"At last! We can send them off." Connaleight raised his hands extravagantly.

Cam crossed to her, swinging his arm over her shoulder. "It is nothing like what the pirates sail, but it'll do. We've packed the ship with maps, provisions, weapons."

"Then you've not time to lose," Rohan intervened. They began the succession of goodbyes. She thanked the court and apologized for the journey ahead.

"I cannot promise success, but I can promise I will try." She said to Rowena when she took her hands.

"Hope brought you to us. Let it carry you to the others." She stepped aside and let Rohan take her place.

"You have caused us great strife since your arrival." She flinched at his words. "But you have delivered us a hope greater than any we could have prayed for. We lay our faith in you and your friends. Lean on each other's strengths."

She nodded to him. "Thank you."

The High Court filed from the ship. Arik pulled the plank from the deck and turned to the wheel.

"What are you doing?" she called after him.

"Captaining the ship."

"Do you even know what you are doing?" Cam sneered.

"You don't believe I would let you take my ship and sail off into the mysteries of the world without me, did you?" He grinned at Cam, who huffed in response.

"Your ship?" Maleah cocked her head as he shrugged. There was more to that man than she had already discovered. Knowing that brought a simple warmth to her heart. There would be more to this quest than just finding the gods.

Arik called out to the ship, ordering the others to their posts.

Turning, she peered out into the unknown and what could be the biggest failure known to man.

Or, she thought, they could end up healing the world.