The Finding (31 page)

“You don’t need to be so anxious Jahrra. We’re going to help you grow into someone far greater than you know.” Viornen tried not to sound so serious, and donned a fresh smile as he continued, “But for today, I think we’ll just get to know one another a little better, that way you won’t feel so overwhelmed when the real training begins.”

The elves invited her into their home to have tea and Jahrra gladly accepted. When she stepped through the front door, she was immediately overwhelmed by the size of the place. The room they stood in was rather large and spacious. Two fat couches and a few comfortable looking chairs dominated the living space with a wide stone table set between them. The walls were covered in bookshelves from ceiling to floor, generously stuffed with books of every size and color. On the opposite end of the room was a pair of blue and green stained glass doors that led out into the backyard.

Jahrra gulped and peeked into the kitchen, just off of the main room. Great ropes of faded, dried flowers and vegetables hung in the rafters. A faint scent of cinnamon, vanilla and ginger spiced the warm, soft air pouring from the oven, and the age-polished stone floor that stretched beneath Jahrra’s feet felt smooth and cool even through her leather boots.

Viornen motioned Jahrra to one of the overly stuffed chairs as he took a seat on the couch. Yaraa glided into the kitchen and poured some tea into three cups, setting them on a tray. She offered the cups to Viornen and Jahrra, and then took the tray back into the kitchen, disappearing from sight for a while.

“Now, we’ll definitely start you with the basics, whether or not you’ve had formal training before. Have you?” Viornen stated, lifting his cup of tea from the unusual table.

It looked like a foggy multi-colored crystal that had been cut and polished to just the right size and shape. Jahrra had never seen anything like it, and didn’t hear Viornen’s question at first: she was too busy studying the stone’s intricate beauty.

Viornen smiled as Jahrra continued to be lost in the beauty of the coffee table.

“It comes from our home land, the great valley of Dhonoara in the east.”

“Huh?” Jahrra turned her goggle-eyed gaze to the elf.

“The stone slab that is the top of our table.” He gestured towards the table top, not at all slighted by her bemusement.  “It was extremely difficult to get it this far, but Yaraa and I had to have a piece of the walls of Dhonoara to remind us . . .”

The elfin man paused, cleared his throat and set his cup down, clacking rather noisily against the smooth surface of the table.  Jahrra gazed at the polished stone with renewed vigor, absolutely flabbergasted at this new bit of information.
Dhonoara! That’s miles upon miles away!
she thought, remembering that she’d seen the name once on one of Hroombra’s maps of Ethoes.

She hadn’t noticed the dark shadow crossing Viornen’s face, however, but by the time she glanced back up at him, the shadow was gone.

“I thought it’d be a good idea to get to know each other a little better before we start training. How about we start by telling our life stories so far?”

Viornen smiled once again, shaking off his moment of dark reverie. “Yaraa, would you like to do the honors?” he prompted.

“Oh, most certainly,” Yaraa answered cheerfully, sitting down on the great couch next to her husband. Jahrra jumped slightly, surprised that she had rejoined them so quietly.

Jahrra listened intently as Yaraa spun the tale of their past. Both the elves had been born in Dhonoara in a time of trouble and hardship. It was right around the time the Crimson King took power, when their unique abilities could be easily exploited by the Tyrant. Shortly after they married, they’d fled their homeland, seeking refuge in the west. Yaraa explained that it was extremely hard to leave Dhonoara Valley, so they’d brought a piece of the valley with them. She rapped her knuckles against the coffee table and grinned.

After settling in Oescienne, they started a family. They raised their first children, now grown and living in other parts of the west. As the years passed, they longed for more children and so came Srithe, Strohm and Samibi to fill their home and keep them busy.

Yaraa recited several centuries of history as if it had only been a decade, leaving Jahrra to sit and gape.
They’ve lived through all of that? Through the creation of the Tanaan Dragons?
Jahrra was astounded and desperately wanted to ask a thousand questions, but she knew she’d be treading on fragile ground. Instead, she sat there with her head buzzing, wondering how her own story could compare to such a broad history.

“I hope that wasn’t too long for you Jahrra. I kept it as short as I possibly could.”

Yaraa was smiling warmly once again, and Jahrra grinned reservedly.

“Now for your life story,” Viornen encouraged, picking up his neglected tea once again and looking at Jahrra in anticipation as he took a cautious sip.

“There’s not much to say,” she said, rather modestly with a weak grin.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true,” Yaraa persuaded as she cuddled her own mug in her delicate hands. “Go on, it’ll help us to understand your true character.”

So Jahrra took a deep breath and dove into her own story, secretly thinking of how to make it more interesting so that it might be worthy of these elves. She told them about how she was found abandoned in Crie and how she was adopted by Lynhi and Abdhe. She described her own little cottage and apple orchard, home until her parents died and Hroombra became her guardian.

Jahrra paused when she got to this part of her story. She hadn’t realized that talking about the death of her parents as a passing bit of information in a tale could have such an effect on her, and she had to take a few short breaths before continuing. She talked about Gieaun and Scede and how she acquired Phrym, but ended her tale explaining her feelings towards school.

“I don’t enjoy school so much; some of my classmates are simply dreadful. There are two Resai children who absolutely despise me, but Gieaun, Scede and I find ways to avoid them.”

Jahrra took a quick sip of her tepid tea and eyed the two elves nervously.

“Are you finished?” Yaraa asked kindly when she saw that the girl was not going to continue.

Jahrra nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.

“I know you may not believe it, but your story will help us in formulating your lessons,” Viornen said, draining his cup and placing it down upon the polished stone table with a hollow
thlunk
. “We don’t focus on just the physical nature of training, but also on the mental aspects of surviving in a challenging world as well.”

For the remainder of Jahrra’s visit, the two elves described some of the exercises she would come to learn. She listened in wonder as they depicted a few of the different skills she would gain as she progressed in the program. Viornen spoke of the many ways to break away from an enemy or wriggle free from a tightly bound rope. Yaraa explained the dexterity it took to sneak up on someone in the middle of a forest full of dry leaves without making a sound. Viornen then listed off the exercises needed for the various forms of fighting: using a sword, using a bow and using one’s bare hands if the need to defend oneself or another arose. Once Viornen, Yaraa and Jahrra finished the last of the tea, the two elves stood to bid farewell to their new student.

“We’ve learned much about you today Jahrra,” Viornen said after some time, “but it’s getting late. We’ll meet again tomorrow to discuss your training schedule and maybe show you a few maneuvers.”

Jahrra looked up expectantly, but Viornen continued with a raised hand before she could form any words.

“Don’t worry, these lessons won’t interfere with your schooling. Your training will be taking place strictly during the summer months. As you grow older, however, we will expand your practice to also include the days you don’t have school.”

“This doesn’t mean, however,” Yaraa added firmly, “that you don’t have to practice during the rest of the year. We expect you to keep up with exercises, flexibility stretches and meditation.”

Jahrra nodded resolutely, her head still buzzing with this new endeavor, and went to gather Phrym from his clover patch. Though she had a thousand questions on her mind, she thought it best to ask them later.

“One more thing,” Yaraa added as Jahrra climbed into the saddle. “We wish for you to keep these lessons secret. We live far away from town for a reason. You may tell your closest friends, but don’t tell them our names or where you take your lessons.”

Jahrra promised them both that she’d keep their secret, just as she’d promised Jaax. She grinned secretly, however, when she imagined how satisfying it would have been to rub it in Eydeth’s and Ellysian’s faces. She was certain they would turn an awful shade of green if they knew she was receiving such privileged lessons from true elves.

Viornen and Yaraa waved one last time and then watched her in silence as she and Phrym walked slowly down the lane.

“She already shows an appreciation for Ethoes and all the life that she gives,” Yaraa murmured once the girl and her semequin were far enough away. “The way she observes the life around her is astounding, especially for one so young.”

“She’s content with the wilds of the world, I can see that,” Viornen added silently. “Yet, her mood is not happiness, and I wouldn’t want it to be. Happiness about one thing or another can so easily turn. Contentment is the best, at least for now. With contentment one can never grow bored or disgusted. She fits with the life of this world, and she always will. I can feel a strong spirit within her.”

Yaraa smiled up at him, glad to hear her husband’s wisdom.

“Yes, she’s had to deal with much sorrow in her life, too much for someone so young. I feel she’s lost her childhood in a way, but she’s still far too young to be an adult. One thing is for certain, however,” she sighed, her voice taking on a much brighter tone as her mouth curved in a sly grin, “she’s definitely going to give Jaax a run for his money.”

Viornen chuckled at his wife’s comment, squeezing her tightly against him. They both stood gazing down the lane until the first star could be seen peeking through the black veil of the sky before going in for the night. They knew that this new responsibility would be a challenge, but they also knew the importance of what they did. They had the ability to mold the future of Ethoes, and they felt that finally, after all the years of waiting and hiding, their gifts could be used to help save their world.

-
Chapter Nineteen
-

Invasion of the Twins

The spring months slowly drifted away and the lazy rainclouds swept gently across the sky, draining their life-giving waters and pulling the soft air of summertime behind them. The last frosty clutches of winter had crawled away from the sleeping earth months ago, and outside the Castle Guard Ruin the little garden by the window was overflowing with fragrant flowers. Summer was in full swing in Oescienne, and another school year was finally over. Jahrra didn’t mind this passage of time, however. Not only would she be free of her classmates during the warm months, but she would be starting her new lessons with Yaraa and Viornen.

The only bad thing about these lessons, Jahrra reminded herself, was that they took time away from Gieaun and Scede. They also meant following through with Jaax’s wishes.

It was times like these that Jahrra would wonder about the enigma that was Raejaaxorix and how much he irritated her.  She tried to convince herself she was glad the Tanaan dragon had arrived and left so abruptly, but if she wanted to be truly honest with herself, deep in her heart she was disappointed. When her curiosity finally overruled her stubbornness, she asked Hroombra about the other dragon’s strange habit of visiting the Castle Guard Ruin then disappearing just as suddenly.

“He has obligations outside of this province Jahrra, and many of these obligations require extensive traveling.”

“He always has excuses, he can’t be that busy!” she complained, forgetting she didn’t care either way. “And why does he get to tell me what to do anyways? He’s never here!”

During the final weeks of school before summer, Jahrra told Gieaun and Scede about her new schedule. She kept her promise by not telling them about her mysterious elfin instructors, but she hadn’t been able to hide her irritation with Jaax.

“I’m sure he isn’t trying to be mean Jahrra,” Gieaun encouraged. “It’s probably his way of being supportive.”

“Supportive!?” Jahrra snapped, and then she added with thick sarcasm, “That’s right, you’re not around when he insults my intelligence or accuses me of lying.”

Gieaun flinched and didn’t say another word. She knew how frustrated Jahrra got when discussing the Tanaan dragon, so Gieaun thought it best not to say anything else unless asked directly.

The weeks passed and Jahrra thought more about this sudden change in her life. She found herself wondering, not for the first time, exactly
why
Hroombra and Jaax insisted on the swordsmanship and archery lessons with the elves. She longed to ask her guardian, but she knew exactly what he’d say: ‘You’ll understand one day,’ or ‘It’s for the best that you don’t know’, or ‘These lessons will strengthen your character.’ Why couldn’t he just give her a straight answer for once?

As much as Jahrra hated not knowing the exact reason for these lessons, however, she showed up at the little cabin the first day of summer, more eager than when she had first begun riding lessons with her friends.

In those first few weeks of summer, Jahrra got to know the elves a little better. Both Viornen and Yaraa had a way of informing her of her mistakes without making her feel ridiculous, and for once in her life Jahrra didn’t feel like she needed to prove something right away. Her typical week composed of rising early and spending anywhere from four to six hours a day working on archery, horsemanship, and fencing. Yaraa taught her meditation to help focus her mind and calm her nerves and Viornen taught her how to escape from several enemies without a weapon.

“Maybe they’re training you to become an assassin!” Scede offered energetically one day as they stretched out in the field beside the Ruin, watching clouds sail by.

“Oh, don’t be silly!” Gieaun scoffed. “I’m sure Master Hroombra has a good reason, but I can’t think of any right now. That is, unless he thinks Eydeth and Ellysian are truly dangerous.”

“Too bad you can’t come with me,” Jahrra sighed, brushing a ladybug off her arm.

“I wish we could too, but mother and father need us to help out on the ranch during the summer,” Scede complained.

Jahrra was grateful she didn’t have to make up excuses as to why they couldn’t come with her. Yaraa and Viornen did, however, encourage Jahrra to pass on what she learned to her friends. When Jahrra mentioned this to Gieaun and Scede, however, she got mixed reactions.

Scede, of course, was ecstatic with the idea.

“You’re going to teach us fencing and self defense! Really?”

Gieaun, on the other hand, had no interest in participating.

“Learn to fight? I don’t know, I think I’d rather just watch you two beat each other up.”

She smiled wryly at her friend and brother and all three laughed as they imagined Jahrra and Scede sword fighting with branches and reeds.

When Jahrra was with her friends she almost forgot about all those questions she’d been asking herself lately, but a few important ones still refused to escape her mind. The most important concern being why Hroombra, and sometimes Jaax, two
dragons
, would be the ones responsible for raising her. Now that she was getting a little older, she found herself wondering why Hroombra had never placed her with another Nesnan family after her parents died. Before, when she was a child, she took everything for granted, but not anymore.

As her fierce anger for Jaax dulled, just as it always did after his brief visits, Jahrra began to wonder with a clearer mind what his role was in all of this. She knew that he’d brought her to Oescienne, but why? Why not leave her where she was? Why not find a family in the place where she was born? Why not let another Nesnan bring her here if it was so important that she be in Oescienne?

Hroombra would be the best one to put an answer to these questions of course, but she never worked up the gumption to ask. She would just write them down in her journal to save for a later time, whenever that time might be. Luckily, Jahrra had plenty to distract her restless mind with now that summer had begun.

The first month of practice was torture. The elves had her running long distances every day to get into shape, and then after that, myriad drills and exercises to help strengthen her arms and legs. By the end of her first week, Jahrra was so exhausted that she fell asleep atop Phrym several times on the ride home. When this happened, she would grumble to herself in embarrassment, praying that no one had seen her slumped in the saddle as she made her way up the Great Sloping Hill.

As tough as those first weeks were, Jahrra’s hard work was soon paying off. By the end of the third week, she was able to run to the waterfall below Lake Aldehr and back to the elves’ cabin without even feeling fatigued. Her speed and balance were improving as well, and her reflexes were much quicker and more accurate than they had ever been. Jahrra was so pleased with her progress and her trainers’ praise that she completely forgot about her lingering irritation at Jaax.

The summer progressed in this fashion and as her days of freedom ticked by, Jahrra felt a familiar dread growing in the pit of her stomach. The end of summer meant the beginning of school, and that meant another year of enduring the twins’ wrath once again. Viornen and Yaraa gave Jahrra the last week of summer off, and she gratefully took advantage of her time by spending every day of it with Gieaun and Scede, going to Lake Ossar or visiting the ocean shore.

The three of them would race their horses down the beach and then lay out on one of the great sand dunes and listen to the waves and shifting shore grasses as they soaked up the blazing sun. They would breathe in the cool, salty breeze and think up new ways to avoid Eydeth and Ellysian this year at school.

“It’d be nice if they just stood there like dead fish,” Jahrra said as she dug her toes into the warm, soft sand.

Her boots were off and she’d rolled up her pants to her knees, after shoving her short sleeves up over her shoulders. Her long golden hair, usually kept bound in a loose braid, was gathered together with a leather band and now resembled a horse’s tail. It was a hot day, hotter than usual. Jahrra shot an envious look at Gieaun, who was sprawled out beside her with a wide-brim hat shading her face. She’d had enough sense to wear a short-sleeved sun dress and sandals. Scede had on short pants and a short-sleeved tunic and sandals as well.

“But you know they’ll have something to say back, and they
always
have friends with them,” Scede said knowledgeably as he pushed aside a clump of needle-sharp dune grass so he could sit down.

“I just wish I could say something brave to them, without a nasty retort from Ellysian,” Gieaun sighed, sliding down the sandy slope and causing an avalanche of powdery sand.

Jahrra and Scede went sliding down after her, laughing and squealing as they tumbled down the steep incline. Phrym, Bhun and Aimhe, who were nibbling on some willow leaves at the base of the dune, looked down at the pile of children below them, their ears perked forward in curiosity.

“I don’t know about you, but I could sure use a swim to Reed Island,” Scede said, standing up and brushing off the sand that stuck to his skin like sugar.

“Me too!” Gieaun breathed. “Let’s enjoy a few more days of freedom from the twins while it lasts!”

The three friends climbed atop their horses and pointed them eastward. As they approached Lake Ossar, they heard the cheerful voices of other adults and children enjoying the warm summer day. Jahrra smiled as Phrym’s hooves thudded against the boardwalk spanning the glittering lake. She smiled because she knew that not one of those voices belonged to any of her unfriendly classmates. They walked the length of the boardwalk and tied their horses up under the grove of willows just off shore.

“C’mon you two!” Scede called hurriedly as the girls dawdled behind him. “Let’s see if our boat is still where we hid it last!”

He began digging around in a particularly large clump of reeds and let out a bark of triumph once he found the tiny vessel still intact. Once all three of them were inside the crude water craft, they began paddling out to the middle of the lake where their island of reeds sat waiting.

“We haven’t been here in months!” Gieaun breathed. “I hope no one has taken over our island.”

Jahrra agreed, but as they approached, they found their island just as they had left it: a small patch of dark, damp earth covered in moss and surrounded by a thicket of tall, shady reeds. Scede pushed the boat through a tiny gap in the rushes on the far side of the little islet and Jahrra jumped out into the knee-deep water to pull the boat closer. Scede and Gieaun helped her, quickly pulling it up over the reeds. The girls laid out some of the blankets they’d brought with them as Scede spied on all of the other people that were enjoying the lake. He saw families walking along the boardwalk, but no one he recognized. Many people were fishing, swimming or simply relaxing.

“Anything to report from the outside world?” Jahrra asked as she and Gieaun sat down on one of the blankets.

“No, just the usual,” Scede replied, giving up his post and joining the girls.

After relaxing for a while, Scede and Jahrra decided to have a race from their little island to the boardwalk and back. The rules were that they would swim to one of the pier supports, swim clear around it, and then swim back. Gieaun was to be the referee, since she refused to swim so far out into the lake.

“Don’t you two remember the lake monster father always talked about on our camping trips?” she queried teasingly.

“Oh, Gieaun, there’s no such thing!” her brother groaned.

Jahrra laughed and glanced back at Gieaun, who looked a little vexed.

“Don’t worry, Gieaun!” Jahrra snickered. “If it does eat us, think of it this way: at least you’ll finally know for sure it exists. And besides, you’ll be safe if you stay on Reed Island!”

“Very funny!” Gieaun chirped. “I remember you used to be afraid to put even a toe in the lake Jahrra!”

“Oh, that was ages ago!”

“Ugh, are you going to race or not?” Gieaun asked, sounding a little exasperated.

When Jahrra and Scede gave her a tense look she took a deep breath and said, “Ready . . . set . . .
GO
!”

They dove into the water and began swimming frantically towards the boardwalk. Gieaun watched them carefully, squealing dramatically every time something other than Scede or Jahrra broke the surface of the water.

“Look out! It’s the lake monster!” she shouted after them.

When the two friends reached their post and started making their way back, they were neck and neck. By the time they were only ten yards from the small island, however, it was clear that Scede was trailing quite a bit. Jahrra reached the small island first and was panting over the muddy bank a full thirty seconds before Scede reached the shore.

Both were out of breath, but Scede managed to say between gasps of air, “Looks . . . like . . . those lessons . . . Jaax . . . is making . . . you take . . . are paying off.”

Jahrra hadn’t realized it, but swimming to the boardwalk and back hadn’t been as hard as it used to be. It also got her thinking that maybe she should be working on swimming lessons as well as everything else. She made a mental note to herself to bring it up with Viornen and Yaraa the next time she saw them.

For the rest of the afternoon, the three of them stretched out on their blankets and watched the clouds roll by overhead. Jahrra spotted a variety of objects, everything from a mouse evading a cat to a kruel of dragons gathered in assembly. Behind them trailed a group of prancing horses and a watchful owl. Scede said he saw a centaur in one cloud, and Gieaun swore that the cloud she was looking at resembled Ellysian.