Gale
Soft steps echoed around the gray-stone castle. The edge of my purple robes had collected dust and mud from dragging across the ground, hiding my flat black shoes, and thin lavender cotton pants. There was usually an eerie, near quiet laced with distant voices of the trees outside that encircled the temple part of the castle.
On my knees, with a slow inhale, I closed my eyes. A small gust of wind rumbled from between my gloved hands.
“Blessed two-faced goddess of the eternal winds, guides of choice. I greet you far later than usual. May your winds eternally guide the lost. Your breezes brush away the wrong. Guide the great balance as you know best. Protect your Chosen and guide their brethren. Though only a quarter of us know you both, all of us feel your eyes. Be kind to those who walk further down your path and show the rest of us the patience we deny them.” I whispered; the wind poured from my hands, spilling out over the floor. The candles that dimly lit the statues of the two-faced goddesses of wind illuminated the darker corners of the small chapel, flickered against my invisible winds. Bound together through no choice of their own. A hand was extended to the curved ceiling as if calling the wind to them, and the other extended down to where I kneeled.
My wind wound around the statue, disallowing any speck of dust to disgrace even the images of the goddesses themselves.
“Teach those of us who have not dared to wander down your path; courage, and wisdom,-”
“Gale, I’ve been looking for you!” Salem called out from the other side of the chapel. His voice carried over the soft breeze and around the gray stone.
“- peace, and love. Guide our choices. May the great balance favor me.” I quickly ended before standing. My pivot flared my simple purple robe around me as I spun to face my Warden. The dim lights flickered until they’d blown out.
“Glad you’re here. Dinner is being served, and Lexi said she hadn’t seen you in a while. Why is it dark in here?” Salem sounded like he frowned.
“Are we alone?” I whispered.
“Not for long.” He replied. A flame ignited over my flat palm.
“I was dismissed from daily communications. Thus, no lit candles. Etune and Yaharis are the most patient, of course.”
Salem had short, night-dark hair over deep sapphire eyes. His sun-kissed skin peeked out from under his hardened black leather armor. Well, leather stretched over metal plating, from what I understood. Despite the presumably heavy armor, his steps were soft on the stone floor. My steps beside his were considerably louder, but not necessarily loud.
“Of course.” Salem replied flatly. He didn’t believe in the Gods as I did, and I would not force the matter. My hands hung folded before me, a wide false smile on my face, as Salem led me from the chapel to the Great Hall. Wardens and Mages of every house filled the large room. Tapestries of the houses, their symbols and colors, hung to hide the otherwise plain stone walls. Earlier candle drippings coated the candelabras, which no one had bothered to remove. The table stood in a long square U-shape with matching wooden chairs crammed together. Wardens and Mages ran around with food, and sloshing drinks. A few Hydras, Teras, and Pyres carefully waded through the chaos to offer their freshly made teas. Those who belonged to the tea club were marked by the picture of a simple steaming mug pinned to their elemental marker sash tied over their middle.
“Gale!” I whirled to face her. Lexi’s wide smile was the first thing I saw. Her dark purple eyes brightened on me. The firelight beautifully reflected on her dark skin as her thick, dark hair was pulled back into many braids. She wore the purple robes and yellow sash well, despite her misplacement. She was a Terass, a daughter of Earth, placed into the house of air. She made the best of her situation, which was admirable.
“Lexi,” I couldn’t help smiling. Her greeting was a tight embrace, which I returned. “Ashtar has blessed me with your presence, as usual.”
“Yeah, yeah. Etune and Yaharis graced me with yours. I saved you a seat!” She pulled my arm and led me to our small band of mixed houses.
“Gale!” Agni beamed. His red robes flowed as he stood to greet me. His dark fishtail braid swung about his hips with the sudden motion.
“Agni! Flamaris and Ashtar conspired together to grace us with your presence!” A small gust of wind left me and brushed against his swinging braid.
“Ashtar had certainly saved you for us.” Agni sent a small flame into the air to join my breeze, and the echo that reverberated from it was a pleasant ring that vibrated under our skins.
“Good to see you again, Airess Gale HailStorm.” Agni’s Warden Nika stood; stone faced behind him. Nika kept her blonde hair short, which framed her wide brown eyes well. She wore the Firehouse crest over the heart of her Warden’s uniform, a neatly stamped dragon, encircling a grand flame.
“Warden Nika SpearCarver, Ashtar and Kaytarr have not conspired against you, this is a grand relief.” The Wardens were not often permitted to smile, while it was mandatory for Mages, when not speaking, sleeping, or eating. “Warden Salem.” Nika broke protocol when Salem stood beside her as I took my seat beside Agni. My plate of sweet red peppers stuffed with cooked spinach, lentils, tomatoes, and yeast stood steaming before me.
“You took forever.” Lexi pouted; her stuffed pepper was nonexistent from her empty plate.
“I wasn’t gone for long, Lexi. I’m never far away.” Peering closer at my pepper, steam still emanated from my food, my whole plate even.
“Agni.” Lexi elbowed him.
“Hm? Oh.” Agni waved a golden sepia hand over my plate and the steam ceased.
“You kept my plate warm? That was sweet, Agni, thank you.” Agni’s smile was genuine when he faced me.
“You’re welcome, Gale.” Agni gave me a single nod and turned back to Lexi who had ensnared a fellow diner with a topic I had missed altogether.
The chapel bell rang to signal the end of dinner and the beginning of preparations. We each separated into sections of the chapel beyond the castle bailey, to bid goodnight to our respective gods.
The Hydras and Hydrases, represented by the blue Leviathan, bid their goodnights to Ashtar, the god of Magic, and Eva, the Goddess of Water. Pyres and Pyresses, those that belonged to the Dragon house, said their goodnights to Ashtar and Flamaris, the god of Flame. Our Teras and Terasses, those of the Earth house, represented by the fearsome Basilisk, bid their good nights and thanks to Ashtar and Mother Earth herself. Aires and Airesses, those of my house of air, represented by a Griffon, communed with the two-faced goddesses, Etune and Yaharis. Though I usually missed the nightly gatherings with everyone else. With one hundred and sixty Mages in attendance, all with one hundred and sixty Wardens to keep us in line, this left fifteen-some-odd adults in charge of the whole of us. This was enough to run the VailThorn Sanctuary.
“Joining us for our goodnights?” Lexi poked me as we stood to answer the bell.
“Not today.” Lexi and I spoke in unison before she laughed.
’I should switch up my phrasings.’ The Sanctuary smile returned to those of us in robes as we waved goodbye.
’It is charming that you are consistent.’ Reason spoke softly from between my ears.
Salem rested his hands in his pockets as we followed the sea of reds, yellows, greens, and deep blues before we turned down a darkened hall, diverting from the chapel.
“Hey, Sunshine?” Salem kept his voice low. Nicknames were nonexistent between Wardens and their Mages. It was easy to forget how rare my relationship with my Warden was.
“Hm?” My eyes raised to him, though Salem’s sharp blue gaze stared right ahead.
“Do they reply? Etune and Yaharis.” He inquired.
“Not directly. They can’t show favoritism among their Chosen.” A small shrug followed my reply.
“You don’t have to smile with me, Gale.” He reminded me.
“Force of habit.” I massaged my cheeks to ease my jaw a bit.
“It’s not your doing.” We crossed the bailey, and into the Warden’s training grounds, an offshore bridge away from the main body of the Sanctuary. The constant low humming of magic mingled with the thrashing of the dark restless ocean. Waves smacked against the stone pillars that supported our wet stone bridge. Salem glanced over his shoulder and inhaled deeply, taking in the salty night.
“We’re clear, if you want to ease our journey.” Salem nudged me gently. With an easy wave, we could hear the water leak away from the stones underfoot. Our well-worn shoes had better grip over the newly dried rough stone.
Two small torches illuminated the wide wooden doorway. Keys jingled, and metal flashed against the fire’s light. I lifted my hand and with a wave, summoned flame to light Salem’s view to more easily pick out the correct key.
“Aiding your captor before a torture session? That won’t earn you any laxing points.” He inserted the key and opened the door wide enough to slide in. Darkness consumed our view as I dismissed the flame. I slid in after him and waited by the door to click closed with a thud of finality.
Bright lights blinded me for a moment. Once we adjusted, the training room that should have been impossibly big for the amount of equipment it contained stood in perfect view. Weapons of the longer variety lined the upper walls above the mirrors that wrapped around the room. Thick rope dangled from the ceiling, not far away from the net wall, nor the rock wall beside that.
’Holy ground for a different type of follower.’
I will never be a Warden, but the years of training instilled in me the skills and discipline of one. Salem had taken me to the training room for the last five years to ensure that.
’What could you worship as a Warden?’ Reason sometimes floated a passing thought my way. My voice of Reason had a thought process independent from me which I wasn’t certain was normal.
’Death? Life? Anyone can worship anything, really.’ Who or what others worshiped only affected me if our greetings and customs varied too far apart.
My sash was easy to untie from around my waist; my griffon’s crest hit the padded floor with a soft thud. The purple cotton robe was the next to fall, revealing the tight stretchy purple leggings I had received on a rare outing, and my Sanctuary-issued bra to keep everything in place. Salem tossed me a thin undershirt to replace my uniform.
“Two laps around. Go!” Salem’s voice echoed around the training room.
“Only twice? I thought helping you didn’t earn me any laxing points.” I scoffed but took position at the starting point. Salem clapped once that echoed off the wall, like my quickening steps as I ran.
’Why would a training room have amazing acoustics?’ Reason kept himself entertained, a lovely trait for a voice of reason who constantly spoke.
“Once done, you will rope climb, and leap for the rock wall, before leaping to the hoops. Await further instruction.” Salem commanded.
The rope was rough against my bare hands as I ascended. With my ankles crossed and my legs hugging the rope under me, I defied gravity to climb the rope. My sweat slickened my hands and evaporated as quickly as it formed. Cool magic rushed under my skin, combating the heat of movement. Slowing my breathing was the only way to keep focused.
“Faster!” Salem barked.
’Quite the barking dog, your drill sergeant.’
’It’s for my safety.’ I mentally argued.
’Breaking the law, risking your safety, for your safety? Sure.’ Reason dismissed. I rolled my physical eyes and ignored him.
Once I reached the top of the rope, I eyed the rock wall close to me. Convincing a rope to swing from a complete standstill position was a challenge by itself. The rope moved as if alive from under me. Once I achieved full motion, I launched myself off the rope and reached for the hanging hand hoops.
Swinging from one obstacle to the next was slightly unnerving to adjust to, moving obstacles to a solid unyielding wall of false rock. My grip was slick, and my descent to the padded floor was swift. My body bounced once against the floor.
‘I lived? Excellent. Kaytarr did not take me today.’
‘A little dramatic, are we not?’ Reason cooed teasingly.
“Get up.” Salem’s voice was flat and uncaring. Pushing myself to stand, the wind lifted me to where I fell from. A hand grabbed the back of my tank top and down I fell. I bounced off the padded ground and growled as I sat up and glared at Salem, who dusted his hands off, as if he had accomplished some arduous task.
“What in the name of the gods was that for?!” I snapped. Dark blue eyes loomed over me, with a stoic face that displayed nothing more than ‘unimpressed.’
“You fell, start from the ground.”
