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2020-07-28 05:42:19“Who are you?” he asked, sensing he was dealing with more power than he originally thought. She noticed the change in attitude and decided to leverage his reduced aggressiveness. She let go of the water and allowed some branches to retreat, which was a major relieve for them both. She took a deep breath to steady her own voice before talking
“I am Brianna of Hawthorne, and I would appreciate if you cease to attack me for no apparent reason” She felt drained and still scared but was glad her voice didn’t tremble.
“If you let me go, I promise not to harm you.” He hoped to sound in charge but felt there was little he could do to injure her at that point, after the power demonstration from her behalf. She didn’t seem to notice the discrepancy of power between them and for that he was glad. The tree retreated completely and soon he was back on the ground, stretching muscles that were numb after being crushed for that long.
“I’m sorry” she said, seeing she caused him harm beyond need. He tilted his head in confusion and she pointed to his bruised arms, that contained no more than a few red marks. It didn’t take him long to figure she was not accustomed to fighting, nor the idea of harming an opponent. That was interesting.
Brianna was staring at him, trying to read something out of the man’s eyes. She was good at reading people, but the man had a stern look that could only be read as a mild discomfort. She was curious, for she thought he would be angry at her for restraining him and perhaps mad about her threat to use water to block his attempt on starting a fire.
“What is your name?” It was only fair to ask him since she had already introduced herself.
“I am Nathaniel. Why did you bring me here?”
“Because you passed out on the forest the night I had to burn the new wood”
“You had to burn? You started the wildfire?” She nodded. It made sense it was not all him. The fire didn’t have his signature when he came to think about it. At the time he was too worried to understand, but he was somewhat glad that it was not all his doing. “Did you also conjure the rain?”
“I didn’t conjure it, I called for her and she came.” She dismissed the oddly way he phrased that and asked the question that really bothered her. “What happened to you there? I heard you scream and thought you were burnt, but you were… fine. What are you?”
He scoffed, thinking about the ludicrous idea of a phoenix getting burnt. Then again, she had no idea who he was and perhaps would think the truth was even less likely. He thought no harm would come from telling her at least half the truth. She was staring at him like she knew his soul and despite his deceiving abilities, he couldn’t shake the idea that she would see right past him if the chose to lie.
“I am a phoenix, master of fire and made by it. I heard the earth’s calling and came to help, but when I ignited to burn the wood, you came and did your whole show. The water you called for was raw, which I noticed a bit too late. You know how it goes; raw water plus inner fire equals comatose state until you pumped me up with fire again. Now that brings me to the real question: why would a sorceress tend to the earth and then bring me back without even knowing me?”
Brianna had never met a phoenix, but she read about them and that actually explained a lot. But now she owned him an explanation as well. “I’m not a sorceress, I’m a witch. I tend to the earth as I tend to all elements and I brought you back because you asked”
Because I asked? he thought as they stared at each other. She wanted something from him, she must have. But then again, she sounded more honest than anyone he had ever met. Not naïve though. They usually came together, honesty and innocence, but apparently not in her. Nate’s mind was a hundred miles per hour trying to figure out what to do next.
He was not used to this sort of situation and knew far less about her than he felt comfortable with. If he was to continue in this village – at least he hoped he was still in the village - he had to gather more information. Perhaps learning about her and reporting back to the Council would please them. They are always searching for powerful beans, either for recruitment or for threat disposal.
The witch saw something flicker behind his eyes that could only be read as excitement. He was also uncomfortable, and she didn’t blame him. If she woke up in a similar situation, she would probably flee at the first opportunity. However, the idea of him leaving so soon saddened her.
She wanted to learn more about him and felt bad for having caused him to pass out. Not that she could have done anything different, but still. Perhaps he only needed a little hospitality from her behalf.
“You must be hungry. If you want, I can prepare something for you and take you back to the village after we eat. It is not far, but it might be hard for you to find your way back alone.”
The opportunity she dangled in front of him was far too tempting to deny. The extra time with the witch would be the perfect way to find out more about her and it was not even his idea. Sure, it was a risk to accept apparent kindness from a complete stranger, especially one who already proved to be more powerful than him, but then again he didn’t get his job by playing safe.
“You are too kind. Thank you, Brianna.”
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He watched her cook for a while, but got a bit confused by her ways. She was obviously powerful, and by now he was positive she had domain over all the four elements. However, she cooked as a peasant. She got water from a bucket she clearly got from the river, and he noticed a fireplace bellow beside the stone oven, which meant she didn’t even use air to stoke the fire. When she got the flint to start the fire, he couldn’t help himself.“Are you really going to use that?” He pointed towards the stone. Her confused expression made his eyes roll and he ignited the wood inside the fireplace with a small hand gesture.
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Bree regained consciousness before she opened her eyes, which allowed her to enjoy the feeling of being taken care of a bit longer. The gentle strokes on her hair and cooling sensation on her neck took her to a blissful state and when she opened her eyes, she met a pair of hazel ones that gazed her with such intensity she found it impossible to look away. Nathaniel froze when her eyes fluttered. He wanted to stay there, but he was not known for his self-restrain when it came to matters of the flesh and escalating things with the witch would only compromise his endgame. He opted for a harsh approach instead.
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“Bree, I…” whatever explanation he was hoping to provide was cut short by the massive root that emerged from the ground and trapped him against the wall. The situation was awfully familiar, except now the branches were twice as large and she had done it without a single hint of effort. At least the training was paying off. Nate noticed she controlled the roots to such extent that he could not move a single muscle from the neck down but was left completely unharmed. He almost smiled from the thought that she was mad, but not enough to hurt him. “I will ask you some questions and you better believe I know you enough to tell w
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The camp near the southern border was perhaps one of the oldest. It lost many residents throughout the years, but still held more people than the resources could feed. The movement of the desert’s sand was the only thing indicating the passing of time on the otherwise static land. Even the strong willed eventually caved to the ruthlessness of the camp, the inevitability of its reality. It was the apex of grief, that much power constrained by the invisible shackles of danger. The self-imposed imprisonment eroded the souls of the adventurers and crushed the wishes of the dreamers.
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“Allow me to shed some light into your path, my dears” The couple turned to the woman, surprised to see she was still there. Bree trusted her implicitly, but she knew Nate was still apprehensive. The anger from his drawn need was present, pulsing behind his eyes. She heard him fuming against her hair and intertwined their fingers to help him calm down. The old woman motioned them to take a sit again, and Bree took the opportunity to quickly peck Nate on the lips. It was working, the little contact she was establishi
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Bree was the first to accept the situation. She was barely functional during the four days she spent with the older woman, but it was enough for her to understand she was as mysterious as she was caring.“Cassie, where should we start”“Tell me everything you know, child”Nate was beginning to catch up with the ladies.
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Brianna was trying to keep herself together, but she was livid. It took her over an hour to calm Nate down enough for him to tell her the story. An hour and two punches to the wall. She felt the anger pouring out of his every word and by the end, most of it was shared between the two.She was sitting on their bed while he paced around, both trying to breath through the rage. “We need to leave” Her voice was sure, probably more that she really felt.
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“So, Angel, hm?” Bree threw him an amused look while arching her left brow. He was still laying in the grass by the river after they explored each other to exhaustion. “What do you mean?”“You called me Angel”“Oh, yes. Do you like it?” He asked, eyes still closed enjoying the afternoon sun.
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Nate jumped into the river like he was seeking to put out a fire. In a sense, he was, but reaching the water did nothing to calm his need. They reconnected emotionally after the near-death experience, but now he urged for her body. She had a smile that could light up any mood and when his hands reached the back of her neck, it felt like she was molded for him.“So you decided to join me after all?”
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“I’m sorry, I don’t know what the hell is happening. I’ve been away for the past four days and I really need to find Bree. I need to make sure she’s safe.”Nate’s softer tone seemed to make the woman in front of him relax a bit, and he hoped it would make her slip out information on Brianna’s whereabouts. He was using all his will to contain his anger, since it did not seem to be taking him anywhere.“Oh, so you leave the poor girl after she fights a bear alone and now you need to know if s
