The Elementals

Maybe Lotus should have given their siblings warning about this plan they’d had for years. The issue was their siblings didn’t prove their assumptions about telling them wrong.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Lily said, “And with a Renuean Princess of all things.”

“Evia is a good friend, and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t insult her until I’m out of earshot.”

Lilac covered the door to their still shared room.

“You know I can just use a teleportation spell to get out, right?” Lotus asked.

“Yes, but how many do you need to get to your final destination?” Lily asked.

“I have snacks in my bag.” they’d prepared for casting more spells than would be healthy to convince their siblings.

Lilac rolled his eyes.

“We’re supposed to be together in this.”

“We are, forever. You two just don’t need a wizard until Lily takes the throne, which is a long time away, and I want practical experience beyond shuttling our family between kingdoms. Mother, Father, and Uncle Oak all gave their approval.”

“So we’re the last to know?” Lilac asked.

“Yes, because I knew you would try to trap me in our room the moment I told you.”

Their siblings hung their heads in shame.

“But must it be with Princess Evia?” Lilac asked.

“Evia and I are the spares, politically unimportant. We’ve gotten along on that basis for the past 15 years, so yes, it does have to be with Princess Evia.”

“Fine,” Lily said, removing the circlet their grandmother gave her, “But take this.”

Lotus just stared.

“That circlet was made to protect you.”

“And my dwarven friends have always taken it as an insult to wear something from the Forge, so you’d be doing me a favor.” she shoved it into their grasp before another objection could be made.

They felt the weight of it in their hands. They weren’t important enough for such effort.

“Please no.”

“That is my condition as your sister, and as your future queen. Earth is dangerous, and I need you safe.”

They handed her the circlet and bowed their head.

In a warded clearing in the middle of the moving woods, Lotus felt a chill coming on. They turned to the result, running to give Evia a hug, before separating so they could talk.

Evia was taller than them, like most people, with all but ivory skin and what Lotus had dubbed blueberry blond hair. Her posture was good, but she was always looking down, and rarely for eye-contact reasons.

“Did you convince them?” Evia asked, her hands slightly shaking as she signed.

“Yes, but I have conditions. What of you?”

She made a dismissive motion. “They want me gone.”

“Well now we get to be gone together.”

They hugged each other again, glad to be rid of their burdens.

“Though there is a snag,” Lotus admitted.

“What?”

“We’re not the only ones who wanted to get away.”

From above, a giant black form fell next to them, flapping its wings just before it actually hit the ground. Once it actually landed, Lotus saw an unmistakably draconic face, with violet eyes and smooth looking scales. Stranger still, it was bipedal.

Evia pulled Lotus’ eyes away from the intruder.

“A zmeu?”

“That wasn’t who I meant.”

The zmeu’s scales slowly disappeared and the snout pulled in, revealing a more human face, with tanned brown skin. He was slightly shorter in this form, with black hair that shimmered the same as his scales and the same eyes, but still larger than either of the princets. He bowed just enough to be lower than their height.

“I am Singe Tyrain, Knight of Six Kingdoms, and I have been commissioned by two of them to watch over you while on Earth.” He presented from his belt two scrolls, one of which bore Lotus’ mother’s seal.

“So that’s why she agreed so quickly.”

Evia snatched the other one, scowling.

“What’s wrong?” Lotus asked.

Jumping into the clearing with a skid, the final member looked haggard.

“The Moving Wood isn’t a misnomer is it?” Lotus younger cousin, Skylar, panted. She had the brown skin and red eyes of their fathers, with poofy black hair framing her face in a way that felt unsafe for a fire mage.

“Your highness.” Tyrain knelt before her.

“We only got a bow,” Evia said, awkwardly maneuvering the scroll to get the words out.

“What are you doing here?” Skylar asked.

“May I?” Singe asked, gesturing at Evia’s scroll. She handed it to him, and he handed it to Skylar. “Your father asked me to be here.”

“He what?”

“Sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier.” Tyrain’s expression didn’t look apologetic.

“My mother also commissioned him.” Lotus presented their still unopened scroll.

Skylar closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Of course. They weren’t going to let us out without a baby-sitter.”

“I’m only a baby-sitter if you act like children,” Singe took the commissions back, “My job is to protect you.”

“Protect me from what?” Skylar asked.

“Protect us.” Lotus corrected.

Skylar didn’t respond, maintaining a glare that Singe didn’t look away from.

“We should probably go before they decide to make you come back,” he said.

Lotus slid their fingers over their gauntlet, the rivulets of copper coming to life and forming a small statuette of their uncle. Then copper slowly moved up the bodies of all four of them.

Everyone else gasped for air as they appeared in a clearing of an unmoving wood. Lotus scoffed, flicking their sister’s circlet.

“And Lily said Earth is dangerous.”

“The woods around Precedent are usually safe as long as you stay aware of snakes,” Singe said, pulling Skylar up, she pulled away, still somewhat off-balance.

“Is that how you always teleport?” Skylar asked, letting out a large breath.

“Yes, and you don’t actually need to grab air when we move. You were just holding your breath.”

“Right, of course, it’s completely my fault that happened.”

“Did you have accommodations planned?” Singe asked.

Evia and Lotus looked at each other, then back at Singe, shaking their heads. His face turned to some combination of pity and disgust.

“I’ll ask my uncle to set up some cots.” he grabbed his pendant.

“Or,” Skylar jangled a key, “My godmother has a place.”

“No…” Singe said.

“In fact, she gave me the deed, so technically I have a place.”

“What’s wrong?” Evia asked.

“Nothing,” Singe said, “In fact her cabin is probably the safest place for you guys to stay, the problem is getting there.”

“If you and Skylar both know it I can—”

“There’s wards,” Skylar cut Lotus off, “Some runes, but mostly practical.”

“I’m going to call my uncle about the cots again just in case.”

“Ooh, tell him to bring bandages to the cabin.”

The first ward was anti-magek runes in the forest around the cabin. Lotus felt the energy of their own power disappear as they crossed the threshold.

“Why do I suspect that isn’t the worst one?”

Singe pulled them back as a tongue of fire shot at them. Lotus was grateful the zmeu had changed back to a more draconic form before they arrived.

“Why aren’t you turned mortal?” they asked.

“Well I can’t fly anymore, but it’s mostly the transformation that I need Magek for, not much else.”

“I see, and which form do you sleep as?”

Skylar smacked them in the back of the head.

“What was that for?”

“Being rude, what else?”

“Everyone, stay behind me,” Singe said.

“Shouldn’t you know how to not set things off?” Lotus asked.

“She tends to change things.”

Singe took a careful step forward, and the rest of them followed. Lotus spotted something metal to their right, instinctively reaching their will out though unable to melt it down.

The thing got brighter.

“Down!”

Lotus pulled the non-scaled among them down under the stream of fire.

“Good catch,” Skylar said, patting at her smoking hair.

“Here.” Singe quickly squeezed the smoking parts in his claws, snuffing them out.

“Thanks.”

They kept moving forward, everyone spotting a few more traps, Singe taking the brunt of them, and focusing on Skylar’s health before the others. She wasn’t even right behind him.

“So you never explained how you two know each other,” Lotus said during a less perilous section.

“What do you mean?” Skylar asked.

“You and our guardian are clearly familiar, so how do you know each other?”

“Now’s not the time,” Singe answered.

“That’s the point of me asking—arrow—you’ve clearly met before this time.”

Singe snapped what turned out to actually be a spear in half with his clawed hand.

“I guess it wasn’t an arrow.”

“We met while I was visiting my godmother,” Skylar explained, “His uncle lives in town.”

Lotus nodded.

“How did you get out?”

Skylar rolled her eyes.

“The traps can be deactivated.”

“How did Singe get in, since he knows the place so well?”

Evia tapped Singe from behind Lotus and pointed out an axe about to swing at all of them.

“Same way I got here this time,” Singe smashed the head of the axe into the ground, “Except with less baggage.”

“Got here?” Evia asked.

“Well, we’ve got a few more—”

Something lifted Singe from the ground, and he disappeared.

“I guess he can fly,” Lotus said.

Skylar and Evia both pointed up at a zmeu caught in a net.

“Keep going,” Singe said, “I can get myself down faster once you deactivate the runes.”

“Are there more traps?”

“Probably not once you get on the property, but run fast, just in case.”

Evia was first to listen, Lotus followed suit, but Skylar lingered to talk with Singe.

“Neither of us know where the switch is hidden!” Lotus yelled.

Skylar turned to them, waved goodbye to Singe, and ran into the house. A moment later, a shadow cut Singe down.

“Give a warning next time,” Singe said.

“Calm down. I knew it wouldn’t hurt you,” a man only a little shorter than Singe came to offer him a hand up. The family resemblance was clear: Aside from a heavier-set build and hazel eyes, he looked just like his nephew.

“Is this your uncle?” Evia asked as the two approached.

“Yes, Princess Evia, Princet Lotus, this is Sebastien Tyrain, or as I like to call him, Uncle Burns.”

“How do you get Burns from that name?” Lotus asked.

“My brother and I were called Singe and Burns after an unfortunate incident with a hoard of fire dragons,” Sebastien explained, “Junior here stole the name and refuses to let me outlive mine.”

“You love it.”

“I don’t. You two saw what I can do, so don’t you even try it.”

“Shadow Magek?” Lotus scoffed, “It’s not especially intimidating unless you happen to be a wizard, sir.”

Evia shrugged.

“Oh, you have brains. That’s pleasant.”

“Hi, Sebastien!” Skylar walked back out of the cabin and gave the man a hug.

“It’s good to see you too, young lady.”

“You bring good news?” she asked.

“I bring bandages,” he lifted a bag, “And snacks.”

Lotus watched Skylar tend to Singe’s bruises like she’d done so before.

“You’re his uncle,” they asked Sebastien, “What is between those two?”

“Air, bandages, politics.”

“History,” Evia specified.

“That’s their business. I made a point when I became a journalist never to report on family, especially at the behest of royal brats, no offense.”

Lotus and Evia made inoffended gestures.

“So what what do you all plan to do with your newfound freedom?” Sebastien asked, loud enough that the whole cabin could hear it.

“I don’t have freedom,” Singe answered, “Just guard duty.”

“I plan not to make too much trouble for your nephew,” Skylar answered.

“You’ll get bored of it soon enough,” Sebastien said.

“Evia and I were planning to explore,” Lotus answered, “It’s rare that we leave our kingdoms, let alone Magek.”

“Well,” Burns slammed the table, “I know a great place to start.”

Skylar and Singe exchanged concerned looks before asking, “Where?”

Lotus liked this place. They had found a pair of heart-shaped glasses that tinted their vision pink, and never planned to take them off.

“Remember we’ll have to pay for those,” Singe said.

“I’ll handle it,” Syren, another of Singe and Skylar’s Earth friends answered. She was a very dark, fat, pretty woman, and utterly charming. She also seemed to be wealthy enough not to care about their superfluous purchases.

“Don’t spoil them. They’re royalty,” Singe replied.

“Of course,” Syren answered before turning to Lotus and Evia, “Have either of you ever had ice cream?”

Lotus turned to Evia. This seemed like a Renuean thing if ever they’d heard one. She shook her head.

“It would seem not.”

Skylar grabbed Singe by the arm before he could object.

“We’re going to find essentials. You three, don’t die.”

“Won’t do,” Syren answered, sending them off with a nod.

Lotus watched them leave.

“When did my baby cousin become the mature one?”

“She’s been here before,” Syren answered, “Both this place, and your situation. Things will balance out by the time you’re sick of Earth.”

“I’m not sure I can be,” Lotus said, staring at what Syren probably considered simple. She pulled their heart-glasses off.

“That’s because you are, somewhat literally, seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses. Everything’s interesting, because nothing is normal yet, plus this is hardly the first time Skylar’s had to help Singe recover from protecting people.”

“What?”

“What?”

“Screeeee!”

Everyone looked up at a sudden pack of black winged creatures circling above them, increasing their radius and concentration.

“Those aren’t native fauna, are they?” Lotus asked.

“Nope.”

One of the creatures swooped down, dragging one of the metal shelves before abandoning it to fall.

Lotus reached their will out to the piece of metal before it could fall on the bystanders, placing it back where it was.

“Put them back?” Evia proposed, pointing at the creatures.

“My thoughts exactly. Stay safe, Syren!”