CHAPTER 3

Sunset came in like a lion stalking its prey, slow, sure of itself, but sure of itself at the moment of impact. Meri Aro was buried knee deep in socks when the bright orange light poured in through the gaps in the fur cover that acted as a door. She rushed out to find her mother, and as Kaija observe the sky, she smiled.

"Don't stay away too long." Was all she said, before Meri dashed back into the hut to grab a warmer coat. She was excited beyond belief, because hearing about the magic Nuri had used to entice so many in the village marketplace fascinated her. She ran out the doorway, and followed the makeshift path down to the river until she could see the red lanterns glowing in the distance. Most of her village was a part of a religion her father referred to as filii aurea and explained that every day at sunset, when the fire god, Thyrus, set the sky on fire, thanks can be given and tributes to the dead can be made. Meri never really understood their beliefs, but didn't question it, and simply lived her life beside the mysterious Aureans. She saw Nuri as she neared the lanterns, his dark skin tone contrasting the stark white snow. He was doing something she'd seen many Aureans do at the river before, he was paying tribute. He kissed two of his fingers and pointed them at the darkening sky. Nuri wasn't alone, she observed. Behind him, stood another girl, who seemed to stand out even more than he did. With a similar skin tone to his, and bright green eyes, she was definitely a foreigner.

"Do you know why we point our fingers to the stars?" She asked Nuri in an accent Meri had never heard.

"No," Nuri answered with a shrug, "but I'm sure you do."

Her smile was underlined with annoyance as she spoke again, "it's said that if you kiss two fingers and point them to the sky, a part of your soul gets swept into one of the currents of the Ocean of Souls and finds the recipient of your tribute."

Nuri's face softened as he turned to her, who stood, confused and bewildered, like a small animal.

"You came." He remarked, but she could only nod.

"I don't suppose you've ever heard the term filii aurea, have you?" He asked, out of the blue, while the girl behind him started to wander off.

"I have," she answered, and watched his face take on a surprised look, "but my knowledge of the filii aurea is abysmal."

Nuri laughed at this, "of course. I can't imagine Milo told you much." He let it slip, and Meri noted the girl looking at him with foul vigour.

"You know my father?" Nuri could see she was immediately more interested in the conversation.

"I do," Nuri answered, "he's the reason I'm here."

"My father sent you?" She asked, but it almost sounded as if she were out of breath, "what does he want with me?"

"It's a relatively long story, but I suppose I could explain," he played with his thumbs, and this was the first time Meri had seen him wearing anything else than a confident smirk. She supposed he was human too.

"What if I said... Being Aurean, wasn't just a religion?" He asked, but didn't wait for her to reply, "what if I told you, that you..." He trailed off as his eyes wandered back to Avani. She looked ill at ease, nervous even, but he couldn't place why. Avani had always been a little too paranoid for her own good, but never this blatantly obvious.

On the other side of the remote village, a man moved through the dissipating crowd in the marketplace. This man looked like all the other village goers, with the signature Mare's descendant look, bright blue eyes and white blonde hair, but this specific man was different. He wasn't like all the other descendants, and he was not there to buy some frostflowers for a potion he was working on. No, this man was here for one reason, and one reason only. Meri Aro. And to get to her, he was going to need to find her brother, the one without the gift. He could sense his aura vaguely, through the small crowd of fleeing merchants. Aku Aro was somewhere in this small town, and this man was going to find him.

He approached a village girl, "excuse me," he asked in his best accent, flaunting the looks the Mother had gifted him with, "do you perhaps know where I can find the village hunters?"

She furrowed her dark brows, and looked at him with the tell-tale Atlantic Ocean blue eyes every female descendant had, "they're over by the Chieftain's hut. They're busy training, I assume." She pointed to a large structure in the distance, and he thanked her. As soon as he was out of her field of vision, his face took on a sinister smirk, and he glided in the direction of the so-called Chieftain. It was always easy to find the ones who hadn't been blessed like he had, because they were always so defenceless. He spotted Aku Aro in the group of hunters, wielding a large bow. He loaded the arrow, pulled back the string, and fired with pinpoint accuracy. It hit the target perfectly in the middle, and the Chieftain came to congratulate him. Aziel Aro grinned like a maniac, and called the ocean to his command. He watched the ungifted Children scurry away from his tidal wave, but they were at the disadvantage. Aziel was no normal man, no, he was a fully-fledged Aurean, who bent the ocean to his command. Four of the defenceless hunters went down, while one of them tried to attack him with a sword. It was a stupid move, if Aziel were being honest. He didn't particularly like to spill blood, but if this child was coming at him, he was going to have to make do. He seized the hunter by his blood, watching him writhe in agony, as he approached Aku Aro. He had his bow and arrow poised at Aziel's heart, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

His face suddenly shifted as the realization sunk in, "uncle?" He whimpered like a scared puppy, and Aziel saw his strong arms relax on the grip. As fast as lightning, he forged a dart that flew in Aku's direction. If it had not been for his hunter training and the Chieftain's mangled screech, Aku Aro would have died, right there and then. But he didn't. He jumped out of the way, and the dart hit him square in the shoulder. It was his good shoulder, too. He was practically defenceless now, as if he'd ever stood a chance before. His uncle's power was godlike, compared to his meagre hunting abilities, and to top it off, Aku was a Halfling, barely able to command the water in his tea cup to bend to his will. Aziel prepared for another attack, forming another ice dart, and hurling it at Aku, who again, jumped out of the way, despite his aching shoulder. A thought flitted through the injured hunter's head. Don't die, he thought, don't lose focus. He could visualize his father telling him not to lose focus, so he didn't. He kept his gaze trained on Aziel, not daring to look away, and danced around the descendant like he knew what he was doing. He was stalling, waiting, hoping for some upper power to save him from his doomed fate. He knew he wouldn't be able to beat Aziel, but a part of him hoped, and prayed that the Mother wouldn't take his soul just yet. Before he could react, he felt a piercing sensation in his stomach. Protruding from his abdomen, was a large ice dart, melting as his body heat consumed it. Aku had witnessed enough hunting accidents to know that if you got stabbed in the stomach, and removed the weapon, you didn't have much time. His salvation came in the form of a sacrifice, a sacrifice he would have tried to prevent if he weren't fighting for his life. One of his fellow hunter broke out of Aziel's frozen trap, and lunged at him with a sword. Caught off guard, Aziel stumbled backwards, and loosened his grip on the older swordsman, who charged at him like a crazed animal. Aziel was momentarily overwhelmed, but quickly he recovered, using their strength against them. Within seconds, Aziel had them by their life force, begging for mercy at his feet as if he were a king. He absorbed their energy, his eyes momentarily lighting up, and then left them to die. The chieftain whimpered in the corner, scarred by the unexpected massacre of his hunting team. Aziel thought, screw it, and plunged an ice dagger into his heart, before realizing, he'd lost Aku Aro.

A scream distracted Avani from her duties, and when Nuri turned to face her, she couldn't hide the nervousness bubbling up from deep within. Something was wrong, something was so, so wrong, and she couldn't place her finger on it. The ravine was deserted, but she could hear the distant footsteps, the panicked screams, like someone had just died. She knew the fear-stricken screams all too well, and they whirled around her like some ghastly choir. Before she knew it, a dagger rested in her dominant hand, and she awaited the answer like predator would prey. A rustle in the bushes behind Meri and Nuri demanded their attention. She was expecting a bandit, or something, but instead, it was the dishevelled, half-dead brother of Meri Aro. Avani had forgotten his name, but she knew for a fact that he was Meri's brother by the way she rushed to his side, as he collapsed in the snow.

"Aku!" Her distorted scream tore through the deathly silence.

He gave a mangled smile, before looking up at her, "I'm fine. Just a scratch." Meri looked less than pleased, as she glared at him.

"What happened?" Meri's voice broke, and she was unable to control the stream of tears the sprouted from her eyes.

"Our uncle," Aku answered, wincing in pain. Nuri and Avani went pale. He'd found them. Aku's gaze shifted up to the two of them, "you two! You need to help us, please! I know you're Aurean... or at least, not a Halfling, like I am." Meri felt as if Aku was speaking a different language. Halfling? She'd never heard that word before.

Avani nibbled on her bottom lip, "okay. This is a little less graceful than what I was expecting, and I wasn't planning on bringing you along," she focused her gaze on Aku, "but we'll make do."

"Thank you." Aku exhaled.

"However, we're not getting far with you bleeding out like that," she shook her head, and looked at Nuri, "make sure he doesn't die. I'm going to find us a way out of this godsforsaken village." She commanded before disappearing. Avani raised the frozen rock beneath her feet to boost her up to a rooftop, where she watched the chaos unfold. Using some or other technique she learned at the Academy, she nullified her aura, and surveyed her surroundings. The marketplace was in shambles, everything covered in water, and in the middle of the massacre stood Aziel Aro. She could spot the mount they'd used to travel up the mountain in the stables behind the marketplace, but standing between her and her ticket out of the village was the number one enemy of the Aurean race. She couldn't face Aziel in close combat, no one could, because he'd use your strength against you. Avani was a skilled fighter, but when the enemy could control you like some sick puppet master, she knew to back off. She had to find a way around Aziel, a way to the stables. It hit her like a ton of bricks, it was risky, but with enough effort, she and Nuri could pull it off. She leapt from the rooftop, a summoned rock softening her landing, and returned to Nuri. She approached Aku, he was fading fast, no matter how she twisted the situation, he was going to die if she didn't tend to his wounds.

"This is going to be a little weird, I apologize," she said quickly, and the earth fell from beneath their feet. Above them, the snow shifted over their heads like a makeshift roof, "Nuri, light." She whispered. His hand lit up with a little orange flame, and she guided his hand to Aku's dying body. Her hands lit up with a pale green glow as she focused her energy on healing Aku's wounds. The dart that had acted as a cork had melted and now he was bleeding out all over her hands. She worked as fast as she possibly could, but it was no use, she was not as good of a healer as Enlai had been, as he had tried to make her into. When it came to life threatening situations, she was practically useless. She wished Enlai was there, so he could stop the blood flowing out of the wound.

Nuri looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Vani. Focus." His voice snapped her out of her trance, and she summoned magic stitches to help contain the bleeding. When she was sure he was stable, she clutched the rose quartz necklace hanging just above her breasts.

"Enlai," her voice resonated with the stone, and it started glowing, "evigilare faciatis." Aku's body became encased by a light rose barrier, and suddenly an invisible hand started to repair his wounds. Nuri and Meri could not believe what they were seeing, Nuri more so than Meri.

"What in the world is happening?" His voice was panicked, but Avani shushed him, as she heard footsteps above them.

"It's a soul crystal," she whispered, "I promise to tell you all about it later, but right now, I need you to shut up and let me do my job." She gazed back down at Aku, and Enlai's ghostly figure hovering over his body. He smiled at her, before disappearing again, and back into his crystal confines. Aku was going to be okay, but she didn't know whether they were going to make it out of this damned village alive. The bloodlust radiating from the aura above them was suffocating, even Meri could feel it pushing down on them. They could only wait, breathe softly, and hope that Aziel gave up. Eventually, after what felt like hours, the aura vanished, and she lost sight of it. Avani raised the rock slightly, peering out from their confines, it was almost pitch black, the only light the dancing of the colours above them. Aziel was nowhere to be found. She lifted the rock entirely.

"We're safe, for now. But we need to leave. It won't be long until he senses your aura." She said quickly, ushering them out of the hole, and toward the stables on the other side of the village. Nuri had to carry Aku all the way there, since his body was still recovering from the physical trauma, however, that wasn't their biggest concern. Avani hated travelling at night, specifically in Mare's Territory, because the wind picked up, and the temperatures dipped. She located the white-backed mountaineer that had carried their belongings to the village, and hoisted Aku onto the beast. She secured him with some rope, and then they were ready to leave. Meri was in shock however, in a matter of minutes her entire life had fallen apart, her brother had almost died, her estranged uncle tried to kill them, and now she was off to a strange city she'd never heard of to find the father she hadn't seen in years. It was all too much for her.

"I can't," she choked out, frozen behind Avani and the mount, "I can't just leave my mother alone. What if my uncle finds her?"

"Your mother is none of my concern," Avani practically snarled at her, "my only concern is getting you out of this village alive. Those are my orders."

"But my mother!" She exclaimed, as defiant edge to her voice.

"Listen, Meri," Avani stressed her name, heightening the acute sense of displeasure in her voice, "if you haven't already noticed, your brother almost died today, at the hands of that lunatic. If you want to stay here and die, then there's nothing I can do to stop you, but I would advise not to. Trust me, I know you don't want to leave your mother behind, but sometimes life calls for necessary casualties." Meri inhaled sharply, almost like a gasp. Nuri stepped in as a mediator.

"She didn't mean it like that," he said quickly, "what Avani means is, you're important, more than your mother is. But, I know how it feels to lose a family member, and I will make sure your mother survives." He assured her, and watched her shoulders relax. Avani still looked poised and ready to attack, but Meri looked less inclined to kill her, at least.

"Vani," he turned to her, her gaze dripping with annoyance, "take care of them, okay? I'm going to help the mother. I'll meet you in Lapid, where we discussed." He handed her his satchel, "don't forget, we still have a date." He said with a playful wink.

"Don't die on me, firefly." Avani said with an unusual fondness to her voice.

"I'm tougher than I look, space buns." He answered, before dashing off in the opposite direction. A silence settled between Avani and Meri.

"Let's go." She finally commanded. And into the fray they went.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

a lil weird posting this chapter... since it goes v deep into whats supposed to happen in the second book, and i feel weird posting it so early in the first book???

anywhoo, hopefully this isn't too weird since this is the kinda stuff to expect in the second book 

w love

dan <3