Magic Ethereal

Chapter Two:

Riance sat at a table in the Tower common room. Beside her sat her Aunt Doanna, her wrinkled and sun browned face relaying her relief that Riance was able to move and sit without feeling most of the pain of the wound, and no discomfort at the way she was woken... Or at least, no visable discomfort.

Though the pain reduction of the wound was mostly due to one Juniper, envoy of the Great Mother Constancy, Riance still had trouble trusting the things she was explaining to her Aunt and herself.

In fact, the only thing Riance believed about her tale was that she had indeed been on the receiving end of an assassination plot, enter Kyle ap Esher Zaen apt Baronnez apt Assassinae.

Riance’s Aunt and Juniper talked about people and things Riance herself had never met or seen. She felt like she was on the outside, and this was only made more clear when her Aunt tried to explain things to her, which she had stopped doing after Riance had glared at her solidly for nearly an hour.

Riance thought it be prudent at this time to get to know her new lackey – for want of a better word – and to see what he knew about the assassination attempt on her. She wanted mainly to know why she would be picked for assassination, seeing as she was just a little fish – or a little witch.

‘Why was I to be killed?’

Kyle blinked at her in surprise, but answered the question because it was Riance who asked, ‘Because you are more important than you think.’

‘Why am I more important?’

‘Because your parents made you important.’

Riance asked, eyes wide, ‘Who were my parents?’

‘They were Witch and a Niladar.’

Riance’s eyes narrowed considerably, ‘Niladarians are fairy tales used to frighten children who don’t go to bed when they are told to.’

Kyle replied, ‘Fine, your mother was a Witch and your father was a fairy tale.’

‘Don’t bait. Why were my parents important?’

‘Untrue question.’

Riance made a strangled noise but corrected herself and continued with her questioning anyway, ‘How did they make me important?’

‘They allowed you to die under circumstances that made you what you are.’

‘I am not dead.’

‘No.’

‘But I died?’

‘Yes.’

Riance made a disbelieving sound and asked, ‘How did I die?’

‘You were burnt alive.’

Riance became aware that her Aunt Doanna and Juniper were silent and listening to the conversation. It was apparent that they hadn’t thought of asking the assassin why he was going to assassinate in the first place, which was rather stupid of them Riance thought.

‘What has me dying – not that I did – got to do with how important I am?’

‘You recovered from dying. That is enough to make you wanted by medics, but the fact that you died by fire makes you a little more important.’

‘Why?’

Kyle looked at Juniper and gave her a feral grin then turned back to Riance and said, grin still intact, ‘Because that is what you became.’

Riance replied, exasperated, ‘I have become fire? Kyle, say it in terms that I will understand.’

Kyle took it for the order that it was and said, ‘You are an Elemental.’

And for the second time that day – or night – Riance passed out.

She came to a few minutes to the sound of her Aunt talking to Juniper in an aggrieved tone.

‘So you’ll be taking her?’ Doanna asked in a tame voice.

‘Yes. That is, if she agrees to come with me. If she doesn’t though, she will be a danger not only to you but also to the entire town. We can only help her if she takes the teaching of the GM.’ Juniper responded to Doanna.

‘Connie will take good care of her, won’t she?’ Her Aunt asked in the same subdued voice she had used before.

‘Of course, it is her job.’

Riance said loudly, but more to herself then to her Aunt and this stranger asking to take her away from her home and the only family she had known, ‘I am not going anywhere.’

- Won’t you come and get me? –

- Of course I will come and get you! –

- But you have to leave your den to do that and you just said you aren’t going anywhere. –

- But I will be coming back after getting you. –

- But you can come back again after you get training… so you don’t hurt anyone. –

- But it will take longer to return. And when I get back from having had training my life will be different, they will no longer look at me the same. –

- And returning with me will be no different? –

Riance sighed and looked up at her Aunt from where she lay on the ground, her hands neatly placed on her chest and her legs stretched out flat. She kept her face as neutral as she could, hiding the fact that even mundane talking made her juices flow, as a certain little old lady had once commented to her.

She said, ‘I have been told that going with Juniper and returning later will be the same thing as when I go to collect my Familiar, Aunt, so I guess I’m going away for a while.’

Riance’s Aunt gasped and looked at her with wide glistening honey colored eyes for a few seconds before she said in wonderment, ‘Your Familiar?’

Riance couldn’t help grinning at the old woman then grinning at everyone else in the room, feeling – and no doubt looking – like a maniac, but Riance didn’t care; she was a happy maniac. She was a happy horny maniac. Oh god, that wasn\'t her thought! A slight rippled went down her body as a rich laughter sounded though her head. A rich pettable laughter that raised goosbumps on her arms and made her feel as if a few moments ago she had not orgasmed and was ready to do so now.

‘My Familiar,’ She said.

Riance stood, and using a self conveniently placed Kyle as her walking stick – something he was perfectly sized for – went to her Aunt and hugged her, carefully keeping from touching any skin to skin as much as she could. The rich heady scent of her Aunts perfume filled her nose and she had to quickly retreat lest she jump the poor woman. When she finally met with her Familiar, they were going to have a nice long talk.

‘W-what is its name… what is it… Gods, where is it? Tell me all about it!’ Doanna asked exuberantly. Juniper also looked at her excitedly through purple eyes.

‘His name is… \' Riance paused, unsure of herself until the name floated into her mind like smooth honey and almost made her collapse to the floor in a boneless heap;

- Kaasha, I am Kaasha, my little flame. –

- Why am I your little flame? –

- Because you are my flame, and are currently small. –

- Well, to be taller then me you would have to be a bear. –

- Not a bear, my little flame, I am a wolf. Much smarter than a bear. –

A laugh floated through her mind gain, and her knees did buckled, but it looked like fatige and she merely held onto Kyle while the laugh rolled through her accompanied by the picture of a bear trying to reach a beehive, batting it with its paw until the bees came out and stung it. Then the picture of a wolf eating the honey while the bear ran from the bees in the background.

- Ah, but you see, I am taller than you are, so I cannot be your little flame. –

- No, you are smaller than me than when I was before-wolf. –

- Before-wolf? Explain that later, if you please. –

‘His name is Kaasha, he is a fox and smarter than a bear and I don’t know where he is…’ Riance stopped talking and concentrated on her Familiar until a picture of what was around rose in her mind and his scent and feel of fur rubbing over her naked skin was all she could see but it was quickly replaced by suprise. Riance blinked…for she was in a cage.


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Authors Note: To be continued..... >dramatic music<