*14*

Ever since I ran off with Fern to the sycamore, Crae hasn't let me out of his sight. He's worried I might run off somewhere and not come back. He thinks that by me going out, it'll bring all the rogue Druids and Alchemists to the area and they'll want to kidnap me.

It's a silly thought, but also kind of concerning. What if one of them does happen to find me? I don't want to be taken away and be corrupted for evil. Or worse, killed. Crae had told me a few days ago that there is a way to kill someone and take their powers.

I shuddered at the thought and focused back on the potion book Crae had me start reading. The first ten chapters have easy level potions, ones I could make in my sleep. The rest progressively got harder to do. He said we'd wait for those.

I glanced up to see Crae sitting in the chair. He hasn't moved from that spot for three hours. He's reading his own book, but the second I twitch and shift positions, he stares at me until I settle into place. I really worried him that day.

"Crae?" He glanced up. "When did you say someone from the academy would be here?"

He set his book down and stretched his arms. "They should be here within the week. It won't be long now until we figure out why you can use three elemental magics. I seriously hope it's just because we're finally tapping into your powers and they're a little out of control from not being used once."

I nodded slowly and returned to my book. I really hope I actually use multiple elemental magics. It is possible to use them in dire situations, but to have full mastery of them all and be able to use them to their full ability would be amazing.

I had to stop reading after another thirty minutes. I was growing restless and I need to walk around. I grunted as I stood, instantly alerting Crae. He followed suit and stood with me. I paced around the cottage, wanting out. We haven't left the cottage in a few days; not since the sycamore incident.

Crae sighed. "I think it's time we made a grocery run."

"Finally!" I spun around and went up the stairs. I nearly tripped a few times, but made it up in one piece to grab my shoes. Once they were secure, I trotted down the steps and came to a stop right beside Crae.

"Shall we?" He chuckled and ruffled my hair. I quickly fixed it and followed him out of the cottage to the town.

"What are we gonna get today?" I asked as I walked beside him, a slight skip in my step.

"Just whatever sounds good," He stared on ahead, a small smile in place. He missed being outside as well. "We're a bit low on a lot of things, so I think we should stock up. We'll get what we can, then head home."

"And maybe practice magic?" I grinned hopefully.

Crae shook his head and my mood quickly fell. "No, not until someone from the academy sheds some light on your case."

I pouted and remained silent. No sense in changing his mind. It makes sense, though. We don't know if those three elements might have damaged by body without us knowing it. We have to play it safe, just in case.

~~~~

When Crae said we were going to be stocking up, he really meant it. It took us nearly an hour to get the excess things that didn't fit properly put away when we got home. I didn't think everything was going to fit in the cabinets and pantry. The meat chest is so full, it almost wouldn't close. We had to force it down by sitting on it, though I'm certain my weight didn't make a difference.

We should be set for food for the next month or so.

I helped Crae make dinner for us, making sure I didn't mess anything up with my seemingly out of control magic. I focused hard on making sure I did one thing and one thing only. It worked and we didn't have any problems.

We ate in a peaceful silence. When it came time for dishes, I was sent to the other room. I wanted to help, but I knew I would only make a mess again. I listened to the light clatter of dishes as Crae washed them by hand and set them aside.

Just as I heard the soft bump of the pot hitting the sink, a hard knock sounded at the door. All activity froze in the kitchen. I sunk down in the couch. Who could that be? Mystic always walked in and announced herself.

My heart began to race as Crae slowly came out of the kitchen drying his hands. "Stay," He mouthed to me. I nodded, my heart pounding loudly in my chest. He set the towel aside and paced to the door.

It opened with a soft click. Low voices chattered at the doorway. They were muted and I couldn't hear a word they were saying.

My breath hitched in my throat. "Kyrene, can you come here, please?" I gulped and carefully got up. I quickly stood behind Crae, not wanting to be seen. "She can be a bit shy around people."

A gentle voice chuckled. "It's alright. I've dealt with my fair share of shy children. It's alright, my dear. I won't harm you."

I peeked my head around Crae, stopping when I could make out the person standing outside. He stood in simple clothing and a hooded cloak. His hood was down and I could see his snow white hair and light tan skin.

His bright green eyes twinkled as he smiled at me. "Hello, there."

I waved back before ducking behind Crae once more. "You said she's had very little contact with others, correct?"

"Yes," Crae reached back and gently pat me. "She used to reside on Earth and her caretakers kept her from the outside world."

"Why would they do that?" The man wondered.

"Please step in and I'll explain it to you." I shuffled my feet as Crae stepped aside to let the man in. He shut the door tightly. "To the sitting room." I followed behind Crae. When he sat down in the chair, I stayed ducked behind it.

Crae cleared his throat and I cautiously poked my head out from behind the chair. "You see, this is Kyrene. She was very frail and sickly when I found her. When I wrote to the academy, I said she was a special case and needed minimum contact. The reason for that is because she's an Orelie."

The man shifted his position on the couch and leaned forward. "Fascinating. How did you discover this?"

"I had felt this muted energy coming from the small cottage where she was with her previous caretaker," Crae explained as I watched the man. "I watched the cottage and found out through observation that she is indeed an Orelie. I watched first hand on many occasions as she explained the small bit of future she saw with her doctors."

"That's marvelous!" The man grinned and caught my attention. "Who would have thought that an Orelie would be right outside Fucrya's borders? But why was she on Earth in the first place?"

"No one knows," Crae shifted in the chair. "She has no memory of her parents nor where she came from. She doesn't even know when her birthday is."

"The poor soul," The man and I locked gazes. "We do have ways of finding that information out at the academy." So he is from the academy. Maybe I can come out.

As I debated on coming out of hiding, the edges of my sight began to blur. What I saw made my heart warm and lift my spirits.

It was a young man with his wife and two children. They were playing with Elementals and Fairies in a giant grass field. They were laughing happily. The scene was beautiful as the sun began to set around them.

"You have a family," I suddenly blurted out.

All talking stopped. "Yes, how did you know?"

I swallowed and slowly came out from behind Crae's chair. "I saw it. You guys were playing in a large field with your two kids. The sun was setting as you played with the Elementals and Fairies."

"Interesting," The man grinned and scratched at his chin, small wrinkles forming around his eyes. "I'm surprised you could see that. It happened eons ago."

"What do you mean?" Crae asked as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Orelie don't see into the past. They can only see into the future!"

"You did say she was a special case," The man pointed out. "And special she is! An Orelie that can see into the past and the future! What an amazing find!"

"Yes, but there are other matters we must attend to as well," Crae said and claimed the man's attention once more. "Just within the past week, we've noticed that she may have the ability to use nature, water, and fire elemental magic."

"Everyone can to some degree." The man sat back and folded his arms over his chest. "Even Orelie. They need to know the other elements just in case something comes up. Yes, the other magics are very weak, but they work in a pinch. Orelie can only specialize in one Elemental magic, otherwise it can cause severe harm to their bodies."

"Kyrene," I met Crae's gaze. "Would you mind showing Professor Rodnik what we've discovered?"

"You mean I have to go into the kitchen?" I asked softly.

He nodded. "Please. It'll make more sense for us that way."

"Okay..." I stood and led Crae and Professor Rodnik to the sink. "Do I just turn it on like I did when I wanted to do dishes?"

"Yes," He said. "Just imagine it's that day once more and relax."

I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I pretended I had no idea I specialized in water magic. Once calm and "oblivious," I grinned to myself and twisted the handle. It squeaked, but nothing came out.

"Is your water shut off?" Crae quickly shushed Rodnik.

I scrunched my eyes up a bit. "There's no water coming out." I reached for the handle once more and twisted both of them.

Suddenly, the pipes began to groan. "Be ready!" Crae called just as they began to rattle. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I still screamed in surprise when the water began to gush out of the faucet.

"Turn it off!" I cried as I tried to shut the water off. A few seconds later, the water stopped. I slowly turned around and saw Crae and Rodnik were soaked in water, panting hard. "Sorry..."

"It's alright," Crae and Rodnik worked on getting the water out of the house. "Just please go get the fireplace ready so we can dry off." I nodded and waded through the ankle deep water.

I stacked the wood in the fireplace and set a few crumpled pieces of paper and plant trimmings between the logs. By the time I got it set up perfectly, the water was gone and the cottage was dry once more.

"Alright, let me light it so we can dry off." I nodded and stepped aside so Crae could light the wood. He flicked his wrist and a small spark of fire lit the logs and paper. He stepped back and moved his wet hair out of the way.

I sighed to myself, hating that I got the house soaked in water again. What is all this going to prove?

I realized too late as I reached my hands forward. I leaped back and tripped over my feet as the flames licked and flew at me, suddenly growing out of control.

"I'm sorry!" I cried out as Crae and Rodnik quickly got the fire under control.

"It's alright, Kyrene." Crae said softly as he pulled a rag from his vest pocket. "No one is mad at you." He wiped at my nose. "Go get cleaned up in the bathroom." I nodded and held the rag under my nose. As I headed for the bathroom, I could hear the two of them talking about what they had witnessed.

I know this is to show Rodnik what we've been going through, but I think it's a bit much. I just used two elemental magics and saw Rodnik's past in less than half an hour. Won't this be harming me?

I sighed and wet the rag so I could clean up, being extra careful to control myself with the water. Thankfully, no incidents.

As I set the rag on the edge of the tub to dry, my eyes caught the sight of a small plant in the window. Crae has always been making sure to take care of it. Why stop now? I pulled out a small stool so I could get a closer look at the plant.

Just as I touched one of the browning leaves, it sprouted to life and quickly spread, consuming the entire bathroom with bright orange and yellow flowers.

"Crae!" I shouted as more blood dripped from my nose. The world around me swayed a bit and I couldn't see straight.

Right as I was about to fall, the door was thrust open. Strong arms quickly caught me and eased me down onto the flower floor.

"I've got you," Crae said softly. "What happened?"

I sniffed and swallowed the blood that trickled down my throat. "I noticed your plant was dying up there, so I went to get a closer look when it suddenly sprouted an entire field of flowers..."

Crae grabbed the rag once more. "Is there a way you can help us, Rodnik?"

I slowly opened my eyes to see Rodnik lean against the door frame. "The best way to help her is to get her a staff. That will help her channel her magic. Of course, you already know that. From what I have seen, there is a strong possibility that, yes, Kyrene can use multiple elemental magic."

"But she's not strong enough," Crae lowered his head so I couldn't see his expression. "We've barely even started her magic training and she's just learned how to walk again. She can't have all these other magics to worry about."

Rodnik knelt down in front of me and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. His eyes glossed over for a few seconds before he focused once more. "Crae, she can use multiple elemental magic, and not just the three we saw."

"What?" His head snapped up, worry etched into his expression. "You mean she can use more?"

Rodnik spoke with a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. In fact, she can use pretty much every single one, just like our friend." He stood and gave my arm a firm squeeze. "But I'm certain she will be alright. You just have to work with one element at a time. Though, I would avoid the dark element all together. We don't need another Orelie to prematurely pass from our world again. We've gone too long without them."

Crae covered his face with a hand, his eyes shut. "Alright... I understand. I'll work with her on the ones I'm am most gifted in and see if I can find others to help us."

"What she needs is the academy." Rodnik stood. "I know you don't want her to leave for this journey yet, but it may be necessary. We have the finest professors that cover all but dark magic. Only the best of the best teach our elements. She'll be in good hands."

Crae quickly got to his feet. "She's not ready. She can't go yet! Not when a Blood Demon has branded her!"

Rodnik grew sickly pale. "No..."

"That's what Brykas and Vaeri said when I brought her to them." Crae shook his head. "We can't make that journey until we know that the Blood Demon has gone back to the Summit or has been killed. I can't risk her safety."

"I understand." Rodnik and I locked gazes for a few seconds. "I completely understand now. I now know why you wanted as few people as possible. I know why she is a special case and why she can't leave for the academy herself. If it would make you feel better, I can check back once a month to see how she's doing."

"That would be nice," Crae nodded. "And maybe next time you come, you can bring a few things to help us make a staff for her."

"I actually have a few things with me I always keep on hand," He led us out of the bathroom back to the front room. He opened a small bag I didn't even knew he had. "I keep these on me in case I need to sell them for quick cash. Take a look at what I have."

He dumped the contents on the coffee table. Stones, beads, feathers, and ropes of various size and color were spread out. "The more you have on your staff, the better it will be at helping you concentrate your magic."

I nodded slowly and stared. Nothing jumped out at me, but that didn't mean anything. I may have to touch them before I feel the effect.

I reached over and picked up an emerald colored stone. It felt warm in the palm of my hand. I smiled to myself and picked up a small sapphire stone. It tingled between my fingers. I picked up a couple more about the same size that had the same feeling.

I felt giddy as I rummaged through the items Rodnik had for me. I could feel them watching me closely as I found the things needed for my staff. I can't wait until I can make it. In the end, I came away with three thin, but sturdy strands of pink rope, twelve orange beads of various sizes, and one muted rainbow colored feather that was the size of my forearm, as well as the few items I picked up previously.

I tucked my new items close to me and smiled. "I'll take these."

Rodnik grinned to himself and gathered the remaining items to put away. "That will be a colorful staff. A very unique and one of a kind staff. Crae, if you don't mind, I will be staying the night so I may assist Kyrene in making her staff tomorrow."

"Be my guest." Crae stood. "I'll show you to a spare room." The two of them went off down a hall. I took my things upstairs and set them on the night stand by my bed. I touched the branch leaning against the wall. It stood about a foot taller than me, but I already had a plan for it. I know it'll take a lot out of me, but I know I can do it. I'll just need Rodnik or Crae to support me and help keep my magic from getting out of control.

As I stared at my soon to be staff, I began imagining all the places I could put my new items. The sycamore tree will be happy when he sees how I made my staff.