She handed Keither a clear crystal. it was cold and that was it.
“Ok. You’re not a Venefica. No surprise. Arkin.” Iselin moved on.
Arkin took it and the crystal lit up. he was still a class two. Sara took it; a class one. Sasha took it and it lit up.
“Class two…” Iselin looked at the crystal again. “That’s not right. We need a new one; this is broken.”
She knelt down to a bag and took another one out and gave it to Sasha, and again it looked the same.
“What is it?” Legon asked.
“Let’s test you first; then I will try and explain.” Iselin looked confused and worried. Legon took it and it lit up bright. She smiled and looked close at it.
“Class five biologic or healing, as most humans say, with the potential to ascend. once again, no surprise, though the biologic is rare.”
“What? I’m going to be a dragon?” Legon said.
“No, I said ‘the potential to ascend.’ The whole dragon thing is up to life. It’s like when you changed into an Elf-it may or may not happen depending on how good you get with magic and how strong the spells are you use.” She turned back to Sasha. “But you, dear, you’re the confusing one.”
“Why am I confusing? It lit up like it did for Arkin. Doesn’t that mean I’m a two?” Sasha asked.
Iselin answered, “You’re a two, but the thing is that no one under a class four has a minor, as they are called. No one in history under a four has had one. They don’t have a natural tendency to any of the forms of magic, be it Elemental, Biological or Energent. Legon here is a biological, which isn’t a shock considering what he has done with all of you, and I am an Energent.”
“I don’t get it,” Sasha said.
Iselin paused and spoke as if she didn’t entirely believe what she was saying. “You are a class two elemental. You have a minor.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“We plot and scheme, putting all our energy into a task, doing our best to ensure our foe’s demise. However, in the end we always create our greatest adversary. What is it that makes us do such a thing? We never do it intentionally; perhaps this is what keeps the world in balance…”
Legon woke up wrapped in silky sheets that felt incredible. He thought back on their first night here two weeks ago. After they had met up with the girls and Sasha found out that she was “special,” as Iselin had put it, they went to the dining hall where he was introduced to more people than he had ever met at one time-all Elves just as attractive as Iselin and Mantic. Well, maybe not as attractive as Iselin.
The food had been incredible as well, and he was amazed to find out that the Elves had figured out how to get plants to grow meat-like fruit. When he heard this he was hesitant to try it; he was a butcher, after all. He knew meat. Still, he wasn’t able to find anything wrong with it. Not the chicken, beef, pork, or any of the other “meats” that he tried. The others had contented themselves with one portion of food, but apparently his enlarged appetite had nothing to do with being Elven. They ate the same amounts as humans did. Iselin said that the human men in the area would sometimes have eating contests, and that he could be the first Elf to join. he said that he might just do that. Looking back on it now, he wasn’t sure if she had meant it as a compliment.
During dinner Mantic had come in and said that he had been ratified and was now the head of a great Elven house, a thought that made even his hunger go away. Iselin showed them many of the dome’s marvels, including an area where you could swim indoors, and a small pool of heated water that you just sat in, soaking. it felt wonderful.
They hadn’t been able to figure out why Sasha had a minor, but to him magic was still new enough that it didn’t affect him. Iselin got along great with all of them despite Sasha’s constant attempts to set them up together. They had also met the dragon that was in charge of the military here. His name was Sydin. he was also loyal to house Evindass, making Legon his commander. Still, he wouldn’t be questioning Sydin any time soon. all of the Elven dragons that they’d seen were bright, vibrant colors, most assigned here in part because of that. The Elves wanted humanity to see a brighter, nicer side to the dragon, but Sydin was here because house Evindass was currently in charge of this dome.
Dragons and warriors from all over the Elven Empire were here, but the great houses took turns being in charge of a dome. the Elven government worked as a cohesive unit and Legon wasn’t sure what was meant by being in charge.
His thoughts drifted back to Sydin, who was not brightly colored but was soot black, though soot didn’t glitter and have a slight glow about it. Sydin was also a class seven and over six thousand years old, but Legon didn’t see him that way. He was friendly and fiercely loyal to his house and respected the fact that Legon needed to be raised outside of the Elven Empire. He had insisted on hearing about his and Sasha’s lives in detail. he was proud of Legon and insisted that if he had known the extent of Sasha’s hardship he would have flown on Salmont and burned it to the ground. This had taken them both off guard. Elves were normally reserved and didn’t just make hasty and unwise decisions, but they could tell there was more to this declaration than what they could see. Neither could figure out why Sydin would have been willing to risk his life to save Sasha from being ostracized.
Legon pushed these thoughts from his mind. today was going to be… different. today their old friend Barnin would be returning to the Precipice. He hadn’t seen Barnin in close to a year and a half, and he wondered what kind of greeting he would get. would Barnin be mad at Legon for getting Kovos killed?
He got up and walked in to the shower. this was his favorite of the Elven inventions. He ran his hand along the ridge, turning the water on, and then placed his hand in the spot that made the water right below scalding. he breathed in deeply. When he was done he got dressed and walked into the living space. Keither was sitting on one of the couches reading a book. Dragon domes didn’t have too much in the way of libraries but they still had one bigger than in Salmont, so Keither had taken to reading everything that he could get his hands on.
“Morning. What are you reading?” Legon asked.
“Hey. it’s a history of the Mahann,” Keither responded.
“That sounds fascinating at this time of the morning.”
“Oh, it is! I’m reading about…”
Legon stopped him. “I was being sarcastic.”
“Fine, suit yourself.” Keither put down the book at looked at Legon. “I’m nervous about seeing Barnin again. why do you think that is?”
“There’s a lot that we have to explain-both him and us. but I feel apprehensive too. We’re walking into the unknown on this one.”
Legon opened the constant connection that Sasha and he had, asking if she and Sara were ready for them to come by. “The girls are ready. Let’s get breakfast and see what happens.”
Barnin was a close friend, and surely he had been filled in on what Legon meant to the Elves and the resistance. the question was going to be how he would receive the news that Legon had let Kovos die. Sydin told them that Barnin had moved up quickly in the ranks, mostly due to Arkin’s training, and now he commanded a unit for the cavalry. He was stationed right on the border with the Empire, but Legon wasn’t thinking of it as the Empire so much anymore, but instead as the Iumenta occupied territory. Barnin was bringing two communications from Parkas, Hoelaria’s chief warlord; one for the humans in the area and another for the Elves. This was commonplace, Legon was told, as the humans and Elves were two different countries. there was a lot of tradition between the two powers of the Elves and Iumenta. Many of these originated before the time of the War of Generations but some came about after. it was a fine line both sides walked to avoid open war. It appeared that statecraft was a game of
