Status: next few chapters being written
City of Stones
Chapter One
Brief Timeline of History:
Year 148: the Fire and Water Tribes discover each other during expansions of both tribes’ land.
Year 149: Fire Tribe attacks Water Tribe
-the Elemental War begins
Year 272: King Caedmon of the Water Tribe and King Keagan of the Fire Tribe form peace treaties to end the war
Year 1249: Water Tribe accuses Fire Tribe of spying in the water palace.
Year 1251: Aleah of the Fire Tribe is born
Year 1258: Water Tribe declares war on Fire Tribe
-degrees in both tribes ban the other from stepping foot on enemy land
Year 1259: The City of Stones is founded
Chapter One
(Year 1258)
Pain registered first in my mind when I regained consciousness. There was a distinct brightness behind my closed eyelids that made my head pound even worse. I moaned and covered my eyes with my arm while rolling onto my side. Had my stomach not been empty, I would have been sick all over. Suddenly there was a soothing hand on my back, rubbing up and down gently, and a loud hiss came from behind me.
“What are you doing, Zane?” a harsh female voice hissed.
“She’s awake, I’m helping her.” a soft man’s voice said from close by. The hand on my back grabbed my shoulder gently and rolled me onto my back again. I whimpered again.
“What if she’s of the Fire Tribe?” the female voice hissed again, louder now.
The man sighed, sounding irritated. “Amani, even if she was of the Fire Tribe all I see is a seven year old girl who’s exhausted to the point that she can’t even move. What threat do you see in her?”
The woman didn’t answer.
The hand on my shoulder began to rub it soothingly. “Hello sweetheart,” the man said kindly. “I’m not going to hurt you. Can you sit up and I’ll give you some water?”
I slowly opened my eyes and peeked from behind my arm. The bright desert sun blinded me momentarily. When my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, I saw that a man was kneeling next to me in the sand. He had fair hair, a sign of one of the Water Tribe, but golden eyes, a sign of one of the Fire Tribe. I stared at him with my mouth slightly open. He stared back at me with the same expression.
“Amani, look,” he said breathlessly. “She’s a mutt.”
I looked at this strange man in confusion. I was a mutt? I looked over the man’s shoulder and saw a woman standing there. She was staring at me slack-jawed, her mismatched eyes, one blue one brown, wide in shock.
“But she’s so young.” she whispered. “How did she survive?”
They both stared at me for a long while before the man looked away. He gave the woman a meaningful glance and the woman nodded. I didn’t understand their silent conversation, but they obviously knew what was going on.
“What’s your name?” the man asked me gently.
“Aleah.” I whispered through my dry throat.
“I’m Zane, and this is my sister Amani. We’re going to take you somewhere safe, is that alright?” he asked.
I stared at Zane for a moment, wondering what he meant by somewhere safe and trying to figure out whether he was lying or not. And then it occurred to me that I had nothing to lose anyway. Hesitantly, I took Zane’s proffered hand and he pulled me to my feet.
Year 148: the Fire and Water Tribes discover each other during expansions of both tribes’ land.
Year 149: Fire Tribe attacks Water Tribe
-the Elemental War begins
Year 272: King Caedmon of the Water Tribe and King Keagan of the Fire Tribe form peace treaties to end the war
Year 1249: Water Tribe accuses Fire Tribe of spying in the water palace.
Year 1251: Aleah of the Fire Tribe is born
Year 1258: Water Tribe declares war on Fire Tribe
-degrees in both tribes ban the other from stepping foot on enemy land
Year 1259: The City of Stones is founded
Chapter One
(Year 1258)
Pain registered first in my mind when I regained consciousness. There was a distinct brightness behind my closed eyelids that made my head pound even worse. I moaned and covered my eyes with my arm while rolling onto my side. Had my stomach not been empty, I would have been sick all over. Suddenly there was a soothing hand on my back, rubbing up and down gently, and a loud hiss came from behind me.
“What are you doing, Zane?” a harsh female voice hissed.
“She’s awake, I’m helping her.” a soft man’s voice said from close by. The hand on my back grabbed my shoulder gently and rolled me onto my back again. I whimpered again.
“What if she’s of the Fire Tribe?” the female voice hissed again, louder now.
The man sighed, sounding irritated. “Amani, even if she was of the Fire Tribe all I see is a seven year old girl who’s exhausted to the point that she can’t even move. What threat do you see in her?”
The woman didn’t answer.
The hand on my shoulder began to rub it soothingly. “Hello sweetheart,” the man said kindly. “I’m not going to hurt you. Can you sit up and I’ll give you some water?”
I slowly opened my eyes and peeked from behind my arm. The bright desert sun blinded me momentarily. When my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, I saw that a man was kneeling next to me in the sand. He had fair hair, a sign of one of the Water Tribe, but golden eyes, a sign of one of the Fire Tribe. I stared at him with my mouth slightly open. He stared back at me with the same expression.
“Amani, look,” he said breathlessly. “She’s a mutt.”
I looked at this strange man in confusion. I was a mutt? I looked over the man’s shoulder and saw a woman standing there. She was staring at me slack-jawed, her mismatched eyes, one blue one brown, wide in shock.
“But she’s so young.” she whispered. “How did she survive?”
They both stared at me for a long while before the man looked away. He gave the woman a meaningful glance and the woman nodded. I didn’t understand their silent conversation, but they obviously knew what was going on.
“What’s your name?” the man asked me gently.
“Aleah.” I whispered through my dry throat.
“I’m Zane, and this is my sister Amani. We’re going to take you somewhere safe, is that alright?” he asked.
I stared at Zane for a moment, wondering what he meant by somewhere safe and trying to figure out whether he was lying or not. And then it occurred to me that I had nothing to lose anyway. Hesitantly, I took Zane’s proffered hand and he pulled me to my feet.