Little Black Bird

Why was I always asleep these days? Had I really become stronger? It felt as if I was more of a hardship for everyone else than ever before.

Skylark woke up in a bright room. There was a warm fight burning across from the bed she was in. This room almost reminded her of the one back home. For once she woke up feeling light, instead of being crushed by the weight of her powers and the possible destruction that she was told nothing about except that she could cause. She was alone though.

The tall girl’s feet made no sound as she moved around the room. A delicate dress, much like the ones she wore back home, was placed over a chair. She pulled the deep blue dress over her frame. The fabric was almost weightless, but it seemed strong. No such fabric had ever existed in the South. She paused to find the white fabric she’d begun wearing over her mark. She didn’t know what it was, but she wasn’t going to let it give her away if it was important. She stretched her toes as she stuck her foot out the door. How she missed walking bare foot through the woods.

Outside her door was a massive room. All of its walls were lined with shelves that were filled to the brim with books. There were so many levels to this library. It was completely hollow except for a ring inside for each floor, so you could see the very top and bottom of this place. Books were everywhere. Some were scattered along the stairs and stacked on the floor. Everything was ornate and shining. She almost thought herself in another dream.

Skylark wandered the floors of the library. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. Not many of her memories from the other night escaped that town. On one particular floor, which was bigger than the others and packed with standing shelves in addition to walls, a large familiar wolf was lazing. “Brein,” She whispered crouching down. “Brein, come here.” The wolf picked up its head and obeyed her command.

“Brein, where are you going?” Luca’s deep voice called out following the movements of his animal. “Good morning, Lark. Are you feeling better?” He asked as soon as his eyes fell on her.

An unstoppable pout formed on her lips as she ran her hands through Brein’s fur. She wouldn’t admit she was a little miffed to be left alone in such a large, strange place. “I’m fine. How did we get here?” She asked standing up and brushing off her dress.

Three females came around a corner the same way that Luca had come. “Magic.” The middle one replied with a smirk. They were all probably around 5’7” but one had a few inches on the other two. The one speaking had very dark skin, but had white lines drawn all over her body. “I’m an Andril.” She said responding to the look Skylark was giving her. “My name is Dralla. This is Amelia, she’s a mystic.” She gestured to the plainer looking girl. She had to be a human. “And this is Paxe, she’s a spellcaster from Trenor.” Trenor was another country to the South. Skylark wasn’t sure what race she was. She also had a bluish hue to her skin, tendrils that fell underneath her hair and long fingers.

They asked her to join them where they had been trying to collect books to help her. Skylark leaned against the side of the table furthest from them all. She knew Luca seemed trusted them, but she didn’t see why she had to. “We were waiting for you at the town to the South for two days. We were supposed to escort you two here in a proper fashion.” Amelia babbled on in a shy and fast tone. “B-but I had a vision of Falvior and you.” She stutter looking up at Skylark.

“Basically we run to that cursed place and save your asses.” Paxe finished for her human companion. "Lucky Dralla has some experience with your kind, girl. You Faeren folk, so big and mighty till your power little drained. Then you just a sack of meat.” She had a brutish way of speaking. The harshness was not something Skylark was used to.

Dralla put a hand on Paxe’s shoulder to signal she stop speaking. Dralla had an air that commanded respect from all those that looked upon her. “She doesn’t mean to offend you, young one. The Trenor customs are not as delicate as any in Albright, especially not those of the South Woods Faen.” She moved around the table towards Skylark. “You are very strong. Most do not last an hour in the grasp of those spirits.”

Skylark picked up a book to try and look casual as she avoided any close proximity with these women. “What happened in that town?” She asked flipping through the pages of the book.

“T-That was the town of Falvior. It was u-used as a Faeren safe haven during the war.” Amelia started up quickly. She rushed to find a book in the pile of many. “It was viciously burned using a dark magic. All the Faeren souls are t-trapped. They suck in anyone with Faeren blood and drain them h-hoping to get back the power and life they lost.” She held an open page out to the suspicious girl.

The lean girl picked the book from her hands and quickly read the words written on the page. There was a war against the Faeren? All she was ever told was there was an event, she assumed by its name, of mass hysteria and they mostly killed themselves. Weren’t the Faeren peaceful? Why would anyone want to kill them?

“You read Old Frenic.” Dralla commented, naming a language that Skylark had never heard of, let alone been taught to read. “Who taught you that?” She questioned moving to view the symbols herself.

Skylark looked closely at the book. The lines on the paper meant nothing to her individually, but without focusing she could understand it all. “I…I just know. Is that a Faeren power?” She asked not backing away from the woman’s closeness.

Dralla brought one of her fingers to her lips and made a humming noise. “I suppose it is not entirely unbelievable. Frenic is the language of the Faeren. ” She moved to the table and picked up another book. She opened it and put it over the one Skylark was already holding. “Read this to me, child.” She gently commanded flipping to a random page.

The bright eyed girl scanned the page. “In the days of power, the trees not only filled the land, they roamed them. It was considered a blessing to have a Dradic make home in your town.” Skylark stopped and looked at them all. “What language is this?” The symbols were harder for her to read, but the words still came to her mind.

“You a surprising creature.” Paxe said from her seat on the table. “Dradic hard to read. No one around anymore to teach. ‘Cept maybe him.” She pointed to Luca with her long fingers.

“I don’t understand.” Skylark admitted beginning to feel overwhelmed.

Dralla laughed, it was a pretty laugh and one of the most genuine she’d ever heard. Paxe just gave them the most confused look, “You children, you gone years without questioning nothin’?” She leaped off the table nimbly and started poking Luca in the arm. “This boy solid as rock. What you turn him from tree and just don’t think nothin’? You don’t question him? You don’t question you?”

Amelia found the courage to interject. She started with a little ‘ahem’, “What she means is L-Lucanous is a Dradic. They’re treefolk…who used to be less tree…well uh well most of the time.” She started scavenging for books again. “It-It’s really helpful that you seem to be able to translate languages. There are many books I wanted to read, b-but couldn’t understand.” The little girl muttered so quietly that Skylark wasn’t sure that she was even speaking to her. Her finger flew into the air in an ‘Ah ha!” kind of way and she scurried to hang Skylark yet another book. “This book should explain w-what happened to the Dradic people.”

Humans were so strange. This was the only human Skylark had ever encountered, so she could only assume they were all mice like people that scurried and stuttered at the feet of the more powerful races. Her blue eyes followed the small girl as she moved around the library. So strange. As usual her eyes wandered to Luca, he seemed to be watching this odd girl as well. Her keen ears could hear the faint chuckle coming from him.

Dralla took the books suddenly from Skylark. “These children are probably hungry. Come, let us break our fast.” The dark woman led them up some stairs and into a dining area.

As they ate Amelia rambled on about properties this and Dradic that and how unique Luca was to this world now. Luca was enthralled in listening to whatever she had to say. Skylark felt a little bad about wanting him to pay attention to her. This is the first time he’d ever known anything about himself, other than he used to be a tree. She’d always had a place in this world, she didn’t fit in perfectly, but she had a place. Luca’s only place was her. He never knew even a fake family. His place clung to the existence of Skylark and her will for him to be there.

She tried to simmer the jealous feeling that was trying to boil up. Her emotions could be catastrophic. Instead of dwelling on listening to Luca’s conversation, she turned to Paxe and Dralla. “Why were you three waiting for us?” She asked politely. Being at a table setting in a beautiful place brought out the upbringing she was given.

The, apparently much older than she looked, woman smiled and put down her fork. “We are with the Dailee Order. The Lotus herself gave us the mission to see you have safe passage. As the last Faeren, you are incredibly important.”

Skylark pondered the words that came out of her mouth. Dailee. Lotus. “I’m sorry, what is the Dailee? How is a Lotus flower commanding anyone?” She asked before eating more of the food she was given.

“The Dailee are an ancient order. We recruit the strongest from around the world. It is our job to protect the peace. Our leader is the Lotus because it means purity of body, mind and speech. Those traits are necessary to lead so much power for the cause of peace.” Dralla explained further with a smile on her face.

Once Dralla was done speaking about the Order, Paxe leaned over to speak. “Child, you control power yes?” She asked in a tone that assumed Skylark had any idea what she was capable of.

The thin girl was worried if she got too happy or sad that she might blow up a small continent with the information she’d been given. “I’ve used it a few times, but I didn’t mean to! When I got really upset or someone was in danger it just sort of happened.” She blurted out not sure of the correct answer.

Paxe shook her head. “Lots of work.”