Chapter 14 - Affinities
She would be somewhat ignoring tradition today, which could cause some friction with the people of the small town. Still, she suddenly could not face down the young Faelyn. She could not bring herself to shatter that girl's world, so she put it off and ignored the proper order.
She made her way through the list, eventually reaching the point she should have called Silaira. She called the next name, that of a young one named Daucus instead. He approached, confusion clear on his features. He kept his voice low, however, when he questioned the decision.
"I have my reasons," she responded evenly, grateful when he shrugged his shoulders slightly and accepted it as an answer.
He placed his hand on the stone as the others had before him and watched as sixty motes of light left it. They were in sets of ten with six separate colors between them, each related to an element.
All of the motes danced around him for a moment before a number of them started to take their leave. All of the blue motes of water as well as the white and black motes relating to light and dark took their leave. Only three brown motes, those of earth, remained behind. Six of the green wind motes continued to dance around him and nine of the red fire motes also remained.
Mystic Mystari congratulated him and moved on to the next child, one whose response was quite similar though with water as the primary element to it. Eventually, though, she ran out of other names to call. The silver-furred Faelyn was the only one who remained and it was well past time for the village to see what she had to offer.
"Silaira Skyweaver," Mystari finally called her, decided it was time to face what fate had already decided.
Silaira moved to stand in front of the mystic, her violet eyes questioning why she had been made to wait for last. The moment she reached her hand out to touch the stone Mystari held, the anxiety of the earlier storytelling caught up with her. She froze and though she managed to keep her tail from fluffing it did lash once and her ears twitched with her unease at the same time.
Mystari knew the stories the children passed around on the day of the testing, was well-acquainted with the sight of their fluffed tails. The adults of every village seemed to think their children never listened to their idle gossip and so many would accidentally turn a day of celebration into one of apprehension. Thus far, though, it had always turned back to celebration in time.
She reached her own gloved hands out to catch hold of Silaira's frozen one, bringing it closer to the stone, "No matter what the outcome," she promised, "We will use all our power to teach you to use your magic well, to protect yourself and others."
Silaira gave her a slight smile at that and, when Mystari released her hand once it stopped trembling, she reached forward once more for the stone.
The motes of magic were as vibrant as ever as they surrounded her. She watched in awe, waiting patiently for them to begin taking their leave. Several of them hovered around her, as if uncertain, quivering in the air as if having trouble deciding what to do.
Six motes took their leave, two each of fire, water, and earth. Of wind, light and dark, all remained and Silaira's anxiety began anew. The cheering, the celebration that began at the sight, eased it once more, kept her tail from fluffing entirely though her apprehension was beginning to show at its tip and her shock kept her from tilting her ears to make her look less wild. She stood among the dancing motes of light, fifty-four of the total sixty as a wild-looking Faelyn that would eventually stand as a pillar of their people.
Only, of course, if they could keep the hawks and the ravens from snatching her away. After letting the celebration go on for a suitable time, Mystari stood. Quite a few people approached at once, but she shook her head slightly.
"I find myself weary," she lied to the crowd at large before looking to the village elders, "If you and Mystic Alnus will be so kind as to show me to where I am staying this night, I would be grateful," her eyes moved to Silaira's parents, watching them hover anxiously nearby, "Let's talk for a short while about your daughter's future," she invited as she stood, glancing to Silaira herself last, "You, as well, should be a part of this."
Silaira managed to keep herself composed for the walk up to the elder's level of their village. Her tail, though, did not agree with her. With each level of stairs they ascended, anxiety fluffed it further and further until they reached the highest level. She had never been to the elder's level of the village.
She made it a few steps before falling apart entirely, a small sobbing silver-furred heap on the ground that trembled with terror. Most of the adults seemed shocked, the thought not crossing their mind that Silaira knew the danger she and her home were suddenly in.
Her mother knelt at her side, trying to coax the girl to at least calm enough to get inside. It wasn't a matter of embarrassment, she remembered well that the young ones knew why the adults carried anxiety about the testing. It was why she and her mate never spoke of it, particularly since they carried both between them. For them to speak of such a dark reality would have been to terrorize their own child, something she would never dream of doing to her little love.
Mystari knelt at the other side, her voice gentle and soothing, "I know that you have heard the tales. Now you should know that it has been some time since they have managed to take a child from us. We will do everything in our power to make certain they will never touch you."