Harmonic

The tiny being smiled and waved as Ethan stared at it in wonder. He recognized it, despite barely seeing its form earlier, but somehow he knew.

“This is Sivi, my Fae, my close companion.” Vael’s smile continued to radiate something deeply loving. “We were bound together for almost fifty years.”

Ethan continued to stare. He noted the clothes on their little body, formed of bits of clothes, metal, and what looked like feathers. Sivi’s skin was a pale evergreen, hair silvery, eyes the same hue, sparkling like glistening snow.

“Hello there.” Ethan finally spoke, offering a slight wave. “She’s a cute one.”

Sivi smiled, performing a spin before she took flight. Her iridescent wings fluttered in quick succession, lifting her from Vael’s palm to hover before Ethan. She caressed the side of his face before speaking.

“Your eyes remain bright. A pleasure to meet my beloved’s new apprentice.” Her voice chimed with that pleasant breeze that brushed Ethan’s ear.

“Um, thank you!” Ethan brought his hand up, inching it close to the Fae, who placed her hand on the tip of his middle finger.

The greeting smile between them carried a weight Ethan couldn’t fathom. He found the touch relaxing and gentle, with a spark that felt through his mind, reverberating within his very being. Ethan shuddered at the feeling, but didn’t pull away.

“She chose you, Ethan,” Vael noted with pained satisfaction. “And seems as though you accepted it.”

“Choose me?” He noticed his master’s smile was gone, not replaced by her cold demeanor, but by a pain that felt deep.

“It’s why I brought you here.” Vael took a seat on her bed, swallowing a bit. “Do you know what makes a Dark Elf a Dark Elf?”

Ethan pulled his hand back slowly. “Not really. By exile?”

Vael hesitated with a shrug. She knew he wasn’t entirely wrong, but was unable to understand how bad the exile meant.

“I can no longer see or hear Sivi.”

Vael’s voice shook from the words. She felt as if the verdict of her crimes were out on display, ringing in her ears.

“What do you mean?” Ethan shifted his eyes to Sivi, who also held the same saddened gaze. “I see her. She’s right here.”

Vael sighed, her cold expression returning. “Losing our connection to our Fae and the Fae Wilds darkens our runes.” She lifted her arm, showing both her bicep and the area above her chest, where her markings remained dim. “Even our innate connection is severed, making us Fallen blind to the deeper magic.”

Ethan felt a deep sorrow fill his chest. His eyes turned to Sivi, who came to rest on his shoulder. Her wings and ears drooped, while her eyes stayed on Vael.

“Why can I see her?”

Ethan’s question allowed Vael to perk up just a bit.

“Your eyes see what many cannot, my friend.” Sivi mused. “Your sight is open to so much.”

The understanding hit Ethan. He recalled seeing that alpha dire wolf a few times. Noticing Sivi when no one else did.

“My eyes?” Ethan gentle caressed his face near his right eye. “You knew?”

He stared at Vael in disbelief, realizing she knew much and kept to herself unless necessary. She nodded, having seen the results for herself, much to her own fascination.

“You noticed something I didn’t. And I used to be a Warden of Verdant Thorn.” She smirked to herself. “I once spotted an elk from a hundred yards away while it camouflaged itself with magic.” She brought her attention back to him. “And you noticed Sivi so clearly. Your eyes are special. I may not hear or see her, but the breeze she pulls with her wings tells me much; like a faint whisper.”

She stared into Ethan’s eyes, her smile faint, but there. Having such an ability made Vael curious about his heritage.

“She wants me to…be gentle with you because she senses in you a harmonic connection with her and possibly something else with me.” Vael stood up, stepping close to the Human.

“Harmonic, what?” Ethan couldn’t guess what was being discussed.

“Fae and Elf are linked naturally.” Sivi started, flying between Ethan and Vael. “Humans are unnatural, but not impossible.”

“They can bond with Humans that harmonize with them.” Vael heard her Fae’s chiming voice, but not her words, so she offered clarification just in case. “You are capable of joining with her, claiming a bit of magic as your own.”

“Was that what I felt? I would learn magic?” The excitement in Ethan’s voice nearly pushed aside his fret concerning Vael. “But isn’t she-.”

“Not anymore.” Vael cut him off. “She’s dear to me, and loyal to the point of traveling with me for years, but if she seeks another, then that is her choice.” Her eyes appeared empty.

Sivi shook her head, eyes rolling. “So stuck in the past, she acts like an ass.”

Ethan’s mouth curled when he didn’t want it to. Vael caught it immediately when he snorted.

“What did she say?” The Elf squinted with an accusatory tone. “I know she has a rhythmic yet foul mouth on her.”

“Respond, not. My beloved knight was never so sour, yet moves as if she’s nothing but dour.” Sivi sneered in her insulting rhyme. “She is a kind and loving soul, so do not take her coldness as a blizzard’s gale. I have chosen you, young Ethan. And with you, though not of Elven blood, shares this with your master; whether she desires it or not.”

“She wants you not to be so cold with me.” Ethan guessed, smiling between them both.

He took noted of the Fae’s passion for her former companion. There was a camaraderie that continued deep and a loyalty that even a broken bond couldn’t sever. And now, without ceremony, he seemed to be a part of this as well. He carried no markings, but something inside of him felt less alone.

“Anyway, we must have you familiarize yourself with the magic you’ll soon wield.” Vael continued, clearly her throat, seemingly ignoring the advice. “It will be my job to help teach you as your…master. Especially in preparation for our coming journey.”

“Journey?” Ethan’s attention was fixed on her.

Vael nodded hesitantly. “I received an opportunity to join the Crescent Raider, the adventurers with us, and for you to join as well.”

“I’d become an adventurer?” Ethan appeared ecstatic, a bit overwhelmed.

“Ooo, he looks as excited as your beloved.” Sivi chimed happily, spinning in the air.

Vael, uncertain of exactly why, reached out. The space between her and Ethan closed, her hand cupping the side of his face with a surprising gentleness. He paused, freezing in place at the unexpected touch. It lasted a second before she pulled back, Ethan’s face meeting hers with a shock that made him take a step back. She closed her hand and brought it back, seeing something she shouldn’t.

“I suggest we get started,” Vael muttered, stepping away. “Utilizing the wind is Sivi’s element as it was once mine. Have you used magic before?”

Ethan shook his head. “Not a chance. We don’t have mages or many library books.”

“Hm, actually, can you even read?”

Ethan nodded slowly, almost hesitant. “For the most part.” He still shrugged, not entirely sure.

Vael sneered and sighed heavily. “I’ll figure that out later, I suppose.”

Sivi watched the two interact, her lips curving as she watched something new melt the ice. Memories filled her mind from decades past with her precious knight and her dearest love. She now watched Vael as she instructed the young Human in magic. Many failures followed, eighteen, in fact, even while she channeled her magic from herself to Ethan, he struggled.

Grasping the power and concentrating on it was a new sensation. Sivi felt the magic swell within him bit by bit. His body adapted to the change internally, embracing this connection that made it feel more whole.

“Yes, that’s it!”

Vael’s eyes widened in awe. Ethan’s face lit with wonder. Their hair and clothes flowed and pressed against their bodies in tandem with the swirling vortex having been conjured between their cupped hands. Vael held Ethan’s hands open, keeping them steady and aiding in concentrating on this new feat. The magic steadied between them for a moment before dissipating in a soft burst of wind. Ethan took a heavy breath, his face frozen with elation, heart hammering in his chest.

“That was—wow!” He could hardly speak.

“You’re quick in harnessing it.” Vael nodded, honestly impressed. “It would take a week for a young Elf to do what you did.“

Her eyes met his, and feeling her gaze, Ethan felt pride enter him directly from her. His heart skipped a beat; a rush of emotions flowed through him he couldn’t identify. It happened unexpectedly, but enough for a torrent of magic to erupt from between them, directly from him. The spiraling winds struck the ceiling, lashing several razor-sharp blades to mark the wood above.

Silence filled the room. Sivi, Vael, and Ethan all stared at the slight damage; sudden and distracting. Their hair was disheveled, clothing shifted and wrinkled. Ethan and Vael looked at each other in bewilderment.

“We should definitely learn control.” Vael scoffed, a smile on her face from the progress, pulling her hands away.

“As you say, Master.” Ethan agreed, already finding her touch to be an absence he couldn’t fathom.

Sivi watched, understanding dawning on her. She felt Ethan’s heart, finding him wanting in so much. As expected, he was a young man with ambition and desire she was not a stranger to.