NaN09

[Kiki]

Prologue

A shrill wail pierced the air as a newborn infant slid out of its mother's womb. The midwife quickly wrapped the newborn in the nearst blanket she gould grab and did wipe her off. "Congratulations, it's a girl, "the midwife said. The young mother, no older than seventee, panted with a happy smile on her face. Her hair od amber was plastered to her face from the sweat and eight long hours of labor. THe midwife haded the girl her baby and the mother kissed her on the forehead.

"I will call you Lunabella, savoir of the moon," the mother muttered. The little girl wailed loudly as her mother's arms went slack. The midwife's eyes widened as the breath drained from the mother. The midwife was stunned. How had the young girl died? everything had gone perfectly. The baby was healthy and so was the mother... She hadn't seen anything go wrong... She slapped her palm on her forehead. The bleeding must have been internal. She had been a fool to not keep her Brenon trained on the girl's vitals.

The baby girl continued to wail loudly, wanting her mother's milk. The midwife picked her up and cradled her, kissing her head. "I will keep you safe," the midwife muttered. "I will. I promise." The midwife wiped off the mother's head and called for the male doctor. He bowed his head in sorrow for the young, promising life lost and wished the gods would watch over her. She would be well received in Enalid, there was no doubt. She had led a good, healthy life and done no wrong except get pregnant out of wedlock.

The baby suddenly stopped crying and the midwife looked down, suddenly terrified. The baby opened her eyes and the midwife gasped. They were a handsome shade of green, one that could only be described as that of a god. "She... The father..." THe midwife couldn't say what she wanted to. The father was a god. The god of lust, desire and beauty. She shook her head, but then nodded. She had vowed to protect the child and would keep true to that promise. She was bound by her honor and her word as all Yultri were. The child would be beautiful, but scorned by the strange society she had been cursed to been born it. She would always bear the marks of her father. She would be cursed but blessed. So many things would be wrong with the child but so many things would be right.

The doctor just nodded slowly, reading the midwife's aura, then backed out of the room, his head bowed. The midwife would be honored yet reviled. Yultri society was so full of double-standards. Why couldn't it be more straight-forward like that of the Fairies? She would always wonder why she had been cursed to have been born as a Yultri.

Chapter 1

Luna sighed and stared up at the moon, extremely bored. Her flaxen hair turned a strange silvery sheen when she sat in the blue moonlight. She had heard she had inherited it from her father, supposedly a god. She didn't believe it for one second. There was no way she could be the daughter of a god. No way in her life. THe gods never confratonized with mortals. Well, nto often anyways. She had never heard of a half immortal child before. But if she was, who was her father? She doubt it wold be Hilos, her personal patron. The guy was incredibly dedicated to his wife. She would never allow him to have an affair...or at least, not another one. The whole episode with Kori had, apparently, nearly driven Hilos and Emri apart.

Luna shook her head. She hated the idea of Hilos being her father. As good a guy he was, he was a major whimp. He rarely ever stood up from himself. Only time he really did was when Emri helped him. Of course, that was often, but he rarely stood up by himself. She didn't want him to be her father. She actually had a backbone.

"Luna!" The call from her adoptive mother came out and she blinked, turning around. Her mother smiled and Luna smiled back. Though the two looked nothing alike, Luna still loved her mother dearly and would spoil her sensless at times. While she was spoiled, she knew her place in society and pulled her weight around the village. She rarely ever slacked off. Not that it would be tolerated anyways. She hated being stuck in Yultri society. She was half human and...some other half that she'd never been able to figure out. She hated it. She was treated highly, but also reviled. It didn't make any sense to her. The double standards always angered her.

"Yes, Mama?" Luna asked, standing up. Her long flaxen hair swept behind her and she sighed. She hated having long hair. While it was the mark of a Yultri, she never had liked it. She thought it extremely hard to manage. Yultri rarely ever cut their hair. When they turned twenty, they had their first haircut,. She was sixteen, still four years away from it. But she wasn't even a Yultri, so it didn't make sense. She was a real outcast. She never fit in. The kids that were her age looked about ten or so, maybe a little older if they're lucky. She hated it. She was like a foot taller than all of them and got strange looks because of it. She was about as tall as a full grown Yultri and she still had growing yet to do, she knew. Her mother was half Fairy and half Yultri. She was shorter than Luna by a few inches, but the girl didn't care.

"It's time for dinner." Luna's mother smiled at her and Luna smiled back. her mother's smile never failed to make her happier and take her mind off the mixed messages she recieved all the time. She loved her mother. She had been told her birth mother died after naming her. Lunabella, the savior of the moon. She didn't knwo what it meant. Luna nodded as she walked inside and sat at the table. She huffed as the long skirt single females wore tangled around her ankles and nearly made her trip. "What's wrong, Luna?" her mother asked.

"Nothing, Mother," Luna said with a sweet smile. Her mother smiled back and Luna breathed a sigh of relief. Whenever she gave her mother that sweet smile, she was never questioned. Any questions just seemed to roll of her mind like water off a duck's back. She always got away with anything she did, thankfully. Not that she did anything very bad anyways. But it was there if she needed it.

Her mother served a special dish and Luna smiled heartily. It was jarzum, her favorite. It was her sixteenth birthday. By Yultri standards, it wasn't very important, but Luna's mother was half Fairy, so she knew some Fairy ways. The sixteenth birthday was called a Cezana for a Fairy and very important. it was when they decided what they would do for the rest of their life. Luna had no idea what she was going to do for the rest of her life and her mother didn't expect her to know, but she was glad her mother was cooking this meal. The last time she had had jarzum was when she had been thirteen. Thirteen was a very important day in Yultri life. It was when the children moved onto their most rigorous magical training. They had to learn to control the special magic each of them had. Of course, it was fairly genaric training at first, but the more they trained, the more specialized courses they entered.

"So, how was your day, Luna?" Suzala, her mother, asked.

"Good. Aruza was a little shy today, though, because of me turning sixteen." Luna blinked, thinking back. Now that she saw it, most of the other kids had seemed to shy away from her. It was nothing unusual, them shying away, but to the extent they had today was bizarre. She didn't know what to make of it. She shook her head with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Suzala looked at her daughter. Luna saw the clear concern in her mother's eyes and felt it on her aura. There was clearly something deeper there that she was worried...no, very frightened of. She was hiding something from Luna.

"Nothing." Luna smiled her sweet smile again and Suzala nodded. She clearly was fighting the power of Luna's smile, but fell silent, asking no more questions. Luna knew that, even though she wasn't a Yultri, she was still very Yultri-like. She had the special magic each Yultri did. She thought it came from living where they did. While they were considered a race of the planet Valacia, they rarely intermingled with Valacians. Until, of course, they came of age and hand to find a man. With a three to one ratio of women to men, Yultri women weren't usually able to find a Yultri man, thus Suzala's hybrid nature. Most Yultri, though hybrid, somehow eventually became full-blooded Yultri. It was something that had always mystified Luna. She would never understand it. Luna smiled as she ate. Though the strange behavior from her friends was worrying her, she was more into her food. The fact her mother made it meant a lot to her and she was glad.

Suzala finished soon after and so did Luna. Her mother pulled a special caked called yazu out of the oven and Luna's face lit up. She had had it at her best friend's birthday the year before and had loved it. She'd heard it took a long time to make from scratch and knew Suzala would go to any lengths to make it special for her.

After finishing the cake, Luna went back outside and Suzala hovered in the doorway. From her aura, Luna knew her mother had something big on her mind. She wouldn't ask, though, because it was impolite for children to ask questions of what their parents were thinking. She just waited, but could tell her mother wanted her to ask. Luna sighed. Her mother's Fairy and Yultri instincts were often at war with each other and she hated it. Even though Suzala had never known Fairy culture, she still had the instincts and lived by them often.

"Luna," Suzala said after a few minutes, "there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it, Mother?" Luna looked up at her mother, her green eyes round as the full moon above her. Suzala sat next to Luna with a sigh and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I should never have let you call me that. I'm not your mother."

"I know, but who else was I supposed to call Mother?"

"Your birth mother."

"But she died!" HOw was she supposed to call someone that had died sixteen years prior her mother? It made no sense to her, just like the whole of living as an outcast among the Yultri. Why was she left here, among these strange creatures? She had never really liked many of them in the first place other than the three that were true with her. That was her mother and her two best friends. She had other friends, but they were never true with her. They were all afraid of her. Sh eknew it. They knew something about her that even she didnt.

"It's not fair!" Luna said.

"What isn't?" Suzala asked.

"Me being stuck here with you guys!" Tears streamed down Luna's face. "I'm not supposed to be here! My mother was supposed to have lived! I..." She started sobbing as Suzala rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry, Lunabella. Did what I say upset you?" Luna knew she meant the remark about letting her call her mother. Luna nodded, sniffling like a baby. She cursed herself and her weakness. She had always been a big crier, something that she had rarely ever seen a Yultri do. The only times she had seen a Yultri really cry was when they were in excruciating pain or complete and utter anguish such as at a funeral. "My lunafura, please don't cry. I'm sorry." Suzala wiped her daughter's tears and smiled a bit. Luna smiled a bit at her mother using her childhood nickname. Though she was still technicially a child, most parents stopped using the nicknames by about thirteen or fourteen.

"It's okay, Mother. But can you tell me why my birth mother left me here?" Luna winced as she expected Suzala to reprimand her for asking questions, but the only thing that came was a thoughtful look on her mother's face. She blinked. Everytime before now she had asked that question, she had been reprimanded harshly and slapped across the face or on the wrist a few times. But now, her mother was clearly thinking her a woman, a thought that touched Luna deeply.

"Your mother, Idela, was a human as you know. I knew her well. She was the sweetest thing. She wound up in our little corner of the world from a freak magic accident that happened. I'm not sure how it did; even she didn't. She was ten when she ended up here and I was in charge of watching her. I was thirty-two at the time, just starting my adult life. But Zorim trusted me with her for some reason. Perhaps it was my still-hybrid nature." Luna nodded at Suzala's words. She knew that if a Yultri didn't lose their hybrid blood by twenty-five, they would have it forever.

"He knew I would watch over her carefully and not let her out of my sight. He was right; I never did. She loved Yultri culture for some reason. She'd heard some legends about us somewhere. There aren't many from Valacia, just a few obscure references. She wanted to live with us and about broke down crying when I told her we would look for a way to get her back to Valacia. That was the sinker that made Zurim allow her to sty here. She was estatic." Suzala smiled a bit at the memory. "Even though she'd just been with me a few days then, she'd loved me as her own mother.

"We became very attatched quickly. She grew faster than the other children, obviously being human as she was. She did come to hate that she didn't have Yultri blood, but still loved us. She became popular among her peers. SThey were all so curious about this place called Valacia that they might have to travel to one day if there weren't enough men. Oh, yes, she was quite the storyteller.

"But she became forlorn about fifteen years old. She hated to be away from her old grandmother that she said was on the verge of dying. HOw she knew this, I never did find out." Suzala sighed and shook her head. "But soon came the day she turned sixteen. She came to me, sobbing so hard. She said she'd gotten mixed up with a man. She said he'd seduced her. He'd been the most beautiful man she'd ever seen in her life even compared to Yultri men." Suzala smiled sadly.

"Then came the day Hilos told her that she would have to die to give birth to the child. It was in a dream, but you know dreams like that are never wrong." Luna nodded. She blinked, feeling a whisp of a spirit around her. There was great sadness and regret that followed it, but she ignored it, wanting to hear more of her birth mother's story. "Oh, I will never forget that day. She was so, so terrified. She didn't want to die especially not after she'd been so looking forward to having you, Luna. All she wanted was a family."

Suzala shook her head again, her iridescent hair shimmering in the blue moonlight. “They day you were born was horrible. The labor seemed to go perfectly and I was sure for a moment eveything would be all right. She named you and..that was it.” She sighed, looking at the full moon. “If I'd kept my Brenon on her, she might not have died. I know it was the will of the gods she die, but I can't help but think...”

“Mother, it's all right.” Luna put her hand on her mother's arm. She smiled her sweet smile, trying to cheer Suzala up. She had almost always been able to cheer people up with that simple smile. “I probably sound awful for saying this, but I'm glad she did. I'm glad you're my mother. Even though Idela sounds nice, she's not you.” Luna hesitated, then hugged Suzala. One normally didn't hug their parents after fourteen.

Suzala smiled a bit and Luna blinked. A warm sense was envolping her and her mother. It was very calm and soothing like pure love. Luna smiled, hugging her mother's arm. Who cared if they were different races? What matterd was that they loved each other.

“Luna, I need to tell you who your father is.” Suzala broke the bubble of warmth, leaving Luna craving the feeling again. “When Hilos came to you, he told you that your father was a god. I know you've speculated which god could be your father for the past three years.” Luna bit her lip and Suzala kissed her forehead. “No matter what happens, don't let this change you.” Luna nodded, licking her lips. It was a nervous habit she had and couldnt seem to stop it though it annoyed the crap out of her. “Your father is Detus.”

“What?!” Luna looked at her mother, shocked. Detus was the last god she wanted as her father. She groaned, then sighed. It made sense. Detus was the god of lust, desire and beauty. According to legend, he was the most handsome man in exitence and extremely suave. He could seduce any woman.

Luna tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment. She had been right in partial. Hilos was technically her grandfather...if she was even the daughter of a god. She was beginning to doubt her father was even a god. There were so few accounts of gods siring children with mortal women.

“Luna, I sense your doubt. Why doubt it now when you haven't before?” Suzala looked at her daughter and hooked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I know it's true. Detus visited you a few moments after you were born, but he was called to Assembly.”

“Why doesn't he visit now?!” Luna snapped. Suzala's eyes widened in shock. Luna had never snapped her mother before. She knew she would regret it later, but she didn't care right now. She just wanted to get her anger out. Why had her father never visited her after he had visited her after her birth?

“My lunafura...” Suzala said. Luna glared at her mother, her aura turning a visible angry red. Suzala pulled back and looked down. Luna stalked off into the night.

Chapter 2

Luna's eyes fluttered open as she looked up at the sky that was painted gold, pink, red and other colors. She blinked, confused. Where was she? She looked around, finding herself next to a town with strange bulidings. These were tall and elaborate, looking more like temples to the gods. But with the way people were milling about, she figured they were everyday dwellings or business places.

A small creature approached her. He had a thick gray beard and wrinkled skin. He looked ancient and his blue eyes showed great sorrow. “E-Excuse me...” Luna said. The little man just continued to stare at her sadly, unblinking. He did so for a few moments before turning and walking into the town.

Luna sighed and pulled her knees to her chest. What was going on? Where was she? The last thing she remembered was her mother telling her Detus was her father.

A strange word caught Luna's attention and she blinked, startled. Someone walked over to her. She didn't understand what the person was currently saying. She looked at the man, her eyes wide. She could tell that he was a man by his aura, but he was clearly wearing a woman's garb. While the clothes were strange, it was clear that they belonged to a woman.

The man blinked as he looked at her, continuing to talk in his strnage language. After a few more moments of this, he snapped his fingers. Luna's eyes widened and she stood up. When one snapped their fingers, it meant a battle for honor. Had she done something to dishonor him? The man looked at her curiously, then smiled. It seemed to be a kind smile, but there was no telling with this strange man. He extended his hand, a ball of light floating above his palm. She looked at him curious and he sighed. He waved his free hand through the ball and looked at her expectantly.

Luna narrowed her eyes suspiciously. One only did something like this if they were going to pull a prank or cause great harm to another. She had learned that the hard way many times. The man's golden eyes widened in clear alarm and he shook his head. Clearly he had read her thoughts through her aura.

She screamed when he grabbed her wrist and moved her hand through the ball of light. “Let me go! Let me go!” she said, writhing her arm wildly.

“Calm down, nummy,” he said, letting go of her wrist. “I just wanted to get you to understand me.” Luna looked at the man wide-eyed. She had never heard a voice like this before. It was high and nasally and, frankly, freaked her out.

Luna blinked and the man's face was just inches from hers. She screamed again and the man sighed, stepping back from her. His amber eyes were full of curiosity but also respect. “I'm sorry, nummy. I didn't realize you were a Yultri. Your aura says you're a human.”

“I-I' am human, but I grew up among the Ylutri,” Luna said. “My name is Lunabella.”

“Interesing name, nummy. I'm Zendel.” The man smiled and twisted his finger in his long red hair. Luna looked at him out of the corner of her eye, biting her bottom lip. This man was scaring her. Why was he wearing a woman's clothes and why did he have female mannerisms?

“I mean no disrespect, but...where am I?” Luna looked at the tall buildings before her. She didn't want to seem disrespectful by asking, but her human curiosity was overriding what she had been taught by the Yultri.

Zendel blinked, his amber eyes reflecting the surprise on his aura. “You really were raised by the Yultri. You're in Nashu, the capitol of Valence, nummy.” Luna just looked at him, her confusion plain on her face. “We're on Valacia.”

“W-What?!” Luna stared at Zendel like he was nuts. There was no way she could be on Valacia! She should still be home! What had happened the previous night? Luna put a hand on her forehead, feeling faint.

“Easy, nummy,” Zendel said. She blinked as she felt herself falling and him catching her. What happened? “You look dead on your feet. Get some rest, nummy.” He gently put his hand on her forehead and she whined slightly in protest, but she slowly slipped into the realm of unconciousness.

ᴥ

Luna's eyes snapped open and she sat upright, looking around. She felt hot tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. As she looked around, she realized that her nightmare was, indeed, her waking reality. She really wasn't home any longer. The strange guy in woman's clothing had kidnapped her. She looked out the window next to the bed and her eyes widened in alarm. It was nearly sundown!

She suddenly paled. Had the strange man done anything to her? She threw back her covers and saw she was still clothed. She breathed a sigh of relief, then stiffened as the little old thing from much earlier walked past the window. He looked at Luna, his eyes still full of grief and sorrow, then he went on walking.

“You're finally awake, nummy.” Luna groaned internally as she heard Zendel's voice. He was now wearing an outfit familiar to Luna; it was an exact copy of hers...except it was bright yellow. The long skirt went to his ankles and the blouse had the long sleeves hers did. He walked over to her, his gait jaunty and strange. It was so much different from the smooth, floating walks of the Ylutri she was used to.

She stared at the bright yellow of his outfit. It was bizarre and hurt her eyes to look at. Everything about the Yultri was very low-key and pastel. The colors were never very bright. This world would definitely be much different than what she was used to. “You all right now, nummy? You were really banged up earlier. I healed the concussion you and and that broken arm.”

“W-What?” Luna looked at him, her eyes wide and round round. She looked at her blouse and pulled the right side down a bit. Her torso was bandaged and a blush crept across her face. He'd bandaged wounds she'd gotten unknowningly. Had he done anything else to her? The possibilty was now out in the open.

Zendel made a clucking noise with her tongue and looked at her increduously. “Nummy, I would never do anything like that! While I did examine you, it was my sister that bandaged you. I would never touch a girl without her permission.” His amber eyes showed hurt and Luna's blush deepend out of embarrassment. Her mother had always told her to never trust human men because there was a high likelihood of them forcing themselves on a beautiful woman, especially one as exotic as a Yultri. Even though she wasn't a Yultri, she reminded herself. She was still beautiful, according to Suzala. She had never seen herself as such. Her flaxen hair and handsome green eyes... She loved her eyes.

“Nummy, you're okay now, right?” Zendel looked at her with true concern in his eyes and she nodded slowly. He smiled widely and breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I wouldn't want such a pretty pretty lady to have to suffer such injuries.”

“I-If you don't mind my asking, what are you talking about? I don't remember any injuries this morning...or whenever it was I was awake last..” Luna pulled the blanket closer around her. Though her shirt was covering her, she felt extremely exposed under his amber gaze, almost naked.

Zendel blinked. “Did you lose your memory of everything or something?”

“No,” Luna said. “I remember everything the Yultri taught me. I remember the conversation my mother and I had last night...” She put her face in her hand, sighing.

“Well, nummy, you were really scratched and bruised up all over. Your clothes weren't in tatters, so it mystifies me how you got like that. But the Biter Ability was just overflowing from your aura, nummy! How did you come by to get the Biter?” Zendel blinked, looking at her curiously. Luna returned the curious look. What was he talking about? She had heard a little bit of Abilities, but never the Biter. She'd heard of Seeking, Illusion and a few others, but never the Biter...

“Zen, give the poor girl a break.” Luna blinked, looking behind Zendel. A girl that looked not much older than herself leaned against the doorway to the room. Her black hair was trimmed short like a man's and her blue eyes shone brightly. She wore pants which caused Luna's eyes to go wide. She had never, ever seen a woman wear a man's clothes. What was with these people? Maybe all the strange tales she had been told of humans were true...

The girl walked over and put a hand on Zendel's shoulder. “Go on, sis. Let the girl have a breather. How about you go make some tea? I think she could use it.”

“Okay, bro!” Zendel smiled and ran out of the room, leaving Luna and the new girl. She was suddenly very terrified of what the girl would be like. The girl turned her blue gaze to Luna and it was very soft.

“I'm sorry about her. She's just overly enthusiastic whenever we have a guest. I'm Itury. That was my sister, Zendel.” Luna just stared at Itury wide-eyed and Itury just smiled. “You're very confused, aren't you? From what Zen told me, you're very bewildered. Your aura is showing culture shock.” Itury walked over to the bed and sat down.

Luna scooted away from Itury, not wanting the invasion of her private space. Her mind spun with questions, but she didn't want to show any disrespect by asking. Who were these strange people? Why were they acting so strange? Why did they switch roles? What had Zendel done to her to put her to sleep? Why had she been asleep so long?

The room began to spin and she fell back on the bed, the colors swirling around her. Luna felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and the room stopped spinning. “Relax.” Itury's voice was very gentle as the blue gaze looked down from above her. Luna began to squirm, hating having her personal space invaded. It was horribly uncomfortable for her. Yultri respect each other's space. Why had these two humans invaded her space without asking her?

“You're almost in literal shock.” Itury put her hand on Luna's forehead and Luna felt her breathing slow a bit. Why had she been breathing so fast? Had she really nearly been in shock? Why was she having such a negative reaction to Valacia?

“You've got to relax. If you don't, you'll kill yourself,” Itury said. “I can help you calm down to an extent, but you've got to do the majority of it yourself.”

[Kiki]

Luna sighed and closed her eyes and let herself relax, feeling her body's reactions. Her heart was beating irradically fast and her breathing was even faster. She had only felt like this when she had been running from an angry sabercat. She was completely terrified because she was in a strange place with strange people. I twas way too much too fast for her.

Luna focused on her breathing and tried forcing her lungs to take in less air. They screamed in protest as did her heart. It felt like she was going to burst into flame at any moment from the slowed breathing. She let out a sigh of relief as she suddenly felt a very warm feeling. It was what she had felt the prevoius night just a bit before her mother had told her who her father was.

Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Itury's face above hers. The feeling disappeared for the most part, but a lingering sense remained. Itury's blue eyes looked at her vuriously, but she smiled. “All right now?”

“I-I think so,” Luna said as she sat up. She looked around the room, blinking. The decorations had been different before, but now it looked almost like a copy of her room back home. She sighed, her confusion completely apparent. “What's going on here?”

“I don't know,” Itury said. “Zen brought you home around dawn. She examined you and you were covered in scratches, bruises and other wounds. Of course, he reverted to a being a guy for a moment and asked me to tend to the wounds under your clothes. Then he went back to being a woman.” Itury shook her head, but smiled. Luna looked at her curiously. “What? Confused about me and Zen?”

“Yes.” Luna nodded. Her green eyes reflected her confusion in the almost gone sunlight. A few blue orbs of magic hovered in the corners of the room, giving the feeling of Lochin's blue light. “I mean no disrespect, but you two are beyond my comprehension. I've never seen a man think himself a woman and vice versa.”

“From what Zen told me, you wre raised among the Yultri. It's no surprise you freaked out so badly. The culture there, from what I've read, is very clear. Men hold men's roles, women hold women's roles. The same can be said for here...usually.”

Luna blinked, confused. “Nummy, here's your tea!” She groaned internally as Zendel jauntily walked into the room, a cup in his hands. He gingerly handed it to Luna and she smiled a bit in thanks. “It's lavendar and chamomile with some honey. All fresh grown and collected this morning. Enjoy, nummy.” He smiled and winked, then left the room with his jaunty gait. Luna's right eye twitched a bit and Itury laughed.

“You'll get used to her soon enough,” she said. “She's quirky, but you'll get used to her.” Luna shook her head in disbelief. How could anybody get used to that? She sighed and looked at the tea, then sipped it. She did have to admit, though, the tea was very good. He clearly knew what he was doing.

Luna looked at Itury who was now sitting in a chair next to the bed. She also had a cup of tea which mystified Luna. Zendel had only had one cup which he had given to her. “She made two. Left mine in the kitchen..” Itury smiled and shook her head. “She's always been forgetful when she's focused on one thing.” She took a sip of the tea, then looked out the window.

Luna shifted uneasily on the bed. There were still so many answeres she wanted, but to ask such personal questions would be even more disrespectful than asking general questions. She sighed, looking at the tea in the cup. She looked up when she sensed Itury's blue gaze on her.

“Sorry. Zen interrupted me and I get side tracked.” She shook her head, clearly reprimanding herself. “I get side tracked easily. So, you want to know why Zen and I think the way we do.” Itury's gaze fell onto her tea as Luna nodded.

A silence filled the room and Luna grew uncomfortable. She could easily feel Itury's raging aura as she tried to figure out the best way to explain. Luna felt uncomfortable as she shifted in the bed, trying to fid a comfortable sitting position. She ahd never found it easy to sit on beds for extended periods. The silence didn't help, either. She had been taught silences meant you hated someone and didn't want to talk to someone or you wre disrespecting them. But she could tell neither was the situation this time.

Itury eventually sighed, breaking the silence which caused Luna to jump. She had been so absorbed in her own thoughs that she had blocked Itury out and forgotten her there. “So. I guess it began when we were kids. Zen noticed he wasn't like other guys. He preferred to say with Mom and help out arnod the house. The other boys teased him mercilessly about being a mom's boy. He cried often and they would teas him about being soft.

“That's when I stepped in. I spent more time doing the things he was supposed to. I couldn't stand seeing Zen cry, so I stood up for him whenever he was being bullied The guys soon got us together whenever possible. They teased Zen for having a girl stand up for him. I told them I wasn't a girl; I was a guy and fully saw myself that way. I”d always been able to match any guys because of taking on the male duties.

“As we got odler, Mom and Dad began to get frail. Zen took on Mom's duties and I took on Dad's. We did what we knew how to do.” She shrugged. “And with that came seeing ourselves as the opposite gender. We still soemtimes lapse into our birth gender like when Zen examined you. He respects girls, so he didn't want you to freak. I lapsed when he asked me to tend your wounds. But we're pretty much back to normal.”

Luna looked at Itury, taking in the story. From her aura, it checked as true. The look on her face also said as much. “I know it's strange to you since you were raised by the Yultri. Non-human races tend to be more cut and dray than humans.” She took the last sip of her tea and put the cup on the floor. “You may be human, but you have Yultri instincts definitely. We'll help you adjust, Zen and me. You can call me a girl; it doesn't really bother me. I guess I'm more gender neutral than anything. Just call Zen a girl. She gets upset if you call her a guy.”

Luna nodded, continuing to take everything in. While she understood why they saw themselves as the opposite sex, she wouldn't be able to adapt to Zendel's strange behavior for a long time. With his flamboyant, overbearing nature, it was something she wasn't used to. “Get some rest.” Itury put her hand over luna's. Luna blinked as her eyes slowly began to close and the abyss of sleep claimed her.

Chapter 3

Luna yawned and sat up, looking around. She sighed as she was still in the room from before. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck on Valacia for the rest of her life. The opening door jarred her and she saw Itury there. She held a tray in her hands with food on it, then walked into the room. “I figured you'd be hungry since you didn't eat anything yestrerday.”

“Thank you.” Luna said as Itury sat the tray on her lap. Itury sat in the chair she had been in the previous night while Luna ate.

Luna ate slowly, her mind churning. How was she going to get home? How had she even gotten here? Whas there a reason she was sent here? She sighed, her throat constricting. She couldn't eat anymore, but she had only eaten half the meal. To leave the rest would be an insult to itury's hospitality.

“Don't worry about it,” Itury said, picking up on Luna's aura. “If you can't eat from stress, I understand.” She smiled at Luna who returned it weakly. “Or cultures are different, but I'm sure you'll adapt soon enough.”

“Itury, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I would like to leave.” Luna shifted uncomfortably as she looked at Itury's shocked face. She blinked, a little surprised at Itury's shock. The Yultri almost always told what they wanted if it wasn't unreasonable. Had she disrespected Itury? “I-I am very grateful and I'm indebted to you and...Zen. But I'd like to find a way back home. I don't think I'd be able to do so from here.”

“I see,” Itury said with a nod. “But I don't think it'd be wise for you to go out alone.” Luna blinked, looing at Itury. What was she getting at? Itury took a sip from a cup of tea that had apeared in her hands. “What I mean is for me and Zen to come with you. I mean you no disrespect, but you're naïve. You don't know anything about this world, so it seems, and anybody could take advantage of you Do you have any combat skills?”

“I can do some long-range spells, but that's about it,” Luna said. She looked at Itury, suddenly suspicious.

“Relax. I just want to know because this is a rough and tumble world. While Zen looks delicate, she can still kick someone down that's twice her size.” Itury sipped her tea. “The people in this world fight dirty. They rarely show mercy when fighting. You won't survive long in this world if you can't fight. Zen and I can teach you.”

Luna nodded and set the tray on the end table. She blinked. What was up with the constantly shifting decorations and furniture in this room? She'd never seen anything like it before. She blinked as something ocurred to her.

“How can you understand me and how can I understand you?” Luna asked. She vaguely reclled the morning Zen had found her. It was mostly a blur, but she remembered he had used a spell that allowed them to understand each other. She was just curious as to how it worked.

“Zen's a mage. She's one of the few magic users that got such an intensive magic education. She was apprenticed to an old mage that was pretty much on his last leg. Zen's very proficient in many types of magic, but she prefers healing and defense after all the teasing. She doesn't want to see others suffer. Doesn't mean she can't do attack magic. She's just more of a pacificst.” Luna blinked. While it was useful information, it wasn't what she wanted to know. “Aye, sorry. It was a Star spell. While you can't speak our language and we can't speak yours, the spell enabled you and those around you to understand each other.”

Luna nodded in understanding. She winced as she shifted her sitting position; she had been sitting on her right leg and it was beginning to feel pins and needles.

A sudden explosion rocked the house and Itury looked out the window, alarmed. “What was that?!” She grabbed luna's hand, pulling her outside. Luna shielded her eyes against the sudden assult of the harsh light. “Get down!” Itury pushed Luna into a nearby bush and she cried out, her arm being jarred. It felt like the bone tore at the seam of her elbow and she screamed again in pain. It was an old injury, one she had received as a twelve year old. It hadn't bothered her in years so why was it bothering her now?

Luna ducked as a gold jet of magic saild just a few inches above her head. She peeked out through a gap in between the leaves and saw a black robed figure standing there, arm outstretched. Itury was shouting something at the figure in the language Zen had used yesterday. Luna thought for a moment that the language spell had somehow been bbroken, but then figured it only had a certain range.

“Give us the girl,” the figure hissed. The voice chilled Luna's blood and she began to shake, not knowing why. The voice held a meance and hatred Luna had never before heard in anyone's voice. How could anybody hold that much malice in their heart?

Itury barked something in the unknown language, her blue eyes blazing and her aura flaring. “Give us the girl.” Luna's heart clinched again as the voice spoke again. It was speaking her own native tongue! It wanted her!

Luna sat there, frozen to the spot with fear. Her green eyes were wide, wavering in the rising sunlight. The leaves blew in the slight breeze that began blowing as did her hair. A stand of the flax blew in her face and she resisted the urge to move it. Luna felt that if she moved, the figure would rush her.

Tencion crackled in the air as the hood shifted. It looked strat at where Luna was and her blood turned to ice in her viens. “Come to us. We can help you,” the malicious voice said. Only now, it was silky smooth and husky, somewhat soothing. While it turned Luna's insides cold, it also made her heart beat fast with anticipation. It was something that was dark but promised great things.

A motion cauht the corner of Luna's eye and she looked at the srouce. It was Itury. Her eyes were wide as she shook her head. She was trying to tell Luna something but she couldn't understand.

The figure took a step forward and Luna saw a light forming in the sleeve of the robe. It was a gold color and Luna instantly sensed the Star magic. Luna stared at the forming magic ball. Sh eknew what It was capable of but didn't know what the intent behind it was.

A sudden blast of fire knocked the robed figure over, difussing the charging magic. The robe instantly burst into white flames and Luna blinked, turning to the source of th efalme. Zen was standing next to his sister, his hands out in front of him. Itury was chanting in a language familiar yet foreign to Luna. She'd heard it before at big religious services on important holidays. It was a sacred language, one spoken only by the clergy, said to be that of the gods themselves. That meant Itury had a connection with the gods.

Itury spat something at the robed firgure as it shriekd in agon from the purifying white flames. Luna stood and Itury glanced at her, shocked. “Stay down!” Itury snapped in Yultri, but Luna ignored her. Luna's broken arm screamed in protest as she used it to push herself to her feet, but she ignored it.

An eerie calm and sense of nothingness fell over Luna as she gaze down at the shrikeing figure. Zend and Itury gazed at her, wide eyed, but she paied them no heed. Luna raised her good hand and shot blackflame at the figure. Had she not been in the eerie state, she would have passed out from using such vile magic. But she felt nothing other than emptiness.

The blackflame and purifying whiteflame let out colored sparks as they battled. Two opposing forces that were never supposed to meet hissed and screamed, the robed figure's shrieks of agony mixing with them. Itury and Zen watched on, wide eyed and shocked. They knew now that, ineed, Luna ahd the Biter Ability.

The flames let out one last ungodly shcrike as the figure beneat them turned into a heap of ash. By now, people had gathered around to find the source of the screams. Luna blinked as she was swept into Itury's arms and screamed, not from having her personal space invaded, but because of her arm. The pain was so intense tears slid down her face and she passed out.

ᴥ

Darkness swirled around, feeling like a gentle flurry against Luna's skin, cold but soothing. She didn't want to wake up, but something forced her to open her eyes. She nearly passed out as she saw the scene before her. Suzala, Anuza, Inovi, all the other Yultri were on the ground before her, their blood overflowing onto the grass.

Lochin's blue light revealed all the grizzly details as she fell to her knees. Tears flowed from her green eyes as she covered her face with her hands. What had happened? There was no way it could be real. It was just a bad dream...

“But it could all be real if you don't come with me,” a voice breathed in Luna's ear. She was startled, but could only turn her head slowly. A girl that looked about fifteen with red hair and brown eyes stood behind Luna...

ᴥ

“Azurete!” Luna jarred awake at the command. Even though she didn't understand the sacred language of the gods, she knew it was a command. Itury's blue eyes snapped into Luna's blurry vision and she was clearly relieve. “What was that? Your aura completely disappeared for a few minutes.” Concern became apparent in Itury's face as she looked down at Luna.

“I...don't know...” Luna closed her eyes again, exhausted. “A dream... Mother, Anuza, Inovi... Dead... A girl...”

“What did she look like?” Alarm and terror became highly apparent in Itury's voice.

“Red hair and brown eyes...” Luna focused on her breathing, trying to slow it down. It was nowhere near as bad as the day before, but it was still causing her alarm. However, the terror in Itury's aura was farm more alarming to her.

“Luna, you're fortunate I was here. That was Kithoreth, goddess of evil.” Itury gently rested her hand on Luna's right chee. The younger girl's eylids flickered a bit and Itury kissed her forehead. “Just be careful while you wander the paths of the dream world. Dark things lurk around every corner. May Arassae be the light that keeps the dark dreams away.” She gently squeezed Luna's hand as the girl slipped into the world of slumber once again.

Itury blinked and looked over her hsoulder when she felt a hand resting gently there. Zen was standing there, a worried light flickering in her eyes. “She'll be fine, sis. You did the best you could. The break in her arm was nasty.”

“But it's not fully healed,” Zen whined, her amber eyes reflecting her unease as she sat down.

“Sis.” Itury moved a loose strand of Zen's red hair out of her face. Zen sighed, clearly feeling inadequate. Itury looked at her, wearing a lopsided smile. “Your natural inclination is Star, not Light. You did a great job at making her not feeling the pain. If she had, she would have screamed.”

“I know, but I still didn't heal her all the way.” Zen pouted, drawing with her finger in the dirt. Itury smiled softly and put her hand on her sister's shoulder. Zen looked at her, her amver eyes wide. Itury kissed her sister on the forehead and Zen smiled back weakly.

“Everything will be all right; I promise.” Zen smiled at her sister's words, but Itury looked at the sky. She rarely ever lied to Zen and felt horrible when she did. This was one of those times. Kithoreth had shown herself to Luna. That meant Luna had a connection with the gods somehow. What it was, Itury didn't know, but the Biter confirmed it. Only those that had been touched by Haros himself had that Ability. It made one into a nearly unbeatable warrior. It took away all emotion and feeling. No matter how badly they got hurt, the person did not stop unless the Biter stopped naturally, the person passed out or died.

Itury sighed; she had no idea what was going to happen. She was at a loss. She was no doubt going to have to be the leader on this strange journey. Zen wasn't strong enough to lead and Luna had no idea what was going on. The poor girl was still probably in culture shock.

Itury sat on her knees and lifted her face to the sky, her eyes closed. “Gods Oreiam and Aeladyn, allow this humble priestess a few moments of your time. Hear her concerns.” A calm feeling filled Itury and she smiled, knowing Mech was with her. While he wasn't the god she was praying to, he would ensure her message got to Oreiam, Aeladyn and her beloved matron, Arassae.

“We travel with a girled named Lunabella. WE don't know how she got her or how to get her home. I ask you help us protect her and find her a way home. I also request you protect my sister and me. Goddess Arassae, my beloved matron, please protect Luna from the evils of Kithoreth in the dream world.” A gentle wind blew up, causing a hair to tickle her right cheek. Itury knew this was her matron's way of saying, I'll do what I can. “Thank you for hearing my concerns. I know this will not be an easy journey, but we will succeed in getting Luna home.”

Itury opened her eyes and sat normally, smiling. Zen was watching the clouds, her eyes slightly glazed over. Itury satayed quiet; she knew better than to say anything to Zen when she was like this. Fezai was speaking to her through symbols in the clouds. Zen suddenly gasped, tears flwoing out of her eyes as she wailed. Itury hurried and put her hands on her ister's shoulders. “Zen, Zen! What's the matter? What did you see?”

“A coin, a cloak and a star...and fire...” Tears continued to flow down Zen's face as Itury's eyes widened. While Itury herself was not well versed in symbology and fortune telling, she knew some of the more common symbols. “Deciet, hope, destruction and loss of wealth...” Zen sniffled, her breathing fast from crying.

“What does it mean?” Itury asked gently as she wiped her sister's tears away.

“I-I don't know... I-It could mean a-anything..” Zen said, more tears spilling down from her eyes. Itury continued to wipe the tears away. Zen sighed and Itury held her close.

“Things will be all right,” Itury murmured, but Zen kept crying. They both knew it was futile to believe false hope. Things would not be all right.

Chapter 4

A sudden jarring made Luna snap awake and she screamed. A man with short, scraggly blond hair and piercing green eyes sat on the ground next to her, his leg extended over her. Luna screamed again as she scooted backwards, away from the man. The guy hiccuped, clearly unaffected by her screaming.

Itury practically appeared before Luna could blink and was holding the man by the shirt collar. Luna noted that his ears were pointed.

“What are you doing?!” Itury snapped. The man just looked at her, his eyes slow and misted over slightly. He hiccuped again, taking a swig from a metal flask in his hand.

He looked at Luna. “What where yer goin'...” he muttered, his speech extremely slurred. HE looked at Itury and took another swig from the flast. “Lemme go...” Itury glrared at him and he suddenly broughgt his free hand up, twisting her elbow with a quick motion. She cried out and the man flipped backward, landing silently on his feet, upright.

The man took another swig from the flast, beginning to swagger. “Wan dance? You seem pret' stron'.” He looked at Itury, his steps faultering as he hiccuped.

Before the man could react, Itury grabbed the flast and sniffed it, then reeled away. “Ach! Gin! This stuff is the bane of the gods!” she said. She went to turn the flask upside down, but the main-clearly an Elf by his pointed ears-snatched it back. His green eyes flared in anger as he went to punch Itury. She stepped back, but the attack had clearly been a feint; the Elf's other first came around and his right knee whent up. Itury crumpled on the ground, groaning and writhing in pain.

The Elf took another swig from the flask and swaggered, his feet bouncing around like he was dancing. He lookeda t Luna. “Ya wan dance?”

“N-No...” she said, pulling the blanket that was over her closer. The Elf nodded, then fell to the ground, snoring. Luna stared, wide-eyed. “I-Is he okay? And Itury?”

“I-I;ll be fine...” Itury said, then groaned as she sat up. “Bastard fights really ditry. I thought Elves were supposed to be all about honor...” She grunted, wincing.

“I think he'll be okay,” Zen said after examining the Elf quickly. Itury nodded at her sister's words.

The Elf came to a few minutes later, holding his ead. “By the gods...” He looked at Itury, then grinned sheepishly. “Sourry about that. Tip: don't fight drunk Elves. You won't win.'

“I can tell.” Itury huffed, crossing her arms. She winced at the pain in her elbow and on her chest. “Damn it. Why did you have to hit me so hard? And in my most tender places!” Color rose in her face as she ooked away.

“Aye, miss. Sorry. We throw all honor and teachnique to the winds when we fight drunkenly. But we fight much better when drunk. Our thoughts are garbled, but our reactions are better in fights.” He smiled sheepishly again.

Zen blinked. “Why are you sober? You ought to still be drunk.”

“Aye, that. For some reason, if I sleep for even a few minutes, I become the sober the second I wake up.” He shrugged, clearly having accepted the fact he didn't understand it. “So, what are you all doing here?”

Luna, Itury and Zen all looked at each other, the same thought on their minds. What should they say? “We're travellers,” Itury answered quickly. It wasn't a complete lie; they had just begun a long journey. How long it was going to be, none of them knew. “I'm Itury, my sister Zen and our...cousin, Luna.” They each nodded in turn and the Elf nodded. But his eyes were narrowed suspiciously, clearly not believing them.

“And to where are you journeying?” he asked. He scratched his chen and burped, blushing from embarrassment. Itury suppressed a chuckled when he glared at her.

“To Larana. To visit the temples to our patrons and matrons.” The Elf nodded at Itury's words, but continued to look at them suspiciously. Itury bit her bottom lip. Clearly, the Elf was much wiser than she and could easily see through her blatant lies.

“What are you really doing?” His green eyes probed Itury's and she looked away. She had heard about the Reading Ability. She could tell he had it from the way his aura was trying to reach out to hers. Itury shifted her position. Though she was still sitting as was the Elf, she could easily spring to defend herself. “I wouldn't attack were I you. See this flask of gin? It'll get me drunk in seconds and I'll kick your hind end to Jamin and back.” He sloshed the contents of the flask threateningly and Itury sighed. Clearly, she didn't have a choice but to tell him.

Itury sighed again and started talking. She told him the whole tale of what had happened: how Zen had brought Luna back to the house, how she had tended Luna's wounds, the attack by the elzi-the figure that the whiteflame had been used on. But she left out the bit about Luna's Biter. The Biter was a highly sought after Ability. She didn't know if she could trust the Elf from the way he had forced her to tell what was going on.

After she finished, the Elf fell silent, nodding with his arms crossed. “I see. Very interesting. I can tell there was a big detail that you're leaving out-” Itury's eyes went wide “-but I won't force you to tell. You've already told enough. To be attacked by an elzi in the middle of Nashu? I've never heard of such a thing. Kithoreth must be very desperate to get her hands on this girl if she did that.” Itury nodded. Clearly, the Elf knew what he was talking about. He out his hand down the front of his shirt and produced a necklace. It had a purple bromite crystal on it, cut to Ward standars. Itury's eyes went wide.

“I know what you're thinking. How did an Elf of all races get into the Ward of Crystals? I'm not a krysomancer by birth; I'm an honorary member of the Ward. I saved Mistress Kagulan's life.” Itury fell silent. This Elf was impressive and clearly a person to be trusted. Saying Kagulan trusted you was like saying Mai trusted you. The Mistress of Crystals was probably the hardest person to get to trust you on Valacia.

The Elf blinked. “How rude of me. You introduced yourselves, but I didn't introduce myself. My name is Iridol.” He bowed his head in respect to Itury. “I am a general in the Elven army, high ranking, but a priestess stands much higher than I. I apologise deeply for my behavior. I admit that I have a problem with gin, but I can't help it. It's an addiction.”

“I... It's all right,” Itury said, suddenly flushing. It wasn't often she received this kind of respect from others-especially Elves. Most reviled and hated her for the way she thought. She couldn't stand others usually.

Itury went to open her mouth, but a sudden scream made her snap it shut. Two girls were running past. Both had black hair, but one had blood red eyes and the other had a deep purple color. “Black shirt with slits in the sleeves! Corset with purple ribbons! Black lolita dress with white ruffles!” the scarlet-eyed girl shouted.

The purple-eyed girl glared and shot a ball of blackflame at the other girl. IT hit the first girl and she screamed in pain, but kept running. “Get back here!” the purple-eyed girled snarled as they sprinted past the group. Iridol raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “You give goths like me a bad name!” the purple-eyed girl snapped.

“B-But I'm goffic!” the scarlet-eyed girl sobbed as the other girl knocked her to the ground. The purple eyed girl drew a saber from a sheathe on her hip, poised for the killing blow.

Itury bolwed the purple eyed girl over, the saber flying out of her hand. It filpped several times in the air, then stuck in the ground. “What are you doing?!” Itury snapped. The girl glared at her, purple eyes hard as amethys. Itury resisted the urge to flinch from the Darkness eminating from the gir's aura.

“She gives goths like me a bad name! She acts like a frivouls, air-headed ninny! She's the sutpidest creature to walk the face of this planet!” The girl pointed accusingly at the scarlet-eyed girl who was sobbing. Her voice was filled with the most malice and hatred Itury had ever heard.

“You won't kill her!” Itury returned the girl's hard gze.

“I've killed her before! She won't die!” The girl struggled as Itury stood her up, holding her hands behind her back. The girl continued to struggle wildly, then brough her foot under Itury. Itury jumped, avoiding behing tripped, but kept holding the girl's hands. The girl suddenly stopped stuggling, huffing. Her aura burned angrily and Itury blinked. The other girl was gone. “Damn! She got away!”

Itury let go of the girl's hands and she rubbed her wrists. “One hell of a grip you got there.” She looked at Itury, then sighed as she grabbed her sword's hilt and and twisted it, wrenching the blade out of the ground. “I'm sorry about that. That girl-Ebony-is the most annoying thing I've met in the apst five thousand years. And I've met a lot of annoying things in that time span.”

“It's all right,” Itury said with a nod. “Just don't let me catch you trying to kill anyone again or the gods will hear about it.”

The girl laughed heartily. “Because the gods here would totally harm me! Rahi knows my connections; she wouldn't dare try anything lest she angered the Taka'li'na.” Itury looked at the girl, confused. “Don't worry about it. Name's Elry Tsukino. Who're you?”

“I'm Itury. Nice to meet you, I suppose.” She looked at the girl-Elry, she reminded herself-a bit strangely. Her aura was extremely confusing; it was mostly human but there was a silver of a race Itury had never been exposed to. It was odd as Itury had met every race on Valacia.

“So, where ya headed? I can tell you're a group leader. Noble of you to take on leadership when no one else can.” Elry smiled as a shocked expression crossed Itury's face.

“I-I have no idea,” Itury said suddenly. She snapped her mouth shut, not believing she had just said that. Why was this girl causing her to say the secret she needed to keep?

Elry studied Itury for a moment, then nodded. “Go to Larana. I think you'll find something there.” Elry smiled and winked. “Trust me; my sources are the best there are.” Elry blinked, her eyes wide in shock. “What's that?!” She pointed and Itury whipped around on her heel, but saw nothing.

“That was a...” she started to say, turning back around, but Elry was gone. Itury blinked. Where had she gone? She sighed asnd shook her head, walking back to the gorup.

“What was that about, bro?” Zen asked, her amber eyes wide.

“I have no idea,” Itury said, shaking her head again. “I think maybe we should go to Larana. It's only three days by foot and might be our best chance for answers.” Zend and Iridol nodded in agreement. Luna just looked at Itury, confused. “Larana is Valance's main center of worship and academics. If we can get answers anywhere, it'll be there.” Luna nodded and stood up. Itury smiled and started walking, the others following her.

Chapter 5

“Hey, Luna. Are you all right?” Iridol slowed down, matching Luna's slowing pace. She was panting, clearly exhausted. He put a hand on her forehead and she flinched away from him. “Relax. I understand respecting your personal space, but when you don't tell me if anything's wrong, I have to check on you.”

It was the day after they had left Nashu and the fast pace was really earing on Luna. While she was in her peak physical condition (according to her personal trainer back home), she wasn't up to the task of walking such long distances. Her legs were screaming in protest at every strep, but she endured her pain in silence. She had been taught to voice physical pain wthat wasn't extreme was to show great weakness.

“Luna.” Iridol walked next to her about three feet away, respecting her personal space. “I understand the ways of the Yultri, but to keep going when your musicles are in such pain is maddness.” He sighed when she didn't respond. The girl was proving frustrating for him. She ahd many strong barriers that would not be broken easily.

“Hey, Itury!” He trotted up to the head of the party. She looked at him with immense disdain. Even though he respect her properly, they had sparred that momrning and he had won. He had opted not to drink to give her a better chance, but he had beaten her within a matter of moments. She was still fuming though it was nearly noon. He had also given her amble chance to back out, but she insisted on fighting stronger opponents to become stronger herself.

“What?” Itury's voice was dry and tart, remind Iridol of the scorched sands of the Mika Desert. “Is there something you want? Perhaps kill my dignity and make me lose more face?” Sh elookeda t him hard, her blue eyes like chips of ice. He just looked at her coolly.

“I thought perhaps we should rest for Luna's sake. She in' pain but refuses to admit it,” he replied, trying to be unfazed by Itury's hard manner. The reply came out more tartly than he had intended.

She lookeda t him hard again, then nodded. “Very well. If it's Luna that needs it, we'll stop.” She turned around. “Time for a break, guys.” Itury plopped down on the ground and sighed, wipng the sweat from her brow.

Iridol walked to where Luna was sitting and she looked at him, her gaze hard. The Elf sighed. He was perfectly friendly and respectful to women. Most admired him and melted in his arms. This was pretty much the first time women hadn't just melted to his will. He resisted the urge to grab his flask and take a sip of the gin. He felt Itury's gaze boring into his back as she picked up his aura.

“Mind if I sit?” He motioned to the ground about five feet from Luna and she just looked at him. What had he done to her to make her so angry? He smiled kindly at her, then sat down. “I know you don't like me, but I need to make sure your arm's okay.”

Luna glared at Iridol, but sighed and nodded, clearly giving him permission to examine her arm. He smiled and gently scooted closer to her, his fingers gently cradling the break. She bit her bottom lip, clearly fighting back crying out in pain. She had her arm in a sling now. Iridol had to admit Zen had done an admirable job healing the nasty break, but it was far from the best healing job he had ever seen. While Iridol himself wasn't a healer, he had a great knowledge of healing and was well versed in herbology. HE came from a long line of healers, but hadn't inherited the healing abilities that came with his blood line for some reason.

"It's healing well. Zen did a good job." Luna just nodded at Iridol's words, clearly not caring. She did care about her arm and physical well being, obviously, but didn't care for what the Elf was saying. "Luna, please. I know you don't like me, but you must tell me what hurts and where. I fyou don't, you won't heal properly. Where exactly does it hurt in your arm?"

"Well, here..." She pointed with her good hand, wincing as he gently moved it. The bone creeked and Iridol blinked, his eye brows shooting up. "That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't. Bone creaking like that isn't a good thing. It means it's not healing properly." A horrified look crossed Luna's face and he put a hand on her good shoulder. While her elbow was what was broken, she had told him that the pain had spread up to her shoulder. It didn't bode well with him. "It'll be all right. With Kaedif's help, you'll get through this."

"I hope so." A look of fear and alarm shot through Luna's eyes as she cradeled her bad wrist in her good hand. "I'm so useless now. I'm not used to being useles..." She sighed and he blinked. Why was she telling him this? He wasn't using his Ability, that of Truth. It was an Ability that forced the vicitm to tell the truth. It wasn't something he used often of his own free will.

More often than not, the Elvish military forced him to use it to extract confessions and information from prisoners. WHile not in a time of war, the military actively helped keep peace in Nashu. The races were often fighting in the large cities where the cultures mingled and clashed more often than not. Iridol hated all the fighting, but knew he had to keep his post. HE didn't like it, but it was the only way to make his family proud.

"It's all right. You'll adapt soon enough," Iridol said and Luna nodded a bit. He smiled at her. "I promise you. Nothing will go wrong."

"HOw can you say that?!" Luna suddenly snapped, causing Iridol's eyes to go wide. "Things have already gone wrong for me! I'm stuck in a world i know nothing about, my arm is broken, I can't even defend myself! I Can't do anything halfway right!" She looked ahrd at Iridol, then sighed, her face saggin in exhaustion. He gently put his hand on her shoulder again.

Chapter 6

It'd been three days since we left Nashu. My arm still hurt like nothing else I had experienced. Though I still wasn't very fond of Iridol and his caring for me, I had grudgingly asked him if he knew why it had broken. He had told me that he had come from a long line of healers, but he didn't know.

Everything was so frustrating. I had no idea what was going on around me and people were constantly invading my personal space. I didn't mind Itury doing it so much as I did for Zen and Iridol. Itury and I were becoming fast friends and she said she already though of me as a little sister. She was definitely a good friend and reminded me of Anuza quite a bit except when Inuza was ignoring me. But I could tell Itury was being completely honest with me. Or almost completely honest. There was something she and Zen were keeping from me, but I could kind of care less. I knew it was a bad thing and didn't want to know any of the bad things.

“Well, here we are.” Itury's words snapped me out of my thoughts as I loked around. We were in another city. It looked much smaller than Nashu, but it was still enormous! The town I had grown up in looked like a pile of twigs compared to this. It was really overwhelming.

“You okay, Luna?” Iridol asked me. I looked at him coolly, brushing a strand of loose hair behind my ear. He just continued to look at me, concern clear in his green eyes. “You look really pale.”

“I'm fine,” I said, brushing past him. I winced from the pain in my arm. I'd brushed against him with my bad one. The pain shot up my arm and hurt like nothing else, but I ignored it. My legs protested every step, achiging from the almost non-ending walking.

“Luna, be careful!” Itury shouted as she ran oup to me. I blinked and turned around. “Don't run off like that! This city is one of the most peaceful in Valance, but don't let that fool you. A young, injured girl like you would be an easy target for a theif. You could get raped, mugged or anything like that. We don't want that happening.”

She put her hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. There was something she wasn't saying and I wanted to know, but I just nodded. While everyone kept insisting it wasn't a bad thing to ask questions, all my years with the Yultri just kept me from asking. “Just stick with me. I know Iridol is extremely vexing sometimes, but at least he's trying to be kind to you.” Her expression fell flat as she continued to look at me. “He does respect me for what I am, but not for who I am. The guy constantly rags on me for losing against him. Okay, not really, but I can so see him doing that when I'm not listening.”

Itury huffed as Zen and Iridol walked up. I blinked as I looked at Iridol. He looked calm and cool on the outside, but his aura was churning in an extremely uncomfortable manner. Zen wore a sweird smile on his face, holding his right pointer finger over his lip. While I'd gotten a bit used to a few of his mannerisms over the past few days, I could tell from that look that he'd done something that totally freaked Iridol out. The Elf's aura confirmed something weird had just happened that he didnt' consider normal. I just smirked, glad in knowing Zen had done something to him.

“Hey, nummy.” I straightened up when Zen looked at me, his werid smile still on his face. “We're going off to get some supplies. Iridol and Itury can get what they need. Want to come with me, nummy?” He smiled brightly at me, his amber eyes livid with excitement. Iridol and Itury were glaring daggers at each other, clearly not happy with how Zen had stuck them together. Why was Itury not protesting? Itury and Zen sure had a weird sibling relationship. Even over the few days I'd been with them, it was highly noticeable.

“Come on, nummy! Let's go!” Zen made a move to grab my good hand, but then stopped. He smiled sheepishly, then started walking. Clearly, he had a habit of grabbing anyone's hand if they were going somewhere together. I fell into step next to him, looking around.

There were so many different people. I didn't know so many different races existed with so many styles of dress. The colors were different even for similar styles of clothing. There were some people with these strange sand-colored clothes on. But I noticed there were different designs and different colors aside from the sand-coloration.