Job Well Done
“How did the job go?” Chisanu Binnya asked as though he thought nothing of the inappropriateness of discussing such a topic in the current situation. He entered Daigua’s circle of deflection, finding refuge from the fierce downpour of rain, and steam rose on all sides to shroud them. The funeral was close to finishing as all the mourners watched the younger daughter sob and lose further control of her water majik.
“Took all the water out. It was much simpler than indicated.” Daigua could sense him smile through the sudden chill from his ice. Jördin and Xullbryn Oussep had been secretly labeled traitors for sharing sensitive information to a fire demon clan. Sua, their remaining eldest, was crying small tears of fire that rolled down her porcelain cheeks. The whole Oussep line was dangerous. The remaining water wytches in the crowd began to deflect the onslaught of sorrow from themselves and those close to them. Those unlucky enough to be left out of the domes of protection were soaked within seconds.
“Such problems should always be taken care of before they cause bigger messes. Well done.” Chisanu clasped Daigua’s shoulder as he turned his back on the orphans. Others began to leave as well.
“Did you hear how they died?” Snippets of conversations were easy to overhear.
“Severe dehydration. If you ask me, they just pissed off the wrong people.”
“Don’t say that! It’s their funeral. How would your kids feel if they heard someone say that?”
“Doesn’t matter. The council is that much closer to controlling them.” Daigua rolled his eyes as two elder women passed him by. People talked too much. But they were right.
~
Council summons were never to be ignored. Nodding his head to the guard, Daigua entered the chambers to receive orders. A lowly scribe came running to greet him as he took in the empty chairs at the front of the room. They didn’t even want to tell him in person, he realized. The sniveling man bowed over and over only fueling the anger that was bubbling inside of Daigua. This man was unworthy of working for the council, he was too weak willed and had no backbone. He took the letter from the scribe so the man could run back to whatever hovel he hid in.
There have been some growing concerns over Sua Oussep for some time now. It has come to our attention that she has broken one of our greatest laws and told a human of our existence and her powers. Please take care of this immediately.
There was no surprise that the hot headed fire wytch ended on his list. The Oussep family has always been full of wytches who have mastered their elements. Sua was no exception but she was different. As was Raine. They were both sides of the same coin, fire and water, both so full of emotion it erupted and overflowed. A volcano and tsunami. They were a delicate balance, a dance of chaos, they casted shadows that engulfed their parents.
Jördin and Xullbryn already knew of their fate and were waiting when Daigua came for them. They didn’t beg or put up a fight. Jördin clasped his shoulder and gazed at him with calm amber eyes. They were doing this for their kids. Those two girls they went on and on about. The future they were raising. A better future, for the coming generations. And then they were gone.
He watched the girls for three days after his second task was given. Taking the two of them on at once would have been a foolish decision that he could not afford. Raine was going out to grab them all dinner, her smile mirrored the crescent moon that hung overhead. Skye and Sua were in the living room, going over wedding plans when he snuck into the house.
“Should we make the reception a pot luck or have a caterer?” His voice filtered through the walls.
“Raine can’t make enough to compensate your side of the family.” Sua’s laugh hid a flicker of pain. “Let's just get a caterer, at least we can pretend we are sophisticated.”
“We are sophisticated, love. How many others can say they have a beautiful wytch on their side to protect them?”
“What, pray tell, would I be protecting you from?” She smacked his arm. Daigua flooded her fiancés lungs and she lunged for him. The room took on an iridescent glow and both of us froze. He emerged from the shadows, needing a closer look at the colors coming from Skye.
“Sua, look out.” Skye was only able to rasp, coughing up water, the light flowing from his skin. Was he not human? Or did Sua cast some kind of spell on
him?
“Skye…” Sua looked him over with caution. No, it was not her. If the council were to be wrong and word got out things would go badly and chaos would ensue. He could not allow such a thing to happen.
Fine, they would go out like her parents. Daigua gathered all of his energy. This technique was so dangerous very few water caelestes could manage to learn it, let alone be able to withstand the damage it did to one’s own body. Her attention had left him completely and he found himself disappointed. He frowned and released a calming breath. He found the tides of energy in their bodies and pulled them into his own. Sua stopped moving. Her hair lit on fire as she realized what was happening. I pulled on their energy, their life force, the very water in their veins until I was so consumed by them the room couldn’t stay steady. He grounded himself and pushed the excess energy into the earth, pushed the dizzy from his mind. Skye’s life snuffed out after the first wave but Sua was fighting. He pulled on her again and the energy changed from a scorching heat to a cold he’d never witnessed a fire wielder attain. Her eyes met his and the amber gold she shared with her father was replaced by a gold laced lilac. The change in power was too late and he again pushed the excess energy into the ground.
Daigua’s task was done.