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When Abul's class finally ended for the morning, Janus got up and stood at the window. Outside, the clouds drifted lazily by, as they had for centuries. Sunlight-smooth and fluffy, they rolled by, pushed about by sky winds. Tasia was protected from the winds and weather by simple but durable magic wards, only needing renewal once a year. Abul gathered his lecture notes and left the classroom. Janus stood still for a few minutes, trying to see beyond the clouds, as if something was hiding behind them. Then, his stomach growled at him, as it was lunchtime, so he turned and strode out. Down the white hall he walked, bare feet making no noise. Sunlight rolled in through the front door, propped open to let the air circulate. Outside, on the steps, the sun caressed his cheeks, welcoming him back into the open air. A few steps down, the large stone inscribed with the Pact sat. Janus paused to read the carved script. "We, the enlightened people of the mighty skycities, in our benevolence and wisdom, accord the lands below to our distant cousins, the tribal savages that roam and hunt. Though they have made a terrible mistake in choosing to deny the gift of magic, we respect their right to exist. They once were our equals, and we must strive to remember that in our dealings with them. It is imperative that we do not teach them the secrets of magic, for they, in a moment of foolishness, denounced it forever. We are superior, but we must treat them with respect." The words, which once simply didn't make sense, now seemed more important, more unpleasant. Something in the back of Janus's mind, something about what Rayne had said, grew slightly larger and heavier. Janus turned and walked down the steps, homeward. Throughout the lower plaza, the sounds of children playing rang off every wall. Arriving down the walk, Elix was once again on hand to greet him, only she seemed even more excited than usual. Again, she charged at him and hugged him at full speed, but he was paying attention this time. As soon as she grabbed onto him, she let go and was jumping around her beloved brother. "Elix, what's gotten into you?" "Phasia's sick, so there's no magic class today!" "So you want me to play with you, right?" With an enthusiastic "Yup!" the girl hugged Janus again, holding on tightly. "Janus, Elix! Lunch is ready!" Their mother called out from the doorway of the house. Janus made his way slowly to the house, as he had to drag Elix along with him. She squealed in delight. "Now, be good, Elix. Janus, I want you both back in time for dinner. Understand?" "Yes." "And, Elix, no fighting with Davon." Davon was a boy in Elix's class. The two were often inseparable, either playing or fighting. "Okay, mom!" The two siblings left the house and headed through the lower plaza to the woods. Elix jumped and skipped along the stone path. Janus walked briskly behind. Children were at play in the plaza, and several different games of ball were going. Sprint Ball, the most complicated, involved running to several different bases before the opposing team could touch you with the ball. When adults weren't looking, the rules did not require the opposing team to be touching the ball to tag. The pair continued on, past the edge of the stone plaza, onto the path into the forest. The woods were noticeably cooler, the trees giving shade along the path. Elix leapt into the air with joy when she heard the singing of the brook that ran across the path, and ran ahead. Janus followed behind, the energy sapped out of him. He was tired, as he had been up far too late last night. When Janus got to the small wooden bridge over the water, Elix was waiting for him. She was sitting on the bridge, splashing water around with her feet. Janus sat down on a nice flat piece of ground near the path. His little sister kicked water at a sparrow in a tree. He grinned wearily. "I'm going to take a nap, Elix. I'm tired." "Okay!" The girl watched and felt the water run between her toes. "Don't go very far from here, okay?" "I won't!" Janus lay down on his back, and looked up for a moment. Above, the trees loomed over him, white fir, white cedar, grey spruce, and southern pine. A breeze rolled by and played with his hair. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. Elix looked around. In the distance, at the end of the path, clouds were visible. The girl got up and dashed down the path, towards the other side of the island. At the edge of the woods, she could see the rolling fields, a crazy patchwork quilt of vegetables growing. Along the edges of the fields, a sharp red line ran, right next to the edge of the island itself. Beyond, blue sky and clouds hung forever. At the very far end, a ramshackle building sat alone in the middle of a field of stumpy green vegetables. Curiosity propelled the girl across the field, towards the edge. She'd never seen over the edge before, and a glimpse of the world below was a treasured thing to the kids in her class. Suddenly, she found herself with her bare foot on the red line. Paces away, the end of the world awaited. It was supposedly beautiful. But very dangerous. The curiosity was almost irresistible. Nobody was around to catch her if she fell. Caution won, and she ran back to where her brother was sleeping. She curled up beside him, resting against his side. Under gentle green, they slept. Janus woke up first. The sun was noticeably lower in the sky, but it was sometime late in the afternoon. Above him, on a branch full of grey spruce needles, a raven sat, watching him. He nodded and waved to the raven, who replied with a curt bow, and then gently woke up his little sister, who was still slumbering peacefully next to him. Soon, the two were back on their feet again. As they were about to leave to continue through to the other side of the forest, Janus turned to Elix. "Be polite and say hello to Cade." "Where?" Janus pointed at the raven, still in the grey spruce tree. The raven was Cade's pet, the only raven on the island. Through difficult magic, Cade had imbued the raven with the ability to allow the old sage to see through his eyes. The raven itself was also named Cade, as a bit of a joke, and possessed a higher degree of intelligence than other birds. How this came to be was unknown. "Hello, Cade!" The raven bowed. Turning, they left for the far side of the woods, along the dirt path. The raven took to the air. "Janus, I wanna see over the edge!" The two children were in the grassy field on the far side of the woods. Nearby, the edge of Tasia defined solid ground and open air. A length back, the red line ran across the ground. The boundary. "No, it's too dangerous. You know that." "But I wanna see over the edge! Just once! Please?" Janus looked at his sister. Well, as long as they were careful, it probably wouldn't hurt to allow it just this once. It was a long time since Janus had seen over the edge himself, and it was such a fascinating view that he wanted to see it again. "Okay, just this once. And don't tell mom." "Yay!" Elix jumped so high that the purple crystal on her neck caught her on the nose. "Now, I want you to hang onto me at all times, okay? I don't want you to fall." The two gingerly stepped over the red boundary line as if it was hazardous, and approached the edge. They got onto their hands and knees, Elix holding onto Janus's sleeve, and crawled over to the edge. "Wooooooooow!" Elix exclaimed. Below, a sea of clouds drifted over fields of green and blue. The afternoon sun shone on mountains clothed in virgin forest, and danced with sinewy rivers winding their way through the plains. The ocean, a vast blue blanket of water speckled with great waves, stretched out below them. The siblings were in awe. Even on Tasia, no sight rivalled the beauty of the earth below. Elix leaned over for a better look, the ground beneath her hand crumbled, and she found herself falling into space. Her grip on Janus's sleeve was short-lived. It pulled him flat onto the ground, and then her fingers let go. Janus found himself reaching out and down at the same time, grasping for his sister as he grasped at energy to bring her back. Familiar energy coursed through his bones as he felt his hands reach out, farther and farther down, after Elix. He grabbed her, and arrested her fall, but the energy could not hold her for long. The crystal on her neck glowed a bright blue, and swung wildly in the light. Estralite! Janus reached through the crystal, and suddenly, a shock ran through him, the energy multiplying in strength inside. Never before had he felt this much energy at once, as four pairs of hands reached down and lifted his sister up. Closer, closer, and into his arms, she was lifted. With no effort at all, he lifted her back onto the island, and placed her a half-length back. The glow of her crystal dissipated, and Janus felt the strength leave his arms. The two sat there for a moment in shock. Then, the shock wore off, and Elix howled. When the two finally calmed down, they very quickly moved away from the edge. "Elix, we won't tell mom about this, right?" The girl's tear-streaked face nodded. Together, the two walked home, through the woods. A raven took to the wing and flew towards the upper plaza. |
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Spirits of Blue and all characters contained within are © 2002, Simon Knowles. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Email me if you want to reproduce this somewhere for any reason. It's mine, mine, all mine! |