Nu paced anxiously outside the Healer's simple tent, wringing her hands. Inside, the Healer was taking a look at Mama, with Papa helping steady her breathing using his Air affinity. Everyone was able to help, except Nu.
"Try not to worry," Mag said, putting a hand on Nu's shoulder to try and stop the pacing. "She's being well taken care of."
Nu brushed her friend's hand away and wiped the tears from her face. "I just..."
"You wish you could help, I get it."
Nu smiled at Mag, thankful. She always just understood.
An older woman approached the pair, her concern obvious on her weathered face. "Nu, my dear, what are you doing home? Why weren't you at class?"
"I'm sorry, Granna," Nu replied, "but Mama..."
She trailed off, unable to express her fears, and Granna looked back and forth between the two girls.
"Len collapsed at Pip's house," Mag explained. "The Chieftan and Do are looking at her now."
"Ah," Granna said, "I see..."
With an exaggerated groan, Granna sat down on the hard ground, waving for the girls to join her. "Well, while we're waiting, how about I weave a tale for you?"
Nu looked uncomfortable, but Mag sat down in front of the older woman right away, tugging on Nu's sleeve. "Come on, Nu. No point in standing here worried."
Nu looked back at the entryway as if expecting her father to open it any second, but there was only the fresh breeze blowing through the curtain and the constant fear that something was wrong.
Mag tugged again on her best friend's sleeve, trying to drag her down. "Come on! I never get to see stories like this anymore."
Granna smiled at her. "You're my granddaughter's best friend, Mag. Anytime you want a story, just ask and I'd be more than happy to oblige."
"Come on!" Mag continued her insistent tugging, and Nu caved. She sat down cross-legged beside her friend and looked at Granna expectantly.
"Many eons ago," the old woman began, "during the Old Age, the elements looked at humankind struggling to survive and approached them."
As Granna spoke, she waved her hands and the air in front of her shimmered. Inside the shimmer, Nu could see images of primitive humans - their ancient forefathers - walking. Many of the figures stumbled and fell, and the rest ignored them and continued walking aimlessly.
"Earth was the first. She came shrouded in the form of a squirrel and showed us how to bury seeds, how to reap and sow crops." As Granna spoke, the shimmer in the air illustrated. A tiny brown squirrel approached the shadowy humans and offered them a seed. "She showed us how to track and properly slaughter animals so that their spirits return to the sky happy." The image changed to a group of Earth Hunters in ritual, and Nu and Mag watched in awe as the spirit of the deer they had killed lifted into the sky and sped off towards the stars.
"Water came next," she continued, as her storytelling visions showed a long eel swirling in a pool of water, "and he showed us how to use the healing power of water, and how to draw water from the sky itself."
"Then Fire?" Mag asked grinning, and Granna nodded.
"Then Fire. She showed herself as a snake and showed us how to tame the wildness of flames and use it for ourselves." The image shimmered and showed the two enraptured girls a brightly coloured snake, flames licking out from its mouth.
"Cool..." Mag uttered, and Nu gave a slight smile at her friend's childish enthusiasm.
"Lastly, Air appeared as an owl and showed us that all the elements lived in harmony with each other. He taught us how to assist the other elements using the power Air wielded, and taught us to ensure the balance and synergy of the Elements at all times."
Granna's illusions changed to show the four elemental signs, the birthmarks the village was marked with. "Every child is born blessed by one of the four elements, and with their blessing comes the chance to control that element to better our life here in the village."
It was a good story, one that has been told hundreds of times over the course of Nu's life, but one that nevertheless she could not stand to hear. She gingerly touched her birthmark that she hated so much.
"Ah, cheer up!" The spitfire joked, bumping up against Nu playfully. "Just because you're not one of those elements doesn't mean you don't have some cool powers all to yourself!"
"I don't-" Nu argued, but Mag continued.
"Uncle Ten couldn't summon or control Fire until he was 18, remember? Sometimes it just takes a while to manifest."
At least Ten knew what element he is, Nu thought to herself. She smiled at Mag instead. After all, she was just trying to help alleviate some of Nu's fears. "Thank you, Mag."
Granna was strangely silent through their conversation, her normally smiling face creased with worry as she watched them. Suddenly she stood up, quite quickly despite her age. "Mag, it's getting late. You'd best be getting home."
"But I want to stay," the blond girl started to argue, but Granna shushed her.
"Your parents will be worried sick about you. We'll come find you if there's any changes."
Mag looked at Nu, asking her opinion. Nu nodded, hurt that Granna seemed to want her friend gone during this difficult time, but glad that Mag had silently offered to rebel for Nu's benefit. Nu loved that about her, how strong-willed she could be. When Mag put her mind to something, she would see it through. It was a trait many called stubbornness, but Nu called it tenacity. She admired Mag so much for having this ferocity, but she always felt so weak and helpless in her presence.
Mag stood up, smiling at Nu. "Okay, but you come find me if you need me," she said, giving Nu a hug and waving goodbye. "Thanks for the story, Granna."
"You're welcome, dear," Granna said, waving goodbye to the young Fire elementalist as she walked away. Once Mag was out of earshot, she turned back around to Nu with furrowed brows. "Nu, you and I need to have a talk."
"About what?" Nu shrunk back, worried she had said something wrong.
Granna opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly the curtain flung aside and a tall man stepped out, his gaunt face looking more sad than usual. "Oro, I thought I heard you out here. Can you come inside?"
Granna waved dismissively. "I'm speaking to my granddaughter. Besides, Abe is there to help you, is he not?"
"He is, but..."
"But what?" Nu asked, stepping forward.
The man swallowed hard, and Granna's face fell.
"What's going on?" Nu asked, although she feared she already knew the answer. "Mama?"
Abe stepped out from behind the curtain as well, his face ashen and his eyes red. The healer waved over several Earth-Hunters, who were cleaning their kills around the Communal Flame.
"Mama?" Nu asked again more frantically as the men disappeared inside the house. Granna's arms tightened around her shoulders from behind, trying to give her some form of comfort.
"No! Mama!" Nu struggled against her grandmother's deceptively strong arms as the two Hunters carried her mother away.
"Nu," Granna grabbed her tightly in a hug, "she's gone, Nu. She's gone."
"No!" Nu screamed, breaking free and making a dash towards her Mama's side.
Her father intercepted her, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. "Nu, stop it! She's gone! There's nothing we can do!"
Papa's tone made her stop, watching tears roll down his normally stoic face. He grabbed Nu tightly into a hug. "She's gone..."
"I couldn't help her..." Nu let her tears soak into Papa's tunic. "I couldn't save her..."
Granna came over and joined them in the hug. "She lived a long life for a Prodigy. I'm sure she had no regrets."
"But I..." Nu couldn't finish her sentence, her words drowning in tears. If I had healing gifts like she did, I could have helped.
"I should have helped her..." Nu cried as her father held her tighter, and she knew her life was never going to be the same.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
