"I wasn't able to detect either of them. They were completely hidden from my senses."
That put Silas on immediate alert. But he didn't have the wits to come up with another alternative. So, he decided to let Rekka take the lead. The two girls, one tall and regal, the other short and bubbly, led Saya and Silas through tall, strange-looking grass as the oasis came into view.
The oasis looked like a veritable paradise. Silas could hear the sound of rushing water from a great deal away, and could even sense the moisture in the air, but seeing the waterfall up close was truly majestic. A torrent of fresh water tumbled down the tan, sunbaked cliff face. It was like a giant king's feast – but as water. There was no doubt that they would have an unlimited supply of fresh water to drink and bathe in. The foam was the purest white, unadulterated by pollution, untouched by society. The beautiful falls were framed with exotic vegetation, giant and broad leaves reaching out to grasp a taste of the succulent waters.
Numerous crowns of leaves of towering palms gave plentiful shade. Blooming bushes of light green and burgundy accompanied low-lying plants with colorful flowers by Silas' feet. Fuzzy grass crawled over the soaring boulder-filled hilltops that hugged the sides of the sheer cliffs. It looked like the hair of a balding green giant. At the base of the waterfall, the plunge pool, time, wind, and water combined had eroded the ground behind it, creating a drafty but safe and shady cave system behind the waterfall, which acted as a natural curtain. A small pond rippled as the waterfall dumped its contents into it, framed by a rocky shoreline that faded into sandy pebbles. The grass around it reached over as if trying to bend down for a drink, but instead, they were blasted with the full force of the sun, leaving them light and faded. This grass gave way to a massive stone slab near the edge of the pond, with ancient cracks running through its smooth and stratified surface. On this stone slab sat four other figures – the other four members of this mysterious "group".
"We've found them!" Macy hollered cheerfully, and they quickly turned and rose from their seats with a youthful grace. The sun was in Silas' eyes, so he couldn't see them clearly until they came closer. As they did, he took in the appearances of four very distinct individuals.
One of them stuck out like a sore thumb. She was a tall - almost unnaturally tall – girl who stood well over anyone else in the group. Silas himself only went up to her shoulders. That being said, she was neither muscular nor skinny, and moved with a powerful but slender fluidity. Her hair was black with a definite purple tinge to it that the sun brought out in full. It was long and flowed easily in the wind. Despite being so tall, she wasn't intimidating in the slightest. She drew Silas to her with a presence that reminded him of a warm fireplace. She introduced herself as Julia von Markov, No. 6. When she did, she put an enormous and callused hand on both Saya and his shoulders and told them both she would protect them. Her smile was warm and welcoming, and her eyes were pure and innocent. Saya beamed at her.
The next one to introduce himself gave the exact opposite air. The wind streaked around his face like the claws of a ferocious beast. His spiky ghost white hair swung around his face like little white whips, sudden and unpredictable. He wore a scowl on his face and in his eyes. His eyes were red, just like everybody else's, but where Julia's was like a blooming rose, this young man's eyes reminded Silas of the inside of a monster's mouth. Even his stance was predatory, both offensive and defensive at the same time. He was just a little taller than Silas, with a slender and light frame. He moved with a brisk brevity, each leg and arm snapping to attention and moving like poorly oiled machinery. His name was Axel Ford, No. 8.
A black-haired girl of moderate height introduced herself to Saya and Silas with a nonchalant wave of her hand. Her hair was brushed over one side, so only one eye was visible. It was red, like the rest, but reminded Silas of tomatoes. Then she opened her mouth and introduced herself as Jasper Greene, No. 5, and Silas realized he was looking at a male. His voice was scratchy and young, almost like a preteen boy's. It was low for a girl, but still passable. His eyelashes were long, and he wore earrings on his ears. He put a hand on his hip and leaned to one side with a smirk on his face.
"Yes, I am a guy and my name is Jasper," he said with a satisfied smile, drinking in Silas and Saya's dubious reactions. "Get used to it."
There was only one person left to introduce themselves, and it was a petite young girl with lavender hair. Each strand was pale and wispy, and definitely not natural. She stood off to the side, never looking at anyone in the eye, and it was only when she had no other choice but to speak that she did. Her name was Evelynn Violet, No. 7. Her coat that seemed a few sizes too big for her swished around heavily in the wind, hiding the frail body underneath it. Inside, Silas caught flashes of metal. He realized that the inside of Evelynn's jacket was chock-full of small weapons. He saw a dagger that looked sharp enough to kill instantly. He shuddered.
All of them were young, about the same age, with red eyes and tattoos on their thighs. To further grasp their commonalities Rekka the ordered them all to sit in a circle on the rock. She told them to go around and explain what kind of magical powers they had, if any.
"For example," she said. "I have control over fire. I can produce it easily, and I can also control what catches fire and what doesn't."
Silas might have imagined it, but he thought for a second Rekka's eyes were glowing as she stuck out a palm. Small, dancing flames appeared on the rock surface, which shouldn't have been flammable. The flames stayed in a very distinct circle, never reaching out of it.
"This has its uses. I'll cook everything we find, and it also has offensive properties we can use to defend against ferals. I can also cause a conflagration without endangering the surrounding environment. If you're in a bush, I can set you on fire and leave the bush unharmed. On the contrary, I can set the bush on fire and leave you perfectly fine."
Impressive, Silas thought. To be able to master such a dangerous thing like fire in such a short time, and be utterly confident in your skills – Rekka was not someone to be trifled with. It was clear she wouldn't hesitate to do just that.
Macy said that she could wield electrical powers. She could also manipulate magnetism and draw small metal objects to her at close range. Electrical pulses came out of her hands, but only her hands, so she needed to touch things in order to transmit them.
Both Jasper and Julia said that they had no idea what their powers were, or if they even had any. Silas secretly hoped that they were powerless and useless so that he wouldn't be the weakest link of the group.
Axel said that he could use air magic. He could lift objects, including himself, but only relatively light objects and only one at a time. He planned to hone his skills so that he could make himself jump farther or higher.
Evelynn stayed silent, but after some prompting (surprisingly gentle) from Axel, she said that she was an expert at using various types of weapons, then lifted her jacket to reveal a vast array of sharp blades. She could amplify her strikes so that her weapons were especially lethal. Silas made a mental note to stay far away from her.
As for Silas, he told the group that he was able to lift very small portions of earth with earth magic. He wasn't sure what else he was able to do and would need time to experiment before finding the full length of his powers. Hopefully he ended up being just as magically gifted as Rekka, with complete control and precision.
Rekka suggested that they put their powers into practice by building a campfire and cooking the meat that Saya had caught. Both Macy and Saya were nimble and agile enough, and they had good enough senses to track and hunt prey. They would be the hunters of the group, Rekka ordered, taking up the leadership role naturally. Silas unearthed piles of twigs from underneath the foliage, while Axel practiced carrying larger logs with his magic, floating them back towards the waterfall. Jasper and Julia borrowed blades from Evelynn (much to her chagrin) and the three worked together to skin the racawn Saya had caught. Macy took strong, vine-like leaves from an oddly shaped plant Silas did not recognize and used it to tie several twigs together to make a spit. Lastly, Rekka set fire to the twigs and controlled the flame until it was satisfactory. Each of the eight members sat in pairs on one of the four logs Axel had placed in square formation on top of the rock. Silas plopped down on one, exhausted from using so much magic in such a short period of time. Saya sat next to him.
Silas noticed how Saya was pressing into him, leaning on him as if he was a sturdy rock. Her clothes had mostly dried off, but Silas still felt uncomfortable as his eyes lay on the disgusting splotches of mud staining Saya's sleeves. Saya's shoulders were slumped and her eyes were droopy. She glaced around furtively. Each of the other six members were locked deep in conversation with each other. None of them were paying any attention to them.
"I sense a dangerous presence here," Saya whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "I can't tell who, but one person here is hiding something."