On my third day, a wiry, tall man strode into the infirmary. I watched as he marched around to all of the beds, the healers scattering when he came near. He didn't look impressive, with his thin hair and frail figure, but according to what Kat whispered in my ear, he was a seer. A distant descendant of the people who had founded this mystical place. As he came closer to my bed, I saw that his eyes were like two blue-grey lakes, lakes of wisdom and trusting. Lakes filled with the murky waters of knowledge. Lakes you could drown in.
The leader—Hadwyn—was almost cheerful, like he had seen many of the cruelties that life had offered and sought to bring the opposite to his keep.
He was also as straightforward as a pair of parallel lines, almost reminiscent of Father. "Chandani, is it?" He asked out of the blue as he crouched beside me. There were crow's feet around his eyes, like he smiled a lot. I nodded quickly in confirmation. "You must be here for a reason. Which Gift is it, that you wish to conceal from the demons?"
During my time here, I'd learnt that other gods, less commonly worshiped than the Elementals, did bless humans from time to time. Just like Kat. And Hadwyn himself, who had been presented with the Gift of foresight by Rosyna, the goddess of destiny.
I wondered if anyone had ever been blessed by Varyx. If anyone in Kirasea possessed his dark power. I almost shuddered at the thought.
"Fire. And Earth." I found no reason to shirk from the truth, shirk from this clever-eyed man who held himself like a king.
His eyes darkened. "Show me," he demanded.
I felt stronger now, more controlled over my own self. I held out a hand, and with concentration, a plume of earth and flame shot from my palm. I stifled the magic quickly before my body gave out.
Hadwyn's grey eyes flickered back and forth from me to my hand. "It can't be," he murmured. "You must be a Merikhyn."
Without thinking, I blurted, "Is it something to do with the prophecy?" I immediately flushed red, embarrassed. But he asked, "What prophecy?"
"Oh. It's just something my mother said once, but she was in like a sort of trance. I—I don't know. It's probably nothing."
"I'd hear it."
"Alright then." I cleared my throat. As quickly as I could without sounding flustered, I recited,
"They enter on the day of light
They are four, they are forever.
They will lead the front lines to fight,
Elemental is the price."
"Also, what's a Merikhyn?"
Hadwyn sighed, his face suddenly drawn. "The Merikhai are a group of families, in which every generation has been blessed with just one Element. Sometimes, just like you, they have different Gifts intertwined with them, which are slightly weaker. Earth is not in your blood, Chandani. But Fire is. Does your mother not have Fire magic too?"
I swayed with the realisation.
You are born of two great bloodlines.
"Yes," I whispered, lips wobbling.
"Your grandmother?"
Who had been turned into a demon, and not survived as I had.
Not that grandma.
"My maternal grandmother died before I was born."
"But surely you must know that Fire has not been seen for over almost four centuries. The only possible way, for both you and your mother to have been blessed…is if you were a Merikhyn family. You must train, hard, as long as you live here, because the Gift that runs along bloodlines is never able to be purged, and its strength is akin to no other."
So the fire that I had… it was not a mere Gift, a rare occurrence in itself. It was something infinitely more precious, this thing that truly ran through families. With a jolt, the memory of his warmth rushed back to me. Even if he had a Gift of Fire as I did, I would never have known. I'd always known it wasn't me who killed him. Who was crazy enough to seek to eradicate the Merikhai? Or maybe that wasn't the question. Who had the power to wipe out the strongest families of mortals in the world?
"If you had died that day, if Broden hadn't heard you screaming…" he shook his head, looking for all the world like an exasperated teacher. "You are beyond lucky he has good hearing. We do not know what would happen if the Merikhai's bloodline died out." I didn't know who Broden was, but I was thankful. I realised I had no idea who'd brought me in.
"So…there are four Merikhai? One for each Elemental?"
"Yes." A curt nod. I couldn't get a read on Hadwyn. He seemed so stoic and devoid of emotion when he talked, downright bubbly otherwise.
Four Merikhai…for each element. Even water—Aquanaya had lied. But perhaps they had always been loyal to her, had stayed by her side always…she had mentioned a child of the water. I thought she might be referring to a descendant of one of the Children of the Water who had remained loyal to her after the others of their kind cast her aside. Or maybe this was just another game of hers. I hoped not. For the sake of the world she had dreamed of.
The gods do everything for a reason.
"There is a training centre around the corner. Go there every day and learn to control your magic. Because it is vital, Chandani. Perhaps for the fate of Kirasea."
Hadwyn turned and stood up. He whispered something in Kat's ear, and they nodded, shooting a sympathetic glance my way. Hadwyn left without another word.
Aquanaya had said as much. About the fate of Kirasea resting in my brown hands.
-----
Kat told me about the Ytgeas during the days I couldn't do anything more than sit in the bed and nurse my aching body. They hadn't mentioned Hadwyn's visit, or what he'd said to them as he departed.
"There are gyms where you can train to become stronger—in body, or—" they tapped their chest, "—in soul. You know, many of the ladies were never trained to survive in such harsh conditions before being turned out of their homes for the magic in their blood." My blood sizzled in my veins at that. Being a Chieftess had advantages and disadvantages—and one of the downsides was that I could see exactly how terribly some tribes treated their women. Little more than objects, eye candy and breeding tools.
Unthinkable horrors had befallen them, too, and not because of demons.
"I have a feeling you know how to survive well enough. But magic is different. It's all about balance. You'll want to learn how to keep it." I nodded. How many times had I wished I had someone to teach me how not to blow the whole world up with my power?
Kat's voice dropped. "Some of the women never get over what they went through. There are many options, if you don't feel up to training just yet." They nodded. "Just take your time, yeah, okay? You're safe here. You have all the time you need. We are all—" they gestured to the bustling infirmary around us. From a bed on the opposite wall, a girl with faded green hair gave me the thumbs up. "—welcome here."
I could learn to love this place. Learn to love the people within it.
I still had so many questions.
Where had Mama gone and would I ever see her again.
How long do I live here and when could I go back home.
What or who had Aquanaya been talking about.
What it meant that I was a Merikhyn.
It would take time to answer those questions. But I had time, didn't I? For once, I had all the time I needed.
We are all welcome here.
You are safe.
You are welcome.
You are home.
-----
My life changed forever from that day onwards. But maybe it was in a good way.
Maybe I saw what I wanted to see. But the truth was, there was more that people saw than a perfect world. They saw their future, their hopes, their dreams. They saw their life laid out in front of them, a row of mountains stretching into the distance until they crested one mountain and there was nothing but clouds waiting for them. They went on until they reached their final mountain.
I had climbed my mountain. But it was not my last one, not by far. And so I would keep walking.
I saw what I wanted to see. And more.