Chapter 4
The evening meal was more like a party than anything else, very festive and boisterous. Everyone talked and laughed all at once. Some played music, some sang, and others danced. It seemed, when they were not working, they loved to gather and celebrate. I had a wonderful time talking to and meeting all of them. They were kind and friendly, but very secretive and protective of their world. When I tried to question further about who they were and their society, they became evasive. From what little I could gather, they had a strong sense of responsibility to their people and others that lived here. When I asked if there were other races that resides here beside them, they smiled and said that if there were any, they would introduce themselves to me eventually. They lavished themselves with fine, intricately designed clothing. And adorned themselves with ornaments on their hair and body. Each item was unique, colorful, radiant and ornate. I saw a couple of scouts who came back to the campsite, quickly went to their cort and changed into what I could only describe as their “decorative wear.”
They had a Lord who was responsible for all of the Elvainians and who happened to be Shuron’s father. There was a group of elders, in which five of them represented each clan. And, my guess was that the five that I had meet earlier, were them. The other elders were like our historians, authors, and reporters. There were three visors and each had one or two apprentices. They were called visors because they had the gift to see visions. Each clan had a leader who was in charge of them, and Shuron was the leader of their clan, the AulTar. And the rest were healers and scouts—mostly scouts. The healers were like our doctors and nurses and they too had apprentices. The scout's responsibilities were different depending on their gifts, strengths and magic level. They were the most complicated to describe. In general, they did whatever the other groups didn't do. For example, some were hunters or guards and some were like our police and detectives. Most were assistants who helped anyone that was in need of their service.
They had a home where all the clans lived together. Since each clan was responsible for a certain area of their world, they were often away at their campsite for weeks or months. What they did while they were away from home was never revealed to me. All of them, with the exception of the leader and elder, who were assigned to a clan, could move from one clan's campsite to the other depending on where he or she was needed. It was fascinating to learn as much as I did about them and I was sorry that I had to leave the next day. I had only scratched the surface of who they were and what their society was like.
“Is the evening meal always like this?” I asked when Von was taking me back to my cort.
“Sometimes it is calmer and other times it is livelier than this. I hope you enjoyed yourself.”
“Yes, I had a wonderful time. It's beautiful here. It is hard to believe that something like this exists.”
“Does that mean you believe us now?”
“I am getting there.”
“Good. I am glad. I hoped that you would like it here.”
“I do. It reminds me of camping. My uncle and I would go a couple of times a year. It is more fun than going on an excavation.”
“Excavation?”
“I am minoring in archaeology and I went on a dig once as part of a class assignment.”
“Is that what your responsibility is, to go on excavations?”
“No, I am just minoring in archaeology. My major is anthropology. What do you do around here?”
“I am a scout. I protect our campsite. Sometimes I go lend a hand if anyone needs help while we are around this area.”
“Does your clan move around a lot?”
“We have a place that we call home, but yes we do move around when we are needed.”
“And, you are here because of me.”
“Yes.”
“I wish I wasn't here.”
“I am glad you are. If you were not, I would never have met you.”
I smiled up at him. “Well, meeting you is the only bright side. But, why couldn't it be under a different circumstance? I do't want this.” Meaning the magic that I was responsible for. “If I could, I would give it all up,” I said as I looked at the crystal.
“Cass, I know you did not choose this. Sometimes life brings you something unexpected. You may not like it, but fate is blind. It is we who determines if it will be will be good or bad. It is all about perception.” He watched as I held up the crystal. “This power you have may be a gift or a curse. You are the only one who is able choose which one it will be.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“I was not trying to. I know it is hard to comprehend, let alone try to will yourself into accept something you do not want.”
“What would you do if you were me?”
“Probably the same thing.” He smiled. “But, I have to remember that I am not alone in this world. Whatever I choose, it will affect others. It would be selfish of me if I only thought of what I want.”
I sighed. “This is very complicated. I am scared Von. I am really scared.”
“I know. Just remember, I will be here to protect you.”
I smiled. “My very own Lancelot.” I took a big breath and let it out slowly. “I have a lot to think about. I still don't know if all this is real or some kind of a joke.”
“Maybe once you have accepted that this is real, it will be easier to accept the responsibility of your magic.”
“I guess...”
I was turning to go when he took hold of my hand. “I promise you as long as I am around, I will be here to help you. You will not go through this alone.”
“Thank you,” I said before leaning over and kissing him on the lips. I was shocked. I didn't know what came over me. He stopped me when I was about to move away. Slowly, he bent down, giving me enough time to pull away, if I wanted to, and touched his lips to mine. When I opened my mouth slightly, Von deepen the kiss. My hands slowly slid up to his chest then wrapped around his neck. He made a sound as he moved me closer to him.
It felt good to be in his arms, to be kissed. The warmth of his body and the strength that radiated from him, made me feel safe and at peace. It would be nice, I thought, to stay with him like this, in his arms. It had been a long time since I let someone this close to me and I relished this moment in his arms. Then, an image of Mirra appeared in my mind. Crap! I quickly pulled away from him.
“I am sorry. I didn't mean to kiss you. It was just—”
“No apologies, Cass. I am glad,” he said and smiled at me. “I have been wanting to kiss you since we met this morning.” Then he frowned at me with uncertainty. “Do you regret it?”
“What about Mirra?”
He looked confused for a moment then smiled. “She is like a sister to me. We have known each other since we were kids.”
“Well, in that case, I don't regret it.”
He cupped my face with his hand and just looked at me. “You do not know how relieved that makes me feel.” He kissed me again, this time lightly on the lips, then gathered me into his arms. After a while, he reluctantly let go. “I will let you rest.”
I could not stop myself from grinning as I watched him leave. Some believe in love at first sight. I didn't. At least I thought I didn't. But as I watched him walk away, he made a believer out of me. How in such a short time could this happen? I could probably list thousands of reasons to dispute a such notion, but I didn't want to. I didn't want to think logically or take it slow. I wanted to dive in and enjoy the moment. The sun was just starting to set, the day had not ended yet and I had found love. Call me crazy. Crazy to want to be with a man that I had only known for just one day.