Disclaimer: Some characters copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi, Toei
Animation, and Kodansha. I'm still not idiot enough to claim them. Some
elements were taken from the game Lords Of Magic, copyright Sierra Games
and Impressions Studios.

Sorceress's Soul
Chronicled by Dro'gan, called NiteFlier

I have fled far. Farther than I thought I would be able to. Mayhap some
god *is* looking favorably upon me.

But that favor is sure to end, for my strength is failing. I have been
on the run for nigh two weeks, but have not slept for near three days,
always knowing that they are behind me, and coming closer.

As the golden light of dawn stretches from the east, I falter, but see a
line of trees on the horizon. If I can but make it there...

I reach the trees, and fall into a hollow formed of roots, and sleep.

                               * * * * *

I woke to the feeling of something poking me.

My eyes snapped open and I looked down to see a Brownie looking back up
at me. It pointed out of the haven I had made, and hopped out. I crawled
after it, and cautiously looked out.

The brownie that woke me was talking with another. Their chirps and
trills were unintelligible to my ears. The two creatures concluded their
conversation, and hopped back to me. They both started chittering at me,
but I still could not understand them.

But then I felt something to the east. I had practiced my skills of
magic, for with them I could see others of my Faith, and now I saw a
group of Life energy coming this way. With what little I had gained from
the scrolls I had read, I could discern little else. The two brownies
were now looked expectantly at me, as if waiting for me to make a
decision. I looked at them, and cautiously pointed towards the
approaching force. They immediately began jumping up and down, their
cries filling the air. From their tone, I could tell they were not
happy. I sighed in relief. They were not trying to make be go back.

I got up and started walking further into the forest, but the two
brownies quickly caught up to me and steered my course from Northwest,
to true West, a path that would take me parallel to the sea, far in the
distance.

I decided that I could trust these brownies for now, and followed them
deeper into the forest.

                               * * * * *

I am cold.

The wind howls around me on these icy peaks, and my clothes, long since
worn thing by travel and time, offer me no protection at all. It has
been nearly four months since I escaped the Temple, and was found by a
tribe of wild brownies. The brownies were not the tame scouts that the
Thieves Guild employed, but were wild, and mistrusted people of Life. I
believe that the only reason they helped me was because I was running
from others that shared my 'Faith'.

The tribe had 'borrowed' a few supplies for me, and then sent me on my
way again, clothed for travel and bearing food and a little coin, when
the searches for me died down enough to let me travel without being
caught.

But the searches were not completely dead. I still had a purpose, after
all.

There were a few more times that I was spotted and hunted, but those
have faded away, even as I began to climb in altitude.

That was two months ago.

>From the brownie enclave I went west, into the highest mountains in the
world, and hoped that I could find refuge among the people of Air.

But it seemed that it was not to be. This storm had descended upon me
almost five hours ago, and I had yet to find shelter. Not a cave, nor a
copes of trees, nor even a small nitch.

This mind numbing cold was strangling the senses, and it is all I can do
to keep one foot going in front of the other. I had realized that I
would probably die out here, alone and frozen, a corpse for someone to
find come spring, if spring ever did come to these high mounts.

The one thing that decried this, the spark that shouted 'I will not die!
was my desire for revenge against the Priestess that had taken my
innocence from me.

But as my mind faded into the cold, that spark was hidden under a
blanket of ice as I tripped on and unseen object under the snow, and
fell down and down and down. The last thing I felt was a dull pain from
my legs, as I heard a sickening crack.

                               * * * * *

I was mildly surprised when I awoke, that I was awake at all. I
immediately dismissed the idea that I was dead, for if I had been taken
to the Bright Lands, and the Meadows Beyond, then my legs and head would
not hurt so, and I doubted that the Under Darkness would provide me with
a bed this comfortable. I took stock of myself without moving, feeling
my arms and hands, legs and feet, torso and head. My upper extremities
seemed fine, with only my headache to prove differently. My legs,
however, felt broken, and I could feel the splints and bandages that
kept them straight.

That I had had enough of this internal cataloguing, and opened my eyes.
My first thought was that the ceiling was quite high. Sitting up, I
found that the bed I was in and indeed, everything in the room was of
similar giant proportions. I was quite obviously in the home of a Giant.

I recalled stories from my childhood at the Deindra mansion, and other
whispered tales passed among the Acolytes at the temple. Giants were
mean, Giants had fairy spies, Giants would steal you away at night, and
eat you up as a midnight snack.

I had never before believed any of those stories, but they came back to
me now, I quivered in fear, halfway praying that I could escape before
the Giant came to eat me, before more logical processes took over.

If this Giant who had found me had meant to eat me, then why was I in
his bed? Why had my wounds been cared for? These actions were not those
of someone looking for a 'Midnight snack'.

I sighed, and laid back down. There was nothing for me to do about it,
but to sleep and wonder.

                               * * * * *

I woke a second time to voices.

I could tell that they were trying to be quiet, but their whispering was
as loud as my normal speech. I could not understand the language, but I
identified two people. I wondered idly what they were saying, and
cracked my eyes to look at them.

They were both Giants, one standing eleven or twelve feet, and clothed
in robes, and the other standing perhaps thirteen or fourteen feet, and
clad in a simple jerkin and pants. The robed Giant had an air of magic
around him and carried a staff near as tall as himself. His magic was
different from what I was used to, not holding the vibrancy of energy,
but instead lending itself to the changing currents of the storms. The
taller Giant had more the look of a melee warrior, and I could well
imagine him wielding a sword as long as I was tall in his calloused
hands.

The robed Giant was gesturing at me, and his tone was as if he were
arguing with the other. The warrior Giant obviously was holding
steadfast to his position, and kept shaking his head at the robed Giants
words.

Finally the robed Giant looked like he gave up, and placed his hand to
his face. He turned to me again, and looked quite carefully at me. "So
you are awake, little Elf?"

The warrior Giant seemed startled, and looked from the shorter Giant to
me and back, then said something in their language. The robed Giant
replied, then turned to me again.

"You need not worry, little Elf. Talapin here has taken an interest in
you, and has contracted me to care for your wounds. You've done him a
great favor without knowing it, but I'm afraid he does not know your
language well enough to even thank you for it." Here he turned to the
other Giant and said something in their language. The warrior Giant,
Talapin, nodded to me, and placed his palm on his chest, and then
extended it to me. I was not sure what to do, so I copied his movements.
He seemed pleased by this, and brought over a chair so that he could sit
by the bed.

The robed Giant looked upon this and snorted softly. "Well, little Elf,
you have both acknowledged your debt to each other. My name is Mochal,
and I am a Storm Sorcerer. If you wish, I can teach you the language of
the Air and Winds."

I gave a small, uncertain smile. "I would like that, Mochal of the Air.
I am... I am..." I trailed off.

Talapin leaned over to me, concern on his face. I smiled at him and
pointed to myself. "Chrys." I told him.

His face scrunched up, "Karyis." He shook his head then gave a bellowing
laugh. "Krystal!" He looked expectantly at me, and pointed. "Krystal?"

I blinked. It was close enough to my nickname, yet quite different from
my birth name. I grinned at him. "Krystal." I then turned to Mochal, who
had watched the exchange expectantly. "I am Krystal."

The sorcerer nodded. "As is well. You have not yet been let on to the
reason for Talapin's mirth. You see, he was searching for you, going off
information given to him by the border patrol, who had last seen you
entering the blizzard before they were forced to retreat. Somehow you
fell into a cavern that he had not discovered before, and have made him
quite a wealthy man. That cavern contained the greatest vein of Crystal
I have seen in years. Talapin will be able to mine it for quite a great
sum of money. Your name sounded enough like what you brought him that it
is quite astonishing." He nodded once more. "But, it is time for me to
return to my own homestead, and gather the materials I need to begin
teaching you to speak like one of the Air." Mochal said a few words to
Talapin, and exited.

Talapin looked to me, and I held my hand out to him. He extended his own
and I laid my hand across his palm. He closed his hand around mine
gently, and I smiled at him.

I don't know if my plan to draw attention away from my sisters worked,
but I now know that if it didn't, I will someday be able to avenge them.

                               * * * * *

Mochal did indeed teach me how to speak the language of Air, and Talapin
doted on me while I rested in his bed while my legs healed. He would, of
course, spend some time away from me, for not only did he need his own
rest, but he had brought down other friends of his, who evaluated the
vein of Crystal that I had found for him. And indeed, as Mochal told me,
it made him quite rich, as I later found.

But that was later, and at the time I focused on learning to speak,
conversing with Talapin to expand my vocabulary, and healing.

Talapin had brought me my pack when I asked for it, and I retrieved the
scrolls I had stolen so long ago. I had read them over a few times in
the brownie enclave, and tried to learn the spells on them, but limited
my casting to when I was alone, with neither Mochal nor Talapin to
witness it.

Mochal, however, did find me out.

As a Storm Sorcerer, he could feel my untrained castings as far away as
his own home, ten leagues away. The first time I tried to practice
casting, he told me, was a near uncontrolled burst that he could not
tell the source. However, as I gained proficiency, he was able to locate
the cause quite quickly.

He was quite astonished that I was magically active, for even though he
had felt a strong aura of magic from me, he did not expect one so young
to be able to control magic so well.

When Talapin found out, he found himself in a quandary.

On one hand he was rather surprised that I could do magic, and demanded
to know why I hadn't merely told the blizzard to go away. Mochal then
informed him that even if I practiced the magic of Air, I was not at a
level that I could do such.

On the other hand, and after being reprimanded by Mochal, he was quite
pleased that I would not be defenseless if I were to be separated from
him. Mochal looked rather exasperated at this, for he knew that Talapin
had not realized that even if I knew some bit of magic I was not
powerful enough to even defend myself against one of the scouting
dragonflies. Talapin, upon being informed of this quite forcefully,
asked Mochal if he would teach me.

Mochal almost fell on his face at this.

It was at this point that I was entertained by Mochal *quite* forcefully
explaining to Talapin that if he were to teach me he would need the
permission of the Council of Sorcerers at the Tower of Air, and he
doubted very much that the Storm Giants that made up the Council would
let an Elf, no matter that I had been adopted by a Storm Warrior, learn
the Way of Air. He proceeded to tell Talapin that if he were to even
suggest such to the Council, he might be thrown out of the Tower, and
forbidden to practice the very magic that Talapin wished for me to
learn.

Talapin nodded at this, and then said that if Mochal wouldn't, he would.

At which point Mochal *did* fall face first to the floor, and when he
got up I could tell that he was barely restraining himself from beating
Talapin over the head with his staff.

Mochal did eventually pound it into Talapin's head that if anyone were
to go before the Council and ask, it would have to be me. Talapin just
blinked at this, told me to heal up quickly, and left to go back to his
new mine.

Mochal sat down in the chair that Talapin had vacated and put his face
in his hands, and started muttering about thick headed Giants and why
warriors should keep their noses out of Sorcerer business.

After he calmed down, I asked him why I needed to be trained at all, for
I could see that it would be a great hassle.

I was then treated to a lecture by Mochal about why someone who is
magically active, yet has no training, should at the least, be trained
enough to be safe.

It turned out, that someone as myself, who was able to access their own
reserve of magic, yet could not defend that source, could be quite
literally controlled by another who knew how, and had the magic to do
such.

I asked him if it would break the rules if he could teach me that
little, but after he had thought about it, he said that he did not know,
for a situation like mine had never occurred before.

By this time, my legs were whole enough that I could get around Talapin
s home with the aid of crutches, and I had a room of my own. Although
still large and holding a great chair, most of the furniture in it was
bought from Fairies, so it was of a comparable size to me. Mochal bade
me follow him to the courtyard before the entrance, and began casting
small spells, showing each of them to me slowly. I quickly caught on
that even if he was but 'practicing', he was performing each of them
slowly enough for me to memorize the gestures, incantations, and flow of
magic around him. After a bit, he stopped, and allowed me to take his
place. I worked my way through each spell, doing them each quite slowly
until I was sure I had gotten them down, but then I had an idea.

My magical reserves were running low, and I had no potions to restore
them, so I knew that I had perhaps one spell left, before I ran dry. I
called to mind the Lightning Ball, and the Storm Call spells. The first
had made a small, spherical ball of electricity, with far less power
than its namesake. The other was the opposite of what I had needed a few
weeks ago, and called down the clouds to an area.

I began weaving the Storm Call spell, but interlaced it with a bit of
the Lightning Ball spell. Mochal must have seen me do something odd, but
he restrained himself until he fully realized what I was doing. At that
point, however all that was left was for me to call:

"LIGHTNING!"

The explosion from the blast of light destroyed the stone pillar that we
had been using for a target. The last thing I remember before passing
out was Mochal rushing towards me as I fell.

                               * * * * *

"You don't understand! She did it on her own!"

I hear Mochal's voice yelling at someone, and I crack my eyes open as my
head begins to pound. Talapin is sitting in the chair beside the bed,
and he face is torn between overwhelming worry and overflowing pride.

"Waht?" I croak.

"Shhh." Talapin leans over me, and whispers. "You've got some talent,
Krystal! Mochal told me that you worked your way through to a spell that
he had not taught you yet! But..." he became even quieter. "You've also
got one of the High Sorcerers from the Tower here because of it. Talapin
s trying to worm responsibility off of both himself and you, but I don't
thing he's doing to well." He suddenly perked up. "Oh, yes. Mochal told
me to give this to you when you woke up." He reached up to the bedside
table and brought down a small bottle to me. I quietly drank the
contents and my pounding headache immediately started to fade.

"What, what did you say I did?" I asked him.

The Giant beamed at me. "Lightning. I've seen it before, and it's a
quite powerful spell. Mochal told me that he was astonished not only at
your creativity at working to such an advanced spell on your own, but
also that you didn't immediately kill yourself by draining all of your
energy. That's a mana potion, by the way. He said it would at least
bolster your reserves." We hear that the yelling from outside has
stopped.

I slide down off the bed, and take my crutches. Talapin and I walk out
to the receiving room, and enter.

Mochal is there, facing towards another Storm Sorcerer. This one is
older than him, with his grey beard reaching down to his belt, and his
clothes and staff more ornate than Mochal's. With him are four fairies,
the winged creatures just a bit smaller than myself. One of them bears
the mark of a Fairy Thief, and the others look to be his stoneslinger
escorts.

The old Sorcerer breaks off his speech as Talapin and I enter, and looks
at me carefully. He gives one glance back at Mochal. "A potion? That
concerned were you?" Before Mochal can respond, the Sorcerer focuses on
me. "So you are the little Elf that has caused so much ruckus. Come
here, girl." I look to Talapin, but his face is as a granite cliff, and
shows nothing. I look back to the Sorcerer, and hobble my way to him,
stopping just out of his reach. "Well then, Elf, what is your name?"

"I am Krystal, my lord." I tell him.

The Storm Sorcerer raises an eyebrow at this. "I would have expected
something a bit more... flowery from an Elf of the Plains."

"My lord, most ladies of nobility do have such names." I reply.

He nods then. "Well, that leaves out you going back. But if you would
tell me why you left?" He looks at me expectantly, but I solidly shake
my head in denial of his request. Mochal and two of the Fairy
stoneslingers gasped at this, but there was no reaction from the Storm
Sorcerer or Talapin. "As well. Do you know what you have done, Krystal?"

I shake my head again. "No, my lord, not besides attempting to learn
from examples, and letting imagination and creativity loose."

He raised his eyebrows again. "That, Krystal, is exactly it! Pardon for
a moment Sorcerer Mochal's actions. You, by merely watching Mochal work
his spells, were able to mimic them down to perfection! And what is
more! You went beyond that, and of your own, came to a spell that took
the Tower's best researchers *years* to discover!" he leaned towards me.
"Do you understand what this means? You, and Elf from the Plains, are
better at our own magic than we are! It is no wonder you have my
comrades in an uproar."

"My lord," I began. "Mochal was merely trying to teach me enough so that
I would not be vulnerable."

The old Sorcerer turned to Mochal, who looked quite nervous at this.
"Was that truly your intent, Sorcerer Mochal?"

"Ah, my lord... That is, I felt that it would be better if she deepened
her magical reserves before she, uh..." Mochal trailed off at the quiet
stare that the elder Sorcerer was giving him. "No, my lord." He sighed.

I blinked. What had been his purpose then?

The old Giant had turned back to me, and saw my confusion. "Lady
Krystal," I started at the title. "Mochal is of a group of Storm
Sorcerers that is trying to change the Council's current position on who
we teach the Way of Air to. Their most current thrust has been to allow
women to study the Way, but I had not expected that he would go so far
as to attempt to teach a woman who is not a Storm Giant." The elder
Sorcerer looked at Mochal's bowed head. "He is quite fortunate that I,
too, am a part of this group." Mochal's head snapped up and he stared
wide eyed at the Sorcerer. "Heh, it does me well, to see that I haven't
quite lost the touch. Now then," he turned back to me. "You know a
smattering of low level spells, and one mid level spell. Not quite
enough to force the Council into accepting you, I'm afraid." He laughed
again at the look on my face. "I see that you don't quite understand.
According to the ancient laws of the Tower, anyone, and I do mean
*anyone* who knows more than a certain amount of the Way *must* be
accepted into the Tower." He smiled at me then. "So, Krystal! Do you
feel up to learning another mid level spell or two?"

I solemnly nodded, then broke out into a grin. I was wanted once more!

                               * * * * *

That day old Cirrus taught me three mid level spells, and many more low
level ones. By the time I went to bed that night, my blood was singing
with magic from the mana potions that I had taken, but I could tell
quite easily that my reserve of magic had nearly doubled in size over
the course of a single day!

Lord Cirrus had also let me drink a single potion of heath, obtained at
quite high price from the Amazons of Water, yet this speeded my recovery
enough that by nightfall I could walk without crutches, and by morn I
was as healthy as I had ever been before.

Throughout the following week I worked with the spells I had been
taught, and came up with many more besides, yet Lord Cirrus also
requested that I tell him of these before I tried them out on my own. So
too, when I delved into my knowledge of Life magic, I found that my
creativity was working here, too.

I think I shocked Talapin out of a decade of life when he heard my voice
come from a sturdy, brown haired *Human*, instead of the frail looking,
golden haired Elf that I had been. He recovered quite quickly though,
when I dropped the illusion, then put it back. Lord Cirrus was surprised
as well, and nearly remanded me, when I reminded him that he had said I
was not to try any spells of the Way, and that he did not say anything
of the spells of Life.

The old Sorcerer chuckled then, and expanded his request. He also said
that it was probably for the better that I was 'Human' now, for the
Council would be more lenient to Humans than they would be to Elves.
When I asked about this he merely replied that even if Elves had more in
common with the Storm Giants, and indeed, worked hand in hand, there was
more contact with the Barbarians of Chaos to the north, and the Knights
of Order to the south than Elves of Life.

It was then that I learned that a millennia ago a cadre of Elven Riders
had taken up residence in the Land of Air, and their descendents were
now known as Windriders. This would be quite interesting, later on when
I first met them, for their traditions were like those I had known, yet
incorporated a great deal of the ways of the land they had settled.

But for now, it was time for me to finally meet the Council of
Sorcerers.

                               * * * * *

Lord Cirrus had been staying at Mochal's home, and that is where Talapin
and I went to meet them to begin the trek to the Capitol and the Tower
of Air. Talapin had given a great deal of coin to the Fairy Thief Miis,
to purchase appropriate traveling clothes for me, and had been pleased
that the Fairy had returned in three days with quite fine furs and a
cloak for me.

I was wondering at this, for had not Lord Cirrus, Miis, and the
Stoneslingers all arrived within a few hours?

Talapin told me that the Council was powerful enough to send one of
their members and his escorts to his far away homestead. Part of me
worried that the disturbance I caused was important enough to warrant
such speed, but when I posed the question to Lord Cirrus, he told me
that it was due to the Council not wanting to be forced into doing what
we were about to coerce them into.

I was rather pleased at that.

It took us five days to reach the Capitol, although Miis went to his
guild immediately, so as to procure more escorts. They arrived on the
second day of our journey, two more groups of stoneslingers and a great
eagle, that Lord Cirrus called down to his arm. I believe that the bird
conveyed some message to him, but what it was I knew not.

On the eve of the fourth day, we were joined by two groups of
Windriders, who told of the request by the master of their guild to
Talapin. Neither did I hear of this conversation, but the Windriders
attached themselves to Talapin as the stoneslingers had done for Lord
Cirrus.

Our formation now numbering three individuals, five groups of Fairy
stoneslingers and Windriders, and the eagle, who mostly flew the skies.

We arrived at the Capitol of Zefer without fanfare, and took lodging for
the night as the stoneslingers and Windriders left for their guilds, and
Lord Cirrus sent the Eagle ahead to convene the council on the morn. We
had passed by the Warriors Guild, and had seen some of the younger
Giants sparring with blunted swords. They had stopped and saluted
Talapin with a roar, which he had returned.

The next day we left Zefer and passed down the short road to the Tower
of Air.

It was a majestic structure made completely of ice, great spells and
magics keeping it from melting even with the blazing sun and ambient
temperature inside.

We three immediately went inside through the great doors, made of worked
metal. There were Sorcerer attendants waiting to take us to the Council
chambers, and we swiftly ascended.

                               * * * * *

"Lord Cirrus, please join us. Warrior Talapin, you may go now." The aged
Giant who sat in the middle of the Council nodded to each as he spoke.
He frowned when Talapin refused to move. "Warrior Talapin, you will
leave us."

"My lord," spoke Talapin, "I have right to be here."

One of the Council members off to the side snickered. "Warrior, you only
have right if she is your family. And I doubt that you married the girl!"

Talapin inclined his head to the unknown speaker. "My lord, this is not
the time for jesting. I have not taken her as a wife, but as my
daughter. The ceremony was witnessed by the Sorcerer Mochal, who is my
friend."

There was a moment of shocked silence from the Council. The chairman
squinted at Talapin and myself. "If such is so, we shall hear it from
him, but later! Time now to the matter at hand." The Council shifted for
a moment, then fell silent. "Now then, speak your name, girl."

"My name is Krystal, my lord." I told him.

The Sorcerer blinked. "Krystal, eh? Sandoval! You are recording this?"
the Council member to the far left started and began scribing on a sheet
of parchment. "Harrumph. Well then. Tell us about what the Sorcerer
Mochal taught... er, *showed* you."

I explained what had happened that day, and found that most of the
council members features were growing dark. Several of them, Sandoval,
Lord Cirrus, and surprisingly, the unnamed chairman watched me with
quite interesting expressions.

At the end of my tale, the same Council member who berated Talapin
jumped up. "I vote that we dismiss this matter and this girl
immediately! It has no bearing on the Tower or the Way!" Several of the
others with dark faces agreed with him.

However, the chairman hushed them, and proceeded to ask Lord Cirrus to
tell his version of events. After he was done, the same Sorcerer once
again jumped to his feet and demanded that not only the issue and myself
be thrown bodily out, but that Lord Cirrus had gone against the Way and
taught me when the rules stated that he should not have.

Lord Cirrus replied calmly, "Lord Erath, she had already jumped from two
low level spells to a higher one. In the course of my teaching, she
proposed six different spells to me, all but one of which I led her
through and showed her how we have preformed them. She has a grasp of
the Way of Air that I have not seen in all my time!"

Erath drew another breath to rebut this but was interrupted by the
chairman. "Lord Cirrus, you said that you led her through five spells,
yet you also said that she proposed six. What was that last?"

Silence reigned in the chamber while Lord Cirrus swallowed nervously.
"It... It is a spell of the Way..." he hesitated. "Yet it is one that I
have never come across in our books and researches."

For a moment, nothing stirred. Then the Council chamber was in an
uproar! Several different groups began arguing amongst themselves,
Sandoval was whipping his head around trying to catch what was being
said, the chairman was trying to call for order, but none listened.

I looked to Talapin, whose face was still serene. He gave a small smile
to me, then reached up to the amulet around his neck and whispered,
"calm."

Immediately a sense of complacency and docility came over me, and I
could see that the Storm Giants were being affected the same.

Finally there was silence again, and the chairman stood. "Thank you,
Warrior Talapin, for bringing order to the Council of Sorcerers. It
seems that we are in need of your aid even off of the battlefield." He
glared at a few of the Council members. "Be that as it may, I have made
the decision to accept the Lady Krystal into the Tower, dependent on her
approval of a Teacher that this Council will select." He stared down the
few Sorcerers who made noise at this. "Lady Krystal," he met my eyes. "I
formally welcome you to the Tower of Air, on behalf of all practitioners
of the Way of Air."

I smiled then, and bowed deep. "Thank you, my lord. I shall strive to
act as the Way decrees."

                               * * * * *

End part two.


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