— Mistress Rosaria Omaqirelle, “Purity in Blood: A Manifesto on Elven Culture,” page 72
Emily awoke in a quiet room.
Morning sunlight spilled in from the window to the right of her bed. It had been left cracked open to keep the room cool. A gentle breeze ruffled the velvet curtains, carrying with it the sweet fragrance of dew-kissed grass. Emily lay in bed for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. She shifted slightly, feeling the silk sheets rub against her as she melted against the soft bed. A smile crept across her face, and she giggled to herself.
Emily could hardly believe she had her own room, her own bed, a dresser, a desk, her own little space. After sleeping on concrete for half a year, it was a major improvement. The couch had been nice, but every morning she woke up feeling like she was nothing more than a guest, someone Mina invited to live on the couch until she was back on her feet. But now she felt more complete, like she belonged here.
Emily sat up, flinching as the pain in her arm ripped her back to reality. She groaned, massaging it. They were nearly healed, leaving only faint scars in their final stages of healing. Still, they stung like they were fresh. If she had known the magic coursing through her could heal her this quickly, then she would have tried a lot harder to find food.
She sniffled, then wrinkled her nose. The smell of ‘breakfast’ seeped into the room. Judging by the smell, it was eggs… only if they were on fire.
Emily dressed and grabbed the beastiary on her bedside table. “Morning!” she said, coming downstairs.
Mina looked over at her and nodded. Like every morning, she stood over the stove with black wisps of smoke rising from her pan. “How’s your arm feeling?”
“Better. Just a little sore. Anyways, I was reading the humanoid beastiary last night as you told me to, and… well, this page.” Emily flipped the book open to a bookmark and showed her. It was an entry on Vael’thaenss. As far as Emily had known, Vael’thaenss were merely a name for people born of different races.
Mina’s expression slowly molded to one of disdain. She grumbled as she returned to her cooking. “Ignore this entry.”
“I didn’t think Vael’thaens were considered monsters.”
“To some, they can be, but there’s nothing monstrous about them. They’re no different than you or me.”
“I’ve never understood why people are against them.”
“It’s… hard to explain. Elves are a prideful people, Emily. Their connection to magic, their immortality, it’s all tied to their bloodlines. To them, blood is everything. When elves have children with humans or dwarves, they see it as tainting that purity. And they don’t take kindly to what they call… dilution.”
Emily frowned, glancing back at the book. “Dilution? That sounds… awful.”
“That’s putting it mildly. They believe that Vael’thaens lack the grace and sophistication of elves, and most importantly, the power that comes with a pure bloodline. To a lot of older elven lineages, the Vael’thaenss are a reminder of weakness. They think they were a mistake that should never have happened.”
Emily closed the book. “I didn’t know it was that bad.”
Mina turned to face her. “It is. The dwarves and elves have been at odds for centuries. Dwarves mine the earth, tear it apart to build their machines, while elves believe in harmony with nature. It’s like oil and water, and someone born a Vael’thaens? They’re stuck in the middle of that. Never quite fitting into either mold.” Mina paused for a long moment. “Did you know Violet is Vael’thaens?”
Emily pursed her lips. “I’ve heard, yeah.”
“From?”
“Lux and her friends.”
Mina grumbled again. She dumped the burnt eggs onto a plate and gestured for Emily to take them. “What else have they said?”
“That she’s a bit weird, but that’s all.”
Mina fell silent. “She’s not weird. Families like Lux’s see her and think she’s just another rowdy dwarf with no respect for tradition. They don’t see the elven grace in her, only what they want to see. I’d prefer if you kept away from them.”
“But… Lux is my friend.”
“Then maybe you can change her mind. She and her friends. They’ve ostracised Violet for years, but Violet’s stronger than she looks. She’s made peace with the fact that people will never accept her fully. The question is, can you?”
Emily straightened up. “Of course I can.”
“Good. Then you’re already doing better than most. Now eat.”
Emily quietly nodded and sat with her breakfast. She needed to stop mentioning them to Mina. Each time she did, she could feel the resentment radiating from her like the warmth from a campfire. “So, what are we doing today?” she asked, changing the subject. “Shooting practice? Magic?”
“Resting.”
“Still?”
“Give your body another day to rest. Practicing magic now will only strain it. You should take the time to study.”
Emily looked back at her plate, dissatisfied.
“Your body is delegating its magic and energy to healing you. We don’t need to put any strain on it until it’s done. The sooner you’re better, the sooner we can get back to work. So, for today, rest. Study. Make good use of your time.”
Emily simply nodded and ate her breakfast. If she was going to spend the day studying, she wasn’t going to do it inside. For as much as she liked her new room, she would still rather spend the day outdoors. When she finished eating, she stepped out into the sunlight and stretched. The day was calm, without any clouds to mask the sky. She sat on the old swing outside the kitchen window and rocked in it for a while. She kicked her legs and let gravity carry her through the cool early morning air. It was mornings like this that she missed the most. Between the havoc and chaos that had been her life in the last few years, these moments were far and few between. Though she wanted to study the beastiary, Emily wanted to enjoy the moment more.
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As the swing slowed, something caught Emily’s eye. Sitting under another tree at the bottom of the hill was Violet. Her purple cloak was wrapped around her like a blanket, and only traces of her equally purple hair spilled out from beneath her hood. In the last few weeks, Violet appeared around the village like a phantom. She was always reading a book; Under a tree, atop the roof of the forge, against the directions sign on the main road, and even near the edge of the forest. She was always alone, if Emily didn’t count the various kinds of dolls that always accompanied her. Hardly anyone who passed her even batted an eye at her presence, like she were a phantom.
Vael’thaens. Halfbreed, Emily thought. Maybe that was why she was always alone. Emily looked down at the beastiary in her lap, then back to Violet. She wasn’t completely sure what compelled her to hop off the swing, but she hadn’t stopped herself either. Emily approached Violet apprehensively, glancing down at the doll accompanying her. It was wooden and loose, held together with fastened wire as joints. It lacked facial features, wore a sewn gown, and had long, fringy golden yarn for hair.
“Hey,” Emily said.
Violet’s head turned. Her face was half-hidden, like always, beneath a purple mask. Her eyes weren’t dead like Ophelia had said. They were wide and wondrous, almost shimmering despite there being no direct light to reflect in them. It was hypnotizing, and Emily was getting sucked into her penetrating gaze.
“How uh… how are you doing?”
Violet simply nodded, then pointed to Emily, and made a series of rapid gestures with her hands before pointing back to Mina’s house.
Emily stared blankly at her. Could she not speak at all? What was she supposed to do then? Violet clearly wasn’t deaf, and Emily didn’t know sign language, so how was she supposed to understand her? Emily forced a smile and chuckled awkwardly. “I uh… what?”
Violet rolled her eyes and snapped her book shut with a heavy thump. It was thicker than Emily had thought. Violet traced the shape of a house with her fingers, then pressed her hands together and rested against them like a pillow.
“Oh! Do I live there?”
Violet shook her head and pointed to Emily again, smiling slightly.
Emily thought for a moment, then opened her mouth. “Oh… how have I been doing? With resting and everything?”
Violet finally nodded.
“Oh… uh, good. I’m feeling better. Mostly.”
Emily went quiet, staring awkwardly at her. It was hard enough trying to talk with someone who didn’t speak normally, but the lack of expression didn’t help either. She was supposed to be her future magic teacher? How was she supposed to learn anything if she couldn’t understand her? She couldn’t just walk away now, though, could she? It would be rude.
“So… what are you reading?” Emily asked in hopes of somehow starting up a conversation.
Violet held up the book with both hands and showed Emily.
“Dancing with the Dead”
“Oh. Sounds like an interesting story.”
Violet nodded a bit faster. She then pointed to Emily’s book.
“This is just a beastiary Mina wants me to study. Probably not as interesting as your book.”
Violet’s eyes danced between the books. She patted the ground beside her, moving her doll aside to make room. Was she serious? She wanted her to join her. For what? Reading? Emily was reluctant at first, but sat beside her anyway. She winced as she leaned against the tree. Her back wasn’t as healed as she thought.
Violet handed Emily her book, taking the beastiary in return. It was thick and heavy. Emily could probably kill someone with it if she threw it hard enough. She sat quietly beside Violet, flipping it over and casually skimming the pages. What else was she to do? That’s what Violet wanted, wasn’t it? Exchange books?
Violet opened the beastiary to the bookmarked page.
Emily cringed and tried to take the book back. “You don’t have to—”
Violet’s grip was as sturdy as stone., Emily couldn’t get the book to budge one bit. Her expression remained stoic as she turned the page. Emily relaxed a little. Of all the pages she had to open, it had to be that one. Did it offend her? Emily couldn’t tell. Half of Violet’s face was hidden, and Emily was sure she hadn’t moved a single facial muscle in all the time she had been talking to her.
For a while, all Violet did was sit in silence and look through the beastiary. Emily wasn’t sure how to get out of the interaction. All she had wanted was to get to know her, but it would be harder than she thought. So far, all Emily could accumulate was that she liked to read and never spoke. Emily looked back at her. “Sooooo… Mina mentioned you were preparing lessons for me? You’re going to teach me how to better control telekinesis?”
Violet peered over at her and set the beastiary aside. She unfurled her purple cloak, and a notebook levitated off her belt. It floated beside Violet, hovering just beside her head. A pen flew out from beneath her sleeve and zipped through the air like a hummingbird.
Emily stared in awe.
Violet nodded. The pen scribbled in the notebook. ‘I am a practitioner in sorcery, yes. She came to me asking for aid in her efforts to prepare you. I have indeed been preparing lessons for you.’
“You could have been using this to communicate the whole time?”
‘I tend not to. Only to ask questions I cannot physically explain. I wanted to say that I think what you’re reading is quite interesting, and I would very much like to borrow one of these books sometime.’
“Oh. Thanks? They’re not mine, they’re actually Mina’s.
‘You are Mina’s apprentice. I am not. She has been reluctant to lend me these texts, but perhaps you may be more lenient.’
Emily smirked. “You want me to steal from my master, from you?”
‘Not steal. Just borrow.’
“Well, seeing as you’re also going to be my master, I’ll see what I can do.”
‘It is strange to call me such a thing when I am only a year older than you.’
“Well, you’re better at it than me.”
‘Not for long.’
“You got that much faith in me?”
She nodded. ‘I hear you have been doing well already. How has it been? Your apprenticeship.’
Emily was taken aback. Violet sounded a lot more proper than she had expected. “Oh. Its been… fun, to say the least.” Emily rubbed at her arm.
‘I also heard you suffered a few injuries.’
She scoffed, then chuckled. “Oh, really? What gave it away?”
Violet suddenly took Emily’s hand and pulled it closer. She stared intently at her open palm, tracing her finger along the faint ceramic cracks in her skin.
‘These are fascinating scars. Are these the ones you received the other day?’
“N-No, they’re just scars. No big deal.” Emily’s heart was racing, though she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because Violet was the only person aside from Mina to notice them. Emily reeled her hand back once Violet let go of it.
‘They are the result of your condition, are they not? You do not know how to properly mitigate the magic that flows through you.’
“You know what I am?”
She nodded. ‘You’ve been studying—’ The pen ran out of room. The notebook flipped to a new page, and the pen continued. ‘—pyrokinesis, if I’ve seen correctly.’
Emily narrowed her eyes, letting a smirk pull at her cheek. “If you’ve seen correctly? Have you been spying on me?”
Violet’s face turned a shade of red, though her expression refused to change. ‘I have merely observed.’
Emily giggled. “Mhm. I’ll have you know that I’m skilled in telekinesis, too. Mina wants me to focus on mastering my control over fire, though, like that’ll happen any time soon.”
Violet gestured for Emily to demonstrate.
“Right now?”
Violet nodded and gestured again.
Emily moved a short distance from the tree, not wanting to burn it down. She hesitated at first, but managed to summon a fireball in her palm. Emily smirked, feeling a tinge of pain radiate through her body. She quickly dispelled it, letting the magic resume its work in healing her.
Violet applauded; Emily was pretty sure that was the first sound she had made. ‘Your form could use some work, but I think that was quite impressive.’
Emily gave a playful bow, again wincing. “Thank you, thank you. It isn’t much, but I’m getting there.”
“I thought it was impressive,” said a familiar voice: Lux. She was walking over, an apple in hand. She took a bite out of it and narrowed her eyes at Violet. “She bothering you?” she asked Emily.
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