“No, no... I don’t want fake powers. I… just want answers to my questions without being treated like a child.”
“Well you are a child-”
“I’m sixteen!” I corrected hotly- like a child. “In two years I’ll….”
“Run the Kingdom?”
I clasped my hands together. He knew I didn’t want to rule one of the only ones, though I wasn’t exactly hiding it. I had my own dreams- my own wants. Like traveling with the Scholars. Exploring this wide wonderous world of ours.
I shook my head. “Regardless, I can’t rule when anytime I bring up my thoughts on testing me she changes the topic or refuses to answer. I know I’ve been categorized as a Shell but… I don’t feel like that’s right… now more then ever.”
“You know you’re questioning Travis saying things like that.” Hermes whispered like someone could hear us.
Questioning the leading most sought after mind in all of Elementaya, thinking that he was lying about my powers or that he had been wrong when he said I was a Shell.
“And?” I pressed.
“Nothing, I understand your feelings on this Maki, your drive to figure everything out but…”
“But?”
“I don’t know.”
“So you won’t help?”
He pushed up his glasses grinning. “Never said that. Just because Travis is the greatest mind doesn’t mean he can’t be wrong.” He rubbed his hands together. “You want to do this now?”
“I was thinking that would work. I don’t know when I’ll get this chance again, that and you're the only one that I can trust to not tell mother.”
He nodded. “True but… Maki there might’ve been a reason you weren’t told. Are you still sure?”
“I’ll deal with the consequences.”
“Do you have it with you? The book I mean.” Handing it to him he went to my bookmarked page quickly reading it. “Hmm sounds easy enough and these little notes you made… smart really smart.”
He rolled the top of his robes down so the sleeves rested around his waist and I got to see a rare sight. Hermes’s gemstones. They circled around his throat like some exotic jewelry traveling down his arms in two rows ending on the back of his hands and exactly like Travis Hermes had crystals- not as many sure but they were still vivid in their brilliance. Clear green crystals with a slight turquoise swirl in its depths. The small crystals dipping down his collarbone disappearing into his low hanging shirt.
I wonder if he'd grow more crystals, it was rare but not unheard of.
“Alright,” He said, bringing me back. “remove your crown and anything you think could hinder this.”
Doing as Hermes said he stood in front of me. I looked up noticing that he had a sad-lost looking smile wiping the heat from my face instantly. Did he feel bad about going behind his Travis’s- his adopted fathers back? Was I doing it again? Being the spoiled brat Prince by asking him to do this? Ignoring his feelings- warnings?
I went to ask him but he stopped me, placing his hand heavily on my shoulders.
“Ready?” I nodded. “Let’s do this.”
Fearing I’d break his concentration if I spoke, I sat rigged holding my tongue and watched. After a moment of silence Hermes lifted his head and I clamped my mouth firmly shut on a gasp.
His hazel eyes were now a piercing green with golden flecks swirling within his gaze, his hands grew warm. Checking I stared as the crystals and gems came to life as they too started glowing. The warmth from his hands grew and began to burn.
Flinching I bit back a cry. Was this supposed to hurt? The burn traveled down my arms spreading through my chest like fire. With a shout the feeling rushed up my neck and straight to my head. Oh Spirits! It was hurting.
“Maki,” Hermes gritted out. “calm down or this won’t work.”
“H-hurts!” I hissed.
He gasped his hands, gripping my shoulders tighter. “Bare with it I almost have the connection.”
Heeding his warning I tried to calm down and not focus on the painful warmth filling my body, struggling to not make this anymore uncomfortable for him.
The theory I found in Travis’s book said that a Wielder- a person born with an element- could sense another's power by sending out a bit of their own. Travis wrote that by doing that Wielders could sense if Shells were as powerless as they seemed, claiming that Shells were indeed a part of the Element system of our world. Sadly Travis wasn’t allowed to conduct any trials to prove his claims, so what we were doing was dangerous and untested. But I trusted Hermes.
The pain began to dull with the thought bringing instead feelings of safety and understanding- everything that made up who Hermes was as a person. It reminded me of the first time we met, two boys that didn’t fit in with others our age- me because of my lack of powers and my status and Hermes who was raised by the Scholars and didn’t understand being a kid. We met during a meeting between my father and Travis and immediately we hit it off, filling the missing pieces the other lacked. For me it was the feeling of having someone there for me that didn’t treat me like a Prince or a powerless burden but an equal- a friend.
I smiled at the memory, everything would be just fine. My body sagged forward, my eyes falling closed.
----
“Maki? Maki open your eyes! Come on don’t do this to me!” Hermes' voice called from a distance. “Open your eyes you freaking- oh! That should-”
Suddenly something foul was shoved under my nose. I jumped eyes snapping open, my body instantly regretting the motion.
I felt terrible, my head was pounding, my skin felt stretched yet tight and there was an annoying ringing in my ears. Blinking I focused on Hermes kneeling in front of me.
His eyes were drooped with fatigue, a bit of gold still glittered in his now hazel depth, his gemstones and crystals no longer glowed.
Sighing in relief he capped the odd vile thing that woke me.
“Are you okay?” I asked when he leaned against my leg, bringing a dull ache to the spot.
He nodded. “I’ll be fine just wasn’t expecting any of that. Maybe that was why the theory wasn’t approved.”
“What?”
He sat up gripping my hand tightly. “For whatever that was. I don’t know what just happened but something overloaded our connection.”
“What does that mean?”
“No idea.” Hermes stood staggering to his feet and fell into his bed with an irritated sigh. “That was more then I was expecting.” He mumbled into his sheets. “I didn’t feel anything but a void- wait I guess I did feel something then, huh. Anyway while you were panicking then that void feeling vanished to nothing, not even a living thing then boom! And the connection was lost just like that.” He rolled over onto his back looking at me. “I felt… just a pinch of Old World magic before it disappeared.” He tipped his head back staring at his ceiling. “Maki I think- no I’m sure you have some kind of something in you.”
He sat up crossing his arms and legs. “What I don’t get is why you can feel something there yet not tap into it? At what five or six, people gain access to their powers or at least start showing them. But what happens when you're told you don’t have any?” He gasped loudly. “Is that what Shells are? People wrongly told or people like you who are sealed or something…. Still why weren’t you told any of this? I mean you’re the Prince!”
I watched as he bounced his leg, his left hand twitching as he tried to stop himself from reaching for his notebook to take notes.
“It was like I met a wall.” He went on. “A mental wall perhaps? What type of Old World magic is it though? Maybe no… but it could… more test-” He reached into his sleeve pulling out his small notebook. “This is wonderful! A new discovery!” He rambled on to himself writing everything he said more or less to himself at this point.
I was glad he was so excited but once again none of my questions were answered.
He looked up, eyes bright. “This is exciting! Sorry but you could be the missing link to the age old question! This- this could be-” Hermes stopped abruptly and stood in front of me, blocking me from sight as his door opened unannounced.
An older man popped his head in and I squinted. I… didn’t know him. This man was the definition of plain and I didn’t mean to be rude but everything about him screamed I’m not important look past me. Plain short brown hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin but the only thing not plain about him was the green Scholar robes he wore. That didn’t make sense, he couldn’t be a student like Hermes?
The man looked at us, his blank face lacking all emotion. “Your Highness,” The man greeted. Hermes stepped fully in his line of sight, making the man return his gaze to Hermes, I could still see him a little past Hermes’s arm. “The other Scholars are done packing and ready to leave.”
“I’ll be right there.”
The man nodded not moving. “I could escort his Highness-”
“Nah it’s fine, I got him.” Hermes said quickly, cutting him off. “He’s seeing me before I go and the Queen’s expecting him right after.” Hermes said. Which he wasn’t wrong about.
The man suddenly showed an emotion of annoyance as he frowned and without a word left.
“Oh no you don’t!” Hermes lunged for the door throwing it open and looked out, he stood there a moment longer adding to this uncomfortable feeling. “He’s gone.” His hand began to shine a soft green. “I don’t sense him anywhere in the library either….”
“You don’t know him?” I wondered. “He was dressed in the student robes.”
“To my knowledge I’m the only student here.” He glared out into the twisting halls. “Do you know if your mother’s hiring new people?”
“She hasn’t done that since… father.” I stood. “Maybe Travis? Or maybe they’re a Scholar from one of the other Kingdoms?”
He frowned. “No, Travis hasn’t done that since the King.” He walked back in grabbing all his bags for his trip.
“Should we get Simon and Cast and tell them?”
“Maybe but it’s probably nothing.” But he didn’t look convinced. “Let’s go meet with them or you’ll be late for breakfast with your mother.”
Agreeing we left the dorms, immediately getting swallowed by the group of Scholars that were leaving as well. Though no matter how I searched these familiar faces I didn’t see that man’s.
At the library entrance Simon and Cast joined behind me and the crowd without a word, which relaxed me and I could tell Hermes too. After Hermes left I’d tell them.
We traveled with the Scholars all the way to the Eastern courtyard where they had their carts and wagons full of supplies waiting to be put in their designated carts.
Master Johansson- the one over seeing this excavation was talking about something with my mother.
She nodded at whatever they were talking about. She tucked her long charcoal black hair behind her pointed ears. Today she had her hair parted into six braids that were pulled into a much larger one that trailed down past her back. The early dawnlight caught her crown making it’s emerald gemstones gleam and sparkle as she moved, her jade green eyes were creased with her laugh lines as she spoke with the Knights and Scholars.
She smiled as she directed the Knights to bring out the Rotagolins. A round animal covered in tough, overlapping scales or as Hermes preferred to call them plates. These plates covered them all the way to their long flat tails, they had short stumpy limbs tipped with very long curved claws. Even though the Rotagolins looked threatening it was mostly for show from anything that would do them harm but mainly for rolling and digging around in the rock.
I watched as they were led to the specially made wagons. These wagons had a large bar in the front. The Rotagolin grabbed onto the bar and with a pat from their handler they wrapped themselves around the bar. It gave a test roll bringing the wagon forward a few feet before unwrapping itself still holding onto the bar. The Scholar gave a thumbs up.
Then the Knights came over riding on Bayberry Lophus. A beautiful reptilian quadruped that was as fast on land as they were agile running and jumping through the trees. Their long slim heads came to an end with a single horn that made a very deep sounding trumpet noise. Hermes could probably explain why they did that or I could just find a book on them.
Hermes patted my shoulder snapping me back from my thoughts. He offered an understanding smile.
“Sorry.”
He shook his head. “Nothing to apologize for just…” He stood to his full height looking around us. I knew he was still trying to find that stranger and he was reconsidering going.
I gripped the hand on my shoulder. “Go Hermes, I’ll still be here safe and sound when you come back.”
“But that guy and-” He whispered. “Whatevers up with your powers. I made a promise-”
Lifting our hands lightly punching him and with a sigh he did the same. “You can still keep your promise in ten months or however long and I’ll stay with Simon and Cast and I won’t be alone if that makes you feel better.”
“I could just stay. They’ll be other trips-”
“But none like this. Herminius your going to the Tea Leaf Jungle- your going out. Go make a name for yourself.”
He frowned looking torn. “Stay with Cast and Simon, and promise me you’ll talk to your mother about all of this. Alright?”
I glanced over to her then back to him with a nod. “I promise to try.”
“Good I couldn’t ask for more!” He pulled me forward into a tight Hermes size hug and when he hugged he hugged with his whole being. He lifted me from the ground swinging me back and forth, returning his hug only made him squeeze me tighter.
He put me back on my feet, ruffling my hair for good measure. “Take care, Maki.”
“You too,” He turned, waving over his shoulder. I called out when he was safely in the wagon with the others. “Bring me something back!”
He waved. “Of course! I’ll bring back the absolute best discovery to make me a Head Researcher!”
The other Scholars laughed but waved back to me and mother and the few others awake to see them off.
The six accompanying Knights mounted up and their commanding officer Sharlet Dew bowed to us and everyone headed out.
Mother and I watched till they were out of sight.
Tipping my head back I looked at the suns and moon, they were higher now. A quiet sigh escaped me as I watched, a loud bell sounded far in the distance signaling the true start of our Kingdom and the many many people that would be waking up soon.
Mother hummed softly before she broke the silence. “Morning.”
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