"Let him up!" she screamed. "Stop it! He can't breathe!"
The boy plunged once again into the water, replacing the nearby screams with the sloshing. He struggled to break free of the grip holding him under. He flailed as hard as he could but the bigger, older boy proved to be too strong. He began to panic, taking a small amount of water into his lungs. It caused him to cough, making matters even worse.
He reached his hands back and began clawing at the older boy's exposed stomach. His fingernails dug into the skin and he tore across it. His hand moved slower underwater than he had anticipated, but it still had enough force to rip at the other boy's bare skin.
The grip on him loosened and the smaller boy pushed his way back to the water's surface. He gasped for air and choked on the water he had swallowed at the same time. When he overcame most of his coughing fit, the younger boy stood hunched over the waist-deep water. He looked at his attacker with a sideways glare.
The older boy's mouth was open wide in amazement. "Well, he does still have some Elf in him after all. Let's see how much."
The older boy stood in front of Lolan half-submerged in the river water. His shirt was off and his dark brown hair was slicked back from his previous swim. His pointed ears stood like daggers on the sides of his head as he raised his hands.
"No! Don't!" screamed the girl. "Lolan, look out!"
Lolan knew what the older boy was doing. He had seen it done many times before by other Elves.
"Only an Elf could dodge this," said the older boy with a maniacal grin. His arms raised to the sky and then he began to spin them around each other like he was shaping a large invisible mound of clay above his head. But there was no clay, just the darkening sky directly above him. The boy threw his arms down and with a bright flash Lolan's body began to seize with pain. His muscles tensed, then spasmed for what felt like an eternity.
He tried to break free of the current, but it was no use. His body stopped doing what he told it to do, and he began to splash in the water as his uncontrollable body jerked and flailed.
Then, all at once, the pain stopped and he looked at the older boy who had a stream of lightning still surging from his hands. He could still feel the electricity running through him, but it didn't hurt. It felt controlled—directed even. He looked down at his hand and saw his sister's hand holding his. The yellow energy rippled and arced around their hands, across her body, and off of her opposite hand where it dissipated into the sky above them. A moment later, the sensation stopped altogether.
"Aww, come on Ashlynn. You're no fun," said the older boy looking at the girl. "I was just messing with him. He's gotta pick a side sooner or later, right?"
"He's your cousin, Brendell. Leave him alone," said Ashlynn, panting. Lolan assumed it was from the electrical energy she just redirected. Her long brown hair was still tied with a small lock of hair running along each side of her head and combining with the rest in a braid at the back. She had a kind face, with sad eyes and sharp ears that matched Brendell's.
"He's a half breed," said Brendell. "He needs someone to beat the Human out of him. It's a disgrace. "
Lolan began to back up, wading to the river's shore. Ashlynn let him go first and then followed, protecting him from any more attacks.
"You can't baby him forever. He needs to learn to stand up for himself," Brendell yelled after them. "Whatever," he said after not receiving a response. Brendell dove back into the water and then began wading over to the waterfall, upstream from the previous confrontation.
"Are you okay?" asked Ashlynn as they reached the shore.
Lolan was still attempting to clear his throat of misplaced water, but he managed to say, "I'll be fine."
"I'm sorry he's like that. I don't know what his problem is with you."
Lolan laid back on the riverbank. He looked up at the tall trees surrounding him. It was a beautiful day.
"Why do you protect me?" Lolan asked. "He's right. I'm just a half-breed."
Ashlynn scoffed and gave a confused look. "You're family," she said.
"Not to him. Not to your parents either. I'm just a burden."
"They're your parents too," said Ashlynn. "And they do love you, they're just not great at showing it. They took you in after all."
"Because they made a promise to my real parents. The ones who got killed for hav—"
"Stop it," said Ashlynn, cutting Lolan off. She took a deep breath, looked off at the water, and said, "They still love you. I think taking you in just added more complications than they were expecting."
Lolan looked out at the waterfall feeding the river. Brendell had climbed up and now stood atop the 30-foot cliff. "Woooh!" he yelled as he jumped off and disappeared into the water below.
Lolan looked at Ashlynn. "You are the only family I have."
Ashlynn didn't respond.
"The great storm mages are coming to Nimbus, Lolan. I bet you wish you weren't such a freak so you could go see them, huh?" said Brendell. He sat across the table stuffing his face with venison that Lolan had brought home earlier that day, ungrateful.
"Brendell, be nice to you're brother," said Uncle Tranall.
"He's not my brother," said Brendell.
Tranall gave him a knowing looking. "Be nice." He then looked at Lolan. "And you should stop idolizing those storm mages. Nothing good will come of it."
Lolan was unphased by the attack. It was true. He was a freak. He had no place he belonged. Yet the storm mages had always intrigued him. And he wasn't going to let Brendell's mocking stop him.
Who's was Tarnall to tell him not to dream anyway? Not only was he so passive that it allowed or maybe even encouraged Brendell's bullying, but now he was going to speak up on the one thing Lolan cared about? The one thing that allowed him to dream? He doesn't get a say. It's too late for that, thought Lolan.
"When are they coming?" Lolan asked despite knowing that it would just give Brendell more fuel.
Brendell laughed at him. "Who cares. You can't go anyway."
Lolan slumped at the response. He knew this game all too well. Lolan had stopped playing a long time ago, but this was too important. "Please, Brendell," he said. "Just tell me when."
"What do I get out of it?" asked Brendell, arrogant in his power of over Lolan.
Lolan thought about it. What did he have left of any value? His bow wouldn't be something Brendell would want, and he had very few possessions aside from a few books, mostly about the great storm mages. What else was there?
"Give me the necklace," said Brendell with his head bent down. He stared Lolan in the eyes waiting for a response. There was no smile on his face, but Lolan knew that Brendall was savoring every moment of this.
"Brendell. You can't. Just tell him when it is. It's all he has left of them," said Ashlynn, finally chiming in after swallowing a bite of her own food. Worry showed in the wrinkles on her forehead.
Lolan looked down at the chain that hung from his neck. The medallion was tucked into his shirt where it wouldn't be seen. He pulled out and looked at it. A golden stylized phoenix sat inside of the circle with its long flowing tail of fire wrapping around beside it.
It was true. It was all he had left of them. It was his only external reminder of what he was, aside from his own body, of course.
He had never known them. Maybe it was time he let go. Maybe it was time he tried to embrace the Elves and find his place among them. Why had his mother ever stooped so low to be with a Human anyway? They're pigs. Dishonorable slobs. Maybe, if he just gave that side of him up, he could be an Elf.
He pulled the necklace off and handed it to Brendell.
"Lolan. What are you doing?" asked Ashlynn, amazed.
"I need to know," said Lolan.
Uncle Tarnall sat quietly reading a book at the far end of the table as he ate. Lolan was used to his disinterest with how the children interacted. "As long as there's no blood, it's probably good for you,' Tarnall would say, but he didn't need to today. Lolan and the others all knew he had no interest in this, and Aunt Camille was off at the market.
Brendell laughed his torturous laugh and said, "This stupid necklace is better off destroyed anyway. Why did we let him keep a Human medallion for so long."
"You can change your mind, Lolan," said Ashlynn. "You don't need to do this."
"I've made up my mind. When are they coming?" said Lolan, staring straight at Brendell.
Brendell chuckled. "I wouldn't give it back anyway. It's mine now." He put the necklace around his neck and then shook with disgust as he pulled it back off. "It even feels gross."
"When are they coming?" asked Lolan, still with his eyes unwavering, staring at Brendell.
"Calm down. I'll tell you. I said I would," said Brendell, ending the statement with a devious smile. "They'll be here in four days. They're going to do some skirmishes in the Hall of Storms." Brendell paused, then added, "But you still can't go."
Lolan stood from the table and walked to his bedroom without a word.
"Come on. Don't pout," Brendell teased as he walked away.
Lolan grabbed his favorite book, titled The Great Storms and opened to a well-worn page. An illustration of Wikith Cresall fighting hordes of enemies. He wore yellow robes covered in metal plates. A solid sheet of sculpted metal covered his face, and a medallion of three clouds around an eye hung from his neck.
It was hard to tell who the enemies were, but Lolan always told himself they were Beastfolk or something like that. He read about the exploits of Wikith: the battles he'd won, the clever solutions he had found to insurmountable forces surrounding him and his men. Lolan read for hours until night fell and sleep overtook him. And in his sleep, he dreamed of knowing his own place, as well as Wikith Cresall knew his. Maybe he'd even get one of those cloud medallions to replace the one he'd given up.
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