Chapter 1
one
Drāhēn?
Before Recorded Time
“Hello sister.”
The words of Nuasis drift in on the breeze before she materializes on the small piece of land beside me, as I float along my waters, before I leave for others.
Nuasis is constantly sweeping across the land.
She never rests for long, feeling the need to carry her songs.
Her white hair frames her porcelain face.
She smiles down at me, her gaze meeting mine.
My eyes are as blue as my oceans, but hers are white as the clouds.
Her white gown grazes the top of her toes as she sits down, letting her feet dangle in the water in front of me.
“Nuasis,” I lean up from the water, letting my legs kick under me, the moss below tickling my toes. My dark blue strands that turn to silver stick to my back.
“Tiyo sent me to ask if you could go see Khaysus. His flames are getting out of control again, and if I go, I just fuel them. He’s refusing any toneo I dispatch, and I’m trying to keep Wodthos from being too upset; he always is when his earth is burned.”
Wodthos, her counterpart, is strong and steady, rarely leaving his territory. He loves the ground beneath his feet and the trees at his hands. Khaysus is the controller of flames and the one I was to be a helpmate to, and the only one to whom he will give audience too.
“Yes, I will … again. I have something I need to do there, anyway.”
The earth around us rumbles, and the fish below me scatter to hide in their watery beds. A powerful gust has Nuasis disappearing as I lean back, letting the water soothe me once more before taking a deep breath and going to find Khaysus.
I walk through the castle of orange stone, and the air is thick with the smell of burning sandalwood.
Khaysus has the largest home out of all of us.
While the rest of us are happy with humble dwellings, he created this monstrosity that is seen from all sides of Mohasha.
His castle sits in what used to be forest, but now is ash and his eternal flames.
Khaysus is never happy with the things he has, he always wants more, which is why he is now burning the outer edges of his territory.
“Khaysus! I know you are here!” I bellow, my feet sizzling as the flames lick at my soles.
“I’m always here for you, Drāhēn? — have you finally come to be with me?
” He comes from the right side of the hall that leads to his rooms, which he’s invited me to more than once.
His orange-red hair matches his beard, but it’s his eyes that will always call attention. The fire that dances behind them.
“No, I’ve come from Tiyo. You won’t give an audience to the toneos, so I’m here instead.” I let my annoyance show through my tone. “It’s time to stop burning into Wodthos’ territory.”
He laughs and runs his hand along his beard. “Why didn’t Tiyo come themself?” The flicker of fire at my feet grows as he walks toward me. His wicked smile forms on his face, one that I used to consider beautiful.
“I do not concern myself with what The Creator does. He gave us life, gave us everything we could need. Is that not enough for you?”
“It wasn’t enough for you.” He all but yells at me before his voice softens. “Tiyo gave me everything but you. You were to be my equal, and yet you are running off to create something new.” His finger glides down my shoulder, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake.
Flames rise higher, to my ankles, and I raise my hand, letting water fall, whipping out the fire. “Stop with the flames; they don’t scare me. What you create, I can extinguish.”
He leans in and whispers, “Just as I can reduce yours to mere vapor.” To prove his point, the water which pours from my hands sizzles and evaporates into the air.
Our eyes meet and I can feel the anger bubbling up inside me, coursing through my veins.
With a smug smile, he allows his hand to linger around my waist. My hand clenches into a tight fist, and a chill runs through my body.
I take a deep breath, inhaling the cool sensation of rage before finally letting it go.
The stone of his castle hisses as rain falls around us, a chilling testament to the power coursing through me.
A deep chuckle leaves him. He loves to make those around him give into their anger.
It’s a way of having them become more like him.
He bites his bottom lip. “I love when you let me in; imagine what we could be if you fully gave in to the way I can make you feel.” I hold his stare, the silence between us deafening. He opens his mouth and contemplates for a moment before backing away. I rescind my magic, and his flames resume.
“Remind me once more.” I lean in, licking my lips. “Give me a taste of what I’ll be missing when I leave.”
He seems to hesitate before he smirks at me. He releases his magic, orange embers igniting his fingertips and flows around me like a cruel embrace. I grab a bottle from my pocket of my dress, encapsulating a few of the embers behind my back. The last that was needed.
I lean into him, letting my magic navigate towards him, hoping that what I’m doing will work.
Tiyo is constantly wanting us to learn new things, encouraging us to evolve.
This is something I created, albeit cruel to take someone’s memories, but there is no other way.
I feel the piece of his soul, the same fabric that connects us to the creator.
Diving into his mind and hiding the memories of the flames that he just produced and the exchange between us.
He shakes his head as if clearing it before flicking his hand a split second.
“Very well, the blaze inside Wodthos territory has stopped. I just had some pent-up energy I needed released. Which reminds me.” He whistles as he walks away from me and up to his large, golden chair on the dais.
He calls it a throne, but the word sounds garish to me.
. Why anyone would ever choose to sit in one is unknown to me.
I would rather float on my waves. Sitting down, he looks to his side and curls his finger, beckoning someone forward.
His favorite toneo, the elemental spirits that help us in our territory, comes in.
She walks slowly towards him, adorning a low-cut sheer yellow top and a matching skirt that is slit on the sides.
It’s beautiful on her honey beige skin, with her hair of flames dancing to a tune of its own in its coiled form.
She doesn’t glance at me, her amber eyes looking only at him.
With a firm pat on his lap, Khaysus signals for her to sit, and she complies without hesitation.
He brushes his finger against the soft skin of her inner thigh, flashing me a mischievous smile, licking his lips before tucking her fiery hair behind her shoulder.
He wraps his hand around her throat, pulling her into him and nipping at the side of her neck.
She arches her back, a moan slipping from her lips. “You’ve met Kya, haven’t you?”
“How you spend your energy is not my concern. Just stop irritating Wodthos. I have better things to prepare for.” I spit the words like venom.
We used to have so much fun, Drā. I’ll make it worth your while if you stay. If you were mine again, imagine all that we could do. His words flicker through my mind as his fingers dance across Kya’s skin, his eyes purely on mine.
“Fun, Khaysus,”—I say aloud, to make sure he understands —“is subjective. I have other desires now, and I have never been yours.”
“One day you will.” His flames once again push towards me, growing in intensity as they cave to his will.
“You will either be with me or I will burn everything until I find you again. I will make sure this world is nothing but ash, and any other world that you go to. I still have not blessed you with my magic that you need to have this little world of yours.”
“Don’t start a fight you cannot win, Khaysus.
Because I promise you, even if you burn everything in Mohasha and find me in a new world.
Even if I have nothing left. I will ask Tiyo to take the breath from my lungs before I am found in your bed again.
” My heel spins at my words, a sense of urgency flooding over me, desperately wanting to escape this suffocating place that threatens to consume me whole.
Once, when we were first created, we lived in a carefree mindset, our laughter echoing through the vibrant landscape as we revelled in the endless possibilities of our harmonious world.
Our adventures together were filled with a myriad of shared moments, including the intimacy of sharing our bodies.
Once Wodthos and Nuasis decided to keep their bed exclusive to each other, a shift occurred.
A shift that still splits Khaysus and me.
But Tiyo offered me something more ... and I welcomed the change.
Tomorrow I leave with a blessing from each of my siblings to create something new. A world of my own.