The pair soon reappeared in an underground cave. Raien could tell it was a cave by the flash from the teleportation spell Kilee cast momentarily illuminating the area, but the cave soon reverted back to pitch black darkness. A shiver ran up Raien’s spine. What’s going to happen now? Thought Raien.

“Oh poo,” said Kilee, who had slightly less trouble seeing in the dark. “The torch is out again.” He then turned towards Raien. “You can use make fire can’t you?” he asked holding the torch out towards Raien. “Could you light this?”

Oh poo the torch is out? That is all he has to say? I’d still like to know what’s exactly going on here? Nonetheless, Raien formed a flame in her hand shedding enough light for her to actually see the torch. She then covered the head of the torch with her hand, upon removing it, a bright red flame burned.

“Woo, thank you,” said Kilee grabbing the torch. “I can’t make fire myself, but I can do this.” Kilee then stuck out his tongue and made an odd noise. The torch now burned with a bright green flame. “Hee hee hee. It worked,” giggled Kilee. “Those dumdums don’t call this magic cause it can’t kill anyone, death is all they care about. Come on, big brother’s waiting.” Kilee quickly skipped up a flight of stone stairs, Raien had no idea where they lead, but there was nowhere else to go.

At the top of the stairs the cave opened out into a hidden grove. Houses and multilevel platforms were built into an inner circle of thick trees. In the middle of the ring was a meadow with a well, around the trees were small houses with ladders leading up to the trees

“This-this is amazing!” Raien gasped in awe.

“Yeah, this is Tree Top Village, the headquarters of our resistance against the King. Come on, follow me.” Kilee placed the torch in a holder and scampered to one of the houses. Raien followed Kilee, not knowing exactly where he was leading her. As she walked Raien saw many more sprites and some humans.

“Big brother used to work for the mean old King, but he opposed him and was exiled. Here, come inside.” Kilee opened the door into the house, inside was a table and a few chairs and at every corner has a ladder leading to the next level.

“Who is this ‘big brother’ anyway?” asked Raien.

“He used to be one of the Essilia’s generals, No one could ever hope to best him in single combat. But he has another skill the King found equally useful. Somehow Big Brother can sense if someone has the spark of magic within them. Then one day he was sent on assignment to recruit a new magic user, but when he got there he learned that the magic user was only a young boy. He then returned to the King and told him about the boy’s age, but Shean didn’t care and said as a citizen of his realm the child was to be brought in for training.”

I can relate to that, thought Raien. Kilee then resumed his story.

“Well Big Brother refused to forcibly remove the child from his family to be used as a soldier and questioned the King’s motives and said that this was going too far in his dream of a united Aleria, saying, ‘An Aleria united only through bloodshed and flames, fear and war, was not worth fighting for.’”

“You Big Brother seems like a very wise man,” added Raien.

“Yeah, well that King Shean didn’t seem to think so. He’s so cranky he discharged Big Brother, branding him a traitor.”

“So he left and formed a resistance?”

“Yeah. This was originally a Sprite village, and Big brother came with some other soldiers and men that defected with him and the built the first houses here. As soon as the houses were built more and more refugees and rebels have come to live here. We have carpenters, smiths, artisans, people of all skills and walks of life here. In less then five years what was once a small Sprite village has become a living fortress.”

“And the sprites don’t mind all this?” asked Raien.

“Oh no. Big brother is a great man. He’s fought off troops from the King many times. Big brother can kick all their butts,” Kilee said proudly flexing a muscle to show how strong his mentor was. “Come on, this is were our base is.” Kilee ran into a large house built half on a platform and half in the trees.

“Tinker!” called Kilee as he walked in the house. Inside was a middle aged man etching a symbol into what looked like the blade of a boomerang. “This is Tinker,” he said happily. “Tinker meet Raien, she’s our new friend.” Tinker placed his work down on the table. The table was littered with several metal objects, engraving tools and several littered papers. No wonder they call him Tinker. Thought Raien.

“Pleased to meet you miss. Name’s Telos Balrowe, but feel free to call me Tinker,” Tinker greeted Raien with a hardy handshake, then turning towards Kilee, “but don’t you think you should have brought her to see Saige first, little one?” replied Tinker in a voice showing his years of wise experience.

“I am, I am,” explained Kilee. “Nothing wrong with a few introductions. You can be such a fuddy-duddy sometimes ya know. Alright follow me,” said Kilee running up a set of stairs that lead to a tall tower that want all the way up to the tallest tree.

“I do hope you decide to stay miss,” added Tinker. “I’m sure you being here will be mutually beneficial for everyone.”

“Thank you Mr. Tinker,” answered Raien, not fully understanding what he meant by that.

“No mister, just Tinker, that’s all you need call me my lady,” said Tinker with a gracious bow. “You better get a move on, the little one is a bit impatient at times.”

Raien then turned and began to ascend the last stairway. She didn’t know what who or what was up there, all she knew was that it was all going to have a massive impact on her life one way or the other.

Upon reaching the highest platform in the village Raien found herself on a towering lookout. In front on her was a tall man who dwarfed her by a good foot at least. He wore a long forest green cloak and had a large sword at his side. He and Kilee, who was on his shoulder gazed off into the distance where they could see the sun set just behind the castle. Kilee’s long ear gave a sudden sharp twitch.

“Yea! Raien’s here,” Kilee jumped off of the man’s shoulder and grabbed Raien’s hand. “Come meet Big Brother, come meet Big Brother, come meet Big Brother!” Kilee called excitedly, pulling on Raien’s arm. The man turned around and met Raien with blood red eyes. Raien let out a gasp.

“Hello my Lady,” said the man as he held Raien’s other hand and gently kissed it. “My name is Saige Oronar, and I am very pleased to meet you.”

Raien expected someone older to be this great “Big Brother” Kilee boasted about, but now that she saw his appearance Raien though that this man could just as well be her older brother.

“And I you,” replied Raien flushed, still not over seeing another person with the same eyes as she had.

“Hee hee hee, you know you’d like Big Brother. I told you he was nice,” said Kilee.

“Kilee,” said Saige. “Why don’t you go help Tinker and let me talk with Miss Raien for a while. Okay?”

“Do I have to? I wanna stay here with you,” pleaded Kilee.

“Please Kilee, I think it would be best if I spoke with the Miss Raien alone.”

“Aw, all right Big Brother,” moped Kilee as he went towards the stairs. “Good Bye Lady Raien. I’ll see you later,” he smiled, as he walked down the stairs. Raien and Saige were now alone.

“What’s with all this ‘Lady’ business?” asked Raien. “Ever since I got to this village everyone has been calling me Lady Raien.”

“Well,” said Saige leaning on the edge of the wall. “You are a lady, aren’t you?”

“No,” answered Raien. “I’m, mean I’m just an ordinary girl.”

“But you’re not an ordinary girl, are you?” asked Saige. Raien walked over to the wall away from Saige and sighed.

“I’m sorry Miss Raien, but your extraordinary and a Lady to us.” He turned to face the same way Raien was looking now. Night was slowly enveloping the castle.

“I’m much like you Raien,” explained Saige, walking to stand next to Raien. “I too was born with the spark of magic, but I can’t hold a candle to what you can do.”

“Why am I here, why is this all happening?” asked Raien, I want some damn explanation, not another story.

“Many years ago, when I was a boy, King Shean had just started his hunt for magic users. My father had been his advisor during this time, my mother had passed on by that time. The king knew I was born with the signs of magic and was very interested in me joining the military, and as the son of his advisor there was ample opportunities for me in the military.

“I was brought to the training institute, but unlike you I went as a volunteer and not a prisoner. It wouldn’t be until I climbed the ranks that I learned that the prison within the institute even existed, but I digress. Even thought I had the spark of magic within me I wasn’t able to form it into any of the six forms of magic unaided. I however had the ability to sense the spark within others, a skill the King found exponentially more useful. I became a soldier assigned to a special unit in charge of recruitment in the military. They used me to find people with magic that could be harnessed. I quickly rose in the rankings.

“I’d travel the Kingdom in search people with the spark, and when I did I’d tell them about the Institute and how they could be trained to better use their gift in exchange for serving in the military. As soon as I’d return rumors of a new magic user would pop up and I’d be sent off on another assignment sometimes I’d even go over seas to lands beyond Aleria. It went on like that for many years. I hardly spent any time within the capitol. I helped to recruit dozens of magic users, but I missed out on many things in my home, including my father’s final days. After returning home from a long, unsuccessful trip I had learned that my father had passed on, leaving me with no actual family left.

“Even though we were making good progress King Shean wasn’t satisfied with simply getting voluntary recruits, he soon branched out and started rehabilitating criminals that had used magic in their crimes, offering them military contracts in place of jail time and in some cases a stay of execution.”

“I was given the ‘opportunity.’ I didn’t have much choice in the matter,” added Raien.

“Yes, I’m aware of that,” replied Saige. “When Shean started recruiting like that was when I first learned of the harsher side of the institute and the woman who ran it Kayleen Sylphades, one the highest ranking members of the military. But even then the King wanted more, now that he knew his institute was working he wanted to speed up the time table of his ambitions, he went as far as forcing anyone within his domain with the spark to join the institute, and soon the prison started to be filled with those who didn‘t want to be trained. Innocent people.

“Then one day after I had climbed the ranks all the way to General, I was sent off on one more recruitment trip, and it would be my last. News had come that an untrained magic user had accidentally started a house fire, but when I got to the village where the magic user lived I discovered that the fire was started by five year old boy.

“Now I understand the virtues in rehabilitating someone who had made an unfortunate mistake with their magic, but this was no criminal, he was a child, I couldn’t take him away from his family, it just wouldn’t be right. When I returned to the capital and told the King of my findings he didn’t share my views at all. I tried to reason with him, saying that a unified Aleria wasn’t worth the cost of its people. He saw my refusal to obtain the child and my words as an act of treason and I was quickly stripped of my rank and title.”

“Yes, Kilee told me about that.”

“He did?” asked Saige. “I see, I’m sure he told you many things, whether you wanted to hear them or not, he’s quite talkative.”

“Yes I see,” replied Raien. “But what does this have to do with me?”

“That day I vowed to never let Shean ever use the abilities of someone against their will ever again. I soon left the capitol and was followed by a small group of soldiers that shared my point of view. We made camp in the nearby woods outside the walls of the city and found this Sprite Village here. We learned that the Sprites too had fallen victim too Shean’s methods of recruitment and welcomed us into their village, seeing us as the first step towards change. For years, with help from Kilee and the others that have joined us since then we’ve freed many people from the institute, but you Raien, you are our crowning achievement. If you help us we can infiltrate the prison withing the institute and free everyone trapped within.”

“So you just want to use me then too?” asked Raien.

“No, no.” explained Saige. “I realize what I’m saying my sound a little hypocritical but I assure you I will never think of ‘using’ you, this is entirely up to you to decide.”

“I just don’t know? This is all happening so fast. I don’t think I could ever do something like this.” Raien leaned over and sat on the floor, contemplating her new predicament.

Saige took Raien’s hands into his and looked deeply into her eyes. “I’m sorry Lady Raien, I shouldn’t have placed such a large burden so quickly and forcefully on you like that. It was unfair of me to do that to you, and for that I am truly sorry.” He gently rubbed her hands, his finger stroking her wrist. Raien winced in pain and pulled her hand free. “I‘m sorry,” said Saige.

“Oh, uh. It’s nothing,” answered Raien rubbed her wrists.

“They sealed you didn’t they?” asked Saige. Raien only sadly nodded and looked to her feet as a response. Saige gently brushed back Raien’s hair and looked behind her ear, what he saw confirmed his next suspicion. “Those bastards, they didn’t. You see what I mean Raien? Don’t you want to make it so no one else ever has to go through this again?” Raien slowly dropped to her knees again and brushed away a tear.

“Hey,” said Saige kindly as he bent down as well. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to force you to help us, if I did, I’d be no better then Shean.”

“It’s, not that, I’m just scared,” sobbed Raien. “I’m sick of this curse, that’s all magic has been to me.”

“But it’s not a curse,” said Saige. “Don’t you see you have a gift, you have the power to change all of this. All of this could end tomorrow if you wanted it to.”

Raien slumped down even farther. Her tears began to flow. “I’m so confused, how can all of this be happening?"

“I’m sorry,” said Saige. “I shouldn’t have asked you so soon. You’ve just arrived. You’re physically and mentally drained. Why don’t you just get some rest now. You’ve had a long day.” Saige leaned over the stairway and called for Kilee. Kilee came up quickly to see Saige comforting Raien.

“Lady Raien, are you ok?” asked the little sprite.

“She’s fine Kilee. Could you go get a nice room made up for Lady Raien and have some fresh food and clothes brought up to her?”

“Yes big brother, right away!” answered Kilee and scampered down the stairs to complete his task.

“Good, just rest for now Lady Raien. Everything will be better tomorrow, trust me,” assured Saige.