From Section 1 of Scales
There were many concerts after that one, but she never saw the raven-haired fairy again. She soon forgot him as the seasons rolled on, changing again and again. Serina gained more control over water, and Aeline became more proficient with air…and fire. It was when Aeline began eating the fire that Serina truly worried.
“That will burn your mouth. Or your lungs. Aeline!”
Aeline danced around the forest and laughed. “It’s sweet!” she yelled. Her golden dress billowed behind her like a sugary cloud as a string of fire circled her body, winding in a coil until it reached her mouth and she swallowed pieces of it in gulps. All around them the air shivered with her music, for as she ate the fire, she sang and manipulated the air into the most tempting, illustrious sounds. Serina found herself captivated as she paced a short path. She was waiting for something terrible to happen. Aeline had never eaten fire before. In fact, Serina had never heard of any fairy eating fire. It seemed evil. Twisted.
“Aeline, you must stop!” she finally managed to scream. “I will bring water to put it out this instant if you don’t stop. I swear it.”
Aeline’s feet ground to a halt. She turned to face Serina, her eyes glowing a bright golden color, the same as her dress. The fire shimmered around her, waiting her command as the air died to silence.
“You’re supposed to enjoy this,” she said as her shoulders slumped. “You must admit the music I’m creating is more beautiful than even what you hear at the elders’ concerts. Music is your favorite, and…” She stepped forward and lifted her hand to Serina. “I would very much like it, sister, if you tried this fire-guiding. It’s unexplainable. It’s—”
“No.” Serina folded her arms and shook her head. “I refuse. How are you not burning inside? You swallowed it. I don’t understand. This is dangerous and wrong. The elements are not for us to ingest like food! They are to bring beauty and light and growth to our world and the human realm. We are their companions, not their masters. Haven’t your instructors shown you that?”
“They haven’t shown me anything except weakness,” Aeline hissed. The fire seemed to grow around her. “You breathe air, don’t you? You drink water. How is that any different than eating fire?”
“Because it’s necessary and natural!” Serina ground her teeth. She could see this entire argument was pointless. She had to take it in a different direction, so she took a deep breathe and calmed herself. She stepped closer to her sister who was still surrounded by fire. Heat emanated from the smooth flames. “I understand how much you love fire,” she said softly. “I’ve begun to love water like my own companion. Sometimes I wake up at night wishing it was surrounding me, and I’ll pull it from the air and smooth it across my skin like a blanket, but that is my element; I’m supposed to feel that way. Fire is not yours. You’re manipulating it in ways that have frightened me for years, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep quiet about it. I fear that if the male elders discover we’ve kept it a secret for so long, they’ll punish us.” Her mind rolled through what she knew of punishment—of how the male elders stripped fairies of their powers and threw them into the human realm, and how they punished other species, as well. She had heard the elves, in particular, were one of the most difficult to punish. They were the closest in resemblance to fairies, and although their magic was frail in comparison, their stubbornness required the harshest discipline if they crossed lines. In all reality, the male fairies frightened her more than anything because they were the ones who enforced rules and laws; the female fairies provided nurturing and compassion. This was why they lived separately—to keep the two untainted, for if too much compassion entered into discipline, it would only invite weakness. She closed her eyes. “I’ve heard about what they do to those they punish—”
“Don’t go any further,” Aeline said, and lifted a hand as if to push Serina away. The light in her eyes began to dim. “You’ve made it clear why you’re upset. You’re afraid of power and authority, and even though you’re older than me, you’re more frightened of all of that than I have ever been.”
Narrowing her eyes, Serina stepped closer. The heat might have seared her skin, but she kept a thin barrier of moisture between herself and her sister. “Is that why you want to control fire? To control others? Is that what all this is about?”
Aeline blinked. Her eyes dimmed even more. “Not at all. It’s like a…sister…to me. That is all.”
Her heart sinking, Serina said, “Oh,” and stepped away. “Yet you still need me, your true sister, to keep it under the tightest control.”
The fire flickered. Aeline cleared her throat. “Yes, I still haven’t mastered it completely, you’re right.”
“I don’t think you ever will.”
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Scales will be published by Rhemalda Publishing May 1st, 2013, as part of the Bonded collection with Michelle's two other novellas, Cinders and Scales.
