Guardians of the Zalir Caves#2

Chapter#2-Notes and Orbs

Even though there was peace for two whole days, I could tell that Onakar was planning something. Something devious, tricky, and mischievous. But he didn’t succeed.
One day Onakar didn’t come out to give me my lessons. I went to his room, he was gone! I went to his pillow and found a note. It read:
Dear Telira,
I have gone to a mage conference and will be back next week, go out around places where many creatures are, you’ll know why when you look this up:
Mages Magic
Familiars
Pg. 55
Practice your magic, and improve,
Onakar

Well, I’ll have to open the book with something other then my hand, I thought, looking at the markings of the bite of a snapping turtle and laughed. Onakar knew a good time.
Something in the corner of the room caught my eye. It was a crystal orb, and its surface was rippling. Out of it came a small package, inscribed to me. I opened the package and inside was a small jewel. As soon as I touched the small jewel it exploded! After I recovered from being blown back a hundred yards, I looked at the package and found a note, it read:

Dear Telira,
I am a good friend of Onakar’s and heard he had an apprentice. I am a crystal mage, and know Onakar from last year’s Mage Gathering. (I was the one who had the nerve to put exploding crystals behind the fire mages.) That was funny! I too have an apprentice now, her name is Crystala.
Hope you liked the crystal,
Jula

I decided to send a package for the mage’s apprentice, Crystala. I then sent it through the jewel by tapping it three times the saying, “Crystala,” and then put the package through the orb.
I then decided to look up the page in the book; I opened it with a shell. To my surprise, Onakar hadn’t set any traps. I turned to the page and read;
A full mage always has two familiars of their element. Only Time and Space Mages can have more than two. Aura mages have only one, yet all.
Then it continued into the reason mages have an element, instead of being of all elements. Then I need another familiar.
“Avalon, we need to go out to Dragon’s Rock, to search for another familiar.”


I swam around Dragon’s Rock, a large rock in Zalir that a dragon used to live; there were now just a lot of creatures around it. Then I saw it, a Dragon Fish with the mark of Zalir on its shoulder. I went up to it, and it looked at me,
“Familiar? It is you! My name is Avara, what is yours?” It asked politely.
“Telira, and this is Avalon,” I gestured to Avalon.
“Hello Avara,” Avalon said.
After we got to the grotto, I went to read the passage about why all mages have an element, it read;

Iyra
A Mage stands on the edge of a cliff, her cape billowing in the wind, watching the town below come to life.
She is Iyra, the first mage, a mage of Aura, magic itself.
A Noqua, stands next to her, wings folded, white fur glistening.
He is Lyrak, familiar of Iyra.
He asks, what happened, and she replies.
The village, Lyrak, they did laugh at me.
They work in their fields and fish in the sea, they run and they play, and they laugh at me.
Do they not know what you can do? He asks.
You can control the Earth, breathe in the Sea, swim in the fire, fly with the Sky, sleep with the Crystals, live with the Dragons, play with the Moon, go back in Time, see through the Dark, and dim the Light.
Do they not know what you can do? He asks again.
Yes, they do, and that’s why they laugh.
I am alone, except for you.
I am a mage, the only one.
I alone have Aura.
The Earth possesses no Aura, and neither the Sea.
The Fire hath not, and the Sky has none.
The Crystals are dull, and the Dragons never had any.
The Moon’s was never there, and Time is gone.
The Dark’s is nonexistent and Light is not of Aura.
I alone have Aura, except for you.
I am Iyra, a mage of Aura, magic itself.


Townsfolk

Farmers are in fields, fishermen at sea, the children play, blacksmiths work in their forge, and the king is in his castle.
The farmers are busy in their fields, and they say that they think that the mage should be killed, because she’s a witch, but how.
One says she should be burnt at the stake.
One says she should be hung.
One says she should be thrown off a cliff.


And one says she should be thrown to dragons.
The farmers vote and they declare that they will burn her, without a care.
The next day Iyra is in town, and see’s the farmer’s suspicious glares.
They capture her and tie her up, and set her on a pile of logs.
They strike two rocks and she hears the rocks scream, as they set fire to her.
She now sits in the heat humming happily to herself, that they will never succeed.
The fire calms down and they set her free, wondering how it could be that she is alive instead of fried.

Iyra

Iyra angrily soars up to the cliff and has an idea.
I will give Aura to the Earth, the Water, the Sky, and the Flames.
To the Crystals, the Dragons, Time, and Space.
And so she does and over time the Farmers wonder why their hair has a green streak.
The fishermen wonder why they can breathe underwater.
The Blacksmiths wonder why the Fire tickles them.
And so did other mages appear.
The Farmers apologized and were taught Earth Magic.
The Fishermen came to learn Water Magic.
And the Blacksmiths learned Fire Magic.


And so my young friend, you have heard the end.
But yet a new beginning of Mages, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Crystal, Draconic, Time, & Space.


How interesting, I thought to myself.
Throughout the next few days, I practiced my magic, and studied, also setting up the biggest trap. When Onakar came back, every leech that saw him would attack, and sand bombs would be thrown in his face when he came into the grotto.
I waited in the safety of my room, and then I heard the sand bombs go off, when they stopped, I looked out of my room. Onakar was there, looking like he was made of sand, leeches were in the water, and he was grinning.
“I decided that you would like a welcome back present,” I told him.
“Aye, thanks,” He said.
“Telira, who is he?” Avara asked.
“This is Onakar, my mentor,” I told him.
“Onakar, meet Avara, my other familiar,” I told him.
“Nice to meet you, Avara,” He said politely.
“Nice to meet you too,” Avara responded.

The next day, I was awakened by Onakar, who wanted me to get some snapping turtles. When I went to go get them, I heard a calm voice from Onakar’s room; I walked in and saw Onakar, sitting at his desk, talking to a face in the orb, it was a woman with black hair and a green streak.
“You think I’m going to come down there, just so you can turn me into a cactus? Unlikely!”
“But Onakar,” The calm voice said, “I have a new apprentice, you should meet her,”
“Oh no, another Earth-mage? What is that world coming to?” Onakar looked at another face in the sapphire; it was a young girl’s she had brown hair, with a green streak. “Hi, I think I’m going to send you a welcome to Apprenticeship welcome present! Or my apprentice will,” He told the girl.
“Don’t you dare!” The lady shouted. Onakar sighed,
“All right, all right, by the way, how’s Jula? I haven’t heard from her in a while,” Onakar asked.
“She’s traveling, why don’t you-“
“Visit her? Nice try. Telira! Where’s my snapping Turtles?!” He nodded to the mages, who I figured were Earth-Mages, and then said, “Bye!”
“Who were they?” I asked.
“Xirna and her new apprentice, she tries daily to get me to go to Anaril so she can turn me into a cactus.” Onakar laughed.
“Why does she want to turn you into a cactus?” I asked.
“Because I blew a sand bomb in her face,” Onakar laughed even harder.
“Really? She sounded angry,” I replied.
“Earth-Mages, so boring, no fun at all,” He sighed.
“What do they do for fun?” I asked.
“Grow plants and flowers, as I said, boring,” He said dryly.
“That is boring,” I agreed.
“Let’s work,” he said.
“Elnn Tadaela, Telira,” Onakar Said.
“Elnn Tadaela, Onakar, Tre Kul Sun?” I replied.
“Elnn,” he replied casually.
Throughout that week, we worked on greetings and more about communication orbs.
Then we heard a voice coming from Onakar’s room,
“Onakar, get to your communication orb already!” The voice called.
“Jula!” Onakar Shouted. He ran to his room and they saw a blond-haired woman with a crystal staff.
“So you’re the one who sent me the exploding jewel,” I said.
“Yes, hope you liked it, my apprentice made it,” She said.
“I loved it,” I replied.
“Good, Crystala liked the sand bomb you sent her. Crystala, do you want to talk to Onakar’s apprentice, Telira?” She yelled to someone, in a bouncy way.
“Yes!” A young voice replied in the background.
I stepped up to the orb as a face appeared, “Hi, you must be Crystala, I hope you liked the sand bomb,” I said.
“I loved it! I was blown ten feet into the air! Hope you liked the jewel!” She said happily.
“I loved it! I was blown back a hundred yards!” I replied joyfully.
“Good,” she replied.
“I need to get Onakar his snapping turtles, talk to you later!” I said.
I walked to a small tide pool, got two snapping turtles, and handed them to Onakar.
“Klash Sun,” he said bouncily.
Onakar left the grotto, so I decided to read. When he came back, he had a silvery bundle in his hands.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Your apprentice robe,” he handed me a silver fish scale robe, and a serpentleather belt. I put them on, it was a perfect fit.
“Now for your wand,” Onakar said. He handed me a Zaliricite wand with a coral handle. “But I need to charge it,” he said, tapping it on the water three times, holding the third the longest, “That’s how you charge your wand.” He said, handing it to me.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Now I want you to fill this tide pool,” he said.
“How?” I asked.
“Look for a pattern in the water, and in everything around you,” He said.
I looked at the ocean’s glistening water on the sand of the grotto, and then I saw a pattern, the fish swimming in and out of anemone, the coral breathing, and the ocean calling and whispering to everything. I saw the pattern and pushed it to my wand,
“Good job, Telira! Marvelous work!” Onakar exclaimed. I looked at the tide pool, glistening water filled it, and fish darted out of the anemone and coral.
I went up to the tide pool and spoke to the fish, who said that I did perfect, the water, saying I didn’t put too many fish in it, which it was happy for, and the coral and anemone, who were just happy.
“Klash Sun Lon Yui Hiallariati,” I whispered to them.
“I’m going to get some rest,” I told Onakar, and raced to my bed.

I looked around, an Air-Mage was above me, and I could hear a plant screaming in pain. I looked at a fern; it was now a twisted weed. “Dark-Mage, Dritan, do not trust him or his apprentice. Heal the plant, I can’t take the pain!” A voice cried out. I looked down at my robes; I was an Earth-Mage! I tried healing the plant, but it didn’t work. “Earth, give me wisdom!” Then a voice came to my mind, it was deep and rumbling. “Medu” It cried. “Medu,” I pushed out through a wooden wand. It looked a little better.
“You’re the Midsummer Flower?” A Dark-Mage sneered behind me. “I’m going to have to talk to sour Xirna, meanwhile, you can play with my apprentice, Darula,” He said as a black figure appeared.
I bolted up, I was back to myself. Whoever that was must have been Xirna’s apprentice. And she is the Midsummer Flower? Oh, No! I’m going to be stuck with an Earth-Mage! I thought despairingly.
I told Onakar about my dream,
“I feel sorry for you…and myself. This means that-” He was cut off by the familiar voice of Xirna.
“Onakar...” She called sweetly. And we rushed to Onakar’s room.
“Hello Xirna, what is it, your being more sweet than usual, either, you’re very desperate, or there is news.” He said dryly.
“When are you-Is that your apprentice?” Xirna asked. I waved bouncily. I saw the girl in the background; she saw me and dropped the scrolls she had been holding, her eyes wide. I groaned. I’m going to be stuck with her, I thought painfully.

Guardians of the Zalir Caves

Part I
Magic
Chapter #1-Apprentice

I woke to the morning sun, and patted Avalon’s head.
“Good morning to you too.” He said groggily, and then rolled back over.
“Avalon, get up! We need to go to the high school for my Tamers test!”
As we entered the class Ms. Pet came running up to me.
“Oh Telira, I can’t wait to see your taming skills!”
“I can’t wait to see my grade.” I said, smiling.
“Okay, let’s begin!” Ms. Pet yelled to the small class. “Telira, Show this class how to tame! I want you to tame a Xarian Serpent!” She said as a small serpent slithered in, it fangs gleaming. A cage surrounded the others, and the serpent charged. I leaped and grabbed the ribbon strips of skin that came from above its eyes. It tossed its head and slammed me into the rocky wall. There was a huge cloud of dust, and the class couldn’t see.
Meanwhile, I ached, I was still holding on but I was bleeding. The serpent, realizing that I was alive, tossed its head again. But I had climbed to its head, still holding onto the ribbons.
“Azenti su eul Illrean!” I yelled to the serpent as I jumped to the ground. The serpent hissed, poised to strike. As its head came down I leapt onto its ribbons of skin and quickly climbed up on the head, still holding myself tightly, the dust cleared. The class saw the serpent emerge, me on its head. The serpent hissed and tossed its head continually, trying to get me off. I was slipping, and then I had an idea. If I can jump down on the biggest toss, maybe it will accidentally throw itself into the wall and calm down a bit. And there will be another cloud of dust. I thought happily. As the serpent tossed its head again, I leapt off, landing in front of the wall as another cloud of dust covered us.
The serpent was on the ground, exhausted. As I crept over the serpent hissed, and bared its fangs.
“Vala Gail, Illrean, ona su rin sun.” The serpent let me come near, its head was bleeding, and I went blind for a moment, but I wondered why I saw blue instead of the blackness of blindness, and I felt a strange power flowing into me, as it flowed out my vision cleared but everything was blue, and I could see and feel that I was healing the serpent. The serpent got up, gratefully lowered its head and I climbed on as the dust cleared, though I heard the shouts and cheers of the class, I wasn’t paying any attention to them. How did I do that? I wondered as I prepared to leap down.
Magic, my Subconscious mind whispered.
Impossible! My Conscious mind argued.
“Why, Telira! You’re hurt!”
“I’m fine Ms. Pet, That’s the danger of pet taming, and that’s why you teach it.” I said jumping down from its head. I took a deep breath; it hurt to breathe deeply, probably a fractured rib.
“Telira, go to the nurse, I want to know what happened while your being checked out. As the nurse prodded me I told Ms. Pet what happened while they couldn’t see, at least most of it.
“She’s got a fractured rib Ms. Pet.” The nurse told her.
“That’s probably because she was slammed into the taming wall.”
“And that’s why the architects are here? Repairing the wall?”
“Most likely,”
“May I go back to class now Ms. Pet? I want to work with that serpent, it needs training.” I asked.
“You just got slammed into the wall by that serpent, and you want to go back!? I think you should go home and rest.”
“I’m training that serpent now; it’s been trying to get in since you brought me here.” I said, pointing at the door where a long serpentine snout was through it, its tongue flickering.
“Fine Telira, you win. Ka ulia suna Illrean!”
As I lead the serpent into the class I became aware of how tired I was.
Maybe I should go home. I thought. I can ride the serpent bareback; I’ll work with it more tomorrow. I led the serpent out of the school and climbed on. “You’re hurt.” Avalon came swimming into view. “I know Avalon, and I’m tired.” Then everything faded into darkness. “Telira!!!” Avalon screamed in my mind.


* * *

I was in a beautiful cave, the cool water surrounding me; all around me were Zalirian Symbols. They Read:
Yui Kallayal iy Elirion
Yui makil ni Elirion uial yina A galla tilo ju yui reanl ja hann.
Yui Paul iy Zalir gol Yui Paelannal Vaelli uial Raen jahallai gol leei Pollallis ju Elirion, olakki a Havi maki, gol titl yuita lakala ju yui Galla Ola.

The Prophecy of Elirion
The mages in Elirion will play a great part in the Times to come.
The Marks of Zalir and midsummer flower will join together and seek knowledge in Elirion, battle a dark mage, and merge their powers in the Great War.

The Prophecy of Elirion? What or where is Elirion? What does this have to do with me? The Questions ran through my head. It has everything to do with you, my Subconscious mind preened.
I became conscious, aware that Avalon was curled up on me, and the serpent was watching me intensely.
“Avalon, please get off of me,” I thought to him.
“Telira, you’re Awake!” Avalon replied happily jumping off of my chest.
“Where are we?” I wondered as I looked around a cave.
“It’s where I used to live and it was closest to where you became unconscious.” I was shocked, the serpent thought to me!
“How can I understand you?” I asked it.
“After you healed me, you somehow were connected to my mind, and now you can hear my thoughts to you, but unlike Avalon, you can’t hear or read my other thoughts.” It replied.
But how did I heal it? I wondered.
“Do you have a name?”
“Yes, my name is Xethr.” It replied proudly.
I hopped onto the serpent and guided him to the beginning of a hidden tunnel in an underwater Mesa.
“Thanks, if you want to go back, you may, Xethr.” I told him.
“I’m staying.” He said calmly.
“Good, I like you. Follow me so you’ll know where to sleep.” I told him.
* * * * *
After I had Xethr settled I went and lay on my bed. I remembered the cave. What is the mark of Zalir? Is it the one on my shoulder? What and where is Elirion? I wondered. The one on you’re shoulder, yes, and in a different world, my subconscious mind replied. How do I get there? I argued. A Portal. It said easily. ‘Special this one is.’ It said mockingly. I was shocked. No one ever mentioned Onakar, a water-mage who I had known as a kid.
A water-mage walked into their cave, and looked at Telira. “Special this one is.” He said his blue eyes soft and kind. He had given her a silver medallion which had a star sapphire with the star shaped like the mark on her shoulder, surrounded by turquoise that had a flowery pattern on them. I looked at the medallion and put it around my neck. Onakar was there when she found Avalon. (Or he found her.) Then one day he left, saying he had to explore this world and others. I remembered it clearly. “It’s decided, I’m a Water-Mage.

* * *
I went to the library, trying to avoid contact with anyone except the librarian. My friend, Tarinaira was trying to find me and my teacher Ms. Pet trying to praise me but I was busy. Busy reading about mages: Water-Mages in particular. The librarian, Ms. Books as they called her had some special books about mages that she let me have. The strange thing was, Ms. Books had moved her hand and a current of water opened a secret compartment. As she did it I had a blue flash in my mind, I later read that mages, if another uses magic nearby will have flashes in their mind, blue for water, red for fire, green for earth, silver for air, black for dark, gold for light, purple for draconic, and white for crystal. My librarian was a Water-Mage!
“Telira, please come here.” Ms. Books called. I went up to her, making sure I was alone.
“I didn’t know you’re a Water-Mage!” I whispered.
“Jui, I ha,” She said. “But you were not suspected either. But either that is a fake skin you’re wearing on your shoulder or you have really bad skin.” I tore off the patch on my arm: The mark on it shown boldly.
“Yui palul iy Zalir!” My teacher said. “We have to get you to a mentor!” Ms. Books said hurriedly.
“You could mentor me!” I said matter-of-factly.
“No, I couldn’t. Onakar can though!”
“Onakar, you know him?” I asked a current swirling around me. Ms. Books grabbed my arm and we were lifted away by a current, a blue flash in my mind.

* * *

When the current stopped, I looked around, all around me were books. I looked to the right. Onakar’s familiars, Jarhanl, Ilrekaln! The Dragon fish and the Serpent were in the corner, staring at Avalon intensely. I took the medallion off my neck, showing it to them. They came up to me happily.
“What?” I heard a voice from a room in the back of the grotto. Onakar came out a wondering look on his face. I held up the medallion. “Telira?” Onakar looked at me. “Avalon?” he looked at Avalon.
“Yes Onakar, it is us,” I said laughing in my mind.
“Telira, it is him and his familiars!” Avalon yipped happily, running up to Jarhanl and Ilrekaln. Onakar looked the same, around twenty-five, sandy brown hair, and blue eyes, Australian accent.
“Telira, will you follow me?” Onakar asked as he went into another room. I walked into the room, Inside there was a large desk made out of seashells, and two especially large conch shells, on which on each was a giant clam shell, one of which Onakar sat in. I sat down in the other. Onakar took a large book from his desk.
I looked at it. “Yui kallayal iy Elirion!” Onakar looked at me, surprised. I explained my dream.
“We must start immediately.” Onakar said hurriedly.
Throughout the next few days Onakar explained the importance of Lytanzyr, a ritual where you ask things if you may use them, take only what you need, and thank them. I realized it was natural when I first tried it. I learned more of the water-language, and a little of all the others, so that she could ask trees, and other things. Onakar seemed to push me in the water and earth-speech. Onakar and I seemed to have a game, whoever could trick the other one the most won. We often tied.
Onakar set a trap, when I opened my book sand would be thrown in my face. Little did he know that I had already set one. As he opened my book to set it, a leech jumped on him, along with alot of sand. Laughter echoed around the grotto. He pulled the leech off his leg and looked up, his face covered in sand. I was on a ledge, about to fall off from laughing so hard.
“Leech: blood, sand: Moisture, The look on your face: Priceless!” I laughed as I jumped down. “I believe I win.” I said grinning.
“You have learned well Telira.” He said scrubbing the sand on his face off into the water.
“That was good Telira, Even his familiars laughed.” Avalon said, exhausted from laughing so hard.
* * *

No one was safe in bed that night, When two Water-Mages are in the same home, be dressed for war, for that’s what it was; Telira: 100, Onakar: 90. If an apprentice can beat her mentor in a week, she could be incredibly devious and dangerously mischievous later on in life.
I put my head on my pillow, having checked it first, I lifted it upside down, as a sand bomb and three miniature snapping turtles came spilling out. I herded the turtles to water, and gently picked up the sand bomb. I put in Onakar’s pillow, carefully storing some rocks, and one leech in it. I jumped into her bed, as I heard the sand bomb explode. I looked out; there was Onakar sand all over his face, rocks buried in the sand, the leech on his leg. I snickered, walking out of my room.
“That’s my version of a sand bomb and snapping turtles.” I told him.
“The war starts again next week, tomorrow we rest, O.K?” Onakar asked.
“I’ll still be watching my back.” I said smiling back.
“And so shall I.” Onakar replied.