Her heart thudded loudly in her ears, the strong smell of salt and fish filling her nose with each stride. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat from the overwhelming stench. Her stomach lurched as the faintest feeling of being followed sent chills racing down her spine. Kamira glanced over her shoulder, looking to the top of the hill she had just barreled down, and gasped. She blinked, confident her eyes were playing tricks on her because she could have sworn the silhouette of a man had just been there. His image still lingered in her mind, a ghostly streak of moonlight revealing a flash of white hair. Kamira shook her head, convinced the adrenaline of fleeing was causing her eyes to play tricks on her.
She pushed herself faster, stumbling once her feet thudded on the uneven wood of the dock, almost toppling off into the waves. She dove into the small boat tied at the end of the dock and sat on the bench, her feet splashing into the small puddle of water at the base of the craft from the previous night's rain. She grabbed the oars and rowed as quickly as her arms could carry her out to sea, watching the shoreline until the glowing lights of the manor house were no more than specks along the horizon.
She knew very well that she couldn’t row herself all the way to another town in this tiny craft and, even if she was able, the probability of being found by the Aksahrian Guard was too high to risk. They’d tear the neighboring cities apart first, stopping at nothing until they found her. She would be as good as dead if she went back ashore, but if she stayed out here, alone and without any food or water, she would be dead all the same.
Kamira groaned loudly, dropping the paddles beside her, and sank wearily into the bottom of the boat. It had been maybe an hour, probably more, since she’d set off from the docks and her arms felt like they might fall off if she rowed one more stroke.
It was in this moment that Kamira found herself immeasurably grateful for her brother, Adonis. If he hadn’t taught her the ways of the world, what was beyond a life locked away in a manor as someone’s wife, and how to survive, she didn’t know what would have happened tonight. She probably wouldn’t have fled, because she wouldn’t have been coherent enough to devise an actual plan of escape, even if she had no idea what to do with herself now.
The stars winked in and out above her, almost as if they were performing a ballet of lights for her and her alone. She wrapped her arms around herself in a feeble attempt to warm her shivering body, but it was useless. The sea air was too cool without the warmth of the sun shining down upon her and the chill of the night settled around her like a blanket of ice, cutting straight to the bone.
If only she had mastered the use of her elemental gifts, she might have been able to use them to warm herself. But even if she had, she couldn’t spark a flame to life without a source nearby.
There were two types of people in Emmoria: Sorcerers who could channel and manipulate the elements, and the Ungifted, who could not. She was a Sorcerer, one of only a few left in the realm.
Her mind wandered to a memory of her brother, Adonis, telling her about the history of Emmoria and what it had been like all those years ago. Back when the Empire was full of Elementalists. It was hard for Kamira to imagine what the world could have been like then. All she had ever known was a time where having elemental gifts would mean her death. In this Emmoria, Sorcerers were hunted, and even the small use of one's gift would put them on the gallows.
It was quiet this far out in the ocean, only the calming sound of her oars cutting through the dark water. She pushed herself back onto the bench, kicking off her soaked slippers and crossing her legs beneath her before grabbing the oars once again as she continued to row.
The chilly evening air brought her back to that winter night, home with her brother, sitting by a roaring fire, watching the snowfall out of the sitting room window as he spoke to her of Elementalists.
“Hundreds of years ago, in the time before the Ungifted, we were free. We ruled Emmoria.” Adonis’ eyes sparkled in the dim light of the popping fire. “The Ungifted came to our shores in search of rescue, their own world being destroyed. We gave them refuge and provided them with all they needed to survive in exchange for servitude.”
When a tree branch tapped the window, Kamira startled and moved closer to Adonis, snuggling up beside him as he wrapped an arm around her.
“The Ungifted accepted and served the Elementalists willingly, thankful for their new found asylum. However, as the years passed, the Ungifted grew resentful of their masters, and unhappy with their station. They became restless and the Elementalists, seeing this, tried to gain back control by closing them off in the back alley corners of the cities with heavy guard, reminding them that their asylum in Emmoria was a kindness granted to them, but they were still outsiders.”
The memory felt as if it were yesterday. Kamira remembered how Adonis stroked her hair, resting his head upon hers. She missed those small moments of affection from him. He was her elder by several years and she had always looked up to him. It was thanks to him that she knew how to control her gifts at all. He had always been the overprotective older brother wanting to make sure she was safe and knew how to take care of herself. He was her best friend.
She closed her eyes, letting her mind settle back into the memory.
“Many years of unrest led to the Ungifted Revolution changing everything for us.” He said, his eyes growing distant as he rubbed soothing circles along her back. “One day the Sorcerers were living their lives as they always had and the next they were fighting for them. In a single night, the entire ruling family, high council, and generals of the guard were murdered in their sleep. By morning, a new Ungifted Emperor sat on the throne, and the former Sorcerer guard was replaced by a larger Ungifted army of men and women who combed the city streets, killing any and everyone who showed the slightest hint of elemental gifts.” Adonis’ eyes cleared, and he looked down at her. “That Emperor still sits on the throne today. For forty years he has been hunting us.”
“But father keeps us safe from him, right? Because the Emperor trusts him.” Kamira said, looking up into his face as he smiled down at her.
“Yes, he keeps us safe.” He soothed, winding a lock of her hair around his finger. “We are all that's left in this world. Any of the surviving Sorcerers fled long ago. The numbers of the Ungifted were just too great and their attack too swift. The Sorcerers never had the chance to fight back.”
“That’s why mother says we can’t use our gifts, because the Emperor will find us and kill us.”
Adonis stared into the dancing flames and wound his finger tighter around her lock of hair until it pulled painfully at her scalp. “Ouch!” she yelled out, reaching for his hand and trying to push it away, but he was lost in a daze, so lost that the stone floor beneath them cracked and Kamira squealed. “Adonis! Stop, you’re not supposed to!”
He shook his head, coming out of the stupor, and instantly released her hair, looking at the crack that spider webbed out beneath them. “I—I’m sorry, Kamira. Are you okay?”
She rubbed the aching spot on her scalp. “I’m okay. You have to fix it before mother sees.” She said, pointing to the shattered stone.
Adonis grabbed her shoulders, spinning her to face him. There was a frantic gleam in his eyes. “Listen to me Kamira. Mother is a liar. You cannot suppress your gifts in the hopes that they will disappear. Sorcery is as much a part of you as the color of your eyes. You must learn to use and control it. That is what will keep you safe.”
She stared at him wide eyed, “But father keeps us safe. If we use our powers, they will know.”
“The world is full of lies and treachery, Kamira.” His tone was forceful and his grip tightened on her shoulders with each word. “You must rely on no one but yourself. You are your only means of survival. We are hunted, captured, and killed for our power, which is why you must learn to control it. Even the smallest amount of emotion from an untrained Sorcerer can be your doom. Your only way to stay safe is not Father, it is to use and control your gifts.”
Kamira opened her eyes, the memory fading into the star filled night. It had been five years since she had last seen Adonis, but he had taught her everything she knew about Sorcery. If it weren’t for him and their stolen moments practicing together in the early hours of the morning, she would have never known how to control her abilities.
Their mother would have punished them for even thinking of using their Sorcery, but Kamira had always treasured those sleepless nights with Adonis. It had brought them closer and formed a bond that ran deeper than shared blood. They were two of the only Sorcerers left in the Empire, and they only had each other to share that with. She hoped one day they would see each other again.
Even with his help, she still didn’t know the full extent of what she could do. Her affinity was for water, but she could only accomplish rudimentary tasks such as moving wisps of water through the air and pulling moisture from the earth to form into a floating liquid orb.
It was enough for her to understand it and recognize the feeling as it moved through her so that she could squelch it before it made itself known in public. But she could feel something much deeper within her. A power, resting, waiting to be provoked.
