Kamira stood unmoving, a wide smile still stretched upon her face. “We’ve come to ask for your help,” she said before Doraan had the chance.
He cast her an annoyed glare.
It was the earth Sorcerer who spoke next. “Come, I’m sure you have all had a long journey. Join us in our welcome hall.”
Doraan nodded at the man, turning to two of the crew members. “Jorne, Lindor, you two stay with the ship until we come back.”
They each responded with a quick, “Aye, Captain,” as the rest of the crew walked timidly down the gangway.
The Fire Sorcerer led the way for them, never letting the flame in her palm falter—like a warning that if they tried anything, she wouldn’t hesitate to burn them all to ash and bone.
Behind them walked the Earth Sorcerer. Doraan turned to glance at him, which only made the man’s smirk widen. Doraan spun back around quickly and tried not to look at all the Sorcerers around them. The arrival of an Ungifted ship would attract attention, but it only revealed to him how many of them were here. Alive.
Hundreds of faces stared at them as they were led like a procession through the crowd toward the tallest building in the city's center. It was the most ornate of all the buildings, reaching at least twenty, if not more, stories high. As Doraan looked up, he noticed that each story was slightly smaller than the last and at the very top, on the smallest tier was a solid gold statue of a woman, face pointed up to the sky and hands held out on either side of her.
Windows and ornately carved marble pillars lined each story. As they walked closer, he realized the carvings seemed to tell a story, depicting a tale he didn’t yet know.
Two black iron doors at the base of the building were etched with each of the elemental symbols. As they approached, the doors opened, welcoming them inside. Through them, they entered into a large room with a ring of chairs circling a large marble table in the very center and four larger, almost throne-like, chairs at the head, each of a matching color to the robes the Sorcerers wore.
“Please,” the Fire Sorceress said. “Take a seat.”
Fires sparked to life around them, illuminating the room in a dancing orange glow. The doors behind them closed on their own, sending an eerie feeling down Doraan’s spine.
They each took a seat, a stillness settling over them, the only sound was the flickering flames on the wall sconces. Doraan opened his mouth to speak, but the Water Sorcerer spoke first.
“How did you come to find our Temple?” His face was stern. Doraan noticed the brown waves falling over the man’s shoulders looked wet and he found himself wondering if it was on purpose.
“I was told how to find your sanctuary by the Brothers of the Spring,” Kamira said, voice strong, echoing around them in the large room. “I led us here.”
The Water Sorcerer's blue eyes moved to her. Doraan watched, looking from one to the other as the two of them locked eyes, unblinking, until suddenly the man nodded and Kamira seemed to relax in her seat.What in the skies name was that?
The Fire Sorceress spoke next. “What is it that you have come here for?”
Doraan stood before anyone else could speak, chair scraping against the stone floor as he pushed it out behind him. He brought a hand up to his mouth and cleared his throat before saying, “We have come to ask for help.”
The woman’s lips thinned. “Yes, you’ve said that.”
Heat rose to his cheeks as a tingling of annoyance started in his belly, burning toward the surface.
The woman raised a brow, head tilting to the side, waiting.
Cormac coughed beside him and Doraan cleared his throat again, clasping his hands tightly behind him. “We need your help to break a curse put over us by a powerful Sorceress.”
The woman frowned, her straight blonde hair fanning out as she turned her head sharply to the Earth Sorcerer to her right. The smirk was gone from the man’s face, replaced by a frown that matched the woman beside him.
“What do you mean?” the man asked, leaning forward and placing his clasped hands on the table in front of him. “Cursed, how?”
“We have been cursed these past ten years to never walk on land. We are unable to sail our ship closer than ten miles to shore. No one can even come aboard our ship.” Doraan’s voice faltered, his eyes darting to Kamira for a split second. The Sorcerers missed nothing and he watched as all four of them turned their gaze to her.
She took that as an invitation and stood. “I have been with this crew for weeks and, although I don’t understand it, I can vouch for them. Everything the Captain said is true. They cannot go on land.”
The Air Sorceress had been very still throughout this entire exchange, her face set into a flat, disinterested look ever since they had arrived, but she suddenly said, “If no one could board their ship, how is it that you joined them only weeks ago?”
Shit,Doraan thought. “We don’t know. We only know that many have tried over the years and none have succeeded except for Kamira.”
A grunt was all they received in response.
The Fire Sorceress spoke again. “Who is this Sorceress you say cursed you?”
