Look Beyond What You See
Acionna

“What a hand of cards you have been dealt,” a smooth feminine voice greets me, amusement coloring her silky tones. My eyes flutter open and I replace myself on the bank of a crystal clear pond surrounded by trees that create an otherworldly place comprised of shadows and bright beams of pale morning light with tiny glinting particles swirling within them. A heavy, unnatural silence fills this place, but somehow it is not oppressive. Indeed, this place is refreshing. I have never felt so at home before. “Welcome to my abode, Aerys.” I rise to my feet and turn towards the voice to replace a startlingly beautiful woman clad in wispy silvery-blue standing nearby.

“Thank you. Who are you?” I ask. The words taste strange; my mouth is unaccustomed to speech. How long have I been here? How did I get here?

“Interesting that my identity should be the first question to cross your mind. No matter. You have always been unusual. I favour you because of it. Aerys, dear, I am Acionna, the first water elemental and the protector of water-gifted sorceresses. Your gift places you in my care.”

“A pleasure to meet you, then. Why have you brought me to your abode?”

“Perceptive. I felt it would be in your best interests to learn more about your situation from me, before things become even more difficult for you. This situation with your fiancé is quite troublesome, is it not? A pity you have been promised to him, really. My daughters generally do better on their own than with a mate. But perhaps you will prove to be an exception.”

“You call me daughter?”

“Of course. You are under my protection, and Lord knows that she who you know as Mother has been no mother to you at all. No surprise, really, since your Grandmother exchanged your mother’s third-born daughter for you--”

“What in the name of--”

“You are your father’s daughter, but of another liaison--”

“Not Delilah?”

“Of course not. Your family’s chef never could have been with child without your mother noticing, let alone brought the child into the world. No, before Delilah came into your house, your father had an affair with one of your grandmother’s protégées, a young lady with an incredible magical gift and a talent for manipulating water--another of my daughters, if you will. Your grandmother exchanged the babies--you and your mother’s child--in the dark of a new moon shortly after their births, which were within days of each other. Your mother was never told but certainly suspected something was amiss, as any mother would.”

“Grandmother arranged all of this so that she would have a bargaining chip for this deal with the Berkeleys, did she not?”

“Indeed. She had a sorceress’s premonition about your grandfather’s gambling and his relationship with the Berkeley family and suspected, rightly so, that it was only a matter of time before a child like you would be useful.”

This revelation is almost too much for me to process, especially so soon after what happened at that ball--how long ago was that, exactly? As if in memory of it, along with this new painful information, my head begins throbbing and I lean against a tree for support.

“I’m terribly sorry to trouble you with all this,” Acionna continues. “My cousin Destiny has not been kind to you at all. But in due time you will be rewarded for your superior wit and your perseverance. If you release some water, your pain will also be released.”

“How can that be? The concentration to manipulate water causes more pain,” I protest.

“Not here, dear. In the mortal world, that is true, but this place has different rules. Here your gift flows naturally. Let go of the water, Aerys.”

I realise that my fists are clenched to try to cope with my headache and I slowly relax them, causing a small waterfall to fall from each palm as my fingers extend. True to Acionna’s word, this release is entirely natural and eases my headache considerably.

“Again,” Acionna directs. “This time create a ball of frustration in your hands and throw it into the pond.”

I obediently move my hands as though I am packing a snowball and the ball of rapidly swirling water materialises effortlessly between my palms. Frustration flows out of me until the ball is as large as my head, and then I hurl it into the pond. An enormous wave rises from where it hits and roars through the trees without damaging them.

This truly is a wondrous place. I hope I can return often.

“Amazing. Thank you for bringing me here,” I breathe, both relieved and astounded. “Will I be able to do these sorts of things in the mortal world?”

“With additional practice. Even having done this here, your skill will have improved by quite a bit in the mortal world. No doubt your fiancé will be surprised.”

“He--”

“I watched your ball from the shadows. I saw everything. He feels very strongly for you--as strongly as you would for him, if you were in any way concerned about having a husband or lover. Even as things are, you feel strongly for him.”

“What of these necklaces with which my grandmother has shackled us?”

“They serve no purpose, truly. The charms she placed on them are made irrelevant by the strength of your magics and their attractions to each other.”

“Is it safe to mix water and fire in this way?”

“It has never been done before. Whenever your magics finally meet, an extremely strong reaction is to be expected.”

“Will it kill us?”

“No, but it may cause extremely unusual weather phenomena, and neither of you will be the same afterward. I suspect each of your abilities will be augmented, and of course yours will be transmuted towards elementalism. Perhaps, given your ancestry, your conversion will be complete. Only time will tell.”

“He is eager for it, is he not?”

“No more than any man would be, and no more than your own magic is. Simply be cautious, my dear. There is no need to rush anything. But you must return to your own world now. They are concerned about you there.”

“But I have so many more questions!”

“Fear not, Aerys. We will see each other again, and you have great skill in seeking answers in the mortal world. In due time all of your curiosities will be satisfied. Adieu!” She raises a hand towards the pond, and a monstrous wave rises up and rushes towards me--

Wet, everywhere, rushing past me, roaring in my ears, drenching me thoroughly. I cough and sputter and try to concentrate my energy to force the water away from me. What the devil--

“She wakes!” Dmitri’s velvet voice exclaims. Heat, all around me, and the water evaporates, leaving me dry and even more confused. I pry my eyes open to replace that I am in the bathroom in my chambers, resting on a nest of towels next to the bathtub with my dutiful and concerned fiancé kneeling beside me. “Aerys, are you all right?”

“I had the strangest dream...” I mumble, pushing myself into a seated position while massaging my left temple. Dmitri’s hand on my back, supporting me.

“I would guess. You were manipulating water in your sleep. I’ve never seen anything like it.” This is enough evidence to convince me that my dream was only part dream; Acionna really did contact me, and everything she told me stands an excellent chance of being factual.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Not terribly long. I carried you up from the ball perhaps an hour or two ago.”

“Is it still going on? Should we go back down there?”

“No, I sent everyone to bed. I could not play host knowing you were indisposed.”

“I would have been fine.”

“I had no way of knowing that.” His jaw is set firmly. There’s no arguing this point with him. “What did you dream about?”

“Do you know anything of Acionna?” I question in return, hoping for a reaction. When his face blanches and eyes widen, I smirk inwardly with satisfaction.

“The Celtic water goddess and founder of the clan of water elementals?”

“The latter is true, at any rate.”

“How do you know of her?”

“She spoke to me in my dream.”

“I replace that very hard to believe.”

“I told you it was strange. It was lovely, all the same. And of course I learned things from her, about my gift and my own family and ancestry. She claims that the woman I’ve called mother all my life is not my mother, that I am the product of an affair between my father and a protégée of my grandmother, a water-gifted sorceress.” The revelation seems to stun Dmitri as much as it did me. He sits back on his heels, leaving me to support myself. “But, I believe I’ve had enough revelations about my family and my gift for one night, don’t you? I’m going to get out of this dress and go to bed.” Accordingly I rise to my feet and move to leave the bathroom, but he is suddenly on his feet and in my path.

“Can I help you with the dress?” His eyes are blazing again with those dark lustful flames that excite and frighten me. I should not have said anything.

“I’ll manage on my own, thank you. You ought to get some rest yourself. I’m sure this evening has been unnecessarily stressful for you,” I demur as I brush past him.

“Icy as ever. What are you afraid of, Aerys?”

“I simply see no need to rush things, Dmitri. Doesn’t the attraction between our magics frighten you, too? Don’t you wonder what will come about when they eventually mix?”

“For me curiosity outweighs fear. I thought you would feel the same, curious as you are.”

“Well, my curiosity is tempered by caution, strange as that may seem.”

“Will your caution permit me to stay beside you tonight?” His eyes plead with me, tearing down my better judgment.

“So long as we both actually sleep,” I relent. We have slept next to each other before, after all. I believe I can trust him to respect my wishes. If I cannot, then he will be no husband of mine, attraction between our magics notwithstanding.

“As you wish, milady,” he teases with a mocking bow, good humor restored by my granting of this request. He even disappears back into the bathroom and closes the door so that I can change into more comfortable clothes in privacy. Perhaps I am being too cold to him, after all....

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