Nature's Mystery

The sun glittered through the trees as a figure moved from shadow to shadow. The scent of the nearby sea mixed with the damp odor of moss and dirt. Raindrops from the previous night’s storm dripped off the tree branches and sparkled in the patches of sunlight. Tentatively, a hand reached into the light to catch the water. Five slender fingers rolled the droplets between them, causing them to spiral into a sphere of water the size of an acorn. Fingers brought the orb to the creature’s lips and the tip of a spiraling horn briefly glistened in the light. 

The trees were beginning to thin and the sound of crashing waves became louder as the creature returned to the shadows and made their way to the edge of the trees. High above, a rainbow plumed phoenix wove through the tree branches and flew out towards the sea. The sky beyond the branches was pale blue with white clouds building on the horizon. A white, rocky beach spread out to meet the water that mirrored the sky’s pale shade. Through the trees, the creature could see five unicorns chasing each other through the shallows. Their white coats and silver horns glistened from the water, enhancing their graceful movement and beauty. They called to the phoenix that flew overhead and to the narwhals whose tusks poked out of the water in the distance.

“You cannot hide in the shadows forever, Ahsandra. Come into the light,” the phoenix said, circling above the sand.

The creature pulled back into the trees, allowing the leaves of low-hanging branches to veil her from the bright, outside world. Wings flapped as the brightly colored bird landed on the sand. The phoenix was the size of a trumpeter swan, its feathers brightly displaying the colors of the rainbow on each wing. Long tail feathers trailed behind the great bird with the colors fading into violet. 

“It would be a shame if you came all this way just to turn back now,” the phoenix said. 

Ahsandra took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slowly climbed out of the forest onto the beach. Her eyes squeezed tightly against the sudden brightness and she sat on the hot sand while her eyes adjusted and she could see clearly. 

Slowly, she stood and followed the phoenix over the rocks and sand to the unicorns. Two large boulders separated her from the unicorns’ view.  Ahsandra cautiously approached the unicorns as they frolicked and played in the surf. 

As they noticed her, they stood and watched her, keeping their distance from the shore where she stood in the wet sand. They stared at the figure and swiveled their ears forward. She looked almost like a human girl with sun tanned skin, human clothes, and messy dark hair, but that was the end of her human resemblance. Her legs had dark blue scales covering from her ankles to her knees. A pair of dark brown bird-like wings sprouted from her shoulder blades and hovered several inches off the ground. The feature the unicorns noticed right away was a single silver horn spiraling from the middle of the creature’s forehead, just like theirs. 

“We’ve certainly never seen anything like you before. Who are you?” one of the unicorns asked. 

“I . . .” She cleared her throat and tried to speak above a whisper. “My name is Ahsandra. I have journeyed from the Southern Forest. I’ve come in search of your wisdom, though now I fear it is in vain.”

“And what is it you’d like to know?” another unicorn asked, softly. 

“I have never met another being that looked like me. Since my horn is similar to your’s, I thought maybe you’d know what I might be.”

The unicorn looked at her with gentle, wise eyes. Her horn dazzled in the sunlight and cast reflections on the white sand. 

“Deep in the forest there lives a mage named Aradamis. He has studied different creatures of our world and may know what you are.”

“But do be warned,” another unicorn said gravely. “He does not trade information freely and is known for cursing those who wrong him. You must be prepared to barter with him for information. Is that something you are willing to do?” 

Ahsandra nodded slowly. “Can you tell me how to get there?”

The first unicorn’s horn began to glow as it walked to the dry sand and touched the ground gently. A few hair-thin bolts of lightning struck the sand where the unicorn had placed her horn, creating a map. A defined path snaked through the forest until it forked and thinned away from the main road. The unicorn then touched their horn to Ahsandra’s. A warm glow flowed through her body.

“With the protection of a unicorn, the ones who will see your true form are those who see with Open Eyes,” the unicorn said.

“There may be humans who travel along this path. For your protection, it’s best that they don’t see what you are,” said the phoenix.

Ahsandra furrowed her brow. “But don’t most creatures see things when their eyes are open?”

The unicorn laughed a faint braying sound. “Yes, but only those who have their eyes open to what is hidden will see your true form. Everyone else will see you as a human girl.”

“Thank you, I appreciate your kindness,” she said gratefully.

“We magical creatures know how dangerous it is when humans discover things they do not understand.” the phoenix said. “And this is as far as I can take you. You must travel to Aradamis alone as your path will be closer to human towns.”

Ahsandra nodded. “I understand. If I see any humans, I shall do my best to have them move along quickly.”

* * *

Ahsandra traveled through the woods, keeping to the shadows on the path. Crows squawked omens in the trees above while squirrels rambled incomplete riddles before getting distracted and scurrying away. As she neared the fork in the path, a loud noise came up from behind her. The sound of horse hooves thundered down the path as two riders approached. When they saw Ahsandra, they pulled their horses to a halt. 

“Do you need any assistance, lass?” one of the men asked. He had orange hair streaked with gray and wore a hunter’s bow over his shoulder. 

“No, thank you, sir. I know where I’m heading.” Ahsandra spoke quickly, hoping that they wouldn’t see through the unicorn’s power.

“It’s almost dark. Let us take you where you need to go. It’ll be faster by horse than by foot,” the second man said. He had several quails poking out of a sack slung behind his saddle. At the sight of the dead birds, Ahsandra’s mouth watered. 

“No need. I’m almost to my destination.”

“You don’t mean the mage, do you?” the first man asked. “He doesn’t take kindly to uninvited guests, so we’re told.”

“I work for him.” she said, quickly. “Now if you’ll please excuse me, I should hurry home. Have a good night, gentlemen.” Before either man could respond, she took off and ran up the path to the fork, leaving the hunters behind. 

The less traveled path she took was narrower and had many tree branches blocking her way. Several animals rustled and chatted as she passed, but none came to cross the path. The sun set and the sky darkened before she reached the end of the path deep in the woods and saw her destination.

A large stone house stood before her, its windows illuminated by candlelight. A wooden fence surrounded the property and a busy garden took up most of the yard to the left of the path. Bushes stood at either side of the gate like silent guards. Small fires burned at the base of the bushes, but none of the branches were even singed. Stemless peonies, roses, and tulips floated through the air with small candle-like flames illuminating the center of the blossoms. In the small pond to the right of the garden, lily pads floated on the glass-like surface and their small flames danced in the pond’s reflection. Kneeling in the garden, she could hear someone working.

Ahsandra took a deep breath as she walked up the path and knocked on the gate. She straightened her cloak and smoothed down her hair as best she could as the figure in the garden straightened. He wore a white shirt and black pants over dark leather shoes. A pair of white gloves covered his hands and several insignia rings donned his fingers. Everything about him looked human. Everything except for his head. A large, white, deer skull with two large antlers made up his head. His eye sockets were dark and empty, but that didn’t deprive him of his sense of sight. 

“Who are you and why are you standing at my gate?” he asked in a deep voice. His mouth remained closed as he spoke. 

Ahsandra took a deep breath before answering. “My name is Ahsandra. I was sent here by the unicorns. Are you Aradamis?”

He made his way out of the garden and stood on the path leading up to his door. “I am, though I’m curious why the unicorns would send you to me.”

“They thought you could help me. I’ve traveled a long way.”

“And why should I help a human girl who’s lost her way in the woods?” Aradamis turned away and began walking up the path to his house.

“If you look closer, perhaps you’ll see that I’m not a human girl.”

The gravel shifted under Aradamis’s feet as he turned to look back at the dirty girl in the candle light. He lowered his head and peered at her, his empty eye sockets seeming to narrow into a squint. “What are you?” he asked, slowly enunciating each word as he spoke.

“That’s why I’ve come to you. I don’t know what I am.”

“And what of your kin?”

“My parents died before I was old enough to remember them. I was raised by the animals of the forest. They taught me everything I know.”

“What is it you can do?” Aradamis asked, straightening and crossing his arms over his chest.

“I can hunt and gather food. I’m a good tracker by foot and by air.”

“Can you read at all?”

She shook her head. “Not a word.”

He sighed a hollow noise from the back of his throat. “Can you do any magic?”

Ahsandra held a hand out towards the pond and beckoned with her fingers. A small stream of water flowed from the pond to her hand and formed a ball in her palm. With the other hand, she pointed to a flower floating nearby. Like a puppeteer manipulating a marionette, the flower followed her fingers, rising and falling in the air. The candle’s flame grew and shrank in time with the flower’s movement. 

When she was done with her display, Ahsandra sent the flower floating away from her and the water returned to the pond. Aradamis watched her calmly, noting her control and how the water had become clearer as it slowly turned in her hand. 

“What else can you do magically?”

“I can generate small lightning bolts from my horn and I can manipulate tree branches a little.” She pointed at a nearby tree and a small branch gently shook back and forth. 

“If I am to determine what creature you are, what will you do for me?”

Ahsandra had been pondering that question during her walk through the woods, hoping that the answer would come to her once she met Aradamis. She looked around the garden and then at its owner. “Given my skills as a hunter, I can bring you food from the forest. I can cleanse water sources, and aid you in ways my powers allow. Does that sound fair?”

“We can start with that and elaborate as things change. Let’s go inside. We’ve stood out in the evening air for too long.” As he turned, the gate magically opened and Ahsandra hurried in before it closed and latched behind her. She followed Aradamis through the front door and into the house, wiping her shoes on the mat before entering. 

Every room in the house was occupied by at least one bookshelf. The sitting room had one opposite the fireplace, there were two in the dining room, and every wall in the study had bookshelves filling every inch of available space. The rest of the furniture was plain and sparse, filling the rooms on the first floor sparingly. Aradamis quickly led her through the sitting room and dining room before searching the bookshelves in the study. A huge desk filled the middle of the tight room and was loaded down with paper, ink, quills, and open books. A human skeleton lay across the top of one of the bookshelves, his shoulders, head, and arms hanging over the side.

“That’s Darian. Pay him and his words no mind.” Aradamis said, absentmindedly.

At the mention of his name, the skeleton lifted his head and began throwing his arms about. “Now is that any way to treat your oldest friend? To banish me to the dust and forgotten books while you and Rosella entertain our guest? That’s the last time I help you decipher a riddle or ancient text or Douglas Fir joke!” His teeth clacked together like bones in a bag.

Ahsandra nodded to him. “Pleased to meet you.”

“I like this one! She has manners. Say, what did the boiling pot say to the kettle? Quit your whistling and let off some steam.”

“His jokes aren’t very good. We just smile and nod to appease him,” a lady said as she came in through the door with a smile on her face. She carried a tray with food on it and placed it on the desk. Her skin was tinted blue and her pointed ears peeked out from beneath her black hair. She wore a pair of red trousers and a black shirt. 

After setting down her tray, she turned to face Aradamis’s guest. “Make sure you eat and don’t stay up all night reading. I won’t have you wasting away to nothing. It’s a good thing I made extra food for dinner. If you need anything, my name’s Rosella,” she said as she turned and left the room.

From his place at the shelves, Aradamis waved at Ahsandra to start eating while he built a pile of books in his arms. By the time Ahsandra was done with her serving of fish, He had six books in his arms and was placing them on the desk on top of another stack of books. Then he took his place behind the desk.

“Let us begin,” he said, opening his first book and beginning to read.

* * * 

As the weeks went by, Aradamis taught Ahsandra to read and spent hours pouring over his books late into the night. He sent Rosella out to purchase more from a nearby town when he had exhausted his resources on mixed magical creatures. Everyday, Ahsandra hunted for dinner in the woods and practiced her magic with Rosella and Aradamis, who was always taking notes on her.

As late summer turned into fall and fall turned to winter, the mage called Ahsandra to his study. She removed her cloak and handed her prey to Rosella before entering the room. He was sitting in his chair with his desk cleared of the piles of books. A stack of paper sat before him and a book lay open beside it. Ahsandra took a seat across from him and looked for some sort of hint in his face.

“After months of research, I believe I have concluded what sort of creature you are.” Aradamis said, calmly. 

Ahsandra’s eyes widened with interest and she leaned forward in her seat. “Do go on.”

“Very well. Your base, as I’ll call it, is that of an elf. You have the scales on your legs of a mermaid, horn of a unicorn, and the wings of a harpy. Based on your blood and your skills with magic, I believe that your added features are used to conduct your magical abilities. There have been a few creatures known throughout our recorded history who are meant to wield powerful elemental magic. They have been known as Eterini and were believed to be wiped out years ago.”

“Why were they wiped out?” Ahsandra asked hesitantly.

Aradamis sighed and was quiet for a moment before answering. His expression was grim and he kept his hands folded on his desk. “It was discovered that eventually their powers for purifying and healing would turn to that of polluting and killing. As an Eterini grew older, their powers became harder to control. Some embraced their harmful traits and aided those with wicked hearts. As a safety precaution they were all wiped out . . . All except you.”

She stared at him, her mouth slightly agape. “What are you going to do to me?”

“I am going to make sure you never harm others with your powers.” He reached into his drawer and placed a dagger on the table. “You will never be a threat to this world.”