“Evedna Pyrilsa, it is time for you to listen.” The voice had grown in strength since Evedna’s last dream. Still, she fought. She did not want to listen to them. She knew that if she did her life would change forever, and she didn’t want me to listen.

“Daughter of Evadne, daughter of Pyralis, listen to me now.”

“No.”

“You must! You cannot afford to ignore me anymore. The darkness is gathering, and if you do not listen, all will be destroyed.”

“You’re lying.”

“Stubborn girl! Listen! The Dark King has gone mad with his power. Sixteen years ago he used the arguments of the Fire Queen and the Water King to destroy them both, and now he has gained control over the rulers of the other elements as well. Even the Light Queen now serves him.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“One element ruler alone may not defeat him, and he caught all of the other rulers at a time of war when they would not be persuaded to cooperate. The Fire Queen and Water King tried to unite their elements by marriage, but it failed quickly. The Dark King made sure of it, but he wasn’t quick enough, for the Fire Queen had conceived. He did all he could to destroy the child, and pushed the Fire Queen and the Water King into a battle that he hoped would destroy the child.”

“And..?”

“The child was swept away by the violent storm that resulted. The Dark King believed that he had succeeded, as no heir could master their powers that quickly, especially not two opposing powers at the same time. He did not count on an inhabited island out in the middle of the ocean. He did not count on your incredible will to live, Evedna.”

“What are you saying? I don’t understand.”

“You were the child. Have you not wondered about your powers, about how you alone can command both fire and water? Jayla knows. She does not know everything, but she knows that you are not human.”

“Human like she is, you mean.”

“She is not human either, but I will not tell you her past, for you do not need to know. All that you need to know is that she will have her own part in the battle to come.”

“Can I tell her about this dream?”

“Tell her as much as you feel is right. You have good instincts, Evedna Pyrilsa. They will tell you how much you should say.”

“By the way, what exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Go to the mainland. You will know what to do from there.”

Jayla woke to see Evedna leaning over her, a strange look on her face. She groaned and sat up.

“What is it, Evedna?” Evedna looked at her for a few seconds before answering.

“I had a dream.”

“What about?”

“A voice told me to go to the mainland, that I was needed there.”

“Are you planning on going?”

“If you come too.” Jayla paused to think. Sure, what Evedna was saying sounded strange, but something told her to believe her. Evedna looked like she truly believed it, and she never was very good at lying. She could see that there was something else too, but Evedna would probably tell her the rest eventually.

“I’ll come.” The words escaped her before she knew what she was doing, but after a few seconds she decided it made sense. Even if it was just a figment of Evedna’s imagination, it was sure to lead to a lot of adventure, and Jayla was tired of doing the same thing day after day. There was also the hope, buried deep inside her, that she may eventually find the meanings of her own dreams, which were getting more and more frequent. Her last dream had been the strangest one yet.

“What do you think? Will it fool him?” The woman’s voice was high, urgent.

“All we need to do is change the eyes and he’ll never know.” This came from another woman, her hands and face wrinkled. “What colour do you want them to be?”

“Green. I’ve always loved green.”

“Green it is then. Are you ready?”

“Yes. Yes I am.”

There was a flash of light, and she was lying on a cement step, outside in the cold. A door open and a woman walked out, almost stepping on her. She started to cry and the woman looked down.

“Another one? It seems wrong that so many babies are just being left on the street when there are women who want children so much and can’t have them.” She picked up the baby girl and carried her back inside the house that she had just come out of.

“What is that, Mirabelle?” This weak voice came from a room just ahead. The woman walked into the room. Another woman was sitting in a bed in the corner, cradling a dead baby.

“I found a baby abandoned on the front steps.”

“A baby? Abandoned at our house? Bring it to the orphanage.” The woman walked forward.

“Won’t you just look at her, Kiyana?” She held out the baby to the woman in the bed. The woman looked up, tears in her eyes.

“She is beautiful.” The baby started to cry again, and the woman put down the dead baby and reached out her hands.

“What are you doing, Mirabelle? You don’t hold a baby like that. Here, let me show you how.”

That dream certainly made her think. She wanted to have a long talk with her parents sometime soon. If nothing else, the trip to the mainland would let her do that.