The two moons hung like pearl earrings in the cloudless sky and the stars twinkled like diamond dust around them. The air was still, the night was calm and the winding road across the Nylaeg plains was long and seemingly unending. It was this road that the caravan travelled, with horses of varying shades and shapes tied to wagons that were covered by either animal hides or wooden planks. They were brightly coloured, though their weathered paint looked faded under the moons and they rumbled along with their wheels creaking and the horses panting, making the only sounds to be heard in the still night. They had been on the run for over a month now, and their numbers had dwindled from thirty to twelve.

They were the Tiani Gypsies and they were the outlaws in Arethain which stretched from the mighty western mountains and the great eastern sea and they had been forced to split up and take different paths to the base of the great mountains where they would spend the summer months. Many of the more respectable folk of the land would be more content if they were up in the northern wilds, away from their towns and villages but the king had decreed long ago that they were still children of the realm and they would be allowed to travel wherever they pleased. Yet despite this decree, conditions had been placed upon the Tiani. The harshest law stated that any child, particularly a female child that showed the signs of possessing a supernatural gift were to be sent to the capitol city on the eastern coast to be trained in her art. It was a condition that no one liked to meet, but they had little choice and although there had been rumours that their kin were being taken to the mines or forced to work as slaves instead of being taught the ways of the Magi, twice a year they would prepare to send some of their children away forever. The ‘taking’ as it was known took place when the caravans entered the capitol province of Arethain. This happened during the summer months and at this time the great Magi from the court of Ki’en would come to them and talk with each child that had reached the age of thirteen to see if they had developed any powers. If he found some he would wisk them away at daybreak the next morning and those children would never return to their families. Unfortunately, the time had come for one such child.

She was Aria Cyme, the daughter of the chief gypsy and his wife and was a sight to behold with her raven-black hair and telling amber-brown eyes which were common traits among her people. She possessed her father’s temperament and her mothers unwavering eye and she was known as Aria. It was during this long, unusual midnight journey in the dark summer night that her mother Bellna was using as an opportunity to school her eldest and only daughter in the ways of the hand. “When we reach the outskirts of Hieren little one, many things will change,” she has whispered earlier in the night. “The great Magi will come and talk to you because you are of age and you possess the gift of sight. You know what that means do you not?” Bellna had asked her daughter sharply. But Aria had nodded.

“I know what that means mother,” she had replied. “It means that I will be taken to their great shining city of Ki’en and I will be schooled by the Magi at the court of King Fyr.”

Bellna had nodded. “They will try to teach you many things my child. They will try and make you forget who you are and where you have come from, but you must stay strong and you must remember what I am teaching you now.”

And with no more words spoken about their journey ahead, Bellna whispered the secrets of the hand. It was an ancient Tiani art that had been passed down by the demi-goddess Huira, or so the gypsies believed. Either way, it was a form of divination that looked at the palms of the fortune seekers. It was not an easy art to learn and most Tiani Gypsies who managed to escape the time of ‘taking’ as it was known, spent years and years learning how to interpret the lines, ridges and valleys of a human hand and she only stopped when Aria’s eyelids could no longer stay open.

“I have spoken about the mysteries enough little one,” Bellna whispered in a soft and soothing voice as she tucked a strand of her daughters wild, raven-black hair behind her ear. “Go to sleep.”

Barely awake, Aria did her best to nod before laying back on the soft blankets that served as her bed while she travelled. And while she quickly fell asleep her mother opened the door in the front of the caravan and climbed up to join her husband who was leading the procession of wagons behind them. “Is she asleep?” he asked, his voice gruff and deep.

Bellna nodded and looked at her husband, his face illuminated by the glow of the two moons in the sky. He had rugged features with a sharp nose that protruded from a moustache and beard. He had the Tiani amber-brown eyes and the same raven-black hair that they all had, but his like many of the older men was greying around the edges which served as a constant reminder to both himself and his wife that they were both getting older.

“Does she know?” he asked again, his voice holding a double meaning.

Bellna shook her head. “She knows the mysteries Lehan, but she knows nothing of her true gifts. She does not know about the true sight which she has been gifted with, and I thank the mother everyday that she may never learn.”

Lehan sighed heavily. “So long as she never takes off the stone from around her neck she may never know,”

Bellna stayed silent for a couple minutes as she fingered the onyx black stone that hung around her own neck. It had been given to her by her mother, which had been given to her by her mother and it had once been part of a grand onyx necklace. But that necklace had been broken generations ago so that the daughters of the Tiani could protect their children from the gift of sight. “I know that this is true,” Bellna stated finally, her voice barely above the whisper. “But what if the great mages with their fine silk robes and golden jewels refuse to let her wear the simple necklace made of onyx and twine? What then Lehan? What will become of our only daughter if she should succumb to the power of sight?”

Lehan shook his head and did not answer, for he had none to give his wife. Bellna however knew the answer for she had seen her own dear mother descend into madness by the visions once she had given up her own onyx stones. Bellna had split that necklace in two so that both her daughter and her would have the protection, but even then the stones sometimes could not protect either of them from a particularly strong and violent premonition. And unfortunately for Bellna, she did not know that her daughter was in the grips of such a premonition even as waited for her husband’s answer.

In the back of their wagon, under the protection of the wooden planks that her father had bound together with his own two hands, Aria was experiencing such a vision, and it was a particularly vivid one and therefore broke through the protection of the onyx stone. She found herself on the edge of a great tower over looking a foreign city. There was an orange glow all around and at first Aria wondered it was the rising or setting sun, but when she began to choke from the grey ash that was marring the midnight black sky she realized that the city below her was burning, as was the tower around her. Help! her mind screamed, although nothing came out of her mouth. By the gods, I need help! But no help came to her, and as the fires crept ever closer, Aria found it hard to breathe. As she choked on the smoke, the vision began to shimmer as though it was just an illusion and then all of a sudden it shifted completely.

She was no longer on the tower, but in a cold, dark and damp cell. There were coarse, rough hewn blocks around her and cold iron bars in front of her. On the other side of the bars stood a man, and he was looking at Aria with such sadness in his eyes. I want you to know that this is not easy for me Aria, he said with such tenderness in his voice. You have enchanted me but I must do as Dyrnel commands.

Anger and betrayal rose up in Aria but she refused to give the man the satisfaction of knowing her true feelings. How can you listen to Dyrnel? He is not King of Arethain is he? she asked, trying to keep her voice calm and unaffected while she continued speaking. He has done nothing to warrant my respect and I do not understand what he could have done to you to ensure such loyalty and devotion.

Aria, the man began his voice holding a tone of shock. Dyrnel did all that he could to save my father’s life even after he had saved mine during the plague that struck the city years ago. I owe him my life-

Aria shook her head. You owe him nothing, she stated angrily. For he will-

Before Aria could finish her sentence the vision shifted again and this time she found herself in a grand ballroom with marbled columns around the perimeter and hundreds of candles scattered around to bathe the large space in a quiet orange-yellow glow. She looked down at her clothes and found that she did not wear the simple white peasant shirt and blue dress that she always wore. Indeed Aria found that she was wearing a dress of fine green dyed linen that looked to have spun gold as the embroidery thread. There were matching green dancing slippers on her feet and she could feel that her long hair, which she usually allowed to go wild was done up in a braid that was then wound around her head in a knot. All around her were similarly and in fact more finely dressed couples and they were all dancing around in circles making her very dizzy.

May I have this dance? Asked a voice to her left, but when Aria turned she found that the vision had shifted once more and she was back on the tower struggling to breathe and the vicious and deadly orange-glow of the fire was coming ever closer. And suddenly it dawned on Aria that if she was to be saved she would have to save herself, after all- she was a daughter of the Tiani and they did take anything lying down. And just as Aria closed her eyes she found that the unbearable warmth of the fire was gone, only to be replaced by the coldness of the morning.

The wagon had stopped jostling, and the silence was almost deafening. It was in those first few moments that Aria realised what was about to happen and she quickly rose from her make-shift bed and opened the back of the wagon. The caravan had stopped and had made up camp. There was one large hearth with logs for benches already set up around it and the large cast-iron cauldron was already hanging over it with the morning’s meal in it. All around Aria, the Tiani Gypsies were busy. The men were ensuring that the horses were tied to stakes that they had drove into the ground and the women were gathering what supplies they could from their own stores to use for the upcoming meal.

Aria smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress and descended down the one tiny wooden step to the soft ground below. There was an ominous chill in the air almost as though the mother earth knew that some of her children were going to be displaced. “Oh there you are Aria,” came the voice of her younger brother as he came over to her. He was several years younger than Aria but he already towered over her for he had his father’s height as well as his looks.

“Mother and father have been looking for you,” he continued as he took his sisters hand. “They say that the Magi will be here any moment and you must be ready along with the rest of the children.”

“How many of us will they talk to?” she wondered aloud as she allowed her little brother to lead her out of the protective circle of caravans and into the world beyond. There a few feet from where they had made camp stood two other girls, all Aria’s age and she knew them all very well. The one that was tall and lithe was her cousin Sayra Uram and she wore her customary simple gown that was dyed red and held in place by a simple brown cord around her waist. Her hair was done in two plaits which hung down her back and she wore two large golden hoops in her ears. She looked every part the gypsy complete with a kerchief around her head. The other woman was Morani Kal who was a good friend to Aria. She was the shortest of the three of them and she wore an outfit similar to Aria only she had a woven shawl around her shoulders as a protection against the cold. Morani, like Sayra wore the customary golden hoops in her ears and instead of having her hair in plaits, Morani like Aria had her hair wild and loose though it was kept off her face by a red kerchief with little golden discs on it.

“Are there only us?” Aria asked looking to her cousin and her friend. “Are we the only three who will go before the Magi who comes today?”

Sayra nodded. “It would seem so cousin,” she stated loudly, her brash personality awake even at the early hour. “But why are we to meet with the Magi?”

“Do you mean you have forgotten?” asked Morani, her voice quiet yet sharp like a brisk morning breeze. “This is the time of ‘taking’ and at least one of us if not all of us shall be taken to the great city of Ki’en and initiated into the Magi school.”

“Or none of us could be taken,” Aria added with optimism even though her intuition told her that she would be taken. “Who knows, maybe none of us will pass the test! After all, we’ve only been learning the cards for a few months now and they are so easy to read that a noble can do it.”

“Ah, but nobles do not know the difference between divination and the true gifts bestowed upon us by the gods,” answered a strange male voice which caused the three young woman to turn. There before them was a strange man in a dark forest green travelling cloak. He stood far above them and he had long grey hair and a clean shaven face. His eyes were a brilliant blue with wrinkles at the edge indicating that he was a jolly man who laughed too much. And just as the three gypsies were studying him, he in turn was studying them. “Are you the only ones that I am to meet today?”

“Yes Master Magi,” answered Bellna as she strode up behind her daughter, niece and her friend. “They alone have reached the appropriate age, though we do not feel that they have shown any inclination to reading the future or hearing the thoughts of others.”

The Master Magi smiled warmly, though Aria could see that there was a particular sharpness behind his eyes, as though he was displeased at the tone Bellna had taken with him. “Lady Bellna, perhaps you should let me be the judge of that? After all I have found out many things that you did not think was to be.” Bellna, who had watched many of her kin taken by the Magi before her just nodded in submission and strode back into camp taking her only son Fynn with her even though he complained the entire way. “Now,” he continued as he looked at the three gypsy women before him. “Let’s get started.”

The interviews took all afternoon and in the end, the Master Magi decided to take Aria and Morani with him. “You two have potential,” he concluded as the sun began to set. “Aria Cyme and Morani Kal you shall both have this last night to spend with your families. We will embark in the morning.”

Both Aria and Morani were heart broken and as they made their way back to their homes they could not believe that come morning they would be taken away from all that they had known. “Do not cry so,” Bellna told her daughter that night as she sat by the fire alone. “You knew that this could happen-”

“Yes,” Aria confirmed with a sniffle. “I knew it, but I do not like it.”

Bellna smiled sadly. “I know my little one and believe me your father and I along with all our kin here would not wish you away but it is the way of our lives. We allow the Magi to take our children to the capitol to learn so that we may roam the land as we have always done.”

“You are doing your duty Aria,” Lehan, her father stated gruffly as he draped his large arm over his daughters shoulders. “So be happy. You will be able to see new things and new peoples. I have traded in Ki’en myself once and it is a grand and marvellous city.”

Aria shook her head for her parents did not understand. What they did not know was that he instinctually knew that while she would have to leave them, it would not be at the side of the Master Magi. Aria did not trust him and was not prepared to put her life in his hands. Because of that, she knew that she would have to leave all that she held dear, but she would not go with the stranger. To protect her family from the questioning that was sure to happen, Aria knew that she would have to remain silent about her plans. Later that night, when the moons were high in the sky Aria packed her meagre belongings into a cloth bag she thought over what she was going to do. She was risking everything for she had no idea what would become of her people once she left but a part of Aria insisted that she had to go through with her plan. ‘But should I tell Mora?’ she thought to herself as she slipped out of her wagon, trying to be as quiet as a mouse. ‘Should I tell her what I’m planning on doing?’

“What are you doing?” came Morani’s voice in a hushed whispered and Aria whirled around to see her best friend standing before her. “What are you planning on doing?” Morani asked again and while Aria opened her mouth to lie, Morani used her gift of thought and read her mind. “You’re running away.”

Aria nodded. “Why are you running away?” Morani asked as she took her best friend by the hand. “We are supposed to go to the capital city tomorrow.”

“I know that,” Aria whispered as she pulled her friend behind her wagon hoping to keep her quiet. “Do you not think that I know that?”

“Then why are you running?” asked Morani, searching her friend’s face for answers, but receiving none for Aria had closed her mind off.

Aria sighed. “I do not want to be subjected by the Magi of Arethain. I don’t want to leave our people.”

“I don’t want to leave our people either Aria,” Morani agreed. “But we have little choice.”

“We always have a choice Mora,” Aria insisted as she grabbed her friend by the shoulders. “Just because children of the Tiani have been forced away from their families for generations doesn’t mean that we have to be one of them. We could run away. We could run far away and escape this fate of ours”

“But what will happen to our kin?” asked Morani worriedly. “Will the Master Magi not be furious when he discovers that we have gone? I have heard tales of whole caravans disappearing into the night.”

Aria’s heart stopped at that. She had known that the Master Magi would not be pleased, but it had never crossed her mind that he might destroy them all. She then opened her mouth to say something, but a waking vision hit her and she stiffened beside her friend. And while Aria could hear Morani frantically whispering her name, her sight was taking her somewhere else. In the span of three heartbeats she could see the future laid out before her. She knew that the rumours were true and that the men who were taken were sent to the mines while the women were employed in the service of the Magi as their slaves, not as their pupils. Aria also could see the basic outlines of a plot to free her kin from the Magi forever and when she came to her senses again, she found that it was no longer night but the twilight before the dawn. The sky was now an eerie grey instead of a midnight black and Morani’s face was looking at her intently. “What is it?” she asked, watching as Aria glanced around her. “What did you see?”

“You have to go with him,” Aria stated as she came back to herself.

“What?” asked Morani in shock. “Why? Do I have to go with him?”

“Because I have seen it!” Aria hissed sharply. “Now listen closely Morani, everything depends on it.”

And although the sun was rising and Aria was losing precious time by explaining things to her best friend she knew that she did not have a choice in the matter. By the time the camp was waking, she had long finished and Morani had already slipped back into her bed awaiting the cry of Aria’s mother, which came eventually.

“Where is she?” cried out Bellna as she searched all over camp. “Aria! Where have you gone? Aria!”

“Is there a problem?” asked the Master Magi as he came into the Tiani camp, his tall stature and disapproving eyes allowing him to scan everything. He glanced over everything while Bellna spoke.

“Yes there is a problem,” Bellna stated as she turned to the Master Magi, “My daughter is gone.”

“Gone?” asked the Master Magi as he looked to Morani who was standing ready with her pack in hand. “Child, do you know where Aria has gone? Yesterday I discovered that you have the gift of thought- perhaps you heard something last night or this morning even.”

“I am sorry Master Magi, but I heard no thoughts from Aria last night save for her wondering which of her dresses to bring with her to the capitol city,” Morani began, lying through her teeth. “It is possible that she has already gone on without us- she was quite excited to start a new adventure.”

Bellna looked to Morani sharply, and although she was like an adoptive daughter, Bellna knew that her daughter was not looking forward to a new adventure. Yet as she saw the twinkle in Morani’s eye she realized that her daughter must be up to something and it was her duty as a mother to make sure that she was allowed to complete whatever adventure she had started on. “That is right,” Bellna agreed as she caught Morani’s eye. “Perhaps she is on the path already. Master Magi I am sure if you and Morani here travel swiftly you will catch up to my daughter.”

The Master Magi looked at Bellna suspiciously. “It is strange,” he stated in a low voice. “Why would she not say goodbye?”

Bellna smiled, trying to conceal her true feelings. “We said all of our goodbye’s last night Master Magi. Aria would have no need for a sad start this morning; which is why I am sure that she is already on the road, it is the only thing that makes sense.”

But of course, Aria was not on the road. She had ran off in the opposite directions, into the mists that had closed on the plains in the night. She ran and she ran praying to whatever gods could hear her that she was going in the right direction. And finally, when Aria could run no longer she stopped and pulled out some bread from her pack and ate it. ‘This is a fine mess you have gotten yourself into,’ she thought despairingly to herself as she looked around this mist that was all around her. ‘You want to run away to save your kin and get them out of their servitude, but you get lost in the wretched mists…’

These mists are not wretched, came a voice out of the blue startling Aria so badly that she dropped her bred on the hard ground. These mists are a sanctuary for those who need a place to hide.

“Who’s there?” called out Aria, trying to make her voice sound braver than she felt. “Show yourself.”

There was a cackle, and then all of a sudden the mists parted and Aria saw the most beautiful woman standing before her. She looked to be middle-aged but Aria could tell that she would have been a beauty in her youth. She had piercing blue eyes that reflected the pure-blue sky on a cloudless day and her raven-black hair flowed down her back light a waterfall. She wore a gown of royal blue and had a golden belt around her waist. She smiled at Aria and extended her hand, “Come child,” she whispered, her voice sounding light and melodic. “Come with me if you want to learn how to protect your kin.”