A Change in the Wind

[Kira Adia]

The moons kept their silent vigil over the night. Though neither was at full, their combined light gave soft radiance to the early autumn air. The wilds rested uneasily beneath them, and many of the trees had already begun to turn from green to their array of dazzling colors.

Within the walls of the Adia homestead, most lights were already snuffed out, their business for the day long concluded and the inhabitants off to either dream in their homes or wander in their nocturnal habits.

The Mistress of the estate sat in her office within the house she called her sanctum. Most nights found her in the family home, tending to the children and occasionally spending the hours with one or more of her lovers who came and went as their own dealings allowed. It was a comfortable routine; one she'd grown fond of through the years. She spent much of her adult life moving from one chaos to another, but peace had taken root, and she found it comforting.

Every now and then, however, she desired solitude. Her sanctum, one of the oldest structures in the estate, was where it always waited for her. Since the erection of the much larger home, this one had been dedicated to her sole use, and as such has her main office and her private library. For some time, she'd even converted the bedroom into a workshop for her experiments and for idle crafting, but since the birth of the twins, shed converted it to their use. They were the only regular exceptions to her practice of residing here alone, and only when they desired to come with her.

Ryn had asked to stay at the home with another of her mothers, but Rika had insisted on coming with Kira. It was rare that the two chose to spend time apart. Something seemed to be on Rika's mind, however, and she wanted her sister to keep enjoying herself, and so this was one such time.

The child was in her bed for now, dozing to digest her meal. It was fortunate they could digest regular food thanks to their hybrid natures. The day Les would have to teach them how to hunt for blood could wait until they were older. Kira and Les has both felt the anxiety that they would be forced to begin young when they realized the girls had inherited the vampiric hunger, but that had settled when a doctor assured them it would not be the case. They still needed a small amount of blood each day, but in small enough quantities that could be easily sourced from a donation center, even out in the Wilds.

That musing had distracted Kira from her reading for a time. She was at her desk, a small array of candles making up for the lack of daylight. The sounds of the night time forest crept over the walls and through the window into her office. Another reinforcement of the air of contentment she'd found. While her upbringing was in what she had once considered rather urbane surroundings compared to the village life outside her ancestral home, it was downright urban compared to the vivacity of the City she'd come to call home.

Not that she disliked it. She had grown quite fond of the pace and energy of life in the City of RhyDin. As much as she loved it, however, nothing felt more like home than being so near to the quiet of the woods.

A breeze intruded on her thoughts, causing the candlelight to flicker and flutter. Though u bothered by cold, she still felt, for the first time that season, the promise of chill that would soon settle on the landscape. This brought her mind back to the present.

She breeze fluttered again, and the candle closest to the window died out. That caught her attention. The tiny glyphs etched into the wax should have kept their flames going even in the rain. Gently, Kira closed her book and sat it down on the desk before rising to her feet.

The wind settled as she moved to the open window overlooking her garden. Though she could have kept the grounds in a perpetual state of spring or early summer as she had in years past, more recently, she decided to allow the proper progression of seasons to fall upon her home. Part of this was out of consideration for the people who had rapidly come to call the village -- almost a town, now -- outside the walls home. The orchids would not bloom again until after the frost had passed, and the apples were almost begging to be gathered.

She loved this time of year. Soon, winter would be upon the land, and she would again be called to join in the hunt through the Deep Wilds, finding game to sate her darker half's instincts for another year.

She expected to feel the first whispers of that annual urge, but something felt off. She gazed up at the stars, questioning inwardly the nature of the impressions she felt. The whispers were there, but rather than beckoning, they were scattered. Something was calling their attention away, confusing and distracting the familiar rhythm. Making it incomprehensible.

"Mommy...?"

The single word in her native tongue once again called her back to the room. In the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the flickering of candlelight in the window pane.

Kira turned, and she saw her guess was incorrect. Rika stood just inside the opened office door. A halo of burning fire rose from the little girl's raven dark hair.

"The magic woke me up." Rika rubbed at one eye with her balled up fist as she yawned. "I told it to stop and let me sleep, but it won't listen."

Kira sighed. "Let's see if we can calm it, then." To her own ears, she always sounded more relaxed and comfortable in her own tongue than she did in Common. This was why shed made it a priority to teach the girls Thendozal Common alongside English. She knew she was much more comforting to them that way.

She crossed the floor, kneeling in front of Rika just as she let loose another yawn. The glyphs tattooed on the back of her hands, normally invisible except under UV light, glowed red as she took the girl's empty hand in her right hand, laying the left on her head. The faeling focused, reaching out through the arcane symbols into the Ether and seeking to calm the elemental energies swirling about her daughter.

Something felt off. Kira may have had no natural connection to the elemental forces of Fire, but she had long ago found reasons to seek out and utilize methods for harnessing those energies.

Those earlier needs no longer held, but that preparation had paid off with the younger twin. Her connection to Fire made itself apparent as soon as she could call upon the Ether, and as such, every structure within the Homestead, article of clothing, toy, and piece of furniture had runes and glyphs meant to ward off elemental fire. Connection may have been natural for Rika, but control was not.

It was fortunate that her own brother James was also inclined towards flame, but he couldn't be there at all times, while Rika's bursts came when they wanted. It was somewhat to be expected. A young child could hardly know how to maintain the proper boundaries between their own will and the Ether.

Kira pushed through, and with some effort, the swirling flame subsided. "There. Good as new, Little Bird. Would you like to go back to bed?"

Rika nodded.

"Shall I tuck you in?"

This time, she shook her head. "No. I want Fruppy to do it." She held up the stuffed winged llama in her other hand.

Kira let out a gentle laugh, then kissed Rika's forehead before letting go of her hand and standing back up. "Alright. Fruppy can do so this time. I'm right here if you need me, my love."

Rika nodded, yawning one more time. "I know. Love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, Rika."

Kira watched the youngling walk back out and close the door behind her. A tapping noise came from the top of her desk, but she didn't turn. A strangely accented voice spoke in Common English. "That was something."

Kira turned her head to look to Perdea, the raven familiar who had become her companion just before the girls' birth. She responded in kind. "It was. I almost could not stop the flames."

Perdea dipped her head in so.ething like a nod. "These episodes. They are becoming more common."

"Yes, they are. This cannot be simple impulse control. James has said that this is not purely Etheric Fire. Even Wyld magic cannot explain it." Kira considered for a moment. "Are we certain that..."

"Completely certain." The raven interrupted her. "She's gone. It's been long enough to say for sure. I'd have heard by now on the other side if not." She cocked her head to the side. "Don't start bad habits again."

Kira shook her head. "I am not, I assure you. This only resembles prior patterns. I cannot rule anything out."

"You have a point, but that was still your first guess," Perdea chided. "I believe you. But there's another possibility."

Kira bit at her lip. "That is one I would rather not entertain until we can rule others out." She crossed back to her seat, resting her elbows stop the desk. "I will take her to see James tomorrow. He is not certain himself what is happening, but maybe he may have some way to test at the Studium we lack here." She blinked as a thought occured to her.

Perdea cocked her head the other way. "What?"

Kira nodded as though deciding something. "The election is over, and now I have time and attention. I had desired to return to the Tower of Earth. But..." She smiled at her familiar. "There is another opportunity available. Why not size it while I can?"

The raven nodded. "The Tower of Fire. Sal won't give it up easily. You know what time of year it is. Why not just ask if you may make use of the library or something?"

"I still may do so. I may still have some repor with him for a small favor." She gestured dismissively. "But I desire a new challenge. My first choice did not manifest. Politics defeated me, so perhaps I should return to a venue I have more confidence in."

Perdea let out a croaked cackle that Kira knew to be her version of a laugh. "Your funeral, Kira. Don't cry to me if it goes poorly."

Kira giggled in return. "It may. It may not. Now please move. I wish to write a letter and you are in my work space."