Shaper of Water

Elle Vaywand stood at the edge of the water, salty waves lapping at her ankles and sand cupped beneath her toes as she listened for the great water elemental udilm. She’d spoken to udilm only once, and she’d had to nearly die for it to happen. With each attempt, it became decreasingly likely that she would ever reach the water again, at least not without help. Now, given the fires she saw on the horizon, she felt a renewed sense of need.

“Any answer?”

Elle sighed and turned away from the sea to face Kodan. The once-massive man now looked withered, with great folds of skin forming wrinkles along his forehead and neck. A long mustache twirled across his face. Elle suspected he wore it to hide the old fishing scar that split his lip, as if something like that required hiding rather than pride in what he’d survived.

Behind her, the sea dragged at her ankles, calling her with each seductive wave, as if demanding that she swim out into the dark depths where she’d nearly drowned. She hadn’t had the opportunity to ask Tan how he knew she wouldn’t, how he knew it would work. She hadn’t really had the opportunity to ask him about the terrifying creature of fire that brought her here, a creature that had been long gone from this world. 

“Udilm remains silent,” she told him. “I will continue to try…”

Kodan sighed as he often did these days. His eyes turned toward the hills to the west. Lush greenery flowed, dotted with bright flowers as the hills rose away from the sea along the Doma coast. Even further in the distance, the great Trelesh Forest began, massive secondan trees rising high into the sky that served as the border between Doma and Incendin. Usually, the trees served as a comforting reminder of the separation between Incendin and Doma. Now all they did was remind her of the fires burning somewhere along the border. 

Black smoke drifted on the wind, for now drawn away from Doma and into Incendin, but the winds would switch. They always did. Then the bitter stink of burning secondan trees would reach them. Smoke would rise over their lands. And, perhaps worst of all, they would come. 

“The Sea Father knows we need their protection,” Kodan said. “We have been safe for now, but how long until the lisincend come?” 

He spoke to himself, and Elle knew not to answer. As one of the council elders, he didn’t really expect an answer from her, regardless of her claim of the ability to speak to udilm, especially since Kodan was the only one in the village who believed her. The rest thought she’d washed ashore from a passing ship, as if Elle were that clumsy.

“We have shapers,” Elle said instead.

Kodan grunted and twisted the ends of his mustache as he stared to the west. The sea breeze tousled his thinning hair and sent it into his face. It was a measure of his focus that he ignored it. “Shapers, and skilled enough, but how long until they are taken from us? Too often, Incendin seems to know when shapers emerge.” His eyes closed. “Were only Lilya still here.”

Elle had learned how the lisincend had taken his daughter nearly two years ago. A strong water shaper, Kodan claimed that Lilya had fought as long as she could, but even water shapers have limits. 

“We could ask the kingdoms—”

Koban opened his blue eyes and looked at her sharply. “Always the kingdoms with you. The kingdoms abandoned us long ago. I don’t know why the elders of Ushil sent you there to learn.”

“They didn’t have a choice. When our village was destroyed, there was no other place I could go to learn.”

Koban dropped his hands and shook his head. “You do not need to tell me how it is, Elle Vaywand. You might have studied in their city, but you are not one of them. Perhaps in time, you will remember that for yourself. That the Sea Father chose you to speak to udilm speaks to it.” He took a deep breath. “And now the lisincend grow stronger. Each attack more violent. Those farthest from Falsheim struggle the most, but even this close to the capital, we must hope for help.” Koban took another breath and his features softened. He turned and started out of the sand and back toward the village. “Keep trying to reach them. We will need the grace of udilm if we are to survive.”

Koban left her standing on the beach, staring after him. 

She turned back to the waves. Much of the day remained and the council gave her no other responsibilities. Others were tasked with fishing or fetching fresh water or even preparing the spears and hooks, were Incendin to attack. Not Elle. She was given nothing more to do than stand in the sand and reach for udilm. Only, the great elemental seemed unconcerned that Incendin might attack.

Elle took a step toward the water, letting it splash and swirl around her legs. Another step, and it lapped at the bottom of her white cotton dress. With each step, she called out to udilm, but with each step, she heard no response. 

She let out another frustrated sigh.

A harsh cry split the day, piercing her ears. Elle looked toward the sound and immediately dropped into the water. A black shadow passed high overhead, larger than any bird she’d ever seen. Had she not travelled with Tannen Minden by draasin, she might have thought it one of the ancient creatures now returned, but it looked nothing like the fire elemental. 

She couldn’t make out what she saw and stayed low until it passed, trailing along the shore as it flew to the west. As it began to disappear, a spout of flame roared from its mouth and then it dipped below the cresting hills. 

Elle shivered. Not draasin. But what?

Had she not known better, she would have thought it one of the lisincend, but when had the lisincend ever grown wings? And even if it were lisincend, what would it be doing to the west? Other than the rolling hills, there was nothing to the west but open land. Most of Doma remained concentrated along the shores. The great city of Falsheim rose to the east. Had the creature come from there? Surely the shapers of Falsheim would have noticed if it had. 

She turned, looking back toward the village. Koban had disappeared, back into his home or off visiting with the council to report on her failings. Either way, he’d left her alone. Had she not washed up on the shores of Ophan a month ago after speaking with udilm, she would have gone to Falsheim. As it was, the council had demanded she stay until they had a vow of protection from udilm the water elemental. Unfortunately for Elle, udilm no longer seemed to offer such vows. 

She started up the beach, moving slowly as she did, letting her feet trail through the sand, watching as the waves washed each step away. She lost track of the steps she took and realized as she moved from sand to the rocky shores, that she left the village far behind. Let them think she sought a new way to reach udilm. At least then she might have a measure of freedom. 

Elle climbed the rocks, staring distantly at the rising swell of the sea when she slipped. 

She caught herself, but as she did, her attention went west, seeking the spot she had last seen the creature. A soft orange glow worked across the horizon. Elle shivered, knowing she should turn back but unable to do so. Curiosity drove her on, the same curiosity that had sent her to the archives day after day in spite of the archivists refusing to allow her access. 

The rocks forced her to climb higher and higher until she stood at the top of the peak. Far below her now, the ocean slapped along the rock. Swirls of white-capped water slipped between the rocks and sprayed out in a green-tinted froth. Widows Ledge, the fishers called it, the place where the small fishing vessels refused to row. None ever made it all the way back out to sea. 

Here Elle stood, staring first out at the ocean, watching gulls swooping down from overhead, plummeting toward the water before soaring back into the sky, often with fish flopping from their long beaks. She looked toward the west, toward the distant smoke and the Trelash Forest, and when she did, she nearly fell from the rocks into Widows Ledge. 

Flames leapt from the grass, racing down the hill.

The flames pressed upon her, surging through her with an aching sense, much like the only other time she’d seen the lisincend. Elle hadn’t the same sense when the draasin attacked Ethea. She didn’t know what it meant, but now she knew with certainty: the creature she’d seen had been one of the lisincend.