Her True Form

Yvette had to give more credit than she wanted to the true name mages. The storm they had created truly was magnificent.

Alas, the prince was a lot more stubborn than her and refused to let them go back. More than a few of his soldiers wished to. But, as he said, ‘his throne awaited’. Every day they were getting closer to that river.

While they had originally set off with a massive entourage, now only a handful of them remained. Most had returned to their homes, no longer wishing to face such a terrible storm. Yvette couldn’t blame them, were she not a living storm herself she might have wanted to join them.

As it was, this felt pretty nice. It was like being a fish in the sea, surrounded on all sides by her ideal environment. Still, whenever she saw poor Gervas soaked to the bone and trembling, she did wish she could shield him from it. After protecting her for so long, she wished she could protect him for a little bit. Nautia, at least, didn’t seem to mind it as much. Then again, as a mermaid she likely enjoyed the rain.

Soon they’d be at the river and she was certain she could rescue them. As always, the biggest problem was the prince. She’d been looking around the camp whenever she could do it subtly. The prince, to her annoyance, was keeping all of their things close. Gervas’ weapons and equipment were all stored close to him or, worse, he was wearing them. She wished she could risk turning human again to ask Gervas what he wanted to do about it.

Then again, he was smart. If the choice was escape without his stuff or don’t escape she was certain he’d choose the former. On the upside, she was getting stronger. Every day her practice was getting easier. Wielding the storm magic of the phoenix in other forms would soon be second nature, though she still struggled to use other magic outside of her phoenix true form.

Yvette just had to be a little more patient. Then she’d save them all.

The winds began to pick up once again, shifting direction and throwing rain into her face. It was times like this that she was almost grateful she wasn’t a human any longer, that would have been truly obnoxious once. Now even that was just mildly annoying. She glanced down at Nautia and Gervas’ tent, both bundled up against the storm as best they could. She doubted it managed to protect them too much. Just a little longer.

Yvette glanced up at the sentries surrounding the camp, counting them again. There were always at least six of them. She was certain she could take them. The biggest issue was they were interspersed throughout the camp. If one or two of them went down and the others noticed, they could wake up the whole camp. She wasn’t exactly subtle, either. She’d only get one chance at this, one opportunity to save Gervas and Nautia. If she failed this, well…

She’d died once and been given a second chance, but she couldn’t expect that to happen to them. She’d have to be careful and make sure she could keep them safe.

Movement caught her eye. She turned towards it and ruffled her feathers slightly. The sentries were repositioning themselves it seemed, with the sudden shifting of the winds. She swore she saw something red moving, though.

She waited, but there was nothing. Until the winds shifted again. Once the sentries moved, she definitely saw something red moving through the brush towards her. Just a small flash of red, but it was definitely there. Each time the winds shifted or the sentries moved, so did the thing. It was coming straight towards her. Within a few minutes she was finally able to make out what it was.

A person. They were wearing a muddy cloak, with just a hint of red on it. Struggling to come closer. They managed to get closer and closer, before finally stopping. They held out their hand and held up a small ring, adjusting it on their finger. Waiting. She didn’t know what they were waiting for, but it felt like nearly an hour passed the person just waited there, on the edge of the clearing leading to her.

Yvette watched the cloaked figure, wondering what they wanted. Then, finally, they started to crawl away. Had they really come all this way just to leave? What did they even want? Bit by bit they snuck away. But now she was curious.

She watched the figure make their way further and further away until they were nearly out of sight. She then spread her wings and took off, flying through the storm with ease. Though, she supposed for her it was more like swimming now. She flew over the figure and took off just a little further, finally landing on a rocky outcropping within sight of the camp. She watched it for a few minutes, waiting to see if the figure would appear again. They had come so close, yet given up in the end. Would they keep coming?

Then again, as heavy as the rains were she supposed that it was possible the figure couldn’t even see her. If she wasn’t the storm she’d likely struggle to see at all. That was another strange thought that made the mage side of her shudder. She really, really, really wanted to be a human again. Or at least just one person, rather than the two she felt she was. What she wouldn’t give to have another mage she could discuss this with. She’d have given up the lightning magic in order to be able to ask her teacher about these things.

Well, assuming he’d even talk to her.

Movement caught her eye and she peered through the rain. After a few moments she realized she could see the figure making their way towards her again, from a different direction.

She felt a small moment of relief. Was it one of Metale’s mages? Had he sent someone to aid her? Sure, she’d only said she needed the storm, but extra help could be useful. Then again, she supposed if Metale had more people watching over them, it would make their escape even harder. She didn’t know which she wanted.

She tensed up slightly when the figure finally came close enough to her to make out properly. They were small. Very small. Incredibly small.

She was answered a moment later when the hood of the figure’s cloak was lowered and a little girl stared up at Yvette with awe and reverence. If Metale had sent this child to her, she was going to be furious. The girl had to be at least a few years younger than Ermina had been when Yvette left, she was nowhere near old enough to be chasing phoenixes through the storm. “R-right. Okay, here’s your chance. Remember the spell.” The girl looked around for a few moments before pulling out what looked like a small, red crystal.

A moment later the girl tried speaking. At least, she assumed it was speaking. There was certainly communicating of some kind. The phoenix side of her started to feel annoyed. She was using the Tongue of the Elements. Or, rather, trying to. It was a sheer failure, as if she was trying to speak a language she had never even heard before, instead just read about in books. It was insulting.

Then the girl stared up at her, as if she expected something from that atrocity. She wasn’t a phoenix, how did she even intend to comprehend or speak such a tongue?

She was on the verge of leaving, ignoring the girl entirely when the mage side of her realized something. The girl hadn’t spoken those words, she’d used magic. Not true naming magic, but the same kind of magic Yvette used. It was crude and poorly implemented, not to mention that gem was likely being used as her focus or reagent. But it was definitely her kind of magic.

The kind of magic the girl could be killed if it was known she had. That entirely shattered the notion of her being a part of Metale’s group.

The girl looked confused for a moment, staring up at her. “Uhhhh… just… just one second. Ummm…” She pushed her hands together and once more the Tongue of the Elements was used. It was even worse than the first time. Then a third time, though this time they couldn’t even be called words. “Come on, you’re messing this up. This is your one chance.”

Yvette stared at the girl. The desperation was clear in her voice. She looked so sad and pathetic, soaking wet and trembling in the cold. Even the phoenix side of her was starting to feel pity for the pathetic child. While her usage of the Tongue of the Elements was pathetic, it was… well, it was just awful. There was really nothing positive she could think about it. It was an attempt.

Finally, she took pity on the girl and spread her wings. The winds, the rain, the lightning and flame all came together as one, a rapid response to the girl.

“I-it’s speaking to me! It’s… r-right. Right. Uhhh, that… that means… yes? You will?”

Yvette stared at the girl before internally sighing. The girl couldn’t speak the language, nor could she apparently understand it. Wonderful.

The girl then knelt down in the mud, bowing her head. “O-oh thank you, thank you! You won’t regret this, oh grand Phoenix. I… right.” Once again she cast her spell, butchering the sounds of the phoenix’s tongue once more. That was enough of that. Whoever this girl was, she was cold, desperate, using a magic that could get her killed and obviously helplessly out of her depth. She--

Oh. Wow. Was this how people felt when they talked to her as a mage? No, no. She definitely knew what she was doing. Mostly. Probably. Then again, she’d died and was now a phoenix. So maybe she didn’t. She supposed she could at least try and help the girl. That, at least, was simple enough.

The girl might not like it, but well, she asked for this. Sometimes one should just be careful what they asked for. She spread her wings and took to the air once more, before diving. The girl only had an instant to realize what was happening before Yvette grabbed her and then took off, carrying the girl into the sky. Hopefully before any of the guards could realize she’d grabbed anything.

Yvette had to give the girl credit. She didn’t scream at all. Granted, she wasn’t sure she’d have screamed either if a giant talon made of the elements themselves grabbed and hauled her into the sky. She’d likely have died on the spot from terror. Making any sounds might have been hard at that point.

Also, it was a lot easier to just carry the girl than she expected. Maybe carrying Gervas away really was an option, if it came down to it. She’d need to get Nautia away first, of course. She didn’t fly for very long, only until she was certain there was nobody around who could see them even if the storm did clear. She then lowered once more, dropping the girl on the ground before landing, slightly awkwardly, away from her.

Easy as could--

Yvette felt a moment of panic when she saw the girl. She wasn’t moving, just lying on the ground in a heap. Had it been too much? Had she killed the girl? Oh no. She slowly moved forward, leaning forward to nudge the girl with a wing.

Slowly, the girl moved. She clasped the gem in her hand and once again the poorly done sounds of the elements filled the air. Yvette sighed before finally she glanced up. She flapped her wings once, gathering the falling rain water over and around them, forming a structure of ice overhead to shield them from the rain. The girl looked down at herself, letting out a gasp of alarm. “I-I’m dry?” she asked.

Then Yvette began to shrink, shifting her form to that of a human once again. The girl watched her, eyes seeming to get larger and larger as her form shifted. Yvette was incredibly thankful that she had gotten that robe now, having it shift with her was a far, far more elegant way to appear. Though she did alter her form just a little bit this time. Rather than going entirely human, she kept some of her feathers on her head, rather than hair, making it glimmer like crystal.

“Y-you’re human?!” the girl yelled.

Yvette just stared at her before lifting her right hand. Lightning crackled across her fingertips before shooting up, shattering a hole in the ice. “Try again.”

“Y-you can turn into a human?” she asked.

“Very good,” Yvette said, trying to adopt the strong, confident and pride-filled tone she’d used against Metale. “Your attempts to speak the Tongue of the Elements is… insulting to say the least. But we have decided, in this situation, to be generous. You’ve obviously desired to speak with us and you will receive no better time than this.”

The girl gulped before falling to her knees, kneeling before her. “O-oh gre--”

“You may call us the Unceasing Storm,” Yvette said, though she suddenly had a moment of doubt about that. If Gervas heard her going about with that name, would he tease her about it? Probably. Then again, he understood how important it was for her to maintain the phoenix act for now. “Who are you?”

“My name is Bayla, oh Unceasing Storm. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew it was my destiny to serve you.”

Yvette blinked a few times and stared at the girl. “We see. What makes you believe you are worthy of serving us?”

“Since the moment I was born I’ve been different from many of the people of my lands,” Bayla said, not lifting her head. “For most of my life, I even believed I was cursed. But I finally realized what it was. I was different for a reason. When I saw you, I realized that my destiny was beyond here. I am like your attendants, a natural mage. I can innately do magic, but am unable to speak in the Tongue of the Gods. I can only imitate it at best.”

Yvette suppressed the urge to cringe. Oh, she understood now. The poor thing. Her magic was inborn. Rare and often incredibly powerful, but also dangerous. Many mages like that were either found and trained by the Mage’s Association or accidentally killed themselves. But being a mage like that in this country had to be doubly dangerous. She was impressed the girl had managed to not be found out by now. Spending her whole life trying to hide such things, she couldn’t imagine the struggles she’d had to go through. The girl needed a teacher, not a phoenix to idolize. While she could train the girl, she didn’t have time to. She’d be fleeing before long and only put the girl in even more danger. “We see.”

“Please, take me as one of your attendants,” Bayla said.

“No,” Yvette said. “Go home. We cannot say where your destiny lies, but it is not with us. We have no need for more attendants.”

“Please!” Bayla pleaded, not lifting her head. “Y-you have no idea what I’ve been through in trying to find you. I have nowhere else to go, I want only to serve you. Please, just give me a chance. I’ll do anything.”

Yvette gave a sigh and wished she could just scream. She wasn’t the phoenix this girl desperately wanted her to be. She didn’t want attendants, she didn’t want followers. She just wanted to fix her body and be left alone. “There is nothing we can do for you.”

“Please!” Bayla begged. “I swear, whatever challenge, whatever task you need, I’ll do it! I can be useful, my illusions are amazing! Just please, allow me to demonstrate for you!”

Yvette gave another sigh. She didn’t have time for this. She had enough trouble just trying to keep Gervas and Nautia safe, she couldn’t throw in some strange girl on top of it. If things were different, she’d be happy to help her. But for now, it was too important to…

Yvette looked up at the shaking girl again. The girl had lived this long without being found, it wasn’t like she needed help. She’d be fine without her. Yvette didn’t have time. She couldn’t just help everyone she ran into. What was it that Gervas said? Don’t light herself on fire to keep others warm? She snapped her fingers and a bit of flame came off them. A bit redundant now, she supposed. She’d done it once and now she was a flaming storm when she desired. She should leave this girl behind. She didn’t have the time for it. She didn’t have the chance. It could cost her everything if she tried.

It would be stupid to get involved.

Damn it, Gervas would be so annoyed. “Very well. You wish for a task?” Yvette asked before walking to her. “Stand up.”

Bayla jumped to her feet and looked up at her. Yvette felt another moment of frustration when she saw how young she was. This girl needed a teacher, a real teacher. She should have had one years ago. The fact she had managed to survive this long without getting found out was either due to her being incredibly lucky or incredibly talented. Possibly both. She looked so young and determined, if desperate.

She kind of reminded her of Ermina. The girl needed a real teacher, but there wasn’t one here. She could at least try to get her one.

Yvette reached out to grab the girl’s chin, making her look up into her eyes. “There are woods many days travel from here. The fae reside there.”

The color faded from Bayla’s face. “Y-yes, I… I’ve heard tales of it. W-what do you w-wish from me?”

“I intend to head there soon, with my attendants. If you are there when I arrive, you may join us,” Yvette said. “Otherwise, consider our destinies unconnected.” She let her go.

“Y-you wish for me… t-to go… to t-travel to the fae? Alone?” Bayla asked.

“No,” Yvette said. “But I have no ability to take you there with me. Perhaps in the future we could meet again, but--”

“I’ll be there!” Bayla said quickly. “I-I’ll be there. I swear. I’ll be there.”

Yvette gave a soft sigh. She supposed she could give the girl more incentive to be there, but honestly a part of her hoped the girl wouldn’t be there. That she’d find somewhere better, safer to be. She didn’t know if she could give the girl what she so desperately wanted.

Then again, she also knew if someone had made her an offer like that when she was at her most desperate, she would have been there. Fae or not. She’d have faced down a swarm of angry trolls if it would help her be herself. If the girl was as desperate as she was, then she’d find a way. “Do you know where the fae woods are?”

“I-I do,” Bayla said.

“Then we wish you luck and safety,” Yvette said. “If you find yourself unable to make the journey, we understand. Do not believe we will be angered with you over such things.”

“I’ll be there!” Bayla said. “I know I will. You’re my destiny, I know it.”

“Very well,” Yvette said before pausing and glancing up at the sky. “Do you wish for us to take you closer?”

She’d never seen the color leave a person’s face so quickly. She rapidly shook her head. “N-no. I’ll… I’ll go from here.”

“Very well. Do not speak in the Tongue of the Elements again. It is… quite insulting,” Yvette said before she ended her spell and began to shift back into her phoenix body. She took off through the heavens, pausing only a moment to scatter the ice of the shelter and melt it once more. If anyone did come to see where she had traveled she didn’t want them to know what she had done. She felt a little guilty when she saw Bayla suddenly getting drenched. Then again, the girl wanted to follow the storm, she had best prepared to get wet.

She hated to admit it, but a part of her hoped the girl did make it to the woods. She really didn’t like the idea of leaving a mage here, where being what they were could get them killed. Fortunately, if the girl wasn’t traveling with them then she’d likely arrive far sooner. She could move faster than their slow group and if she moved fast enough she’d be outside of the storm. If the girl did want her help enough, she’d be there.

But she’d also be alone and who knew what threats could assault the girl? If the girl could just run home, perhaps it would be best. Why were all the choices here terrible?

On the upside, the mage side of her felt more grounded now than ever. The human side of her.

In the end, Yvette doubted she could ever feel good leaving someone else in need when she could do something to help them. That, at least, was something the phoenix side of her could agree on. Even if it was still confused by a lot of things. She hoped she would be able to help the girl if they met again.