Look Beyond What You See

Elementals: The origin of this species is unknown. Some claim they descended from ancient deities, while others speculate that they are the result of the experimentations of diviners, sorcerers, witches, wizards, sorceresses, and alchemists over the ages. Regardless, their genetic makeup is different enough from that of humans for them to be considered a separate species under the same genus. They generally resemble humans in physical appearance, with the exception of their remarkably brilliant eyes. The eyes of an elemental reflect the element over which he or she has sway. They have been known to reach as much as 500 years of age, but the average elemental lifespan is about 300 years.

Abilities vary from elemental to elemental. Different clans have sway over different elements, though occasionally mutations can occur in an ability within a clan, which is how elementals with sway specifically over electricity, ice, and the time/space continuum have come about. The main elements controlled by elementals are, in order by clan size: fire, water, air, earth, vegetation, light, and darkness. Electricity came from fire, ice from water, and time/space elementals have come from both the light and darkness clans, although that extremely rare trait is usually attributed to the breeding of light and darkness elementals.

Individuals also have varying amounts of control over their elements, based on talent, practise, and experience. Thus far there seems to be no limit to what an elemental can do with his or her element. As such, members of this species are very powerful and are much sought after by human governments as allies in times of war. Alliances are generally made on the basis of clan, although some free agents exist among the elementals. Inter-clan marriages make these alliances more complicated. Free agents are, more often than not, individuals with rare abilities.

Elementals mostly breed with their own species. When cross-breeding occurs, it is always with a human who possesses magic; that is, a witch, wizard, sorcerer, or sorceress. Generally speaking, the magic-possessing human must also be able to use his or her gift to manipulate at least one element. In most cases, the mating act results in the transmutation of the human’s magic into elemental capabilities, although the genetic makeup of the human does not change. However, some elementals are looking into expanding the pool of available mates for their offspring, as the population of elementals is extremely small, especially in relation to other groups of so-called “supernaturals;” no more than 3000 of them are alive as of the publication of this manuscript, and they are scattered across the globe.

Well. That was interesting. I probably wasn’t going to get that sort of information from Dmitri anytime soon. I certainly don’t think, given the nature of our relationship, that he was going to talk to me about breeding. It’s now perfectly obvious what he meant when he said that Grandmother chose me for him. She clearly knew that I had some sort of magical talent and probably suspected that it was mutable into pseudo-elemental abilities. Why she never bothered to teach me how to do anything with it, I may never know. But perhaps the other book, the one about humans with the “magic touch,” will be helpful for answering my questions regarding what I can and cannot do. And maybe this book has something on the history of involvement between magic-possessing humans and elementals. Perhaps there are more clues about what my grandparents have been up to with these arranged marriages for my sisters and me.

I have to wonder how much Dmitri actually knows about my family, particularly my grandparents and whatever schemes they have entrenched themselves in. His actions towards me, particularly recently, would indicate that he has some sort of attraction to me, but is it real, or induced by whatever enchantments have been placed on our necklaces, or feigned as a part of my grandparents’ plan? I simply don’t know, and as a result the feelings I get when I’m around him are nothing short of terrifying. But that kiss earlier.... Our lips barely touched, and somehow the connection overloaded my senses enough to make me pass out, if only briefly. I cannot for one second believe that such a thing was in my grandmother’s intentions when she enchanted our necklaces, and a feigned attraction could not elicit such a response, or at least, I would hope not.

He said it was the “intimate contact” of our magic that created such a strong reaction in me. Whether or not or magics are compatible remains to be seen. A reaction so powerful can only mean very good or very bad things. There will be no in between. Either way, I cannot help being curious to see how things progress between us. If our magics are “intimately” linked, will this improve our abilities or detract from them? And I know it is only a matter of time. Regardless of his or my feelings on the matter (whatever they may be; I’m completely unsure of mine and can only guess at his), we will be getting married in less than one year’s time. With marriage comes intimacy on a level that I still shudder to think about. I have never let anyone so close to me, and until I met Dmitri I had no desire to try.

Perhaps that in and of itself is a sign that this situation is for the best. Still I hesitate. It could just be lust, or brainwashing from this confounded necklace. But it could be real.

That’s just foolishness. None of the matches I have seen in my eighteen years of living have been remotely pleasant-looking from an outsider’s perspective, with the possible exception of Dmitri’s parents (though I personally would never be able to tolerate someone with Zinaida’s personality as a spouse). There is absolutely no reason why I should have been lucky enough to have landed in an arranged marriage in which I could potentially fall in love with my husband and in which he could potentially reciprocate the feelings. I am not even entirely convinced that love exists outside of fairytales, for all the poets will try to convince one otherwise.

Still...thinking of our time together on the roof tonight makes my insides churn pleasantly with an unfamiliar warmth and excitement, and remembering his touch makes my pulse race. Whatever the cause, these strange feelings just get stronger the more time we spend together, and I sincerely doubt that we’ll be separated often in the near future. Perhaps I should just accept this as my fate and surrender to it. But something within me will not permit that. No, I will resist this as long as I can, or until I’m sure that it is how I really feel and not a ploy induced by an enchantment or an extremely attractive man’s charm. I will not be like my sisters or my mother.

I just hope that my own stubbornness will not cause me to miss out on something worthwhile.

***~O~***