The Sorcerer and Storm Maker

The next day, Braiba was the first to awaken, waking up upon hearing the sounds of the forest birds singing their songs throughout the forest.

Upon waking up she was both shocked and pleased to see her brother lying on the floor next to Tari, fast asleep.

They looked so peace while they slept so she decided to let them enjoy their sleep and not wake them.

Braiba, knowing that her brother would most likely be hungry upon waking up left, going deeper in to the forest to find something they could eat.

But unbeknown to her as she left she didn’t notice the eyes watching her, Anja and Tari hidden away in the thick leaves and vegetation of the forest.

Anja, who was still fast asleep, slowly opened his eyes upon hearing a loud, rough voice, yelling at him, saying “WAKE UP!!!!!”

Anja upon waking up was shocked to see that he and Tari were no longer lying on the ground but were now suspended in mid air, surrounded by strange creatures, some were short hair trolls with green skin resembling a frog, most were giant ogres with red skin and massive tusk like teeth, others were elves who almost look human apart from their pointed ears but they was also a woman which seemed to be a sorceress like Braiba as it was her enchantment that was responsible for suspending both him and Tari in mid air.

“Tari” Anja cried out to Tari, who was still sleeping.

Tari, upon hearing Anja voice woke and as she did a similar look of shock mixed with a little be of fear appeared on her face.

“Who are you two and what are you doing in the forest” asked the sorceress with a serious voice.

“Why should we give you an answer when we haven’t done anything wrong” said Anja.

“Don’t test our patience boy” said one of the ogres with a rough and loud voice.

One of the trolls then went to Tari, admiring her beauty before saying, “can we take the girl with us she’s very pretty. It would be a waste to harm such a pretty thing”.

Anja’s eyes, upon hearing what the troll said, lit up and glowed like lightning.

Dark clouds then began to form above them, high up in the sky with echoes and flashes of both thunder and lightning, created due to the overwhelming anger Anja felt at that moment.

“If you dare lay a finger on her I will reduce you all to a pile of ash” said Anja with his thunderous voice.

The trolls, elves, ogres and even the woman were shocked upon seeing that Anja was a storm maker.

The woman’s eyes then widened, realizing who Anja was, now recognizing him.

“Anja” said the woman softly but loud enough for Anja to hear.

Anja then calmed down, his eyes stopped glowing and the dark cloud, along with the thunder and lightning disappeared.

Anja then spoke, still angry but with his regular voice, “how do you know my name”.

The woman was about to give Anja a reply when, out of nowhere, a ball made of light and magic appeared out of nowhere and hit the woman from behind.

“Stay away from them” said Braiba enraged at the sorceress and the creatures that followed her.

Braiba, upon attacking the sorceress freed both her brother and Tari from the enchantment placed upon them by her causing them to fall down safely on the floor.

Braiba then went to her brother and Tari helping them get up on their feet before saying, “are you okay”.

“We’re fine” Anja spoke softly without an ounce of bitterness or hatred in his voice, speaking to her like her brother and not someone who hated her.

Braiba upon hearing her brother speak to him so lovingly smiled, happy to see that her brother no longer harbored a deep hatred for her.

“Braiba I have to tell you something” said Anja wanting to apologize to his sister over the way he had be treating her.

“I’m...” Anja was stopped from completing his statement when he noticed one of the ogres make its way to them.

Anja’s eyes then began to glow like lightning before he charged straight for the ogre that approached them.

Wanting nothing more than to protect both Tari and his sister at the moment he launched his lightning charged fist straight for the ogre, delivering a blow so powerful that it sent the ogre flying through the forest before crashing in to a river not too far from them.

Anja then looked at the other creatures, his eyes glowing with anger and rage, scaring them all.

The sorceress though did not seem to be intimidated by how terrifying his eyes were as she showed no fear for the young storm despite the fact that Anja had defeated a fully grown ogre with a single blow.

The sorceress disappeared and reappeared in front of Anja before doing something no expected.

With a smile on her face she embraced Anja before saying, “I can believe it after all these I finally get a chance to see you again”.

The sorceress action confused Anja, Braiba, Tari, as well as the creatures that followed her.

Anja’s eyes then stopped glowing as the rage he felt slowly disappeared, replaced instead with a feeling of both shock and confusion.

“Who are you lady and why are you hugging me” said Anja before pulling away from the hug.

Braiba then immediately went to Anja, wanting to check if he was alright and if the sorceress did something to him with her magic.

“I’m fine Braiba, she did do anything” said Anja upon noticing the way Braiba was examining him.

The sorceress seeing Braiba’s concern for brother couldn’t help but smile.

The creatures then went to the sorceress side causing Braiba and Anja to ready themselves, thinking they were about to attack.

“Don’t worry, we aren’t going to hurt you” said the sorceress.

“Really, but Mistress the storm maker attacked one of our own” said one of the ogres.

“Yes but he charged in first, Agbor should have known better than to attack a storm maker on his own” said the sorceress before turning to Anja and Braiba.

The sorceress, unable to control her excitement and happiness upon seeing them together rushed to them and pulled them both in to a hugger, tighter than the one she gave Anja.

“Can’t breathe” said Anja, struggling to breath as the sorceress crushed both he and Braiba’s lungs with her hug.

The sorceress upon noticing Anja and Braiba struggling to breathe let go of them before saying politely with an excited smile on her face, “sorry about that, I’m just so happy to see you two after so long”.

Anja and Braiba, upon hearing what the sorceress said, looked at each other in confusion, unable to understand why she spoke and acted like she knew them when they had never seen her before.

“Excuse...ma’am but who are you?” asked Braiba with a confused expression her face.

The sorceress upon hearing what Braiba said just sighed before muttering, “of course Afini never told you two about me, typical”.

Braiba and Anja hearing what the sorceress said, said, shocked and surprised, “you knew our father”.

“Know him” said the sorceress before bursting in to laughter.

“He’s my little brother” were the next words spoken by the sorceress.

Anja and Braiba, upon hearing what the woman said looked at her with even more confusion in their eyes, unable to believe what they heard.

“That’s impossible, our father didn’t tell us anything about him having a sister” said Anja.

The sorceress just sighed upon hearing what Anja said before saying, “I and him haven’t really spoken in a very long time, in fact the last time I saw him was around the time you two were born”.

Braiba saw the look of sadness on the sorceress face and upon it felt compiled to ask, “what happened?”

“After the king of Buganbal forced all the creatures out of the lands of Buganbal I and your father got in to a fight. We said things that we both regretted and well, it all ended with us going our separate ways” said the sorceress with small tear falling down from her eye.

Braiba, seeing the tear from the sorceress eye could help but feel bad for her as was starting to believe that the sorceress was truly her father’s brother.

Anja on the other hand wasn’t as convinced as Braiba; he still doubted her words even after see the tears from the sorceress.

"“How do we know your telling the truth and not just trying to trick us?” asked Anja.

The sorceress then looked at Anja before saying with a smile on her face, “you are definitely Afini’s son”

“I asked a question” said Anja which just made the sorceress smiled even more.

“Alright then, come with me” said the sorceress before her and the creatures she came with began to journey deeper in to the forest.

Anja, Braiba and Tari, who just wanted to understand who the sorceress was and if she was really Anja and Braiba’s aunt, followed the sorceress deeper in to the forest.

As they roamed about through the thick forest Tari walked closer to Anja before speaking softly to him, “do you think she is actually your aunt”.

“I’m not really sure, my parents didn’t really talk about the rest of our family” said Anja.

“Oh, so there is apossibility that she might be lying to us and might hurt us” said Tari, fearing that sorceress might harm them.

Anja, sensing the fear and worry from Tari as she spoke said, “You’ve survived an encounter with the Dark Sorceress, a ruthless and heartless monster who was powerful enough to defeat a storm maker and sorceress. If you can survive all that, why be scared of some random sorceress and a few mystic creatures”.

“I survived but I didn’t do it alone, there was always someone there to protect me be it your parents or you and Braiba. I just can’t help but feel afraid when I’m around anything that’s more powerful” said Tari.

“Are you scared of me and Braiba” asked Anja.

“No” said Tari.

“Why?” asked Anja.

“Because you two have never done anything to harm me despite having the power to do so” said Tari.

“If you can trust us not to harm you then trust us to be able to protect you as well, can’t you” said Anja.

Tari upon hearing what Anja said felt her fear slowly fade away and be replaced with a warm feeling of safety as she was reassured by Anja’s words that both he and Braiba would always be there to protect her.

Braiba saw Anja and Tari talking and was pleased to see that Anja was not being cold and bitter towards her but instead speaking to her calmly without an ounce of hatred in his voice.

The sorceress upon seeing Braiba look at Anja and Tari misunderstood the reason she was looking at them and said, “How did Anja get a beautiful maiden like that at such a young age”.

Braiba upon hearing what the sorceress said could help but smile while entertaining the thought of Anja actually taking a romantic like to Tari before saying.

“No, Anja and Tari don’t share that kind of relation, in fact for most of the time they’ve been together they’ve only argued and fought” said Braiba.

The sorceress then turned and looked at Anja and Braiba once more, seeing them talking and Anja’s console Tari after she had confessed to him about fearing anything that was too powerful.

“Well they don’t seem to be fighting anymore maybe in the future she might be his bride” said the sorceress which just made Braiba giggle as she thought about how impossible it would be for her brother, out of all the girls in the world, pick a the princess of Buganbal to be his bride.

“The possibility of that happening is next to impossible” said Braiba, finding the possibility of Anja and Tari ever being in love as very improbable and unlikely.

“Believe me when I say stranger things can and have happened after all you’re the daughter of a storm maker and sorceress” said the sorceress.

Braiba looked at the sorceress with a look of confusion, unable to what she meant by her statement.

The sorceress, upon seeing the look of confusion on Braiba’s face just sighed, knowing that her parents would have hidden the peculiarity of their relationship to their children as Braiba was unable to understand how strange it was for a storm maker to fall in love and marry a sorceress.

Thinking about the peculiarity of Braiba’s and Anja’s parents made her think about the peculiarity of her relationship with their father, after all, even though she was adopted by Afini’s father as an infant and shared no blood with him, she was his brother and a part of his family.

Soon they made it to a strange part of the forest, a part that seemed to be overflowing with magic which could be felt by Braiba, Anja, the sorceress and the other mystical creatures that accompanied them.

“What is this feeling?” asked Anja feeling the magic flow through air around him felt strange to him.

“It is magic” said Braiba who understood magic and how it felt like better than her brother.

“Magic, but I don’t feel anything” said Tari, unable to feel the magic flowing through the forest.

“Of course you don’t, you’rea human. Magic can only be felt by those with mystic blood in them not a filthy human like you” said an ogre while looking at Tari with a look of disgust which made Tari bow down her head in shame.

Anja, seeing and hearing the way the way the ogre looked and spoke to Tari, turned to him and said, “Mind the way you speak ogre if you like that tongue of yours. For I won’t hesitate to rip it out of that spit filled hole you call a mouth if hear you call her filthy again”.

“Are you threatening me?” asked the ogre while looked at Anja with rage filled eyes, ready to the young storm maker there and then.

Tari held on to Anja, looked at him before nodding her head, not wanting him to do something rash and reckless because of her.

Anja, blinded by rage over what the ogre did, ignored the way Tari looked at him as he could not stand seeing her being insulted in such a manner.

“No, I’m not threatening you. I’m warning you” Anja spoke with his eyes beginning to glow like lightning and his voice growing deep like thunder.

The ogre crushed his massive arms in to a tight fist, ready to strike Anja down; similarly thunder clouds began to form above them roaring with the sound of thunder and lightning ready to strike the ogre down.

“Enough of this” said the sorceress upon seeing the Anja and the ogre were about to fight.

“But Mistress…” the ogre was saying, “but nothing, you are not to lay a finger on my nephew or the lovely lady by his side. Have I made myself clear Agbor”?

The ogre growled a little out of annoyance and rage, knowing he could not go against the sorceress before saying, “Yes Mistress”.

“Alright, now apologize to both my nephew and the young lady you insulted” said the sorceress with made the ogre growl even more in annoyance before turning to Anja and Tari and saying with bitterness and rage in his voice, “I’m sorry”.

Anja upon hearing the ogre say sorry to both he and Tari calmed down with his eyes ceasing to glow like lightning and his voice returning to normal.

The thunder clouds then disappeared.

Anja then turned to Tari before saying, “Sorry about that. I know you didn’t want me to do anything but I couldn’t just stand there while he disrespected you like that”.

“What you did was reckless but it was also sweet” said Tari leaning in to him and kissing him on the cheek, an act that left Anja speechless upon feeling the princess warm lip on his cheek.

“Thank you Anja” said Tari with a smiled a slight blush on her cheek.

Braiba who had witness what just happened was left just as speechless as Anja.

The sorceress who was now standing next to Braiba then smiled before saying, “You know what. I think I was wrong. Anja didn’t get a beautiful maiden, the beautiful maiden has him”.

Braiba said nothing upon hearing what the sorceress said, now finding the idea, based on what she had just seen, of Tari and Anja falling in love more believable than before.

Anja, after a few moments of silence due to Tari kissing him on his cheek, cleared his throat before turning his attention to the sorceress and saying, “What is this and why does it feel so strange”.

The sorceress upon hearing what Anja said just smiled before turning away which greatly annoyed Anja but before Anja could say or even do anything the sorceress took a few steps forward and then disappeared.

“Did she just vanish?” asked Tari shocked and confused as to why the sorceress would just vanish the way she did.

“Where did she go?” said Anja, wondering where the sorceress when to.

“Fools” muttered the ogre that insult Tari causing Anja to glare at him with his lightning eyes, warning him to mind himself and the way he speaks around him.

Braid, sensing the sorceress had used no form for of magic or spell to disappear decided to examine the path the sorceress followed before disappearing.

Anja upon seeing Braiba busy examining the path the sorceress followed before disappearing asked, “What are you doing Braiba?”

“Something doesn’t seem right, I didn’t the sense the sorceress just any of her magic or spell when she disappeared” said Braiba.

“So, she could have used a spell you couldn’t sense” said Anja.

“Magic doesn’t work like that Anja. No matter how skilled person is at using it, it always lives some kind of a trail” said Braiba before she began to follow the same path the sorceress followed before she disappeared, taking a few steps forward and then vanishing just like the sorceress.

“BRAIBA!!!!!” screamed Anja upon seeing Braiba vanish without a trace.

The ogre upon seeing how Anja was upset over his sister’s disappearance began to laugh, finding pleasure in seeing him in that state.

Tari then immediately rushed to Anja’s side and began to console him as best she could.

Anja upon hearing the laughter of the ogre turned to him, eyes then began to glow like lightning with storm clouds appearing high up in the sky, roaring with thunder along with flashes of lightning.

“You better tell me where my sister is or else” said Anja with his thunderous voice.

The ogre upon hearing Anja speak with his thunderous voice just laughed even more which enraged Anja even more so much so that he raise one of his arms up and summoned a lightning bolt that struck the ground in between him and the ogre.

“Don’t forget ogre, I had sent you flying with just a single blow. Do you want to see what I can do to you with several more” said Anja with angry look on his face.

The ogre upon seeing the look on Anja’s face just smiled a little before saying, “If you wish to find you sister all you have to do is follow the same path as she”.

Anja upon hearing what the ogre said turned away from him and faced the path both Braiba and the sorceress followed.

Tari then went to Anja’s side.

Anja, sensing she was close to him said without even turning to look at her, “This might some kind of trap, you know that right”.

“I know” said Tari.

“And you understand that if you follow me in we may never come back right” said Anja.

“You do understand that if I don’t and anything happens to you and Braiba, I would never be able to forgive myself” said Tari.

Anja just sighed and nodded his head, understanding that he couldn’t stop her before he and Tari began to walk, following the path Braiba and the sorceress followed and upon taking the finally step they found themselves transport in to what seemed to be a village filled with mystical creatures.

They then spotted, standing not too far away from the Braiba and the sorceress.

“Braiba” said Anja with a smile on his face, happy to see that his sister was alright, rushed to have and hugged her.

Tari just watched as Anja embraced his sister in a loving hug with a smile on her face pleased to see that the bitter and angry that could not stand the sight of his sister was gone.

“It’s nice to see you two Anja” said Braiba with a smile, happy to feel her brother’s lovingly embrace her.

“Sibling love is there nothing more pure and sacred” said sorceress.

Anja upon hearing the sorceress speak let go of Braiba and then turned to her before asking, “Where are we?”

“Akiriwabuko, a safe haven for all the mystical creatures that were forced out of Buganbal by the king, safely hidden away within a magical barrier that cloaks that entireland” said the sorceress.

Tari upon hearing what the sorceress said about the village being a place with mystical creatures her father forced out of Buganbal all those years felt an overwhelming amount of fear fill her entire body.

Anja seeing that Tari was scare went to her side and upon seeing him stand next her, Tari’s fear slowly began to shrink as she felt safe around Anja, knowing that he would always be there to protect her.

The ogres, elves and trolls then appeared not to far from them, startling Braiba, Anja and Tari a little.

“Mistress I don’t think it is wise to…”the ogre was stopped by the sorceress saying, “They are my niece and nephew, and she, even though she may not be mystical in nature, is a friend of theirs so I will allow them here within the safety of Akiriwabuko”.

“But Mistress…” the ogre was stopped by the sorceress simply raising her hand.

“Yes Mistress” said the ogre with an annoyed look on his face before leaving along with the other mystical creatures to their various homes in the village.

Anja couldn’t help but smile a little upon seeing the ogre live with an annoyed look on his face.

“Now that that’s settled, come along children. It’s time to give you all the grand tour of Akiriwabuko” said the sorceress before leading three of them in to the village.