Olansaf 4 - Draft 2

When I came round, Chris looked over me approvingly.

"You have good instincts, and you're in shape. We just need to get you into the water."

That was all I got. We spent the dark hours inside a deep ocean cave. At first he explained the formation of it and how he'd come across it; he had such an enchanting way of telling tales you felt as if you had been there with him. He explained how we would stay here until I could return to the docks by swimming. When I told him I wouldn't learn to swim, he laughed and told me quite calmly that if that was the case then I'd never get out of the cave.

Eventually he coaxed me to the waters edge. He taught me how to catch and cook the little shrimps and Tridfish that lived in clumpy seaweed along the edges of the water.

We had only basic equipment in the cave: fire starters, dry wood, stone bowls, netting and a couple of thick hides. Chris had a waxed sack and we both still had our belt knives.

In return I explained some of how I'd ended up there and a basic rundown of my physical abilities. Chris was a good listener and only interrupted to clarify some points and ask a few questions. The reliving of the shipwreck dampened my spirit. Chris picked up on just how bad it affected me and decided we'd sat still long enough. He taught me basic swimming in the shallow end of the cave. As reluctant as I was to learn at first, I caught on quickly and could soon swim a circuit of the cavern in quick succession. By the time Chris let up we had covered a fair amount and I could feel my muscles burn. Chris dived into the deeper mouth of the cave and came up with some crabs that we boiled and then cracked open. We sat a bowl in a ridge in the cave to collect the drinkable water that collected there, strung up the nets, and went to sleep.

The next while had the same basic rhythm to it. We woke up, we ate, we strained the nets of the salt, drank the water in the bowl and set another.

Then we swam. We'd swim the long lengths of the cave until I’d improved my running total by two circuits. We’d take a break and dive to the bottom, looking for Tridfish, crabs, clams and shrimps. Whatever we found we ate, and any we didn't eat got buried in our ever increasing salt sack. This routine continued for what seemed an eternity. That's because I couldn't see the sky changing outside the cave. By the time I was deemed “ready” and released from the cave Chris had taught me everything I needed to survive and increased my stamina and strength, along with a long day routine.

It was strange being part of Jace’s clan again. I had a couple of weeks to observe and help out with the workings of the clan. Training with Chris became running and climbing exercises with a few basic hand-to-hand combat lessons. It was easy to learn from Chris. The main thing I had to get used to were the Heyvanlars, seeing people you know as animals was still unsettling. Patrols ran regular but I wasn’t always included in the rotation on my own. Everyday seemed to be a lesson; JayJay showing me sigils and charms, Ben sparring with me; Chris tutting or giving advice and Billy teaching me more about Heyvanlaren rituals.

--------------------------

“Jace, I've been meaning to ask you something.” he turned towards me and caught me with his soft blue eyes, and I felt suddenly shy and unsure of my question.

“What’s that then lass?” his smile glimmered at the corner of his mouth.

“You've taught me all this, let me see into your world.” The smile grew a little more. “Well, Why me?” The smile beamed and he chuckled.

“I've been waiting for you to ask me that for ages. Well, why do you think we have taught you?”

I blinked and my head snapped towards him. “I can change can’t I?” Jace's look became even more amused. “You bastard! I can!” He chuckled.

“Lets get back, there’s work to be done.”

Jace explained to me more about changing over the course of the next week. He told me that the change would happen at a moment of power, when something something creates a surge of power or like it. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't force a change, although he did assure me that it probably wouldn't be long before I did.

It was about a week later. The day seemed hotter than usual, Jace and I were patrolling the normal route we took around the walls of the town and the heat beat down on us in palpable waves. Jace normally seemed unaffected, but today even he had perspiration lining his brow. It didn't take me a lot of effort to keep moving. When you hit the deadsea in a ship and there’s no wind, so all hands go to rowing. I’d caught that duty many a time before, so working in heat didn't faze me. We ambled at a slower pace anyway- trouble was rare this time of year. Jace was kicking stones- he’d flick them up to his knee and bounce them over his head without using his hands. It was annoying, he did it without missing a step, and would not stop unless you could catch the stone.

It got to the point of really annoying. I reached out my hand vaguely to catch it, but my hand fell short. The stone stopped dead, hovered for a second then fell to the floor. Jace didn't seem to notice.

"I caught it." I exclaimed.

"No you didn't." Just as he was about to kick the stone once more I flicked my hand out at the stone. It sprang from the ground and darted to my hand.

"I caught it, OK." I said passing the stone back to him. Jace stood still for a second, shell shocked.

"Catch." He threw a stone far out of my reach. I reached out my arm in its direction and it shot back into my hand. I looked back at him. He was already throwing another stone, I had no time to react. I put my hand out to block the stone from my face, but before it even got close a black glowing sheen flashed in front of it making stop dead.

"How did you do that?" Jace said.

"You just threw a stone at my head!"

"How did you do that?"

"You could have warned me first."

"I didn't know if it was going to work if you knew it was happening. As I asked, how did you do it?"

"I don't know, I just tried to block it with my hand and it worked."

"Let's try some other things." We stood there for a good while, him throwing stones and me either blocking them with a black sheen or bringing them to my hand. After a while I started firing them back at him on instinct, an inkling of possibility. Another idea glimmered at the back of my mind. I held my hand  in front of me and I ran my other down it, trying not to deflect but to coat. I sheen appeared around it just as I wanted, but it soon vanished. At Jace's prompting I summoned a sheen, and then almost shaped it- it appeared like a shield hovering from my arm, but with no straps, nothing to hold it. It would follow my arm and would stop projectiles dead- from a thrown stone to one from a slingshot.

After the fifth clunk on the back of the head from a stone I'd snuck past him, Jace cracked a grimace.

"Come on let's get back. I think Jay Jay's got some work to do."

That evening most of us were sitting upstairs lounging around when we heard a door fly open, slam, and shouting. Alert and now silent, we sat listening. It was JayJay and Jace arguing, loudly.

"Why do you trust her?"

"Because she is the one."

"The Olansaf? I want proof! I will not treat my friend like this!"

"I have seen her powers, she's pure! I would not do this to him if I did not have to! Every part of me wants to agree with him!"

"Then do!"

"You know I mustn't JayJay, just see sense; what could happen if I don't?"

"I think you can't see past the love struck haze you peer blindly through!"

"... Love struck? You know me better!"

"I know that ever since she appeared its been Millie this Millie that!"

She didn't stop ranting as she walked up the last of the stairs.

"It's not like that." Jace replied calmly.

"Oh I think it is!" JayJay exploded. The energy was so powerful- I willed a sheen around me and the rest of the guys as I watched through squinted eyes. I had never seen a transformation this explosive: through the black sheen I watched her skin stretch and dissolve back into her as she reformed. She snarled and howled, and gradually the light disappeared. Jace stood shielding his eyes vulnerable beside her. She charged at him and he flew from the impact. I glanced around- Billy had his weapon in hand but was still blinking spots from his eyes; Ben had disappeared around a partition. Lu was clutching his head and Chris was patrolling I was the only one who was in any fit state to help Jace. 

With an angered frustration I crossed my arms in front of me and willed a shield. It was easier this time- with so much energy in the room I could create easier. I imagined the shield on Jace’s arm and then if was- he seemed briefly stunned but soon had to use it to deflect another blow. Now I had time, I imagined myself coated in the sheen, sheen shield on my arm and sharp sheen blade in my hand. I couldn't focus. I shut my eyes and concentrated- it made it worse. Then it clicked. Instead of concentrating I relaxed. It was like seasickness, the more you focused the harder it was, but if you just let your surroundings fade it was easy. I abandoned my armour and just gathered the energy, then in one almighty move I flung my arms wide opened my eyes and pushed it all at JayJay. She was flung from Jace as if a wave had hit her, and slumped against the wall unconscious. Ben reappeared and tossed Billy an amulet encrusted collar. Bill moved forward and began to attach it around JayJays wolfish neck, I saw her stir. Her eyes opened and she began to raise her arm- Bill stayed intent on his task. With a speed I didn't know I had I lunged across the room and stamped on JayJays leg. She howled and blacked out- just before Bill touched an amulet and the Sigil activated. JayJay changed back to human and slumped truly knocked out. Her leg sat an odd angle- I'd broken it. A wave of guilt flushed through me along with exhaustion. With a wave of my hand I released my Sheen shield and what was left of the sheen wall. I collapsed down- I didn't have the energy to move. I shut my eyes. The world disappeared and I slept.

Olansaf 3 - Draft 2

“Do you believe him?” Chris asked, not rudely, just curiously.

“It sounds ridiculous, but I do. You could be spinning a very elaborate story, but my eyes have seen some proof that I cannot explain.” I replied quietly.

Jace spoke next. "There is one thing I can now show you, the true basis of us. You see, we're Heyvanlars. What I just explained are classes. We all have them, they are a vast skill set that help us excel, yes, but they are not all that we are. What we are can only be believed if you see it. But know this Hatter, none of us will hurt you." Jace finished and clicked his fingers. On what seemed an impulse, everyone but me jumped up and stood in an arrowhead formation.

I wandered 'round the table to stand in front of Jace.

"Do you trust us?" He asked, but I felt the weight to the question.

"Completely, irrevocably, stupidly." I replied. A smile crept onto his face.

"Hold onto that, and remember, we are us."

Without another word he stared into my eyes, raised both arms and brought them together above his head. As soon as they connected a pure white light, brighter than a hundred towering bonfires, flashed out from all of them. A range of noises, from the croak of a raven to the howl of a wolf sounded, spilling out into the night. All at once the white purity vanished, and standing, perching, lying, in place of Jace and his clan were their Heyvanlars.

The great golden beast, huge and muscular with a flowing golden mane stepped forward. A lion, they call them in the desert lands, I had seen them in the captains log. Swirling grey eyes told me it was Jace, without a doubt. I stepped hesitantly forward, blinking spots from my eyes. I reached out a tentative hand forward and he bowed his head, allowing me to stroke the golden mane as I walked forward. He bared his teeth and growled. I growled back and He bared his teeth, but in more smiling than threatening. He turned around and stood on my right side.

To the right of him was a wolf, I knew it from my homelands. They would roam in packs, great, grey beasts. However the one before me was so brown it was almost black. The eyes were a burgundy, and gave away to who it was.

"Hello JayJay," I smiled. She blinked and bowed her head in recognition, and moved aside, turning round to stand beside me on the side Jace wasn't flanking.

This revealed the others, and suddenly, Bens little prophecy came under a new light. In front of me stood a White Tiger, a monkey, a snake and a raven.  I looked into the brown eyes of the tiger and knew it was Chris, the green eyes of the snakes and saw it as Billy. The raven was easy, the eyes were still swirling a mixture of gold and purple, and I made sure not to look into them. That left just the deep blue eyes of Ben, a monkey that so aptly represented him.

I greeted them all in turn, and in turn they flanked me. Jace and Chris sat to my right, lion and tiger, and on my left was JayJay and Ben, Wolf and Monkey. I offered my hand down, a sign of trust, and Billy slithered up and wrapped his endless body around mine resting his head on my left shoulder. I crooked my arm and the raven flew up to perch upon it. I swallowed guiltily and relaxed, looking into Lu’s eyes. He cocked his head and blinked.

The feeling of having someone share your mind is impossible to explain. You’d think it intrusive, and at some points it can be, but it is also an amazing experience. The visitor then has the ability to understand everything about you, exactly who you are and what you’ve done, all the experiences that have made you this way, and all of the tragedies that have paved your path. Lu could have torn all of this up in seconds and rendered my helpless, but instead he sent a thought racketing around my brain.

“Yes, Miss Redlaw?”

“I believe you. This is all real. Tell them to change back.”

“Yes, Miss Redlaw, whatever you request.” His tone was so respectful, I was taken aback. He fluttered up and connected his eyes with jaces for a microsecond, before they all took a hesitant step back, Billy slid down to the floor. Lu hovered back in front of my face and his voice resounded around my head.

“You may want to shut your eyes, this could get bright.” I obeyed. I saw the light through my eyelids, it was even brighter than before. When it had faded I opened my eyes. Jace was talking to Billy about patrol changeovers, but it ended abruptly when I heard a clack. I started to turn, to see who was going to come up the stairs, but Chris stood in front of me.

“You wanna be one of us?” He asked, his voice quiet and respectful, but his eyes blazed with seriousness.

“Yes. If I have it in me, yes.”

“We’d better get started then. You have a lot to learn, and so little time to do it in. The next initiation is in-” He glanced at a chart on the wall- “Four tendays. Luckily you’re not too badly out of shape.” He began to usher me one way, back tracked and moved me towards the fire. As we neared it, I noticed a narrow window hidden by a wooden beam. He opened the window inwards and unhooked a lantern from the wall. He checked the oil and then lent out, affixing it to the outside wall near the window. He stepped back and pointed.

“What was your rank aboard the ship?”

“Bos’n Mate.”

“Then get out on that rope. There’s a ladder on the other building. Go.” His voice was slightly panicked. I heard a deep voice call out greeting as I scrambled out onto the sill. Aboard the ship I had got quite used to climbing between masts and up the ropes. The sill stuck out a bit so I regained my footing.

The deep voice got louder.

I took a breath.

I leaped.

The rope flew up in front of me and I grabbed it with one hand. I used my momentum to carry me forward swinging along the rope like a monkey. Within moments the ladder was in sight and my toes had purchase. I let go of the rope and grabbed the ladder, sliding down it, my hands clamped onto the sides, my body pushed away from it. I saw the floor approaching and spun away, landing in a crouch, my back to the wall. I glanced up at the window in time to see Chris leap. He jumped from the windowsill with incredible grace, covering the gap in seconds, slamming into the ladder. It groaned under his weight as he pushed away from it, falling 20ft to close the gap between himself and the floor. He spun up from his roll into a full out sprint, dragging me with him. I grabbed a breath and ran speeding after him. My hand enclosed in his own. I was disorientated as we ran between streets and alleyways, vaulting walls and scaring beggar boys. Scattering cats and rolling round corners, we soon reached a dock, and before I could splutter a cry we were plunged into the deep dark water. I panicked. The darkness closed in and I blacked out.

Olansaf 2 - Draft 2

And then it all cleared and with a gasp I was back in the room. Lucifer was looking at me confused, still holding my hand, but he’d straightened up now. His eyes seemed to swirl with gold and purple, alluring and endless, absorbing, making me want to stare and get lost. His voice interrupted me. I tugged my hand back.

“Well that’s new,” He cocked his head. “ No ones done that before.”

“Done what?” asked Jace.

“Rejected me. She just said no and pushed me out. It was like hitting a brick wall. Not even He can do that... He just gives me black or gore that makes me want to get out. Never actually force me.”

“Can you get back in?” Jace glanced at me.

“I’m trying but she’s not letting me.” He grimaced. “She’s for real Jace, she’s impossible.”

I raised an eyebrow at the conversation.

“I’m impossible? You just walked into my mind like it was a book you wanted to read. That requires more explanation than I do.” I exclaimed. Lu looked blank so I spun around and faced Jace. He sighed and relented.

“No time like the present,” he muttered “I’ll tell, but you’re sitting down and not interrupting. You’re one of us. Kinda.” He gestured over to the fire and the table in front of it.

“After you.”

I walked around the table; I took the seat closest to the fire, facing out into the room. It warmed my back as I waited for the others to sit. Lucifer took a seat on the end of the table next to me, black hair next to me. Brown-hair dashed away into one of the rooms and came back carrying a two pitchers of wine and some metal cups. He set one on a metal table over the fire to warm, and added a few spices to it, before setting the other down with the cups on the table. He then sat down directly opposite me. JayJay was next to him, and the other man, who I had nicknamed blondie, who had been in the open room from the start, sat at the end. There were only six chairs around the table so Jace stayed standing. He stirred the heated spiced wine with a wooden spoon and then grasped the handle of the pitcher and transferred it to the wooden table we sat around.

“Anyone for Hot Wine?” he asked. JayJay and Black-hair nodded and he poured a cup for them both. I nodded meekly along with them and Jace passed me a steaming cup as well. I wrapped my hands around it, grateful for the warmth. Jace set the warm pitcher back down and poured four more cups, one for Lucifer, Brown-hair, Blondie, and himself. Once they were all given out, he began to talk.

“This is not an easy thing to explain Hatter. There is a great chance that before the end you will call me a delusional liar, but I ask that you stay and witness what proof we have before drawing a conclusion.” He didn’t wait for me to answer. “I suppose the best place to start with is the people sat around you. You’ve already met Lucifer Yates, and you have felt what he can do. He can turf up old memories, walk into your mind and make you remember things that never happened. He is what we call a Writer.” He paused to sip his wine and Lucifer spoke into the gap.

“I meant no ill my dear, I was merely disbelieving of what Jason had thought. My deepest apologies if it unnerved you. And may I say, I am sorry for your loss.” A few of the others raised an eyebrow at this but no-one spoke. I did not want to think about my ship, my losses, right now. Jace continued.

“The man sitting opposite you is Ben Bangham. He may be the fastest and most physically able of us, but his skill is the slowest to develop. Ben can see the future, the major events that have yet to happen. He once predicted we would have a guest that would touch everyone of us.” Ben interrupted Jace.

“Actually I saw a lion save a hat, catch it before it fell. I saw a wolf repair the hat to splendour, I saw a snake add decorations to it, and fix it inside, make it strong. A monkey cared for it and made sure it stayed in tact while the winds from the south shook it. I saw a raven pluck it from its perch and reunite it with its original owner, but not before a White Tiger had added it’s own, not so subtle addition. There’s only one place I’ve ever seen those animals.” Jace interrupted.

“Will you stop getting ahead? I’m leaving the best until last. Anyway, Ben is a Sighter.

“You’ve met JayJay. She abandoned her surname a while ago, so she’s just JayJay. You’ve also felt a small amount of what she can do. She has a skill which allows her to use charms, sigils, symbols and potions; A Charmer. She didn’t just touch your arm, she traced the ‘Heal’ sigil.” He paused to take a drink and I spoke into the silence.

“Thanks for that JayJay,” I smiled and waved with my right arm.

“That’s okay. No big deal, I can soon reverse it,” to prove her point she swiftly traced a symbol on Ben’s left arm and he gritted his teeth and grunted in annoyance. He used his right hand to pick up and place his now useless arm on the table, revealing the crooked angle it sat in. JayJay smiled sweetly and traced another sigil, making it click sharply back into place. Ben shrieked and glared, jumping backwards out of his seat. He growled loudly, a long chattering sound, and shook his arm.

“Lucifer, Alert our patroller that there’s no cause for alarm.” Lucifer nodded briskly and his iris’s started to swirl. Jace switched his attention to me. “My Class is a Wisdom. I am a controller of the soul, Master of Words and Keeper of the Truth. Watch, behold what I can do!” His words seemed to echo with power and as I watched his body collapsed. It seemed lifeless, as if a part of him was now missing from it. A second or so later I felt a tap on my shoulder, barely a breeze, but enough for me to know it was Jace. I turned and all I could see was a flickering shadow upon the floor.

“I know you’re there Jace, how, I don’t know, but there nonetheless.” I glanced back to Jace’s body and he sat up, smiling.

“I am a Wisdom. What we do is dangerous and all too easy to get consumed or destroyed by. Before I was a Wisdom I learnt the Armer Class.” He gestured to Blondie who wasn’t gaping at me, but his eyebrows had shot up into the fringes of his strong, golden hair. “Meet Chris Griffeth, our resident Armer. He is a teacher of sorts. You will find none more capable than an Armer, as they understand even the things Venoms do not. A Venom is a protector, a keeper, they keep our world by any means necessary. As such they are overly capable in the physical arts, and Billy, our resident Venom, knows every weakness of bodies - human or animal. Although, he does look rather like a giant cuddly toy to me.” Jace’s eyes glinted with humor as both Chris- Blondie, and Billy- Black hair, smiled and nodded my way.