A Single Step [Open]

[threnody]

It moved through the desert like a wraith. Its large black cloak billowing in the dry desert wind and its hood obscuring its features. It walked with a purpose and each step it took was as sure as the last. At least, that is what one would have thought while observing the figure from a distance. Upon closer inspection one could see that it was a boy of about seventeen winters. White hair obscured his pale face and a pair of curious silver eyes peered out from behind the white curtains. His tongue hang from his mouth as he pushed onward through the desert. His footing was sure because he was concentrating on every step, not wanting to fall like earlier.His leather boots felt heavy and even his cloak was begining to have a weight to it.

"Why is it so damn hot?" he asked while glancing around. The island born necromancer was not used to climates such as this. He could take moist heat, but a dry heat such as this was unbearable. How anyone could live in an unforgiving place like the desert was a mystery to him. He tried to keep such thoughts off his mind though and focused only on reaching the end of the desert and spending as much time as he could in a lake or pond. "Maybe I could spend a few hours at a local inn." he mused to himself. He patted his person and was discouraged to find that there was no money for him to enjoy himself with.

"Or not," he said with a sigh as he bent over and grumbled to himself. He would have to find a way to make money somehow. Times were tough for the apprentice necromancer. The only trade he knew was magic and even then he was only a novice in the field. He knew a bit of every field of magic, but his main focus was his largest weakness. Cursed with power that he did not deserve the boy was a walking conduit for the undead. Every time he approached a graveyard the dead would rise and chaos would ensue. "I should have paid more attention to father's work." The word father dripped with venom when it was spoken.

The boy bared ill will toward the lecherous older man and saw him as nothing more than a failure. Though, the failure was a respected shipwright. "I could have worked a long some carpenter to earn some coppers." he continued to grumble about his money problems. As he did he wasted his precious energy. An hour passed and the boy was barely able to stand on his feet. He swayed back and forth with the wind and his eyes seemed glazed over. Every so often a mirage of water would appear, but he had lost faith in them, after chasing three of them, driving himself toward an unknown direction. A strong gust of wind blew and pushed back his hood and sending his cloak flapping.

That was the final straw. The boy tumbled over and landed fast first in the dry sand. He groaned as he attempted to get up only to fall back down again. "Water," he croaked as he grasped for his parched throat. He had not expected his journey into the desert to take so long to earn some coppers and buy a flask of water. Threnody had assumed that there would be cacti along the way filled with water, just like the stories. He was wrong and now he was paying the price for his miscalculation. "Help," he moaned as his head fell back down into the sand and his eyes closed.

[Ayvajin]

The day was rather nice, well, at least it was for Ayvajin. The necromancer was rather use to the desert’s climate. She had grown up in Secstial, so she had been raised in this climate. Not to mention, Ayvajin had become quite immune to most extreme weather.

Today seemed to be a great day for a casual ride out into the desert. The necromancer rode upon a camel, well, she rode upon an animal shifter who had shifted into a camel for her. The animal shifter belonged to a friend of Ayvajin’s who she had ran into in Secstial. The shifter was a rather nice creature, and it shifted into forms of animals that were quite useful.

The necromancer hummed to herself as she rode through the desert. She pushed her braided long black hair to her back. Ayvajin seemed to be a glare of white out upon the camel in the desert. Upon her small frame she wore a white dress with a long white cloak over it to help protect her from the blazing sunlight. The necromancer knew her skin could take the light from the sun, but she was unsure of how long she would be out upon the desert so she took precautions.

The animal shifter suddenly paused in its movements and turned its head. “What is it?” Ayvajin asked the animal as she leaned forward and stroked its head. Her eyes followed where the camel was looking to find a figure out upon the sand. “Go to it.”

The shifter turned and ran in the direction of the figure. They reached whoever it was in the matter of moments. Ayvajin’s eyes looked over what appeared to be a boy before slipping off of the camel’s back.

“Hello?” she called out to him. The necromancer paused by the animal shifter before quickly going through the bags upon its back and finding a canteen full of water. Ayvajin swiftly leaned down to the stranger in the sand and gently touched the side of his face. She knew that he was still alive, but dehydration was starting to affect the boy greatly.

The necromancer opened the canteen and placed to the boy’s lips. “Drink,” she said gently to him.

[threnody]

Threnody struggled to open his eyes as he felt someone kneel down next to him. He was greeted by the blinding light of the desert sun. He winced and glanced away. Everything about the person was now hazy and they seemed to be shrouded in shadow. As soon as he felt a drop of liquid reach his parched tongue he began to drink greedily. In a few seconds the boy had practically emptied the canteen. He let out a relieved sigh as he looked up at the figure. He could now make out its features and was able to see that it was a woman. Now, with a portion of his strength returned to him, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He tilted his head to the side as he looked over her. Something about her just seemed off to the boy.

"Thank you very much for the water." he said as he lowered his head, his white hair dangling down towards the ground. "My name is Threnody. I promise to return the favor." he said as he kept his head bowed down in the submissive position.

Years of living with a proud necromancer had taught Threnody to be polite to everyone and repay every favor that someone did for him. Currently, the young boy felt that he owed the woman his life. If she had not come along and presented him with the water he might have laid there and shriveled up.

The thought sent a shiver running through his body. Would he be able to face his master so soon after receiving his powers? The answer, obviously, was no. He would feel a terrible shame if he died before making a name for himself as a powerful necromancer. He readjusted his legs underneath him and then forced himself into a standing position. He wobbled a bit, but other than that he was able of standing. He shook out his cloak and then pulled it around his body. Though it was hot it provided shade that protected the boy from burning in the harsh desert sun.

"May I know the name of my savior?" he asked as he looked toward the woman. He was curious as to why she gave off a strange feeling. Were his abilities trying to tell him that she also was gifted in the art of magic?

[Ayvajin]

Ayvajin gave a laugh unable to help herself as she straightened up. She did not consider herself to be some sort of savior. She helped those who needed help, and this time giving him water was just lending a helping hand to someone in need. He needed water, so she gave him some water.

“I am Ayvajin,” she said with a smile as she stepped over to the animal shifter. She ran her hand over the camel’s neck, enjoying the feel of it beneath her fingers. “I am no savior. I am just someone who likes to help fellow creatures.”

The necromancer sent Threnody another smile and a nod. “And you do not have to return the favor. I have plenty of my own water still.” She gave a slight laugh at her low profiled joke before looking to the camel.

“I should take you to Secstial. You seem like you have been traveling through the desert for quite a while. You need some food, water, and rest.”

[threnody]

"It is a pleasure to meet you Ayvajin." he said as he attempted to bow to her. He stumbled somewhat and quickly righted himself. He rubbed the back of his head and a hint of color reached his cheeks as he laughed nervously. "This place has taken more out of me than I realized." he muttered as he looked up at the sky and allowed his arm to drop to his side. He glanced toward the ground and wondered how many men had died there. His face became grim as he realized that hundreds, if not, thousands of men must have died in this place. He bit his bottom lip. This place is just one big graveyard. He tried to gulp but he found that his throat was still to dry.

He shifted his attention toward the woman known as Ayvajin, hoping it would keep his mind off of the massive necropolis that was beneath his feet. "My master always told me that you should pay someone back after they've done something kind for you." he said. He pulled the cloak tighter around him at the mention of his master. The cloak still smelled faintly of the home the two had lived in. He was stopped from morning as a wave of confusion washed over him

"Sec-stial?" he asked, the word sounding foreign on his tongue. Geography wasn't the boy's strong suite. "Is that the nearest town? Which direction is it?" he asked as he looked around. He blinked as he realized he had no idea where he had come from. For all he knew he had gone around in circles. The thought irritated him. How much time had he wasted by playing around in this over grown sandpit?

[Ayvajin]

Ayvajin gave another laugh, unable to stop her amusement. She fumbled in one of the bags upon the camel before tossing another canteen of water to the Threnody.

“It is best that you get your strength back up as soon as possible,” she said to him, taking hold of the camel. She motioned for it to kneel down, and the animal did. The shifter knelt down on the sand, allowing Ayvajin to swiftly hop back on top of the camel. She motioned for Threnody to get on top of the camel as well.

“Secstial is the closest village here,” she said with a smile. “I will take you there with me. There is no reason for you to meander around the desert lost anymore. I have found you, and I shall make sure that your needs are taken care of.”

The necromancer could not help but want to give aid to everyone who she came in contact who needed it. Helping this lost boy was something that she truly wanted to do.

“Come on young, naïve necromancer. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

[threnody]

Threnody did as he was told. He approached the camel and attempted to get up. He got part way up and then slid back down. After several tries he finally growled and then jumped with all of his remaining strength. His chest landed on the camel and he scrambled up onto it. It took him less time to get situated then it did for him to get on. He was embarrassed about being so weak and felt that he needed to show them how strong he was once he recovered. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his face to hide his embarrassment and his scowl.

The young man remained silent as Ayvajin told him that she would continue to help him. When she was done the boy would owe her so much that he would just consider himself her slave. Even if she would not allow it he would do whatever it took to pay her back. He rested against the camel's hump and stared out over the desert. "Place is just one big ol' graveyard." he muttered as he saw a skull of what looked to be a domestic animal. It had probably died while being herded through this barren place. Threnody was perfectly content with sitting at sitting in silence at the moment. When Ayvajin mentioned him being a necromancer his head snapped forward.

"H-how did you know?" he asked as he straightened up. He was not used to people being able to recognize him as one of the charmers of the undead. The fact that this strange woman was able to do so after only seeing him startled him. Was she able to tell because of his hair. He reached up and grabbed a hold of one of the white locks. He was not used to his hair being this color. For all his life it had been a rather plain brown that attracted very little attention. Now he drew attention where ever he went. People often thought that he was some sort of wizard that was way beyond his years while, in fact, he was just an apprentice. An apprentice who knew very little of the Language of the Dead and only knew enough to insult someone's mother and other vulgar remarks.

[Ayvajin]

The female necromancer gave a laugh at Threnody’s question. The camel straightened up and turned around before starting off.

“Necromancers tend to tell who is of their own kind,” Ayvajin said, glancing back at the boy with a smile playing across her lips. “What? Did you not know that I am a necromancer?”

It had been quite a while since Ayvajin had run into a younger, weaker necromancer than her. She had been spending a lot of her time with the eldest of her kind, so running into this young necromancer was quite a change. She also had started gauging Threnody’s strength. He was rather strong for his age, and she would raise that question of why later on. For now, she would be concerned with getting them back to the village.

“Do not be too concerned about my knowledge, Threnody,” she told him as they continued to ride on. “I am older than what I appear to be. I can tell who is a necromancer at a glance.”

[threnody]

Threnody glanced down at the sand. "No," he answered. He had not known that Ayvajin was, in fact, a Necromancer. He could only guess that she was a full fledged necromancer, capable of controlling what she summoned. He exhaled deeply as he prepared his explanation. "I am not what one would technically consider a Necromancer. My knowledge of the Language of the Dead is... limited. I am nowhere even close to being the appropriate age either. I am only seventeen." He was glad that his hood covered his features because his scowl had contorted even further becoming an agonized expression. Knowing that he had no control over his powers filled him self loathing.

His expression softened into a more neutral one as he looked up. How old was Avyajin. He would have asked, but the lessons his master had taught him prevented him. Never ask a woman's age. The words echoed through his mind and he decided to go about the question in a more subtle approach. "I thought all necromancers' hair turned completely white by the time they've reached their two hundredth birthday." he said as he examined her's.

It was as black as night, as far as Threnody could see. It puzzled him. Was there a way to change the color of his hair and allow him to have some form of normalcy when he went out? For the second time that day he reached up and tugged at one of his white locks, pulling it in front of his face. He inspected it and lightly chewed on his bottom lip. He felt that he would never get used to the snow white hair that he now had. How long had it been since he had gained it? A few weeks? A few months? He was not even sure anymore.

[Ayvajin]

Ayvajin thought for a long moment as she decided what to exactly say to the apprentice necromancer. She smiled a bit as she slowly came to a decision on what her words should be.

“There is no reason to be so down about such a thing,” she said. “You will always have time to learn. You can find a teacher as well. They are never too far from you. You just need to open your eyes and look.”

She thought for another moment, her fingers running over the camel’s neck. “I suppose you could call me lucky to still have my black hair,” she said, chewing her lip for a moment. “My teacher always said that it was because the blood in my veins. Of course, I do not know where my blood comes from. I have never known my blood parents. Some have tried to tell me that one of my parents must have been djinn because of how strong my magic power was before I even became a necromancer.”

The female necromancer gave a slight smile. She was being honest. She had never met her parents to know if she was part djinn or not or even if that was possible.

“But wear your white hair with pride, Threnody. It shows of strength and of wisdom. You may not agree with me, but you have so much knowledge in you already. You just need to release it.”