Fin had been moved to the table, and was waiting for someone to speak once again. Kasim’s children were staring at him with a mixture of awe and curiosity, while Adamma had a more unreadable expression.

“This day has taken a few turns I didn’t anticipate… Sky, you seem to have had some issue with my father given your reaction to me,” Fin began trying to wrap his mind around the situation.

The air witch shifted in her seat and her eyes dropped thoughtfully to the rough table surface in front of her.

Adamma reached out unconsciously and gently rubbed her back, shooting her an encouraging smile while doing so.

For once, Sky didn’t gaze up longingly at the woman, and instead, took a deep breath.

“I did. Shortly before your parents were to marry, I told your mother not to go through with it. I told her to abandon the betrothal. Your father hadn’t done anything truly wrong, but he was always talking about pure witches and there was a… a hunger in him. Something about it all felt wrong.”

Fin winced. While he didn’t hold an abundance of memories of his father, he did know that if something or someone got in the way of achieving something he desired, he’d burn through whatever it was. No matter the cost.

“Did he hurt you… badly?” the redhead asked with a heaviness in his chest that ached.

“Not… that time. Kate told him her concerns that were… exasperated by my own, and he soothed those worries away. To be honest with you, I don’t know how much of his determination to wed her was his desire for her healing power, and how much was his love for her.”

“You think he loved my mother?” The note of disbelief in Fin’s voice succeeded in making all eyes rivet to him.

“Well I… I cannot… speak for another’s feelings. I do not know.” Sky glanced desperately at Adamma.

The woman reached out and gently clasped Sky’s hand in her own, before turning her gaze to Fin.

“I didn’t mean to cause any distress,” Fin remarked hesitantly, unsure of whether or not he should apologize when he had only been responding with a matter-of-fact attitude.

“It’s alright. Ever since the final meeting with your father, Sky worries about angering others. It isn’t normal for air witches to be so conscious of others' moods- they aren’t as grounded as the other elemental witches.”

Swallowing with great difficulty, Fin tried to look again at the air witch, but found that it was growing more difficult by the second.

“If you don't want to tell me what happened, I completely understand.” He tried to soften his voice as much as possible.

“It’s alright… perhaps the Goddess wanted to use you to help me. To face my fears and try to put them behind me. Especially after the other day when I met with-”

Adamma squeezed Sky’s hand.

“Stay on task love, what do you want to tell Finlay?”

Sky’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly forward, but the redhead could see that she was gathering strength to go on.

“It… It was after you were born. Your father came to me to ask if I would join the cause… his ‘purist’ movement. He wanted all deficient witches to be placed as lifelong servants to pure witches, and for the pure elemental ones to be in charge of all kingdoms. He believed government and Covens should be the same thing, and that they should rule each continent.” Taking a fortifying breath, she managed to finish her sad tale.

“ I said no, and that I didn’t like how he kept insisting your mother should be his underling, and he…”

“-Attacked Sky brutally and threatened to do much worse.” Adamma jumped in when it became clear that the air witch wasn’t going to be able to speak in detail about what happened.

“I fled as far north as I could, and haven’t been south of Sorlia or Xava in nearly thirty years.”

Fin nodded, and attempted to clear his throat while also ignoring Kasim’s children as they shifted uncomfortably and averted their eyes. They seemed to be aware of the story, but his presence upon its retelling was another matter entirely.

“I am sorry for the pain he caused you.” Fin felt the familiar crushing burden of his father’s sins, and for a moment, his childhood seemed not so long ago.

“It is not for you to apologize for,” Adamma jumped in firmly.

“She’s right. Thank you for listening to me, Fin. I’m sorry if this was difficult to hear.” Sky’s milky blue eyes remained dropped down.

With a small nod, the redhead straightened and looked to the door. It was probably a good time to leave…

“Is it true that you’re more powerful than a pure elemental?” Kasim’s son suddenly blurted out, earning a stern glower from his aunt and an elbow to the ribs from his sister.

“Err… I don’t believe so.” Fin felt his cheeks and tips of his ears turning red.

“What? Dad said he was expecting a proper spar with you when you first met! He said you called down lightning!”

“Lightning doesn’t sound like the property of a house witch,” Adamma commented slowly, her gaze turning suspicious.

“A house witch can protect their home and those living within it. I suppose the form it takes with me is lightning,” Fin explained, leaning back in his chair and not quite meeting anyone’s stare.

“You speak as though you are not the only house witch.” Adamma prodded gently.

“There was only one other recorded in our Coven, but it was hundreds of years ago. As you know there are very little reports that were kept safe for so long.” Fin shrugged.

Adamma frowned and looked to Sky.

“Our Coven keeps paper records on their Island.” The air witch explained for once speaking on time in the conversation.

It was Fin’s turn to become curious.

“Adamma, both you and Kasim have said you come from another kingdom, but neither of you have ever mentioned which one.”

Adamma had a small smile when she turned to stare at the redhead again.

“Ah, that is because our people tend to try and remain isolated from other kingdoms. However, I suppose since we all seem to be baring some secrets, I will tell you our homeland’s name. My brother and I hail from the Kingdom of Lobahl.”

There was a strange reverberation in the air after the name was said, as though the name itself bore power.

“Our land lies to the West of Daxaria, far from their shores, and East to Troivack, somewhat closer, but still very far.”

Fin felt his head fill to the brim with questions, however before he could utter a single word, Adamma cut him off.

“Knowledge of our land is coveted, and to share an abundance of information could lead to exile from our home shores… even if we have no intention of returning ever again.”

“I respect your country and its laws,” Fin began slowly, and noted the glint of warning in Adamma’s eyes. “Might I know the reasoning behind such strict secrecy? That will be my only question,” he assured hastily, his tone sincere.

The Lobahlan leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest, her face masked to her thoughts.

After a few moments of silence, she let out a small breath.

“Other kingdoms cannot envy what they do not know. We do not want to take any risks of unwanted attention.”

Fin bobbed his head subserviently.

“I understand.”

Standing slowly, the redhead nodded his head once again to Sky, then to Adamma.

“I best be on my way then, but it was lovely to meet you all.”

It was then both of Kasim’s children exploded from their seats at the same time and began speaking hurriedly at once.

“Wait!”

“We have questions!”

Fin stared bewildered at the two of them as the boy stepped forward.

“I don’t think my sister or myself got to introduce ourselves… my name is Urick Jelani, and this is my younger sister, Nina Jelani. She’s an earth witch, and I’m a… I’m a… water witch.”

Fin noted the awkward shift of the boy’s eyes as though embarrassed.

“I’m a weak water witch,” Urick finished lamely after a moment of an inner battle.

The young man then lifted a goblet that rested on the table, and Fin watched as it filled to the brim with cool clear water. “This is all I can do.”

Without saying a word, the redhead stepped forward, took the goblet, and emptied it into his mouth. After swallowing the drink, he met Urick’s gaze with a wry smile.

“To me that was the best power I’ve seen all day.”

“You didn’t even offer him a cup of water on a day like today?!” Adamma scolded Sky who was too busy looking out the window once again to notice.

“What I’m wondering is… is how did you become more powerful? I know my dad talks about how mutated witches are ‘the chosen’, but for the most part they are… weak.” Urick looked embarrassed to even say the word, but Fin showed no sign of offence and instead waited.

“I know because only my dad is a witch and not my mum that there’s a chance I’m just always going to be significantly weaker but… Nina is a respectable earth witch. I have to be able to be better than I am!”

By the end of his explanation the boy had worked himself up into an anxious state, and Fin felt deeply empathetic with him over his frustrations.

“Well being honest with you, Urick, sometimes that is just how it is, and that’ s okay. In my circumstance, I spent as much time in my ‘element’ as possible, and by taking work in the castle expanded what I was able to do.”

Urick looked crestfallen, and Fin found himself scrambling to find a way to soften the blow.

“Keep in mind, your powers rely on your personality and how you accept yourself. You might try becoming more confident, or finding friends or places that make you feel like you belong. You might also try thinking what the element means or represents to you, and get a little… creative with what a cup of water can do. For example, I’m pretty sure if that were frozen and you hurled it in someone’s direction you could do a great deal of dama-”

Adamma was giving him a death glare that would’ve impressed his mother. He cleared his throat awkwardly, but was pleased to see that Urick was already looking somewhat cheered up by the notion.

“If that’s everything, I-”

“Wait!” Nina cried out again, as she threw herself around the table and hurried up to him. “Could you please spar with my aunt!”

Fin blinked. Upon seeing his blank expression, this only goaded the young girl on, making it apparent that the siblings really weren’t all that different.

“You see, Sky refuses to spar, and so I’ve only ever gotten to see her face off with my dad, and, and it’d be really amazing if I got to see another witch use their powers- for educational purposes!”

His eyes moved to Adamma who was obviously suppressing a smile. Something told the redhead that the children had been desperate for a little magical excitement for some time.

Even Fin had to admit he’d be interested in giving it a try, his tutor had never bothered teaching him to spar given his abilities, but with the way things were going more recently…

“I wouldn’t mind it, though I have very little experience with such things. The other issue, of course, is that I have no power when I am not on the grounds of my home,” he explained apologetically.

Everyone’s face fell in the room, and Adamma frowned slightly.

“You have… no powers whatsoever right now?”

Fin shook his head.

The kids looked as though they had just been told there’d be no cakes for dessert and the aura of disappointment was devastating.

“Our sparring grounds are deep in the King’s woods. Sky blocks the sound, and I set traps in the earth to alert us of anyone approaching so it is quite private.” Adamma began to offer, casting Fin a hopeful glance.

After a moment’s hesitation, the cook reasoned that the worst case scenario was that he had no powers to spar with, and best case scenario he could magically let loose a little.

“Alright. I have to finish doing a bit of work here in town, but I should have a bit of time afterwards. I need to be finished by dinner time however… otherwise my… er…. Companion will have my head.”

Adamma gave an excited but understanding expression.

Perhaps she was just as eager as Kasim’s offspring to see a sparring match.

*

Fin followed Adamma into the woods from a more southern access point that was hidden from eyeline from the castle.

‘Not a bad place to potentially come up for a rear attack…’ He couldn’t help but have his mind turn to the recent battle strategies he had been consulting with the council.

The further the group travelled into the woods, the thicker the trunks of trees grew until it would take all of them holding hands around one just to encircle it. The deeper they went, the deeper the sense of old magic sprung from its thick foliaged ground. Fortunately, the sun had lowered enough that the day’s heat had eased, and the trees had provided enough shade that it was even cooler still.

“This should count as your home yes?” Adamma called over her shoulder. “It is ‘technically’ on the castle grounds. Kasim assured us his majesty wouldn’t mind. Not that he really asked… but his majesty seems the understanding type I’m told.”

Fin smiled, but let his eyes lose focus as he searched for his magic. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been missing it fiercely. At first it had felt like a release when he'd been roaming the streets of Austice, but as he found himself experiencing difficulties when it came to locating the Troivackian army, the more he had missed it.

As he reached his senses out, his heart began to sink a little when he felt not even a twinge of his magic returning.

“What happened there?” Urick had stopped several feet in front of Adamma and was pointing towards a long path of brush that had been cleared as though a cannonball had been blasted leagues into the forest.

Adamma leaned forward frowning.

“Perhaps there was another battle here, but… this is peculiar…” she laid her hands on one of the nearest trees.

“They’re saying it was a man who came flying through here.” She remarked while glancing at the extensive tunnel of damage that ran further than the eye could see.

All at once Fin’s memory snapped to Jiho being launched deep into the woods, and for some reason, he burst out laughing.

The group turned and stared at him bewildered.

Yet as he laughed, it suddenly began seeping into his skin.

His magic.

It was like warm golden light gently pouring itself through every pore of his skin, filling him up and warming him with its love.

It felt good to be home.

Once he had calmed down and straightened, Fin stared back at them with a glimmer in his eyes.

“I’m the one responsible for this. I had a bit of an… argument with a friend one night.” When the group shared uneasy glances Fin let himself grow a little more serious. “He was perfectly fine, and believe me, he gave me a couple good jabs to pay me back.”

While the women looked exasperated, Urick grinned.

“Well, is this a good enough space to spar?” Fin changed the subject, and gazed at Adamma who suddenly was looking oddly sly…

“I suppose so. I also suppose I might not have to go as easy on you as I thought I would judging by the damage I’m seeing.” She gestured toward the long tunnel of broken branches made by Jiho.

The redhead placed his hands on his hips and replied, “Oh don’t worry, I can’t have the kids be completely bored with me. Maybe you two should stand on the other side of the barrier though.” Fin nodded to the siblings who became oddly even more pleased by the order.

The two were beginning to become more than a little excited about the show they were about to witness.