Once Forgotten 3.7

AU: Ok, I know I haven't posted in forever, and the truth is, well, I just haven't felt much like writing. However, that so changed. Over the weekend, I watched all of the Harry Potter movies. All of the six that are currently out. They are verrry well done. What's the point of this? Inspiration! They awoke my dormant mind; my sleeping imagination. They awoke the dreams from which I write, stories beginning to form. And no, I did not write this post all in one sitting, but I did just finish it today. Thanks to the HP storyline, I'm going to be writing for quite some time, I believe. Enjoy!
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The sun shone brightly down upon a forested area. The area was calm, peaceful. Yet beneath the calm lurked a quiet surreal feeling. A small herd of gazelle-like creatures, sniks, were grazing. One of them shifted uneasily. It had caught movement not far off. One by one, the other creatures stopped their grazing, trying to sense the unknown entity. The herd began to wheeze, a sign that they were becoming increasingly agitated.
A shadow towards them. The small creatures shrieked with fright, moving as one as they bolted from their spot. Feral snarls pursued them as the unearthly creature pursued them; its breath polluting the air with a stench of decay. It raced after the sniks, a strange, unholy light glinting in its pale eyes. It gradually came closer and closer, finally leaping at the last one in the herd….
An arrow pierced its head. Immediately, three figures ran to it, examining the foul thing. “Ugh…it stinks!” a girl said. Her brothers rolled their eyes.
“Of course it does! It was created through necromancy!” Her elder brother said.
The other one, the youngest, spoke up. “It was already dead for a month before that too.”
“I don’t care! Let’s just burn it and go!” Their sister said, holding her sleeve to her nose in disgust. Her brother’s rolled their eyes at her.
“Karanie, go get wood, then, if you’re so impatient.” Her older brother said. He turned to his younger brother. “Jintus, hand me the fire stone.”
“So, it really was an act of necromancy? Kadrin dealt with all of them though!” Jintus said in a hushed tone.
“I’m afraid so. Mother showed me one of the corpses that had been brought back with the use of necromancy. She wanted me to be prepared, in case they rose again. Now, I’m going to show you what to look for.” He took a knife and pulled back the creature’s lips, revealing sharp, canine teeth. “You can tell that it was an idic. Male, approximately nine years when it first died. How long it’s been like this is impossible to know.” Moving carefully, he took the knife and cut open the chest area. “Now, what you must do is cut the heart out. The heart must be burned separately.”
Jintus frowned. “Why?”
His brother nodded. “An excellent question. It’s a purification ritual. We burn away the impure heart and fill the chest cavity with myrdis. When burned, its aroma purifies the corpse.”
Karanie returned, her arms full with several logs and twigs. “Will this do?”
Algard smiled. “That’s perfect. Do you remember how to set them up?”
His sister nodded. She waited as he carefully removed a silk bundle from his pack. “Now, you must always, always remember to treat myrdis with the uttermost respect. Legends tell us that long ago, when Amari cried when she looked upon the war her brethren waged, her tears fell to the ground, and wherever they fell, myrdis appeared. As the Tears of Amari, you must treat every leaf with reverence and respect.” He unwrapped the bundle to reveal a satin pouch, which he gently pulled open. He pulled a few leaves that shone with a light of their own, a pure, gentle light, and he very carefully pushed them into the hole where the creature’s heart had been. Karanie then knelt and built a small teepee with some of the logs, piling the rest around the carcass. Jintus filled in the gaps with the twigs, then stood to the side with Karanie. Together, they watched as their older brother took the fire stone, an orange stone that shimmered and produced heat, from its protective pouch and very gently touched it to the wood.
Flames erupted and spread out from where the stone touched the wood. Smoke rose as the carcass vanished beneath the fire. The two younger siblings gasped as the smoke turned from a thick, opaque, black, to grey, to a translucent white. Algard nodded with satisfaction. “The myrdis is burning. The smoke it produces cures much, anything from a common cold, to the deadliest of illnesses.”
Karanie frowned. “Then why don’t the human doctors use it?” She asked, brushing back a strand of her white hair. Her emerald eyes sparkled with confusion.
Algard frowned, his turning to a dark sapphire. “Because humans don’t know how to properly respect things. They would only see the medicinal value of the plant and tear it all up, pollute it with their experiments. It’s what they do. It’s what they always do.”
“But what of the other races? Surely the draigons aren’t as bad?” Jintus asked.
“What would they care? They live far to the north. They care for nothing…”
“That’s enough, Algard.” A strong, stern voice said. The siblings quickly turned to face the newcomer. She was taller than them, with a scar running below her left ear and down her neck. Her hair was the color of autumn leaves, a pure mixture of reds, golds, and oranges to give the appearance of fire. Her stern eyes of deepest silver glanced over them with concern. She nodded with satisfaction. “Well done. I see none of you were injured.”
“No, Mother.” Algard said, standing straight.
Alexandra smiled. “Really, there is no need for such formality, Algard. You aren’t in a regiment, though the Eleven Above knows I’ve trained you as such.” Her smile faded as she looked at the burning pile. “This isn’t good. The necromancers are returning. And much more.”
“Mother?” Karanie asked.
Alexandra turned to the three of them. “From the moment I took the three of you in, I knew. I knew what would come of it. It was inevitable. We may not be the last, but our people are few. The time of the Aldinairr has long since been gone. And I fear that we may never see a new dawn for our people. The world has changed much, in so little time, though to the humans, it has been ages.”
“Just how old are you, Mother? How old would the humans call you?” Jintus couldn’t help but ask, earning glares from his brother and sister.
Their mother smiled. “I fear you aren’t quite ready to hear that answer. Just keep in mind that I am old, even among our people. I have seen and learned much during my life. I have met with Gods and traveled with dragons. I’ve fought in countless battles, and even started several wars, though none knew I was even involved. Now, I’m afraid that that shall have to satisfy you for now, Jintus.” She waved a hand, and the pile of smolder ash scattered. “The ritual was well done. Very nice work, but come now. We have a guest.”
A peaceful silence prevailed as the four made their way home. The four walked quietly behind Alexandra, enjoying and listening to the sounds around them, yet they were cautious, always on the alert to any foreign sound.