A Summer’s Year

1

Chapter one2

The Thing3

‘I’m just sitting here,’ she thought.  ‘I’m just waiting for something, but what?’  True the she had ran away from the Ichigo-Sama Witch Schooling for Girls, even though her only friends in her life where there.  She had no idea where she was or how she got there, but she knew one thing, she had to show people what was hiding in the depths of that school.  They where looking for her, she knew.  I’m sure that if your school had just lost one of the ambassador’s daughters, it would be searching franticly for her.  4

Little did she know that they had lost her trail and were heading south towards the sea.  She was heading north, towards the Riverland, where her family came from.  They weren’t there any more, I’m sure, but there was something driving here there.  5

As the sun set its bluish rays, she began to light her lantern’s, the one took from her dormitory back at Ichigo-Sama, little flame.  It didn’t give out much light, which was good when you’re on the run, but it is very difficult to see also.  It’s was getting colder.  ‘It’s already past Snulus season,’ she thought as she shivered.  Snulus is another name for the blue rose.  You might think that these beautiful flowers are fictional, but they’re real.  Snuluses are harvested during the red moon months, usually in the autumn.  6

A little while after, she blew out the lantern’s flame and crawled up into a little ball.  ‘Should have brought the heavy blankets instead of the light summer ones,’ she thought in disgust.  When she was almost asleep.  She saw in the bushes, a little bit beyond the oddly shaped rocks to her left.  Something had moved.7

Chapter two8

Attack9

She thought it was her imagination and ignored it.  Then it moved again.  She stayed still because her fear had frozen her.  10

‘Oomph!’ The something fell into the circle of pushed down grass.  It was a person, a mortal, or so she thought.  She remanded still.  ‘Hello,’ it said.11

‘Good evening,’ she said just to be polite. ‘Um, excuse me, but who are you?’12

‘Oh! Terrible sorry. My name is Joseph Pimply.  How do you do?’ said Joseph.13

‘I’m just fine.’14

‘Well, that’s just great.  I would really like to stay, but I must be on my way.’15

‘Wait! Where are you going?’16

‘I’m going…hey! Why should I tell you?’17

‘I might be going the same way’18

‘If you let me sit down, untie me from these ropes and feed me, I’ll think about it.’19

‘Fine,’ she said as she untied him.  ‘You can go sit on those rocks other there.’ She pointed.  20

Joseph gasped. 21

‘You…you…’he was lost for words.22

‘I what?’ she demanded.23

‘You pointed with you finger!’24

‘Yeah, so?’25

‘That’s…that’s…only the highest witches are aloud to do that!’26

‘He’s having a fit,’ she thought. ‘And how’d he know that? Only witches know that.’27

‘I know that because-` he was interrupted. 28

‘Get down!’ She screamed.29

‘Get up!’ someone yelled.  30

Joseph got up.  She reached out to he pants. ‘Stay down!’ she whispered as she yanked.  Whoosh, that’s as best as on imitation as I can make of the sound of Joseph’s plants when she pulled them down on total accident.   Joseph immidiitly reached down and pulled up his plants.31

‘Why did you do that?  What did I ever do to you?’ he said, a little bit irritated.  32

‘Aretniumos!’ she shrieked with all her might.  33

‘No!!’  Screamed the people who told them to get up.  With a golden blue, the color of her magic, flash, the people were gone.  There was an eerie silence between Joseph and the girl.  Finally, after about sixteen moon steps (about sixteen minutes), Joseph spoke and shattered the silence.34

‘What…I mean…how did you…’ he was stuttering.35

‘Huh? Oh, you mean the spell that I used to make them stop?  It was a simple first séance (colored moon) spell.  It’s quite easy.’  She said like it was nothing.  Joseph blinked twice, an obvious sign of cluelessness.36

‘Just who are you, anyways?’ he asked her.37

‘I’m…I’m…err…um…my name is…hey! You still haven’t told me where you’re going yet!!’ she said, slightly annoyed.38

‘You tell me your name first, and then I’ll tell you where I’m going and why.’39

‘Fine then! It’s Pentamus.’40

‘I meant you full name.’41

‘But I still gave you a name!’42

‘You’re right there,’ he paused and sighed. ‘I’m going far to the north.  Probably somewhere you’ve never heard of, Riverland.’43

Chapter three44

What’s in a Name45

As morning’s sun raised its blue rays, she tried to remember the night prier events.  46

‘Uhhhh,’ Joseph groaned.  He sat up and put his hand to his head.  ‘That was a quite painful slumber.’  47

‘No wonder, you slept on those rocks all night!’  She said.48

‘So, Pentamus is it?’ he asked.49

‘Yes, that is my name.’  She answered. ‘What of it?’50

‘Oh, nothing.  It’s just that the most respected witches have such a magical name.  It’s the same name as the ambassador’s, you know.’51

‘Right then,’ she said as she got up and started pack up the camp.52

‘Hey, were do you think you’re going?’ Joseph asked.53

‘To my destination,’ she answered.54

‘Which is where?’55

‘Riverland.’56

‘I’m going there, you know?’57

‘Yeah, you told me last night.’58

‘Oh, right,’ he said as they began to leave.  After about forty-two moon steps in on the journey north, he said ‘you never did tell me your first name.’59

‘Oh, it’s Serene.’  She answered.60

‘That’s a pretty name.’ someone said.61

‘Huh?’ Serene said.62

‘’huh,’ what?’ Joseph said.63

‘Oh, it was nothing.’ Serene said and they continued on their journey to Riverland.64

They stopped about sixty-two danlongs, about 120 miles, for the night to rest.  Of course, they didn’t stop for lunch.  Since there was no one around, or so they thought, it was no improper to eat as they walked. 65

‘Do you know what your name means?’ he asked.66

‘No,’ she answered, ‘I’ve never known but I have wonder.’67

‘Oh.  I thought that you might have.’68

‘I’m gonna go get some food for dinner.’69

‘This early?’  He sounded surprised.  True, it was only 10 whitenieghs (8 o’clock, pm) and the custom time to eat was at 11 whitenieghs (10 o’clock).  But Serene didn’t care.  For her, eating late was a sign of too sureness, a weakness, and she wanted more than anything to not be weaker than her mother was.  70

Her mother was a kind, respectable woman who grow up in the east.  Her name was Linia.  Her father was the ambassador of the west and met Linia in a market when he was visiting the east.  They soon became married and both were murdered at the banquet of the gods.  71

The banquet of the gods in a very important meeting here only the highest witches and other mystical personages are invited.  So far in this history, no one was turned down Zeth and Grimdle, the king and queen of the gods, wizards, and the nymphs.  Linia was a queen of a race long since forgotten, the Queen of the Elves.  They were given separate invitations, but Linia was the first and only one since to turn down the invitation, even when her husband agreed to his.  The night that she’d made her decision, Linia was attack.  The attack was a surprise because every one with in the kingdom was loyal to her and loved her dearly.  That was when she first learned of the existence of the witches and their evils.72