Song Mages of Gaia

Chapter 1

The packages were stacked in Kari’s arms and she could barely see around them.  At least she would be able to make a decent dinner for Father’s birthday.  She just had to run by the baker and pick up a cake; she would decorate it at home.  As she ran down the list of things to do before Father’s boat pulled into its moorings she glanced out to sea and noticed a dark cloud forming on the horizon.   Looking harder she thought she could see a boat being tossed about, and it looked as if a huge wave was coming right for Sim.

The boat rocked and almost capsized.  Dan was ready to panic, they were miles from shore and help and this creature that was supposed to have been banished from Gaia was trying to eat him for lunch. 

"You really need to learn to listen, your father told you to stay along the shore so you wouldn’t wind up in this predicament,” the voice in his head scolded. 

"If you aren’t going to be helpful please, stop talking,” Dan shook his soaked hair out of his eyes and readied his sword as he watched the giant snake-like creature swim straight for his vessel.  He was well muscled from the training he had been getting since he could walk, but all the muscles in the world would not help when he was facing a beast three times as long as his boat.  He gathered his wits and began to hum, the waves from the leviathan were splashing so much water in his face he could not possibly sing the proper words to call the power of water to him if he couldn’t breathe.  Water was his element, and was in abundance here but not a huge help against this beast of darkness, that thrives in the water.  “I can’t sing properly Arden, I'm practically drowning here.”

"Keep trying, the music will come even in all that splashing and sputtering you are doing.” Arden, his closest friend spoke directly into his mind.  Dan was not at all disturbed to be speaking to creature that only some people could see. Arden, Dan’s seraph, was usually no bigger than his hand.  Right at this moment,  Arden was at his full fighting size, a full foot taller than the average man, and was standing behind Dan guarding his back.  The two stood facing opposite sides of the boat, back to wings, Arden, a full head taller than Dan, with dark hair and leathers where Dan was shorter with lighter brown hair and armor, as was the tradition of his land.  The leather armor protected better against the elements but did nothing against a tail covered in sharp barbs  the size of a small sword “Concentrate on what you truly need.  Just get us out of here!  A water spout or wave to push your boat from the sea and place you near civilization would be good.  You should be able to sing enough power for that and not antagonize the beast.”

"Perfect.  I feel it building now.”  The power flowed in through him and he concentrated on humming, pushing aside the fear he felt as the sea creature rocked up against his boat from underneath.  Then he began to sing the songspell that would save him and his tiny boat, a rush of water came to the boat as the power glowed in the waves as if it had only been waiting for his need to be voiced; through the singing of a song.  Music was the cord that tied humans with the elemental powers of Gaia, Andros himself had decreed that a thousand years before granting all who believed in him access to  his own power and assistance. 

"It is working keep singing...” Arden encouraged.  Dan sang thanks to Andros for the ability to use the power first, this was the most crucial part of the songspell, if the singer did not have the faith to believe in it the songspell would fall flat every time.  Dan had not had that particular problem since he was ten. 

Now, as he thanked Andros the power grew from a few vague streams glowing among the waves with barely any definition to powerful rivers of power that were shining brightly.  They swirled around the boat and as they grew a great wall of water cut him off from the leviathan attacking him.  Storm clouds formed over head, as Dan’s song drew the water energy from even the clouds nearby.  A single wave formed out of the sea lifting the entire boat on the crest of the wave.   Dan clutched the railing and looking over the side saw the leviathan angrily trying to reach him.  Had the wave occurred naturally there would have been no telling when or where Dan would have been washed up on the shoreline itself reducing the boat to splinters on impact as well as flooding miles of the coastline.  Half a mile from shore the wave simply died away and calm returned, saving the coastline from a barrage of destructive waves.  Dan could feel the tide carrying the beaten up boat to shore before he laid down on the deck murmuring thanks to Andros & Arden for his safety and closed his eyes; drained from his ordeal. His boat soon bumped straight into the pier of a fishing village.

Dan crawled out of the boat and staggered right into a beautiful young lady with long dark hair, both of them fell to the pier.

"Are you alright?” Asked the tall blonde stranger staring into Kari’s dark brown eyes.  She had watched as the boat came into dock seemingly on its own, then stood memorized by the young man who had crawled out of the boat, looking as if he has been in battle with the sea itself.