"By no means was I the first, but my kind travels, so I was alone for my formative years. During the years before I found the others I travelled and saw much of beauty and splendor. Have you ever seen the sun rise and set at the same time?"
"Umm no." Jim replied as he checked on her arm. The spell was about half done.
"Such beauty." Mrs Swithwallow continuued. "Never to be seen again on Earth." She sighed.
"It was when I was alone that I learned to listen to the trees and the ground and the air. That is the essence of my magic, to use your term. My magic is finely woven and crafted to conform to the goodness of nature and the flow of the rivers of power on the land. Lasix is a butcher. His magic destroys the delicate fabric of nature. It rips and tears the fabric of reality to achive what he wants it to. Only once before have I seen such magic.
"It was before I fouund my people. I found him. Dephrane was what he called himself. I later learned it meant 'The one who stands alone'. He showed me the powers of our race. He showed me how to communicate and move things with my mind. He showed me his magic. Every night I was with him I cried, but it was so lovely to be with someone else that I did not leave though it pained me to stay."
Jim looked at her arm again. The end of the stump was sizzling and flesh creeped over the pink of her muschle and white of her bone. "What happenend then? How did you wind up here?" he prodded.
"The pain of his magic eventually wore away the pleasure of being around him. I could bear it no more. One night I wove a cloak of blending and snuck away. I could feel his rage when he awoke. I ran then, away from him. I kept running until I met my people, where I felt safe.
"It was years before he found us. But when he did, he shattered our race. Most of us died, some of us fled, and I was sent here. By the time I found my way back, millenia had passed."
Mrs. Smithwallow trailed off and tears started to form in her eyes. "Beauty, the likes of which will never be seen again."
Sat Nov 20 00:19:14 1999