Branches were snapping back into the woman's face as she raced through the dark forest of the Ether Blackwoods, the most treacherous terrain to exist in the Seven Planes of Constituent-Elia, keeping the little baby boy in her arms safe from any such creatures that still lurked within its shadows that had escaped the Covenant of Binding.

Though truly, that was why she had fled into the woods because she had learned the horrible truth behind such magical working and had heard of a tribe of people that lived beyond the Seven Planes in change of living in harmony with the ancient forces of nature, worshipping the long since forgotten god Megacosm, that the Elesums had forbidden to be written about because of the heretic philosophy.

The woman had been raised her whole life to believe that they were a superior humankind to all of the others of the Seven Planes. They living on the Central Plane, dominating all the others with vast alchemical manuscripts and the always increasing magical technology but their greatest gift of all was the great academy that taught all of their kind, even the poorest to the wealthiest, the art of Elemental Casting.

Bringing forth great powers from the Abyssal Nexus that they all drew their power from and weaving spells into reality, though this Nexus wasn't just a natural force, in the old days only gifted people could tap into this grand force but taking out of history was that the man who found a way for all the tap into it had paid a serious price. An offense that would revert all of the work he did back to normal because of the wicked crime to nature he did.

All of this passed through the ladies head, remembering that awful chamber she fell into, seeing the torn and mangled bodies unceremoniously littered on the floor. Still locked in that moment of time when they were killed but still the poor things deserved the same respect that their people sought, right? The creatures were the ones that actually gave them their gifts of Elemental magic, though most of the Elders just thought of it as a coincidence that they were given these gifts but in truth it was the true Elementals, creatures born from the purest of their elements.

Blast, I got to thinking about them anyways, the lady thought. Senses heightening from the adrenaline, she whipped her head around everywhere trying her best to look for a Elemental that might have heard her thoughts, through her haste she didn't notice the dark smudge that clung to the branch high above the ground until she had passed it and dropping straight to the ground, rushing up behind her.

The only warning was the sparkle of the amethyst pendant around her neck and a little shock going down her right arm that didn't hold the baby. Jerking the baby closer to shield him, the lady whipped around to face the black monster the air filling with the smell of ozone and crackling throughout a wide radius, with the women being the starting point.

The strange creature knew that it no longer was the predator or even prey but just going to be a blackened husk on the forest floor. A gentle wind started to tease the women's hair, while the tingling that started in her right arm radiated throughout her entire, feeling the presence of electricity everywhere. Raising her hand hand above head, the element thunder swirled to her calling making the cup of her hand glow a brilliant violet.

Once the light was blinding the creature, the lady brought her palm crashing down into the dewy earth, crouching with the baby to her heart while crying out ",Here be Thunder!" causing an equal brilliant violet lightning to surge away from her to the monster and in all directions, in hopes of scaring away any other hidden creatures.

Keeping her hand on the ground, she reverted straight to another element, hastily calling up the power of Earth. Making more light spill from her hand but instead a gentle green, soothing the residual lightning that coursed through her veins, helping with grounding the last bit but yet to help with cleaning up her mess.

Again she called to the element," Here be Earth," in a soothing voice, like she was talking to the baby instead she talked to the Earth, with a rumbling coming from deep underground. Swiping her hand towards the dead creature on the forest floor, the rumbling intensifying under it until a crack opened directly beneath it swallowing the body completely and with a snap of her fingers, the crack snapped shut.

Breathing heavily both in fear and exertion, she wiped the cold sweats from her eyes and unsteadily got to her feet continuing farther into the dangerous unexplored forest.

The rest of the night blurred by her as she prayed that she would find the ancient tribe that was ruled by the elements but also had befriended them as well. The moon had reached its peak, shining its full radiance down upon her giving clear sight of everything in the forest as far as her Elesums eyes could see and to behold ahead a clearing laid not too far ahead. Carefully dashing ahead to the clearing, she plunge in with high hopes for the people but to her dismay all that lied within was a outcropping of rocks with a babbling brook passing underneath to disappear back into the woods.

Her face crestfallen, hobbling up to the outcropping on legs that were starting to cramp from her long walking and the final run she made on them. Right underneath the cropping a soft bed of spongy moss grew, giving a good place for her to lay the baby and to catch some sleep. Though in the chill of the night she didn't want the baby to catch ill, placing down her thick wool cloak on the moss and placing the baby up near the top giving her room to bundle the baby tightly with it.

After thoroughly bundling up the baby so he would be warm, she pointed just above the babies had and chanted to the spirits of Earth and Fire asking for their help with protection and cold, all while drawing a circle. On the third circuit she cut off her chanting as a shimmering green and orange aura encircled the baby.

Smiling at her work, the work of a real fire set in her mind from the branches lying at the edge of the clearing that she had seen right when she walked in. Slowly gathering the branches checking for any moisture so that none of them would cause smoke to rise, that way the smoke would not give away her spot to any of the authorities who might have noticed she was missing.

Bringing the last of the branches to the rocks and stacking them into a little teepee, she thrust her hand into the heart of them and thought of the warmth of her family and being together and the safety she would no longer feel.

With that mindset, she drew from that warmth and called forth flame," Here be Fire," and like a match suddenly stricken, a flame burst into the heart of the branches. Snatching her hand back and waving it the lady grumbled about the inconsistency of fire and its playful manner, though now that a real fire had been started she didn't need the circle around the baby because feeling the baby's chest rise and fall against hers was the safest feeling she could ever get.

Pulling the cloak back around her and holding the baby close to her chest, she brought her legs close to her chest so the baby was secure and listened to the crackle of the branches, feeling her eyes grow heavy with sleep. But she couldn't fall asleep yet without something to protect from the horrors of the night and so she humbled with the clasp of her pendant while cradling the baby with the other, finally releasing it through her tired and aching hands.

Placing the pendant right between her feet she started tapping the amethyst lightly seven times, namely each of the seven elements with each tap.

After the seventh tap, the woman requested tiredly." Please Ingram, protect us from the dangers of the night and warn me of any of these dangers before they come. I promise you the gift of Amber stones in return for your services," the last part coming out in a whisper, followed by falling into a deep sleep.

But yet still a white light pulsated from the stone rising straight out to start collapsing into the form of a woman in the same amethyst stone color gown, with one strap over her right shoulder and clinging to her curves. Standing six feet tall with the same striking violet eyes, the new woman, Ingram, checked her surroundings for any of the dangers that might be out in the night. Encouraged that none were near, she swiped the gown beneath her knees and started to coax the flames warmer with a branch from the pile of branches her mistress brought back.

Comforted with the new warmth, she pulled her Amber hair over the left shoulder and began a lullaby that her Mistresses mother sung to her Mistress. With a final look at the woman and the baby she started to braid her hair with long nimble alabaster fingers with pearly fingernails, closing her eyes to sink deeper into the lullaby while also working a protective circle around the stones.