Elemental - Stories of Legend

Story 2 - Part 1 [Start of the Search]

Chaos had erupted within the Evil Coven. Everywhere one looked, guards were frantically running around, in search of one girl who had escaped. Two guards, however, had ran in another direction - to Maura's throne room. Crossing the darkened bridge over the water, they came to a halt, and knelt.
"Mistress Maura," the first guard spoke. "Sakura escaped."
From the seat of her throne, a woman stood up. She wore a black dress against her pale white skin, which only intimidated people more. As she walked down a set of stairs, her red heels echoed against the stone. "Do you have any knowledge of her location?"
The second guard then nodded to her question. "General Norman sent Dari out to retrieve her."
"Has she returned?"
The first guard then took over again. "Not to our knowledge, Mistress. Dari normally doesn't return until she's successful."
Maura nodded. "I'm aware of that. Tell Norman I want another set of guards searching for Sakura. Also tell him that if any guard finds Dari, she is to return to the Coven, no matter her condition.
Both guards nodded, then spoke, both in unison. "Yes, Mistress."
But underneath the bridge, one girl heard the entire conversation. A girl with long hair of light brown, with a red mermaid tail. She smiled and swam away, letting the current push her along, and out of the Evil Coven's territory.
But she kept swimming. She kept pushing along, following the current, until she was out of sight from the Evil Coven. She swam towards the surface, taking a gasp of air as her face lifted above the water.
"Yui," a voice called to her. "You took a while."
Yui smiled, pulling herself out the water. "Sorry, Erika. Their conversation was rather long." Her hands hovered above her tail, as small shoots of water circled around. Within a few seconds, her fins had changed to feet, her tail to legs.
"Show-off," Erika muttered.
"Oh shut up."

+++

Inside a watery palace, Yui and Erika were seated with another woman. This girl had dyed her hair blue, that resembles the ocean. She wore a dress that showed patterns of waving coral, in different colours usually found in coral reefs. She had plated some tea for them, as Yui told the woman everything she heard.
"This sounds serious," the woman said. "Maura usually never shows this much concern for anyone she's enslaved."
"What should we do, Mistress?" Erika asked.
This woman was the Coven's Mistress, named Cascatta. She ruled the Water Coven with a patient, and gentle heart. "I know where the girl is, as a matter of fact."
"Really?" Yui asked.
"Adamina is taking care of her at the Earth Coven. I believe she is being taught to control powers of that Coven."
"So she's safe," Erika stated. "Thank goodness."
"For now, anyway," Cascatta added. "When the next Coven Gathering comes around, we'll see for ourselves. Adamina has said Sakura will be there."
Both girls nodded. They knew the girl in question, Sakura, was safe for now. However, it was only a matter of time before the Evil Coven grew suspicious. They were delaying an inevitable war at this moment of time. When it came down to it, Maura would declare a war, in a bid to retrieve Sakura for her own evil deeds.
"Now, as to the guard problem," Cascatta spoke once again. "I'll talk with the other major Mistresses about this. We'll think of something. For now, I don't want either of you worrying. I can assure, this will be dealt with."
Both girls nodded, smiling. For now, the problem was solved.
At least until Cascatta discussed this with the other Mistresses.