The Orphan

Another semi-prologue. Ren arrives at an orphanage.

The wind was brisk that night. It swept over the recently planted fields and up the path, stopping for a moment at a black metal gate. Then it rushed through, following the beaten road toward a gray building.

 

The wind slowed as it approached the doorstep. A slowly waking baby lay upon it in a thin blanket, and the wind gently blew a lock of hair from its face. The door opened, and the wind disappeared.

 

The squalling baby was folded into the arms of a tired woman. She sighed and picked a note from the blanket. “Ren Connoly,” she muttered. “Welcome, Ren Connoly.”  She rocked the child half-heartedly before taking her inside and closing the door.

 

Ren would grow to be a troublesome child. Even the orphanage Warden’s authority was required in some situations, one of which concerned the destruction of an entire set of rooms. She had been born with magic.

 

And not the harmless magic of a few others in the place. No, Ren’s was much more. The wind itself had followed her, ever since she could remember. But she learned early on to keep it a secret.

 

Through the orphanage’s careless schooling, it became clear to her that elemental magic was not something to boast of. Of the six other children with magic, only one had a slightly more impressive talent: he could procure water from the air. This boy was feared and therefore teased, even by the supervisors; everyone expected him to use it for ill intent.

 

Instead, she pretended her magic was less than it was. She confided in one person only, and even that trusted friend stayed away for a time.

 

But she knew she had to find out about herself, and one day she would.

Author's Note

The actual story starts soon.. The first three chapters are all prologue-ish, and I'll probably find a combination of them later.