“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

-L.M. Montgomery

The wagon groaned as it was pulled forcefully through a puddle.

‘I think I understand why no one uses Elementals instead of horses.’ Alyssa thought and wandered a safe, generous, distance behind the vehicle. Adrian and Christina were keeping her company.

The two female Archers were a bit ahead and held a lookout for danger. Torvak had a grip on the wagon, righting it with his prodigious strength as soon as it was necessary. Passengers were Tira, the boy, who was called Manfred, and the driver with the broken leg, what was his name again? Inak? Christina was only present in body. She seemed deep in thought and ignored everything around her. Ikett was talking to Torvak.

“You understand the difference?” Adrian motioned and spoke a short crackling phrase as he had done a short while before and reddish glyphs sprang to life forming into a floating bolt of fire nearly a foot long.

“Yes, I think I am starting to get it. It's like the firestarter everyone knows but with additional commands.” Alyssa was trying, and at the moment failing, to stabilize her version of the firebolt. She was a bit ashamed, looking at the misshapen and only lightly flaming mass before her. It was more of a fire orb or even a brick? “I am certainly envious of you. I have learned what I could, but mostly simple household charms. The elven magic was something my mother knew. But she did not manage to teach me much before…” she stopped.

They had been at it for a few hours already, the pace being even slower than walking, so it was not strenuous at least.

She worked diligently and adjusted the position of her hand, she used her right one mostly. She still had a problem with the pronunciation of the hissing flame-tongue dialect of the arcane language used, a variation of the old language of the lost island kingdom of Allisair, named Allisarani.

There were a lot of different ways of expressing a magical thought, the most basic and incomprehensible (for humans at least) being the ancient speech, traded down from the age of titans even before the elder races rose to prominence. It was so obscure that magical academies had awarded prestigious posts for even deciphering another meaning (of several possible) for one symbol.

Then there were race and element specific tongues and even artificial languages designed for specific uses like enchanting or even necromancy. And a significant part of this arcane knowledge was hoarded, never to be shared.

“You have to pronounce CHTLEK with a bit more force on the K.” Said Adrian.

“Stooop!” Claire called from farther ahead.

Crossing the road was a big greenish log nearly the circumference a big man's arms could hold.

“Just see if there is a way around,” Torvak called.

The log opened three eyes in the direction of the carriage and lazily contracted a bit, trees farther to the right quivered and rained some loose foliage on the ground.

“Oh.”

“What is it?” Called Tira from the wagon trying to turn around, hampered by her wound. “A big-ass snake is sunning on our road,” Ikett grumbled.

“There is not a lot of sunlight.” Alyssa began saying earnestly, stopping when she realized Iketts sardonic look.

The roguish man grinned and continued,“Great leader, whatsoever shall we do?”

Torvak looked at the being, “a Niddhog probably. It seems sated.” He motioned towards a big lump farther down the snakelike reptile. “We could try getting the wagon through the woods. Have to flatten some underbrush, but its doable.”

Christina came to stand beside them. “It is not impure, doing what its nature demands. If it is not necessary, I would opt for avoidance also.”

Claire came to the group and said in a slightly hoarse sounding voice, perhaps unused to speaking much. “This beast has fed on a stag. It will rest and not move if it can.” She held two fingers up after thinking “Perhaps two days.”

“So, let's have a look, we have no time to waste.” Torvak resolutely clapped his hands together.

The giant lump of green-brown, scaled flesh heaved its head in their direction and a slit opened in its blunt head, nearly a meter and a half long, revealing double-rows of lamprey-like teeth, seeming small only in comparison to the beast. Each tooth perhaps as long as a hand. There was no clear distinction between a head or a neck. A long tongue flickered in their direction. Adrian said. “I think it is agitated. Perhaps we can calm it down a bit? I heard they are susceptible to song and music. Anyone here able to hold a note?”

Torvak looked a bit disappointed but said “I don’t want more wounded, and we cannot risk more casualties. Calming the thing would be best.” Claire and Tonalla looked at each other and without a word reaching an accord, nodded, and vanished into the woods.

Adrian shrugged, Torvak grinned but shook his head, Ikett looked incredulous at this question and Tira and the rest of those on the wagon shook their heads.

Christina raised a hand and tilted it from side to side. “I learned to sing the hymns, but it was difficult. I am tone-deaf. It is a most unpleasant trial but I don’t think the hymns would be best here, even if it were not slightly blasphemous, using them to calm a monster.”

Everyone looked at the elfin figure of Alyssa who sighed. “Yes, I think I could manage.”

“We leave it in your capable hands.” grinned Torvak.

While everyone was either guarding the wagon or looking for a way through the wooded area possible for the wagon Alyssa began to sing

“There once was a river of waters deep blue,

riven by an Island, cleft in two,

there was a town on that Island of gold and stone

a gate to the lost, in the sun it shone

bought with blood and held with will

walls made of secrets and whispers still

but the secret once told no longer protects

whispers were silenced

and treason grew next

there grew such poisonous flowers

they felled the guard and blinded the towers”

...

“The Lay of Pareus. Mh.” Torvak nodded. The giant snake laid down with a thud, shaking the small road a bit, the tongue flickering in their direction. It seemed to listen, some beasts were near, or even more intelligent than a human. Her voice was calming and she sang the ballad with some proficiency. Asandria lurking in her mind seemingly lifted her head and a ghostly whisper reached her ear, 'Song can be magic, music can lend you insight. You have some of the old blood. I could teach you.'

While Alyssa sang, the rest found and then prepared a short way through the forest. The elemental worked under the halting instructions of Adrian, who did not seem to completely understand what he was trying to say in the rumbling elemental speech. If an elemental could look confused this one did.

And as the wagon was pulled through the forest, the wounded being helped along by the two younger fighters Olaf and Grossar, there was a sharp crack. Because there did not seem to be much wrong they did not tarry and the wagon reached the other side of the problem.

After guiding the vehicle some few hundred meters the right aft-wheel came loose and rolled into the woods. “Aaah, damn.” Ikett lamented, Olaf ran after the wheel.

Alyssa had at this point caught up to them, the Niddhog looking after her with incomprehensible reptilian eyes, too lazy to chase them.

“Okay people, enough staring. Stop the elemental. We have to repair the wagon. Adrian, how long will it last?” Torvak took command.

“Should be good for another day at most. Then I cannot guarantee that it will not break loose. Even an earth elemental is not that patient.” "And I am still not good enough." He murmured.

So they made camp.

Alyssa practiced her new spell without making much progress. Adrian looked at the fiery shape and nodded “Don’t be disheartened, you got a lot of talent. I did not get that far in such a short time while having a true magister teaching me. Did you ever get tested for aptitude?” Alyssa shook her head. "There is an academy in Kronenburg the capital of Margrinar, they have scholarships for especially gifted people I hear."

While they were talking Tira came over and sat down beside the two, wincing a bit. “Agh, it's still not okay. But it gets better all the time. How are you two?”

“Well, mostly.” Adrian looked her up and down.”You look better. Did Christina bless you?”

“No, she said it was well on its way and did not need the personal attention of her deity.” Tira looked a bit miffed at that.

“I could try again,” Alyssa spoke up. Flexing her hand to avoid it cramping after practicing the unfamiliar shapes of the firebolt spell.

“Yes please.” Tira smiled at her.

“Ok. Hold still.” Alyssa kneeled behind her and began gesturing, then crossing her hands while singing foreign-sounding words with a clear voice. A soft spray of glowing water soaked through into the damaged skin. Asandria softly sang along. Adrian furrowed his brows, was there an echo to the song, another voice?

Tira relaxed and moved the shoulder. “Much better. Thank you very much.” She hesitated for a moment then hugged Alyssa. “Sorry if I overstep.” Alyssa blushed and did not mention her sleeping habits. They talked for a bit, the elemental standing as a big shadow just beyond the firelight, Ikett grinning and teasing Christina, Torvak looking on, silently chewing on leftover horseflesh. Grossar and Olaf drinking to the fallen. The boy Manfred sitting beside them with the wounded driver.

And having decided on the order of watches it grew quiet and Alyssa drifted off to sleep.