Chapter 1

I had never given much thought to my future or where it may lead me, for me my life had be planned out the day I was born. I was born into the Tellus clan. One of the four great clans of Gallatia. We were the farmers of Gallatia, the ones who worked and were forced to pay taxes to fund the Fire king and his army, the Red Legion. Ruthless men who have ravaged our lands for generations in the name of the bloodthirsty King.

Our clan, the Tellus clan worked with Earth magic, yet I was still to come into my gifts.

"Gifts" my mother would say, more like a curse if you asked me. Nobody leaves their clan unless they are Luna marked, which the last Luna marked child was born over 1000 years ago. My mother would tell me stories about how the Luna marked were once many and used their gifts to create our civilisation of Gallatia. She said they mastered all four elements and where the keepers of our magic, protectors, priests and Leaders. That all changed when then clans were formed, It seems less and less Lunas where born and now they are just stories to help children sleep at night.

Gallatia had become divided over the years. Greed and power were the currency now. we rarely spoke to other clans anymore, I wonder what their villages would like? I sat and thought for a while whilst I was in the corn fields. It was harvest and we had to gather the crops in before winter.

"Amara! What are you doing? Come on we got to get evening assembly"

My brother Elias shouted me, he was right i was day dreaming again and totally forgotten about the time. I felt a rumbling beneath my feet...

"Oh no! Don't you da.." I screamed and I knew what was about to happen, Elias and his earth tricks again I looked down and the ground seemed to moved and shift and I found myself being lifted up in the air by the earth under me. I hated it when he did this, you see Elias had had his gifts now for 3 years and he was getting quite confident with them as he was now flipping me through the air and straight in to the hay stack over 200 metres away. I landed very ungracefully which he found obviously amusing, I sat up, mouth full of straw and I felt a surge of anger pulse me. I clenched my fists and for a moment I could of sworn i saw sparks of flame of around my hands. Funny, it went as soon as it came.

"Come on! We best get back to the hall before Gregory sees you" Elias laughed as he lifted me out of the hay.

"You know you could of seriously hurt me!" I look at him at in frustration

"Well you seem fine to me!"

If Elias wasn't so chipper and my brother I probably would of punched him by now.

We headed to the great hall, it was the centre of our community it was a grand structure made up of great tree roots and earth. There were large openings at the top where sunbeams and birds would cascade down in the summertime. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold.

Tonight was the Equinox ceremony, matters of the earth clan and future plans would be discussed along with the trials of the youth. Yep that was me, it would soon be my 17th birthday and I should have my powers come in by now, Elias was nearly 20 and he had his powers at my age. What was wrong with me? Our mother said that it's normal but I knew it wasn't. I was the oldest out of the group not to get their gifts.

The assembly had been called a few times and the trials had be made and each time I failed. No gifts would surface for me where as others would have theirs awaken straight away.

I must be broken. Either that or I'm some sort of power reject.

I stood there on the Great hall waiting again for my turn to participate in the trials. I stood behind a boy I knew as Howard steepleson, he was 15. Staring at his fuzzy red hair from behind all I kept thinking was I'm gona get humiliated again and by a 15 year old no doubt. I closed my eyes and took a short deep breath as I watched Howard mover toward centre of the hall. In the middle was a small hole in the ground, I watched as Howard stood next to it and placed his hands over the entrance to the hole. The elders signalled him to begin. Howard closed his eyes and suddenly a small green shoot arose from the ground below. It snaked its way round Howard's wrist and up his arm. Howard's eyes widened as he watched and the green shoot settled and separated in a marking and then sank into his skin to create a tattoo that was beautiful. We all had these markings they defined us as Tellus clan, all except me, I had no markings non that I could see anyway.

"Vine mage" said the elder to the others that sat around watching curiously. Gregory walked over to Howard and greeted him telling him his training would start soon and he would join the other vine mages to help support our defences. Howard's face lit up, he turned and looked looked at me with a smug face then strode past me like he was some sort of king or something.

Now, it was my turn. I swallowed hard and took a few small steps forward. Gregory was the head of our council and he seemed so tall today, taller than I ever thought he was before or was it just me that felt small? I was day dreaming again, come on, concentrate.

He motioned for me to place my hands above the sacred earth when the hole was. My knees were weak I rather stumbled down than knelt, I blame Elias for that I glanced over at him and saw him mouth at me "sorry" his face wincing as I landed with a thud. I felt everyone's eyes on me now, burning right through me with anticipation. Waiting. Waiting to see if the girl that everyone thought was broken or not worthy would receive her blood right as an earth Tellus.

Moment of truth I thought, I slowly reached out my hand over the opening on the ground. I felt a sudden air rushing through my fingers and then, then nothing.

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed. Quickly looking around at the others in the room. Whispers and giggles is all I heard from them. I looked up to see Gregory's face, he wore and expression of exasperated steel. I had failed again.

Next thing I felt was Elias and my mother my side

"it's ok sis! Don't worry there's no rule on how many times you can have the trials" he said helping my up.

"Yes honey listen to your brother. Everything will work out just you see" my mother hugged me.

"Can we go home now please?" I was exhausted, after a day in the fields and now this spectacle I just wanted my bed. I just wanted to curl up and forget I was even born. We arrived home late and I couldn't get to my bed any sooner. As soon as my head hit the pillow i was already asleep.