Elementary, A Love Story

“She is made of wood! Are you mad?” Emir’s voice echoed in the glade.

“I knew you wouldn’t understand, Emir. You can’t see her the way I do.” Joka turned away from his friend as he flickered in and out of sight in the morning mist.

“You’re an efreet, made of fire, how do you think you can even have a love?” Emir floated back toward his best friend and slid himself translucently between Joka and the rising sun.

“Do you remember what happened when we first became friends, Emir? What did your father say?”

“Djinn and Efreet have been sworn enemies for centuries.” Emir mashed his face up in a mock serious scowl. “I forbid it.” Emir caused his vaporous foot to appear to make a solid thump on an empty log.

“And what did we do?” Joka smiled at the imitation of the powerful Djinn, Jarboti, Lord of Aris, city of the Air.

Joka created a tiny tornado of air between his hands and pulled up some twigs, grass and debris from the ground around them. “What we always do, whatever we want. What is the point of having all of this power without ever being able to do anything.”

“And when he found out what did we do? We begged for forgiveness and he ranted, caused storms and destroyed some human settlement on the coast. And then your father and my father met, discussed it and we remained friends. And I know they still talk all these years later.” Joka ignited the twigs in Emir’s tornado turning it into a firestorm. The two of them played and jostled the storm until it fell apart.

“Can I meet her?” Emir could not believe he was saying this. The Elementals of Aris were fickled and dangerous even to beings such as they. To court one in this fashion was simply reckless. But he loved his friend and could deny him nothing. The two of them took flight and arrived in under an hour.

The tree was immense. Her blooms were bright yellow and in the morning light shimmered like miniature suns. Joka flew down to her, wove between her branches and landed at the foot, his flames playfully dallying behind him.

As Emir landed, the flowers, baleful eyes turned toward him. “No, don’t. This is the friend I told you about.” The tension in the branches was palpable. “We’re safe. Retem, please come out.”

The tree shimmered and a section of it peeled away, dark bark in the shape of a woman. Her hair, made of flowers, never took they’re eyes from Emir. “He is as young as you.” She turned to Joka and cupped his face gently. Joka dimmed his fire as much as he could.

The earth shook, a fissure opened and a blue-eyed stone giant emerged. “No Father, I love him.” She shouted and stood in front of them.

“You’ll get to mourn him when he’s dead.”

Joka, Retem and Emir prepared to fight for love.

An Efreet, Joka reveals a secret love of a powerful forest elemental to his Djinn friend, Emir. Bad enough that Joka and Emir’s friendship is almost unheard of in the Elemental Kingdom of Aris, now their lives are complicated with this forbidden love. Emir disapproves but not nearly as much as her father does!