In the past, District Seven, formerly known as The Wedge, housed the city's most renowned warriors. It had trained countless knights, witches, and adventurers to defend against dark elms. They were quite successful, eventually tabling their defensive duties to take up far more offensive approaches. There were only a few beasts and monsters left after the battle was taken from the city into wilds uncharted. Cog City's prosperity was contingent upon the warriors of that period achieving great success. Had their deeds been lesser, perhaps then magic would have remained a staple, but who could say for certain?

In either case, monsters had grown to be a rare thing by the time Ell was a child old enough to walk, and the need for proper warriors had dwindled as well. Still, District Seven was home to the Office of Law and several arms for hire. It was a right place to find a bodyguard. Most would have argued as much.

“Miss, your father wouldn’t like this place,” Rachel warned while keeping close to her employer’s daughter.

“My father built The Corner. He built the great wall and some of every district, did he not? Before he bought the factory, he had to earn a tall wage somehow. No one wished to hire a mad inventor, but the touched needed homes like the rest of us. They gave my father a chance. Should I not be of equal mind?” Ellenore argued without losing pace in her stride.

Lady Ell was indifferent to the perceived notion of rightness. Instead of repeating her father's actions of touring The Wedge to find a guard, she made the choice to visit District Two. Elm Corner, home to most of Cog city’s light elms, was named for its position in the city’s furthest corner to the south. By the year, it had grown smaller in space, yet larger in population. In two winters, four heads would share a square where once there were two.

With such limited space, Rachel struggled to stay within earshot of Ell because at every step there were elves, goblins, and oddly colored men bustling about.

“You need a warrior, not an elf,” the maid said, frustrated by her inability to keep Ell under check.

“Elves can be warriors. In ways beyond a knight's imagination, they’ll be better equipped for my endeavors.”

“But your father?”

The lady had stopped listening, but luckily for Rachel, she had also stopped moving.

At the eye of the congested square stoned district there was a grand fountain, perhaps the only ornament of beauty one could find in the corner. Erected at its center was an idle of Elm. Monuments dedicated to the God of magic once adorned the city, but over time, they were replaced in great number by statues of the God of Machines. Ellenore marveled at the beautifully chiseled god that acted as the corner’s divine watcher. The stone of it and its pool had chipped, cracked and eroded, but beauty remained.

“What are we doing here?” Rachel begged for an answer, touching Ellenore’s shoulder.

“I will hire the first man to successfully lay a hand on me in contest,” Ell explained.

“Miss?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be easier said than done,” she added and took off her short black coat to hand over to her maid.

Ell moved to stand on the ring of the fountain, making herself taller so all could see.

“Miss?” Rachel spoke again, but her voice was nothing compared to the scream of protest her face could make alone.

“Anyone can learn to feel magic, but thanks to my father, few know what to do with it next. I need someone with skill equal or greater than my own,” the lady said while balancing herself on the wet stones.

In truth, the women had already earned several eyes on them. Humans would always have an audience in a place that belonged to elms, and the same in reverse was also true. However, Ell was a woman who wore pants, an expensive shade of purple blouse, and hair cut so short it troubled to reach her shoulder. She would have been a sight in any part of town. When the lady made herself taller, by way of the fountain’s height, no one could pretend she wasn’t there. They turned to face her, surrounded her spot with curiosity. No. They surrounded her with displeasure.

“Are you saying you have better magic than an Elm?” Rachel questioned in a whisper when she noticed the onlookers they had attracted.

While elms were generally more knowledgeable in magic, the Elms of Cog had only a slight advantage. It was a sad thing in Ellenore’s eye, but it was true. The God of Machines had swept through the city with a force nearly unrivaled. The lady knew elms of the corner would know magic, but would they know it well enough to match her skill? That was the question.

“If I’m lucky, someone will be versed enough to surprise me,” she said.

Prepared to give her speech, a declaration of challenge, Ellenore opened her voice to speak but found the crowd moving in to detain her. She couldn’t understand what had suddenly enraged the masses, but Ell wouldn’t remain stagnant. Quickly she jumped down to avoid arms that might catch her.

“Miss,” Rachel warned, but she had been caught herself.

“Don’t worry. All is well,” the optimistic girl spoke from a distance.

With wind, she avoided an elf who, with arms stretched out, approached her. His hand extended to touch Ell's form, and a gentle breeze caused his long hair to obscure his vision. Dodging his reach, the girl stepped aside, causing him to lose his balance and tumble into the fountain.

With a flick of small fire, Ell prevented the next man from touching her as well. A troll, with long legs as one would expect, would have proven difficult to outrun had the lady not flicked the small spark at his garb. The blue-skinned male quickly relinquished his pursuit in favor of stopping his tunic from going up in smoke.

Ellenore might have continued to evade capture with her simple tricks had her maid not been in danger. She enjoyed the momet of chaos until she understood the moment wouldn’t end well for either herself or Rachel, not if she continued. With a sigh, the lady reluctantly raised her arms in surrender and offered an apology for any offense committed. Sadly, her voice was trampled by those who called her disrespectful.

Finally, she understood the crime committed.

Elm was the subject of ridicule in other places, but he remained respected in that particular corner. Naively making herself as tall as their god’s likeness was the same as proclaiming her superiority. She had mocked the God of magic by standing on the rim of his fountain.

Lady Ellenore and her maid hadn’t broken an official law, but they could have been punished for their ignorance. Luckily, they were simply removed from the corner that day.

Like her father, Ell was curious but sure. Always wondering, but acting on the assumption of an answer.

In the past, District Seven, formerly known as The Wedge, housed the city's most renowned warriors. It had trained countless knights, witches, and adventurers to defend against dark elms. They were quite successful, eventually tabling their defensive duties to take up far more offensive approaches. There were only a few beasts and monsters left after the battle was taken from the city into wilds uncharted. Cog City's prosperity was contingent upon the warriors of that period achieving great success. Had their deeds been lesser, perhaps then magic would have remained a staple, but who could say for certain?

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

In either case, monsters had grown to be a rare thing by the time Ell was a child old enough to walk, and the need for proper warriors had dwindled as well. Still, District Seven was home to the Office of Law and several arms for hire. It was a right place to find a bodyguard. Most would have argued as much.

“Ms, your father wouldn’t like this place,” Rachel warned while keeping close to her employer’s daughter.

“My father built The Corner. He built the great wall and some of every district, did he not? Before he bought the factory, he had to earn a tall wage somehow. No one wished to hire a mad inventor, but the touched needed homes like the rest of us. They gave my father a chance. Should I not be of equal mind?” Ellenore argued without losing pace in her stride.

Lady Ell was indifferent to the perceived notion of rightness. Instead of repeating her father's actions of touring The Wedge to find a guard, she made the choice to visit District Two. Elm Corner, home to most of Cog city’s light elms, was named for its position in the city’s furthest corner to the south. By the year, it had grown smaller in space, yet larger in population. In two winters, four heads would share a square where once there were two.

With such limited space, Rachel struggled to stay within earshot of Ell because at every step there were elves, goblins, and oddly colored men bustling about.

“You need a warrior, not an elf,” the maid said, frustrated by her inability to keep Ell under check.

“Elves can be warriors. In ways beyond a knight's imagination, they’ll be better equipped for my endeavors.”

“But your father?”

The lady had stopped listening, but luckily for Rachel, she had also stopped moving.

At the eye of the congested square stoned district there was a grand fountain, perhaps the only ornament of beauty one could find in the corner. Erected at its center was an idle of Elm. Monuments dedicated to the God of magic once adorned the city, but over time, they were replaced in great number by statues of the God of Machines. Ellenore marveled at the beautifully chiseled god that acted as the corner’s divine watcher. The stone of it and its pool had chipped, cracked and eroded, but beauty remained.

“What are we doing here?” Rachel begged for an answer, touching Ellenore’s shoulder.

“I will hire the first man to successfully lay a hand on me in contest,” Ell explained.

“Ms?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be easier said than done,” she added and took off her short black coat to hand over to her maid.

Ell moved to stand on the ring of the fountain, making herself taller so all could see.

“Ms?” Rachel spoke again, but her voice was nothing compared to the scream of protest her face could make alone.

“Anyone can learn to feel magic, but thanks to my father, few know what to do with it next. I need someone with skill equal or greater than my own,” the lady said while balancing herself on the wet stones.

In truth, the women had already earned several eyes on them. Humans would always have an audience in a place that belonged to elms, and the same in reverse was also true. However, Ell was a woman who wore pants, an expensive shade of purple blouse, and hair cut so short it troubled to reach her shoulder. She would have been a sight in any part of town. When the lady made herself taller, by way of the fountain’s height, no one could pretend she wasn’t there. They turned to face her, surrounded her spot with curiosity. No. They surrounded her with displeasure.

“Are you saying you have better magic than an Elm?” Rachel questioned in a whisper when she noticed the onlookers they had attracted.

While elms were generally more knowledgeable in magic, the Elms of Cog had only a slight advantage. It was a sad thing in Ellenore’s eye, but it was true. The God of Machines had swept through the city with a force nearly unrivaled. The lady knew elms of the corner would know magic, but would they know it well enough to match her skill? That was the question.

“If I’m lucky, someone will be versed enough to surprise me,” she said.

Prepared to give her speech, a declaration of challenge, Ellenore opened her voice to speak but found the crowd moving in to detain her. She couldn’t understand what had suddenly enraged the masses, but Ell wouldn’t remain stagnant. Quickly she jumped down to avoid arms that might catch her.

“Ms,” Rachel warned, but she had been caught herself.

“Don’t worry. All is well,” the optimistic girl spoke from a distance.

With wind, she avoided an elf who, with arms stretched out, approached her. His hand extended to touch Ell's form, and a gentle breeze caused his long hair to obscure his vision. Dodging his reach, the girl stepped aside, causing him to lose his balance and tumble into the fountain.

With a flick of small fire, Ell prevented the next man from touching her as well. A troll, with long legs as one would expect, would have proven difficult to outrun had the lady not flicked the small spark at his garb. The blue-skinned male quickly relinquished his pursuit in favor of stopping his tunic from going up in smoke.

Ellenore might have continued to evade capture with her simple tricks had her maid not been in danger. She enjoyed the momet of chaos until she understood the moment wouldn’t end well for either herself or Rachel, not if she continued. With a sigh, the lady reluctantly raised her arms in surrender and offered an apology for any offense committed. Sadly, her voice was trampled by those who called her disrespectful.

Finally, she understood the crime committed.

Elm was the subject of ridicule in other places, but he remained respected in that particular corner. Naively making herself as tall as their god’s likeness was the same as proclaiming her superiority. She had mocked the God of magic by standing on the rim of his fountain.

Lady Ellenore and her maid hadn’t broken an official law, but they could have been punished for their ignorance. Luckily, they were simply removed from the corner that day.

Like her father, Ell was curious but sure. Always wondering, but acting on the assumption of an answer. Confidence.