Free The Steward by Christopher Shields

same way except at a more basic level because they naturally exist as pure energy. For the Fae, changing the shape and size of virtually any object, even transforming one substance into another, is quite simple. He said that some people have the ability to manipulate matter in the same way, and that being Earth inclined means that I am one of them.
    “So, can Aunt May do this stuff, too?” I asked, sounding a little too much like a bewildered preschooler.
    “Not exactly. Your loquacious great aunt is not inclined to the Earth element. She did not pass the Earth trial—she lacked the requisite control of her emotions, and therefore, her body, to … commune with the Earth element. To manipulate Earth, and to conform it to one’s intent, requires extraordinary control and focus. That comes from within.”
    “I guess that means I have the requisite control?”
    “Yes.” He nodded his translucent head. “You do not have enough control to manipulate the Earth element without Fae assistance, yet, but you demonstrated uncanny control, the likes of which I have seen only two times among your ancestors. Pete O’Shea, your forefather, and Lola, your great, great, great aunt—each Stewards of the Weald Fae—were both inclined to the Earth element.”
    “Aunt May never told me any of this,” I said.
    “No, and I shall thank her for that. You were not ready—you did not believe after all. That aside, it is not her place to instruct you. It is ours.”
    Usually, he explained, there was one Steward from each generation, and Stewards were always inclined to at least one element—Earth, Air, Fire or Water. “Controlling the elements is occasionally necessary in order to protect and preserve the Weald Fae, but more than anything, it is a fringe benefit of working closely with us.” He told me that Aunt May was inclined to Air, as were most of my ancestors. “I suppose being inclined to an element is not completely necessary to serve as Steward. We simply prefer working with humans who are. They seem to understand us better—they are more likely to share our reverence for the physical world.”
    “What is the Weald Fae? ” I asked.
    “Weald is the Fae word for woods or forest. The Fae gave the name to this area when they came here more than a thousand millennia ago. It simply means Woods of the Fae.
    “Aunt May told me that. I meant to ask why it’s important.”
    “That will take much longer to explain,” he said. “For now, just understand that your questions will be answered as your training commences, and then you will learn the nuances of why the Weald is so important to my kind. Until that time, please, just be patient.”
    “Has anyone been inclined to more than one element?”
    He paused for a moment, and a smile formed on his face as he studied me.
    “Yes, two of your ancestors were inclined to dual elements. An aunt, Constance, was inclined to Air and Fire, and Pete O’Shea, who I mentioned a moment ago, was inclined to Water as well as Earth, but Lola, now, she was inclined to Water, Air, and Earth. She was quite special. During her trials, there was speculation among us that she might be a Maebown, a human inclined to all four elementals and thus able to control the fifth element, Aether. There have been very few Maebowns, and they were not Stewards here. Only two people throughout history have been Maebowns, in fact.”
    “A Maebown?”
    “It is the Fae word for balance,” he said. “Perhaps you will be the first Maebown Steward of the Weald.”
    I noted a hint of sarcasm.
    “Are there many of you?” I asked.
    “Tens of thousands in the world. You have encountered others already, but you simply have not recognized them as Fae.”
    Her lithe movements and elegant features flashed in my mind. “Sara!” I replied immediately.
    He nodded, as a smile spread across his cartoonish features. “Yes, she is Fae, and your aunt’s guide, though we call it Treoraí.”
    “Guide?”
    “You cannot