Part 1: The Valley
        Chimes echoed in Ebbie's ears, high-pitched elongated bells that caused the hairs on her arms to rise. The Wind had news to share. Denying it wasn't an option unless she was willing to live the rest of her life with unending noise. When the shrill ringing burst through her senses, there was only one solution: listen to the Wind. Her teeth clenched as she emptied her mind of other thoughts, sweeping away the clutter until her inner landscape was left a blank canvas.
       The Wind responded eagerly, pouring into her head, painting the white space with an array of pastel blues that swirled and spiraled like an exquisite abstract painting. And then it spoke.
       "It is time." Its voice sounded like someone was gargling shards of glass, leaving their throat scratched and breathy. The voice of the Wind skittered through her like sharp stones carried by a river. "Come to the valley," it said.
       Goosebumps traveled down Ebbie's spine. As the only whisperer in her village for the last decade, she should have expected the call to the valley; it had been too long since the last summons. The Wind pulled away, and she gasped for air. The thoughts she had been holding back tumbled downwards, winding and melting together. Her fingers flew to her temples, massaging the throbbing pain away. The floral scent of white clover flooded her senses as she snapped back to reality. The bright sun warmed her skin as bees buzzed in delight at nearby wildflowers, a slow, steady hum that calmed her pounding heart.
       "What did the Wind share with you this time?" Yorian asked. His long blond hair whipped around his face, highlighting the deep circles of concern around his eyes. He'd always hated the role she filled, dreading the day when she would be called.
       Ebbie stood, untangling herself from Yorian's embrace. He always held her when the Wind called, but his warmth provided her little solace. It was more for his comfort than anything. He wanted to help, and so she let him.
        She tightened the red braid draped over her shoulder. "I've been called to the valley," she said, her chin held high. Despite the dread crowding inside her chest, she drew back her shoulders. She needed to be strong for Yorian. For their entire village. For herself.
       He gripped her shoulders and pulled her in tight. "No," he said in a low voice. "It can't be time."
       "It is." Her voice was calm despite her thundering heart. This was her worst nightmare, but one she always had known to be a possibility. There was a time she had imagined settling down with Yorian, but the duty of a whisperer came first.
       "My love." He sucked in a breath. "I can't lose you. We can find a way to stop this."
       On instinct, her head relaxed into the warmth of his chest. She would do anything to stay. "I'm the only whisperer in our village. It's my duty."
       "What about Winnie?"
       Ebbie recoiled from him. "You would send a young, untrained child in my place?"
       "Of course not," he said as his shoulders dropped with shame.
        "This is how it must be." She reached out for his hand. "Winnie has potential, but she'll need to continue her training. If I don't return, she'll be the only hope the village has for a whisperer."
       Yorian shook his head as his fingers intertwined with her own. "How much time do we have?"
       Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. "None. The Wind does not give warnings. Only commands."
       He cupped her chin in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. He worked his way to her cheek, kissing away the tears that had escaped from her eyes. "In this life or the next, I'll find you," he murmured the words in her ear. "I'll never stop looking." The heat of his breath caressed her skin.
       She choked down the ball of sorrow that had lodged in her throat. Her love for him for all these years would have to be enough. Her voice croaked, coming up empty without any words to share. The chimes pulsed in her mind, and she stumbled backward. "I have to go. Inform our village."
       He placed his hand over his chest and nodded, his mouth agape, struggling to find more words.
       Ebbie stretched her arms outward until her veins surged with the power of the Wind. When her muscles ached, unable to hold another ounce of its energy, she sailed into the blue sky. She took only a second to glance back at her peaceful village. A dozen stone cottages lined up around lush grass, smoke drifting from the chimneys. Her village would be safe, and that was all that mattered. The clouds dampened her leather tunic as she flew higher and higher.
       There were few joys in being a whisperer, but flying was one of them. She glided through the morning sky, zooming past eagles and other winged creatures.
       Whisperers were Nature's servants. Typically, each village had two, sometimes more.
       When the Wind called them, there was no choice in the matter. Every whisperer was required to either answer or find another whisperer to take their place. It was not a role people took on willingly. If Ebbie had had a choice in the matter, she would have given up her powers long ago. Instead, she had been chosen and forced to train her body and mind.
       Her entire life had been preparing her for a summons to the valley. An event that took place without any noticeable patterns, it could happen every few years or every few decades. For some of the luckiest whisperers, it never happened in their lifetimes.
       It was the moment she would help the Wind shape the land, spread the seeds of plants, and create the tides. The moment she would most likely die.
       The Wind didn't give away drops of its power without a price. And when it called, whisperers were bound to answer. The Wind needed whisperers to serve nature. Without the chosen people, the air would grow stale. New life would fail to grow. The sea would weaken. It would be a world where life couldn't thrive.
       She twisted to the side as the valley came into view. The edges of lush green mountains dipped until they touched a light blue stream babbling through the center. Hundreds of other whisperers descended from every direction, landing near a roaring waterfall.
       Ebbie squeezed her fist, commanding the air to slow her descent. Her feet landed with a thud on a rocky surface, uneven and sharp. Whisperers from every corner of the land piled onto the boulders near the waterfall, a wide variety of skin tones and hair colors. Some wore elegant robes, while others were dressed in simple cotton. The Wind didn't select whisperers based on gender or affluence. Anyone could be chosen.
       Three whisperers, all middle-aged women, levitated in the mist of the waterfalls. Atop their heads were crowns of woven silver embedded with light blue jewels. They would be protected from today's events. If everyone else died, it would be their duty to raise and train the next generation of whisperers.
       An older woman with dark hair locked eyes with Ebbie, and floated to her.
       "Marcy, I've missed you," Ebbie breathed out to her former teacher.
       Marcy tightened her bun around her head and nodded. "It's been too long."
       The lines on Marcy's face were deeper than Ebbie remembered. "We knew this day would come."
       "It was always expected," Marcy agreed. "I grew too comfortable in my life. At the very least, my children are grown with families of their own now." Her gaze drifted to the three women in the center. "I wonder how they were chosen."
       Ebbie's lips thinned as she considered the words. The Wind was mysterious; they would never know why any of them were chosen for any of this. All they knew was the Wind couldn't heal the land on its own. So, it selected whisperers. Perhaps the Wind decided these three women were the best for training, but it wasn't an answer they would ever know.
       The hushed tones shifted to silence once arrivals stopped. The cascading waterfall thundered in the background as a large eagle-like creature soared into the valley, its pace slowing until it hovered above the three whisperers in the waterfall. Crystal-clear wings caught the sun's rays, glittering like fragmented glass in the mist.
       Ebbie's jaw dropped as shock burst through her senses. She had never seen the Spirit of the Wind in person. The creature stretched out its wings and released a high-pitched screech that caused the ledge beneath her feet to shake. Her stomach tightened as the Wind Spirit perched on a nearby ledge, its talons scraping against the rocks, causing pebbles to spill into the water. Its gold beak was held high, its dull yellow eyes surrounded by puffy red skin. The spirit's chest moved with rapid breaths.
       Ebbie tilted her head, analyzing every detail.
       The women in the waterfall clasped hands and spoke in unison. "Empty yourself for your assignment."
       Ebbie did as instructed as chimes rang out. Her ears exploded with the noise, the volume booming as if she were closer than she had ever been to the Wind itself. She clamped her jaw, forcing every thought from her mind until there was nothing but blank white walls.
       "The sea." The Wind clawed through her mind with its raw voice. Images of rolling dark blues and white foam painted her thoughts. The chimes stopped, and Ebbie blinked open her eyes. Fear curled in her belly. No whisperer had ever survived the sea. At the very least, she may have stood a chance in the other locations.
       Marcy's hand rested against her chest. "I'm to be sent to the forest."
       Ebbie shoved her jealousy down as it curled in her belly.
       Marcy placed a hand on Ebbie's shoulder. "Where do you go?"
       Ebbie forced her breath to make sound. "The sea."
       
       Part 2: The Sea
       The breeze rippled against Ebbie's cheek as she levitated above the dark blue waves. Three dozen whisperers lined up with her only a few feet over the water. They would need to be as close as possible to form the required waves.
       There was no conversation between them, and Ebbie was thankful. She blinked away the sting of the salt in the air, having no desire to share last words with any of these strangers. They all knew their duty: to help the Wind transfer heat, moisture, and gasses into and out of the sea, to regulate the interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean; to create an environment where life could thrive.
       Scales twitched beneath the water's shifting surface. Ebbie shivered, unsure of what lurked within. There wasn't enough time to consider the creature before chimes rang out, and the Wind's voice cracked in her mind. "Begin."
       Ebbie shifted her arms as power surged through her body. She blasted forward in unison with the other whisperers. They worked in silence, using their power to command the air. There was no need for spoken word, only complete concentration. The ocean roiled and sprayed as the waves grew larger. Ebbie's drenched red locks clung to the nape of her neck.
       Hours passed, pain searing through Ebbie's muscles. Her throat was raw from the salt carried with every breath. Her jaw tightened with determination to survive. So far, only one of the whisperers had given in to the fatigue. A young man with dark features, he had almost seemed relieved when he'd allowed the tide to sweep him away.
       The next two whisperers were attacked by monsters from the water. The creatures had sprung from the waves, wide jaws yawning as they climbed to devour the whisperers whole. One by one, members of the group assigned to the sea grew too tired, falling with no one to catch them except for the sea's dark abyss.
       Fire burned in Ebbie's eyes as she watched each body sink deeper into the water. This wasn't where she was meant to die. Sweat dampened her skin as she imagined herself back in Yorian's arms. To be able to feel the warmth of his touch one more time, she would do anything.
       Orange and pink hues reflected over the water. Sunset. A gasp caught in Ebbie's throat. Perhaps she would persevere. She scanned the area. Three whisperers left, each one trembling with every movement. A tremor of exhaustion coursed through Ebbie.
       She uncurled her fists and directed the breeze forward. At night, their job would be done. She would be able to go home if she could just carry on a little longer.
       Sweat dampened every inch of her skin. She imagined Yorian's smiling face, letting herself give into the hope she would see him again. Her lips thinned in concentration, focusing only on her power.
       A meaty tentacle wrapped around her legs, binding them together, and her stomach lurched as she was yanked downwards. She screamed, redirecting her hands to use the air, trying to blow the squid-like creature away.
       But it was useless. Her life flashed before her eyes as she was consumed by the creature. First, an image of her as a child, spinning leaves around in a whirlwind. And then again, of her parents crying when she left to train as a whisperer. And last, of Yorian's bright smile as he spun her around in a meadow. All within a single second as she was forcefully swallowed whole.
       Ebbie screamed as the air was siphoned from her lungs. A slippery goo covered every inch of her skin. She had seconds before she would pass out from lack of oxygen. She became a blur of kicks and punches, digging her nails into every muscular surface.
       Regret ate at her insides at the lack of a weapon. Her nails and fury would need to be enough. Her lungs burned, hungry for air. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she scraped at the creature's insides. Her vision hazed at the corners. She forced herself to leap with one final kick. If she was going to be eaten by this creature, at least she would make it think twice about going for another whisperer.
       Ebbie's mouth opened, unable to hold her breath any longer, but there was no air to breathe. She resisted the urge to claw at her own neck and continued her assault. This was it. Her last bout of strength spasmed through her wracking body before it slowed and stilled. She was about to die.
       And then the sea monster's insides contracted, and a large gurgle vibrated through its gooey body. Light and air gushed through, and she gasped, filling her chest with what it needed most. A new rush of energy weaved through her body, and just before she threw another punch, she was shooting through the creature's insides. For a mere second, she hovered in the air. She reached for her power, but there was nothing left.
       She plummeted toward the sea, landing with a painful splash. She kicked her legs, forcing her head above the salty water. In front of her was a large squid, but with shark fins trailing down its head. Its bulging eyes blinked at her before the creature released a loud snort. It dove downwards, tentacles flowing gracefully behind.
       Ebbie swam to a floating log and wrapped her arms around it. She leaned her head onto the wet bark and released a sigh of relief. The sea creature had spit her back up. She scanned the horizon while bobbing on the log. In every direction there was endless sea. No other whisperers in sight. Her fatigue was bone-deep as she tried to generate a single thought.
       The water sparkled with glowing oranges and pinks as the sun dipped below the horizon. She reached for her power again, but it was like trying to grip a dense fog. There was something there, but it slipped through her fingers every time.
       Her teeth chattered as the warmth of the sun disappeared. She gripped the log harder as she rolled over a large wave. "Please don't take it; you've taken everything else," she cried out to herself. She didn't have the energy to swim or float without it.
       Tears rolled down Ebbie's cheeks. She had given everything to the Wind, and yet it had abandoned her, powerless, in the middle of the sea. Sorrow burned through her body. It was futile to be angry at the Wind. It may have the ability to whisper, but it didn't have the ability to feel the way that humans did.
       Very few whisperers lived a long life. It was their solemn duty to place the greater good above their own lives.
       For the first time, Ebbie wasn't sure she believed in that duty anymore. It was easy to believe in theory when she was safe in a classroom. It was even easy to believe when she was answering minor tasks that the Wind would call on her for. But, stranded in undrinkable water on the brink of death, she was angry.
       The Wind treated their lives as if they were something easy to throw away. She leaned her head against the sharp edges of the bark and squeezed her eyes shut. She would find a way to survive.
       
       Part 3: The Whale
       Ebbie's throat was sticky and raw. She was desperate for saltless water and might die from dehydration before anything else. A spot of green on the distant horizon snagged her vision, and her heart leapt. She struggled to kick herself closer until the spot of green grew: an island covered with dense trees.
       "Thank you," she whispered to the log before tossing it to the side and swimming with all her strength, rotating her arms in large sweeping motions. She twisted her head to the side only for brief seconds for air, terrified that this was all an illusion and that the island might disappear at any moment.
       As the trees grew closer, relief flooded her insides. Large leaves drooped downward with the weight of circular brown fruit. A hysterical giggle escaped her mouth. Thank the Spirits, there was land. Lush, green, beautiful land. She still had a chance.
       In front of the island, a large jet of water streamed through the air. Icy dread melted through her chest as she gazed into the face of a giant whale bobbing above the water.
       Its round eye, a roving orb the size of a two-story cottage, blinked as it focused on Ebbie. The large, dark pupil expanded and contracted with curiosity. Ebbie forced herself to remain calm, swimming backwards with timid strokes. If there was something that could easily swallow her whole, it was this massive creature.
       Chimes rang out in her ears, lower pitched than usual. She cursed out loud as her anger towards the Wind consumed her. The chimes grew louder, consuming every inch of her. With a prayer on her lips that the whale would not attack, she gave in to the request and emptied her mind into a blank canvas.
       But for the first time, it wasn't familiar blues that filled the white space. It was vibrant purples and calming yellows. A deep voice spoke to her.
       "You are a being of power, yet I sense no energy within you." The tone of the voice was calm and soothing, almost hypnotizing. Whoever was speaking, it was not the Wind.
       She shoved the shock down into her body; if she were to allow thoughts of her own to come through, the voice would disappear. And she was too curious to let that happen.
       "You may climb onto my back, little speck."
       The colors in her head evaporated, the emptiness of their absence ringing hollow as if someone had carved out a small piece of her soul. She shook her head, analyzing the whale in front of her. "Was that you?"
       The creature snorted, a small amount of water spraying from its nose.
       "And you want me to climb onto your back?"
       It ducked its head below the water and pivoted its body to the side. The trees followed the movement until she was right next to the greenery.
       "The island is on your back," she gasped, amazed at how the land and trees thrived, embedded as they were on the back of the whale.
       Logic told her not to climb on. Only the Wind had the power to whisper to humans, or so she had been taught all her life. But her desperation overwhelmed all other senses. She craved solid land, or at least the closest she could get to solid land.
       She clambered onto the back of the whale, the scent of fresh soil and pine needles filling her nose as she flopped onto what felt like ground. Her head snapped up at the sound of rushing water, and she ran to the noise like her life depended on it.
       In the center of the island forest was a gushing stream. The delightful babble was music to Ebbie's ears. She skipped toward the water, scooping it with her hands and gulping down the precious liquid. It coated the rawness in her throat, bringing her much-needed comfort.
       Once she'd had her fill, she collapsed in a nearby pile of leaves that crunched under her body weight. Just as she was about to close her eyes, the low chimes rang out. For the first time, Ebbie willingly cleared out her mind. She wanted to know more about this strange creature that could communicate with whisperers.
       "I have spoken with the Spirits. You were a child of the Wind, but the air took its power back once it believed you dead. It cannot risk its power dying with its host." The voice was low and matter-of-fact as if such a statement were simple and obvious.
       Ebbie fought against her urge to react, even as anger stole the air from her lungs. The Wind truly had abandoned her, powerless, in the middle of the sea. But there was no time to think about that; she needed to keep her head blank for the whale.
       It snorted once more, a mix of water and air rising above. "You still have the ability to control power, and I am impressed with your survival. If you wish, I will make you the first child of the Water."
       Ebbie's jaw dropped. The dam in her mind broke, unleashing a swarm of thoughts. The sudden flood of emotion pushed the whale's voice and color from her mind. She yelled out, hoping it could hear her. "What will I have to do for you? The Wind called on us to help shape the land!" She gritted her teeth. She wasn't eager to jump into another arrangement after almost dying at sea.
       "The Wind is weak and needs help. I am strong." The whale's entire body vibrated as if purring with pride. "I have never had a child. I do not know what I will ask. But with power, you could return home."
       Home. She would be able to see Yorian again. She would be the first whisperer to survive the sea. She quieted her thoughts again, needing to hear more of what the whale had to say.
       "This is your choice," it said. "I will not force power on you like the Wind does."
       Ebbie swallowed the lump forming in her throat, trying to find the downside to the arrangement. If there was one thing being a whisperer had taught her, there was always a downside. "What if I refuse?" she yelled.
       "You can reside on my back until I dive. Then you will be returned to the water and must find your way on your own."
       She gulped. At least this time, she could choose her future. "I accept your generous offer." The words felt like ash on her tongue. She was trading one master for another, but at least this choice gave her a chance to live.
       The whale rumbled before releasing a gush of water from the top of its head. Ebbie gripped a nearby tree, uncertainty sweeping through her body. She stumbled to her knees as pain radiated from her ankles all the way to her head. It was as if someone had poured hot lava into her, and it was weaving through her bloodstream.
       She collapsed, writhing on the ground, reaching for control of her own body and failing to grasp it. Sweat poured from her forehead, dripping onto the back of the whale. And then a rush of cool air filled her lungs. Her fingers twitched, then her toes, and eventually, she was able to push herself back up to standing.
       "Good luck, my child. You are the first whisperer of the Water." The whale's voice receded from her mind as it dove into the sea.
       She inhaled a sharp breath just in time, salty water brushing up against her cheeks. Her ears popped as the whale swam lower and lower. Panic swelled in her chest. She released her grip on the tree and watched as the whale turned into a tiny dot beneath her.
       Her eyes darted around; she was deep under the sea and was too disoriented to tell up from down. She clawed at her chest, trying to keep the burning at bay. She needed air, and quickly. She began kicking her legs, pushing herself toward what she hoped was the surface.
       And then on instinct, her mouth opened, but instead of swallowing a mouthful of salty water, her lungs swelled with a surge of oxygen. Just as if she was above the surface.
       Joy and relief spread through her body. She could breathe underwater! A school of fish swam by as she reached for her power, ready to discover what else she was capable of. She urged the water to push her upwards, and it eagerly responded. With a curl of her fist, she was shooting through the ocean until she breached the surface, power seeping through her every pore as water swirled around her pointed toes.
       The velvet sky glittered with stars, matching the newfound energy in Ebbie's soul. With a grin she threw her arms upward, summoning a large wave to carry her to shore. From there, she would find her way home. The wind streamed through her red curls, and for once, she didn't wonder if high-pitched bells would ring in her ears.