DISCLAIMERS:
1. This post is over 33000 words long. I do not honestly expect anyone to read it all the way through who hasn't already. This is mostly being posted for my own keeping, and to make it easier to show to people to whom it is actually relevant.
2. Whilst I'm quite pleased with the way I've written this, I have also indulged myself quite a lot since it's primarily a personal project. There are fluffy and soppy scenes and a slightly-too-stereotypical romance subplot that may make you cringe if you do read.
3. I apologise for the lack of consistency in the way I separate scenes. Sometimes it's with ***** and sometimes it's with _____ I wrote it over a long time and intermittently forgot which I was using. It annoys me but not enough for me to bother editing it. :D
4. Vegeta's scouter was unfortunately harmed in the posting of this post.
Part One: Blooming
"Breathe deeply, let your mind be at rest and free from worldly concerns."
Sunlight, filtered and broken up by the canopy of trees through which it shone, poured down into the clearing where three figures stood together. Two younger and one older, the figures held meditative stances - one leg crossed over the other, their hands in fists pressed together and their eyes closed. Though the wind caressed the treetops and sent a gentle whisper through the area as the foliage danced, they remained perfectly still and balanced. The older of the three figures was speaking, voice steady and wisened.
"When you have allowed yourself to be free of your worries, then allow yourself to be free even of your concept of self."
Though aged in appearance, the older man had a grace to him that seemed to age him far more than mere biology. He gave off an aura of antiquity normally reserved only for the grand trees amongst which he and his pupils stood.
"Embrace the world around you, set your senses and your soul free of your body, and see. The world flows through us all, through all life. It connects us, and when we can find that connection to the world, we can see all that is around us. We can sense life as though it were a touch on the breast, a song on the wind or a figure in our vision."
Across from him, his two pupils were clearly lost inside their focus. One of them, a young raven-haired girl, had an expression of frustration - try as she might, the state which her master described eluded her. Her companion, a slightly older boy, however had a sense of serenity to him that mimicked the elder's. A small smile had formed on his features, framed by messy brown locks of hair, that though small conveyed no small amount of wonderment.
"I can see it, Master," he said quietly.
The elder man nodded his head, "Tell me what you see, Kyran, what company do we have in this clearing?"
"I can see us, the three of us, clearly like candle-flames. And all around us smaller flames... there's a caterpillar in the grass to my left, and a colony of ants underground between us. There are birds... and the trees, they almost dwarf the others. Like bonfires to a match." The boy spoke slowly, strained by splitting his concentration between the two tasks.
"Very good," the elder man smiled, "Lily, can you see anything?"
The girl sighed, "No. No, I can't."
"Not to worry. This is your first lesson in extending yourself, after all. Kyran has had more time to master the meditative technique than you. That will be enough, for now." The man separated his hands and lowered his leg, "Practice your meditation until tomorrow. Lily, I want you to be able to master the void state by then. Kyran, I want you to focus on repeating what you managed today."
"Yes, Master Tae," both youths intoned, bowing respectfully as they returned to normal standing position. With a final nod to them, the older man strode away into the forest.
Sighing with relief, Lily spread her arms and stretched out, "Uhg, I hate meditating!" she exclaimed, "I just can't get it. I can't separate myself from myself, whatever that means."
Kyran shrugged, walking to the edge of the clearing to retrieve a carved bo-staff, "It takes a long time to get. I was very impatient with it when I first started, too, I was so eager to get onto the more exciting magic. I think that's half the problem - you are, and I was, so focused on what we can do after mastering it, that it stops us mastering it."
Lily gave Kyran an odd look, "Huh?"
"I mean, having the goals in our heads, thinking of meditation and the extended state as a tool rather than something more powerful and meaningful, makes it all the harder to enter it. When you manage it for the first time you realise it's a lot more than you expect it to be." Kyran responded, turning and running a hand through his hair. He almost flinched when he brushed against his ears. Where once had been human ears, now the beginnings of bestial, wolfish ear tips were forming. A side-effect of primal magic, Kyran had known something like it would happen, but it was still weird.
"I suppose," Lily said, sighing, "Well, before we have to go back and stare into space for the rest of the day, you want to take a walk?"
"A walk?" Kyran raised an eyebrow.
Lily grinned, "Well, I say a walk... but what I really mean is-" she darted over and pressed a finger into Kyran's chest, "Tag! You're it!"
Before the boy could respond, Lily was off, dashing into the trees with a gleeful laugh.
Kyran laughed, spinning his staff around, "Oh yeah?" he called, "You know you can't outrun me!" He smirked, bending his knees and taking a breath. "Let's go."
He leaped, springing upwards with a blast of wind that propelled him towards the treetops, landing with one foot on a branch and immediately jumping again. He sped through the leaves like his own gust of wind, feet brushing against the branches and trunks without landing for more than a second at a time.
Below him, Lily was ducking and diving through the foliage - her acrobatics were astounding, even without the assistance of more advanced and powerful magic, she had some control over her surroundings. The plants seemed to part before her, giving her a leg-up here, blocking her from view there. Though Kyran had the advantage in speed and height, she was evasive and cunning. Several times he had to double back as he heard laughter behind him betraying her breaking from cover and shooting away in another direction.
The chase continued for several long minutes, forging deeper and deeper into the forest, until Kyran leaped one final time, soaring over Lily's head and landing softly right in front of her. She skidded to a halt, breathing heavily and grinning widely. "Looks like I got you," Kyran said.
"That's what you think!" Lily replied, winking at him before she flipped away, somersaulting backwards. As she moved, Kyran blinked in surprise to see the earth behind her moving to meet her. Her feet touched the rising ground and launched her upwards and away.
Sighing in faux irritation, Kyran shook his head, and was away once more. As he regained the treetops, he noticed below him Lily was now moving far faster - and it quickly became apparent that she was practically skating on earth. Where the roots grew thicker, she would use it to launch herself forwards a dozen feet at a time, and where they thinned she skimmed herself along. The older boy frowned - Lily wasn't properly trained in what she was doing yet. It was obvious this was something she'd picked up herself rather than something Master Tae had taught her. She was only a month and a bit into her training, and it had been well past two months, bordering on three before Kyran had been taught anything about elemental manipulation. It had all been deep breathing and meditation till then.
But he didn't have time to think about that right now, as Lily's flight took them from thick forest into suddenly far clearer land. They were heading into the ruins of Kohran, an ancient city that had been built in the forest thousands of years ago. Nobody knew much about the civilisation that had lived there, but many suspected that it had been a tribe of humans led astray by a malicious fey. There was evidence of sacrificial rituals and inscriptions depicting a hauntingly beautiful woman as some sort of goddess. The elders told people to stay away from the place, citing stories of lost dangers and traps left by the Kohran people.
Clearly, Lily wasn't concerned. The foliage was thinner here, though the city had long since been absorbed by the forest its stone streets and structures prevented the larger trees from growing. There were a few dotted around the area, but most of the plantlife here was smaller - vines, weeds and the like. Lily was using the stone streets to gain speed, riding a wave of rock like a sleigh. Kyran dropped from the branches of the trees and into the streets, sprinting after the clear trail she left. It was time for them to head back, Lily was getting a little out of hand. He needed to talk to her about the magic she was using.
Eventually, Kyran caught up to her, standing cockily atop the mound of stone and earth she had been riding on the edge of a large pit - a quick glance down identified smooth, steeply inclined walls (there was no climbing out of that if it weren't for the vines all over them) and the remains of gates at either end. Clearly this had once been some sort of gladiator ring.
"Lily, we shouldn't be here. This place is dangerous. And when did you start using elemental magic?" Kyran called, pacing along the edge of the pit towards her.
Lily gave Kyran a smile as she turned to look at him, "Aw c'mon, Ky, you don't really believe those ghost stories do you? This place is empty. There's nothing here. I come here all the time when I want to be alone."
"To practice your magic?" Kyran challenged,
"Yes, alright!" Lily rolled her eyes, "But so what? I'm clearly ready for it. If I can do this with earth, who needs stupid meditation crap? We're training to become forest guardians, but how can I guard anything by breathing deeply? I wanna throw rocks and lightning at things!"
Kyran sighed, "I know what you mean, but that's now how it works. Primal magic can-"
"Change you, I know. If you aren't ready for it it controls you rather than the other way around. But look at me, I'm doing fine here. And so what if I get side effects like your fuzzy ears? We're supposed to be one with the forest, and what better way than to have traits of it?" Lily laughed, "Look, I'll come back with you, just don't tell Tae about my learning, okay?"
"Lily, I have to-"
"Dammit Kyran!" Lily stamped her foot, clearly about to continue with her rant, but unfortunately for her, the mound of rocks she stood on wasn't as stable as it had been when she was controlling it. Her stomp caused the edge to crumble, and with a shriek of surprise, she was sent tumbling down the side of the pit to land painfully amongst the undergrowth at the bottom.
"Lily!" Kyran shouted down, eyes lighting up with concern as she groaned, "Are you alright?"
"Just fine, thanks!" Lily shouted back dryly, "I fell down a massive pit, do you think I'm alright? I think my ankle's broken."
Kyran sighed, "I'll come down and get you, but I hope you realise that we'll have to explain this to Master Tae, and we'll have to tell him what got us into this."
"Whatever," Lily muttered, "I suppose I should tell him anyway."
Glad that she was finally talking sense, Kyran carefully planted his feet at the edge of the wall, and using his own earth manipulation started to skid down.
Beneath him in the pit, Lily sat herself up, grumbling incoherently about how much of a goodie-two-shoes Kyran was. She was content to sit there muttering, until a movement caught her eye. She blinked in surprise, lifting her hand away from what she thought had been an insect, but saw nothing but foliage. Mostly vines.
She dismissed it, only a moment later to see another movement, this time on the other side of her. This time, she got a clearer look at it. "Kyran..." she called worriedly, "I think the vines are moving."
Kyran looked up from his descent down to where Lily lay, only for his eyes to widen in horror as he saw what she was talking about. All over the pit, the vines were starting to come alive, lifting from where they lay and slithering over the ground. In the centre, what had previously looked like just a large clump of foliage shifted, and it became apparent that it was far more dangerous.
The greenery peeled back to reveal a jagged, gaping maw, vines trailing out from it and stretching all over the pit and up its walls. Kyran swore, abandoning his steady descent and leaping away from the wall towards Lily even as vines began to wrap their way around her limbs. She screamed as Kyran landed nearby, the plant pulling at her and attempting to drag her scrabbling form towards its mouth.
Kyran took a breath, lifting his hand to his chest and reaching into himself, before he swung it out with a jet of fire, scything through the vines that had attached themselves to Lily and causing them to flinch away angrily. "Grab onto me!" he yelled, shifting his flame to the end of his staff and using his free arm to scoop Lily up.
As he began to back away, the vines came for them again, fended off with a sweep of the flaming staff that send an arc of fire into their midst. Kyran's focus was absolute as each step left a trail of fire behind, setting any vines that tried to grab at his legs ablaze. Lily felt his body growing hotter as he carefully controlled where the flames manifested, slashing at the vines and keeping them safe till they reached the wall.
Glancing upwards, Kyran noticed that one of the smaller trees above stretched over the pit, and bit his lip. "Hold on tightly," he murmured, focusing his efforts on the above tree as Lily clasped onto him, freeing his other hand. With a groan of effort, he pulled at the thin trunk, bending it downwards with a groan of wood. He closed his eyes, releasing the fire even as the vines began to close in once more, bent his knees and jumped.
A pulse of air beneath him propelled he and Lily upwards, his free hand shooting out to clasp the lowest branch of the tree that swiftly swung backwards as he released his grasp on it, lifting them up and out of the pit and flinging them gracelessly to the ground below. They rolled away from each other, panting - Lily from terror and Kyran from exertion. It took a lot of effort to move a tree, let alone bend one over like that.
A few long moments passed as they recovered, before Lily spoke. "Th... thanks." she gasped.
Kyran scowled, "Idiot." he muttered, pulling himself to his feet, "We're going back to the village and you're telling Master Tae everything."
Lily nodded numbly as Kyran lifted her and started on the long walk back home. They didn't speak another word as they went.
__________________________________________
"What you have done goes against everything I taught you."
The scene in the village infirmary was rife with tension as Master Tae stood over the bed where Lily was being tended by one of the village healers, her ankle being dressed and set in silence. Kyran sat to the side, leaning against the wall. Master Tae's expression was a grimace of disappointment and disapproval. "Everything I taught you about the nature of your magic, everything I said was necessary before you could use it to such magnitude..."
Lily opened her mouth to try and speak, "I-" she began before Tae cut her off.
"Do not attempt to defend yourself. Your actions in those ruins, however many hours you spent using powers you were not ready to control, are self-evident in their consequences. The creature you almost lost your life to was no doubt created by the excess magical energy, just as I explained to you. You are lucky that Kyran is a more responsible student than you and took his lessons to heart."
Kyran shifted uncomfortably as he was used as an example. He could almost feel Lily's resentment despite her humble silence.
Tae shook his head, "You are absolutely forbidden from utilising your magic again until you have completed the initial training I have assigned to you. Mastery of your mind, body and spirit is essential to containing the wild nature of primal magic. I do not teach you these things for no reason. Hopefully in the reckless endangerment of your life, you have learned your lesson. Your studies will resume when your ankle has healed." The old man turned from Lily, who remained speechless and glum where she lay, and looked to Kyran. "A word, please. Outside." he said.
Kyran gulped, rising to his feet and following Tae outside. "Walk with me," he said, gesturing for Kyran to follow. As they made their way through the village, Tae spoke - far more softly than he had to Lily. "I believe you when you say you did not know what Lily was teaching herself. I know you are a responsible student and I am proud of you for the skill you showed in saving her today. Now we have a real reason beyond myth to tell people to stay away from those ruins, sadly, it may be too dangerous for us to go there to learn more of the city's people. We cannot know how much of the area has been charged with Lily's magic."
Tae led Kyran through the faux streets of the village. It was a humble collection of buildings, constructed around the trees, small huts and lodges that often seemed to mesh with the landscape where they had utilised existing features like ridges and tree-trunks as part of the structure. There were no more than two-dozen homes that made up the village, housing just shy of fifty inhabitants. People came and went from the village, aside from a core who had lived here for generations, Sometimes villagers left and found love, only to return - others married within the village. Some outsiders came and fell in love with the location and sense of community and decided to stay. Many more set out to see the world when they reached adulthood and never came back.
Master Tae had lived in the village for the whole of his life. Most of those chosen as guardians had done - though there had been a few outsiders in the past who proved their devotion sufficiently. The legends told of the founding of the village, when a group of fey led the human settlers, driven from their home by the armies of another nation, deep into the forest and guided their construction of a new home in harmony with the forest. They learned the way the woods worked, how predator and prey lived together in a cycle of life, and the fey gifted a special few of them with powerful magic, entrusting them with the protection both of the village and the forest itself, for they were soon to pass from the mortal world.
Kyran, like many, was skeptical of the literal interpretation of the story, but there was one tradition which was as much a part of the village as any of his body parts were part of him. However they had acquired it, some of the villagers had seemingly always had knowledge of primal magic. Usually there were no more than two or three practitioners in any one lifetime, passing on the teachings only when they grew older and knew that their passing was near. Master Tae was the last of three previous guardians, and it had fallen to him to select and train the new guardians - he and Lily. It was a significant responsibility to be selected for, and given the honour it bestowed... you could hardly say no. Not that Kyran would have. It was every little boy's and girl's dream to be chosen.
Learning primal magic, and the spiritual connection to the wild that it required, made the responsibility for protecting the forest make perfect sense. What you learned in your training made you value every life amongst the trees - you could sense them all like candles. Even were it not your duty, it was hard to practice primal magic and not want to protect that.
Kyran started as Master Tae nudged him, realising that he had drifted off into contemplation with a rush of embarrassment. The older man chuckled, "It seems that my words bore you, Eirael, so I shall repeat myself only briefly." He paused for a moment while Kyran hastily apologised and insisted otherwise, before holding up a hand to silence him. "I am an old man, and I often feel as though I left my duty to train the pair of you too late. In a few years time your training will be complete. If my time comes before I can do so, I trust you will finish your friend's training yourself. You are a capable young man."
"O- of course, Master Tae, but you'll most certainly live to do it yourself!" Kyran protested, "You're still as strong as ever I've seen you!"
The elderly man laughed, "I am sure. But in old age you become aware of your own mortality. It brings me reassurance to have a contingency plan. Now, you should go home to your mother. She is worried for you after hearing what happened in the ruins."
Kyran nodded, bowing to him, "Thank you master." he said, before turning and making his way through the village towards his home. There was smoke in the chimney of the hut, and as he approached the door it was swung open and his mother, Ella, hurried out to greet him.
"Kyran! I heard what happened in the ruins with Lily. I'm so proud of you for what you did out there." Ella said, pulling him into a hug.
Putting an arm around his mother awkwardly, Kyran nodded, "It's alright mother, it was nothing that I hadn't already been taught to do."
Ella sighed, leaning back and giving Kyran a stern look, "Now don't talk yourself down! There's a big difference between doing something in a lesson and using it to save somebody's life."
Kyran smiled, "Yeah, I guess," he replied, "It was just spur of the moment. I suppose it's the sort of thing I need to get good at if I'm going to take Master Tae's place one day."
Nodding, Ella turned to go back inside, "And an excellent forest guardian you will make. Now come inside! Your father brought back two whole pheasants, and I've cooked them fresh for supper to celebrate after hearing what a little hero you were."
Kyran looked up with renewed enthusiasm, "Dad's home?" he asked hopefully, and his mother nodded.
"He and the other hunters returned while you were with Master Tae, they had a very successful trip. The spirits smiled on us this fortnight." she replied, "He's inside, come on!"
Following his mother inside, Kyran blinked to adjust to the dimmer light inside the hut as she made her way back to the stove. His eyes instantly went to the figure sat at the table, who rose and lifted his arms on seeing him. Kyran ran over and was swept up into a bear hug by his father, laughing, "It's good to see you dad."
Kyran's father, like many of the men of the village, was a hunter. He and the other hunters would go on hunting trips for days at a time in order to provide for the village. Most of the young boys of the village were in awe of their fathers and the other hunters, and would practice their archery and trapping all the time. Kyran almost felt sorry that since he was one of the guardians, he wasn't able to share that with his father. It was still great whenever he was home - he always had the best stories to tell of his hunts.
"It's good to see you too Kyran. I heard about what you did today, son, and I couldn't be prouder. You're a hero already at fourteen, why, that's even beating my record! I wasn't sweeping the ladies off of their feet and saving damsels in distress until at least sixteen!" his father laughed, a warm booming laugh that shook his wide chest.
Blushing, Kyran scowled, "It wasn't like that dad, I don't-"
"Ahh, I'm just teasing you son, I know you're still growing into yourself, and little Lily's still practically a baby. But let me give you a warning - the solstice festival is just around the corner, and after today's little stunt," the man laughed again, "let's just say you won't be short of dance partners!"
Whilst Kyran blushed furiously, his mother interjected from over at the stove, "Stop embarassing the poor boy Sten," she scolded, "He's too young to be thinking about that sort of thing anyway!"
"Nonsense!" his father replied, "Today is if anything proof that our little boy is growing into a man!"
Kyran smiled despite himself, basking in the approval of his father, "Thanks dad," he said, "I just wish that I could start going hunting with you like the others."
Sten smiled sadly, "I know son, I wish you could too, but you've got even more important duties. Even if you can't hunt with me, you know that I'm as proud as you as ever I could be - after all, you'll be the protector of us all one day! That's more of an honour than catching a bloody golden phoenix for supper!"
"Speaking of which," Kyran's mother smiled as she walked over to the table, "Supper is ready. Take a seat, Kyran, and let's eat well in honour of your father being such a great hunter, and you being such a hero. Here's to the pair of you, the heroes Eirael!"
The clanking of metal cups together sounded the beginning of the meal, and a warm and pleasant evening overall. Life was good.
____________________________________________
It was the night of the summer solstice, and throughout the village, festivity was out in force. Decorations hung between the trees and lanterns illuminated the streets. Music played from the main village centre, loud enough to be heard from one end of the village to the other. The festivities would lead up to the ritual of the waning sun, marking the setting of the sun and the approach of autumn and winter. As the elder of the village, Master Tae would be performing it. After the ritual would be the dance, that would last long into the night. The dance was usually the talk of the village for weeks before and after it - who would dance with who, and all the gossip surrounding that. Even Kyran's closer friends, normally much less enthralled with such things, had been talking about it. It all eluded Kyran himself, if he was honest. It was just a dance!
But it was always fun. When he was younger, Kyran had absolutely loved all of the village's festivals, and he still found joy in the music and dancing - it was easy to lose yourself to the rhythm, even more so now he had practiced the technique of meditation, and dancing with barely any awareness of anything but the music was exhilerating. It was coming up on the time where the festivities would come to a crux, and many of the villagers had briefly returned home to prepare.
Kyran's mother was adorning herself with all her hand-crafted jewellery that seldom saw the light of day with the busy days she usually had where practical clothing was necessary and jewels would be a hindrance. Though they were far from exquisite, there was little concept of the value of gems and gold amongst the village and so the quality and genuine nature of jewellery was second to how they looked. His father was running a comb through his beard and hair, and grumbling all the while as it snagged on one of the many knots. Whenever he made to start ranting about the lack of dignity of it all, Ella would hush him with a few words and he'd go back to his incoherent muttering.
Kyran himself was sat in front of a small mirror, carefully applying the traditional paints of the forest guardians to his face. It was a traditional festival, and so such ceremonial adornment was only proper. Tae had instructed both he and Lily to mark themselves as was appropriate. Spending only a few minutes to see to the rest of his appearance - ensuring his braid was in place and his hair not worthy of a bird's nest, he turned to find his parents nearly ready themselves.
"Well then, my two brave men," His mother said as she adjusted her dress, "Let's go and enjoy the rest of the evening!"
As they walked, his father patted him on the back, "One day it'll be you up there performing the ritual you know son," he said, "You guardians live longer than the rest of us, so it'll only be a matter of time before you're the elder."
"A long time, though, Sten," his mother reminded him, "And nothing he needs to worry about for the time being."
Kyran laughed, "It's okay mom, thinking about the future isn't that scary."
His mother gave him a glance, "For you maybe," she noted, "Just the thought of you all grown up is enough to make my heart flutter. It still feels li-"
"Like just yesterday I was a baby in your arms, I know mom," Kyran grinned, "You say that all the time."
Raising an eyebrow, Ella tutted, "Well, it's true after all."
Putting an arm on his wife's shoulders, Kyran's father chuckled, "You'll have to get used to the idea one day, love, but there's no need to rush about it."
The conversation went on, much as conversations with one's parents do, as they approached the village centre and the music grew louder. The talk died down as they neared the throng of villagers, and with a glance to and a nod from his mother, Kyran hurried off to find his friends.
Eventually he found them, sat on one of the logs that had been brought in to use as a bench near the large fire at the middle of the gathering. Sliding onto a seat, Kyran smiled, "Hey guys," he said. They returned the greeting in the apathetic way that teenagers did, a few smiles and waves thrown in for variety. Everyone was in a good mood tonight, by and large.
The three boys who Kyran had joined varied in age and appearance. The youngest, Perin Walker, was a blonde-haired boy of twelve who was always wide-eyed and excited about something. His older brother, Tam Walker, at fourteen - Kyran's age - was a lot more calm and serious about things. Perin obviously idolised Tam, and followed him around like a puppy most days. The third boy, a red-haired thirteen year old named Rayn Ethelion, was the joker of the group and usually the one to strike up conversation. Today was no different, as he grinned to Kyran.
"So, Ky, you got your eyes on anyone tonight?" he murmured, jabbing him in the side with an elbow, "With that hero story last week I've heard that you're more than a little popular."
Kyran blushed, "Shut up, Ray, you sound like my dad. I've not thought about it."
"Aw come on," Rayn folded his arms, "You can't just ignore it and hope it'll go away, spare some thought for the rest of us! We aren't all heroic spirit warriors, some of us have to make do with arrows and pointed sticks to impress the girls."
Giving Rayn a dry look, Kyran shook his head, "Being a guardian isn't about impressing girls, Ray," he started before Rayn interrupted him with a wave of his hand and a roll of his eyes.
"I know, geez Ky, lighten up. It's the solstice, stretch your legs and take a break from being Mr. serious spirit pants all day." the younger boy smirked, and Kyran couldn't help but laugh.
In the meantime, Perin leaned forwards to join in the conversation, "Maybe he's just not thought about it 'cause who he really wants to dance with can't dance 'cause her ankle's broke!" he teased.
Kyran glared at the younger boy, "Shut up!" he protested to a chorus of laughter from the other two, "You're all idiots. Why me, huh? I thought we normally made fun of each other equally."
Tam shrugged, "You were late," he said simply with a faint smile, "We made fun of each other while you weren't here, so it's naturally your turn now."
Though he opened his mouth to speak, Rayn interrupted before he could, "I heard he carried her all the way home in his arms! So sweet and heroic!" he joked, swooning mockingly.
Kyran buried his face in his hands, "You guys are impossible..." he groaned. Thankfully, he was saved from further torment by a rapid hushing in the conversation around them as Master Tae emerged from the crowd to walk up and stand at the altar that had been placed by the fire. He raised his hands into the air for silence.
"Greetings, my fellows," he began, "So it comes that another year has passed, the seasons prepare to shift once more and the sunlight begins to weaken. Much as the forest struggles through the winter, with much that was once green falling to bleakness, we will struggle as we have in winters past. But much as the forest survives, much as the evergreen trees flourish still, we will survive and flourish anew when the spring comes." Pausing, Tae gestured out at the crowd, "The spirits have predicted a bountiful hunting season for us, and it is in thanks for this that I perform this ritual."
Tae reached down to the altar and lifted from it a goblet, "In this goblet I carry the lifeblood of the forest, the sap that flows through the trees as blood flows through us," he called out. He then placed the goblet back down, and picked up a gleaming knife from the altar. "To this, I add my own blood, to represent the life of our people," he said, placing the knife to his palm over the goblet and cutting, allowing his blood to drip out and into the liquid of the goblet. After a few moments the wound sealed itself once more, and he continued with the ritual. "Man and nature mix together in this goblet as we mix with the forest. We are not two entities, but one, joined together. We depend on it, and in turn, we protect it. Even as the sun darkens in the sky and the nights draw in, the forest will provide shelter and sustenance. For this we thank the spirits, and dedicate this night to them."
Placing his hands into the goblet and cupping the mixture in them, he raised it up and held it aloft. With a glow of light, he infused the liquid with spiritual energy and cast it outwards into the fire, where it sizzled with a flurry of sparks to a roar of cheers from the crowd. "Now, let the celebrations begin!" Tae called.
As he stepped down, the music started once more, with renewed vigor, The crowd dissolved backwards away from the fire to create room for the dance to begin, and Kyran and his friends followed the retreat to the edge of the square. The first few couples and groups of friends took to the square, mostly of the elder generation with the self-consciousness of younger years behind them, and slowly but surely they were followed by others of all ages, and the square filled out with dancers.
Rayn nodded to the others after a few minutes of silent observation, "C'mon, we should go out there. Nobody's gonna dance with us if we just sit here not dancing."
The others exchanged glances - or more accurately, Tam and Kyran did, as Perin was as eager as ever to get started. The two older boys shrugged, and the group of four rose to head out to the dance. As they did, before they had even come close to where the majority of the dancers were, a girl had swept out from the onlookers and intercepted Tam. Kyran recognised the girl - she was called Evina, and he had seen her with Tam a lot over the last month or two. He and Rayn exchanged knowing smirks as she led Tam away with nothing more than an apologetic shrug to them as he went.
Perin seemed to briefly consider following him, but for once common sense prevailed and he left his brother to his own devices. Kyran's friends weren't exactly the best dancers, but neither were most of the village, and the night of the solstice nobody really cared how well you were dancing. Kyran himself, though he was hardly aware of it, was very much at home with the music. Dancing, as he had remembered before, was very much in tune with what Master Tae taught him about being free of your perception of self. Allowing the music to take you and guide you rather than attempting to control your movements too consciously made your dancing much more natural and allowed your motions to flow together.
It was only when he caught the tail end of Rayn commenting dryly on him showing the pair of them up that Kyran really remembered that he was with others, and blushed. Seeing him redden, Rayn laughed, "You're too easy to embarrass spirit-pants," he said, "But you should know you've got an audience."
Kyran followed Rayn's gaze, his heart dropping as he noticed a group of no less than a dozen girls watching the three of them - or more accurately, watching him. "What's the matter," Rayn observed Kyran's grimace, "Stage-fright?"
"I don't enjoy being a spectacle," Kyran muttered.
Though prepared to make a smart-alec comment, Rayn seemed to decide otherwise and gave Kyran a sympathetic smile, "Just ignore them. They probably won't have the guts to come up to you anyway, just like none of us really have the guts to go up to the likes of Kari and Leanne."
Kyran rolled his eyes, "They're the two most beautiful girls in the village though," he pointed out.
Rayn gave Kyran a pointedly awkward look, "Yeah, that's what I was getting at. To them, you're the equivalent, hero-pants mc-spirithead."
"Stop calling me that," Kyran grumbled, reddening, "But you really think that just being the guardian does that?"
Rayn shrugged, mumbling something that Kyran didn't catch.
"What?" he asked, and Rayn frowned.
"I said," he grumbled, "That objectively from their perspective I guess, you kinda don't look too bad either. But I don't know how girls work, I'm just going on the way they're staring."
"Oh," Kyran replied awkwardly, rolling his shoulders in a shrug, "Thanks?"
"Don't thank me!" Rayn protested, "LIke I said, I'm just going on what they're doing. I don't think that or anything..."
"Right." Kyran agreed hastily, "Like you said."
A bored looking Perin kicked Kyran in the back of the shin, "If you two are done being awkward, I think your damsel wants to talk to you." he said, nodding over his shoulder to where Lily was sitting on the sidelines with her damaged ankle up. She met his eyes as he looked over and gestured to him to come sit with her.
Kyran grimaced. He hadn't spoken to Lily since the incident and Master Tae's lecturing of her. He hoped she wasn't too pissed off with him. "Oh. I suppose I should go see how she's doing." he said weakly.
"Good luck my friend," Rayn said, patting Kyran on the shoulder, "She doesn't look like she wants to make gooey eyes with you either. Hopefully we get you back alive."
With a half-smile to his friends, Kyran made his way over to Lily, leaving them to the dance floor. He took a seat on the log next to her and they sat in silence for several long moments.
"So..." Lily started, sighing, "What I wanted to say was, I'm sorry."
Kyran blinked in surprise, "You're sorry?" he questioned.
"For putting you in danger. I was stupid and didn't listen to anything Master Tae said and I paid for it. I guess I just spent all those hours practicing in the ruins and didn't see anything wrong. But I learned that just because you don't see what you're doing to the world around you doesn't mean you aren't doing it..."
Nodding solemnly, Kyran glance at her, "And it doesn't mean whatever you're doing isn't going to try and eat you" he added.
Lily laughed despite herself, "Yeah, that too. So, I just wanted you to know I don't hold you dobbing me in against you. And I wanted to say thanks again. You know, for saving me from my own mess."
Kyran smiled, "It's okay. I'm a protector, remember? Protecting people is my job."
"Yeah," Lily rolled her eyes, "Meant to be mine too, but so far I've just put people in danger."
"You're new," Kyran noted, "You'll get better at it before long. We can hope."
Lily laughed weakly, "Yeah..." she said, before sighing. "Spirits this night is frustrating. I want to be up there dancing and having a good time but my blasted ankle is still healing." she muttered angrily, "You can go now, if you want, your fanclub is still waiting for you. They probably think I'm trying to flirt with you or something equally stupid and will be delighted to see you walk away."
Kyran blushed (he was doing that a lot tonight) and grimaced, "I'd rather we didn't talk about them."
Raising an eyebrow, Lily looked up at him, "Not a fan of the attention? Most guys would be in heaven."
With a sigh, Kyran leaned backwards and stared up at the canopy of trees and through to the starry night sky above, "Yeah, well. I'm not most guys, turns out." he said solemnly.
Lily looked at Kyran curiously for a few long moments, opening and closing her mouth as she decided against saying anything more and resuming her watching of the festivities. The two sat there for going on half an hour in silence, looking steadily more miserable despite the atmosphere.
Kyran was jerked out of his reverie by a sharp whistle, and looked up with a start to see Rayn standing there with his arms folded, "I thought you two were going to be talking, not just sitting in grim silence while everyone else had fun," he said, "Tam and Perin were wondering where you were. We all thought you'd wandered off somewhere or found a girl to dance with, or both. I barely thought to check back here. What are you doing here so gloomily?"
Kyran shrugged. "Contemplating." he said, "Nothing exciting."
Rayn rolled his eyes, "For spirits' sake, Kyran, cheer up! It's a festival! Look," the red-haired boy grabbed Kyran's wrist and pulled him unceremoniously to his feet, "You're coming to dance, and that's an order soldier."
Meeting the gesture with an inquisitively raised eyebrow, Kyran got to his feet and found himself being half dragged towards the dance. Rayn glanced back over his shoulder and, seeing the raised eyebrow dropped his friend's arm, suddenly self-conscious. "That is," he hastily added, "With the rest of us. We're a group and all that, if some of us don't have dates then none of us do. Even Tam's rocked back up, I think I said."
Kyran nodded, finally smiling, "Alright. I'd like that." he said.
As the two disappeared into the crowd, Lily watched after them ponderously. "Hmmm..." she mused to nobody but herself, furrowing her brow in thought. Before she could finish whatever chain of thought she was on, however, her parents arrived back from the dance to keep her company, and her musings were lost to the festivities.
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Months passed, and the weather grew colder. The leaves fell from the trees and painted the forest red and gold, before they faded away and were replaced with a dusting of snow. Winter was here, and with it life became harder. The village began to rely more on the stocks of preserved meat saved from the warmer months than on fresh hunts, and much of the vegetable produce they cultivated wouldn't be available for a long time. It was in these months that expeditions were made out of the forest and to the towns of the empire they dwelled within to trade for produce and resources.
Kyran and Lily's training continued. When Lily returned to her lessons, it was with a newfound determination to master herself, and she progressed rapidly. Master Tae guided them both through new techniques and new magics, and though the pace was slow, they had by now learned patience.
It was in late November, when Kyran was walking near the forest's edge, that he heard the whistling of an arrow a short distance away amongst the trees. His eyes widened, and he launched himself upwards into the trees to make his way towards the source of the sound. When he reached it, he was met with an unpleasant sight.
Two hunters, one carrying a crossbow and the other a shortbow, were making their way over to their kill - and it was what that kill was that shocked Kyran. The fallen beast was a wolfstag, a majestic beast that resembled a large white wolf with antler-like horns that had earned it its name. Far from being hunted as prey, the wolfstag was one of the respected predators of the forest.
âLook at the horns on this one,â Kyran heard one of the hunters say, âTheyâll make us a fortune. Get them off, leave the carcass to rot.â
Kyranâs eyes narrowed. Not hunters. Poachers. The village detested poachers, coming to the forest and disrespecting nature by their disregard for the rules of hunting for survival. They came and hunted for pleasure, for wealth. They struck down beasts like the wolfstag that were never meant to be hunted. His decision already made, Kyran jumped from his perch with his staff held ready. The boy landed on the ground between the poachers and their quarry, shocking them into letting out shouts of surprise. âThe heck are you doing, kid?â the man with the crossbow asked, âGet out of the way, this is our kill.â
Kyran shook his head, âIt is not yours, and you are not welcome here. Get out of the forest now.â
The men exchanged glances warily, âLook, I donât want to hurt a kid,â the first continued, âBut I will do if you get in the way. I donât know what issue you have with us, but-â
Kyran decided not to wait for the rest of the hunterâs sentence, sweeping forwards with a swing of his staff, manipulating a blast of wind to rush past the hunter, knocking his crossbow from his hands and sending it flying across the clearing. The man shouted in anger, and his companion raised his bow only to have it removed similarly. Their hands went for blades on their belts, but Kyran didnât give them a chance to draw them, planting his foot in the ground and slamming the earth beneath them upwards, somersaulting them backwards to land in an undignified heap. âLeave!â he yelled, âGet out of the forest and never come back!â
Though the first man seemed to want to retrieve his crossbow, his companion grabbed his arm and shook his head. He was smart enough to see that wouldnât end well. Reluctantly, the two men retreated away towards the forest edge. Kyran waited till he was sure they were gone before he dropped his defensive stance and turned back toward the fallen wolfstag. It was clearly dead, the hunterâs shot had at least been a good one. Movement to its side caught Kyranâs eye though, and he walked around it to find a young cub nuzzling at its motherâs side to try and coax her into movement. His heart sinking in sadness, Kyran knelt down beside the cub and reached out to pet it, taking a breath and allowing his sense of self to drift. In this state he was better able to communicate with the denizens of the forest.
âYour mother is gone, little one,â he communicated sadly, âYou need to leave her. I can help you.â
The cub looked up at him fearfully for a few moments before whining pitifully, pressing its muzzle into his hand. Kyran took this as acceptance, and carefully lifted the cub up. âLetâs get you home,â he murmured, âYou can share my food.â With the cub in his arms, he began the walk back to the village. He wasnât sure his mother would be very happy with the new arrival considering the difficulty of feeding themselves as it was, but he was sure he could persuade her. After all, he was the forest guardian in training, right? This was practically his job.
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Winter came and went, and the year turned over anew. Leaves returned to the trees and life became easier again. The nights were warmer and the forestâs bounty greater. As Master Tae began to introduce Lily to the elemental magic that Kyran had already learned, there was less time for him to teach Kyran the more advanced techniques - the initial mastery of the elements, and the containing of the side-effects Lily had experienced previously, was challenging even for a gifted pupil. It was for that reason that Kyran began to spend a lot more time alone in practice, meditating or practicing forms and stances. Whilst he was unable to master new skills, he honed his abilities with the elements until they started to become more of an extension of himself than an outward manipulation. It also gave him a great deal of time to think. Though Kyran was disappointed that his learning was on hold for the moment, it did mean he could afford himself more time to spend at leisure, spending time with his friends. On one particular occasion, he, Rayn and Perin were on an âexpeditionâ of sorts into the forest. Tam was with the hunters, in his final year of preparation for becoming a fully fledged hunter himself, and so didnât have as much time to spend with them anymore. Taking his place, and very happy about it, was Narin - the wolfstag pup that Kyran had rescued. It had already grown to the size of a normal dog, and bounded along with the three boys happily as they walked.
âIâm telling you,â Rayn was saying, âIt must have been uncovered by the storm last week, because youâd definitely have seen it with all the time you spend jumping around the forest, Kyran.â
The red-haired boy was supposedly leading them to something he had found in the forest on his own. He refused to say what it was, much to the other twoâs frustration, but curiosity had gotten the better of them and theyâd given into his demands that they let him show them. They were a good half an hour out from the village now, but Rayn promised that they were ânearly thereâ.
Just when it seemed like there was never going to be anything, they emerged into a small clearing next to a ridge, in the side of which was - barely visible for the foliage that had overtaken its entrance - what looked like an abandoned mine. There was a mass of earth and rock to the bottom of the entrance that looked like the result of a landslide, which likely caused it to be revealed. âWow,â Kyran breathed, âThis place must be ancient. Pre-fall ancient even.â
Rayn beamed, âI told you it was cool!â he exclaimed proudly.
Grinning to his friend, Kyran nodded, âShould we check out inside?â he mused aloud.
âI dunno,â Perin said, âIt could be dangerous.â
âPfff,â Rayn rolled his eyes, âWe have mister guardian-protecty-magic-man with is, what could go wrong that he couldnât solve?â
Kyran gave Rayn a dry glare, âStop calling me things like that!â he complained, before sighing, âBut yeah, Iâm sure I can handle anything a mine can throw at us.â
Perin shrugged, âAlright then.â he said, nodding, âLetâs go have a look around!â
Kyran looked down at Narin and ruffled the wolfstagâs fur, âYouâll have to stay here for this one. A mineâs no place for you.â he said. Narin looked up mournfully at him, but clearly understood the message, seating himself down at the edge of the clearing and leaning onto his paws.
With a little bit of climbing and shifting of dirt with earth manipulation, the entrance to the mine was reached, and the trio dropped into the darkness. A moment passed before Kyran produced a light in his palm to illuminate the tunnel, casting shadows on he and his friendsâ faces as they exchanged excited looks. âWe could find gold, and gems, and all sorts of things!â Rayn exclaimed, âAnd we could take them and sell them and live like kings anywhere in the world we wanted!â
Kyran laughed, âSpeak for yourself, I kinda have to stick around here.â
The red-head raised an eyebrow, âAh, yeah, may have forgotten to account for that. You could at least live like a forest king?â
Rolling his eyes, Kyran planted his staff in the dirt and stepped forwards, âLetâs just see whatâs in here first.â he said. The trio of boys walked for several minutes down the tunnel, and were beginning to question whether theyâd find anything at all, when a gleam in the corner of his eye caught Kyranâs attention. âHey, over here,â he called to the other two, making his way towards the source of the sparkle. As he approached, he recognised it as a small gem, protruding from the wall near the base of the tunnel.
âWhat is it?â Rayn asked, peering over his shoulder.
âIâm not sure,â he replied, trying to get a closer look, âItâs turquoise I think, it seems strangely dull though. Hold on, let me put the light closer to it.â However, as Kyran tried to move his flame closer to the gem, he was surprised to find that it fizzled and drained to nothing. He frowned, focusing on reproducing the flame, but nothing happened. Glancing at the gem, a thought occurred to him, and he backed up slightly, moving his hand away, and - as predicted, the flame flickered back to life. âWell thatâs strange...â he murmured contemplatively. He moved his hand back to the gem and once again the flame died - but this time, the gem seemed to steal the light from it, sparkling slightly with light that seemed to originate from within the gem.
Rayn stared with interest, âIs it absorbing your magic?â he asked, âThatâs so cool!â
Kyran nodded, âI bet Master Tae would be interested in this,â he said, standing up and relighting his fire, âI wonder how many more of them there are down here, we sho-â
Whatever Kyran was about to say was interrupted by an almighty crash and a yelp, as behind them Perin stumbled backwards and landed on his rear, a pickaxe flying free of the stone beside a wooden strut in his hands and clattering to the ground. âWhat on earth are you doing Perin?â Rayn exclaimed, and was about to continue berating the younger boy when a rumbling sounded above them.
âOh spirits,â Kyran cursed, âWhatever you did has messed with that support, I think this tunnelâs about to cave in!â
As if on cue, the ceiling above them started to crack. With the other two frozen in horror, Kyran acted quickly. With a swing of his staff, he blasted Perin with a jet of air, tossing him backwards down the tunnel where they had come from and away from the falling rocks. In the next instant, he grabbed Rayn, and propelled both he and himself forwards into the tunnel. The sound of falling rocks continued for a good ten seconds before either of them dared look up, only to find themselves confronted with a solid wall of stone where the tunnel had been. âPerin?!â Kyran cried, âPerin are you alright?â
There was a brief pause before an answer came from the other side of the rock, âIâm okay!â the young boy called, âThanks, you saved my life!â
âYou idiot!â Rayn shouted, âYou could have gotten us all killed! What possessed you to randomly pull up a pickaxe anyway!â
âIâm sorry!â Perin replied, âBut Iâm not that interested in staring at rocks!â
Kyran shook his head, âArguing wonât get anything done.â he grumbled, reaching out with a hand to feel the rockfall. He extended himself outwards, sensing the extent of the collapse, and shook his head. âI canât move this without risking bringing the entire tunnel down. Thereâs just too much of it.â
Rayn stared at Kyran in disbelief, âYou mean weâre stuck down here?!â he exclaimed.
Putting a hand on his friendâs shoulder, Kyran shook his head again, âOnly for now. Perin, go back to the village and get help. Tae and the others will be able to get us out of here, though weâll never hear the end of it.â
âOkay!â came Perinâs voice from the other side, âIâll run as fast as I can!â After a few moments, the boyâs footsteps could be heard retreating away, before they faded and were replaced once more with silence.
Kyran sighed, âSo,â he said, âI guess itâs just you and me for now then.â he said, glancing to Rayn.
âYeah...â the red-haired boy said, green orbs only meeting Kyranâs eyes for a moment before looking away. Kyran frowned, sensing some sort of tension, but decided now wasnât the best time to bring it up.
âShall we make the most of the time and have more of a look around?â he suggested, and Rayn nodded in reply. The two turned and started to make their way deeper into the mine. As they walked, more and more gems became visible in the walls. The tunnel widened until it became more like a cavern, and the support struts disappeared entirely. It seemed like theyâd found their way into what looked like natural caves. With each step into the wider space, Kyran found it was getting more and more difficult to maintain his flame. All around them, larger chunks of the gemstone were visible protruding from the walls, ceiling and even the ground. Eventually it looked like Kyranâs flame was about to flicker out all together, and Rayn was forced to hold onto the edge of Kyranâs robe to keep track of him.
âThis is useless,â Rayn grumbled, âThose crystals are making it impossible to see anything.â
âHold on,â Kyran murmured, âI have an idea. You might want to stand back.â
Though he raised his eyebrow, Rayn followed Kyranâs instruction and stepped away from him as he allowed the fire to disappear completely, plunging them into darkness. âI hope you know what youâre doing,â Rayn said nervously.
Kyran took a breath, focusing his magic, and spreading his arms, let fire flood forth from his body almost uncontained. Or at least, thatâs what would have happened elsewhere. Instead, slowly all the gems around him and the cave began to light up. The glow started dimly at first, before starting to flood outwards from him in a wave, lighting up the entire cave in an eerie blue-green glow. Finally, Kyran released the magic, panting and leaning over onto his legs. Heâd used a lot of energy.
âWow...â
Raynâs stunned voice motivated Kyran to straighten and take a look at his handiwork. He wasnât disappointed. The entire cave was filled with beautifully glowing gemstones, their supernatural light giving the space an ethereal quality.
âItâs beautiful.â Rayn said quietly, smiling.
âYeah...â Kyran said, sighing. The two stood there in silence for well over a minute, before Kyran blinked as he felt something brush against his hand. He looked down to find, for once, not a strange creature or an evil vine, but Raynâs hand. His eyes went up to his friend and met his. Rayn blushed and looked away, pulling his hand back and beginning to mutter an apology, but before he could, Kyran reached out and grabbed onto him, locking their fingers and smiling.
Around them, the gems were starting to lose their glow - the energy had been split amongst all the dozens of shards and they couldnât hold much charge on their own - and the room was being slowly plunged into darkness again. The two friends seemed oblivious to this though, looking nervously into one anotherâs eyes. As the final shreds of light faded, Kyran started to lean forwards. In the dark, their lips found each other in a chaste first kiss.
Eventually, they made their way back to the cave-in, and a short time later a rescue team arrived and were able to clear enough of the rock for them to squeeze out. Lectures on venturing into such places without telling anyone were given, and apologies were made, and they returned to the village where life returned to normal. Well, almost normal. When a week or so later, Kyran awkwardly tried to bring up what had happened with his friend, Rayn had hastily made an excuse and fled the scene in embarrassment. And so life truly returned to normal, as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred on that day.
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It was a few weeks after this event that Master Tae informed Kyran that Lilyâs initial elemental training was complete, and they could now start learning more advanced techniques together. Though Kyran was still a long way ahead of Lily, the fact that Lily had mastered the basics meant that she required less one-to-one tutoring and Tae could split his time more evenly between them. Kyran spent his next lessons starting to master things such as pulling water from the air and plants, enhancing his body with animal traits (without losing himself to them) and even the beginnings of communing with the spirits.
One of the most challenging techniques that Master Tae introduced him to as a taster of some of the later lessons he would be providing was the usage of the extended state in combat. Kyran had already essentially mastered the extended state, in abandoning his sense of self to embrace his surroundings, but to use it in combat, he would be forced to learn to do that while still remaining aware and in control of himself and his body.
âHere, I will show you,â Master Tae said. He pulled a strip of cloth from his pocket and in a swift motion tied it around his head over his eyes as a blindfold. He then took two cotton-buds and placed them in his ears. âNow, I am both blind and deaf. I have no way of relying on my human senses, and so I must rely entirely on the sixth, on my extension into the world around me.â He turned to face Kyran and Lily fully, dropping into a fighting stance, âI want the two of you to attack me. Do everything you can to land a single blow to me, and you will have won the challenge.â
Lily and Kyran exchanged a hesitant glance before one by one they assumed combat stance. It was Lily that struck first, bending her knee and shifting her foot forwards, sending a ripple of rock out in a line to try and unsteady Tae. In almost the same motion, using that foot as a point of rotation, she swung forwards, bringing her first out in a punching motion that launched a burst of fire towards him.
Tae moved swiftly as soon as Lilyâs first strike was in motion, adjusting his stance and pushing his arms forward to catch the wave of rock and halt its progress. Stepping backward, the elderly man raised his arms, bringing the wave upwards into the air like a wall to block the fire even as it left Lilyâs hand. The girlâs eyes widened at how Tae seemed to be seeing what she was doing before she had even finished doing it, but in the meantime Kyran had already leapt into assault.
He was in midair by the time that Lilyâs flame had been deflected, and he descended with a burst of speed from the wind in an attempt to strike at Tae with his staff. Tae turned on the spot, only to nimbly hop backwards to avoid the strike, lifting his arm to deflect the following upwards sweep of the weapon and the accompanying slice of air with a rush of wind of his own. As Kyran stepped aside and brought the staff around for a final strike. Tae ducked downwards and underneath the swing, catching the weapon and pulling at it to unbalance Kyran and placing three fingers on the boyâs forehead, only to flick them and knock him to the ground in an undignified heap.
Tae spun Kyranâs staff in his hand and planted it on the ground, holding up a palm to indicate the end of the fight. âThat will do for a demonstration,â Tae said, smiling as he removed the earplugs and blindfold. âIn a real fight of course, you will be able to utilise your human senses as well, but to achieve true awareness and mastery of combat you should come to rely on your extension more than on their flawed perception.â He nodded then to Kyran, âKyran, you have mastered the extended state. I want you to try and place yourself into it but maintain awareness over yourself as well.â
Kyran pulled himself to his feet and accepted his staff back as Tae proffered it. He nodded at the instruction and took a breath, first slipping into the state and then seeking himself amongst the candle-flames of light that filled the clearing. When he found himself, he tried once more to slip inside and regain control and awareness, but found that as he did so he lost sight of the motions and lives around him. Mentally cursing, he repeated the procedure, but with little more success.
Over the next few weeks, Kyran continued to try and perfect the technique, and finally during a lesson in the summer, he managed it. âExcellent!â Master Tae exclaimed, âNow, it is one thing to be aware of yourself in this state, but another entirely to be able to fight as well as you can normally whilst keeping focus on that which is around you.â The older man shifted into a ready stance and indicated for Kyran to do the same, âNow, I am going to try and strike you. All I want is for you to perform a simple block.â
As Kyran readied himself, Tae approached slowly, before with a sharp movement shot his hand out towards the younger boy. Kyran was instantly aware of the movement due to his state of awareness, but his body was slow to respond thanks to the fact that he had to actively remember to use it, and by the time his arm was in motion to stop the strike Taeâs palm had already struck him.
âAgain!â Tae insisted, âA simple block. We will keep trying until you have perfected it.â
Suffice to say, the training was going to take a while.
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The rest of the year passed without much upset. The guardiansâ training progressed rapidly, and as the next year arrived, Kyranâs crossing over into adulthood loomed. Sixteen was the age that the village considered a boy to become a man, and normally when he would begin to join the hunters in their expeditions. Though there was still importance attached to it, Kyran had no such change to look forward to. From the perspective of the village it was the opposite, however - the arrival of adulthood on one of the guardians in training was a momentous occasion, and as it fell near the spring equinox, it was decided that a celebration for his adulthood would be combined with the equinox festival.
In the week approaching the festival, Kyran was dubious about the amount of attention that would be drawn to him during the celebration. Heâd probably have to pick someone to dance with or, if he could, find a way to avoid the scenario at all. That was an idea. Maybe he could turn up for the ceremony and then quickly escape before the rest of the festivities started. But then people would go looking for him and .. bah. Kyran sighed, leaning back on his bed - a simple wooden frame with a straw-stuffed mattress. People had so many expectations of him. It was all ridiculous.
His reverie was interrupted by a rapping on the wall, before his father pushed back the curtain in the doorway of his sleeping area. âStill brooding on the ceremony then?â he asked, making his way in and seating himself on the end of the bed. âItâs not that bad, you know. Itâs a bit of a spectacle but everyoneâs there for a good time in the end.â
Kyran sighed, âI know, itâs just ⊠I donât like the spotlight all that much, at least not in this context.â
His father grinned, âYou know what you need, son? You need someone to share it with. Now that youâre about to become a man, you ought to be putting yourself out there! I know there are a lot of young ladies who have their eyes on you, why, I even heard a bite of gossip from Esmeralda yesterday that her daughter has something of a thing for you...â
Kyran raised an eyebrow, âLeanne?â he murmured in disbelief, before sighing irritably.
âYou got it!â Sten smiled, âYouâll be the envy of all your friends if you dance with her at the ceremony, and from there you might even get to know here a little bett-â
âOh for the spiritsâ sake!â Kyran exclaimed, interrupting his father, âStop it dad! I donât want you matchmaking me! Maybe Iâm just not that interested with dancing with anyone, itâs a stupid spectacle anyway. I donât know why everyone expects me to suddenly start taking an interest in something Iâve never shown any interest in before now.â
Taken aback, Kyranâs father frowned, âWell, most boys your age have started ⊠you know, thinking about that sort of thing. Girls are more on their minds, you know? I know your training is important and all, and the spirits donât like sharing, but even Master Tae had a wife and...â
Kyran growled in frustration, jumping to his feet and kicking angrily at the wall, âItâs not the spirits, dad! Itâs not my training! Iâm just not interested!â
âIt just baffles me that you feel that way!â his father protested, âIâve never known anything like it... maybe thereâs something wro-â
âDonât!â Kyran snapped, silencing his father mid-word, âDonât even say that. You want to know why, dad? Fine, Iâll tell you whatâs âwrongâ with me. I donât like girls, father, I like guys. Iâve never wanted to dance with a girl because I donât find them attractive in the same way you do. I just ⊠Iâm different! Spirits damn it!â With his outburst over, Kyran looked to his father, who was left entirely speechless, mouth agape. Seeing how shocked his father was was, Kyran clenched his fists, fighting back angry tears, âI should have known you wouldnât understand. I should have kept it to myself like I have done until now. Itâs not my fault!â
Without another word, Kyran turned from the room and ran, through the main area of the hut and out through the door, past his shocked mother returning from the river where she had been washing their clothes and past where Narin was lying under the tree he had claimed as his own since he became too big to live inside. He leaped, taking to the treetops with a burst of air and fled the village. He wanted to be alone. Tears ran down his face as he told himself over and over again what an idiot he was and how disappointed his father would be.
Sten had always made a point of how lucky he was that all the girls found his guardian role so alluring. Heâd reinforced again and again how important treating a woman well was, and how one day Kyran would grow up to have a wife and kids of his own. It had been when he was just gone fourteen that Kyran realised that ideal wasnât something he wanted.
He finally stopped his flight when he reached the apex of a small hill, twenty minutes out from the village, where he dropped to the ground and punched it angrily. What was wrong with him? Why did he have to be so difficult? Everyone expected him to find a girl and have children and be normal. Why was that so hard?
He lost track of the time he was sat there staring at the ground, barely noticed the evening chill setting in. He only emerged from his reverie when he heard a whine at the edge of the area, and saw Narin emerging from the trees to bound up the hill toward him. âHey boy...â he whispered sadly, reaching up to hug the wolfstagâs soft fur, pressing his tear-stained cheeks against him. âYou found me.â
âKyran?â
Kyran looked up with a start as his fatherâs voice cut through the clearing, and saw him emerging from the trees that Narin had come from. âTraitor...â he mumbled to the wolfstag, who responded with a mournful glance.
âKyran!â Sten exclaimed, hurrying up the hill and pulling his son into a hug, âYou had me worried, running off like that. Iâd never have found you without Narinâs help, spirits bless that nose of his.â
Kyran looked up at his father, âYou arenât angry?â he asked.
Shaking his head, his father sighed, âNo, Ky, of course Iâm not. Not with you anyway. Iâm angry at myself. All these years I saw you were uncomfortable every time I brought family and girls up with you and I just assumed it was teenage awkardness. I must be the slowest father in the world to not have realised it went deeper than that.â
âBut âŠâ Kyran said, âI canât be all those things you keep saying. I thought youâd be disappointed.â
Sten rubbed at his eye, shaking his head continually, âSpirits Iâm an idiot. Iâm so sorry that I made you think that. I pressed what were my ideals on you, rather than letting you have your own. Iâm not disappointed with you at all, Iâm still as proud as ever. You arenât any different for this, youâre still the forest guardian and a life-saver and a hero. Youâre every fatherâs dream son and I couldnât love you with any more of my heart if I tried.â
Holding back tears, Kyran leaned into his fatherâs arms, âThanks dad,â he whispered. The two knelt there in embrace for a time before Sten placed a hand on Kyranâs arm.
âCome on, we should head for home. Your mother will be a wreck by now. I barely convinced her not to follow me out here and stay home in case you came back.â he said.
Kyran frowned faintly, âIs she okay with...â
Sten nodded, âAbsolutely. I told her before I left and she just wanted me to stop talking and bring you back, and that didnât change.â
Sniffing, Kyran smiled, âOk. Letâs go.â he said quietly.
With Narin in tow, father and son turned and headed for home. It was a long evening of reconciliation and reassurance, but by the end of it Kyran felt better than he had for two long years. He was himself, and accepted for it both by his parents and - perhaps for the first time, himself.
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It was the day of the equinox and of the ceremony that accompanied Kyranâs transition to adulthood. Kyran was filled with a mixture of excitement and dread. Even if heâd overcome his doubts with his parents, there was still a village full of people who didnât know anything had changed. And of course, there was the ceremony itself to consider. Being announced an adult was no small order. While it didnât mean heâd be out hunting because of his role as guardian, heâd be treated very differently by the village after it. Not as a child anymore, but as an equal.
The atmosphere was very different to the solstice festivals - where they were held in the evening and into the night, the equinox celebrations started at noon and led up to a banquet in the evening. There was dancing though, as there always was, and singing and much reverie in general. Kyran sat with his mother on the lead-up to noon, staring up at the treetops as she carefully applied the ceremonial markings to his face and torso - both those of the guardian, and of the ceremony. It was traditional for the boyâs mother to apply the markings as a final farewell to the child they tended and a welcoming of the man he grew into. Like most, Ella was holding back tears of pride and love as she worked.
âHave you decided how youâre going to handle... questions?â she asked as they sat, âDoubtless there will be young women who ask to to the dance floor. Will you go with them just to keep them happy, or..?â
Kyran shook his head, âI donât think I want to lie and make excuses any more mother.â he said, âIâm the villageâs guardian. They have to know me as me, not as who they want me to be.â
His mother smiled, âThatâs my boy- ah, sorry, man,â she hastily corrected herself, strong as ever and ready to face the world.â
Returning the gesture, Kyran nodded, âAs ready as Iâll ever be at least. Even this added complication aside, it seems so ⊠sudden. Almost unreal.â
âYouâre telling me!â she replied, âI still remember holding you as a babe as though it were yesterday. Now look at you. Iâm so proud of you, Kyran.â
The markings were done, and Kyran rose. From the entrance to their hut, his father emerged and nodded to him. âItâs time, son. Shall we?â
Kyran returned the nod. âLetâs go.â
The square was alive with activity as Kyran and his parents approached, but as they came into view the conversation died down to a low hum. The crowd was gathered around Master Tae once more, the elderly man standing with a friendly smile on his face as the three stepped towards him, passing through the crowd of their friends. Kyranâs eyes met those of Tam and Perin, who both grinned at him and gave him a thumbs up. He crossed eyes with Lily, who bowed her head to him respectfully, one guardian to another. Finally he passed by Rayn, and their eyes held one another for what seemed like forever before he broke the contact and lowered his eyes. Kyran felt himself twinge with sadness for a moment, but took a deep breath and shouldered the emotion. Now wasnât the time.
âHalt,â Tae called, and Kyran and his parents stopped in their approach. âLet the boyâs mother stop here, as she releases her son into the arms of the world that it may mold him and change him beyond her recognition, and that it may make him a man who can return to her and say proudly that he in turn molded the world.â
With a final tearful embrace, Ella planted a kiss on Kyranâs forehead and stepped away.
âMove forward.â Tae intoned, and Kyran and his father stepped on till they were stood before him. âHere you stand before me, boy and man, son and father. When this is done you will stand before me not as boy and man, but as men. Sten Eirael, you must guide your son still, for he has much to learn in life. But guide him not as you would a child, but as you would a friend. For he joins you today in manhood, and becomes your equal. Do you accept this?â
Sten nodded proudly, âGladly.â he replied.
âThen bow to your son, show him that he is respected, that he is equal.â Tae continued.
Turning to him, Kyranâs father smiled, before lowering himself in a long bow. Tae nodded, âNow step back, for it is at an armâs length that you must guide him now. A gentle nudge and guiding hand, but he is his own man to take your advice or nay.â he said. As Sten stepped away, Tae turned his attention to Kyran. âKyran Eirael, on this day you tread from the life of a child into that of a man. You are faced with new duties, new responsibilities and new challenges. Are you ready to embrace these and hold your head high in the face of adversity?â
âI am.â Kyran replied, breathing deeply.
âThen by my right as elder, let it be known that I declare Kyran Eirael, son of Sten and Ella Eirael is no longer a child. Let it be known he has joined his father and is a man!â Tae called, to a chorus of cheers. The old man smiled, placing a hand on Kyranâs shoulder, âIâm proud of you, Kyran,â he said more softly that only Kyran would hear, âYouâve done yourself and your family proud, and it is with my own pride that I look upon you as my equal.â
Beaming Kyran nodded to his master, âThank you, master.â he said.
âMind you!â Tae added, âIâm still your master when it comes to your duties as forest guardian! We are far from equal there, my friend, but as men? Yes.â The pair laughed, and the crowd began to dissolve across the village centre as the festivities and dancing began.
Kyran smiled, walking away from the middle of the area to take himself out of the spotlight. He caught sight of Tam and Perin, and made to join them. However, halfway across the centre and through the crowd he found himself intercepted by none other than Leanne. The beautiful young woman smiled to him, pulling him aside to the side of one of the buildings. âHi Kyran,â she said softly, âSorry to pull you away from your friends like this, but, well, I was wondering if you wanted to have the first dance with me? Itâd only be fitting, since this is your day after all...â
Coughing awkardly, Kyran ran a hand through his hair, âAh, see, Leanne, the thing is, I donât really feel like dancing...â
âOhhh,â Leanneâs smile widened, âSay no more,â she said, âI know what you mean.â The girl lifted a hand to brush against Kyranâs cheek, âDâyou want that we should go and find somewher a little more private..?â She winked.
Kyran blushed furiously, and was about to protest further when he was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him. âExcuse me, Leanne?â Kyran turned in surprise to see Rayn, clearly fighting the urge to turn around and flee.
âWhat is it Ray, canât you see that weâre busy?â Leanne demanded, scowling.
âNo, Iâm sorry, I didnât mean to interrupt. I just want to borrow Kyran for a moment. It wonât take a second.â he said, taking a deep breath.
Leanne rolled her eyes, âWhatever, but donât keep him busy for too long... we have places to be.â
âYeah, right,â Rayn muttered, stepping forwards to smile at Kyran. âHey, I uh...â the boy sighed, âI wanted to apologise. Iâve been an ass ever since ⊠ever since the mine. I shouldnât have totally ignored it, and ⊠Iâm sorry.â
Kyran blinked in surprise, âYou donât have to apologise, Ray, if you werenât ready then that was your call. You werenât an ass, you were just-â
A cough interrupted him, âTick tock!â Leanne called, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
Rayn grimaced, âYou know what? Fine.â he muttered, âBut before I go, Leanne, thereâs just one more thng.â
Leanne gave Rayn a dry glare, âAnd what would that be?â she asked, clearly impatient.
âThis.â he snapped, lifting his hand to Kyranâs head and leaning in to kiss him firmly on the lips. Kyran was shocked by the gesture, but far from displeased, and it was held for several long seconds before the two boys separated. Leanne, in the meantime, was left gaping with her mouth in a permanent âoâ.
Kyran, having gone bright red, managed to smile to Rayn, who looked equally embarrassed. âAh, wow,â he said, âThat was unexpected.â
âSorry,â Rayn said, âI was just getting sick of somebodyâs petulant complaining.â he noted, glaring at Leanne. The girl glanced between the pair of them and, seeing that Kyran wasnât horrified and punching Rayn in the face, let out a sigh of frustration and turned to storm off.
âWell, I canât argue with your results,â Kyran said, grinning, âCanât say I have any complaints about the methods, either.â
Rayn nodded his head, âI figured you could use the help. If thereâs anything spirit-head nature-dance guy couldnât handle, itâd be talking to living girls.â
âStop calling me th- Oh forget it, itâs actually kinda refreshing from being reverently called guardian all the time.â Kyran said, âBut, well, since weâre on the topic... howâd you feel about, well, picking up Leanneâs slack?â
âWhat do you mean?â Rayn asked dubiously.
Kyran smiled, âWell, itâs my ceremony, I really ought to dance with someone...â
âOh!â Rayn blushed, âI.. well... I havenât talked to my parents or anyone about ⊠us or âŠâ
âYeah, right. Nevermind.â Kyran forced himself not to deflate too much.
âNo!â Rayn interrupted, âYou didnât let me finish. That said, it is your ceremony and, heck, talking will be easier when they already have an example to give them a clue.â
Laughing, Kyran nodded, taking Raynâs hand in his own and pulling him towards where people were starting to dance. The red-haired teen followed after him with only short-lived reluctance, and the rest of the evening blurred together into history. A lot had changed for Kyran in a few short hours, and, well. Unlike last year, things were very much not going to go back to normal.
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Part Two: Falling
The years that followed saw Kyranâs life finding new ground. Around him, people who he had grown with had their own ceremonies and passed into adulthood. His relationship with Rayn developed into a big part of both their lives, but their separate duties occupied much of their time. Kyranâs training was more intense than ever, with the goal of him achieving the status of full guardian within the next few years, and he found himself achieving things he had thought impossible when he first began learning. He was almost matching Master Tae strength to strength, though the older manâs experience and wisdom clearly surpassed his own.
In the meantime, Rayn was rapidly proving himself to be an incredibly capable hunter. The other men joked that where Kyran could sense the forest around him with his powers, Rayn's eyesight could pick out a falling leaf at fifty feet and his reflexes could put an arrow through it before it hit the ground. Whilst that was an exaggeration, he seldom missed. He had learned from a master, though. Raynâs father wasnât a hunter, but a craftsman and so for most of his early life had hadnât had the same heroic idol that a large majority of the children did. He still loved his father and respected his work, but the childish idolisation of the hunters drew him to them like it did most young men. He had started training himself early in life, but struggled without a regular teacher. Thankfully for him, there was a hunter in the village in a similar position - Kyranâs father Sten. His sonâs duties as guardian meant that Sten hadnât his own child to train to become a hunter, and so when Raynâs father approached him, seeing how desperate his son was to learn, Sten was more than happy to accept. It was how Kyran and Rayn had become friends, and Sten continued to train Rayn all the way up to his becoming a fully fledged hunter.
With Kyranâs development into a powerful guardian, a sense of friendly rivalry and an urge to prove himself to his friend and partner combined in Raynâs early adulthood to drive him to seek perfection in his archery and in his fighting. Whilst he knew that he wouldnât ever be able to match Kyran for sheer versatility and power, pushing himself to achieve a level of skill that put him a head above other men kept him from falling into the slightly older boyâs shadow. Sten couldnât be happier with the manner in which his pupil surpassed him.
It was the month after Kyranâs eighteenth birthday when the day came that would change the lives of the people of the village forever. He and Lily were training with Master Tae, with Rayn taking a break from his own practice to watch from the edge of the clearing. Kyran was stood at the centre of the clearing, a blindfold around his head and his ears plugged. Lily and Tae were positioned to either side of him at ten paces, all three in ready stances.
Lily moved in first, feet dancing lightly over the ground as she swung a leg out with an arc of fire following it to slice through the air toward him. As her foot touched down her body surged forwards, hands spreading out to gather water from the air. She breathed in deeply, and the water condensed and froze into shards of ice before she sent them shooting towards him.
Kyran turned to face her, spinning his staff in the air to guide gusts of wind to deflect her arc of fire, before planting a foot firmly in the ground to force a wall of rock upwards to block the watery projectiles. In the next instant he spun, ducking into a crouch as Master Taeâs fist, charged with fire passed over where his head had been. The blast of flame struck the wall of rock and shattered it. Before the momentum of the strike had even begun to dissipate, Kyran was bringing his staff up in a fluid motion and with a blast of air sent the older man flying backwards, where he flipped and landed gracefully on his feet.
The youth turned around to face Lily for a second time as she tore a chunk of earth from the ground to launch at him, his foot swinging to contact the remnants of the wall of rock at its base. The slab of stone shot through the air to hit Lily in the midsection just as she released her own projectile, winding her and knocking her to the ground with a groan. Kyran leaned to the side, allowing the rock to pass over him inches from his face and brought his own hand up to redirect its momentum, launching it forcefully at Master Tae. The attack interrupted Taeâs planned strike, forcing him to dart a hand up to catch the rock in midflight, halting it with his palm and allowing it to drop to the ground.
The older man smiled, bowing his head, âThat will do, Kyran. I am impressed.â
Kyran returned the bow with a smile, removing his blindfold and earplugs. âSorry, what was that?â he asked, âHad something in my ears.â
Tae smiled dryly, âI said I was impressed. Are you alright, Lily?â
A groan from the other side of the clearing answered him, âYeah...â she called, âJust fine. Rock in the stomach, absolutely fine! Not that Iâm not used to it by now with how our sparring normally goes.â
Kyran chuckled, giving Rayn a glance where he was sat with a bemused grin on his face. The redhead caught his eye and shrugged, âWell, I certainly couldnât have done it,â he noted, âBut Iâm good with pointy things.â
The young guardian smirked, âDonât put yourself down. The number of times youâve bested me in a no-powers spar is depressing.â
âWell,â Rayn replied with a laugh, âYou learn to work with what youâve got, I guess.â
âThat will be all for the moment. Get some rest, and Lily, Iâll find you some balm for that bruise.â Master Tae said, starting to walk back towards the village, shortly followed by a still complaining Lily.
âNow what, then?â Rayn asked Kyran. He shrugged in response, but before he could formulate a proper answer, a bark from the edge of the clearing interrupted him. It was Narin - though sometimes Kyran was struck by how different he was from the mewling pup he had rescued from poachers. The mighty wolfstag was taller than he was now, which was a little precarious at times given that the soft thing still enjoyed bounding up and pouncing on him affectionately. It seemed he had other things on his mind for the moment, however, whining at the pair of youths and nodding back the direction he had come from.
Kyran raised an eyebrow, âYou want us to come with you, boy?â he asked, with a hearty bark as his response. âGuess we have our answer then,â he said to Rayn, offering a hand to help the other boy up. The pair made their way over to Narin, who lowered himself down onto his paws. Kyran swung himself up onto the wolfstagâs back and was followed, with a little help, by Rayn.
âIâll never get used to this,â Rayn muttered as Narin rose back to full height, âYou sure we canât fit him with a saddle?â
âAbsolutely not,â Kyran replied, grinning and briefly clasping his partnerâs hands as Rayn wound his arms around his waist. âHold on tight, you know the drill.â he said, before patting Narin on the neck. âLetâs go boy!â he called, and Narin launched into motion.
The wolfstag carried them rapidly through the trees, bounding over bushes and creeks to the point where the trunks became a blur. Kyran smiled as he felt Rayn grip onto him like a vice - he wasnât as big a fan of the rapid, lurching motions as Kyran was. To him it was the definition of feeling alive. Eventually they felt Narin slow, and Kyran realised that they were almost to the very edge of the forest. The treeline was visible up ahead, the bright light of the open plains beyond shining clearly. âWhere are we headed, Narin?â he asked, hoping that the wolfstag would give him an insight through his connection to the forest, but for whatever reason, he remained silent. It was clear he wanted to show them.
When they finally broke from the trees, it took a few moments for the pairâs eyes to adjust to the brighter light of the plains. When their vision cleared, it was not a pretty sight that met them. Kyranâs jaw dropped as he took in what Narin had brought them to see. All along the forest-line, carts and beasts of burden were lined, and dozens upon dozens - perhaps even hundreds of men were at the trees, axes in hand and hacking at the trunks. âWhat in the spiritsâ name?!â Kyran exclaimed. Theyâd interacted with the outsiders before, but seldom had they come in such numbers to the forest, and never for such destruction. âWe need to find Master Tae and the other elders,â he whispered, âThis is bad.â
Rayn nodded from behind him, grimacing, âWhat are they doing? They know that we live in this forest and that itâs sacred ground. They know this will bring conflict.â
Kyran turned to face the other youth, sighing, âI donât know, but I know that we canât let this go unheard of for a second longer. Narin, take us home!â he instructed. The wolfstag turned, giving the pair one last glance behind them at the beginning destruction before they were again surrounded by trees, and in a blur on their way back to the village. It looked like it was time for his first true test as a guardian, Kyran thought to himself as they travelled. He only hoped that conflict could be avoided somehow. He couldnât for the life of him think of how, though.
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Kyran sat cross legged in the large hut that made up the meeting place for the villageâs leaders. This was the first time heâd been present for such a meeting - Master Tae had decided it was necessary that he relate his findings to the others himself, and also that he would need to start getting used to it anyway. The village leaders were four or five individuals from various walks of life. Kyranâs father was there, as the leader of the hunters, Tae was there as both the guardian and elder, a woman named Moira represented the women of the village and a man named Peter represented the working men.
âThis situation is grave and requires immediate action,â Tae was saying, âWe cannot allow the outsiders to continue their work here.â
Sten nodded, âThen what are we waiting for? We need to dispatch a party of hunters to drive them off immediately!â
âNo, Sten, we canât strike at them like that,â Moira cautioned, âWe could start a war. We should try and get them to leave peacefully before we do anything drastic.â
âAgreed,â Tae said, âI volunteer to find whoever is in charge of the operation myself.â
âAre you sure thatâs wise?â Peter queried, âThey could turn on you. You should bring an escort, even the guardian is vulnerable to surprise and betrayal.â
âAn escort could be mistaken as an attack,â Moira noted, âWe should be careful about giving the wrong impression.â
âWhy not take me?â The eyes of the four went to Kyran, âI can watch Master Taeâs back, and between us Iâm sure we can get back in one piece no matter how badly it goes.â
Tae nodded, âA fine idea. I will bring both you and Lily, that we have three pairs of eyes and three who are aware of all that is around us. Nobody will be able to sneak up on all of us, and we have the firepower to defend ourselves.â
Frowning, Moira placed a hand on Taeâs shoulder, âShould you be walking all three of those who know the guardian ways into danger like this? If something were to go wrong...â
âI will do everything in my power to preserve them, Moira. But we canât shelter them forever.â Tae replied.
Moira sighed, âYou are right, I suppose. All in favour of the plan?â
All three of Moira, Tae and Peter voiced their approval, and Sten, after a concerned look to Kyran who met it with a reassuring smile, eventually nodded himself too. âYour mother wonât like this,â he said as they emerged from the hut, âBut I know youâll be safe with Tae, and really, with yourself.â
Kyran smiled, âThanks, dad. The confidence means a lot.â
Tae approached the two of them and placed a hand on Kyranâs shoulder, âWe will depart as soon as I have explained the situation to Lily. Be ready at the East side of the village in ten minutes.â he said, before striding onwards to find her.
Another voice called out to them as they made their way through the village, and Kyran looked up to see Rayn running over to them, âSo how did it go? Whatâs the plan?â he asked.
âMaster Tae and Lily and I are going to try and talk to them,â Kyran explained, âWeâre trying to avoid starting a war.â
Rayn grimaced, âThe outsiders have never cared for our reasoning before. We warned them about their poaching and they ignored us then, why would they listen now?â
Kyran shook his head, âWe have to try.â he said.
âI know,â Rayn sighed, âItâs just frustrating. But hey, do me a favour? When they tell you to get lost, set something on fire for me?â he grinned.
âHah! A little defeatist there, but Iâll keep it in mind. Look, I really have to go and get ready to head out now,â Kyran replied, aware of time slipping by.
Rayn nodded, âAlright, but just one more thing...â he paused to lean in and kiss him, âBe careful, yeah?â
Kyran smiled, âI will be. Iâll be back before you know it.â he said, before turning to jog after his father who had gone on ahead. A short trip home to let his mother know what was happening, and with staff in hand, Kyran was ready. He only hoped that the outsiders would listen.
_________________________________________________________________
As the three guardians emerged out of the forest, the afternoon sun slipped briefly behind a cloud, casting a shadow over the plains. A quick glance around the flat land located the camp of the workers, set up near the river that ran through the plains, sprawling across the land like a rash - hundreds of tents and men rushing between them like ants in a nest. The campâs guards looked up as they approached it from the plains, exchanging hurried words and frowns. Master Tae paused a short distance away and bowed, âMy name is Adrien Tae, and I wish to speak to whoever is in charge here.â he said sternly.
âWhat dâyou want the boss for?â one of the guards asked.
âMy people and I take issue with his choice of logging site. I wish to discuss this before it becomes a matter of any greater contention.â Tae replied.
Though they exchanged dubious looks, the spokesman for the guards shrugged eventually, âAlright, Iâll send someone to let him know, if he wants to see you then you can see him.â
Tae simply nodded. They stood waiting for several minutes after the guard sent had departed, and the tension became palpable - the guards shifted uncomfortably under the elderly manâs unwavering gaze (not to mention the glare that Lily was giving them). Eventually the runner returned, and after a few hushed words with the leader, he turned to them. âAlright, the boss will see you. Come this way.â
They followed the guard into the camp, and it seemed even more a hive of activity from here than outside. Workers were busied toing and froing from the treeline, transporting the harvested lumber in carts and passing it to others who transported it to storage. There were a lot of guards, more than you would expect for a simple lumbering operation. Maybe they were expecting trouble.
Eventually they were brought to a large tent at the centre of the camp, and gestured inside. The three entered and were greeted by what looked less like the inside of a tent and more like a luxurious office. A desk was sat at the centre and bookshelves lined the canvas walls. A large bed was placed to the side of the room and there was even a rug. A portly man was sat at the table, and when they entered he looked up with a beaming smile. âWelcome! Welcome! Master Tae, isnât it? And these must be your pupils? Yes, I do indeed know who you are - take a seat, please.â
âWe will remain standing if it is all the same,â Tae responded, âHow do you know of us?â
The man lifted a hand, âWhy, youâre the talk of the town! Or towns, I should say. Hunters and trappers and explorers often speak of your people. It isnât so common that they know your name, but I have a lot of sources. And how I know your pupils, well, that was just a little common sense. I know how the old legend goes, the guardian teaches the new generation and so on. Iâve done my research, my friends!â
Tae scowled, âIf you know so much, then why are you here? Why are you destroying the forest you know we are sworn to protect?â
Shaking his head, the man chuckled, âIâm not here to destroy, no no no! Whilst I may require the lumber from your forest for my work, I donât enjoy wanton destruction by any means. I knew that you would come, and I have a solution already prepared. You are forest guardians, yes? So it doesnât really matter what part of the forest youâre protecting. I am willing to fully finance and orchestrate the moving of your village to another part of the forest - with significant upgrades to housing quality, facilities and trade routes - all for nothing more than your cooperation! A generous offer, I think youâll agree.â
There was a long silence, before Master Taeâs scowl deepened and he stepped forwards angrily, âYou insult us with such an offer, asking us to uproot our families, our livelihoods and just move over so you can harvest our lands for whatever wretched construction project you have - and dressing it up as a gift? How dare you! We are willing to offer you much in return for your stopping, but we will accept no other terms. You cease your destruction or there is no deal to be made.â
The man shrugged, âWell, you canât say I didnât try. Canât say I wasnât entirely expecting that response either. So you said it yourself, thereâs no deal to be made. Your forest is doomed either way, I suggest you get your pathetic little band of villagers moving before I chop them down t-â
âEnough!â Tae yelled, slamming his foot into the ground and bringing a spike of earth forth to scythe through the desk and split it in two, sending papers scattering everywhere. The portly man shrieked, scrambling backwards and falling off of his chair in shock. âYou have made your stance clear. There will be blood before this conflict is over, though it saddens me to say it, and it will be on your hands.â
Pulling himself ungracefully to his feet, the man scowled, âGuards! Guards!â he yelled, âSeize these people at once!â
Tae shook his head in disgust, turning to Kyran and LIly. âLet us begone from here.â he said, turning on the spot and sweeping a hand upwards. A burst of air flooded upwards, uprooting the tent and sending it flying away even as the guards attempted to enter it. As he did so, Lily stepped forwards, spreading her palms and sweeping them forwards to blast them with a gout of flame to clear their path.
âMove!â Tae barked, and they shot into motion, speeding through the camp faster than the guards had any hope of chasing. Those that attempted to block their path were tossed aside with earth or air, or cast down with flame. They broke from the camp onto the plains and were soon well on their way back to the trees.
As they slowed, Master Tae sighed, âI feared that this would not work. But so be it. We will do what we must to protect the forest.â
The mood on their trek home was solemn and few words were exchanged. All three had an idea of the conflict that was to come. None knew quite how vast it would become, however.
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âReady on your mark, guardian.â
Kyran was crouched in the undergrowth of the forest a short distance from the border. The rhythmic sound of axes meeting wood was clearly audible from here, but despite the influx of light from the edge of the trees, to the workers, he and those with him would be nigh on invisible. It was just a few days after the attempt at diplomacy had failed, and plans had been made. They would make it impossible for the workers to make progress. Across the treeline, similar parties to his - hunters mostly, though both Lily and Tae were present - prepared to strike against the workers. It felt wrong to Kyran that they were targeting the men who were just taking orders, but as had been brought up in the discussion, there was little other choice without open battle on the plains, where they did not have the advantage.
Kyran nodded to the hunter beside him, and after a few seconds, began to rise, âNow,â he hissed. As he spoke, the thrum of bowstrings sounded all around him and arrows flew from the trees towards the workers. Shouts of pain and shock came up in place of the chopping sounds, and Kyran was already on the move. He leaped from the trees with his staff in hand, spinning it over his head as he cleared the line of workers and landed amongst their carts and supplies. As his feet met the ground, a shard of rock burst from the ground beneath a cart and knocked it aside, followed by a slice of air as he swung his staff around in rising from the crouch that tossed another two away in splinters. He could see a similar story at other points along the line of workers, flames enveloping the supplies where Lily worked and them already shattered to near nothingness by Tae.
Kyran leaped away, moving on from this cluster of carts to the next, smashing and scattering them irrecoverably. In a few short minutes the entire line of workersâ supplies were decimated. The carts designed to carry logs back to the camp were smashed, their equipment torched and a good number of them wounded. Kyran retreated back to the trees before so much as a blade could be lifted his way, and he and the hunters melted back into the trees. So began what became almost a daily ritual. The workers would arrive at the trees and almost before they could start work their newly replenished supplies would be destroyed and they would be driven away by a rain of arrows.
For the moment at least, it seemed they had the upper hand. It wasnât the first time the village had seen conflict such as this, though it was the first in Kyranâs lifetime - loggers had come to the village before, back when Kyranâs father would have been a child too young to carry a bow, and had been driven away in defeat by similar tactics. The elders were confident they would prevail again. Tae, however, had voiced his worry - the outsiders were not the type not to learn from their mistakes. He was wary that things seemed to be going so well almost in a repeat of what had happened before.
Perhaps he was right to be, but Kyran wasnât sure what the outsidersâ next move could be.
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It was late in the evening a week later when a caravan of new soldiers pulled into the logging encampment. The guards and workers watched them in wary silence as their horses passed. The new arrivals numbered approximately fifty, all bearing the colours of red and gold on their various degrees of armour. Their emblem, a golden half-mask with a pitch-black eye displayed on their cloaks and shields, identified them as the Reaperâs Eye, a mercenary band feared throughout Kerador for their skill and ruthlessness. What set them apart from other mercenary groups was their resources. Over the decade they had been active, they had amassed a vast amount of wealth with which they could afford advanced weaponry and armour, making their soldiers all the more deadly. It also meant that they could afford to pay the best rates, thereby attracting the best fighters. Any other mercenary groups in the country were kept very forcibly in check by the iron grasp of the Reapers.
Their emblem was derived from their leader, who now rode at the front of his men on a fierce black steed. His cloak was hooded, and upon his face he wore the half-mask from which the company had derived their emblem and name. He and two other riders separated themselves from the column and dismounted outside the tent of the man in charge. The portly man had emerged to greet them nervously.
âHarrison Locke?â the masked man asked, focusing the man with a stare.
âAh, yes. And you must be Marcus Lerant.â Locke replied, âIâm glad youâve arrived. You got my deposit?â
The man nodded briskly, âI wouldnât be here if I hadnât, give me a lowdown on the situation here. I assume itâs changed since your letter?â
âNot significantly. My workers have been forced to abandon their efforts because of the harassment of the villagers and their magic users.â Locke replied, âI have a new work-force coming in that wonât be so susceptible to such problems, but I would appreciate it if the ah, root of the problem were eliminated. Thatâs your job. Get rid of the village, and kill their guardians to quash any hopes of revenge. Consider it four separate bounties. The village, the old man, the boy and the girl.â
The masked man folded his arms, âSo in summary, you want us to slaughter a village of innocents and wipe out a traditional form of magical teaching passed down for hundreds of years?â He leaned back on one foot, glancing to the two people on either side of him, âWhat are your thoughts on this?â
The first to speak was a woman, dark-haired and elegantly beautiful. A metal rod and a variety of odd-looking weaponry hung from holsters on her body. âDespicable, sir. Morally detestable.â she responded, looking bored.
The other, a young looking man with short spiked hair and no weapon to speak of, gave Locke a derisive look. âHe seems like a nasty piece of work to me, sir.â
Nodding, the masked man tutted to Locke, âYou are asking such a lot, my friend, for us to go against our morals so very much...â he noted, a spike of humour entering his voice as he pronounced the word âmoralsâ. âIâm afraid I might have to charge an extra fee.â
Spluttering with indignation, Locke opened his mouth to protest the ridiculousness of such a request, but saw the look in Marcusâ one visible eye and deflated. âAlright, alright. An extra ten percent. Will that do?â
âVery nicely,â Marcus said, smiling sinisterly, though half of his face was masked in a permanent scowl. âTell your workers to go to work tomorrow. The villageâs raid will not go as planned.â
Locke nodded, and Marcus turned away to give his men orders to set up for the night. Tomorrow he would get a gauge on the strength of those he had to kill. Tomorrow he could begin making plans. Tomorrow the villagers would have their hand displayed on the table while he still held all the cards, and there was nothing at all that they could do about it. The thought brought another smile to the manâs face as his men moved around him. It was a good life to have all the power. He wondered why more people didnât try it.
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Whilst Marcus went about ordering the rest of the men around, his lieutenants hung back. The dark haired woman rolled her eyes, âIdiot merchant. He could probably have hired any half-competent group of soldiers for this and he feels the need to throw money at us? For what, a single village? Itâs hardly worth our time.â
The young man nodded, âMoney is money, I suppose,â he noted, âDoes everything have to be a legendary feat?â
âUrgh,â the woman spat at the ground, âIs this really all about the money to you, Jair? Donât you want a challenge? Something to make your blood rush, adrenaline and fear...â
Jair grimaced, âIâm not quite as psychotic as you, Maeve, keep that in mind.â
Flashing Jair a deliberately dangerous smile, Maeve shrugged, âThings just get so ⊠mundane now and again, donât you think? So boring itâs almost painful. Itâs nice to liven things up with a decent fight rather than everything being so pitiful itâs more of a slaughter than a battle.â
âThese people might put up more of a fight than you think,â Jair replied, âAt least their âguardiansâ or whatever it is they call them. They use some sort of ancient magic thatâs hardly taught outside of isolated communities like this.â
Maeve rolled her eyes, âProbably because what you can do is far more potent. Iâve heard of it, primal magic the mages call it, but itâs practically common knowledge that your magic is stronger. Thereâs a reason itâs even outlawed in some places.â
âI suppose youâre right. They might give you a run for your money though,â Jair said, smirking.
âPlease,â Maeve gave him a dry look, âI ran circles around you when we first met, didnât I?â
âYou caught me by surprise!â he protested.
âYou keep using that excuse, Jay-Jay,â Maeve laughed, âBut one day youâll have to admit Iâm just too fast for you. Youâre just lucky that Marcus intervened and offered you a place with us after seeing what you could do. The look on that merchantâs face when we turned back up with you was something Iâd pay to see again. I particularly liked the part where he caught fire.â
Jair shrugged, âIt was him or me. Unlike you I donât kill people just for the pleasure of it.â
âSuch slander! Thatâs hardly true, Jay sweetie, I donât kill people for fun - but itâs always delightful to see a conniving liar or a cowardly weakling who pays others to do their dirty work get what they deserve. Thereâs a reason that Marcus tries to keep me away from most of our clients.â Maeve laughed.
The pair were interrupted by Marcusâ voice from where he had been directing the soldiers, âIf you two have had enough idle chatter time, we need to be discussing our plan for the morning.â he said humorlessly, âGet moving.â
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Dawn came, and the workers made their way once more toward the treeline with their carts and wagons. The villagers were waiting for them as they had been for the last week. They hadnât even reached the trees when a volley of arrows flew from them to hit the ground just before them. A warning. The workers halted, but unlike previous days, didnât simply turn around and give up. They were waiting for something. Kyran frowned. Until now, things had turned into something of a routine. The workers would approach the trees and the sentries would fire on them until they retreated - more recently the workers had approached only superficially, with no real intent nor expectation to reach the trees. But they werenât falling back now, so what had changed?
Suddenly, a shout went out from one of the hunters. From behind the line of workers a spark exploded outwards into a fiery missile and soared through the air towards them. The villagers began to scatter, but a figure broke from the trees further down, and Kyran made out Master Tae leaping into the air to meet the fireball. He swung his arms around, extending his palms outwards and struck back with a burst of air. The fireball coursed around the blast, flames licking past Tae, but it dissipated and was gone. Tae himself was launched backwards, catching himself against a tree.
The fire hadnât struck, but it had provided the intended distraction. While their eyes had been averted, dozens of figures had jumped from hiding inside the carts, armour-clad and coloured in red and gold, weapons drawn and charging towards the trees. Hastily the hunters regained their lines and opened fire, arrows striking the charging attackers down, but many survived behind their shields and armour. It was clear that they would reach the trees. Another volley went out, and more enemies fell, but in the next instant the armoured soldiers reached the trees and chaos was unleashed.
The clashing of blades filled the air as the hunters drew their swords to meet the charge, but it was clear that they were outmatched. The enemy were better equipped and armoured, whereas the studded leather of the hunters was paltry by comparison. Kyran leaped into action, swinging his staff outwards to propel an enemy upwards and out of the forest with a blast of air. Another was crushed with a ram of earth that burst from the ground to pin him against a tree, but even with Kyran, Tae and Lily in their midst the numbers and weaponry of the attackers was too great to fight without casualties that they could not afford.
As Kyran knocked another enemy to the ground, a call sounded the retreat, and the hunters began to disengage and disappear into the forest. They had lost a half dozen men, and though they had taken twice as many of the enemies with them, their fighting force was much smaller. There were only twenty or so hunters - they had lost over a quarter of their number in one attack. There were more villagers who could fight, but even so that only brought the number up to around thirty. The other occupants of the village were children or the elderly. The disengagement was smooth - the mobility advantage of the hunters coming into its own - but it was clear that their tactics needed to change. They could no longer hold the forest line.
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âOur efforts must be focused on quick in and out strikes, leaving no time for retaliation.â
The villageâs leaders were in session once again, this time with both Kyran and Lily present to the side. Since their abilities would be so valuable in the fighting, it was again deemed necessary that they be present alongside the leaders themselves. Currently it was Sten speaking, nursing a slashed arm from the fight at the border. âTheir forces are skilled and well equipped, but their armour makes them slow, weâll be able to fire on them and retreat away before they can retaliate. Any sentries they put out will be easy to find in comparison to a wily prey animal.â
Tae nodded his head, âKyran, Lily and I will focus our efforts on continuing to disrupt their supplies. With our abilities we are nearly untouchable by mundane weaponry, but it is clear they have their own magic-users also. That flame strike was elemental magic, powerful and deadly. In a straight up match of power it will come out on top every time, however, we can use our more versatile powers to deflect and redirect it as I demonstrated.â he explained, turning to face Kyran and Lily for the secondary explanation for their benefit.
Moira frowned, âWe havenât been able to continue to disrupt their supplies for some time now due to their abandoning of their work. If you can get in and out frequently to do damage, eventually theyâll be forced to give up - their resources cannot be infinite, they wonât be able to replace those carts and tools forever, though they obviously planned for this.â
âAgreed. We can no more face them head on now than before, but now we can no longer hold a position. Disruption is our primary goal,â Sten said, âIâll split the hunters into strike teams so that we can attack from multiple angles - Iâve also got some of my men equipping those others who can fight. They might not be able to match the skill of our hunters but many of us know how to handle a bow.â
The leaders each voiced their agreement and the session was convened.
Several miles away, outside the forest and in the camp of the Reaperâs Eye, a similar meeting was taking place. Marcus was sat with his captains and with Maeve and Jair, nursing a cup of tea with almost disturbing casualness.
âTheir next move is obvious,â Marcus said, âThey know we have the advantage of numbers and equipment, and they know that we now hold the treeline so they cannot pick us off during the charge so easily.â He paused to take a sip of tea. âTheir tactics will focus around ambushes and hit and run strikes. Guerilla warfare at its prime within forested territory. Theyâll want to harass us and the foresters to the point where we cannot continue. However, we know something that they donât. From hereon out, the workers and their supplies are essentially expendable. Lockeâs new workforce is arriving within days and will eliminate the need for manpower and carts.â
Maeve smiled wickedly, âSo we let them think their tactic is working, and then bring out the big guns when theyâre confident?â she mused.
âExactly,â Marcus said, âAnd then when Lockeâs precious foresting operation is secure, we go for our bounties. We burn the village to the ground and we take out their defenders.â
âAnd then?â Jair asked.
âThen?â Marcus raised an eyebrow, âWe collect our pay and return home. A dull operation this will turn out to have been, but no matter.â He smiled darkly, âThereâs plenty of pleasure to be had in luxuriating in what we have acquired with our blood-stained fortuneâ
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It was the fourth day of the hit-and-run strikes, and so far the new tactic had been a success. Though they couldnât entirely prevent the workers from working thanks to their new guards posted through the trees, the village had them on the defensive and work was slow. Theyâd only lost one man so far in an attack gone wrong, and casualty numbers for the enemy were far higher. Kyran wasnât happy with the amount of killing that was happening, but he knew that it was necessary. He had no prior experience of fighting to kill, and had yet to take a life himself, always incapacitating or wounding his enemies. He knew heâd have to do it eventually, but he just wasnât ready yet.
There was a tension in the air - several strike teams had been in and reported back that the workers had yet to arrive. It was an hour past when they usually started, and the hunters were starting to get worried about what the outsiders had planned. Kyran and Tae had taken up a position further down the line of trees, past where the workers worked, in order to get a view on the encampment from relative safety. There had been little activity for twenty minutes now.
âWhat are they planning, do you think?â Kyran asked the older man, who shook his head.
âI donât know Kyran, I donât know. But with these new soldiers they have, it can only be bad. They have the eyes of professional killers, every one of them, not hired hands just holding a sword for their pay.â Tae frowned, âWait- look!â
Kyran lifted his eyes to where Tae pointed, only for them to widen in shock. Just reaching the edge of the hill on which the camp was placed, a dozen towering structures were rumbling forwards into view. It was hard to make out from the distance, but as they began to approach the trees, it became apparent that the outsiders had brought in further reinforcements. Armed with large spinning blades and constructed of metal and stone, these behemoths were like nothing Kyran had ever seen. Their eyes alight with magical power, they were clearly arcane constructions, but none of the information Master Tae had given him about arcane magic had prepared him for this. They crawled forwards on six short sturdy legs, their fronts composed of a solid torso and two arms, the first bearing the spinning blade and the second a claw. Behind the torso was a section resembling an oversized backpack, no doubt a place for them to place the logs they harvested.
Tae scowled, âGolems. These outsiders are determined. Weâll never be able to take these out with their soldiers guarding them, it would take too long.â
âSo what do we do?â Kyran asked, staring despairingly as the golems reached the treeline and began to decimate the forest, scything through trunks and depositing the harvested wood in their storage compartments.
There was a long pause whilst Tae stared determinedly at the golems, âWe must try and destroy them at nightfall, if we can circumvent the sentries weâll be able to-â
âMaster!â Kyran interrupted, âLook, the soldiers!â
The two guardians looked on as the armoured soldiers began to march past the golems and into the forest in a column of steel. They showed no signs of stopping, and their force was large enough to outnumber the entire village, let alone those who could fight.
âSpirits!â Tae cursed, âWe must return to the village at once. With me, Kyran!â he said, dashing back into the trees and launching himself upwards and forwards with a burst of wind. Kyran quickly followed.
In two short weeks the village had gone from peace to its very existence being threatened. Kyran had never felt so useless. What good was the title of guardian if none of them could protect what they were supposed to be guarding?
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The atmosphere in the village was grim. By now all had heard that there were soldiers on their way. It would take several hours for a column so large to reach them, but even with constant harassment by the hunters, the enemies were making progress. They had formed a tortoise formation that made them nearly immune to the huntersâ arrows, locked shields to all sides and above protecting them as they walked. It had forced them to a snailâs pace but their advance was relentless.
The leaders had already organised the evacuation of the young and the elderly. Those who could fight all remained, from the sixteen year olds who had just reached adulthood to the fifty and sixty year olds who could still carry a bow. Kyran was sat exhausted on one of the log benches in the village centre, staring down at the smouldering embers of the fire pit around which the villageâs festivals took place. It was looking increasingly unlikely there would be another one.
He barely noticed footsteps approaching he was so drained, when most days nobody could come within a twenty feet without him knowing, and even identifying them. He looked up only when a figure sat down beside him, meeting the grim eyes of Rayn. The two didnât exchange a word, Kyran simply practically collapsed into the other youthâs embrace. âSpirits damn it Rayn, Iâve tried so hard. Iâve done everything. Iâve thrown everything I can at them but their numbers make it impossible to land more than one attack before having to retreat to avoid being killed on the spot.â he said, voice strained with anger, âIâm dead on my feet and they just keep coming. Iâm a forest guardian but look at me! Iâm useless, I canât even protect my own home.â
Rayn leaned down to rest his forehead on the top of Kyranâs head, running a hand through his partnerâs hair, âYou arenât useless,â he said softly, âDonât say that. None of us were prepared for how determined these outsiders are. You couldnât have done anything more.â
âI must have killed a dozen men by now,â Kyran whispered, practically sobbing with pent-up rage and frustration, âI hadnât killed a single man this morning and now thereâs blood on my hands and it hasnât changed anything! I canât believe I thought I could perform my duties and never have to kill someone, Iâm such an idiot.â
The young guardian lifted his head and his tear-filled eyes met Raynâs. The red-haired youth lifted a hand to touch his cheek and shook his head, âIâve never wanted to kill anyone either, Ky, weâve been at peace for so many years now it isnât stupid to have assumed we wouldnât so suddenly be at war. Listen to yourself speak, youâre exhausted and suffering. Rest. We have time yet before we have to either fight or leave. Youâll be no good to anyone in this state - and before you say anything, you are useful. Youâre not worthless. Donât ever say that you are, because youâre worth everything to so many people who love you and youâre worth everything to me, okay?â
Kyran nodded sadly and let Rayn help him to his feet. As Rayn led him back to his hut, they passed the mournful form of Narin. The wolfstag had been sensing the tension in the air since the conflict started, but the nature of their strikes had meant that the large creature would have only caused trouble in the fighting. Kyran stroked his fur lovingly as he padded over to nuzzle at his neck, whispering softly into his ear that things would come together soon. The wolfstag lay down again as Rayn led Kyran inside and laid him down in his bed. He sat with him until he fell asleep after only a few minutes, exhaustion overwhelming him. The young hunter held the sleeping guardianâs hand, watching him finally breathe peacefully, and sighed. The truth was, he didnât know where theyâd be in a few hours time. So much hung in the balance, and heâd even overheard Master Tae speaking to Moira during the evacuation plans having said that he wasnât sure that there was anything that they could do.
Everything was falling apart, and there seemed no hope of stopping it from happening.
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As the column of soldiers made their way through the forest, Jair and Maeve walked amongst them. The frequent assaults by the villageâs hunters had them all on edge - theyâd lost a good number of men even with their specially requisitioned shields to form a tortoise, mostly from the attacks of the three guardians. Thankfully they seemed to have drained themselves now, and were forced to rest to regain their strength for when they arrived on their doorstep.
âMaeve?â The woman turned as Jair spoke her name, her eyes questioning, âYou were talking about it when we arrived, the feeling of being alive in a challenging fight...â the young man scowled, âIâm getting the opposite feeling here. Weâre trampling a people into extinction. It doesnât feel right.â
Maeve cackled, shaking her head, âOh Jay-Jay,â she began, before frowning, âYouâre serious, arenât you? For a moment I thought you were playing off of Marcusâ comments to the client. Whatâs the matter with you? Weâve killed innocents before and youâve never thought anything of it.â
Jair shook his head, âItâs different, though. Weâve never wiped out a whole village - nobodyâs ever wanted that. Itâs always been individual targets, or groups of bandits or ⊠just something other than genocide.â
Maeve met Jairâs eyes with a cold stare, âMarcus spared you when he had you at his mercy with a bounty of hundreds on your head. That job alone would have had us living like kings back then, but he saw something in you then, in little fifteen year old Jay-Jay, he saw potential worth more than that money. And he was right to, youâve grown into quite the powerful little firestarter, but do remember Jair, youâre only alive because of Marcus. You owe him everything, so do I - and if he wants us to wipe out a village of heathen barbarians? Then we will wipe it from the face of the planet.â
Falling into silence for several long moments, Jair nodded. âYouâre right. Even if it feels wrong, itâs our job. And theyâre hardly defenceless, anyway...â he muttered. Maeve tuned him out as he went on for a while longer about reasons he could justify it to himself. She didnât really care, if she was honest.
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An hour had passed, and the soldiers had stopped for a break. They were close to the village now, their scouts having located it the previous day. Maeve was stood to the side of the clearing they were in, keeping wary eyes on the treetops. Behind her, Marcus was discussing the plan of attack with the captains - it was relatively simple. The village wasnât walled or indeed very defensible at all. It would be a simple matter to annihilate it and its warriors if they stood their ground. And if they ran? Well, once their village was gone, they had nothing left to defend. The fight would be over either way.
Suddenly, movement across the clearing caught her eye. The figure of a girl slipping between the trees, her eyes on Marcus. She had evaded the sentriesâ notice. Maeve moved before she could even have thought to raise the alarm, her hand dropping to her belt and pulling free a bola. The girl had yet to see her, focusing her attention on Marcus.
In one instant, a spike of earth shot upwards from the grounds towards Marcusâ back, and Maeveâs bola flew. The girl seemed to jolt to awareness as the weighted rope swung towards her, but it was too late for her to move. It wrapped itself around her form and the runes upon it jumped into life, flooding her body with electrical pulses and totally disabling her.
Maeve turned quickly towards Marcus - sheâd seen the spike, but not the result. She breathed a sigh of relief as she took in what had happened. The spike had halted less than an inch away from impaling their leader through the heart as the girlâs magic was suppressed by the powerful electricity. Marcus turned in surprise to see the rock, his uncovered eye taking in that and the forest girl quivering on the ground next to a tree.
âThank you, Maeve,â he said, âNow what do we have here?â Approaching the fallen form of Lily, Marcus looked down on her and tutted. âSo young, barely more than a child. These savages send even their children to war. It will better the world when they are gone.â
Looking up from the girl, a wicked smile spread across the visible portion of his face. âI have a plan,â he mused, âThis girl has just made taking her village a lot easier for us. Pick her up and bind her, I want no chance of her using her magic. That means youâll have to stand guard, Maeve.â
The dark-haired woman nodded, smiling, âOf course, sir,â she said, a hand sliding down to one of her pouches from which she pulled a choker studded with turquoise gems. She fastened it around the unconscious girlâs neck, followed by a bracelet onto each wrist. The gems would absorb any magic she tried to use or make it pitiful in power. She always enjoyed the look on a captive mageâs face when they realised their powers were useless. There was a justice in one without magic having power over one with it. That, and Maeve just liked to watch people squirm.
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Kyran woke with a start as Rayn shook him, sitting up in bed and almost hitting his head against Raynâs. For a brief moment, he forgot the gravity of the situation, forgot the war that was rapidly closing in on them, and just smiled as he woke to the face of his partner. That swiftly faded, however, as memory hit him. âHow long do we have?â he asked.
Rayn shook his head, âThe scouts are saying that theyâve stopped moving for the momentt, but itâs not that. Lilyâs missing.â
Kyran felt his heart sink like a stone, his eyes widening, âNo...â he whispered.
âWe donât know whatâs happened. One of her friends said that sheâd told her she was going to go and try one last attack before falling back, and...â the hunter trailed off, taking Kyranâs hand and squeezing it, âDonât assume the worst, she could be alright...â
The young guardian nodded sadly, âMaybe.â he said, but he didnât believe it, and Rayn knew it. The two sat there in silence for several minutes before Kyran rose. âDo we have a plan?â he asked, still thinking on Lilyâs disappearance.
Rayn nodded, âThe hunters and leaders have decided. We fight until it becomes clear we have no hope. If that happens, we find the other evacuees and ⊠well, we work from there. You should go and see your parents. I need to talk to mine.â he said. With a hasty kiss, the redhead turned and hurried away into the village.
Kyran made his way towards the village centre until he spotted his mother and father stood with Peter, the other male village leader. Moira had gone with the evacuees. His mother saw him approach and ran to embrace him. He returned the embrace, only to notice that she was dressed in leather armour and carried a bow.
âYouâre fighting, mom?â he asked, receiving a nod in return.
âI have to. I learned to shoot from my father and Iâve still got it in me. Iâve been practicing since these new soldiers arrived, in case it came to this.â she said sadly, âI wonât let them take my home without a fight.â
Kyran nodded weakly, âPlease stay safe,â he said sadly, pressing his head into her shoulder. She placed a hand on his head and nodded.
âI will. Iâll have your father to watch my back, and Iâll do the same for him.â she said.
Kyranâs father nodded, âDonât you worry son. Iâll keep her safe.â
Kyran smiled to his father and turned to face him, only to be pulled into another embrace. âThanks dad.â he said.
Sten met his sonâs eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder, âI want you to know, son,â he said softly, âIf anything happens to me, that I am as proud of you as I ever was. Youâve shown courage and strength in these last weeks that I never thought a man so young could. Never think that anyone could have done better in your place. I love you.â
Kyran found tears forming in his eyes again, âBut nothingâs going to happen to you. Iâll make sure of it, Iâll protect you.â
His father nodded sadly, âI know son. Iâll see you on the other side of this all without a scratch.â
âWe both will,â his mother said, âI - we love you so much.â
The family shared a long embrace, before a call went up from one of the sentries. The enemy soldiers were only ten minutes out. âI need to go and address my men, son. Master Tae wanted to speak to you.â Sten said, and with a final nod to him, he and his mother turned to join the other warriors.
Kyran looked around to find Master Tae standing alone on the other side of the village centre. He made his way over to find the elderly man grim-faced and more solemn than heâd ever seen him before. âKyran,â the older man said without looking up, âYou have heard about Lily.â It wasnât a question. âI have spent the last six years of my life training you, and I know that you have learned near everything that I have to teach you. The rest you will learn yourself, over time. If Lily does not return to us, and in the likelihood that I do not survive this battle, you must find another and train them like I have trained you. Whether it be in a year, a decade, or half a century - you must preserve our ways. They cannot die here today, no matter what.â
âWe will both come out of this alive, Master,â Kyran insisted weakly, âBut... but I promise I will carry on our traditions if it should come to it.â As he listened to his master speak, his resolve for the plan forming in his head only grew stronger.
Tae simply nodded. âThen there is just one more thing to say. Kyran, it has been a pleasure serving as your master - by my power as guardian of the forest, I hereby pronounce you my equal and fellow guardian. Normally there would be more of a ceremony of it, but given the circumstances... we can skip the formalities. Your training is complete. You are a guardian.â
Kyran wiped his eye with a mixture of sorrow and pride, âThank you, master. It means everything to hear you say that.â
Once again, Tae nodded. âNow, go. See your friends, before there is no time for it and the enemy are upon us.â
With a final bow, Kyran turned and hurried over to where the hunters were dispersing away from Stenâs speech. He quickly tracked down Tam and Perin in the crowd, and saw Rayn making his way towards him. Making his way over to the two brothers, he was greeted with a friendly embrace from Tam.
âItâs good to see you here, Kyran,â the older brother said, âIâm glad that weâre all together here. We donât have long, but whatever happens, itâs been an honour knowing you,â he looked up to Rayn, âBoth of you. Youâve both shot way past me in what you can do, but youâve never made a big deal of it. Iâve always quietly appreciated that. I donât like sounding like these are goodbyes, but .. eh, better safe than sorry I guess.â
Perin nodded vigorously, âFor what itâs worth, Iâm sorry for all those times Iâve been a pain in the ass,â he added, âItâs been good.â
Seeing Perin there, only turned sixteen last month, made Kyran incredibly sad for some reason. A month earlier and heâd be safe away with the other evacuees. Sometimes regardless of what tradition said, it was hard to think of those as small and proud as Perin as men rather than boys.
As Tam and Perin split away to talk as brothers, Kyran and Rayn were left alone. The two exchanged a wordless glance before Kyran slipped his arms around Rayn and leaned his head against the slightly taller youthâs shoulder. âYou know, I never really noticed when you got taller than me,â he commented quietly. âI just became suddenly aware of it when we hugged once a few months ago. It must have been the case for weeks by then, but it only then hit me.â
Rayn laughed, âFor all your spiritual awareness of the world, you seem to miss a lot like that.â he said, smiling sadly, âI love you, Ky,â he murmured, kissing the young guardian on the forehead, âAnd I will find you again when this is over. Promise me you wonât die?â
Kyran looked up at his partner and nodded his head, âI promise, but only if you do the same.â
âI promise.â Rayn replied quietly. The two shared a long kiss before parting, and Kyranâs heart was already aching before the hunter was out of sight. He arrived at his hut again with a heavy heart, wondering how many of those faces he would never see smiling again by the end of the day. Narin padded to meet him, and he embraced the wolfstag gladly.
âHey boy,â he whispered, âItâs almost time for this all to be over. However it ends, Iâm glad youâre with me.â Narin nipped at his ear and whined, âI know boy. I want to be with all the others too. Rayn, my parents... Tam and Perin.â
Kyran shook his head, his eyes set and determined. âBut we canât be yet. Weâll get back before the soldiers reach here, if theyâre stopped, we have time. We have to find LIly.â
____________________________________________________________
Silence hung over the village as they waited for the arrival of the enemy. Reports that they were on the move again had come an hour prior, their pace increased rapidly beyond expectations. It was around the same time that Kyran had been noted missing along with his wolfstag. Hunters were positioned in the trees and on the roofs of the huts where they could fire on the enemy from relative safety. The others lined the streets, some with bows out and some with their swords drawn. Master Tae stood at the head of the ranks, eyes to the ground. With both Lily and Kyran missing, it was like six years of his life had disappeared. He had to believe that Kyran would return - the youth was dedicated to the village like nothing else.
The sound of armoured footsteps approached, and before long the front ranks of the enemy became visible. The sound of bows being drawn was repeated all around the treetops and village entrance.
When they were just out of arrow range, the soldiers stopped. The woman who led them folded her arms and stared hard down the trail to where the villagers waited. Stepping forwards, she raised her voice so that they could hear her. âListen up, you savages! Iâm sure youâre all wondering where your precious little kid guardians are!â she yelled. Behind him, Tae could sense Ella and Sten tensing, as well as Rayn up on the rooftops. Lilyâs parents too were instantly alert at the womanâs words.
She paused to clear her throat. âWell, Iâm sorry to inform you that you wonât be seeing them again. Theyâre dead, or dying. We captured the girl when she made an admirable attempt on my leaderâs life. Truly tragic that it was foiled, really. The boy is after her in a desperate attempt to save her life ⊠might have worked, too, if it wasnât a trap. He doesnât stand a chance if he hasnât already been killed.â
The womanâs words fell on Tae like a hammer. He was devastated at the personal loss of his two students, but perhaps more so at the fact that it seemed all the more likely that their ways would die here today with him. Behind him, he heard Ella sobbing and cursing her disbelief. Sten stepped forwards, âCan you tell if she is speaking the truth?â
Tae lowered his eyes, âNever with absolute certainty, but I cannot say she is lying either. She has none of the tells which I would normally be able to detect. Whether that means she is speaking the truth or is a good liar, I am afraid I cannot say for sure.â
Clenching his fist and scowling, Sten took a deep breath, âWe have to believe sheâs lying. Kyran will be back. If we donât believe that then we donât even have hope.â
____________________________________________________________________
The ground beneath Kyran blurred as Narin darted between the trees. Heâd arrived at the enemyâs camp not long ago, looking for signs of Lily, and he hadnât been disappointed. A spike of earth that must have been from when she was taken captive stood in the middle of the clearing. It didnât take long for him to figure out where sheâd been taken. A pair of sentries he snuck into hearing range of were complaining about how capturing the girl had slowed them down so much - and why their leader had felt the need to make killing her into such a ceremony that he had taken her off into the forest alone.
After that it had just been a matter of finding the manâs trail - not hard in a forest full of heavy undergrowth. Snapped twigs and flattened foliage made following a man carrying a heavy burden like a captive easy.
Before long, Kyran broke from the trees, Narinn skidding to a halt as they found themselves on stone ground. Kyran quickly recognised where he was. The ruins where Lily had been practising her magic four long years ago. As he took in the sight before him, the street still torn asunder from when Lily had coursed through it on her wave of rock, his eyes locked onto the form of the masked man. The man had stopped a short distance down the street, with Lily discarded at the side, still struggling with her binds. Kyran jumped from Narinâs back and patted his neck, âWait here boy,â he whispered, before starting forwards.
The man turned to face him with a sinister smile, âGlad to see you could make it,â he said politely, âMy name is Marcus, by the way,â he noted, âMarcus Lerant. I do apologise for all the trouble, but business is business. I suppose youâre here to slay me and save your precious fellow guardian, no? Terrible shame, you seem like a lad with a lot of potential, and yet here you are throwing your life away on the wrong side of a battle already lost.â
Kyran scowled, âYou talk too much,â he muttered, not waiting for the man to continue his little speech before jumping forwards and slicing his arm horizontally in an arc to send a wave of air pulsing towards the man. In response, Marcus raised his hand, a glittering arcane shield forming to block the attack. Kyran didnât stop moving, though and already he was closing the distance between them, staff swinging out with a swathe of fire that too broke over the shield. His feet touched the ground for a second time, and in one more bound he slammed his staff into the barrier, charged with primal force. Marcus was forced backwards with a grimace of focus lost as the barrier shattered.
He smiled from behind his mask, âVery good,â he commented, âI doubt I can beat you with just my arcane magic. But, then, I never planned to.â
With a smirk, Marcus pulled a knife from his belt and in a single swift motion slashed across his own arm, drawing blood that rushed outwards. As it did, it began to emit an unnatural glow that was replicated in the manâs one visible eye. âThatâs right!â he exclaimed, âBlood magic. Feel free to gasp in horror at the unholiness of it all, but make sure you get it in before I kill you.â
With a grimace of determination still on his face, Kyran shot forwards to strike at the man again, but before he could so much as bring his staff up the man extended a hand towards him and he found himself halted in his tracks. His eyes widened as he lost control of his body and was lifted into the air, pain coursing through him as Marcus manipulated him with blood magic. The man flexed his fingers, and as he did so Kyran felt his body twist, crying out in agony as he hovered in the air with no way to strike back.
âI only wish this hadnât been so easy,â Marcus murmured, âA shame. But Iâll get over it.â
*****
Back at the village, the hunters waited in grim anticipation for the enemy to make a move. The armoured soldiers stood at the ready with the dark-haired woman at their head - though their elementalist was nowhere to be seen. It had been thirty long minutes since the woman had told them that Kyran was dead, and slowly but surely, they were starting to believe her. If not, then where was he? Unhindered he could have crossed half the forest and returned by this point. Rayn gripped his bow angrily. He had promised that heâd survive, spirits be cursed! He had promised!
At that moment, however any further mourning was interrupted as a low rumbling became audible in the trees. The sound of crashing and snapping wood soon joined it, and before long the entire ground was vibrating. âThe golems!â a hunter with a better view cried out from the trees, âThere are golems here!â
Suddenly, the standoff turned into chaos. The line of soldiers surged forwards with a battle-cry, and the rapid approach of the massive magical harvesters became all the more obvious. Master Tae shot into motion, ready to move to intercept the golems, but seeing that, the woman who was obviously in command of the soldiers now turned from the charge to go after him.
Tae adjusted direction so that he might deal with her, even as arrows flew from unsteady perches to try and strike her down - missing thanks to her erratic movement and the rumbling that the golems were causing. The two running figures rapidly closed, the woman with her soldiers close behind, and a few short moments before they would meet Tae spun, thrusting his arms out and upwards to launch a rippling wave of earth forwards. The woman leaped, passing over the surge of rock that slammed into the lines of the soldiers behind her and decimated their charge, but was now without an option to dodge as Tae brought his hands forwards with a blast of fire that enveloped the entire pathway, swallowing her completely.
Tae maintained the blast, waiting for the spark that was her life to die out, but after a few moments realised suddenly that it was not even fading. Too late he noticed that something was wrong, as the woman leaped from the fire, the sparkling blue gems on the inside of her cloak revealed with the proximity, too late to bring his swords up in time to stop her own blade from slamming into his chest and piercing his heart.
*********
As Kyran hung in the air helplessly, tears formed in his eyes - a mixture of sheer pain along with sorrow that he had failed. His friends and family would lose their homes because he had failed. And it had hardly even been a fight.
Suddenly, though, he found himself dropped, landing on the street with a gasp. As his head cleared and his vision came into focus, he saw the masked man sprawled on the street, two halves of a stone block to either side of him. He turned to see Lily standing next to a gaping hole in the stone. The girl had used a shard of rock from the trail she had left when she last came here in a chase to sever her binds, and quickly removed the choker and bracelet suppressing her powers in time to come to Kyranâs aid.
âThank you,â Kyran gasped, getting to his feet.
Lily nodded to him, âThis isnât over yet,â she said, and she was right. Kyran turned as he sensed the man climbing to his feet, but didnât give him a chance to recover. A blast of air caught him in the chest and catapulted him backwards. Kyran was about to jump forwards to pursue him, but suddenly sensed something approaching from the side. Flinging himself backwards, he just barely avoided the impact of a massive blast of fire - the source of which he quickly spotted as the young elementalist emerged from the treeline, fire gathered in both of his hands.
âYou go after him!â Lily yelled, âIâll keep the fiery bastard busy! Go, before he recovers enough to use that blood magic on you again!â
Kyran nodded, darting forwards without another glance back. He had to trust Lily now, he couldnât afford to let Marcus get him in that grip again. Heâd almost certainly be dead before anyone could come to his aid. Now the man was on the defensive, however - forced to seal the cut to prevent himself passing out from blood loss, Kyran noted that he had lost his knife when Lily struck him. Now he had the upper hand.
The two danced through the ancient city streets, exchanging blows of magic. Kyran shattered maybe a dozen shields, all the while dodging gouts of arcane fire and bolts of pure energy. He swept the manâs legs from beneath him only to take a jolt of lightning to the arm that prevented him following it up. Marcus caught him with a ram of force, but as he flipped through the air he brought the earth up beneath the manâs feet to cast him to the ground.
Eventually their battle had taken them across half the city, and with a moment of epiphany, Kyran realised he recognised where they were - trail of split street and all. Narrowing his eyes, he knew what he had to do. He rushed into the offensive, sweeping underneath a burst of flame to catch the man in the midriff with an arc of air that knocked him away. The man rose to his feet only to find Kyranâs staff slamming down on him, smacking him dead in the face and once more backwards - but this time, there was no ground to fall onto. Crying out in surprise, he skidded down the sheer face of a pit, rolling to a halt at the bottom with a grimace amongst a nest of vines.
Kyran stood at the top of the pit, staring down grimly and waiting for the end. Marcus staggered to his feet, panting, before he and Kyran realised something at once. Kyranâs strike with his staff had brought blood pouring forth from Marcusâ nose. Though Kyran tried to turn and get away, Marcusâ hand shot out and caught him, seizing his body once more and lifting it upwards, twisting and squeezing.
Marcus gasped, âI wonât make the mistake of watching you squirm this time,â he panted, âYouâre going to die now.â
Just as the man made to close his fist, however, a jolt at his leg disrupted his focus and Kyran dropped to the ground with a groan. Marcus looked down in horror to see that a vine had curled its way around his leg, and that more were swiftly joining it. âAhg!â he screamed, lashing out with arcane magic, but there were just too many of the thorny appendages for him to fight off.
Marcus found himself lifted into the air in the grasp of the thorned plant creature, eyes locking onto its gaping maw with terror. âNo!â he shouted, eyes finding the recovering Kyran on the ledge above, âIf I go down, youâre going down with me!â he cried, eyes bulging as he commanded his blood magic to grasp the young guardian and pull him towards him with a cry.
It was at that moment that Lily emerged onto the scene, dashing around the corner with a torrent of fire coursing after her like a river. In an instant, she took in the scene before her - Kyran hung in the air being pulled into the pit, and Marcus in the grasp of the vine creature controlling him.
Skidding to a halt, Lily swang arms out and with a cry of defiance tore a chunk of rock from the side of the pit and propelled it forcefully into the masked manâs face, crushing it and - if not breaking his neck - knocking him out cold. Kyran was freed from the grip of the blood magic and able to propel himself upwards and away before the vines reached him.
In the same moment, however, her pursuer swung into view. With a swing of his fist, he launched another blast of fire at her, and this time she had no time to react. The proximity of the man and her rooted stance from her strike were her downfall.
Kyran felt her life wink out like a punch to the chest, left gasping on the edge of the pit and staring at a charred corpse that was almost unrecognisable. The elementalist only then registered what had happened - his leader disappearing into the maw of a plant creature and his foe dead on the ground, the other guardian helpless and drained.
Kyran staggered to his feet, using his recovered staff as support and glared at the man. âSpirits take you, you bastard,â he hissed, âIâll fight you if I have to and Iâll kill you for what youâve done, but Iâve won. Your leader is dead.â
Jair met Kyranâs gaze and saw the pain and torture in his eyes, eyes that had just watched his childhood friend incinerated, and he grimaced. Marcus was dead. The man that had made something of him was gone. He was in shock, but at the same time felt oddly freed. He dropped his hands and turned away, âJust go,â he muttered, âI donât want to fight you anymore. Thereâs nothing for either of us to gain.â Jair knew what would await the guardian when he returned to his village. He knew what Maeve would have done by now. He had been horrified by the brutality of it, but persuaded by her and Marcus that it was the best way. He wasnât so sure anymore, looking at the fragile and pained youth before him. It was too late to take anything back though.
Kyran was taken aback by the willingness of the man to let him go, unaware of Jairâs inner conflict as he fought back tears walking over to Lilyâs body, kneeling beside her and lifting her in his arms carefully. He wanted to exact justice on the elementalist for killing her, but he knew he didnât have the strength for it. Taking care of the fact that her burned flesh was so fragile as to almost come apart at his touch, he turned and started to make his slow, limping way back to where Narin waited. He only hoped that killing the soldiersâ leader would stop them all as it had stopped the elementalist.
******
Rayn watched Master Tae die with horror, and as the sword pierced the old manâs chest despair shot through his own heart like a mirror of the blade. They had no way of destroying the rapidly approaching golems now, and the soldiers were beginning to fall on their front lines. The clashing of blades sounded like a chorus and the yells of dying men filled the air.
Arrow after arrow flew from Raynâs bow, each finding a mark in the chest or neck of a mercenary, but it was to no avail. A golem burst from the trees to their flank and a massive foot came down over the house opposite Raynâs perch. The massive claw swung and crushed the branches of an adjacent tree, killing the men there even as its spinning blade scythed down towards the scattering ranks of troops on the ground.
Desperate calls for retreat went up, but those that were still alive were already running. Rayn broke from his perch and dashed across the roof, leaping to the next hut even as the second golem stormed into the home he had just been standing on. Figures below him fled but were caught by the spinning ropes of the woman who led the troops. Just as he was about to leap to the next roof the claw of the golem behind him slammed down into the roof at his tail and the structure splintered beneath him. Catapulted in a spray of debris towards the trees, Rayn closed his eyes. He held Kyran in his thoughts even as he hit the ground and everything was swallowed by blackness.
******
Almost an hour of staggering later, and Kyran was nearing the village. Heâd done it. The enemyâs leader was dead and they would be safe. Heâd done his duty. Lily had died saving him - perhaps todayâs victory was more hers than his, for without her he would have died within the first few seconds of the fight. Her parents would have to survive with the knowledge that their daughter died a hero.
As Kyran reached the treeline opening onto the path that led to the village, the sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks. His breath caught in his throat and he fell to his knees with a cry of sorrow so pained that it even sent a shiver down the spine of Maeve as she and the other soldiers made their way back down the trail out of the forest.
The young guardian left Narin and Lily at the treeline and climbed to his feet, sprinting down the trail and toward the village. The first body he saw was Master Taeâs, but he barely had time to take in his grief at seeing his master dead before the sheer scale of the devastation became apparent. Where before had stood a line of determined warriors, now lay a scattering of broken corpses. Kyran staggered to the entrance of the village and dropped to the ground by the bodies of his mother and father - laid together where they had fallen fighting side by side - his tears flowing freely as he buried his face into his fatherâs unmoving chest and sobbed.
Whether he knelt there for minutes or hours, he didnât know, but eventually he rose to his feet and managed to recover himself enough to try and find any survivors. He forced himself into numbness as he recognised Lilyâs parents, Tam and Perin, so many faces he knew and loved lifeless and staring into the dirt, fixed in permanent horror. Their wounds were horrifying, no doubt caused by the two golems that now stood lifeless and abandoned at the other end of the village, their destruction of every single building absolute. Kyran found nobody left alive after more than an hour of fruitless wandering.
He had left the village, and it had paid the price for his carelessness. It never even occurred to him that he might not have been able to stop the attack regardless. He had abandoned them, his friends and family, those he had promised to protect ⊠and now they were all dead. His parents, Tae, Tam, Perin, Lily ⊠even Rayn was gone without even a body for him to weep over.
But still Kyran forced himself not just to collapse and cry until he himself expired. Lifting his motherâs form in his arms he turned and used his magic to swiftly dig out a grave. Slowly but surely, his entire body numb, he began the long process of burying the people he had loved. The village centre was transformed into a graveyard by the time he was done, surrounded by the splintered remains of homes and workshops. Crude gravestones formed of magic marked each burial site. At the very middle of them stood a gravestone without a grave, with Raynâs name etched into it. Kyran hadnât found his body, along with a number of others. Perhaps the golems had left nothing so recognisable behind.
With his grim work done, Kyran finally allowed his shaking legs to give way, and he collapsed with exhaustion. Narin lay down beside him, whining pitifully. The wolfstag undestood his loss, and felt it also. Sobbing, the young guardian let grief and loss overwhelm him as he buried his face in his companionâs fur, and before long he blacked out. Whether it was from fatigue or just to try and escape the reality of what had happened, was uncertain.
***************
It was on the forest border that Jair caught up with the other mercenaries, his eyes downcast and heart heavy with guilt. Maeve came down to meet him with a smile, but that smile was quickly replaced by a frown as she realised that Marcus was missing. âWhere is he?â she demanded.
âGone,â Jair said simply, âThe guardian killed him. The girl escaped her binding and stopped him from killing the kid on the spot, and once he lost his blood magic it was a losing fight. Itâs over. Iâm done. This entire operation has been one horror story after another.â
Maeveâs eyes widened, âNo!â she hissed, âLight be damned, he canât be gone. That little runt will pay for that, Iâll-â
âDonât you think heâs lost enough today?â Jair interrupted solemnly, before Maeveâs hand caught him around the cheek in a solid slap.
âNo!â she hissed, âPull yourself together you useless wreck, and listen to me. We both owed that man everything and we are going to make sure that his death does not go unavenged. We will finish what he started, and we will kill that cursed spirit warrior if itâs the last thing we do. Are you clear?â
Jair stared at the ground, clenching his fist angrily, âFine.â he muttered, âBut after that, Iâm out. I quit.â
Maeve nodded, âThat we can agree on. The Reaperâs Eye wonât be the same without Marcus. Iâm not hanging around for a bunch of imbeciles to start fighting over leadership. We take this kid down together, and then weâre gone.â
With a glance back at the forest, Jair sighed, âLetâs wait until tomorrow at least. Weâre both drained.â he said, and though reluctantly, Maeve eventually nodded and turned to head back to camp.
Jair followed her, grimacing. When would this finally be over? He hadnât signed up for this. There was a reason heâd swiftly volunteered to be with Marcus in case something went wrong. There was a reason he had hesitated until after the girl was free to intervene. What they had done today was wrong, there was no doubt. The sooner he could wash his hands of it the better.
_________________________________
Part Three: Drifting
By the time evening arrived, a heavy downpour had come upon the forest. The trees murmured as droplets splashed against their leaves and cascaded downwards to the soil below. The plantlife drank heavily, whilst the wildlife scrambled to avoid drowning. The smaller wildlife, that was. The larger merely sought shelter for comfortâs sake â deer huddled together beneath ridges and large canopies, wolves retreated to their caves. Some others still barely noticed the rain at all.
Kyran and Narin were two of those forest-dwellers to whom the rain hardly registered. Draped limply over Narinâs back, Kyran clutched the wolfstagâs fur like a lifeline â and indeed, that was effectively what he was. Once his friends and family had received the proper rites, Kyranâs wounds had started to take their toll. Whilst outwardly not immediately apparent, the internal injuries he had sustained from Marcusâ magic were extensive, and the bruising and cuts from being tossed around during the fight only worsened the situation. The young guardian was drifting in a haze of pain, both physical and emotional â it had fallen to Narin to scoop him up from the ground by his parentsâ graves where he would no doubt have remained until his wounds or the wilds took him, and so it fell to Narin to find someone in the seemingly deserted woodland who could see to his wounds before the damage became irreversible. The spiritual creature could tell that more was wrong with his master â or more aptly, friend â than met the eye. Perhaps even a simple beast would have detected that from how little life the guardian displayed.
The rain had soaked both weary travellers to the core â Narinâs fur was sodden and heavy, whilst Kyranâs hair hung heavily over his eyes, his clothes clinging to him like parasites. His staff was clasped in Narinâs jaws. Thunder rolled in the sky above them, eliciting a whine of discomfort from the wolfstag, but still he padded onwards. Kyran saw little of their journey through the trees, felt little of the vines and thorns that brushed against him as his faithful companion forged onwards. He flickered in and out of hazy consciousness, whether brought on by grief or his wounds it was hard to tell.
A pack of wolves ventured near them as they travelled, hungry eyes watching the weak form upon Narinâs back, weighing up the strength of the larger creature with his evident weariness. A few sharp growls and threatening advances from the wolfstag drove them away to find easier prey.
Evening began to set into night, but still the rain fell. Weary and mournful, Narin finally padded into the entrance of a small overgrown alcove. The shelter it provided was just enough to keep the inside dry, though it was hardly fit to be called a cave â but dry at this point was a luxury. Lowering himself down, Narin turned his head to nuzzle pleadingly at Kyranâs now fully unconscious form. It was usually at this point that the young guardian would have started a fire for them. As it was, there was no fire to be had. An intelligent creature he might be, constructing a fire was out of Narinâs reach. The wolfstag realised this, and instead carefully lowered the youth to the ground before curling his body around him. Though sodden, his large form was warm. It would have to do.
Dawn came with voices. Narin awoke to the sound of hushed murmurings â some distance away, but his acute hearing picked them up over the morning birdsong. The rain had stopped during the night, leaving the ground wet. There was no doubt that Narin had left tracks behind in the mud that wouldnât have been fully washed away. Rising to hold himself protectively over Kyran, the wolfstag faced the clearing outside the alcove raised onto his haunches, teeth bared aggressively. When the voices grew closer, he readied himself to fight. What emerged into the clearing wasnât the metal-clad two-legs, though, nor were they the two-legs with the lightning-throwers â the figures were furred, bestial in appearance. Catlike faces and claws gave them a standout appearance, and their movements were feline in their grace. They saw Narin moments after entering the clearing, gesturing towards him with enthusiasm. The wolfstag noted that their claw-throwers were not readied â they were not hunting. That was good.
The cat-folk moved closer, though. That was not good. Narin growled angrily, adjusting himself to further block Kyran from view and approach. They spoke, then, in the tongue of the two-legs. A tongue he could only understand when coming from Kyran or the girl or the old two-legs. The girl and the old two-legs were gone now. Narin understood that they had lost a two-legs territorial battle. He did not understand why there was suddenly dispute over that territory. Despite the fact he could not understand their words, their tone was clear. They spoke soothingly, reassuringly, but Narin did not trust it. He growled again, sniffing the air, trying to scent hostility or threat. The cat-like two-legs stopped their advance, continuing to speak.
Narin whined. He realised that these cat-folk might be able to help his friend. He realised he didnât have many other options. And so with another mournful whine, he padded aside and lowered himself down, pointing with his muzzle at Kyranâs unconscious form. The voices of the cat-folk grew agitated, alarmed as they saw the young guardian. They moved forwards â warily, with eyes still on Narin, but the wolfstag remained still and mute. The lead of the cat-folk reached Kyran and knelt by his side, placing her upper paws on his neck. She spoke commandingly to her pack, before turning to face him. One of her fellows stepped forward to carefully lift the relatively small form of Kyran upwards, whilst the female spoke to him softly again.
He didnât understand her words, but it was clear by their actions that they were taking Kyran somewhere. They were going to help him. Narin rose, pressing his nose to the femaleâs cheek. She lifted a paw to pet him, before turning to follow her pack as they made haste from the clearing with Kyran. Narin followed after them warily at first, but when the female turned and beckoned to him, he hastened forwards to join them â once in motion, they began to run with gusto. Narin kept pace with them easily, but they moved a lot faster than Kyranâs furless two-legs companions did. He just hoped that they could heal him, that they would have one like the elder two-legs who could fix him. If not, he wasnât sure what he would do.
__________________________
Kyran awoke to the sound of laughing and shouting children. He blinked blearily as his vision returned to him, groaning softly as so too did his awareness of his injuries. He clenched his fists, staring up with confusion at the ceiling above where he lay. It was almost as though he were home, that the laughter were the same laughter that he had heard for so many years. But that laughter was gone, home was gone. The shadow of the memory passed, and he was brought back to the present by a voice from across the room.
âYou slept like one who has no wish to see the waking world, child.â
The voice reminded Kyran of Moira, the leader of the village women. It carried a wisdom normally associated with age, but still had youthful strength to it. He wondered where she and the other evacuees were. He wasnât sure he could bear to face them after his failure.
âYour wounds are serious,â the woman continued over his thoughts, âYou are lucky our hunters found you.â
Turning to face her, Kyran was surprised by the feline features that looked back at him. The woman was of the Mira. Mira travellers had passed through the village in the past as had the other races, and like them, they had always been a point of great interest for the young. âWho are you?â he asked, âWhere am I?â
âMy name is Kariah. I am Shamana of the Sâhaka. You are in our settlementâs healing hut. A group of hunters found your wolfstagâs tracks and thought it oddity enough to find such a creature without a pack that they followed them to where you lay.â The Mira woman lifted a bowl of water and offered it to Kyran. With a moment of struggle, he propped himself up on his elbows and took it, drinking deeply. âMay I ask what you were doing alone in the forest, and how you sustained your wounds?â
Kyran looked down at the bandages around his chest and limbs, grimacing. âI won a fight with a blood mage,.â he said sadly, âBut lost a war at the same time.â
Unable to conceal her curiosity, Kariah raised an eyebrow, âA blood mage, you say? A rare foe indeed, especially for one so young. And a war? Where are you from?â
âA village near the edge of the forest...â Kyran hesitated, âOr at least I was. Itâs gone now. Destroyed by outsiders. That is why I was alone, aside from Narin. I have nobody else left. Better that any survivors think me dead after I abandoned them on a foolâs errand.â
Kariah remained silent for some time before replying. âI know the village of which you speak, I think. I met the elder there once, when I was young. A man named Tae. My predecessor knew him well. It is grim tidings that your home was attacked. How did this come about?â
âSpirits burn if I know,â Kyran said, scowling, âOutsiders and their hateful disregard for life. They wanted our forest for their lumber, we drove their workers away, so they slaughtered us without a thought. There were too many of them and their armaments were superior. Our warriors hardly stood a chance. They might have done if I were there to help them...â
The Shamana clasped her hands, âWho are you, child, that you fight a blood mage and win, and that your presence could turn the tide of a battle?â
Kyran looked down at himself, staring at his hands. âIâm a g...â he trailed off, âI trained under Master Tae as a guardian of the forest. A conduit for the spirits and wielder of primal magics. I no longer hold any claim to that title though, after my failure.â
âIt is said that failure is the surest path to greater strength,â Kariah said after a moment, âIf you do not let your failure defeat you, you will emerge from the other side of your grief with renewed drive and determination. Though your village may be gone, the forest remains. You trained as a protector of the forest, not just of your village. Your home is not gone, but all around you.â
âEnough!â Kyran snapped tearfully, âIf I cannot even protect those that I love then what hope do I have of protecting a forest? Donât waste your words of wisdom, save them for someone who has something left to fight for.â
There was another long silence in the hut as Kyran wiped his eyes of bitter tears. âYou cannot be as strong as you need to be alone. It does not fall to you to carry the world on your shoulders,â Kariah said, âBut you are your own man. You need rest for your injuries to fully recover so you can travel on. And there is always something left to fight for, child. You must rediscover it, though. And only time will see you do that.â
With that said, Kariah rose and stepped out of the hut. Kyran stared wordlessly at the wall, lost in thoughts of failure and death until he slipped back into a fitful sleep. The faces of the dead haunted his dreams.
_____________________________-
It took the rest of the day and another nightâs rest for Kariah to deem Kyran fit to leave the healing hut. At mid-morning he emerged into the sunlight, blinking to clear his vision, and was greeted by an affectionate headbutt from Narin. He managed a half-smile, petting the wolfstag and murmuring his thanks. He glanced around, taking in the rest of the settlement. The houses were lightly built, obviously temporary dwellings, and the layout was open and sprawling. Younger Mira paused from their games or their training to gaze at him curiously, much as the children of his own village had done to visiting Mira in the past. The area was calm, peaceful - untouched by the calamity just a day or twoâs walk away. But then, so was most of the forest. The world turned on with little care for the trials of individuals.
âHail, human!â Kyran turned from his surveying of the settlement to see a larger mira making his way over, flanked by two others - all were armed, obviously warriors and hunters. The lead mira continued to speak when he drew close. âIt is good to see you have recovered. Kariah would not allow me to speak to you while you required rest. She told me what you told her, though, that outsiders assaulted your village. I am Shief Varin, I lead here, and anything threatening our borders is my concern. What can you tell me?â
Kyran gave the Shief a hollow stare for a few moments before he looked away. âThere isnât much to tell. Outsiders came to our lands for lumber and we drove them away. They came back with soldiers and golems, and destroyed us. Are the details really that important?â
Varin frowned, âThe details are that important. Numbers, any apparent intention to progress further onwards...â
âEnough, Varin,â one of the mira to the Shiefâs side placed a paw on his arm, frowning. She was a strong looking huntress, fur dotted with striking black markings that stood out sharply against her light fur. âThe boy has suffered much. Do not press so hard.â
Shaking his head, Kyran sighed, âItâs fine,â he muttered, âI donât know about numbers. I didnât see more than a hundred, and it didnât look like they had any interest in cutting deeper into the forest. But knowing the outsiders their greed will lead them to carve through the forest like butter until theyâve nothing but stumps left.â
Varin considered this information for a few moments, before he spoke. âNo imminent threat to the rest of the forest, then. That is good, at least. Iâll have to monitor the situation, though, and perhaps inform the Grove... Iâm sure those faerie types will be more than displeased at the treatment the forest is receiving. The outsidersâ arrogance is stunning as ever.â
âWhile they still draw breath the forest will always be threatened,â Kyran growled, âTheir disrespect wonât cease until theyâve milked the land for every last drop of profit and ground the last hint of protest into the dust.â
The Shief eyed Kyran with a mixture of respect and unease, before nodding his head in vague agreement. âPerhaps,â he said, âBut informing the Grove and Elrysia of the trespass is the first step. There remains the possibility these men were acting without their leadersâ permission.â
Kyran shrugged dismissively. For all he cared they could have been following the orders of the damned Light itself. In the meantime, Varin turned to speak to the other mira to his side, instructing him to get a messenger ready. âWait,â Kyran interjected, âIâll go.â
Varin glanced to him, âAre you sure, human? Do you not wish to find survivors of your village? Kariah said you mentioned evacuees-â
âNo,â Kyran shook his head, âI couldnât face them in full knowledge of my failure to protect those they loved,â he said sadly, âI allowed myself to be lured into a trap and abandoned the defense of the village for it. Better that they think me dead.â
âAs you say,â the Shief replied, shaking his head with obvious doubt in the soundness of Kyranâs reasoning, âIf it is your wish then you should be the one to inform the fae and the elves of the situation. You have first-hand knowledge of the events. Do you know the way?â
Kyran nodded, âTo the Grove, yes. My master taught me of it. Iâll be able to get directions to the elves from there. I should set out as soon as possible if Iâve been out for two days. Who knows what the outsiders are doing by now...â
âIâll have supplies provided for you,â Varin said, âBut one more thing before you go, human. What is your name?â
The young guardian glanced up, âItâs Kyran,â he said, before hesitating, âKyran... Ethelion.â
___________________________________________
Kyran left the Mira tribe with polite farewells and some more words of encouragement from Kariah, as much as they washed over him with little effect. The shamana reassured him that redemption was within his grasp, but Kyran could not help to think only of revenge. Perhaps that would be what he would live for - perhaps the only way to protect the forest was to attack the outsiders before they could attack it, while they were unprepared with their armies and their magical creations of destruction.
He shook his head, bitterly wondering what Master Tae would think of his thoughts at that moment. The elder would no doubt he concerned and shocked, and work with him to iron out the creases of hatred that had begin to work their way toward his core. But Master Tae wasnât here, and self-resolution was far from his grasp. He drove his mind from the issue entirely, and focused on the journey.
Though it took a few days even at Narinâs pace, travelling to the borders of the faeâs lands was relatively straightforward. Passing beyond the borders, on the other hand, was more of a challenge. Master Tae had spoken of the Grove before, of the way its occupants prevented unwanted visitors. As they neared the mystical city, the foliage began to become incredibly dense, to the point of being impassable. Trees bunched together and weeds rose up to beyond the height of a man to turn back even the most determined of adventurer, but Kyran was no curious wanderer. He was here with a purpose.
It was not long before that purpose drew the attention of the fae watchers. Not so arrogant as to rely entirely on their wall of plants for protection, the forestâs oldest occupants had lookouts the same as any settlement that had reason to not desire visitors. He sensed them coming before he ever heard or saw them, slowing Narin to a halt - though their progress was already at a crawl - and looking straight towards the nearest fae, who had thought his camouflage impenetrable.
The man was obviously on the back foot at being seen so easily as he approached Kyran, and had an aura of wariness about him. His fellows dotted the trees. He was a small man, as all fae were, skin of pale green forming fine features and bright eyes that spoke of magic within. Wings akin to those of a dragonfly sprouted from his back. âHold, human. What business do you have in our lands?â
Kyran met the manâs gaze stoically, âI have a message for the leader of your people.â he said simply.
âA message from who?â
Hesitating for a moment, Kyran sighed, âThe only name you will recognise is that of Master Tae. But it is not a message from him, as such. I would rather speak to .. just your leader, if I could.â
The lookout exchanged dubious glances with his fellows, but apparently Taeâs name held enough weight that eventually he shrugged, âVery well then. Follow us.â
In the short journey that followed, Kyran found that the barrier of trees became a lot more cooperative. A path seemed to open before them as they moved, though there was never visible movement. It was as though there was a path all along, but hiding away from prying eyes. When it seemed like the gloomy thicket was never going to end, they finally broke out from it into a sight which left Kyran gasping. The Grove in which the fae dwelled was a city unlike any other. Massive trees, beyond the size of any that Kyran had ever seen, spiralled into the air and seemed to serve as walkways and buildings for the citizens. Every home was more a part of the forest than a construction, hollowed out trees that still seemed very much alive for it. Winding cobbled pathways led through the base of the thick trunks, and viny ramps offered a way up for those who lacked the gift of flight. Over the tops of all the other trees, one rose beyond even their great heights, its branches spreading to almost entirely encompass them and yet somehow still allowing golden yellow light to flow through. Kyran guessed this was the home of their monarch.
A few interested eyes followed Kyran and Narin as they were led through the city, but most of the fae seemed entirely absorbed in their own doings, sparing precious little thought for the newcomer or his escort. âYou can leave your companion in the palace stables,â the lead watcher was saying, Kyran realised as he tuned back into the world from his awestruck observation. âHe will be well taken care of. Our handlers are used to all manner of creatures.â
Kyran nodded mutely as they approached the massive tree at the center of the city and the lookout led them up one of the viny ramps, whilst Narin was led away by a caring looking fae girl with deep purple skin. The city was lost from view as they entered the trunk, green walls curving around them. They climbed for what seemed like an age until they reached a chamber guarded by two fae warriors clad in elegantly beautiful armour.
âA messenger,â the lookout announced, âFrom the village of Master Tae near the border. I understand that the news is most important.â
The guards exchanged a nod and the group were waved through into what must have been the audience chamber. The room was spacious and lined with balconies with space for courtiers and other onlookers, though there was only a small audience present. At the rear of the room was a raised dais surrounded by beautiful flowers and wood carvings that looked as though to have grown in their complicated shapes of their own accord. A throne sat at the top of the dais, and upon it was perched one of the most beautiful figures Kyran had ever seen.
The Queen of the Fae was a slight woman, seemingly frail and yet in possession of a mightily imposing presence that was difficult to explain. Her skin was of a leafy green tone, laced with patterns in darker and lighter colours, and her hair - which fell to her waist in curled tresses - was a deep blue-violet, decorated with flowers of every colour in a way that made it hard to tell whether they were adornments or actually part of her hair. Her golden eyes were bright and observant, an intelligence behind them that searched anyone who met their gaze and assessed them, seeing through into their inner self. Or maybe they were just captivating enough that you thought that they must. By instinct, Kyran fell to one knee, eliciting a wry smile from the woman.
âRise, young one,â the woman said, her voice at once youthful and ancient, much like her face - with no age that could be put to it, at times seeming like that of a young girlâs and others a wise elder woman. âYou have had a long journey, I see that, and suffered many hardships. I am told you bring tidings from an old friend? But forgive me, I move ahead too quickly. I am, as you may or may not already know, Queen Evennia. I have ruled this Grove since it was reclaimed after the defeat of the Sealed One over two centuries past, and I have kept it sacred since. The strength of our people will never be what it once was, but in this little pocket of the world I have preserved some fragment of our glory days. Tell me, child, what is your name?â
Kyran found he could not hold Evenniaâs gaze for long, and so he did his best to look upon her without meeting her eyes as he spoke, âI am Kyran, your majesty. Kyran Ethelion.â Raynâs name slipped off his tongue with barely a hesitation. Perhaps he was already becoming accustomed to having shed his parentsâ name to avoid shaming their line with his failure. He wondered how it was any better to sully his loverâs family instead. Perhaps it was simply an attempt at a new beginning.
Evennia was nodding, he realised, but there was a slight narrowing of her eyes that suggested she was aware of the lie. âTae spoke of a student by your name,â she said, âI had not expected to see you for many years yet. That you have come, instead of him, does not bode well to me. Come closer - I will hear your words myself, not have them broadcast across this chamber. Your eyes speak volumes of the weight you carry in your message.â
Approaching the throne, Kyran halted at the base of the steps only for the fae Queen to beckon him further until he was stood right before her. âNow,â she said, âTell me of my old friend. My heart is steeled for the bad news I fear you bear.â
And so Kyran spoke. Unlike when he spoke to the Mira, when he was fighting back tears and disbelief over what had happened, it all washed over him now like a river. The dams burst there, in the presence of the beautiful monarch, and all the sorrow he had been suppressing was let loose in a fresh round of tears that streamed down his face. He could not read Evenniaâs reaction from her face as he spoke first of the initial attacks and thence the fate of the village, his friends and family, and Master Tae. He could not gauge her reaction when he admitted his own guilt, that much of what had happened was his fault. He even told her of the Mira shamanaâs words, of his lack of conviction that he could ever fulfill his role again.
When he finished speaking, Evennia did not say a word for several long moments. âYou poor, poor child,â she whispered finally, and only then did he realise that a tear had found its way to her cheek too, âYou have been through so much for one so young. Your loss is beyond the comprehension of most.â
And then the womanâs arms were around him like a motherâs embrace, and he was crying upon her shoulder as he felt his emotions and his memories passing between them, as he felt her experiencing everything he had described all at once. When it was done, her face was slick with tears, but still her expression was one that held an immeasurable amount of dignity and pride. He realised that this was the face of a leader, of a person unquestionably capable of leading a city, or a nation, or an army to greatness as she had. She spoke again, finally, lifting his head to meet her eyes, âKyran, what happened to your village was not your fault. Your choice was one without wrong or right. You could have saved Lily and brought your village to full strength again in time - you had no way of knowing what was waiting for you. You are not responsible for your enemyâs evil.â
Kyran grimaced, clenching his fists, âBut I could have been there, I could have-â
âNo more of that,â Evenniaâs voice was stern but still caring, âYou must not allow self-doubt and a belief of failure to cripple you. The forest needs you now more than ever. If the outsiders come again, and they will, we must be ready for them. You have done more than enough for now, though. I will send word to the elves, and the other mira tribes. They will heed me, whether or not they like it. Until then, my city and hospitality is at your service. I would like you by my side when negotiations and plans are made. You have seen what the outsiders are capable of.â
There was a long pause as Evennia took a deep, sorrowful breath.
âYou have seen why, beyond all doubt, as much as it pains me ⊠war, is inevitable.â
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Chronicles of Valore: First Blood
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Chronicles of Valore: First Blood
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by Script on Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:05 am
(03:04:15) Lialore says: I wanted to be the poo.
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