The Lost Guardian

“I’m Cannagan,” he answered as he knelt next to Ren. “I shot you with my dart. Sorry about that,” he chuckled nervously.

“This will help,” he told Ren as he uncorked the vial.

Though Ren looked uncomfortable taking medicine from a stranger he couldn’t see, he took it without complaint. Cannagan held it up to his lips slowly tilting as Ren took a sip. It must’ve tasted bad for Ren immediately gagged as soon as it touched his tongue.

Cannagan pinched his nose and covered his mouth. “Don’t throw it up now, I don’t have the herbs to make a new one.”

Ren swallowed the medicine. Ellie then gave her water to wash down the bitter taste.

“What kind of medicine is that?” Ren asked.

“It’s midnight draught,” Cannagan explained.

“You said it was medicine,” Ren argued.

“Never said that,” the kid replied. “There’s no cure for that headache. You just need to sleep it off.”

“Ellie—” Ren reached his hand out and she took it with both hands.

“I’m here,” she whispered. “You’re alright.”

“What is going on? Where am I?”

She looked at Roukan for answers. “I—I don’t know,” she said hesitatingly.

“Dernvale,” Roukan answered for her.

He groaned. “How many people are in here?”

“No point in telling you if you can’t see us,” he said, again his voice sounding warm and genuine. But his kind words did not match the dark expression on his face.

“I can still hear,” he protested. “My ears are working, and I need explanation.”

She stared at his hands tightly grasping hers. She can feel the callouses in his palms, probably from grinding herbs for medicine day and night. She didn’t remember his hands feeling so big and rough. If she didn’t know, she wouldn’t have guessed it was Ren’s. She smiled sadly at how time changed them both.

“What do you want to know,” she breathed.

Ren paused for a second.

“Did you really kill Cassia?” It was like an arrow to her heart. She he would ask it, but she didn’t expect it to be his first question.

There was no point in lying. He had already heard her confession in the forest.

“I did,” she answered.

Ren dropped her hands.

“Elswyth—” Rahil protested.

“I did. It was my fault she’s gone,” she said looking at Rahil. “A pack of Shadows were chasing us, and I opened a portal. It led us back home. One of them got through and possessed Cassia. She was turning into a demon, and the protection of the forest was killing her. She was suffering, so I killed her.”

Her voice was plain and steady. She didn’t know why it came out the way it did. She should sound remorseful, she thought. Maybe even a tear. But nothing came.

“A portal?” Roukan cut in. The gentleness in his voice was gone. It was low and threatening. “How did two lost travelers manage to open a portal?”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

She felt the blood drain from her face as she saw everyone’s eyes on her. She became careless once more. Rahil’s face was inscrutable. There was no going around it, she knew.

“Another interesting blessed?” Ylva asked.

“No,” Roukan smiled. “Where are you from, boy?” he asked Ren.

The sharpness in Roukan’s voice made Ren flinch.

“F-Faeldic,” he answered.

“The Silvan Forest?” Ulric’s mouth slightly parted in surprise. “One of Eardyn’s strongholds.”

“And is in the other end of the continent,” Roukan’s grin grew wide. Once again, directed his question at Ren. “How did one of you open the portal?”

Sensing the tension of the room, he bit his mouth and stayed silent.

Roukan chuckled darkly. “Well, I don’t need you to answer what I already know” he said eyeing Rahil and Elswyth.

“My, my, history is unfolding before us,” Roukan sneered. “The Guardian is back.”

Their eyes went back and forth from Rahil to Elswyth.

“Which one is it?” Cannagan asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Friedolf replied. “We didn’t need the Guardian then and we have no need of him now.”

“Yes, you do,” Rahil replied. “We all do. Look around you. We’re fighting enemies that takes five men to kill. This forest is dying. If this goes on, Eardyn will fall into the darkness.”

“So, it’s you,” Ulric cut. “I would’ve thought you were the Ghost of Eardyn, not the Guardian.”

“I am not the Guardian,” he answered flatly.

“Of course you’re not,” Roukan replied. “You barely scratched that demon, but this one,” he said pointing at Ellie. “You cut that demon’s limb with a single strike. None of us could do that.”

“She is not the Guardian,” Ren said almost too loudly. “I’ve known her since we were kids. She bleeds and she grew up with me. She is not an immortal being that roams the world. She is just Elswyth.”

“Right?” he said sounding unsure.

She carefully studied each face in the room. Even the sweet-looking Lupe, with her arms wrapped around her knees, looked cold and dangerous. Conri, who was friendly and welcoming to her this morning, had his dark brown eyes locked on her like a hunter.

Their stare made her feel as if she was standing naked in the middle of a snowstorm. She looked to Rahil for help, but he gave her nothing but a blank stare.

She knew what exactly it meant. She took a deep breath and began.

“It’s true,” she answered. “I am the Guardian.”

Ren’s lips slightly parted, his eyebrows knotted. He didn’t say a word. He merely turned his head away from Elswyth.

“Why are you back now?” Ylva asked. “You were gone for twenty-five years.”

“I don’t remember,” she said shaking her head. “I have no memory of who I was.”

“So how do we know that you’re the real Guardian?” Ulric grunted.

“She can kill,” Rahil answered for her. “I’ve seen her kill demons with a simple weapons. I’ve seen her open that portal that only gods can do.”

“You seem to know a lot about her,” Roukan said. “How did you find each other?”

Elswyth shot Rahil a look. “He found me.”

“I saw Caeldig slowly falling into darkness about two years ago. That’s when I started looking for the Guardian,” Rahil explained.

“And how did you know that she was still alive?” Roukan asked.

For a moment, Elswyth thought Rahil’s eyes darkened.

“It’s the demons,” he said lowly. “The Weave of Balance is still at works. Their presence means the Guardian is still in Eardyn.”

“What’s the Weave of Balance?” Cannagan asked.

Rahil raised his eyebrows. “It’s the law of the gods that everything must be balanced. Life and death, light and darkness. The god of light, Apolaki used this to banish his sister Nerezza to the Underworld.”

“Why did they banish her?” Cannagan’s curiosity seemed to amuse Rahil.

“Do they not teach this at school anymore?” Rahil muttered.

“School’s been closed since the attack of the Shadows at Brinn,” Roukan answered him. “Go on. Tell him the story.”

He answered him with great patience. “She wanted to end humanity,” Rahil explained. “She saw the greed in men’s heart. Taking lands and seas created by the gods. But her exile can’t stop her from reclaiming Eardyn.”

“The Hearts of the Forest was created from the light of Apolaki. He can’t remove it, otherwise the forest will die, and with it, his children. He left them and the gates of Underworld opened. The Shadows of Nerezza bleeds through them, corrupting men’s heart. He saw how vulnerable they were. To fight off the shadows, the god of light created the Guardian. This unleashed the demons to Eardyn. But with the Guardian’s power, she was able to keep them at bay.”

“And when she disappeared, with no one to keep them in check, the demons grew more aggressive,” Ylva said. “They were able to take down this Forest.”

Ylva’s brilliant green eyes calmly eyed her. There was no resentment in them, but they were cold and calculating.

“How did you find her?” Roukan asked.

“Silva has three Hearts, I thought it was a good place to start,” Rahil answered.

“The last gift of the gods,” Elswyth could not tell if Roukan was mocking her. He eyed her with a small smile on his face, but darkness of the room and the sole light coming from the bonfire, his eyes were menacing.

“There is evil out there,” Roukan continued. “And it’s getting stronger. I don’t care what happened to you. But we have a job to do. Starting with Caeldig.”