Chapter 8:

Chapter 8

Guardian of Wind

We broke up after that, as everyone began preparing for nightfall. I wished I had something to do, but every time I offered to help, the others said I should rest. I ended up sitting on the roof of the platform, out of the way and keeping watch while everyone was busy.

Ifrim was running back and forth over the deck, but luckily, he didn’t turn to look at me. I still shivered at his gaze as he’d told us what had happened. He wanted me to go with them and take my role as a Guardian. I hadn’t dared to tell them I’d been relieved when they asked me to stay.

As the sun was setting, Vessa returned from her scouting, and we gathered on the deck to hear what she’d found, but I soon found my thoughts drifting. Should I go with them? But I knew they wouldn’t let me even if I asked.

“Don’t worry, Silje, it will be fine."

I looked up. The meeting was over, and Tore was getting up. She patted my shoulder and gave me a forced smile as she passed me, taking a bag of firepots to the boat.

“Take care of Mitrandes and the ship."

Kine gave me a hug, and Vessa waved at me as she leapt into the air. She was supposed to go first and scout the shore ahead of them. When everyone was almost ready, Aase came over and wrapped her arms around me.

“It will be okay. I’ll come back," she said, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes as she let go and walked over to the boat.

I wanted to run after her, telling her I would come, but Ifrim stepped in front of me, blocking my way. He bowed.

“I ask for a blessing for my quest, Guardian of Air."

I turned to him, confused, and I heard Aase sigh, but she didn’t say anything. I had seen Auntie do it before, of course, but I hadn’t expected that someone would have asked me for it. But Ifrim was different…

He knelt in front of me, lowering his head, and I hesitantly put my hands on his head, as I had seen Auntie do. When I was done, he stood up, holding my gaze for a moment before turning and joining the others at the boat.

“It’s time!” Mitrandes called from the platform.

They lowered the boat, disappearing out of view, as Mitrandes slowly took us into the air.

I nodded, forcing myself to turn my gaze from the river. I was supposed to light the lamps, hoping to convince anyone who might be watching that we were leaving. Once I was done, I went to stand by the steering platform, waiting for Mitrandes to tell me we were out of sight and I could turn them off again.

Would they be alright? It was pointless thinking I should have gone with them, and I suspected Mitrandes would never have let me off the ship. But still…

“We’re almost there,” he said.

I nodded, and he turned to me.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve never been in a fight."

I sighed. He was right, and maybe it was for the best, but still… It wasn’t fair leaving them, even if I’d been relieved hearing them say I should stay.

“Mitrandes… Do… Do we know what the Spectres are?”

“The Worms?”

He shook his head.

"No… They are attracted to the Flow, and when they sting you, you will turn into a Monster. But we don’t know what they are or how they came here."

I nodded.

“You can turn off the light now,” he said.

I nodded and left, walking through the ship until we were plunged into darkness. I had barely returned to the platform when I heard someone limping up the stairs.

“You let them leave without me!?”

Stella stumbled up, leaning on her spear, her tail angrily fanning in the air.

“They’re my friends! I can’t leave them!”

Mitrandes shook his head.

“Stella… You are wounded."

She hissed, her ears pinned flat against her head.

“I'm not a coward. I still can fight. Take us back. Now.”

“Stella, it’s too late… Even if I did, you wouldn’t catch up with them in time."

He put a hand on her, but she shrugged it off, and I quickly backed away.

“So let me jump then! You made that thing that flies.”

She looked around.

"Stella…"

“No! They are my friends! I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to them!” she snapped. “Where is it…?”

“Stella, even if it would work, you cannot control where you’ll land. You will get lost, and we will need to go and look for you."

She growled and punched the wall.

“Go and show Silje how the pulley works. We may need it to pick them up."

I glanced at her. She frowned but gestured for me to come, and I hesitantly followed her to the pulley at the front.

“I hate being this helpless..." she murmured.

I glanced at her. Was I a coward for staying on the ship? She was wounded, and she still wanted to go with them.

"Aren't you afraid?” I dared to ask.

“Of course I am! I'm afraid that something bad will happen to them while we stay safe in the air!”

She frowned, and I shivered under her gaze and looked away.

“They left you here to keep you safe, the idiots."

“But the ship…"

Her tail whipped in the air.

“Mitrandes can do everything by himself. He doesn’t need anyone…”

I sighed. So not even that was true. She was right, I should have gone with them.

“I don't blame you for staying. I did the same a long time ago. Everyone thought I was too young and weak to follow. They tried to keep me safe.”

“What happened?”

“They never came back, and I’ve regretted staying behind ever since."

I sniffled, and she crouched down next to me.

“Did you really kill a Worm?”

I hesitated.

"I…did… Why do you ask?”

“Do you think you can do it again? We could jump and use magic to break our fall."

She pointed down at the fires erupting in the jungle. Had it already started? I shivered.

“I won't judge you if you decide not to."

She got up and leaned over the railing.

“It’s your decision, Silje.”

“I... I can do it," I managed to whisper.

I couldn’t let them down, not now when even she wanted to leave.

“Are you sure?”

She turned, and it took all my courage not to turn my gaze away.

"Y…yes…"

She reached out her hand.

“Are you ready?”

I nodded, and she climbed up on the railing. For a moment, I feared that Mitrandes would see us, but she leapt up, pulling me behind her, and we fell.

The air rushed past us, too fast to think.

“Spell! Spell!” she cried out.

I fumbled and touched the Flow just as we passed through the thick canopy. It enveloped us moments before we hit the ground, and we landed with a thump on the ground. Stella pulled me up and pointed to the fire burning between the trees. The sound of clashing metal rang in the air, and I could smell the thick smoke in the air. She yanked my arm, forcing me to follow her.

I peered around, waiting for the air to begin to shimmer and a Spectre to materialise, but we made our way to a fence of long stakes dug into the ground undisturbed. She squeezed herself through, and once I was out on the other side, she took my hand and began to run.

The smell of smoke grew stronger, and I could see the flames between the trees when I suddenly stepped on something sharp, and I gasped in pain. Stella halted and turned to me. I peered at my foot. An Aga seed. The ground was littered with them. They had really built a protective fence around their village. Stella frowned, seeing it, but she gestured for me to keep going.

We halted as we reached the edge of a thicket, peeking through the leaves and into a small clearing. A huge translucent Worm was floating in the air at the centre of it, with elves and our friends fighting below it. Its tentacles pulsed with a sick light as it dug into the mutilated bodies that had fallen.

Those who win will be allowed to serve me.

His voice sent a ripple of fear through the air. I felt Stella let go of my hand, and before I could stop her, she rushed through the thicket, screaming in rage. The first elf that approached her was struck down by her spear, and the clearing erupted in chaos. I tried to move, but my body refused to obey. I saw Kine falling to the ground, struck by a club, and the Spectre’s tentacles shot towards him.

No… I reached for the Flow, and the Worm’s sick red eyes turned to me. Fear crashed against me, taking hold of my heart as it spoke.

Surrender, and I will spare your friends. Your life for theirs. You’ve come to save them. This is your chance...

“No…” I whispered. “No… I can’t…”

So you believe you can defeat me? You may have the Crystal, but do you know how to use it? How many years have you spent mastering its power to believe you can fight me…?

I fell to my knees.

You are nothing but a kid. Young and afraid. You will only be a burden for them. Your ignorance will put them in danger. I give you the chance to do something right and save them… Or do you want to fail again?

I sobbed.

“No… I want to save them… I…"

I turned away my gaze, staring at the ground, and the Worm's tentacles shot out. A wave of Flow erupted in the air, and the Spectre howled. Ifrim stood in front of me, enveloped in shreds of ice, with his long spear pointing at the Worm.

“Kill it, Guardian! Don’t let its lies poison your mind!”

His voice shook me, and I closed my eyes and reached for the Flow. It grew within me, and I could feel the Crystal glowing in my chest. The Spectre hissed at me as I opened my eyes, and I shot the light. The hiss turned into a pain-riddled shriek, and the flames engulfed him, burning through its translucent skin until it collapsed on the ground and vanished.

The elves fled as I sank to the ground until only a lone older elf remained. He was kneeling by a rotten tree stump carved into the grotesque image of the Worm, his frail body shaking with sobs. Ifrim leapt at him with his spear.

“No, don’t kill him!"

I scrambled up, and Kine froze with his spear in the air. The elf turned to me, tears flowing down his cheeks, and I shivered at the deep scars on his body.

“Why did you kill our god…? He protected us. He kept us safe. We are doomed… Who will protect us now?”

“You let that dirty maggot kill your people," Ifrim spat. "The Guardian set you free."

“He only ever took a few, and now all of us will die…”

He scowled.

“...because of you!”

He screamed and plunged his fingers into his eyes, and vines exploded from the jungle and shot towards us when the elf's howls suddenly turned into a gurgle. He dropped to the ground, a spearhead lodged in his chest, and the vines withdrew. Stella walked over and pulled it out.

Aase ran to me and wrapped her arms around me.

“What are you doing here?”

“We need to go!” Kine yelled. “The Monsters will come in any time after all this noise.”

Vessa leapt into the air and disappeared into the thick canopy above us, and Aase took my arm and pulled me to a nearby tree. I took hold of a low branch and swung myself up. It didn’t take long to see the first house. All around were small cabins and huts scattered between the thick branches. They really had built a tree village. I wondered what would happen to the people that were left.

“Keep going…!” Tore hissed from below, and I pulled my eyes from the village and continued climbing.

Mitandes was already descending as I reached the top, and Aegon’s lights grew closer above us. Aase climbed next to me, taking my hand.

“You shouldn’t have come here. It's dangerous."

“If the Guardian hadn’t come, we would all be dead," Ifrim said calmly and turned to me.

“She’s not a Guardian, she's..." Aase started, but Stella cut her off.

“Let her decide who she is."

Aase turned to her.

“It was you! You brought her here.”

Stella turned to her, touching the scar on her cheek as she leaned over and whispered something to her. Aase’s ears drooped, and Stella pulled her close and held her.

“He’s here!” Kine yelled.

I looked up. The rope ladder was dangling just above us, and Stella let go of Aase as the others began to climb up.

Mitrandes was wringing his hands as I climbed over the railing, and only once he’d counted all eight of his did he let go and turn to me.

“Silje, I almost went bald when I saw you leaping off."

He sighed and turned to Stella, but before he could scold her, I said,

“They’re my friends…”

He sighed and turned back to me, and he held my eyes for a long time before nodding.

I followed the others below deck, where Tore was bandaging Kine’s wounded leg.

“That was close..." he sighed as Tore forced him to drink a foul-smelling potion.

“But they didn’t strike to kill..." Aase said.

“No, they tried to capture you for later…” Yorun murmured.

I shivered as I glanced at him. I hadn’t seen him until now in all the chaos.