Chapter 9

Mitrandes sniffled, putting an arm around the large Okuren and pulling him close.

“I’m happy you made it, kid.”

Ifrim turned to me, bowing his head before patting Yorun’s arm.

“Happy you made it.”

I shivered at his gaze. I’d done as he’d wanted and gone with them, but even so… I couldn’t shake the image of the elf weeping at the rotten statue of the Worm. What had they done?

Kine stirred on his bed, and Mitrandes wiped his eyes.

“We’ll arrive on Kalla Island tomorrow. You should rest."

He bid us goodnight, and Ifrim followed him up on deck, and Yorun turned to me.

“Thanks for the save, Guardian."

“What about me?” Stella pouted.

He chuckled.

“I already knew you would never be able to stay away from a fight."

She stuck out her tongue, and I felt Aase pull at my hand, and I followed her to our cabin.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

She slumped down on the bed and sighed.

“Yeah… Thank you for coming…”

She patted the bed, and I went to sit down next to her.

“And you, how are you?” she asked.

I nodded. I didn’t know what to tell her. They all seemed to have got used to this world, no longer remembering what it used to be like.

“Happy you made it…” I whispered.

I leant against her shoulder.

“Your feet…”

She bent down to inspect my foot. I’d forgotten about the Aga seeds I’d stepped on.

“Come, lie down."

I did as she asked, and she pulled my feet onto her lap and began picking the thorns. I flinched.

“Be careful…”

She chuckled.

“Do you remember? You used to step on them on purpose, so I would need to…”

“No, I didn't!”

I buried my face in the pillow at those embarrassing memories.

“You did it, and you wanted me to keep going even after all the thorns were gone," she teased.

“And ...and you always had a twig in your tail or something, so I needed to comb it for hours," I pouted.

“You cared more about my tail than I did,” she chuckled, and I almost threw a pillow at her.

I did remember all our silly things, though. In another time, when Spectres hadn’t invaded the world and we’d been happy, even if I knew I hadn’t thought so then.

Vessa knocked on the door early the next morning, telling us we would soon arrive at Kalla Island. I groaned, and Aase stirred next to me, snuggling up against me.

“It’s time,” I murmured.

She didn’t answer and only pulled me closer. I sighed. The elf had followed me into my dreams, and even now I thought I could hear him weep. How could they all go on as nothing had happened? Even though I’d left Naria only a couple of days ago, it felt like such a long time since we’d walked those streets, tending to those who had come to seek shelter. And now… Now nothing was as it used to be.

I heard someone walking outside, and Aase stirred.

“Okay, okay… We better get up, or Mitrandes will come next,” she murmured and pulled the duvet aside.

She stumbled out of bed, and I watched her bare back as she pulled on a tunic. It was covered in scars, some long and thin, others smaller. I wanted to ask her what had happened, but I didn’t think she would answer me even if I did.

The sun was barely over the horizon as we climbed up on deck. Aase disappeared to the steering platform, and I went to stand by the railing, watching the river below.

“You can almost see the island now."

Mitrandes came up next to me, pointing into the distance. I squinted, but it was still too dark to make out the shape.

“Do you come here often?” I asked.

“As often as the route allows. There are other places that need us too, now that there is no reliable way to relay messages and transport goods."

He sighed.

“Many of our folks have found shelter there. It used to be a fishing village, but now there are more than Star Elves calling it their home.”

I heard Aase calling him, and he patted my arm and left to prepare for landing.

As we came closer, I saw the island taking shape below. It was overgrown with trees, hiding the village from view and from flying Monsters. The whole island was enclosed by a tall palisade and a long row of spikes pointing outwards that stretched far out into the river. I still remembered the small fence we’d had in our village, protecting us from any wild animals. We’d never thought we would need anything bigger.

“We’re descending!" Mitrandes called.

There was a jolt as we began to climb down, aiming for a flat spot free of trees. Despite the early morning, people were already gathering at the edges, and I could see all the different races peering up at us. It really was a refugee camp. For a moment, I wondered how our village would look now, but I pushed the thought away. I still wanted to keep the memory of how it had once been.

The moment we landed, a tall Sanoor made his way through the crowd.

“Mitrandes!”

“Fain!”

Mitrandes climbed down the rope ladder, and I watched them embrace.

“Long time no see, my friend. How was your journey?”

Mitrandes sighed.

“As safe as can be."

Aase gestured for me, and I followed the others to the ground. Mitrandes put his hand on my shoulder as I came over.

“This is Silje."

I tried to smile as Fain took my hand in his.

“Happy to meet you, Silje.”

He turned back to Mitrandes.

"Rest, my friend. We’ll unload Aegon. You know where to find everything you need."

Mitrandes gestured for us to follow, and the crowd left the edge of the circle and made their way to the ship to start unloading.

“Happy to be back again."

Vessa landed next to us.

“Hope they’ll have those cookies,” Yorun chuckled.

We followed Mitrandes beneath the trees. Everywhere I looked were hastily built huts among more traditional houses. It seemed like every available space had been made into something useful. There weren’t even proper paths to walk on, but rather small trails between the vegetable gardens that covered every free space.

Aase came up to me and took my hand, and only then did I realise that not everyone was with us.

“Where is Stella?” I asked, looking around.

Yorun sighed.

“She’ll come… She’s…fine, don’t worry."

I frowned.

"She saw Fain..." Kine explained. “The Saanors… They…banished all tribes from their land to keep the Fire Crystal safe.”

I halted, staring at him.

“They did what?”

Kine sighed.

“It was their way of dealing with the Council and preventing an uprising. Stella’s people had to leave as well."

“At least they made the Master and his Companions suffer before they died,” Ifrim said as he came up next to us.

I glanced back at Fain, already unloading Aegon. How could the Guardians refuse to help those in need? How could they have chosen the Crystal over those they were supposed to protect?

Kine must have seen my glancing, because he said,

“Fain didn’t approve of their choice and left, leading many to safety. But Stella… It still reminds her of it…”

I shivered. It was unheard of that Guardians would refuse their duty. It was almost worse than the Council had done.

Mitrandes led us to a low building, and the smell of food filled the air as we came closer. Two long tables filled the open room as we stepped inside, and a few older people were already attending a fire pit with a big clay pot on it. I followed the others’ example, picked a wooden bowl from the stack on the floor, and went to the pot to receive a generous serving of fish soup from the old Kitsune woman, who smiled when I thanked her.

We sat down at the far end of the table and had already started eating when Stella finally walked in and joined us. I glanced at her but didn’t dare to bring up what the others had told me.

Soon, more people joined our table, and despite the early morning, it didn’t take long until it was crowded. I saw Elves, Kitsunes and other Saanors and people from the Fire Land that Fain must have brought to safety. Despite what had happened to them, they seemed to enjoy themselves, and even Stella laughed at someone’s joke. It was almost as it used to be, even after everything that had happened.

Mitrandes turned to me.

“Come, there is someone I’d like you to meet."

Aase got up.

“I’ll come with you.”

I looked at them, confused, but followed them out. The sun was already high in the sky, and Mitrandes led us to what must once have been the centre of the village but now looked no different from the rest, with huts and older houses crowded together in a jumble.

"Grandpa! Auntie!”

A young Kitsune girl waved from a gate further down. She ran over, skidding to a halt before us, and peered at me.

“Who are you?”

She stepped closer, her tail puffed.

"I...I'm Silje."

“Do you…do you want to be my sister?”

I blinked.

“Please...”

“You’ve grown a lot, Aruna."

Mitrandes picked her up and walked over to the hut.

“I did? Will you stay for long?”

“A few days”

She wriggled out of his hold and down to the ground.

“Grandma, Grandma! They came!”

She disappeared into the hut, and I followed the others in. It was dark, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. An older woman came up, taking Mitrandes in her arms and pulling him close.

“Mitrandes. I thought I heard you coming."

“It’s good to see you, Nolar.”

She glanced at me but didn’t say anything and instead gestured for us to sit down on the floor. It was a simple hut, with a woven mat as the only sitting place and a small stove with a kettle on it.

“What news do you bring, Mitrandes?” she asked, handing me a cup of herbal water.

He sighed.

“All settlements have survived the Rains. Talor is developing a new weapon that should be ready soon. We might be bringing it next time we come."

She nodded and turned to the girl.

“Aruna. Why don’t you show Auntie Aase all the Shushu you’ve planted?”

The girl pouted.

“I want to listen to Grandpa! Then I can go with Aegon when I’m older and know everything."

Aase chuckled.

“Come, we can go and swim as I promised you last time."

The girl grinned.

“I’ll be first!”

She ran out of the hut, and Aase got up.

“See you later…”

The hut fell silent, and Grandma Nolar turned to me.

“You look just like Rikka when she was your age…”

I looked at her, surprised.

“You knew my auntie?”

She nodded.

“I visited Naria many times.”

She reached over and put a hand on mine.

“She didn’t die, Silje. She chose to become one with the Flow to guide you to safety. She believed that with time things can be brought back to how they're supposed to be…”

I looked at her.

“How…?”

“Land burnt by fire will regrow back with time; fallen trees will regrow… if you will give it enough time."

“You've been saying that for years…” Mitrandes sighed and shook his head.

She scoffed.

“Because I believe it. The Spectres are not natural. They don’t belong in our world. They only take without giving anything back."

She sighed, and Mitrandes glanced at me.

“She’s a Guardian now, Nolar. She deserves to know."

Nolar nodded.

“She does…”

She sighed.

“I wish I could have shared this with you when times were different, but Mitrandes is right, you deserve to know.”

She paused for a moment before continuing,

“It took me a long while to understand it, and I only found out long after I came here to Kalla Island.”

She looked at me.

“You must have felt the Spectre’s power by now, the fear they spread."

I shivered, remembering the words of the Worm and the fear that rippled through the air with its presence.

“Most people wither in its presence, transformed into trembling leaves. But what most people don’t know is that they are weak.”

I looked at her, confused.

“Weak?”

“They feed on fear, Silje, but they are powerless against those who do not fear them. But the knowledge is dangerous. If people fail, more panic will spread, and they will grow stronger."