Chapter 12

Sanda watched us for a moment and then turned and walked over to the den.

“What are you doing?” Tuimar growled. “Have you lost your mind?”

Blade raised her sword, and her cyan light flared up until it almost blinded me.

“You don’t understand,” Sanda said. “They’re not evil. They belong here like everyone else. Please…”

She halted by the opening and whistled softly. I heard something move inside, and moments later, a dark shape emerged. It was a rat-shaped creature with long horns, as big as a bear, and it bared its teeth when it saw us, but it didn’t attack and only halted next to Sanda.

“What are you doing?” Blade snarled.

“I cannot stand aside to watch you slaughter them… I will never abandon those who need me again.”

She smiled fondly, watching the monster beside her.

“They’re not evil. They don’t deserve to die just because you fear them. They’ve hurt no one.”

She reached out to the beast, and it sniffed her hand.

"They are children of Amara,” she continued. “They have the right to live like everyone else.”

She turned back to us, tears glistening in her eyes.

“Please, don’t kill them…"

The monster gently poked her with its nose, and she lovingly stroked its ear. I stared at the scene, confused.

“How…?”

Blade frowned, but she lowered her flaming sword.

“Demons and Vargs used them as mounts,” she said.

She turned to Sanda.

“But they still are dangerous. Packs used to roam the mountains, spreading terror among travellers.”

“Every animal will turn dangerous if left alone and forced to fend for themselves,” Sanda said, patting the Ghar's head.

I hesitated, watching the monster huddle up against her.

“How… how do you know they won’t hurt you?”

“They’ve been around since the demons ruled Mistfen. Some of us were tasked with looking after their mounts.”

“You gave them a home..." Tuimar murmured.

She glanced at the beast, her tail tucked between her legs. Sanda nodded.

“I did. Everyone deserves a place to belong and someone who will care.”

Blade frowned, but her cyan light softened until it was only a shimmer in the air and the sword faded from her hand.

“The demons never left any human alive. How did you survive?”

Sanda stayed quiet, petting the Ghar before saying,

“They spared us.”

Blade frowned, and Sanda continued,

“They besieged our town. I was just a small girl then, staying in the temple with those who couldn’t fight. We didn’t think we would survive the night, but I tried to comfort the younger ones the best I could. I knew what my mom had told me would happen if they conquered our village.”

I shivered, and the memory of that night danced at the edge of my mind, but I pushed it away.

“Heilron spotted them outside. Panic spread when we realised they were coming, but we didn’t have time to hide… I only tried to remember what Mom had told me about visitors when the gate suddenly burst open…”

I tried to push back the memory when she turned to me, and her eyes met mine. I stumbled, and the vision overtook me before I could stop it.

“Welcome, child… May you find peace and rest in the House of Amara...”

Her green eyes hesitantly peered at me, but to my surprise, the girl didn’t run. I could feel her fear vibrating in the air, but she stood her ground, watching me. I stared at her. Curiosity fluttered in those eyes, and… Something else… Something I couldn’t name but that would stay with me long after that moment was gone, and I…

“White Star…?”

I startled, and I felt Blade wrap her arms around me.

“You’re okay?”

I tried to nod, but she frowned.

“You’re trembling.”

She stepped back to look at me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the priestess.

“What... what happened then…?”

“The Flame stepped through that gate. It was only later that I learnt about their name, but I tried my best to greet them as my mom had taught me. They watched me for what seemed like an eternity until they broke off and left.”

She fell quiet for a moment before continuing,

“Soon after, we could hear battle cease. Our kin came back… I don’t know why, but they’d spared us.”

“Priestess…”

I heard Tuimar’s voice and turned to see her concerned face watching me.

“She shouldn’t have come with us…” Blade said. “She’s still too weak.”

I tried to shake my head.

“I'm a Wandering Priestess. I had to...”

“We should go back,” someone said.

I felt someone take hold of me and lift me into their arms.

“No…”

“I’m not letting you walk back,” Blade said.

I was too weak to protest, so I relented and wrapped my arms around her, resting my head on her shoulder. She began to walk, and I pushed back the memories as we made our way back through the forest. As we emerged out onto the pastures, I could see the farmers were still out, as if they’d waited ever since we entered the woods. They glared at us, but they must have seen Sanda because moments later, they seemed to relax and let us continue on our way. Once we finally arrived at the temple gate, Sanda turned to us.

“Will you...will you spare them?” she asked.

I glanced at Blade, and she nodded.

“Thank you,” Sanda whispered. “You’re not like the others… I misjudged you. I'm sorry.”

“You don’t need to be. Many would still kill them even if they knew that these were tame. You’ll need to find a better way, though. You cannot hide them forever.”

Sanda sighed.

“I know.”

She turned to me.

“She doesn’t look well. Please make yourself at home and let her rest. I’ll go and talk to the villagers.”

Tuimar opened the gate to let us in and then disappeared to the kitchen, saying that she would make something warm for us to drink. I tried to get down, but to my embarrassment, Blade didn’t let go and carried me to our room and sat me on the bed.

“It’s okay… I'm fine,” I murmured.

She ignored me and instead only removed my damp cloak and wrapped me in a blanket before putting a few logs on the burning embers.

“Are you still cold?” she asked.

She didn’t wait for my answer but knelt beside me and took off my wet shoes. I blushed and pulled up my bare feet, wrapping them in the blanket when Tuimar came in with a steaming cup in her hands.

“Here… Drink it, you’ll feel better…”

She avoided my gaze when she handed it to me and then walked over to stand by the fireplace, trying to dry her wet tail.

“Thank you...”

“What now?” she asked.

“We can rest here for a few days before continuing north,” Blade said, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

“And the Ghars…?” Tuimar asked. “Someone will find out about them and kill them. They don’t deserve…”

She glanced at us.

“We cannot just leave…”

She fell quiet for a moment before saying,

“Couldn’t we take them with us? We needed a horse anyway.”

Blade shook her head.

“They seem to have lived by themselves. They aren’t trained for it. Plus, everyone would be terrified when they saw them."

Tuimar shuffled on her feet.

“It’s not fair… They don’t deserve to be treated badly just because… just because they look different...”

She hesitated for a moment before stepping over to the bed and sitting down next to us. I looked at her, surprised, but opened the blanket and wrapped it around her. She glared at me.

“I'm not cold…”

“But it feels nice…” I tried.

I shuffled closer until our legs almost touched, and she hesitated for a moment before pulling the blanket across her back to wrap it around Blade, forcing her to move closer. I chuckled and leaned closer, and to my surprise, she didn’t object. We were still sitting like that, watching the fire crackling, when we heard a knock on the door, and Sanda came in. She halted by the door, and a faint smile appeared on her face when she saw us.

“Do you feel better, White Star?”

“I do...”

She hesitated for a moment before saying,

“I'm sorry I called the fog, but I feared what you would do if you found them.”

“So that’s how you kept them hidden for so long?” Blade asked.

"Yes, our family has been taking care of the temple for generations, we’ve become good at calling on the Grace. There is a reason this place is called Mistfen.”

She chuckled and then fell quiet.

“My magic will not keep them safe forever, but at least Amara has shown me that there is still some goodness left in this world. She led you to her house. Thank you…”

“But the world is a better place now. The war ended, and we stayed together,” I said, remembering what Lyric had told us.

She sighed.

“Is it better? Maybe for some, but too many people lost their lives, and those who could have stopped it were too afraid to act…"

“But you did act,” Tuimar said. “You stopped us now. You protected the Ghars."

“This time I did, but when it mattered the most, I failed. We are all her children, but I let the House of Amara be stained by blood and said nothing.”

I shivered as the memory of her green eyes flashed before me, and I pulled my knees under my chin and hugged them to try to hide my trembling hands.

“What happened?” Tuimar asked.

Sanda stayed quiet for a long time before she spoke.

“I will not judge you if you despise us after hearing this story, but please don’t take your revenge on the Ghars. They are just animals not guilty of anything we have done.”

She sighed.

“I told you the demons spared us. They made us work, but they treated us well. We lived at peace… Some just tolerated us, but others became our friends. We knew about the war, of course, but I came to believe they were children of Amara, just like us…”

She hesitated.

“Part of me hoped that Amara had shown us a new vision, a way for the war and the bloodshed to end so we could live together, but…”

She sighed.

“The Lord Protector and Emerald Witch wanted to liberate what they thought were besieged lands. There was a battle, and the demons fell back... Their commanders ordered us to seek shelter in the temple, and I convinced those wounded or old to come with us.

She sniffled.

“I thought they were safe, but the Lord Protector didn’t honour the ancient right of sanctuary at the house of Amara, and I… I didn’t dare to tell him about the vision of Amara…”

She sniffled, staring at her feet.

“I'm sorry…”

I shivered, and she looked up. Maybe she tried to say something, but all I could see was her green eyes, and the memories surged up before I could stop them.

I returned to our troops. No one questioned when I ordered them to spare the town. No one dared to. I tried to convince myself we only needed the villagers’ hands, but every time I looked into those green eyes, all I could see was… It was because of them that I….

Sanda sniffled, and I startled. She was sitting on the bed, her cheeks glistening with tears. I hesitated as the memory faded.

“You…you made a difference…” I whispered.

She tried to smile through the tears.

“You have a good heart, White Star, but we failed that day. We lost the chance Amara had given us.”

She sighed, wiping her tears.

“I shouldn’t burden you with this kind of story. You’ve given more for us than I ever hoped for…”

"No, you made a difference…” I tried again.

She sighed.

“Child…”

“You did…”

I hesitated.

“I… A witch brought me up, and she… she told me that the Flame… She… They became Wandering Star.”

It wasn’t true. Elise had never told me, but I didn’t know how else to tell her without revealing what I’d seen… The others stared at me, but Sanda shook her head.

.

“I know you mean well, but…"

“It’s true,” Blade said.

I froze, glancing at her.

“How... how do you know?”

“I heard the Witch of Storms saying it once…"