The Missing Guardian

Chapter 4 - The Sage (South)

Chapter 4 –

Nightshade (South)

I can see the sun beginning to set, dipping into the horizon splashing hues of oranges with touches of pink changing into purples. A beautiful backdrop for the violent scene in front of me. I have two rogues by the throat, the smell of death thick in the air, my thumbs pressing down onto their pressure points in their necks, subduing them before two of Copper Moon’s wolves run past me, capturing them in their open jaws, crunching down, killing them on impact. These Rogues are so infected that their souls died long ago.

I look up and see the battle is coming to an end, the last of the Rogues being eliminated by warrior wolves or running from the fight and into the shadows. Alpha Blake has already shifted and is walking up to me... When I start to scan the field for my sister. Something is off, but I can't place it...

Where is she? I am now flinging my head around as I scan the wolves now retrieving the dead, some are changing back to their human form, others who have already shifted and found clothes are separating the corpses scattered across the barren landscape.

Panic starts to drip from my pores as I realize I cannot find her, she was right behind me, I saw her start to run as soon as I did, how did we get separated? My mind taking over, and my world begins to spin.

Alpha Blake reaches me and puts his hand on my shoulder, distracting me momentarily.

My eyes burst open. I stifle a reflex to escape as I realize it was dream, I take in my bedroom around me, the beige wood catches my eye, the way it grows out from the exterior, one with the walls and floor creating the furniture in a weave of interlacing branches of the Tree itself into ornate desks, tables and chairs. The magic interwoven into each piece creating a beautiful matrimony between Fae magic and the natural power of the Tree. An entire bedroom created with magic, with all the trimmings, the few nick knacks that I have found in my travels scattered around the room.

I calm myself down from the dream and push the emotions down into their new home, in the furthest corner of my mind, I do not want to process this right now, too raw to touch still. I know it’s my own guilt that has caused the night terror. I can feel the guilt running through my veins regardless.

There is an eery silence around me, although that should be normal as each pod is magically sealed. It's different though; it begins to irritate me the longer I concentrate on it. I am used to the silence but there is something different about this and I cannot fathom it. Reminding me of my dream... Irritating myself with how quickly I thought back to it, after pushing it down...

In frustration I throw myself out of my bed, tossing the green comforter in a pile next to my bed and notice how tight my muscles are as they stretch and pull back with the tension. I head for the bathroom to wash up, eager for the day to begin. I need answers and they are waiting.

While brushing my teeth I hear someone come into my room, light footsteps. Then the sound of sheets before a slight squeak from my bed in protest of weight being applied. I instinctively push out my awareness and pick out the silhouette of Spring seated in her usual poised position on the edge of my bed, patiently waiting for me to arrive. I chuckle to myself as I note that she has made my bed, shaking my head at her gesture. Finishing up in the bathroom, I head back to the room.

I walk in, wearing a clean warrior uniform, the circular blue logo of the branches of the Tree, proud upon my chest. My boots polished to shine. I take pristine care of myself. Years of discipline and regime ingrained upon me. Not a shirt crinkle or hair out of place, to the point of possible obsession. I can acknowledge it but have little control over it. I can only imagine how bad I must have looked yesterday when she found me.

“I’m glad that you are back” Spring says, pulling me from my thoughts.

“I didn’t go anywhere…”

I start to say, but my sister looks up and stares deep into my eyes and into my soul, her aura overpowering me almost. I stop talking and drop my eye-line to stare down at the ground, looking into my sister’s eyes can be exceptionally uncomfortable as she exposes your soul, she can find your every weakness or potential that hides buried inside you. She carries the blessing of the Tree and with it the branches that bind every tiny fragment that is. She understands them all.

“You hesitated, if only for a second, but a second too long for your conscious to bare and the guilt drove you to a dangerous line.”

Her blunt answer drives a steel blade into my ego and swiftly kicks any remaining pride I had left.

“I’m not trying to be harsh, please believe me, I cannot help but say what appears.”

Her words just a whisper in the air, pleading for me to understand, and I do. Spring carries within her a force that is unimaginable. She feels it all, every living thing.

“I don’t hold it against you, you need not worry.”

I say with a smile in her direction, and she blushes with relief and smiles into her lap.

“She is safe, Nightshade.”

“What?”

“I can feel her, I can feel you all, and I haven’t felt her pain… Or her absence.”

I sigh audibly, releasing a breath that needed to be released and sit next to her on the bed, taking her hands in mine, softly stroking the back of her hands with my thumbs, needing her comfort while I absorb the information.

Of course, Spring could feel her, why hadn’t I thought of that, I could have acted with more sense and had maybe found something, though to be honest I doubt that.

“Can you find her?”

I must ask; I don't exactly know how Spring’s connection works in detail. I know she is connected to everything through her link with the Tree, but how and to what degree is unknown, as she keeps gaining new insight and understanding.

“She’s too far, too many branches away.”

Her answer only leads me to more questions, how can she be far? Was she kidnapped? Who would kidnap her? Why? Do we have hidden enemies? Question after question runs through my mind.

"The Sage has answers, we should join them now, they are convening in the meeting chambers."

Her words breaking me out of the trap my mind was creating.

I follow her out of my room and into the hallway that leads to the other pods in and around the inner sanctum. Everything looks the same, but once again I feel like something is different or altered, no it is the lack of sounds, the vibrations…. I cannot figure it out, my brain is in overdrive.

I shake off the discomfort and push it aside, I need to focus on finding out what Spring told me last night… They attacked the Tree… My questions were becoming a tsunami inside of me, my logical brain thrashing against my imagination at the possibilities, swirling in my head. Becoming a distraction and I needed answers or a way to find them before I lost all sense of reality.

My sister says nothing the whole way through the passageway, simply looking down upon the floor as she walks ahead of me, her shoulders raised, but her head downward in respect toward others and their privacy. Cautious of herself and what lay within her, or cautious of what she may see in others.

She has always been difficult to read, but I know it is simply because she is constantly evolving and discovering new parts of herself. She, herself does not even know who she is… except for being the Princess Consort, her duties and family intermingled with her enhanced powers and connections.

Walking into the meeting chamber, the wood that weaves through the entire Tree darkens into almost a dark mahogany colour, like a stain, but I know it is the desire of the Fae that created this pod. Fae bending the will of the wood itself and changing the growth pattern slightly in order to grow this particular shade.

A huge table fit for easily twenty people, majestically sprouting from the floor into a thick slab of dark wood, encircled by mushroom looking chairs, or bar stools, but with a flat top to sit on. The walls lined with portraits of the centuries of Fae royalty that have dwelled within these chambers.

My Mother is sitting at the head of the table, my father to her left. There is a seat on either side of them for my sister and I across from each other, we head to our seats while we wait for the rest to convene.

I look over at my parents, who both look tired, a sense of defeat written across their faces, though their royal blood refuses to obey, you can see this in their raised posture, demanding attention with their body language.

My mother is dressed in a honey yellow gown, her hair complimenting the colour, but her face does not match her outfit, her cheekbones sunken while her pale green eyes pop out over her dark bags from lack of sleep. Her smile now a tight line. My father in a similar state, but at least he is wearing a black formal jacket over his warrior uniform. His sombreness balancing with his attire.

Spring sits next to my mother, while I take the seat next to my father. I look over and cannot comprehend that Twig, who is supposed to be beside me is missing, unaccounted for… My father reaches out and grabs my hand, bringing me back to my family, who are now holding hands in silence, staring at Twigs empty seat. We stay like that, all drawing comfort from each other as we desperately try to deal with the situation at hand.

Our moment is short lived as the Sage shuffles in. He is the oldest Fae in existence, nobody is certain as to how old he truly is, but most certainly a few thousand years. His tiny frame is almost skeletal with sharp protruding features, his chin jutting out between his thin, long white beard. His head now succumbing to baldness, only a few wispy white hairs still growing in rebellion. He is wearing a grey toga wrapping around him, with brown sandals to protect his feet against the burnt sand.

Hunched over, as if gravity had become a burden upon him and required him to walk with an aid. A walking stick, made from simple branches but expertly whittled to create a work of art in his hands. The old man gradually makes his way to the table and sits next to Spring, respecting Twigs empty chair and automatically being drawn to my older sister.

“Thank you for meeting with us, we are ever appreciative of your time.”

My mother starts and we all release the hold of those next to us, waiting for the unexpected I suppose.

“Hush my dear, that is what I am here for, I have invited the Alpha, as what we will be discussing has much to do with him and his family tree as much as ours.”

His voice deep and powerful, unexpected from his withering disposition and I look over to him to ensure my mind was not playing tricks on me. He is smiling at me in a knowing smirk almost. My heart rate starts to speed up and I become almost flustered.

What is going on with me? Then it suddenly hits me, Aliyah will be with the Alpha, she is after all his Beta. I have not spoken to her yet, and now I must try and concentrate with her in the same room. The Sage must know… Of course, he knows…

“How is the Alpha connected with what happened?”

My father’s curiosity getting the best of him, even though we are strongly tied with the Copper Moon pack, Fae and Wolf matters were mostly settled separately… Unless they are connected?

Just as I am processing this, the doors are opened and Alpha Blake walks in, looking around, his eyes open in wonder as he takes in the inside of the Tree. This is the first time we have ever enchanted him to shrink in size, in order to get inside. I look around him, but he is only accompanied by the Fae guards that brought him in from the bottom of the Tree.

My heart whines at the thought of not getting to see Aliyah. The logical part of me is thanking God that she has not been brought along but my emotions are raging inside of me. But then a new thought occurs to me… Why isn’t she here?

Did something happen and nobody has thought to mention it, was she ambushed on her way back to the pack, did she stumble on more Rogues coming from another direction? My heart plummets and my head spins from the unknown, it now feels like the more I find out, the more questions replace them and its starting to feel like I’m falling into an abyss of unknowns.

I watch as Alpha Blake walks through the chamber and up to the center table. His olive skin reflecting the amber hues sneaking through the weave of the outer wall that allow the sunlight to bounce off the solid pieces and spread a glow across the inside.

As he approaches, we all rise and bow slightly in respect for the Alpha, he smiles and bends the knee in return.His casual demeanor tells me that Aliyah is safe.

“Thank you for your invitation to attend today, your majesty.”

His voice reverberates around the room, in true Alpha fashion. My mother smiles, revealing the lines across her face that show how weary she really is.

“Alpha Blake, it is our pleasure.”

Their exchange begins to irritate me, we do not have time for this…

“I do not mean to sound rude, nor am trying to offend, but can we please drop the formalities, we have all grown up together, Alpha Blake has been a part of our lives since the day he was born, I am in need of answers, I have to find a way to save one sister while protecting another, and I cannot do this if I am ill informed.” I have to say, my irritation and exasperation at boiling point.

I am tired of everyone talking in riddles, when we need a clear path, definition and stop dancing around each other in an endless loop of politically correct vocabulary to appease one another but not discussing the topic at hand at all.

“I agree Nightshade, we have been allies since the dawn of time and now that I have seen your fancy digs, I think we can talk as equals, we certainly were on the battlefield.”

Alpha Blake booms before taking a seat next to the Sage, but not before sending a mischievous wink in my direction, like he would do when we were younger and had been caught doing something we were not supposed to be.

The Sage stands, and I can feel my heartbeat raising with the anticipation, but as he clears his throat to begin, the doors open, and servers arrive with fruit and wine. I roll my eyes at the timing and notice Blake chuckling at my expense. Regardless of what is happening around him, he always manages to find the humor in the smallest of details, and I admire him for it, whereas I have found myself becoming colder over time.

We wait until the servers have placed the platters and wine glasses on the table before us. Everything has slowed, I can actually see the ticking of time. My greatest weakness is patience and the grating sensation caused by my lack of information is making me exceptionally uncomfortable. But I know better than having an outburst now and desperately hold it in.

Blake seems to be enjoying my discomfort as I can hear him stifling his laughter while watching me. Eventually the servers leave. The Sage rises once more, his age slowing his movements, I push down the desire to get up and help him in order to get this moving along.

“As I am sure we are all aware, there was an attack on our lands, but in order for us to truly understand, I need to start at the beginning.”

I can feel the confusion that hangs in the air around us, was this not the beginning?

“The dark war, I believe is where this started...”

I watch Alpha Blake's face drop at the mention of the dark war, he lost everything in those three days. He became Alpha at the end of them when he was far from ready.

“The day the humans infiltrated our lands, they were accompanied by the same creatures that you bore witness to on the battlefield, but in far less numbers.”

Alpha Blake is the first to ask a question, “So you are saying that Hunters are behind the Rogue attack?”

I cannot fathom the thought, human hunters loathe the magical, how would they work with Rogues who fall far below the rest of us.

“I am saying that this was not just an attack, the planning was meticulous, and they simply used the attack as a distraction, almost in the same way they did the day your father died.”

The Sages words are kind but filled with determined belief.

My father stands, looking at the Sage before saying.

“We should show them their attack and what they wanted, then they will understand the resemblances between them.”

The Sage nods his head slightly, closing his eyes and begins to mutter an enchantment into the air. To the left of the table in front of us, a new table begins to grow, first the legs, reaching up from the ground and grow until they reach the same height as the table we are seated at. From the legs, grows the top, a flat surface of wood but as I think the enchantment is about to end, a landscape begins to grow from the smoothness, I begin to recognize the scenery as our home, the barren battlefield, the sleeping sisters around the colossal Tree that we currently dwell in.

Then Copper Moon pack appears on the other end of the table. The large pack house, then the school on the side closer to the Trees, though still connected to the pack house with the Hospital on the other side. Smaller houses sprout out behind it to the left, creating the packs housing. The pack lands begin to grow, now the communal park and Community Hall are visible as it begins to grow the training grounds on the other side of the park. Next to the training grounds sprouts the pack day care and school, with the hidden safe house buried below it. The farmlands then appear surrounding the pack lands. All in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the Southern deserts. The only water coming from the ending streams from Blue Creek Lake in the North, that runs into Thessaly River.

Every piece of our land has a memory etched into its fabric. I reminisce, almost forgetting the moment while I stare at the landscape created in front of me. I am brought back by the Sage clearing his throat and gesturing over to the scene in front of us.

“The Dark war happened almost twenty years ago, in preparation for what is unfolding now, when The Copper Moon was attacked, they did so by initiating the plan of three.”

The Sages words tumble through my mind, but don’t seem to make sense. I look around at everyone who is now congregating around the map of our lands with a look of confusion. My father is the only one who seems to understand what the old man is trying to tell us.

“What the Sage is saying is that when they attacked, they did so from three different points, like this…”

As he says this, he raises his hand and suddenly figures of Rogues and humans appear on the outskirt of our map, coming from what looks like the East.

“From what Copper Moon and the Fae have been able to find out and put together over the years.”

My Father continues.

“They all arrived together at the North-eastern border, out of range of any of our patrols, from here, we can be certain that they split into three troops.”

“The first to be deployed was the Rogues and a few humans from what we can tell whether any of them were sorcerers or witches we cannot be certain, but they traveled West, across the Thessaly River and then down, passed the edge of the Tree.”

As he spoke, the figures followed his finger across the map, a group of almost forty deformed looking Rogue wolves and ten humans, walking slowly across the table.

“They attacked the Pack houses first, ripping through homes and families, while setting houses alight.”

I look up and am met with the look of despair on Blake's face as he remembers that day all too clearly, the creepy figures ripping through the beautiful little houses as well as the manifested pack members a living nightmare in his eyes.

My Father then gestures towards him and I worry he may not be able to verbalize that day, but he pushes the look of horror off his face and steadies his shoulders.

“From what my men have been able to find out is that, once the Rogues attacked the houses, the warriors then ran to protect their mates and children, leaving the rest of the pack vulnerable.”

Blake takes a breath before continuing, shoving the emotions of the trauma down in order to be in control.

“It was my little sister’s birthday, her fifth to be exact, and my mother had planned a big party in the Community Hall. Someone must have given them this information because as far as we can figure out, that was their target.”

He stops talking for a moment, before looking at each of us with pure intent of rage, we know its not directed at us, but those held responsible. I can now understand that rage first-hand and revel in its hatred.

“They sent in the next troop on the opposite side of the pack.”

Blake continues while my father brings the scene alive for each of us on the map.

“They set the day-care alight next as a group of about twenty hunters began to attack our men on the Training fields, my father left me at the Community Hall with his Gamma with orders to get my mother and sister and to get us to the safe house.”

I can already tell he is battling as he relays the story, but I know what comes next and my heart aches for his memories.

“The third and final attack was aimed at the Community Hall, that was the last time I saw my mother and sister, they must have come looking for me, but as they came into the Hall, I was shot with an arrow, and they were pushed back out the door by people trying to escape.”

My father notices that Blake has stopped, his eyes now on the floor as he tries to reprocess that day and my father’s instincts kick in and he continues for him.

“Gamma Heath was able to save Alpha Blake by laying on top of him to stop the bleeding as well to hide the young Alpha from any further attacks, it was at this stage that Fae warriors intercepted and pushed the enemy to retreat, while attending to those that were injured, as Copper Moon did for us, when we were attacked.”

Blake looks up and weakly smiles at my father and then at me, reassuring me that he is okay to continue.

“My father was found in the Training fields, his throat had been slit, along with his personal guards, though we never found my mother or my sister, we also never found my uncle and suspect that they may have been kidnapped or they burned in one of the many fires, unfortunately I believe the later is more likely as we have never been able to find any indication of a kidnapping.”

“We believe it was an assassination, planned by a person who was against my father’s liberal changes in parliament, and we also know who this person is and that they were witnessed at the attack.”

Blake's words all stun me, I look around to see that everyone else to already know this information and I am consumed with further questions.

“If we knew who was behind this, why did we not go after them?”

I must know, it doesn’t make sense, wolves are territorial, why did they not retaliate?

Blake answers me with a look of disgust at the reason.

“We didn’t have enough evidence, we only had the word of those that saw him and that wouldn’t be enough to attack, I was also far too young to lead a war.”

I sift through all the information and conclude that he is right, there was nothing that could have been done. But that better not be the case this time.

“I believe that the same person attacked again, but this time to steal and destroy for their own gain, as we know, as the attackers fled, some retreated towards the Tree, that is how they were alerted to the Fae who were busy harvesting at the time, I suspect that fruit may have been stolen.”

My mother gasps and suddenly looks at the Sage.

“In the wrong hands, that could be disastrous.”

The Sage simply nods in understanding, the pieces slowly falling into place, someone attacked Copper Moon for political reasons and stumbled upon the Tree during harvest, Fruit was stolen and if they realized how powerful the magic held in each one was, of course they would want more.

“So, they used the same technique, distracting us by sending Rogues to the Border, sending the warriors away from the Tree, then they…”

My father takes over as I let the information swirl and take shape in my mind.

“They attacked the Tree, from what we have been able to establish from the Healers is that they dug into the ground at the base of the Tree and then into the roots and used a witches brew to poison it.

My head whips around as I hear that. Why would anyone do that? Do they not understand the ramifications of destroying the Tree?

My mother seems to sense my distress and begins talking.

“We don’t believe that they intended on killing the Tree, merely stopping it from being any sense of aid during the attack, but they obviously didn’t know what they were doing and hit a main artery root, the healers are doing everything in their power to assist and we have sent out word to others who may be able to come to our aid.”

Her words seem hollow, almost desperate as she says them. Suddenly I place a piece together.

“That’s what is wrong, that is the silence…”

The Sage nods toward me.

“The Tree is reserving its energy, we must find the stolen Harvest, especially the Saplings, that was the final attack, by luring the wolves out to the borders with the Fae soldiers, they were able to get into the storage facilities and clear out everything we had.”

Both Alpha Blake and I are stunned, they took everything?

“What happens if we don’t get them back?”

I Have to ask, in order to figure out our next plan, I need to know what is at stake, and how does this attain Twig.

But the Sage doesn’t answer my question, instead asking his own to Blake.

“How much of your birth do you know about?”