The Midnight Guard [TMG Book One]

Part VI: Talk of Time Travel

"Nearly, very nearly. Just give it one last try."

"I... I can't do it."

"Yes you can, concentrate now."

The cold, crisp days that followed Wynter's return from the other-world went by like dreams; fast and impossible. Reality and imagination had overlapped somewhere along the way and the world seemed changed in her eyes. Magic was everywhere; in the falling snow, the mountains, the sea. It pulsed through the icy air in a shimmering haze of colour that fluttered and followed Wynter as she trained and practised alongside Eiran day after day.

They were sitting in one of the ancient and dirty rooms within the mountain ruin. Her arm was stretched out in front of her body, her hand open. It shook slightly from the pressure.
Wynter breathed.

'I call upon the spirits of the other-world to come forward and speak to me. Is anyone there?'

Beads of sweat glistened upon her forehead and trickled down her temple as she concentrated once again on the flame, yet still nothing happened.

'I call upon the spirits of the other-world to come forward and speak to me. Is anyone there?'

She said the words again in her mind and kept her eyes on the candle. Keeping a clear mind had always been the hardest part, another stray thought seemed to fly into her head with every passing second. Still the flame flickered, and she sat unanswered. Wynter felt her eyes water and she blinked, letting her hand fall.

Eiran tutted beside her.

"You're not giving them enough time," he said for the umpteenth time. "Anyhow, they will only come when the flame grows still."

"And how am I supposed to still a flame?"

"It will happen when you are relaxed."

Wynter muttered under her breath. Necromancy was proving difficult, she had begun to wonder if she would ever be able to contact a spirit. It came so naturally to Eiran, but then, he had been doing it his whole life.

"Shall we stop and take a walk?" Eiran asked breaking her reverie.

He crouched to extinguish the candle before ambling out of the room. Wynter got to her feet and stretched before following Eiran outside.

The sun was beginning to fade behind veils of darkness that swept across the sky like curtains upon a stage to end another scene, another day. Snowflakes fell soundlessly and danced upon a gentle breeze that ran through Wynter's hair and pushed it out behind her as she walked. The tiny crystals melted against her skin and brought a small rush of coldness with each impact. After spending much of the day indoors Wynter found the outside chill to be quite refreshing.

Eiran came into view as she neared the serene mountain edge. He stood dark against the snowy lands that surrounded him as his cloak fluttered in the wind. He was turned to face the town beneath, but Wynter knew his eyes were on the sea beyond. Eiran had told her before that the sea calmed him, and she could understand why. The sea had always been so therapeutic and tranquil, much unlike the rest of their world. It had always been her favourite place to visit while growing up in Journeys End.
Wynter felt that she and Eiran had grown somewhat close in the past number of days. Trust had been established, even friendship perhaps, and still she couldn't shake that odd feeling that somehow she had known Eiran before now. He was like a distant memory or dream that she couldn't quite remember.
She came to stand beside him.

Eiran's face glowed with the orange light of the evening sky. The beams ignited his eyes so that they blazed like fire; strong and bright.

"It seems so peaceful," he had said as she approached. "The world is terribly oblivious to the danger that consumes it."