Guardian of Calandria | ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Five

          Kira's hand swept through the form of her mother. It dissipated momentarily, but settled back into a solid form. Clouds bubbled, the forest and rising snow bank on the other side of her mother were distorted by the mist creating her.

"Are you real?" Kira asked.

Her mother laughed. "Nay, what ye see here is an apparition of my magic." Liz raised a hand; her fingers went through Kira's cheek. Her mother smiled, her form flickering. Kira's hand hovered over her mother's hand. The wisps of cold smoke or fog—Kira wasn't sure which it was—made her skin tingle. Her heart hurt, yearning to give her mother a hug, but she knew it was impossible.

"How is this possible if you're dead? We're talking, you're responding, I don't understand."

"The ruby on yer symbol was fused with me magic, I wish we had more time for me to explain, but we don't. This form won't last long. I created it for ye, so ye can take me power and use it to aid ye against Zarich."

"I'd rather have you." Kira's voice wavered; the tears building in her eyes no longer could be contained. She didn't care enough to wipe them away.

"I know, Kira. It was the only way to keep ye safe. Zarich is far more powerful than ye can imagine. If she were to get a hold of ye when ye were a baby, she could've taken yer body and been reborn. Yer father and I had to ensure ye were safe until ye grew into a strong woman and resisted Zarich's desire. We cannot allow Zarich to be reborn, not in the soul of her ancestors nor in her original body."

"Original body?"

"Aye. The Guardians of the past created the ruse of Calandria being sealed away in effort to hinder Zarich. The lie was for the benefit of the Wilders more than anything, to give them a sense of security and stifle the unrest building after Zarich's initial attack. Fairies used their dust to erase the memory of Wilders until generations passed and they began to believe the lie without magic aid. We knew she was still out there. Like I did with yer ruby, Zarich created a crystal with her magic. Some Wilders thought it was a communication stone, but it wasn't. It carries the soul of Zarich inside, and with it she has been jumping from vessel to vessel in search of one she can take over completely. Guardians searched for years to find that jewel, but they were naïve. They trusted Rodyn simply because he showed the powers of a Guardian. That was our downfall. By the time they realized who he truly was, it was too late. He'd eradicated half of the Guardians."

"Why would he do that? If he, she, whoever knew New Calandria was a lie, why not just enter it and destroy everything?" Ry asked, stepping up beside Kira.

"Because he couldn't. That part wasn't a lie," Dougary said.

"Aye. Zarich's blood, her ancestors such as me and Kira, still live. We have blood magic within us, spanning the generations since Zarich gave birth to her child. Using blood magic, our ancestors fused the entries to Calandria with their magic. Those who meant harm to Calandria couldn't enter. The weather ye see outside the protected clearing of Osarwin is a warning sign. Our seal has broken."

"Astrid broke the seal when she came with Rodyn possessed by Zarich," Kira whispered.

Liz nodded. "Listen to me, Kira. Zarich is after ye or her body; she isn't going to stop until she gets one or the other, though she would prefer to take ye. Yer young, strong, she could live so much longer in ye than her own body."

"Zarich's body has been dead for years, how can she still survive?" Ry asked.

"Blood magic," Kira said, looking to her mother. "It's preserved with blood magic, right?"

"Aye."

"Where's her body?" Kira asked.

"In the last place evil would think to look . . . where it was born. Zarich's body rests in her childhood home." Liz's form flickered, the colors fading, she closed her eyes. "My time is up. If my magic doesn't merge with ye, Kira, I will be lost. Trust yer father, he will guide ye to what needs to be done. I love ye, my daughter."