Protectors

Chapter 5: Friend from the Past

Junni, wake up. I hear someone call to me. I open my eyes to find that Ellos, Nytshadow, and Jay are still sleeping around the fire, but Ivy has vanished. I start to stretch, noticing that Elven is asleep besides me, showing no signs of waking anytime soon.

If none of them called me, then who did? Standing up carefully trying not to wake Elven, looking around to see if there was anyone around. I hear rustling coming from above me.

Who's there? I ask causing Elven, Ellos, and Nytshadow to wake up suddenly, and jump to their feet weapons drawn.

"Junni, stay close." Elven says placing me behind him with Ellos and Nytshadow on either side of me.

Who would have guessed that you would let an outsider into your little group? I guess you didn't have much of a choice in the matter though, did you? The mysterious voice taunts us.

I feel like I know the voice.

"Guys, are you hearing this?" I ask them, unsure if they can hear this voice.

"Yeah, and judging from all the rustling I would guess it's coming from above us. How has Jay not woken up from all this?" Ellos asks concerned.

"He could be knocked out or not have a strong enough connection to sense it yet." Ellos says conjuring an ice crystal in his hand.

"Though if I had to bet, I would guess he's knock out." Nytshadow holds his daggers in a defensive stance.

"Nytshadow, can you check on him?" Elven says looking frantically for the intruder.

"I'm on it," Nytshadow wraps shadows around himself and disappears into the shadows only to reappear by Jay, "He's sedated with a type of spore only found in a plant near Valdrie. If you remember before I learned about the Night plant Ellos kept getting knocked out by it." Nytshadow says as he came back trying to make a joke.

"Nytshadow now is not the time for you to joke." Ellos says on edge.

Oh, come on Ellos. You need to joke around more. You were always so stiff when it came to work or school. Something clicks into place then in a memory when the mysterious person says that.

"Guys you don't think..." I start to say.

"It couldn't be," Ellos says in disbelief.

"But it has to be! Who else could it be?" Nytshadow says shaking his head slowly.

"Show yourself!" Elven demands his twin swords drawn.

Just then we hear a rustling come from the bushes in front of us. A figure emerges from the shadows. A gnome appears with dark hair, wearing a dark jacket, and has two small matching daggers with many pouches on her belt.

"Lidth!" We all say in disbelief.

"I'm surprised you remember me," Lidth says coming towards us, weapons still sheathed, "It's been what six years since I left the Academy?"

Lidth went to the Academy with us but only started to hang around us after the guys choose their paths. It was rare for anyone besides an elf to become a Protector, but it was not forbidden. In fact, many of the Protectors who are not elves have a linage of being a Protector. Lidth's family was one of those families. She followed the path of Shadow Wielder like Nytshadow, so after the choosing ceremony was completed she would join us when we explored the forest every now and then. But one day she just stopped joining us, and Nytshadow confirmed the following day that she left the Academy.

Being the daughter of the Master and Mistress of the Academy, I had access to a few of the records in my parents' office. Everything except the student records, but that didn't stop me from looking in the files for any clue as to why she left. After searching for a week through every file that my parents had in their office, I came across one marked "For the Eyes of the Master and Mistress only", but being me I ignored that and opened the file anyway. The first pages were assignments of current Protectors and their status. After flipping through the file to the last page, I found what I was looking. It read "Lidth Shadowstriker, Shadow Wielder" I read that page repeatedly trying to make sense of what it said. It was a letter written by Lidth to the Master and Mistress it read,