To Ally with the Guardians

Chapter 12: To Ally with the Guardians

No matter how hard he tried, Mallory just couldn't seem to reason with the boy. It was drawing quite a lot of attention, too- children with tears streaming down their faces looked over to watch.

"You made her run!" Matt shouted. "I could've cured Haven! I could've cured her!" He stared at Mallory with grieving eyes as the teen rose from the ground, where he had fallen when the man had released him.

"I was trying to help you. You were surrounded and alone. You'll get another chance to cure Haven, I promise."

"Matt!" Angelia said as she and Duran ran up to him, free from the Yeti circle now that the Fearlings and Nightmares had strangely retreated. "We were worried about you! We didn't know where you were! Tooth went off to find you, and then Whisper sensed Fearlings or Nightmares just staying in a circle and told Mallory to go in the tunnel because she thought you might be there. And she couldn't see Tooth, so she couldn't..."

"I saw Haven!" Matt interrupted. "I saw her! I know I did, but a Nightmare knocked the curing orbs out of my hand, and I couldn't find them!" He paused. "They're still there!" He made to return to the tunnel, but Duran grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Look, you need to calm down. Take some deep breaths. How could you tell the Fearling was Haven?" Duran's dark brown eyebrows were furrowed, but hope was etched across his face.

"She knew things that only Haven would know, and she looked and sounded like her. I thought it was just corruption faking it at first, but no... She was actually in there." Duran's gaze dropped, clearly reluctantly doubting Matt's certainty.

Mallory wanted to speak, express his own doubts, but he didn't think that it would be a great idea right now. He had agreed to use some of Angelia's orbs to go rescue Matt, and therefore take on a little of the curse, while his kids stayed under Jack's watch. The adult had wanted to protect his family and himself if things got worse, and Matt was someone who would protect them if they turned into Fearlings. However, the boy seemed rather...unstable with the loss of his girlfriend. Had he really seen her, or had he just convinced himself this out of desperation?

"I promise I'm not crazy," Matt told Angelia and Duran. "She...transformed..." The tense look on his face told Mallory that Matt realized just how bad that sounded. "She...just trust me, okay? I wasn't hallucinating. You...you'll be able to see her next time. Can we please go back and look for my curing orbs now?"

"Just one moment." North walked toward the group. "We need to talk to you. All of you." He looked at Mallory. "You too. And Whisper. Again." He turned his head over his shoulder to the girl who stood outside the scattering Yeti circle and gave her a pointed look. "And Bunny. Bunny!" he shouted behind him, and the rabbit-like Guardian joined North, frowning. "There are some things we need to discuss."

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Why North had insisted on talking before going back for the curing orbs was beyond Matt's understanding since it took the Guardians a couple hours to get everything under control before they were ready for the meeting. They had had to explain to the new children what had just happened to them, have fairies retrieve pillows and blankets for everyone to sleep on, clean up all the food and trash, and apparently, have a thirty-minute-long discussion on whether or not they should move their location, ending with the decision that they would board up all the tunnels soon to keep the Fearlings and Nightmares out.

Matt sat on the stone path at the top of the hill, Angelia and Duran on one side of him and Whisper and Mallory on the other, and the Guardians completed the circle, with Bunny being the one closest to the L.E.R. The light above them had diminished significantly, but little Dreamsand lamps dotted the Warren, giving dim light to the patrolling Yetis, playing elves, and sleeping- or soon-to-be-sleeping- children. All the kids that had been saved, plus Jamie and Sophie but minus Whisper, were laid out in front of Matt like some sort of testimony to what everyone had done.