Guardian (Part I): Last Winter

Chapter 13: Eris

We reached the southernmost gates of Logres by midnight, but we wouldn't stop just because it was late. We made sure that we couldn't sense anything from that city before we stopped to rest. Even after walking for a few hours, we could still sense the darkness hanging over Logres. Hours passed, and even after I couldn't sense anything, Finn was still able to. I wouldn't allow us to be at risk from an attack coming from Logres while we were sleeping, so we kept going. Finn walked ahead of me, but I noticed that he began to walk slower as we went further. He was getting more exhausted.

"Finn, we should rest, now," I suggested.

"No, I can still feel it," Finn denied. "From Logres."

"I don't," I hissed. "Now, stop."

"But..."

"Finn, you're too tired to keep going," I asserted. "We're stopping here."

"Alright," Finn sighed. He took a few more steps forward, then suddenly fell forward. I warped in front of him to catch him before he hit the ground. He was snoring, with his eyes closed when I caught him. Fighting all of the Lost in Logres had taken its toll on him. He would go no further, but if he still sensed the darkness from Logres, then we still may not have been safe. I began to carry him through the snow. I looked backward, seeing that Logres was completely out of sight, now. We had to be safe, now. I set Finn down against the trunk of a tree to allow him to sleep. He was seriously out. I couldn't allow him to sleep in the freezing climate of the Last Winter, though. He may very well freeze to death. I gently took the recurve bow I gave him from his back, then collected twigs and sticks to use as kindling for a fire. Once I gathered them in a small pile, I aimed the bow at the pile with the string pulled back.

"Foria," I whispered. A whisper of one of the spell words would only produce a tiny projectile, and my whisper only produced an ember small enough to ignite the kindling I had gathered. It lit up a small area of the woods around us, melting the snow up to where Finn was sitting. I then placed the bow back into Finn's hand and sat across the fire from him. I couldn't sleep. I had to make sure nothing came after Finn. For a while, nothing did, but I began to feel something. I instinctively ignited my lightshield and drew my sword, but as the aura drew closer, I began to recognize it. A radiant aura. An Ilentia's aura. I didn't lower my sword and shield, yet, though, since most denizens of Ember wanted me dead. Suddenly, a familiar voice called my name.

"Eris?" she said. I knew the voice. It was a friend, not an enemy. I knew who it was when I saw her face emerge from the forest with a lantern in her hand.

"Ina?" I gasped. Ina, the Librarian, was worshipped as a Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom. A reputation well-earned. She was the smartest person I knew, and her house was nearby.

"It is you," Ina sighed, with relief. "And Finn!"

"Shh!" I hushed.

"Well, come with me and take him with you," Ina suggested. "Don't stay out here in the cold."

"Alright," I admitted. I kicked snow on the fire I had lit, then picked Finn up in my arms.

"Come on," Ina led, with her lantern in front of her.

"I never expected to find you anywhere near Logres again," she said. "Let alone with your son."

"Well, we actually fought our way through Logres together," I enlightened. "We went a little further from it before we knew we were far enough away not to be followed."

"Well, you're definitely far enough away from that city," Ina promised. "And thank goodness, too." We arrived in a small house, similar to my own, covered with snow on its rooftop. Unlike my home, Ina's house was well taken care of and may actually last a few more years, whereas mine may not be standing by the time Finn and I return to it. Ina hanged her lantern on a hook beside her door, then opened it to allow me inside with Finn.

"He can sleep on the bed here," Ina allowed, pointing to her bed in the corner of the small house.

"Thank you, Ina," I sighed, and I gently laid Finn on the bed, resting his head on the pillow before pulling a blanket over him. He would rest easy, now that he was out of the snow and cold.

"He's gotten so big," Ina chirped. "He's twelve now, isn't he?"

"Yes, just about," I answered. "He's been a Guardian for about a year, now."

"A Guardian Knight, it would seem, too," Ina observed. "After only a year?"

"Yes," I whispered. I hadn't overlooked the fact that Finn went straight from being a recruit in training to being a powerful Guardian Knight Captain within just a year. Maybe the people around him sensed how powerful he was, and how powerful he could potentially be from a full five years of serving with a squad of lesser Guardians. Either that, or whatever Oracle in Valedon foresaw that it was Finn's time. When a Guardian Oracle says anything, everyone listens, even the Commander. They knew who Finn was, and who his father was, but they didn't know who his mother was. Ina also knew about him. She knew what he was capable of, and she knew what I knew, that he didn't deserve what he felt was forced on him.

"He's only a child," I sighed.

"I know," Ina agreed. "But remember, Eris, he's your child."

"I know," I sighed again.

"That being said, I have to wonder, what are you two doing so far from home?" Ina asked.

"We're going to Soareus Peak," I answered.

"Woah," Ina whispered. "And I can only guess who you're going to talk to when you reach the summit. Is it Hilles?"

"Yes, it's Hilles," I said. "But honestly, I'm only going there to spend the time with Finn that I should have spent after he was born. I don't know if this legend about the mountain is necessarily true."

"That if you make it to the top, you've earned the privilege of talking to someone you've lost?" asked Ina. "That's not a legend, it's true." The hairs on my arms stood up. I had learned never to doubt the Librarian's word. She was the smartest person I knew on both Zenartha and Ember, and she was telling me that the legend behind Soareus Peak was no legend at all. It was real.

"The fastest way there is through the Snow Serpent Canyon," Ina continued. "But you must be careful when traveling through it. A son of Apteth resides there."

"Eiloculera," I whispered. The word was Fae for "ice serpent", and that's exactly what he was. One of two twin sons of the Devourer of Souls, who had escaped from Hell during the War of Light and Dark to wreak havoc on the battlefield, but was forced to stay in the Snow Serpent Canyon after being severely wounded by Aaron.

"You should have no problem if you can sneak past him," said Ina.

"Well, that won't be a problem for Finn," I assured. "We'll avoid the serpent to the best of our ability."

"Well, stay here for the night," Ina suggested.

"We will," I promised. I sat down on the bed with Finn, but Ina stayed standing. I began to sense a feeling of nervousness from her, the kind someone would be giving off if they had something to say, but were afraid to say it.

"Is something wrong?" I wondered.

"Well, Eris," said Ina. "I was only wondering, if Finn knew, who you were." I knew what she meant. Finn knew that I was his mother, and that I was Ilentia, but that was all he knew. He had no idea who I was before I met his father, and he had no idea why I was forced to hide in Chardan's dense forests. He had no idea what I had done, and for his sake, he would never know.

"No, he doesn't," I admitted. "But he knows that I'm his mother."

"Eris, the longer you keep it a secret from him, the more it's going to hurt him," Ina warned. "If he doesn't find out from you, it will hurt him more."

"You say that like he'll be who I once was," I snapped.

"No," Ina denied. "That's not at all what I mean to say."

"Then what do you mean to say?" I demanded.

"You are not to blame for what happened on Ember all those years ago," Ina promised. "Can you please believe that?"

"I'm not talking about this any further," I declared. "I've made my decision."

"Alright," Ina finished. "You have. It's hardly my concern anyway."