Guardian (Part I): Last Winter

Chapter 30: Eris

We didn't walk through the open roads of this epsilon city on the slopes of Soareus Peak. We cut through as many buildings as we could in order to avoid the watching eyes of Suonan and Azure. I knew Suonan to be able to see through the eyes of the Thunderhawks, his children, who had eyes that were able to see through anything to find a target for their father. Finn insisted that he hold my hand and Haemon's while he drew his aura cloak over all three of us to keep us hidden. Hopefully, it would be enough. I began to sense a powerful darkness hanging over the city as we went closer to its center. I had no doubt that it was coming from both Suonan and Azure. My heart sank when Haemon told me it was them. I knew them very well, having fought alongside them in both the Ancient War, and the War of Light and Dark. The thought of having to kill them if we ran into them could not have saddened me more, other than having to tell both Finn and Haemon to keep their distance if I had to kill them. I had just told Finn not to doubt himself, and I may have just given the impression that I doubted him. Haemon knew better. He knew I didn't doubt his skill, and only wanted to help me fight Suonan and Azure to make sure I would live through it. Perhaps Finn wanted to help for the same reason, but he didn't know them like I did. He had no idea how powerful they were, or how to counter those powers.

"Finn, I want you to understand something," I whispered. "I don't doubt that you could make a difference if I found myself fighting Suonan and Azure, but I'm not allowing you to fight because you still have much to learn before you clash with a darkened Ilentia, let alone two."

"Okay," Finn understood. "I just want to make sure you're safe."

"I'm your mother," I reminded. "It's my job to make sure you're safe. I appreciate it, though."

I looked back to Finn. He was giving me a half-smile. He understood my concern, but still didn't like the idea of me fighting two corrupted Ilentia by myself. I understood the feeling he had, though. Suonan and Azure were two of the most powerful Ilentia in existence. They rivaled even me in terms of strength and power. I wouldn't doubt my chances against them, though. I would seem like a hypocrite in Finn's eyes. We continued cutting through as many buildings as we could, but the only way to get to the next one was through a large, round garden with its flowers withered and frozen from the snow the Last Winter brought. A huge tree was in the middle, leafless and skeletal. I had no doubt of which city this was, now. Only one epsilon kingdom in all of Chardan had a tree as the symbol of its strength. It was Dolothor Ildaris, one of the oldest epsilon cities in Chardan, and possibly all of Zenartha. I refocused myself on getting the three of us through the garden while keeping Finn's aura cloak over us. There was nothing other than the garden between us and the next street.

"Finn, can you warp us to the other side of the garden?" I asked.

"I can try," Finn promised. "But that's quite the distance." I couldn't risk our lives based on an attempt to get us to the other side of the garden. We needed to get across the garden in a single movement.

"Alright," I sighed. "Haemon, fly us across."

"Okay," said Haemon. He grabbed my hand and Finn's, while still having Finn's aura cloak over us, then launched himself into the air while he was gripping our hands. I could hear him straining as he tried to keep all of us off the ground. We weren't anywhere near the ground, but Haemon wasn't sure about that. Suddenly, the loud crack of a thunderbolt echoed throughout the air, then I looked up to see Haemon with lightning crackling around him, and screaming with pain. We all dropped from the air, crashing into the snow of the garden. I landed flat on my back, while Finn and Haemon must have landed quite a distance from me. When I stood up, I saw Finn rushing to Haemon, who was lying on the ground with his eyes closed, and his skin pale.

"Haemon!" Finn cried, kneeling down beside him, laying both of his healing hands over his head. The color returned to his face, but his eyes stayed closed. I began to rush to my sons, but was stopped by a new voice. Only it wasn't a new voice.