Chapter 6
The Discovery
Icefire sat with Snowburner, Falcon, and Echo, discussing a plan to defend The Guardians' Home and run the enemy out forever.
"…..and Azalea, Silver, and Pyro will make sure they're all boarded so that Falcon can get it into orbit." Echo was explaining, unleashing her master plan to them.
Azalea and Pyro had been deep in conversation for most of the morning, secluded in another room of HomeOak.
"I'll need a little help on the getting into space part." Falcon told her.
"Of course…. Maybe Silver can help you with that, and Wolf can go with Azalea and Pyro. Does that sound good?" Echo asked, adjusting her plan to fit the raven-haired girl's need.
"That'll be just fine. With our combined strength and skill in magic, Silver and I could easily get that thing in the air."
"So…. Where do I come in?" Icefire asked.
"What about bait?" Snowburner suggested. When the others looked at him incredulously, he explained, "We need to draw them to their ship somehow. What better way than to have the one they are most interested in over there, getting their attention?"
"Well…. I don't know…." Echo's voice trailed off.
"It's simply brilliant!" everyone stared at Icefire in astonishment as she spoke.
"Are you sure?" Falcon asked.
"Completely." She confirmed, fear and excitement worming around in her stomach for a second. It was replaced by determination. "Look, this is my home now and I'm going to do everything I can to protect it."
Snowburner nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent. We'll fill in the others and get started right away. I'm tired of hiding in a tree like a frightened cat. It's time to make a stand." He and Falcon broke off in different directions, while Echo told her what to do.

Later that day, Icefire crouched behind a cluster of deep green leaves, hiding in the shade. She stared down at her enemy, busily working up another attack; but The Guardians would attack first.
Icefire gazed around, looking her friends, who were also in hiding. Echo was in the thick cover of the pine tree on the right of HomeOak, and in the pine on the left, crouched Tiger and Bramble. Snowburner shifted around in his place in the branches that made up the entrance to HomeOak, while Wolf, Pyro, and Azalea waited for the command on the lowest bough. Falcon stirred slightly from where she readied herself in the middle of the gap, Silver motionless beside her. Nightsky paced quietly on the branch above Icefire, surprisingly without shaky the leaves. Nebelung shifted in and out of the trees at the edge of the clearing, walking right through the thick brown trunks with stopping.
Icefire surveyed her surroundings, waiting for Echo's signal. When it was given, she would blast off the branch, using her fire power as rockets to jump her across the clearing to the enemies' spaceship.
Icefire looked back over at Echo just in time to see the blind girl slash the air. She leaped out of HomeOak and shot high-pressured fire from her feet, flying over the clearing with the help off Snowburner's air ability. Satisfaction welled up inside her as her enemy looked up in surprise.
Icefire landed on the hard silver pod, the metal hot under her bare feet. She turned and spat insults at her enemy, who angrily swarmed toward her. She raised her arms and waved them, signaling for Pyro, Azalea, and Wolf start rounding them up and into their spacecraft.
The three girls dropped out of HomeOak and ran toward the enemy. Azalea sent a giant wave of water, which was generated from thin air, crashing toward the group of kids, while Pyro unleashed a ring of fire to back it up. The small army pushed into their pod, squishing each other in their haste.
As the wave neared the fleeing enemy, Icefire created an ice knife and tossed it up, kicking it into the oncoming wave. The knife pierced the center of the water, freezing it and spreading ice through the entire structure until every inch was completely ice. The fire ring that Pyro had sent behind it slid up the ice ramp and flew over the screaming army. They dashed inside without a back ward glance, shutting the door behind them.
Icefire dispersed the fire and jumped off onto the frozen ramp-like wave, sliding down the back. Wolf yowled to Falcon and Silver, who shot tendrils of white, silver, and black magic across the field. The shimmering light encased the entire pod and, with an enormous amount of energy, lifted it into air. Snowburner sent a powerful blast of air and fire to jumpstart it. The pod shot forward at amazing speed, soon vanishing out of sight.
Icefire watched it until she couldn't see it anymore before jumping over to her friends, now all gathered in the center of the meadow. Everyone buzzed with excitement, happy to have their home back when, unexpectedly, a group of strangers marched into the clearing, each carrying a basket full of fruit. They stopped dead in their tracks, staring in horror of what lay ahead of them.
"Some of them didn't get on board!" Falcon announced.
"And look who's in the lead." Icefire said, recognizing Sotako.
"That's not good." Nightsky stated flatly. The others nodded in agreement as the black-haired boy approached with almost fifteen other kids at his side.
Icefire, along with her friends, braced herself as Sotako calmly walked up to her and spoke, "What happened here?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
"A battle." Icefire replied tensely.
"Oh, come now. Don't be like that. I was only asking a question."
"You may have forgotten we're enemies." She retorted. He seemed so calm; it was starting to creep her out.
"I haven't forgotten." Sotako told her. "But you have failed to remember whose side you're on."
"I no longer fight with you." Icefire growled. "My allegiance lies with my friends. I thought you knew that by now."
"The Headmaster was quite upset when he found out you betrayed him and failed to destroy these half-hearted mice." The black-haired said coolly. His brightened, "Didn't your 'friends' know of your original purpose?"
"I know you're trying to turn them against me by using my past." Icefire told him. "They already know what I was sent here to do."
"And they still let you stay?" Sotako's eyes widened as he realized his plan wasn't working.
"Yes, we did." Snowburner replied, smiling at Icefire. "And I'm glad we did."
"You're all fools!" a kid in the back shouted angrily. "You'll pay for what you did to The Headmaster!"

Sotako glared back at the boy. "Quiet, Zailon."
Icefire raised one eyebrow. "Zailon is here? Well I guess one defeat doesn't settle well." She raised her voice and addressed the boy, "Apparently you can't admit that I beat you."
The black-haired boy pushed his way the front of the group, glaring at her with ice blue eyes. "You got lucky." He growled, defending his title.
"I think you're still mad because I wiped the floor with you, and I must say 'you're heavy'." She taunted.
Suddenly, Zailon leaped forward, but Silver stepped in the way. The black-haired boy slammed into the silvery-blond-haired girl, pinning her to the ground. Icefire stared in shock as her friend protected her. Falcon leaped onto Zailon, getting tangled in her cape as she wrestled the black-haired boy away from Silver. Soon, Zailon had wrapped Falcon's cape around her neck and was now pulling it hard.
Falcon gasped for air, but Icefire couldn't move. She stared frozen as Snowburner ripped the end of the black cape out of Zailon's hands, uncoiling it from Falcon's neck while Silver jumped on the black-haired boy.
Icefire didn't know what to think; no one had ever stood up for her like that. She was used to being on her own in these situations.
Keeta, the redheaded girl, joined in the skirmish, helping Zailon fight Snowburner and Silver. Kori jumped in, too, followed quickly by Echo. Soon, everyone was in the battle except Sotako and Icefire, both watching.
Icefire couldn't take it anymore; Echo was pinned down by Zailon, Keeta bowled over Silver, and Snowburner and the others weren't fairing much better.
"Stop it!" Icefire screamed, squeezing her eyes shut. The commotion stopped and she opened her eyes to find everyone up to their waists in ice. She gaped at what she had done. Both groups flew apart and lay limp in the grass. She knelt down in front of the closest person, Snowburner. He was conscious and his eyes were bright, but he couldn't move.
"Icefire!" Azalea called. "Come here."
Icefire went over to the white-haired girl. "Yeah?"
"You did another spell. You can undo it."
"How?"
"Just believe in yourself."
Icefire got up and let her instincts guide her. She closed her eyes and spread her arms. She reached to the far corners of her mind and grasped the power inside her. Three words came to her and she spoke them, feeling the strength power her. "Break the spell!"
The limp bodies trembled and she felt their muscles start moving properly again. The enemies scrambled apart, facing each other and glaring. Snowburner was panting and Tiger braced Wolf, who leaned gratefully against him.
"This isn't over." Icefire growled.
"No, it isn't." Sotako agreed. "I'll destroy The Guardians yet."
"Then you'll have the fight of your life." Snowburner stated determinedly.
Sotako snorted and walked away, his team following him into the forest.
Icefire walked back to HomeOak with Snowburner and the rest of her friends. She leaped up the branches and leaned against the wall of the main room. She felt drained; that spell stuff was hard work! She slid to the floor, resting her aching limbs.
Pyro and Azalea came up to her.
"I know," Icefire sighed. "I did some sort of spell. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Pyro said.
"What you did was very hard. Only powerful sorcerers can use spells." Azalea put in.
"I need some time to think about this." Icefire told them, getting up and climbing to the third and highest floor of HomeOak, which was divided into small rooms for each of the kids who lived there. She entered her room and lay down on her bed, a pile of moss and leaves.
Icefire closed her eyes and soaked up the afternoon sun that shone through her window gap. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

Icefire walked through the forest, sunlight dappling the ground in dreamy shades of browns and greens. She looked around in confusion.
This is not the woods where The Guardians' Home is! She thought, glancing around at the trees. It was then she realized she was dreaming. She looked down and found herself in a red and orange shirt and orange tights with a long red skirt, split down both sides.
What in the world? These aren't my clothes, she thought. Oh well, it is dream.
She wandered around for a while before coming to a clearing. There were houses carved into a hillside! And more buildings in the surrounding trees! She jumped when she heard someone shout. Three men ran toward Icefire.
"Hey!" one called. "It's a Fire Clan spy!"
"What?" Icefire blinked. "I'm no spy." Wait! She realized, Fire Clans! That's where Pyro's from!
The men were coming closer and they did not look friendly. She turned around and ran back through the woods. Leaped over a fallen tree and hit the ground hard, slipping on wet leaves. It must have rained yesterday.
She shook her head. This was a dream and nothing more. Nothing and no one could hurt her here. A large rock flew over her head and hit the tree in front of her. She ducked down and covered her head with her hands. She scrambled to her feet and ran on, dodging low limbs and jumping over logs.
The men chasing her suddenly stopped and laughed. "The Tribes of the Ocean will deal you now!" one shouted. The other two laughed with him.
Icefire turned in surprise and as a rustle sounded behind her. This is only a dream, she told herself, fighting against the fear. This is only a dream!
Suddenly, four people burst out of the tree line, two men and two young girls, and ran toward her. She braced herself to fight, but the group split up and stopped behind her. She spun around and saw them square up against the three men who had chased her.
"What are you doing here?" one of the girls growled at the men, completely ignoring Icefire.
"Chasing that Fire Clan spy out of our territory!" one of the men shouted at Icefire.
One of the men looked back and turned around again, saying, "That's no spy! She's not even from the Fire Clans! Can't you tell fire controllers from someone from the Tribes of the Ocean?"
Icefire looked down at her clothes as the men that had chased her stared at her curiously. She now found herself in a white sleeveless shirt with wavy blue stripes running down it at a slanting angle, baggy blue pants with a thick, long strip of white cloth hanging down the front of her pants with a wavy blue stripe in the middle, vertically.
This is too weird, she thought, looking up.
"Now leave." The first girl ordered.
The intruding men backed away, grumbling.
Icefire's rescuers turned to her, but before she could speak, one of the men said, "Ice Heart, when will you learn that you have to respect the Earthen Cities borders."
She opened her mouth, stunned. Ice Heart? Why'd he call her that?
The second girl spoke, grabbing her hand, "It's okay. Those Earthen scum had no right to scare you like that."
Icefire nodded absentmindedly. "Who are you?"
"It's me, Pond Skater. Your best friend." The girl said, as though trying to jog her memory. "Man, they must've gotten you good. You really don't remember us, do you?"
Icefire shook her head, "I don't even know where I am."
"Your in the Tribes of the Ocean territory." One of the men told her. "You know, home."
Icefire instantly recognized the name. Azalea was from the Tribes of the Ocean! "Do you know someone named Azalea?" she asked them.
"No, why?" Pond Skater answered.
"Well, she used to live here with her brother, Sotako."
The group thought for a moment before the oldest man replied, "There's no one by the name of Azalea or Sotako here. I've never even heard of those names before."
"What! That's not possible!"
"Look, Ice Heart," Pond Skater began.
But Icefire cut her off, "Why are you calling me Ice Heart? My name's Icefire."
The girl's eyes widened. "It's you. Water Song told us to expect someone called Icefire. She must speak with you immediately." Pond Skater grabbed her hand and led her through the trees on the other side of the clearing.
This is great, Icefire thought as she followed the group through the trees. I'm stuck in a dream and being led to some unknown person.