I would like to say thanks to everyone that commented my stories first chapter and supported me.
Chapter 2 – Shedding the wings.
"Is there any news?"
"Yes my lord. Guardian of earth has been killed by the keeper of the heart"
"This outcome was hardly unexpected. Earth guardian was no further use to us as a guardian. Did she broke the spell or did she simply failed?"
"We believe she managed to overcome it "
"Humans" he laughs for a moment "Their souls are so weak and easy to subjugate, yet under strong emotions they sometimes show great strength. Friendship, love, loyalty, emotions so valuable to them, they consider them their strength, but ironically they can also prove to be their undoing. Can you locate the keeper?"
"No she is not actively using her power and we can't locate her unless she does. We believe that heart is healing her wounds, but we can't locate her unless she willingly invokes hearts powers."
"No matter, it will give us time to prepare for our next move."
--
Ten days later.
--
"Wake up, do you hear me?" Will heard slight woman's voice in her head and slowly opened her eyes. Her eyesight in the left eye was quite blurred and it still ached from burns she received. She slowly floated to the ground and looked around. It was thick forest, and she had no idea where she dropped herself of when she opened a fold.
"Will are you there" faint voice in her head asked again. Will looked around to see if anybody is near. There was nobody around. She dismissed voices as her imagination and sat against tree. She tried to recall what happened before she entered in her regenerative state. Memories were blurred and Will was strongly confused about what happened back in the caves.
"Will answer me if you are there" voice asked again in slightly louder voice.
"Taranne?" Will replied in her head, but she knew that voice she just heard did not sound like hers, yet she felt that voice was somewhat familiar and deep inside she somehow felt that she could trust it.
"Will listen to me, I am not Taranee, but you must trust me. Your life and probably mine to now, since I am helping you, are in danger."
"Who are you? I don't even know who you are, yet you ask me to trust you" Will replied and pulled up left sleeve of her shirt to see extent of the wounds upon her hand. Most burns were gone, but arm was covered with multiple scars. Cocoon that regenerated her body could not undo such extensive damage so easily. Will concentrated and channeled slight charge of energy through her body. Left arm was still almost unusable, as soon as energy entered it, Will could no longer control it and it discharged uncontrollably.
"I will explain everything later, for now you must get out of there. If you linger there too long they will find you"
"Who will find me, who are they?"
"I told you already. You must get out of there and I will explain everything to you later?"
Will stood up and looked around to see where she is. It was unfamiliar place somewhere in deep forest outside of Heatherfield. Will took talisman of her neck to invoke its powers, but before she could open fold with it voice interrupted her again:" Don't use the heart"
"What? Why not? Then how I am supposed to get out of here" Will replied almost angry." I just killed my best friend and I have no clue why she attacked me, and now someone whom I don't even know or trust is giving me orders."
"Calm down guardian. You must not drain power from the heart at least for now. They will find you more quickly if you do so. If you need fold, use your own energy to open it rather than hearts."
"My own? But that's same as burning my own life force."
"Again I ask you that you trust me at least for this time"
Will placed heart back around her neck and tried to invoke her own life force as energy to open the fold. It was hard at start, but soon it became simpler and soon guardian had enough energy in her fingertips to open fold and she prepared to use it. She felt exhausted like she would have run for several miles. She lifted her hand and prepared to open fold to Heatherfield.
"Don't go to your home or friends for now" voice interrupted again.
"Now you expect me to trust you and not trust my friends?"
"Just trust me this once Will, I will explain everything as soon as you get out of there. For now I need you to go to mount Thanos."
Will shrugged. Mount Thanos was place where Nerissa was imprisoned and where she plotted her revenge." Why there?"
"First, you will be safe there at least for while; secondly that place still must have several artifacts that we both need"
Will was beyond confused, but she decides to obey voice and opened the fold. She still didn't trusted her and tried to mentally prepare herself for everything that can wait her on the other side as she stepped through the rift.
As far as Will could see there was endless stream of mountains and snow. Cold wind blew in her face and she pulled her shirt over her face as she looked around. Several yards away were entrance to the cave she was ordered to go to. She stepped inside and guardian instantly felt unnatural warmth emitting from the cave. Will knew that it was some sort of mystical energy that sustained temperature and light inside cave.
She looked around, but could not see anyone nearby. Everything inside the cave was left in the same way it was four years ago when they battled Nerissa. Room had few crude tables and chairs made as improvised study. Will slowly walked to one of the chairs and sat on it to regain her breath and closed eyes.
When she opened her eyes she saw incorporeal astral projection sitting on the opposite chair. Will, shocked charged her hand with energy, but upon noticing who is sitting opposite to her she lowered her hand.
"Hallinor?" surprised Will asks "Why did you led me here?"
"Because I am only one who can and is willing to help you"
"Cut it out, I have many friends; they can help me through anything"
Hallinor gives slight laugh and continues:" You obviously don't understand in what situation you are at the moment. That is how they work, trust me I have seen it before, your friends are turned against you and those who still aren't will eventually be played as cards against you."
"I am sure they will believe me when I will tell them what happened back in the cave"
"I never believed I would be able to lift my hand against my friends either, but that time came. None of us ever believed Nerissa either, when we turned her over to the council. I don't want you to suffer same fate."
Will noticeably shrugged "So you say everything is orchestrated to this point?"
"Exactly, now you can either trust me or hope that your friends or council will believe you"
"So let's say I will trust you for now, what do you want me to do?"
"Come with me Will" Hallinor said and floated to one of the walls." You are attuned to same element as Nerissa. I need you to open her cache here with a charge of your energy"
Will approached wall and examined it. Visually it was like most walls in the cave, yet she could feel some strange energy emitting from it. Will stepped few feet back and charges energy "Quintessence".
Stone wall slowly opened revealing few chests, books and crystals. Both Hallinor and Will entered chamber. Will examined books, but they were written in foreign language and she only knew few words of that ancient language. She turned her attention to the crystals, they were about one feet tall, and sparkling with the energy that Will could feel even from such distance. Curiously she asked:" What are those?"
"That is crystallized siphoned energy. Nerissa always kept some in spare in case she is left powerless. We will need them if we want to act without drawing their attention"
"How do you know about this place?"
"When Nerissa enslaved us. I still retain some memories from that, fortunately for you she left some of her stuff unused"
"So what should I do next?" Will asked while she was inspecting content of chests. They were filled with various items that Will didn't had a clue how to use them or even their purpose.
"Next you must sever your connection from the auramere and the heart"
"Do what?" Shocked Will asked "You cant be serious, first you tell me that I am hunted by god knows who and now you suggest that I should throw my only way of fighting. I need that power"
"You still don't understand. As long as you posses heart they will find you. Keep heart and you won't survive more than couple days. Reject that power and you will get another throw against your fate. Nerissa couldn't bring herself to right decision; I hope you will be wiser. Choice is yours"
Will started to nervously walk around the cave and to think about what she just heard. She knew that without heart she will retain slight portion of her power, but it will require to feed on her life energy and even opening one fold on her own power made her exhausted." How am I supposed to fight without power Hallinor?"
"Power? You don't need heart. There are always alternatives to power. You are guardian of quintessence, energy that supposed to be in every living being. As guardian you not only can make it, but also quench it"
"So you are suggesting that I should parasite power on living beings like Phobos did?" Will said with some disgust.
"If you put it that way then yes. But I you must understand that you don't have much choices here"
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you can hope your friends will visit you more often than we visited Nerissa, when you will sit in your cell. For now you can survive one those crystals Nerissa left here. Depending on how much power you will use you can survive on those crystals for a week without feeding yourself"
Will took deep breath and asked:" What must I do to sever this connection?"
Hallinor started to explain how to enter trance and to sever link between her and auramere. When finished Will sat on the ground and closed her eyes to start the ritual. At start she could easily sever some of the energy lines that fed her body but soon, with every next severed thread, Will felt as coldness and numbness started to creep in her body. She took last of her strength and continued ritual. Soon she felt that last of the links that bound her with the heart were gone and she collapsed to the ground. Fever overtook her body as she felt that something that has already been part of her body was gone.
She tried to lift herself up, but she was exhausted and with last remains of her strength she sat against wall and wiped her face. To her horror there was blood from her eyes and nose.
"What's happening to me Hallinor, you did not mentioned that something like this will happen"
"When guardian receives powerful source of power, it symbiotically links with your body and soul. It evolves them. Makes you stronger, faster, more resilient, your wounds close much faster than regular humans. But when that power is taken away suddenly, your body still requires same energy to maintain as it cant adapt to absence of power that quickly and it will feed on your life energy. In time you will adapt but for now you must feed upon energy to survive. Quench one of the crystals."
Will reached out her hand and concentrated on the crystal. Its energy easily entered her body and soon she felt normal as if numbness she felt minutes ago was never there. Crystal itself as its energy were drained turned dark and crumbled into charcoal dust.
"How long that will sustain me?" Will asked as wiped her face of blood and walked up pool of water.
"Depends, your body is not yet attuned to such energy. You can't store too much at once. There is no way to tell"
Will looked into pool of water and washed blood of her face. To her horror reflection in water not only revealed her maimed eye, but also that streak of her red hair had turned pale.
"Why didn't you tell me that this will happen?" Will almost shouted.
"I didn't wanted to make one choice decision harder for you than it already was"
"And you expect me to trust you then? I need answers what we are dealing with. What is going on?"
"I only know that you are targeted by the council and they want you for their own reasons. I am not sure what game are they playing, but I intend to prevent it."
"And why did my friend attacked me? I need answer Hallinor"
"Well on that question there is only one person who can answer it"
"Who?"
"There are not many people in this world who have been killed by another guardian, even more close friend, and lived to tell the tale."
TBC.