Where did it go wrong?

by Aria Morid

Going Zenith left its marks. It influences their lives and their missions. Their perception of what's right and wrong are skewed, but is it because of who they are or because of who they work for? The Guardians learn not every evil is wrong, or every good is right.

8. Chapter 8 Interlude

Chapter 8 Interlude – I will never listen again

Her glare had said it all. Her commands still rang in my ears as I used my telekinesis to slam the doors shut. An epiphany made me raise an extra wall of earth to block the doors. I hadn't finished that particular part of handy work before Irma started to yell at me.

"What are you doing, Cornelia? How is Will supposed to get out of there?"

I flipped my hair over my shoulder, levelling a cold stare at the brunette. "Teletransporting. Duh."

"We can't leave her, can we?"

I turned to look at Hay Lin. Anxiety defined her features as she glanced at my wall. I looked back with an uncomfortable feeling settling in my stomach. While I would admit that Will was arguably the one with the most experience in one-on-one fights, I did notice that the attacker seemed more experienced. And I had the frightening realization that Will probably knew this too. I huffed. My wall would only delay that woman when she knocked out Will.

My eyes wandered shortly to the sword I'd taken along. It lay now lifelessly on the floor next to the wall, its sharp edge gleaming in the light of the sun. I hoped this woman wouldn't kill Will. But seeing how she already came here with the intent to commit murder…I didn't want to think about it.

I caught Taranee glance at the sword as well. Our eyes met and I knew she was thinking along the same lines. She then looked at Ari. He was still cradling Maqi, though his eyes were sharp and filled with determination.

"Let's go," Taranee said. "The longer we stand here, the longer Will has to fight that woman."

I nodded and started to fly up. I looked down and gestured Ari to take the lead. Will might have accidentally folded her way to the Banshee's lair, I wasn't going to try my luck.

"Can't you wish her gone now?"

I looked at Irma. She made a reasonable request. The danger was locked behind a wall with a stubborn Guardian blocking the way. Ari could safely make his wish.

The blue haired man looked up. For a moment he seemed pensive. Was he truly debating with himself whether or not to wish that woman out of his palace? I hoped he didn't. Will was now fighting for her life to keep him safe. Any rancour thoughts dissipated as I saw him nod.

"Ba-"

I cursed when the windows nearby shattered. From it, another humanoid appeared. This one held similar traits to the woman who attacked us before. He had slightly pointed ears and cat-like pupils. He brandished several throwing knives, of which three were headed towards Ari. I sighed in relief when Hay Lin reacted. She blew the knives off course and knocked the attacker against the wall.

"Run!" Taranee said. "I take point! Irma and Hay Lin, you take Ari's left and right side. Cornelia, you protect us from behind."

I didn't argue with the plan. We all got into formation and as we did, another assassin came through the window. We started to move as more of them seemed keen on stabbing their weapon into Ari or Maqi. Hay Lin and Irma reacted often fast enough, blasting them against walls or blocking the weapons before they could do harm to the two we were trying to protect. That being said, they did get hit. A sword would swipe across their arm or leg. This resulted in a colourful curse from Irma, or one in Chinese from Hay Lin. Taranee took point, mercilessly blasting fire and heating up the entire corridor. A few had tried to attack us from the front. I only knew this due to the surprised and painful screams that sometimes erupted behind me. And I just kept everyone at bay that tried to follow us. While Hay Lin and Irma managed to knock out the assailants who came from side rooms or windows, these assailants wouldn't stay down forever. They recovered remarkably well. I had to resort to hurling chunks of the palace, raising new walls, forcing plants through the floor that restrained our attackers or at least hindered them or using my telekinesis to catch weapons or would-be attacks on my person. But the amount of attackers was growing and I was not skilled enough to keep everyone at bay. I hissed multiple times when a sword nicked my stomach or arms or legs. This usually was replied with a forceful push of my telekinesis.

We made another turn. Attacks no longer came from the front, but I had become aware that several who had been locked away by one of my walls, were using the windows to hop in and out of the palace. This way they avoided my walls and gave Hay Lin and Irma some extra work to do.

"This is why you should have guards!"

Irma's growl of frustration rang through the hallways, clearly audible over the ruckus of howling winds, roaring fire, torrents of water and rumblings of earth. Her loud voice was often a punishment, but now I was grateful. Only because I at least had someone agreeing with me that Ari did not know how to safeguard a palace. I could hear Ari faintly say something, but it didn't overcome the roar of the elements. Hay Lin's voice did.

"Just because you're new, doesn't mean you have to be stupid."

I dared to glance aside. I saw a very obvious irritated look on the petite Asian's face. It was terribly rare for Hay Lin to wear any other expression than happiness or concentration. This particular look was usually only reserved for those who were pushing their luck way too much. But I was agreeing with her. While I had been glad of the lack of guards when we infiltrated, I now truly wished there were some to help us.

I rammed another assailant between two pillars when I heard Ari speak. I glanced to see him jump past Irma and into a passageway.

"If he dies, is it our fault?" I heard Irma mutter.

I frowned at her. She didn't seem to notice it. Instead she jumped in after Ari. Hay Lin patted Taranee's back, getting her attention. Then she too ran after Ari. Taranee turned around, halting her fire. The stones in front of her seemed to be sizzling and I wondered how I hadn't noticed the heat. She looked panicked when she realized Ari, Hay Lin and Irma were gone. I gestured to the passageway that went down. A grim look followed and Taranee ran past me. I was sure she too was cursing now. I furrowed my brow and as I too stepped over the boundary of the passageway, I raised a new wall. As I did, I started panting. This whole ordeal had been way too much. Healing Maqi had already been pushing my limits, but now fighting our way through the palace? I could use a good night's rest.

I stalked off after the others, noticing the passageway opening up to a large cave. The walls were roughly hewn out. Stalactites and stalagmites jutted from the ceiling and the floor. The stairs, which were no better than a heap of messily placed steps, lead down to what seemed to be a pool. Robes, pink in colour, came down from the ceiling and disappeared into the green water, which seemed to glow ever so slightly. There was a bit of cave left at the bottom of the stairs, where I found the others. Hay Lin was bent over, heaving loudly. Irma sat down, her face in her hands as her elbows rested on her knees. She too was breathing heavily. Taranee panted slightly, but was still standing. Her eyes were focussed on the wall I had made. Ari had placed Maqi, who was still unconscious, on the ground. He stretched and too seemed to be waiting. His sword was still at his hip and one hand was already placed on the handle.

A few seconds went by. They turned into minutes. I hadn't left my position on the stairs, just in case someone did break through. Finally, I had become certain no one was following us. Relief settled within me and I descended the rest of the stairs. Taranee relaxed and I heard Irma mutter a 'thank god' as I passed her.

"Banshee!"

I watched Ari move towards the lake. The water started to bubble and out of it, a sickly green woman appeared. Her long wet hair was thick and shared a similar sick gradient of colour as her skin. Her face was sunken and her eyes followed Ari like a predator would eye its prey. I did not like this creature. My lip raised slightly in disgust as its voice echoed through the chamber.

"Yes, drip drip, Master?"

I was no fool. Her words were laced with sarcasm. I wondered if she dreamt about killing Ari. I wouldn't be surprised if she did.

"Get rid of any intruders in the palace. The Guardian left behind is no intruder."

The Banshee's face split apart in a vile grin. "There are no intruders left in the palace, Master"

I sighed in relief. This meant that all those lunatics were gone. And Will…. My eyes widened. Was she okay? I couldn't remember hearing anything from her. I looked panicked at Taranee. By how she was focussing at the ground, I figured she was trying to contact Will. Relief once again fuelled me as I saw her grin and make a thumbs up.

"Will's fine," she said.

Ari turned to us. He had an eyebrow raised, but didn't speak his mind.
"Are you in contact with your leader?"

Taranee nodded.

"Ask her what she wanted me to wish for."

Taranee started staring into space again. I waited for a response, feeling a bit uncomfortable. I wasn't used to be out of a conversation. I rolled my shoulders in an attempt to ease out any leftover stress. Somehow I felt like there was something else that would ruin our day.

"She's saying you have to wish to make it impossible to revoke your previous wishes."

The reaction was imminent. The Banshee screeched a loud 'no' and lurched forward. I instinctively took several steps back. My magic hummed at my fingertips as the creature looked desperately at Ari.

"Master, you wouldn't listen to these servants of Kandrakar?"

She was pleading. I felt there was more to it. Why would she care if Ari would make that wish? It wasn't like she could do anything about it. Her eyes flickered angrily whilst the rest of her face made an effort to project desperation and humility.

Ari, who'd also taken a step back, lifted his nose at her.
"You have no say in my actions, creature," he said. "Now make it so that none of my wishes can be revoked."

The Banshee's hands balled up. The water bubbled ominously while a pale green seeped from his fingers. I felt a shiver go through my body while watching the Banshee work. She muttered some things and a wave of magic washed over us. All the while that was happening, her forest green eyes glared angrily from Ari to us. This time I shivered, but not because of the magic I felt. Something bad was going to happen.

The magic subsided and the Banshee looked at Ari, almost as if she were expecting something.

"If that was all, Master…"

Ari held up his hand. Something inside of me was telling me to stop him. It felt wrong to free the Banshee now. Yet I remained mute as I watched him speak.

"Banshee, I have a promise to honour. And thus, I set you free. Return from whence you came."

Being noble was apparently a thing for Ari. He stood tall and feigned a royal disposition. It reminded me of how Elyon acted in her first weeks. Stiff and uncomfortable. But in contrary to Elyon, Ari seemed to radiate some kind of confidence she didn't have at the beginning of her term.

I watched how the robes disappeared around the Banshee. The Banshee looked at her now unbound arms and a sneer formed on her lips. Her eyes blazed with hatred. The water bubbled even more and she lunged forward, releasing a horrible scream. The scream came unannounced and I had to plug my ears in response. I watched helplessly as what I assumed to be an attack on Ari. I secretly hoped she would. Her promise to Will would be broken and she would dissolve. My stomach turned when the Banshee turned into water and drenched Ari. She reformed behind him and charged up the stairs, crushing my wall with ease. As she left, the cave started to tremble. Bits and pieces were starting to fall down.

"It's collapsing!" Hay Lin said.

"We need to get out of here!" I added.

The rest didn't need to be told twice. As the girls were making a headway up the stairs, I noticed Ari running to Maqi. Debris was falling down and I caught it in time to avoid them from getting hurt. Ari noticed the sudden shadow, looked up at the large rock and then at me. I gestured at the stairs, grunting an annoyed and unladylike 'NOW'. Ari made his way and I flew above him, keeping other dangerous obstacles from us or the way out. The moment we made it out, the rest of the cave collapsed. The entrance was completely sealed off. The remnants of my wall scattered the hallway as we all took a breather.

"We're lucky we've made it," Taranee said.

"Couldn't you ask her to leave gently?" Irma said, a sarcastic note in her tone while her sea-blue eyes glared angrily at the man.

Ari merely gasped for air, holding Maqi close to him. He checked his son for any potential wounds, apparently ignoring Irma. I leaned against the wall, placing a hand on my chest. My heart was still thundering and I wondered if it would ever quiet down. For a short moment, all seemed calm. All seemed settled. That illusion was shattered by Taranee's sharp intake of breath.

"Will!"

I looked at her, startled. I'd forgotten about her. She was probably exhausted. And… The realization was hitting me as I saw Taranee fly away. Will had ensured that the Banshee would not take its revenge on Ari. But that didn't mean that she couldn't take her revenge on someone else. I looked around, noticing that the same realization had come to the others. Only Ari looked up in confusion. I didn't have time to explain. I followed Taranee. I could hear Ari call us back for clarification. I didn't care. We were done with him and his son anyway. All we had to do now was return home safely. All of us.

A scream tore through me. I recognized it as Taranee's voice, but the cry was in so much agony that I halted in surprise. Irma and Hay Lin caught up to me. In the distance I heard the quick approaching footsteps of Ari. I shared a look with the two girls. Hay Lin had paled at Taranee's screech and even Irma didn't seem to be in a mood to crack a joke. We proceeded together, arriving shortly in the throne room. Here too my wall had been torn down. A gasp escaped my lips as I looked around. At first glance the throne room looked normal, with Taranee sitting on her knees in the middle of it. But at closer inspection I saw how the knees of her leggings were slowly soaking and colouring scarlet. She was seated in a puddle of blood. The longer I looked, the more blood I saw. I heard Hay Lin gasp audibly and Irma swallow loudly. Our arrival caught Taranee's attention. Her eyes were stained with tears, but it was not despair that seemed to hold its grasp on her. Her features were distorted into a hateful expression. Her lips were twisted in a snarl. Her eyebrows knitted together with small flames licking at them. Her eyes were dark as they seemed to search for something behind us. Her hands were balled as they lay on top of her knees.

"You."

I took a surprised step back when I heard her voice. It was deeper than before. Raspier. She got up and walked right past us, up to Ari. As she did, I noticed how the temperature around her was hotter. I'd never seen her this angry before. It was so unlike her. And because it was, I grabbed her shoulder. An immediate hiss of pain left my lips as Taranee's body was hotter than expected. Even so, I held on. Tears pooled in my eyes as Taranee turned her shoulder away from me and glared me down. Never before had she dared anything like this. And I was not about to be intimidated by her now. I tried to make myself bigger. From the corner of my eye I noticed Ari remaining in the entrance of the room.

"It's his fault she's gone. If he hadn't been so difficult with his Banshee, we wouldn't have to waste our energy on healing him."

Taranee apparently knew what I was going to say. Telepathy could be irritating.

"It's her own fault. Don't tell me you didn't realize the flaw in that plan of hers."

Taranee hissed angrily at me. Insulting her intelligence was a sure fire way to get her angry, but I needed to hear her say it. I wasn't happy with the situation either. I felt she was right. Ari certainly had some hand in our current predicament. But I wasn't going to pretend that Will was innocent either. She probably hadn't expected to fight after we healed Maqi. I couldn't blame her. You can't take everything into account. But damn it. She deliberately put herself into harm's way.

"Look, you can and try explode now, or you put that surge of energy into searching for Will."

"Your leader…She's gone?"

I turned to Ari, gladly taking my eyes a few seconds off Taranee's blazing ones. The way fire reflected in her glasses creeped me slightly. Ari looked dumbfounded at us. Maqi was still asleep in his arms. I envied the boy slightly, sleeping through all of this. However, I shouldn't be distracted. Will was gone and I doubted we had a lot of time to save her.

"Your Banshee probably took her," Irma sneered.

Now, for the first time since my confrontation with Taranee, did I look at the others. Hay Lin looked extremely pale, like anything could make her keel over within seconds. Irma was on the other side of the spectrum. She too was close to thinking like Taranee if I had to judge by the look she was giving Ari. Her accusing tone cut through the air with a definite effect on Ari. Remorse first seemed to cross his face, before a flaming sort of determination took its place.

"Then we'll have to find her. If Yua has taken her, she'll probably be in the Banshee Marshes. I know the way, I will guide you."

At that moment hurried footsteps came our way. Taranee's hands were ignited in seconds, but I wasn't far behind with focussing my magic. One of the men we'd seen training outside the palace approached, heaving and wheezing as he arrived at the throne room. His eyes widened when he saw the rubble, us with our magic at the ready and Ari with Maqi in his arms.

"Lord! I…"

"Make it quick soldier. The Guardians and I have to head to the Banshee Marshes immediately."

As Ari spoke, he placed Maqi in the arms of the confused soldier. He gestured us to follow and we did. The soldier looked aghast at us passing and at little Maqi in his arms. He needed a few seconds to walk up to us. I didn't know if he accepted the random change in his Lord's enemies, but he was at least smart enough not to question it.

"My Lord. The fire and earth creature, they stalked off. They…Went into the Banshee Marshes. The men didn't want to follow and…"

"You did well not to follow," Ari interrupted. "Watch my son while I'm gone. You got here by horse?"

The man nodded dumbfounded. He halted and watched us go. I didn't spare him a second glance. I started to fly as Ari took a running leap towards a horse that stood in front of the palace. The horse reared back in alarm, but it was evident that Ari was at least a seasoned rider. With a good spur he rode the horse off into the forest, with us close to his tail.

As we flew, I glanced shortly at Taranee. She was clearly still very angered, but seemed to be more in control than before. We flew for a while. None of us spoke up. I took my time to try and speak with the greenery around us. Their whispers were insistent and all were telling me one thing. Yua and Will passed by. I did not want to listen to the details about Will's wellbeing. In my mind she was still fine. Just bound. I did not try to imagine any other situation she could be in. She was probably defiantly staring Yua down, claiming we were coming for her. With that ridiculous trust in us like she usually has.

So I cut them off and we flew on. It took a while before Ari slowly came to a stop. His horse was nervous and he descended. He sent the horse back, which seemed all too happy to comply.

"I can't take the horse from here on out. I trust your leader should be somewhere here," Ari said.

"If that's right, we have to move."

I rolled my eyes slightly at Taranee's impatience. We were getting there. I just didn't want to share her worry. I didn't want her to be right in being troubled like this. We followed Ari again as he slowly made his way through the swamp. Against my better judgement had I descended and now my feet were slowly filling with the muck of the swamp. A shiver ran down my spine as the cold rushed up through my feet. The slime caused me to slip a little in my shoes. Landing had been a bad decision.

"Something is off."

I halted, cocking my head slightly as Ari suddenly came to a stop. He was looking around, sniffing the air.

"What's wrong?" Irma said.

Ari waited a little before answering. As he did, I felt a slight prodding from the back of my mind. It was familiar to a telepathic connection. I opened it quickly, hoping it to be Will. Instead I heard something akin to a low rumbling sound, but I could not make out any words.

"Usually you should smell a horrible scent around the Banshee's den. It's their way of chasing away enemies. But now…"

Hay Lin sniffed the air besides me. She grimaced slightly.

"I only smell swamp. Nothing worse. You think they've moved?" she said.

Ari nodded. My hands balled up. This was not helping us. We had to find Will. Who knew what that Banshee was doing to her?
My sentiments were shared by Irma, who threw her hands up in the air in frustration. As she did, two pillars of swamp water arose behind her, but she didn't heed them. Instead she glared helplessly at Ari.

"So what now?" she said.

Again the telepathic connection seemed to strain to contact me. I opened it, hearing the same rumbling sound. Only this time I was almost sure I heard it say a word.

"You kidnap the Banshee, Will makes a deal with it to still keep you and your son safe and now she has to pay for it? For your idiocy? Do you realize how close you were to going to war with Kandrakar? Do you have an inkling of a clue that what Will did wasn't necessary but because she apparently wanted to spare you of your madness she still persuaded the Banshee into a bargain? HAVE YOu-"

"Shh."

I looked at Taranee, who just boldly hushed Irma's rant to Ari. Ari had been looking unperturbed at our raging Water Guardian, with Hay Lin wincing slightly as Irma's voice rang louder and louder through the swamps. Taranee didn't seem to be listening. Instead her brow was furrowed in concentration, as if she tried to hear something else. At this time I could again hear the rumbling sound within my mind.

"Ov-er here."

I looked up wildly, just when Irma exploded towards Taranee.

"Do not dare to hush me Cook! This clown of a man needs to know exactly what bullshit we've gone through, Will's gone through, to keep him safe. And I will not let you hush me while I-"

"Be silent Irma. I hear something," Taranee urged, oblivious to Irma's rage.

The water bubbled dangerously around Irma. Ari looked dumbfounded at the two and took several steps back. And yet I didn't scold Irma. Instead the deep voice resounded once more in my mind while Taranee already took off.

"My Lady, you are close. She is here."

I didn't know who was speaking. I didn't know why I knew where the voice came from. All I knew was that I had to go to it. I was sure it was talking about Will. Irma's shouts followed me. Something about her not being done with us. Demanding an explanation. Wet running footsteps followed us as well when out of nowhere, a large fire explosion coloured the sky. I looked surprised at Taranee, who had halted. We shared a look, from which I could read she had no idea where it came from. I looked back at the explosion, finding now the fire golem Will had made before our infiltration. It flew in front of us. The moment our eyes fell upon it, it shot downwards, urging us to follow it.

We dove after it and came upon the earth golem. It stood tall and only slightly injured from attacks. A broken spear jutted out of one of his joints. His stone face turned to look at us and nodded, holding its hands up.

My breath stopped. My stomach turned and tears came to my eyes. In its arms lay Will, battered and broken. Blood was splattered across her sleeves and stomach. Around her mouth and down the front of her top was a dark olive green liquid. Her lips were black and I could see something green trace down the inside of her throat, as if her veins started to discolour. Only by the frequent moving of her chest did I know that she was still alive.

"Will," I said under my breath.

I had to look away. I couldn't bear to see her like this. As I did, I noticed Taranee staring at the body of our friend. Her hands balled, but her voice seemed to be lost. Seconds past before she finally managed to form words.

"Help!"

As by magic, the others appeared. Irma halted immediately upon seeing Will, looking green herself. Hay Lin had to turn away, grabbing Irma for comfort. Ari was the only one who didn't stop. He immediately moved up to inspect Will. I saw the golem trying to keep her away from him, while the fire golem moved in between them. I placed my hand on the earth golem, while Taranee's hoarse voice croaked out the same thing I tried to convey.

"It's okay."

The fire golem moved out of the way. The earth golem lowered its arms for Ari to get a closer look on Will. I watched him closely, unaware of my own erratic breathing. One look upon her made him curse.

"Banshee's blood. A deadly poison. They made her take it. This is not good. We need to get back to the palace. I have to alarm a doctor."

I looked grimly at him. "You can save her?"

He shook his head. "No, but I know of someone who might."

I nodded. I shared a very short look with the others. Hay Lin hadn't been looking in Will's general direction, and the tears were brimming in her eyes. She nodded with determination. The others did so as well and within a flash we were back at the palace. The two golems were with us and Ari gasped in surprise. I looked at him recovering from the initial surprise.

"She needs to be placed in a bed. And I need to get to the village as soon as possible. I have no doctor around here," he said.

"I'd be surprised if you did," I heard Irma mutter underneath her breath.

Ari seemed to not notice it. He was already making his way to the entrance when Hay Lin flew up behind him.

"Wait! I'll take you along. We'll be faster."

With that she conjured a wind that picked up Ari. He let out a new scream, this time out of horror. He had no time to object as Hay Lin flew off, with him close behind her. On a normal day, I would have thought this to be quite amusing. Today I only grunted at his stupidity. He was going to have to increase the number of people working here if he wanted a working palace. I looked away from the doors and returned my gaze to Will. She was wheezing now, the green slowly pooling down her chest. The Heart of Kandrakar had shown itself, and lay now on her chest. It pulsed with a soft light. I hoped it was not an indication to Will's own heart rate, for I feared she wouldn't survive if her heart beat was this low.

Stumbling caught our attention and the soldier from before appeared. He screamed in surprise at the sight of us and the two golems. Neither of the golems reacted, as neither Taranee or I did. Irma walked up to him.

"You can scream all you want, but we need a bed now."

I guess that she'd learned a thing or two about commanding others. Her voice was compelling enough without magic. Perhaps it was some sort of desperation. The soldier nodded numbly. He gestured us to follow him and sped away. Irma huffed greatly annoyed. She turned around to look at us. I saw how her eyes temporarily rested on Will. Her body tensed and I saw her swallow again. She averted her eyes and instead looked at me. I felt out of place. I needed someone to tell me everything would be alright. I didn't want to be the one who had to give the assurance.

"Come on," I said.

I went after the soldier, with the earth golem trudging behind me. It held Will carefully in its arms. I was glad it held her. It felt slightly more comforting to know she was at least in safe hands. I noticed the soldier standing somewhere down the corridor, looking uncomfortable as we approached. He regarded the golems with an immense suspicion and unease. He moved out of the way as the earth golem moved into the room. To my surprise it shrunk in size, as to fit through the door. It carefully laid down Will on the bed and stood beside her. The fire golem moved and went to lay on her stomach, as if to burn the poison away. I shivered uncontrollably when I saw the flames licking her stomach. There was no sign of burns, nor did Will react to any apparent pain. I looked at Taranee, whose gaze was still on Will. Her eyes were wide, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Before I had a chance to ask her about the lethality of the fire dragon golem, running steps resounded through the hall. I turned away from the room to see Hay Lin arrive first, with Ari, a man and a boy in her wake. The man was balding, wore glasses and the peasant clothing I'd become familiar of seeing around these parts. The boy could not be older than Lillian, with short blue hair and deep green eyes. He was carrying a large leather bag, which seemed to hold multiple vials if the jingling sounds were any indication.

The man immediately walked into the room. My earth golem didn't react, but the fire golem growled at him. This was the first time I heard a golem make a sound and even I was taken aback. The man did not seem perturbed.

"Could someone please remove the serpent? I have to check the patient."

His voice was reedy and testy. He didn't seem to be surprised or impressed by the presence of the Guardians, or of the fire dragon that seemed to be keen on setting him on fire. It growled again.

"Move away."

Taranee's voice was broken, as if she was on the verge of tears. Yet I heard a note of anger hidden within it. The fire golem seemed to notice it as well and with a growl of dislike, it left Will. It flew behind Taranee, eyeing the doctor with a death stare that resembled the one Taranee gave him. As if both were promising him a very painful death if Will would not make it.

The doctor ignored the glances. He gestured for the boy to follow him. The young child had been hesitant to enter the room, anxiously looking at us and the golems. When the doctor clacked his tongue in irritation, the boy jumped up. He quickly moved to the doctor's side.

I watched the doctor methodically check Will. He first placed his hand on her forehead, taking it back quickly. He opened one of her eyes, peered in it, before letting go. He carefully took her chin and tilted it slightly, while his other hand traced the lines the poison was making. At this point he gave a dissatisfied grunt. He snapped his fingers, an indication for the boy to open the bag.

"Dio, look for four vials of Banshee blood antidote. You – he turned to the soldier who had brought us here – bring me some water. As quickly as possible. One tankard should do."

The boy started to rummage through the bag while the soldier looked forlorn at Ari. Ari took only a moment's notice of him, before nodding. The soldier scratched his head in confusion, but ran off anyway. While this was going on, the doctor checked the rest of her body. Without even asking he took some scissors from his bag and started cutting into the fabric of Will's top. He seemed to be aware of our protest, for as our voices started to fill the room, he raised his other hand.

"I need to get her out of the garment, so she may breath more comfortably."

I watched with more pain than before how the Guardian top, which had protected Will from numerous blade and arrow attacks, was so easily cut apart. The doctor pulled it off, revealing a set of deep dark bruises down her right arm. He prodded them gently, muttering the word 'curious'. He threw the now ruined garment over a nearby chair as running footsteps announced the return of the soldier. He entered the room, holding one tankard of water. A deep blush formed on his cheeks when he saw Will laying without her top. She still wore something I'd seen in Meridian and recognized as chest bindings. It probably came with our transformation.

Irma noticed him ogling and slapped him across the face before taking the tankard from him. The poor man looked even more confused and decided he was probably no longer needed. He left the room, not daring to look back again.

"Good. Now you – he pointed at me – help me hold her head up a little. We need her to drink the water first."

I looked at the tankard. It was a lot of water. I faintly remembered that my mother always told me to make Lillian drink water in the unlikely event that she would consume washing detergent. It would delude the toxic qualities. And so, I tried to lift up Will's head. She groaned a bit as I did. I heard the doctor mutter 'good' before administrating the water. Most of it was spilled down her chin. Will drank automatically, but not as fast as she normally would. The moment the tankard was empty, the doctor proceeded with the vials his assistant was giving him. Each vial held a blue liquid and seemed slightly more slimy than a normal liquid would. He dripped it down her throat, this time careful not to spill anything. The four vials were downed, resulting in Will having a massive coughing fit. She started to gag and I felt bad for keeping her head up right.

Then she relaxed. Her breathing was still erratic, but her face already showed more ease than it did before. I gently placed her head back on the pillow. A soft moan flitted her lips. I winced slightly, muttering an apology as I took a step back.

"Will she make it?"

Taranee's voice broke the silence that had taken a hold of the room. The doctor seemed to ignore her at first, gather his vials and corking them again. He might have sensed her impatience, along with ours. He looked up and looked us all in the eye.

"I don't know what she did to get the Banshee to administer her their blood, but let me tell you ladies that it was terribly reckless. I don't know if it's normal for the people of your planet or because you are Guardians, but she has an abnormally powerful regeneration. If it weren't for that, your friend here wouldn't even be alive by the time I got here."

I pursed my lips. Humans of Earth were by far one of the frailest creatures I'd ever met. I was certain it was Will's Guardian form that kept her from dying. That meant that in some way, she was now indebted to Kandrakar. I crossed my arms. It had been Kandrakar's fault that she got poisoned anyway. If we weren't Guardians, we would have never met the Banshee and Will wouldn't have been poisoned. It was certainly something I would argue if anyone would bring up this debt.

"I believe she will make it. But we have to wait. She is not to be moved until fully healed. I will leave instructions how to make a small concoction that will keep her hydrated and give her the needed nutrients to recover. I'll be checking up on her every day."

With that he closed his bag and handed it to the boy. The kid huffed under the sudden strain of the bag. The doctor paid no heed and was already looking and checking Will's bruised arm.

"Could she heal faster if someone tried to heal her magically?"

I looked at Irma with a frown. I had to admit I hadn't thought of my powers as a way to help. No, the truth was that I was unsure if it would work.

"Irma, I don't know how my healing works in relation to poisons. What if I accidentally made it worse?"

"You wouldn-"

"Clever thinking of you, young lady."

Irma silenced immediately as our attention was turned to the doctor. He was still looking at Will's bruised arm, gently holding it and bending it. He looked up with his eyebrows knitted together in a disapproving way.

"Magic healing is indeed powerful, but if the practitioner is uncertain how to heal, the opposite effect may occur. What you felt inherently was indeed the right decision," he said.

He turned back to Will's arm, placing it back on the bed and snapping his fingers at the boy. The boy opened the bag again. The doctor search through the many vials and pots he had in it before he pulled out a small container. He opened it and a sickly sweet scent came from it. I wrinkled my nose as I watched how he put some sort of orange paste on the bruises.

"I guess it is due to that high healing factor of hers, but these bruises indicate a very recent injury to her arm. I would say it was broken not too long ago. But her arm seems to work fine, albeit a bit sore due to the bruising. I recommend putting the paste on her arm twice a day, to accelerate the healing."

With that he pressed the container in my hands. He cleaned his own with a towel from his bag before the boy clipped it close again. The doctor looked at us again. His face now looked calmer and he made a nicer impression than when he first entered.

"If that was all my Lord, I would like to take my leave. With non-magical means if you don't mind."

From the corner of my eye I noticed Hay Lin blushing slightly. Ari nodded and guided the man and the boy out of the room. We were left alone with Will's breathing being painstakingly loud. When she started to cough again, we all reacted. Taranee and I were closest to the bed and the first to arrive at her side. Irma and Hay Lin stood at the end on the bed, looking horrified. Taranee took a hold of Will's hand, while her golem retook its position on Will's stomach. I placed my hand on her uninjured arm, squeezing it gently. My golem only turned its head to the bed, but remained otherwise immobile. Irma's hands clenched on the bed post, while Hay Lin whimpered Will's name.

The coughing stopped and Will continued to breathe heavily. We stood silently at her bed, staring down on her. I felt uneasy. Will did not show vulnerability. At least, not in Guardian form. I'd seen her fret, be jealous and even cry when in human form. But never as a Guardian. And only now I realized how accustomed I'd grown to that. I never thought I would be this unsettled by the lack of her support. It was in these situations I could turn to her and have her tell me everything would be fine. To have no one telling me this made me uneasy. I felt lost and confused. And worried. I looked once more at her. She looked so ill. So broken.

"Will she really make it?"

I looked up, right into Hay Lin's paled face. Her eyes were big and her lip quivered. I took a moment. No one asked me this. This was a Will question. Not one for me. As I remained silent, Hay Lin's lip quivered even more. Irma was now staring at me as well. I clenched my hands.

"She will. It's Will after all. She got us out of those elemental states. This has to be easy for her."

I made sure my voice didn't tremble as I spoke. I pushed all my conviction in those words, willing myself to believe them. And even if I still was afraid that what I said was not true, I could see the relief settle within Hay Lin. A weak smile formed on her lips as she looked back at Will. I momentarily looked at Irma. She only nodded, still mute.

I averted my gaze, looking back at our ailing leader. Stoic walking surprised me and caused me to turn my head. My golem had moved from its place next to the bed and stood now behind me. I leaned back into it, finding the moss that grew on the surface to be soft.

"The Mistress will survive. She is strong."

"Yeah," I muttered in return.

That was how our first day on Arkhanta ended. Both Irma and Hay Lin had taken their leave from the room after an hour. I didn't know what they did to relieve their concerns, but I realized that it was not in their nature to remain next to what caused them those worries. Taranee and I endured. We both took a chair and sat next to Will, watching over her. We only left, reluctantly, for dinner. Ari had been generous to us, giving us rooms to sleep in and some of the best food he had. He promised a banquet when Will recovered. He seemed sincere in his attempts to apologize for his behaviour. I just didn't want to hear it. He could try again when Will was awake and well again.

The following days seemed to follow a similar pattern. It was during the second day that I asked Taranee to take shifts. Neither of us had slept during the night and it was becoming clear we both needed to rest. I volunteered to stay awake a little longer. That way Taranee could take a short nap. Within four hours did she return and I retreated for a short rest. I learned that our wings didn't obstruct sleeping on our backs or taking off or putting on our clothing. I fell asleep rather quickly, but I didn't really dream. I didn't sleep well either. At least I was slightly more alert and well rested than before.

While Taranee and I kept a faithful watch over Will, Irma and Hay Lin roamed the palace and the grounds around it. Hay Lin had become the unofficial babysitter of Maqi. Both of them would visit frequently, showing drawings to us that they had made and leaving one for Will. Irma didn't visit. In fact, I barely saw her. She only appeared during dinner, where she hardly said a word. On normal days I would have seen it as a blessing. I hadn't fought with her for a while now and it was worrying in its own way. She didn't visit Will either. She just disappeared. When I finally asked Hay Lin about her, she relayed that Irma was often found in the kitchens, speaking with the cooks and learning a thing or two about cooking. When she wasn't there, she presumably went into the town. Hay Lin also communicated her concern for Irma. When she tried to talk to her, Irma tried her best to smile and act like nothing was wrong, but Hay Lin could sense the lies.

It had been four days since we found Will. The green had started to wane from her chest and throat. Her cut up Guardian top had repaired itself magically and lay clean on the chair I used. The bruises on her arm were gone. She had started to mutter in her sleep and could breathe more easily now. She also had taken a grip on the Heart with her hand. At first it seemed harmless, but when the doctor came to inspect that arm and tried to pry it away from the Heart, Will would release dangerous sparks. We decided it was perhaps some Keeper instinct to keep the Heart safe and best left alone.

Hay Lin stayed longer now, telling Will and us about what she and Maqi had done during the day. She looked healthier as well. Taranee and I had finally recovered from our lack of sleep and were both also visibly calmer the more Will healed. In our time alone with Will, we played with our golems. We decided to name them instead of destroying them. Usually I would make them collapse without a second thought, but this one kept me calm during the more testing hours. And it had saved Will. So I gave it the name Terbis. Taranee's way of thinking was probably along the same lines. I didn't ask her why she didn't snuff out her fire dragon. Instead she'd dubbed it 'Lux' and sometimes tossed it curled up paper.

The days had gone by slowly and I was always grateful of Hay Lin's and Maqi's visits. I even tolerated Ari's presence when he came to check up. The doctor only asked for any changes we'd noticed, gave Will some concoction to avoid any dehydration or starvation and wasn't really up for a talk. The only one who still had to show her face was Irma. She didn't ask how Will was during dinner, or express any kind of interest in her. And it was slowly starting to vex me.

And so, during that fourth day, I was making my way to my room. Taranee was now watching Will and I needed my sleep. Turning a corner, I could see Irma do the same at the end of the hall I just entered. Deciding to postpone my nap a little, I followed her. She hadn't gone far. The moment I turned the corner she'd taken, I saw her enter her room. I frowned a bit, as it should be around three during the day. I could take a quick nap because I'd been awake during the night. Why would Irma go to her room?

I knocked. A silence followed before I finally heard her giving me permission to enter. I noted how her voice broke at the end of the word 'open'. I opened the door and looked around. The room was similar to mine, with just a dresser, a bed and a table with a chair in it. The window gave a view of the gardens and the forests in the distance. Irma was sitting on the bed, but got up quickly when she saw it was me.

"Cornelia? What do you want?"

I looked at her. She tried to obviously glare at me, but her eyes seemed to be slightly red around the edges.

"Checking up on you. You've been acting off lately," I said.

"I'm fine. Thank you for checking up on me and goodbye."

Irma tried to push me out. I put my heels in the ground, accidentally pushing them literally in the stone floor. Irma realized the futility in pushing me and stopped abruptly, causing me to falter backwards. I caught myself in time and glared at her. She had crossed her arms and looked irritated by my presence. At least some of the old Irma was still there.

"If you were fine I wouldn't have come here. I have barely seen you over the past days," I said, ignoring her rude behaviour.

Irma shrugged. "You've seen me at dinner. And I thought you of all people wouldn't mind seeing me a little lesser than usual."

A corner of my mouth turned upwards. I pushed it down and rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean. You haven't visited Will a single time since day one."

"How would you know that? Maybe I visited when you went to sleep."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? My golem would have notified me. You can't lie yourself out of this one, Lair. Tell me what's wrong."

I'd seen a lot of glares from Irma. Yet the one she send me now, was chilling. Usually there was a hint of playfulness in every glare. This one was solely fuelled by anger. I didn't know what I'd done wrong, but I was certain Irma would point it out to me.

"I don't have to tell you anything! You are nor my mom, nor Will. Just leave me be."

It was an explosion I wasn't fully prepared for. I took a step back as Irma lashed out at me. However, I wasn't going to take it. I glared in return and crossed my arms. I was about to shout back when her last sentence echoed through my mind. People would usually say stuff like 'you're not my mom' when being interrogated about their health and such. It was strange for Irma to add Will to that sentence. I slowly uncrossed my arms as I looked at her.

"You're afraid of Will."

I didn't mean it as in the sense of Will frightening Irma. I meant it as in Will's state being what spooked her. Irma's glare slowly cracked. Her eyes watered and she turned her head away, crossing her arms.

"Oh please. I afraid of Will? Chris can be a lot scarier than her."

Irma's voice was slightly broken.

"You know precisely what I meant with that. Why else would you turn away?"

"Corny, you're talking in riddles," Irma said.

I stepped forward. I grabbed her shoulder and forcefully turned her around. I looked down, into two pools of sea-blue, threatening to spill out the water that was painstakingly stopped. Her eyebrows formed a glare, but the budding tears were enough to dispel any hostility the glare would have had. She pushed my hand away.

"Irma. She's looking better you know. The green. It's slowly pulling back."

Irma turned her head away again. She rubbed her eyes and I heard a soft snicker.

"Well duh. She would make it anyway. You didn't have to tell me that."

"I wouldn't have to if you just stopped by," I pointed out.

A silence fell between us. Irma sniffled a few times and let out a deep sigh. I stood where I'd been, watching her with some concern.

"I couldn't, okay? Are you happy now?"

I frowned. Irma held her head up high, looking at the ceiling. She turned her head in such a way that I could see the side of her face. Her eye and nose were red.

"It just spooked me to see her like that. I couldn't stand it. That's not Will. She's not…"

I smiled wryly and sighed as well. I knew what she wanted to say. I felt the same way. Irma's hand balled.

"I feel like we should be capable of doing something to help her. I know your healing won't do her good, but isn't there something I could do? All I can do now is stare at her body and pray to whoever wants to listen that she makes it. How's that any help?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Being there is a help. I don't know how, but she knows when we're there. She reacts differently to me than to Taranee. She reacts when Hay Lin enters the room. I think she is aware we're there."

Irma turned to me, a lopsided grin now on her face. "You're telling me Will knows I haven't been visiting her? Are you trying to make me feel more guilty than I already did?"

This time I rolled my eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "I have no idea how this always happens. Sometimes it's just… It's like you deliberately say things to get under my skin."

The lopsided grin slowly turned into a real one.

"Well, to be fair, I do. It's pretty easy with you, actually. Probably brings out the worst in me," she said.

I groaned and gently nudged her. "Yeah, I wish you wouldn't."

Irma shrugged. "Corny, you know we're always good. A heated verbal tussle keeps us sane."

I shook my head. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I made my way to the door.

"You just used words I never thought you would know the meaning off," I said by way of a goodbye.

A muffled shout came through the now closed door. I shook my head and made for my room. At least I now knew why Irma was being so difficult. The oaf had some trouble with being powerless. I could understand the way she felt, but she had to act against it. I was therefore pleasantly surprised that when I returned to my shift after dinner, I found Irma already sitting there. She'd taken Taranee's chair and was talking to Will. I silently lamented my attempt to get Irma to come here, as it also meant that I had to listen to her stories. Some were terribly blown up and we even argued a few times. I was unsure if Will had been conscious enough to notice it, but she tended to mumble when things were heating up. It would remind us that we weren't alone and would cause our bout to stop.

All in all, everything seemed to go back to normal. On the fifth day only her jaw was still faintly green, but otherwise Will seemed fine. The doctor had stopped by, reporting that it was possible that she would awake any moment now. The poison was mostly gone. If she would awaken, she would probably feel like she had a flu, but otherwise should be fine. This lifted any anxiety we still harboured. It was also the first day the four of us sat together in the room since it all happened. Will tossed and turned in the bed, while Taranee would occasionally put a wet towel on her head to cool down the fever that had started. As we watched her, the inevitable subject would finally rear its head. How were we going to explain to our parents about our five days, maybe longer, absence?

"I'm going to get grounded. I won't see freedom till I'm thirty," Irma moaned.

She sat on her chair, with her arms hanging over the back. A deep sigh of despair left her lips and she rested her chin on the backrest. Hay Lin, who sat on the floor with her back to the wall, groaned as well.

"You will at least see your freedom. Remember how my parents reacted when I snuck out for the midnight premier? I'm going to be home schooled," Hay Lin said.

The corner of my mouth twitched, but the smile never came. I was going to face one hell of a punishment when I got home. I might even get send to a private institute. And by the look on Taranee's paler than usual visage, I was sure she too was going to face horrors at home.

"At least you have your grandmother who can downplay it," Irma said, glaring over at Hay Lin.

"And you have… That's it!"

Hay Lin jumped up. The smile on her face indicated her happiness for finding the solution. Her eyes sparkled and pointed at Irma. The latter sat back. Eyebrows raised, we all looked at Hay Lin.

"Can't you just…You know. Suggest that they knew about us being away?"

Irma jumped up with a big grin. "Hay, you are a genius, you know that?"

I frowned. It was not as bad of an idea I thought it would have been. Irma tended to suggest lots of things to her parents. And they still acted like normal people. One suggestion wouldn't harm mine…Right? Still my stomach turned at the idea. I rather kept my parents outside of my magical life. Maybe I should first try and convince them myself instead of having Irma brainwash them.

"Or we can ask Kandrakar first, before going for the big guns."

I looked over at Taranee. She was frowning deeply, clearly not agreeing with the idea of her parents being subjugated to Irma's mind bending powers. However, her suggestion seemed more ridiculous. Kandrakar had been nothing but hostile against us. And especially now, I doubted they would help us. We didn't exactly obey orders, did we? My thoughts were not shared by the others. Both Irma and Hay Lin perked up at that idea. Irma actually forgot to be sceptic. And I couldn't bring myself to bring the party down. We've gone through so much in the past few days. A little ray of hope would be nice.

Will started to cough violently and we all looked at her. I once again became concerned. What if the doctor had missed something? What if she could still take a turn for the worse? My golem, Terbis, placed its hand on my shoulder. Taranee's golem reared up and rested once again upon Will's stomach. Slowly the coughing came to an end and we all held our breath. Gradually her eyes fluttered open. She blinked drowsily. It took her a full minute to blink her sleep away. With a start she bolted upright, her eyes wide and sparks randomly flying around her. Taranee's golem moved away from her in surprise. She was breathing heavily, the Heart glowing brightly.

"Will! Will, it's okay. You're safe," Taranee said, trying to push her back down.

She halted the attempts when she got a slight shock. However, her shouts still seemed to have an effect. Will's breathing became more and more steady as her eyes took in her surroundings. We all stood at her bed. My golem loomed over me, while Taranee's now floated above her. I swallowed as I saw Will's still green lips part. She let out a deep sigh, one I found myself mirroring. It was followed by perhaps her shyest smile. She carefully tugged her hair behind her ear.

"Good morning?" she said.

[A/N] A new chapter on the cusp of New Year. I hope you enjoyed it! You know, as always, I'd love to see your reviews! And a happy New Year!