Sentria: The War for Askeran (Book 3)

Chapter Nine: Restoration

Eldwyn, myself, and the townspeople of Brighton spent the night cleaning and fixing up the village after the attack from small Rainn army. We patched the houses, cleaned the streets, buried the bodies outside of town. There was some fire damage that had to be dealt with, but Eldwyn's ice had stopped it from spreading. 

By morning, everyone knew who I was and consequently who Eldwyn was. We could no longer hide behind our false identities, but they were so pleased that we kept them safe that they didn't give it another thought. This village was far enough from any kingdom and distant enough from superiority ideologies to keep an open mind. Lord Danvers reigned over this land, but he wasn't a cruel man. As long as people paid their taxes and kept the peace, he was fine. Villages like Brighton often followed the word of the Book of the Gods to the letter, without interpreting them to suit political gains, and there was nothing to be found about disparaging relics. That was something humanity created.

I sent a dove out to General Ivo who in the Hornswallow encampment, telling them that the soldiers of this small village needed to stay in case any more enemy soldiers returned. He should set his sights on recruiting villages with larger populations, like Amherst and Swindleton who had more than enough to spare.

Eldwyn and I made sure that Daniel and Sharla were uninjured and once they assured us they were, we went to the hills once not as well-rested as they had hoped. The fight had taken a lot out of them, and it also signified how close war was approaching. The north was becoming more brash, no doubt feeling empowered by their dark forces, and from this I knew that they wanted to destroy the small villages before the war started in fully. The letter I sent to General Ivo made that clear and all I could do was hope that he'd make the responsible decision.

We stood on top of the hill and looked east, as if we could see the Mountainlands from the there. I had tried to call upon a gaint owl, like the one I had used to save us from our frightful fall, but it didn't come. It had been so long since I used my powers, I worried that they were lost forever. Eldwyn then decided that he'd teleported us there. I was worried, but we didn't have many options.

"Are you ready?" asked Eldwyn.

"I have no other choice," I replied. "Are you? The Baynard Mountains are much further than your our last. Perhaps you need another day of rest."

"As you have said, I have no other choice."

Eldwyn held my hands and our eyes locked. "Close your eyes and remember the Baynard Mountains," said Eldwyn. "Remember the air and the cold and Princess Ilya greeting us with her brave smile and warm heart. Remember...all that we have sacrificed to make it there."

I closed my eyes and did as Eldwyn had instructed, remembering the time that I had tried so hard to forget. I remembered him...Lucas's face surrounded by golden rays, and wffhen I opened my eyes again, a portal opened up next to us, and we stepped into it holding hands.

Eldwyn and I came out the other end in the mountains...but this wasn't Baynard. We were much lower and we weren't surrounded by mountain walls. There were cliffs in front of us. We turned around and saw that we were in front of the Gray Woman's house; this was Invar. The two horses that we had used to ride up there last year were frolicking in the grass and I smiled at the sight, happy that they were well.

"At least we were close," I said. It might not have been Baynard, but we were still in the same region. We wouldn't have the brawny mountainmen to guide us this time, but we'd find a way to overcome it.

"I think we're supposed to be here," said Eldwyn. "It felt like I was being pulled."

We walked to the house, those yellow flowers were still all around and I petted the horses and apologized for having left them. I couldn't hear their response and it worried me even more.

As I listed my fist to knock on the door, it opened and my balled fist missed. The gray woman stood there, looking up at us smiling calmly like she had been expecting us.

"I've been expecting you," she said with a wincing smile. "Please come in."

Eldwyn and I walked in the house and sat on the couch. It was just as it had been before, there were hundreds of paper cranes everywhere and her cat continuously roamed the room. It was like time stopped there.

"Was it you that brought us here?" asked Eldwyn.

"It was the fates," she replied, and put on some tea.

"Do you have a message for us?" I asked expectantly.

"So eager, can't that wait?" she asked.

I held my hand to my chest. "I apologize. Time is of the essence."

"It is." The gray woman came over and sat on the seat across from us. "You've lost a lot. I can see it in your heart."

I looked out of the window, unable to speak of it.

"We have," said Eldwyn speaking for me. "Prince Lucas perished in the battle against Kilgore. We won the battle, but we lost him."

"A sacrifice," she said, "all great wars have them. He was a kind soul, bright like the sun."

"Did you know that he was meant to die?" I asked, partly not wanting to know the answer.

"I see all possibilities. I saw the two of you on the hill, planning on meeting the red princess in the Baynard Mountains, but there's something that you must know first; you won't win this war."

"I beg your pardon?" I asked.

"You have crossed into unknown territory. In these stories, these myths, it is the moon that dies, not the sun.You were meant to die in that battle, not Lucas. Natural law says that good conquers evil, but your story has become a creation of its own. It has defied the odds."

I stood up, hating what I was hearing. "I don't believe that. We will unite all the relic tribes and defeat the north from claiming the south. I don't care for prophecies. We will make our own destiny."

The tea whistled loudly as steam shot out of the kettle, and the Gray Woman got up to fix the drink as if our conversation wasn't serious at all.

"The relic tribes will not be enough. You have traveled into the unknown and you must further break from expectation. You will need to use your most powerful tool of all: your imagination. Only then, do you stand the chance of winning this war." She set the tea down in front of us and I sat back down. "That's all I have for you today. Drink your tea, rest up, and we will talk more tomorrow."