Page 38 of Moonlit Guardians
EILISH
Mortal Ruins
The portal spits us out in a different section of the mortal realm. I smell the salt of the sea and feel the wind on my face, but I see nothing but dense fog slithering along the ground. It obscures everything in sight. Dragan is at my side, sword ready to defend me as we walk the people of the Mercenary Stronghold towards a new future. I can’t help but think we brought this on them. Variant would have found Galmer’s fortress eventually, but we led him right to it.
“Enough, Eilish,” Dragan whispers harshly. “You aren’t to blame for the fate of these people. Morrigan is to blame.”
“Silvanus too,” Baron adds.
“Silvanus isn’t to blame.” I know what they think of me when I defend my lovers, but I know Silvanus has his reasons for not getting involved and they will come to light soon enough. “Things are complicated. We’ve only had to deal with Theren, Variant, and Morrigan so far. We have no idea what else is going on. Silvanus is occupied with something I’m sure we wouldn’t want to get caught up in”
“He’s busy getting his beauty sleep in the Raven Forest.” Baron’s dry retort is supported by Dragan’s chuckle. They aren’t being fair to Silvanus. He has yet to tell his side of the story.
“We should wait to hear what Silvanus has to say before passing judgement,” I say. Then I shove past them. “Let’s keep moving.”
Dragan and Baron seem taken aback by my reaction, but I’m tired of defending every decision I make. I remember the days before we joined Pyre, Aima, and Kolvar. Back then, I was too weak to do anything more than get in the way and their arrogance got us into more trouble than necessary. Their bickering and ranting didn’t help matters. Running from bounty hunters, soldiers, and Anona while three enormous men have a pissing contest isn’t the safest way to travel. They all felt entitledto be the leader, yet none of them knew the first thing about responsibility despite their former roles as kings.
They are different now.
I see the progress they’ve all made, but there are days when their old habits begin to creep up once again.
Pyre follows me to the head of the group. He’s silent at first, which is a welcome change from Dragan and Baron’s constant banter. Pyre playfully nudges me. I glance over at him and wish he’d forgone the mask. His scars and runes make him unique and beautiful. There’s no need to hide from me.
“How are you? I know that took a lot of your strength back there,” I say.
“It wasn’t easy, but I’m growing used to it. After sharing my burden with Baron, I feel lighter. And yet, for the first time since I took the guardianship, I don’t know what to do next,” he answers with a shrug. “There is no foresight, no more prophecies to guide me. I still have my knowledge and experience...”
“But it’s not the same. I understand.”
“Do you?” he asks. I can hear the smile in his voice.
“I spent many years thinking I’d be stuck in the Glade looking after my sister and mother. I thought I’d grow to be a healer like her and carry on the legacy, but I knew I was different. The day I killed the Unseelie noble’s son, Prince Yanhir, I knew I was no healer. After whispers had traveled through Oronrel and Earlann about his death, I poured all of my focus into keeping the Glade isolated so my family would be safe,” I explain. “Silvanus hadn’t appeared to me in months and I shouldered the blame, thinking somehow he knew what I’d done. It wasn’t until I went to Cambion that I felt relief as well as uncertainty. I was no longer my family’s only protector, but I didn’t know what the future held for us, now that I’d gone to a fae for help.”
“All of the events that have taken place were set in motion for a reason, Eilish,” Pyre says. “I could tell you not to hold on to the guilt of what happened to your family, but I won’t. You made a foolish mistake and you dragged Cambion into it.Youmade the decisions that led to the tragedy of your family’s death andyoutook the life of a young man.” Pyre pauses for a moment before he continues. “If you didn’t feel guilt, you’d be no better than Morrigan. It’s these moments in our lives that shape us. You learned lessons from your mistakes and they’ve kept you from repeating them. It’s all part of life, Eilish. Hold on to that guilt and use it. Fight with it.”
“You’re telling me to accept it?”
He nods and points in the distance. I follow the length of his arm and the tip of his finger until I see what appears to be a city hidden in the fog. Beyond the tall buildings, I see mountains and yet I also hear waves crashing on the sands of a beach.
“Where are we?”
“Welcome home, Eilish,” Pyre chuckles. “They once called this the City of Angels. Humans risked so much throughout their history to come here. It all seems silly now.”
We walk along the roads, weaving between immobile cars and ancient bones. Ivy crawls up the buildings and half the city appears to be flooded by the ocean. But some of the history has been preserved. There are no signs of fae or the precincts that had been established after the Singularity. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” I utter in disbelief.
Pyre pulls his mask away and I can finally see the smile on his handsome face. “There are a few buildings I wish to show you.” He leads us to a building that seems much older than the ones around it, but more structurally sound. “Earthquakes nearly decimated the entire city during the Singularity. This is a campus that was built in the nineteenth century and yet it still stands while the modern world crumbled around it.”
“It looks large enough to hold all of us.”
“My thoughts exactly,” he says.
I turn towards the others to give orders. “Cambion, I want you to take the mages and clear out the three buildings still standing. Make sure no demons or other creatures have made homes there. I want beds for everyone and a medical wing set up first. Then work on finding a lab for Zir.” Next, I look to Dragan for his assignment. “Dragan, establish a perimeter with Myerdoth and the guards. I want this place secured and protected.”
He nods and waves to his companion, disappearing into the crowd.
“Baron, I need you and the other clan leaders to get people to start erecting walls. With the other buildings falling apart, there should be plenty of materials to use. Work swiftly, but don’t tire them out completely. We have a long way to go before this can be called a home. It’ll take all of us.” I wait until Baron is out of range before I speak with Theren. “I need runes. Blood magic strong enough to keep anyone with malicious intent away from our people. Can you do that?”
Theren nods even though I can see how pale his face is. He’s still wounded and needs time to heal himself.
