Acadia Restoration

Chapter 11

 A figure with a long ornate robe emerged on top of the platform towards the back of the room. The soldiers pushed them into the room. The figure was just shadowed enough where Norah couldn't make out any of their defining features.

"What have you brought me?" The Guardian questioned. Their voice was neither feminine nor masculine. One of the guards sauntered forward.

"We caught them harming the peprodes," The guard said.

"Bring them to me," The Guardian ordered. The guards forced the group forward with their spears. "Do you deny the accusations?" The Guardian questioned.

"Absolutely! We didn't do anything to those damn birds," Luna began. Everyone gave Luna a panicked stare. Kelp punched his chest as he began to cough. He pulled bright pink fluff from his mouth. The soldiers pivoted to give Luna a cold stare. "Anything except pluck a feather," she added as she looked at the ground. The Guardian stepped out of the shadows.

"Is that a boy or a girl?" Max whispered to Kelp. The Guardian had short close cut hair. He or she had no gender defining features. The only thing that caught Norah's attention were the Guardian's ram horns. She looked around to see that the soldiers also had them along with ram hooves. They were all satyrs.

"Neither," The Guardian answered. Max's body went erect.

"How can you be neither?" He asked. "And I mean that as respectfully as possible,".

"I'm non-binary," The Guardian specified. " I don't identify as either gender," The Guardian explained. "So you admit to harming the peprodes?" The Guardian resumed the task at hand.

"I wouldn't use the word "harming" per say," Luna spoke with her hands as she began her rambling. The Guardian held a hand up to hush her.

"Lock them up," was The Guardian's only response. The group began to rattle off objections, none of them were compliant. "Wait," The Guardian's eyes widened. "You buffoons how could you not recognize her!?" The Guardian spat. The soldiers lowered their spears and waited for The Guardian to explain. The Guardian rushed to the center of the room where the group stood. The Guardian dropped to the ground and laid at Hope's feet. She bowed to her and begged for forgiveness. The soldiers followed after The Guardian's example.

"Rise, all is forgiven," Hope offered the Guardian her hand.

"You are too kind, I'm afraid I must beg for forgiveness once more, I don't know what goddess you are," The Guardian added sheepishly.

"I'm Hope," Hope said. "Don't apologize to me, apologize to them," Hope gestured to the rest of the group. The Guardian apologized to them.

"Please stay as long as you need, I'll have rooms prepared for you all. Come to me with anything you need," the Guardian said.

"Give us a second," Cristina said as the group huddled up. "Hope what's going on?".

"Here in Elialle, especially here in Letia they are very religious. The birds are believed to bring luck and good fortune. That's why they are everywhere," Hope began. The group unhuddled and faced The Guardian.

"We came here for a peprude feather, where can we get one? Unless the birds we already saw were peprudes," Norah asked the Guardian.

"The birds in the city are peprodes, the small males. No one knows where the peprude is, only the males know where she is," The Guardian told them.

"So if we just follow them they'll lead us to her?" Norah asked.

"No, they won't lead you anywhere, only someone who's been given their marking can find her,".