The Realm Protectors

Chapter 19 - Nikolina

We slept on Tucker's living room floor, wrapped up in blankets. At least it's warmer inside his cabin than it is outside. Enya lights the fireplace, and we roast marshmallows over the fire. Soon they all fall asleep. Enya and Nile are snuggled up together. I stay awake all night, feeling the shadows shift and change with the moon. I hear Tucker in his room, walking around, muttering to himself. Crying.

In the morning, I knock on his door. My friends feign sleep and pretend they're not listening to my conversation. Tucker opens the bedroom door, staring at me with dark circles under his eyes.

"You're the darkness elemental." He reminds himself.

"Nikolina." I nod. "And I wanted to talk to you."

Tucker sighs but turns his body, opening the door. He sits down on his bed and motions to me. I sit down and face him.

"This is a different kind of conversation." Tucker narrows his eyes.

"Why are you avoiding Capital?" I ask him. His eyes widen.

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard the rumors about you. 'The Great Disappointment.' You're legendary in Mork."

Tucker harrumphs. "And why is that?"

"Because you went to Asavanra instead of the Skol. Because you turned down being a High Arch." I pause. "And because you did it all for love."

Tucker hangs his head with a sigh. "All that is common knowledge?"

"You're missing the point." I roll my eyes. "You left Mork for Professor Grantwood. You gave a kid darkness poisoning because of Professor Grantwood. And yet when the time came for you to take your position as a High Arch beside her... you ran away. You're still running away. From her, from us."

Tucker's shoulders droop.

"I loved Cira." He admits. "I didn't mean to give Cain darkness poisoning. He was being awful to Cira. Asking her for nasty things. Of course I started fighting him. I knew I was stronger than the dweeb. I didn't mean to almost kill him." He turns to look at me fully, eyes shining with sadness. "But once I did that, I knew I could never be a High Arch with Cira. I would just get in her way. I cared too much."

"But why did you run off and hide?" I ask him.

"In order to vacate the High Arch position, despite the fact that many thought I was a Realm Protector, I had to make myself seem crazy." Tucker explains. "After the incident with Cain, it was too easy to just run off and hide. Any time someone found me, I scared them off, acting like a loony. Only took them a month to stop trying." He chuckles. "There's no way Cira would've named me your Grandshield."

"She did." I pull out my phone and pull up the video that Nile sent to us. Grantwood's face pops up on screen. I offer the phone to Tucker and he stares at it. I put it in his hands, allowing him the time he needs to reiterate himself with her face.

"Cira," He whispers. He traces her face with his finger, and presses play. The video sputters to life, showing Grantwood running from her attackers.

"I'm not sure who's doing this, but the High Arches are under attack," She says. "We can't fight them – they're too strong. They've already defeated the other seven – I can't fight them on my own." Grantwood sucks in a gasp as she ducks behind a column. "As the last High Arch left alive, I hereby pass on duty to the next generation of High Arches: Enya Fuego, Nile Aquino, Carter Cummins, Lyra Centauri, Faris Stellato, Avani Gipson, Nikolina Voronkova, and Ciana Leonide. I have reason to believe that they are Realm Protectors – all of them. The first full team in generations." Tucker watches the screen in horror as Grantwood falls, cracking the camera. He makes some sort of depressing whimper as the video cuts to the second file, showing Grantwood laying in a pool of her own blood. "Their Grandshield," She pauses to cough. "Their Grandshield is Tucker Brooks."