The Guardians of Celesk

Chapter 28: The Tu-ran Unveiled

Keodren was regarded as a very civil guest. He admired much of their refuge, even taking the time to sing boisterously while showering under their vast waterfall. Despite the space they gave him for privacy, their ears were still ringing half with amusement as his voice echoed down the valley like a feoyn sprite. After a much-needed shower, they prepared for him a generous meal over a roaring fire, with each person holding a large mug of warm chocolate as they began to share some stories. Both Artreide and Bohina careful to omit their adventures to the north and how they came to gather the baby Chenari. Still, as if playing the role of inquisitor, Keodren asked a lot of questions of them. When things became awkward, Bohina would ask deflective questions. Chenari, to her credit, listened with intent rather than mere politeness. And yet, despite a lingering bedtime deadline, she continued to persevere with the questions. At one point, she could not help but ask him the simple question, "Where are you from?" Although in terms of their context, it was not so simple. "A place to the North."

"Yes, but where?" He could see she would not just leave it at that. She had a child's appetite for knowledge and insight. "Nyadia."

"Nyadia, what's it like?"

"It was once a beautiful place. A golden lake that boasted many fish and a loving community."

"But not anymore?"

"No." Again a simple word, yet it inferred great detail. The sorrowful look on this face betrayed the devastation. It was at this point that her parents needed to redirect. "Young lady, it is well past your bedtime. You need to get some rest as we have quite a grand day of training tomorrow."

"Yes ma."

"Be a good guest and wish Keodren goodnight as well."

"I was already going to do that." Chenari turned and said good night to their guest before hugging her parents and trotting off to her bedroom. They waited before they were certain she was out of earshot before continuing. Keodren asked the question, "When are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know. We don't know," Artreide said.

The curious ears of a small child could prick up beyond any ambient noise, especially when they knew she should be in bed and not eavesdropping. Despite their efforts to be quiet and clandestine in their discussions, Chenari's eyes widened at every syllable.

"She needs to know her people."

Artreide shook his head reflexively. "She's not ready."

"Ready or not, the two of us might be the only surviving members of our people. Do you hear me? We are all that's left, and she needs to know who her people are."

"We're her people," Bohina said, "And keep your voice down."

"I am just not ready to burden her with any of this yet. She's too young, and too naïve for this world, but look we'll talk about this in the morning. We have a lot of work to do ahead."

"Perhaps we should talk of something lighter."

Once the subject had changed, Chenari attempted to crawl into bed and sleep, but the sheer number of questions sent her mind racing to the point that sleep was impossible. A gathering storm of 'what if' questions clouded her mind and covered it in a black haze of anxiety. 'Who are my people? 'I thought mother and father were my people. Am I adopted?" Tears started to well in her eyes and she knew that she desperately needed answers. When the subject came to her parents, the feeling of trust had fragmented, yet the sense of love remained. The gravity of the situation was enormous in her world, and each fragmented insecurity swirled around and prevented much in the way of sleep.