Chosen by the Sky

Chapter 21 - Issues Arise

Beeeep Beeeep Beeeep

I smacked the snooze button on the alarm beside my bed and rolled over, burrowing further into the sheets.  The anxieties of yesterday had melted away the second I laid down, and I was not ready for them to swarm back in again.

I sighed in relief and tried to return to the dream I had been having.  Key word: tried.  Unable to do so, I just laid in bed, content to stay there forever.

Or for fifteen minutes, until the knock sounded at the door.

"Apprentice?  Are you home?"

I opened one bleary eye to see Sabre bolt up from his spot on the floor, bundle the sheets and pillows up in his arms, trip, pick himself up again, and slide under my bed and out of sight.  I just lay there, groggy, as the Red Leader peeked inside my house.  Spotting me, he let himself in, then gently shook me awake.

"Apprentice?"

I grumbled.

"Apprentice, come on.  Last I saw you, you were borrowing twenty books from the library.  Did something happen?"

"Five more minutes."

"You're usually a morning person."

"I'm not today."

The older Red Steve chuckled slightly, ruffling my hair.  I smiled as well, forcing myself to sit up and rub my eyes.  Yesterday may have taken a lot out of me, but I still had responsibilities as the apprentice to the Red Leader.  The leader was being lenient with my duties because I had been chosen as the Messenger of the Sky.  The least I could do was explain to him why I hadn't done my work yesterday.

"The librarian showed me the titles you checked out."  he said, his tone more serious.  "It wasn't hard to identify their common subject..."  I bowed my head, feeling the fear start to crawl up my spine.

"I- I'm a little worried."  I admitted, keeping my voice low enough so that Sabre couldn't hear.  Or at least, I'm pretty sure he couldn't.  Did non-steves have supernatural hearing?  "The guardian says they're easy enough to take down, but that may only be because the two of us are protected from their powers."  I ran one hand along my rainbow cloak, which I had started wearing to bed as an extra precaution.  "What if something happens to the kingdom?  Or to you?"

"I used to feel the same way when I was your age."  the leader replied kindly.  Surprise tingled inside of me as he continued.  "When the demons attacked the steves, and I was scared the kingdom would fall.  I was still an apprentice, then.  But our kingdom found refuge in the Sky People, and in the steves they had chosen to help us."  Sadness shone in his eyes as he thought back to that time, and I repressed my questions, not wanting to push him.  "I hope that history repeats itself, as it has a tendency to do."  He put a warm hand on my shoulder.  "I will help you if I can.  If not, trust in that guardian of yours.  The Sky People choose brave steves to help them, and smart steves to prevent them from being reckless."

"But... that's not a plan."  I said softly.  It was the same thing I had asked Sabre about again and again.  "The last guardian... well you know how that turned out.  How do we prevent that?  The Sky People won't give me an answer!"  I faltered as I realized my voice was rising above a whisper, and choked down the words, trying to control my volume again.

"Sometimes you have to find that yourself."  The leader whispered, wrapping me in a hug.  "You know who taught me that?"

"Colle."  I responded easily, my face burning with embarrassment.  The leader had always said I reminded him of the famous Red Steve.  And maybe he was right.  Colle had found answers out of trial and error, hard work and friendship.  Those were the only tools I had at the moment.