Legend of the Sky Guardians

Chapter 7

I pulled myself out of the well, soaking. Miki gave me no attention; she was looking at the oak tree.

“You were in there for a long time.” She didn’t turn to face me.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

Then there was a long silence.

“It’s fine.” She finally replied, and turned to me.

“I was told that I would meet with Hikaru soon. She was supposed to show me something?”

“Oh yes, the caves.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Gwen, I’m very tired! I’m going to go sit down for a while. I’ll send Hikaru here, ok?”

I nodded and she left.

I started to think about what the Water Guardian had said to me. She seemed to speak mostly in riddles. Why did everyone know all about me? Aren’t I just another apprentice?

One thing that I also wanted explained was why we were preparing to fight. Who are we fighting? And why would their have to be bloodshed?

“Gwen.” My thoughts were interrupted. Hikaru was there. She was wearing a large coat, and was holding another one.

“I was told that you’d take me somewhere?”

Hikaru walked over to me, her hands pressing up against the tree as she went past.

“Something about caves? And my past?”

Hikaru nodded.

“We’re going to Alaska, Gwen. We have built ice caves there to tell our tale. Similar to the one in the book you read before Luke found you.”

She handed me the coat. There were two holes in the back that I could fit my wings into.

“How do you know about that?”

“Luke talks about you all of the time. I don’t know why. He keeps telling everyone how scared you were at the fire, and how he rescued you.”

“That’s not how it happened.” I muttered.

“Try telling him that,” she laughed. “I swear if his ego were any bigger, he’d sign up for modeling classes so people could take pictures of his good side.”

“Yeah,” I joked, “if he has one.” We both laughed.

“Anyway,” Hikaru said, “It’s time to go.”

I started flying, but Hikaru didn’t follow.

“Come back.” She said, “We’re going to get there a different way.” She held out her hand to me. “Grab on.”

I was confused. Couldn’t we just fly there?

I grabbed onto her hand. She closed her eyes and snapped her fingers. Everything went black for a second.

What was it with the guardians and blinding people? When my vision returned, everything was still very dark. We must have been inside of the caves.

“Hold on a second,” Hikaru called, her voice echoing through the icy walls.

I heard a small tearing sound, and then saw the light of a match. Hikaru pulled a lantern off one of the walls and lit up the candle inside.

“Come with me.”

She led me down many snowy paths, before we reached the beginning of the story. There were a few pictures engraved into the sides of the walls. Most were faded and hard to make out.