Guardian of Elements

Chapter 10 - Guardian of Wisdom

"Kate! Wake up! Kate!"

Kate slowly opened her eyes.

"Where am I? What happened?"

"We're in His lair. He brought us here."

She looked around. Fellas was standing next to her, with her cubs behind her. They weren't in the dark maze anymore. High cliffs were rising all around them, lush with plants and moss. There were several jungle trees and the sound of flowing water could be heard. In the middle, there was a small hill with a stone monument, and on that monument, a great, golden-brown eagle was sitting, its back to them.

"Is that him?" asked Kate.

"Yes. When you passed out, he appeared through that hole in the ceiling, took you carefully into his talons and carried you from the labyrinth, showing us the way."

"The labyrinth..." It was all coming back to her.

"I can't believe what I witnessed. Have you really done all that or is this just a dream?" Fellas asked in disbelief.

"I... I don't know..." Kate's mind was clouded. She did remember what she had done, but it indeed seemed like a dream. That couldn't've been true, could it? The voice... Who was that? Who helped her?

"That's the Guardian of Wisdom?" She looked at the golden eagle, still sitting there, his back to them.

"Yes, I've already spoken with him, but he wishes to speak with you. We'll let you talk." Fellas and the cubs walked away a bit, giving them some private space.

Kate went to the monument. The Guardian of Wisdom didn't move an inch when she stopped beneath him, not knowing what to say. But the Guardian spoke first.

"I remember the first time I saw you. When Andúril brought you to us, I tried to read your destiny, but I couldn't see anything. You're a mystery, even for me."

He turned around, with his wings spread. He was about twice her size, and his wingspan was more than two meters. Kate couldn't help but to bow in front of him in respect.

"Who are you, Kate?"

She was astonished by the Guardian's majesty. She almost thought she could see a faint glow around him. He had a brown gem tied to his chest, slightly darker than his body. Complicated markings of the same color were running around his golden torso and wings.

She wanted to make a good first contact with another Guardian. Finally, she found words.

"I've been asking that question for several past days."

The Guardian of Wisdom seemed to be pleased with her answer.

"Why have you left your grove?"

"Well, to find you. And the other Guardians."

The Guardian looked at the caracal family and then back at her.

"Well, you've found me, but I doubt you would if you had no help."

"I'm sorry for what happened in the maze. I was just... impatient."

"Yes, exactly. You wanted a result but didn't want to walk the path to it. How can you find if you're not willing to search?"

"How can you solve a riddle that has no solution..." said Kate quietly, but the Guardian heard her.

"What?" Anger crept into his voice. "Every riddle has a solution, including the maze! Many have solved it before, yet you, a Guardian, couldn't. If you want to know, do you remember how your friend talked about the voice? That was my voice, my power of Wisdom, infused into the maze. When they tried to resist it, the voice didn't make sense. But if they allowed it, it would lead their steps. Yes, you couldn't hear it because you're a Guardian like me, but you could've trusted your friends. Sometimes, you must accept the things that seem frightening at first to understand them. Sometimes, the right thing isn't the obvious nor the easy one. That's the wisdom you should've gathered there."

"That is what the Guardian of Hearts did, right? She gave into her emotions, her fear, instead of trying to search for the correct answer."

The eagle looked silently at Kate.

"You're clever, like your mother was. You only have to learn to exploit that trait."

He glided down from the monument and landed next to Kate. From this perspective, he was actually just about half size bigger than her, which was still impressive, however.

"My name is Verilion, the Guardian of Wisdom," he introduced himself.

"I'm... Well, you know who I am," said Kate.

"Yes, I do indeed. I witnessed what you did in the maze. Draining so much power to save your friends..."

"I couldn't've done it without your guidance," she said humbly.

"What do you mean?" Verilion asked, confused.

"If you didn't show me how, I could never do it. I don't even remember now how I did it," she told him.

"Kate, I didn't help you. I knew you entered the maze, but when it began collapsing, I could only watch. But you managed to stop it. I've seen such raw power only once before, when the maze was created by... No, that can't be." His expression couldn't be read. He seemed to be confused, amazed and sad at the same time.

"So that voice wasn't the voice of the maze?" Kate asked, but she knew the answer. She remembered that the voice in her head was female, nowhere close to the voice of the Guardian of Wisdom.

"No, we Guardians are protected from each others' powers. I don't know what you heard, but there's no way it was me." he said resolutely after a while.

They both went silent for a moment. Verilion was looking back and forth between Kate and the caracal family, waiting in the back. He sighed.

"You are a true Guardian. You just have to learn. You've been given power over a raw, primal aspect. You must know your powers, your limits. If you continued using so much power just for a minute, it could've killed you."

Kate got an idea.

"Teach me, then. It has always been just fun for me, I know I was never too serious."

Verilion was considering options.

"Well, I am not a Guardian of Elements, but I think I could teach you some things. You can stay here for several days."

"Thank you!" Kate's face brightened. Her attention turned to Fellas and her children. "And what about them?"

"Them? Well, they didn't solve the maze as their mother did, years ago. They will have to wait some time to get their names. So, if you want to stay here, you'll have to say goodbye to them."

Kate was sad about that, but she knew their ways had to part. She went to the family.

"Um, I even forgot to ask if you're fine," she started.

"We are, thanks to you. I'll never forget how you saved my family," said Fellas.

"It was me who endangered you in the first place... I must stay here to ensure it will never happen again. I'm sorry for spoiling your trial."

"Don't worry about that. They will get another chance. They are smart, just like you."

"Thanks. I'll try to visit you again, one day."

"We'll be waiting. Goodbye Kate," said Fellas, as she went back underground, followed by her cubs.

Verilion landed next to her.

"Will they really get another chance now that the maze is destroyed?" Kate asked him.

"Yes, I think they will. And if it comforts you, they will know about everything that had happened here today."