The Fall of the Keepers

Chapter 33 Ghost Stories

The hills grew steadily steeper and the path became difficult with large rocks that we had to scramble over, and patches of ice that threatened to send you skating off the edge of a drop-off. The daylight passed and night crept in on us again, but we had still not come across the village.

"We'd better make camp for the night, I don't fancy falling off a cliff because of the dark."
Ranen stated what we were all thinking.

We discovered a small cave cut into the mountainside that afforded some protection from the wind that was now howling outside. Earlier in the day Ghost had suggested we fill our packs with firewood which had been a point of complaint for most of the hike. We all thanked him for his foresight however when we realized there wasn't a tree in sight of our cave that night. Ranen got the fire going while Idris hunted down another rabbit for our dinner and the snowmelt once again provided us with much-needed water. We were lucky really, I would have thought traveling in the Wildlands in February would have ended in disaster but so far we were surviving, mostly thanks to Ghost's knowledge and Idris's stubborn determination to keep us moving forward. We huddled close to the fire that night, as the temperatures dropped, the cave helping to contain the heat of the fire and our bodies.

Idris was certain we would come to the village the following morning and I couldn't decide if I was excited or anxious. I subconsciously rubbed my tattoo, my mind drifting off, to wonder how Kyle, Tanya, and Kyla were doing out in this strange land. Had his Keeper tattoo been an issue as well? He probably couldn't burn his off, being a Fire Wielder and impervious to the flames. I missed my mentor with his complicated mannerisms and his way of seeing through me like no one else ever had. Maybe I missed him the most because when he was around I didn't feel like the craziest person in the room.

I glanced at the Fire Prince sitting just to my right, gnawing on a chunk of rabbit meat. Despite the fact that I was a Wind Wielder and probably supposed to have a long-standing grudge against Fire Wielders, I seemed instead to have a special place in my heart for them.

"You know if someone had told me a year ago I'd be huddled in a cave in the dead of winter in the Wildlands with the Fire Prince and Princess, Astrid Coften, and a half robot, I'd have laughed in their face."
Idris broke the silence with an amused smile.

"If someone had told me a year ago my family was going to be murdered before my very eyes sending me into hiding and then forcing me to flee my own country, I wouldn't have believed them either."
Ranen remarked.

There was an awkward pause and he seemed to realize what he had let slip out.

"Sorry, didn't mean to ruin the mood."

I snorted, placing a hand on his forearm.

"You're talking to the Queen of bad moods, don't apologize."

He was good at hiding his pain, much better than I was, but I could tell something was weighing heavy on his mind that night. He reached across and slipped his right hand over mine, intertwining our fingers.

"I guess I just never expected to be here, and I keep wondering if I had done something differently if maybe I could have prevented all this heartache. Not only for me but for Itova."

I knew better than to patronize him by saying it wasn't his fault, or everything happens for a reason. Having been on the receiving end of those words, they only ever felt like a slap in the face. So instead I squeezed his hand, and remained quiet, hoping he would feel comfortable enough to share what was in his heart.

"I wanted to be a good King, not like my father. I've spent my whole life, imagining what I would do if I were in his shoes, how I would change things when it was my turn. I searched through the histories, looking for one of my ancestors to look up to as a role model."
He let out a heavy sigh.