Elves of Wood and Storm (Book one of The Guardians series)

Deep Meditation

X carried a container of water through the standing homes. His destination was a small family huddled deep in the interior of the village. The boy he had met earlier was alone, his mother dead in the fire. Though X had not pressed him farther he was sure Kyler was there when Lucas started the fire. So he decided to stay with the young boy, help him recover, and question him when the time came.

X ducked under a hanging piece of canvas and handed his shallow bowl to Kyler, who was sitting on a ragged blanket. "How are you doing there?" Kyler slurped up the clear stream water and smiled slightly, "I'm okay, but where's my mom? She said she would be right behind me." X grimaced, "I'm sure she will show up." He stopped talking, unwilling to go further into the lie. Kyler, however, seemed satisfied setting aside the remained of his water, "for mom."

X applied a salve to the copious amounts of burns covering Kylers body before leaving him. He considered taking the boy with him to his own home, but he would soon be leaving it. As it was reserved for the guardian of the village and soon X would no longer fulfill the role. So he left the child to the street, sure he would be safe just not comfortable. X sighed as he wove through the semi-crowded streets, searching for the light marking his own home.

Once inside the four wooden walls X hung his cloak on a small wooden peg. He turned slowly looking around the place where he had lived for such a long while. Dusty tomes lined the shelves, many of which he had never looked through, small wooden tables and chairs were stacked with manuscripts and tools. X went and settled on a comfortable chair by his small hearth, but he did not light a fire. He had no stomach for crackling red destruction after the devastation caused by Lucas.

A familiar heat rose inside him as he thought of the betrayer, so X tried to clamp down on his thought quickly. He drew his legs up, crossing them on the smooth wood of the chair. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, holding the breath for seven seconds, then exhaled slowly. After eight seconds of steady breath X stopped breathing holding his breath for another six seconds. Then once again he inhaled for seven seconds.

The slow breathing helped clear X's mind, and counting the seconds drove other thoughts from his mind. Soon X was only seeing those who needed his help, those in the village who needed protection. The true meditation of a guardian was to arrive at this point, when he was so separate from himself X could see others. The unselfish mindset allowed him to see the needs of others rather than being consumed with his own thoughts.

Through his inner mind X watched as elves mingled, some asking others giving. He watched them as they served eachother, the fortunate helping those who had been displaced. X felt himself connecting with the people of the village, his village. With growing kindness and empathy X was further distanced from himself until he was a entity floating among those he had sworn to protect.

Like some sort of protective spirit X brushed against those who swarmed the streets, though no ordinary citizen could see his presence he knew some could sense him. A few smiled slightly as he passed by, others looked up at his passing. But all continued to fetch water, blankets, or salves for burns. X saw Megan walking down the street as well, curious he followed her drifting through the moving bodies. Should she look Megan would be able to see him as a shadow but she didn't look.

X felt a tug deep within him, urging him to follow Megan even as she started to veer away from the crowds. Surrendering himself to the urges X started again after Megan, peeking around corners as she strode down side streets. She now looked over her shoulder quiet often, checking to see if she was being followed. But X remained unseen, an urge calling him back behind corners and carts hiding him from her searching eyes.

The two soon reached the village edge, X warily looking from behind a house Megan examining the open area between herself and the trees. In a blur of motion she suddenly launched herself into the field, racing for the trees. X followed just as swiftly, floating low over the ground in case the council woman checked behind her. But in the open field she seemed to focus on speed rather than stealth. So X reached the trees without incident, ducking behind a wide trunk he watched through his minds eyes as Megan looked behind her again.

As she started deeper into the forest X tried to follow, but a loud banging brought him back to his home. Someone pounding on his door interrupted his concentration. Frustrated he tried to dive back to his meditative state but to no avail. At last he admitted defeat and opened his eyes. Someone was still banging on his door, asking for admittance so X stood and walked over to the quivering wood. He swung the door open and was greeted by a frantic Elsa, "X! What took you so long? Megan is gone, and someone said they saw Lucas in the woods!"
*~*~*~*
Megan needed to let off some steam, with the attack and X's failure she needed some release. The crowded village would make it easy to slip away as so many elves roamed the streets. She walked out of her luxurious home, entering the streets. Around her elves hurried one way and another carrying various aid paraphernalia but she ignored most of them. Choosing instead to slip along the edge of alleyways and darting across small streets. She didn't look over her shoulder too often so she didn't appear guilty but Megan was sure she sensed someone following her. So as she got closer to the edge of the village she started to search for a tail.

There was no one around her, but Megan had a sickening realization. X could be following her, not physically but he could be watching. She wasn't supposed to know what guardians could do while meditating, but she had obtained several texts thought lost. So she knew exactly what he could be capable of, though she doubted his ability to obtain she a deep level of meditation required Megan knew it wasn't impossible so she made contingencies.

Darting across the open field she muttered to herself, creating an image of Lucas and instructing it to circle the village. She made sure that it would pass close to Elsa, or at least where Elsa was supposed to be. If the young councilwoman saw the image she would likely panic and look for Megan herself, who of course she would not be able to find. After that Elsa would hopefully seek out X thus disturbing any concentration he might have obtained.

She stopped once she reached the trees, slipping just deep enough in the trees to conceal her form. Looking back Megan saw a wisp of smoke being pulled back, so X had been following her. Megan shrugged mentally, at least he was gone now. Safe in that assumption she again turned and headed into the woods, wondering if X would follow her physically or if he would be deceived by the simple magic now circling the village.