Chapter Twenty-Six
Killian felt the ground shift underneath him and heard Sperwa scream out but couldn’t see what was happening.
He reached out for Bréagha, but his hand only hit air.
He yelled her name, and stepped towards where she had been, but he slammed into a brick wall, just as torch light flooded the area.
He stood in the center of a large space, several hallways branched off, each guarded by a large serpent.
“Goddamn snakes, it always has to be freaking snakes,” he muttered, shuddering. Not much got to Killian, as head of the most elite Sentinel team he had to be better than everyone else, stronger of body and mind. Snakes were his one weakness.
“Used to be your one weakness. You’ll find that has changed,” whispered a voice as a light breeze flew past his shoulder, ruffling his hair.
Just as the wind died down, he heard three distinct screams: Roz, Jaxx, and Bréagha.
Without a single thought, Killian ran to the right, bringing out his sword and slicing through the serpent that stood in the way of him reaching Bréagha.
Her screams had become a tortured sound that shattered something in him.
As soon as his sword touched the serpent it disappeared in a burst of light, leaving only a dark hallway. He walked forward keeping his sword in front of him. As he walked, he heard whispers coming from the darkness.
“You don’t need her, this isn’t your battle, you could be destroyed, walk away now.
” A hallway opened to his left, and he knew if he took it, he could return to his peaceful life, unburdened by one sassy female and her phoenix.
He could continue protecting the Garden, keeping the balance between light and dark.
He felt the warmth of the Garden wrap around him, the smell of the caves, the sound of water cascading down the mountains.
He felt that pull at him strongly and he hesitated, but as soon as he did, he felt that emptiness that he had struggled with his entire life.
Even amongst his friends, even with his brother and a devoted father he had felt something was missing until a 5’2” woman with dark amber eyes and an impish smile crashed into him.
He kept walking, leaving the lit hallway behind him.
“If you are constantly running after her you’ll lose yourself, you’ll destroy yourself.
For what? A female?” Another path lit up to his right, and he knew that path would allow him to resume his role as the head of his Sentinel team, tasked with finding the Guardians and helping them save the realms. He would have total control over Bréagha and the other members of the team, they listened to him without hesitation and without argument, he had total power.
But this path felt wrong in a way he couldn’t describe, he felt the very air crackle with energy, the walls closing in as if they bowed to him.
Bréagha and the Guardians would succeed quickly but he would be destroyed in the process in his quest to control Bréagha, to keep her safe and protected.
This would be the easiest path, but the cost was too high.
He kept walking. He had walked several feet when the voices started whispering again.
“Are you truly willing to be a part of something that could break you? Something that controls you more than you control it? To support, not direct?”
Three paths opened before him. One where he could walk away from it all, one where he controlled every second, and one where he shared control with not just Bréagha but every member of the team.
This final path would test every instinct Killian had, it would break him apart and rebuild him into something new.
Did he truly have the strength he would need for that?
He stood there silently for several moments before stepping to the right.
He would put his trust in Bréagha and his team.
They’d saved his ass countless times, and he knew they always would.
He stepped onto that path. After a few steps, the darkness around him dissolved, and he realized he was in the same room he had been in before.
Instead of a neglected lost place, he saw a pristine courtyard with a water fountain in the middle, sunlight from above glistening on the water droplets as they splashed into the basin.
Across the room just as he entered was Bréagha.
He hurried forward just as her wings burst out of her back and she flew to him.
She laughed as he plucked her out of the air and gave her a hug.
They both looked up as they heard Sperwa scream.
They turned and opened their arms just as the phoenix, the size of a large eagle, slammed into their chests.
“I was afraid you would choose the wrong path. I felt you both hesitating for way longer than you should have.” The fiery bird chastised them both, just as she snuggled into their embrace.
“Sorry Sperwa, we didn’t mean to worry you. I would’ve never chosen a path where you weren’t with me.” Bréagha reassured her soul-bonded, then looked up into Killian’s silver gaze. “You either, big growly man.”
Killian reached up and tucked a strand of hair that had pulled free from Bréagha’s braid behind her ear. “Me either.”
“You’ve both passed the test. You were given three paths, one where you could go back to your normal lives, carefree and unburdened.
One where you held all the power needed to do the mission quickly and efficiently.
One where you trusted each other and let go of control.
In the end you chose to trust, and that trust will be tested to the point of breaking many times over the next several months.
Remember why you chose the path you did, and you will succeed.
” Petralyn’s voice echoed around them, but they didn’t see any of the Flower Keepers as they looked around.
Just the water fountain in front of them.
They both walked forward at the same time to gaze inside what had been a dried water fountain.
There now sat a phoenix in full flight, water flowing freely from its feathers like the flames that trailed from Sperwa when she was in full flight.
In the water below the phoenix was a small metal box that Killian reached in to retrieve.
He felt a faint pulse of energy and he hesitated.
He finally grabbed it and pulled it out of the water.
It was a simple metal box completely unadorned except on the lid where there was a faint image of the same sigil they’d seen on the wooden door.
Using his shirt to dry it off, Killian handled it gently as he opened the lid.
Inside, nestled in a bed of red silk were eight blue seeds, about the size and shape of a pumpkin seed.
“You’ll also need these.” The voice echoed again, and a metal box appeared in Bréagha’s hands as well.
This one had an image of a tree on the lid, just as faint as the sigil on Killian’s.
She opened the lid on hers just as gently as Killian had.
Inside, nestled on green silk, was eight more seeds, these were large and black, about twice the size of the ones in Killian’s box.
Before either of them could say a word, the courtyard disappeared.
They were suddenly in the clearing with the other three Sentinels, Roz, and the familiars.
Just as Petralyn had said, Roz and Liam both looked just fine.
There wasn’t even a tear in Liam’s clothing.
They were all sitting calmly in the middle of the clearing.
Cathal was spread out like he was sunbathing, as he waited.
“Finally! I thought we would have to assume you two were dead and we would have to go on without you,” he drawled as he stood up, brushing dirt off his hands and pants.
“We weren’t gone that long!” exclaimed Bréagha in protest.
“Two days and nights, my friend. Thankfully we all know how to survive,” grumbled Liam.
“And also, we had Roz to pop out and grab us food,” grinned Aiden.
“Wait, two days? We couldn’t have been in there for more than an hour or two,” protested Bréagha, refusing to accept that they’d been gone 48 hours.
“You were indeed gone for a very long time, Soul-Bonded’s friend,” responded Makani, who stood up and stretched. He dug his long claws into the ground, gently releasing all the kinks. Bréagha looked at Killian.
“How is that possible?” she questioned, but he just shifted his weight and raised his hands uncertainly.
“I don’t know but let’s get these boxes back to the Record Keepers’ library and give the Elders the update,” he suggested. Bréagha nodded.
“Okay. Roz, you ready to take us back?” Roz had jumped up as soon as Killian and Bréagha had appeared, eager to leave this dark abnormally quiet forest behind.
She hesitated right before she created her portal.
She heard the sound of birds singing in the trees that had stood silently around them for two days.
She watched as butterflies danced through the wildflowers that blanketed the small clearing.
She felt the woods around them awakening as if from a deep sleep, the darkness shedding completely.
She nodded then drew her runes, and pushed her magic into the portal, making sure it was large enough for Kaedryn to walk through without having to scrunch up this time.
The black dragon stopped and nodded his appreciation before stepping through.
Roz took one more look around her before stepping through herself and closing the portal, missing the shadows that moved deep in the woods, separating to show Lucien watching them with narrowed eyes.
This clearing had been hidden from him until this moment, he could feel where the Guardian was but had been forced to circle this area for days.
He growled in frustration; they’d found what they’d needed.
“Good luck finding the rest,” he growled between clenched teeth as he stepped back, allowing the shadows to take him.