The Ten Guardians: The Mother Tree©

Chapter Seven

The Elder tree rattled its leaves in excitement as Jareth, Jonathan, Izreea, and Grey broke their circle and lowered their arms and weapons. There was silence as they all stared at the form of light floating between them, trying to process the rapid events that had brought them to this moment. Chimes sounded around them, piercing them to their core with feelings of firm resolve and stoic confidence. It was such a surprising sensation that a look of confusion fell upon the group, all except for Grey.

“Stein is introducing themselves,” Grey said as if the floating, formless guardian was speaking common.

“Wait, you can understand that sound … as words?” Jareth asked with surprise.

“Not exactly. There are no words or images. It’s like remembering something from your past, but it’s happening now as if a new memory is forming … if that makes sense.”

“Not in the slightest,” Jonathan said excitedly, always curious about the unknown.

The party stepped back as the being of light started to spin, pulling softly at the earth and air around them. Chunks of soil pulled from the ground first, taking the form of a tall woman made entirely of earth in the party’s center. Then stones began to roll from the area around them and push up from the earth, climbing onto the earthen woman. As the stones moved, they seemed to combine and mold as if made of soft clay, forming over the earthen core like skin over muscle. The air pulled at the Elder tree, and bark and leaves pulled down on the woman. Soft bark from the tree sprouted as long flowing hair and eyebrows from her stone head. Leaves from the tree were fashioned as clothing around her stone body.

The stone skin began smoothing itself out in waves, intensifying the details of the woman’s body and face with each shimmer of stone. Eventually, the details were so intricate and refined that it looked as if a tall human was standing among them, only different by the hue of their skin and the oddity of their clothing.

The wind died around them, and Stein sank into the statuesque woman standing before them. As the being of light disappeared into the creation, the statue’s eyes came to life as if a lantern was lit from within. Stein tested her arms and legs, flexing them as she inspected her work. There was no grinding sound as one would expect with a body made of stone. It was as if the stone had been made as flexible as skin.

“Greetings, mortals,” Stein said as she looked around the group. “Where is Lord Ultaris? I have need to speak with him.”

The way Stein spoke was odd because she didn’t have lungs or vocal cords. Her mouth moved correctly as if she was speaking, but her words had no vibration or breathiness. Her tone of voice sounded like she was addressing her inferiors, bordering on rudeness. Her eyes showed a red glint when she mentioned Ultaris’ name.

No one in the party quite knew how to respond. Was Stein speaking of the old Ultaris she and the other elemental guardians had betrayed? The darker half of himself created after he attempted to alter the past? Or perhaps she meant Sparrow, knowing full well the events that had transpired. What could her intentions be with any of the three possibilities?

It was Jonathan that spoke up, seeming to have anticipated the question.

“Stein …” he paused as the stone guardian’s facial expressions altered, showing her disapproval “… I mean no disrespect, Guardian, but much has transpired since you were freed of your dragon form. We need to explain some things before you spea-“

“The Hulander said Ultaris was close by. Please bring me to him so our contract can be renewed before the final dawn,” Stein demanded with a voice that expected simple obedience from her lessors.

“Hulander?” Jonathan let out accidentally before catching himself.

“I think it means ‘elderberry,’ but she must be referring to the Elder tree,” Jareth said as if they were discussing a research paper.

“Bah!” Stein shouted in frustration, the ground trembling around them in a small, brief earthquake. She turned and pointed a finger at Grey. “You, female mortal. These males forget themselves. Take me to Ultaris.”

The runes covering Grey’s body lit up at once, creating a stir in the air as electricity started to build. Stein looked shocked by the appearance of the runes, but no trace of fear existed in her demeanor. Stein turned to the rest of the party and began to look more closely at those assembled around her. Her eyes swept over each of them one by one, seeming to see more than she should have. Her eyes paused momentarily on the weapons in their hands, registering the runes and powers of each one. Her eyes lingered on Izreea for some time with a measured look, weighing an unknown calculation. Then she turned back to Grey, who was fuming at being ignored after showing her hidden powers, the air heating around her.

Stein snapped her fingers, and runes lit up along her stone body, brown runes representing the power of stone. She slightly bowed in Grey’s direction, showing a shred of respect to an almost equal. Then with another snap of her fingers, the stone runes disappeared.

“Very well. The transfer of a contract from one of my peers to a … mortal … does sound like a fascinating tale. Let us discuss the ‘much’ that has transpired. However, let the prodigy of magic tell the tale as I sense an ounce of maturity in her countenance that is preferable to the scholars among you,” Stein said haughtily.

Stein turned as if she was going to walk towards the Elder tree, but her gaze halted on Grey, still glowing with runes. Her fists were clenched in anger as she glared at Stein with glowing eyes, the uncomfortable silence stretching the moment.

“Guardian of Lightning …” Izreea said with a bow of respect to Grey, “… thank you for mollifying the situation by showing your hidden stewardship.” There was a tight smile and a pleading look on her face as she tried to relay her hidden message.

Grey was seething, but she recognized Izreea’s attempt to calm her down. Grey wanted to ignore Izreea and slam her power into the arrogant creature before her, but she also knew her powers were useless against such a creation. There was no point in damaging a construct of stone and earth, and lightning would do nothing to an immortal creature made entirely of light.

Grey decided to listen to Izreea, but she was having a hard time calming herself down. Her heart was racing, and she felt as if she was going to burst with the energy she had been amassing from her runes. She began to look for a source to channel her energy, anything to lessen the torrent coursing through her runes.

When she thought she might burst, she suddenly felt a sense of peace within herself, a peace not of her own making. She wanted to withdraw from the feeling but didn’t know where it was coming from to cut it off. She altered her vision without thinking and could see a yellow haze over everything around them, hovering like a fog. The haze was thicker around her, and she followed its source until her eyes lifted up to stare at the leaves of the Elder tree.

Grey realized that the tree was trying to calm her down. She lowered her eyes and locked them on Stein, who stared at her passively. Grey then became aware that Stein could also see what was transpiring. There was no comment or judgment from her, just passive observation. The fact that the other guardian knew the Elder tree was pacifying Grey would typically have been embarrassing, which would have increased her anger at the situation. However, the peace of the tree was overpowering, calming every part of her. Her heart and breathing returned to normal. She unclenched her fists and withdrew her power back into her runes before deactivating them.

Stein looked as if she was going to say something to Grey but then changed her mind and turned away to approach the tree again. She touched the side of the tree, and the light from her eyes disappeared momentarily before reappearing. She withdrew her hand as massive roots from the tree began to shift the ground around them, lifting themselves from the earth. In mere moments they were encircled by a protective wall of roots with an opening on one end large enough for a single person to slip through. Comfortable benches and chairs dotted the area in a circle made entirely of parts of roots, with soft bark appearing on portions of the roots to make cushions.

A canopy of leaves spread itself over the top of the enclosure. The leaves were meshed and slanted to funnel water to the exterior of the canopy but thin enough to allow enough sunlight that they could see one another. They were lucky the sun was still at an angle over the horizon. Otherwise, the tree’s natural canopy would have blocked the sun for most of the day. Stein took a position so she could see the party members seated in a half circle in front of her. She did not need to sit and rest as she had no muscles and did not breathe, but she sat on the ground anyway.

Izreea assumed her dardwain heritage was why she had been referred to as the “prodigy of magic,” but Stein had also correctly deduced that she was experienced at conversation. She sat on a soft root, positioned to easily see the others around her, and began the discussion as if she were addressing royalty.

“Guardian of Stone. I do not wish to burden you with information you already know, so a frame of reference would help us know what is important to tell you. I assumed the jackals were responsible for the death of your dragon form. Is this correct?”

“I do not know what a jackal is nor when my dragon life ended or who struck me down. The killing blow occurred while I rested in a grove, with a Hulander at its center. My mortal body’s life ended as I slept near the tree, and my immortal soul was pulled into its passageway. For some reason, I was trapped, partially unconscious, and only freed by the combined presence of all the guardians. Presumably, that presence was provided by the four of you and your unique weapons. I remember who I am and my stewardship, but I do not remember forgetting those facts,” Stein said firmly, the stoic feeling from before emanating with her words.

“So, either the jackals took you by surprise, or your death took place before their existan-”

“Why did you betray Ultaris when Lebine and Sterben fought to their mortal deaths?” Jonathan interrupted, his quizzical nature and curiosity winning out over diplomacy. In his mind, Stein was a living witness of thousands of years old events. It was not a moment he could easily resist exploring.

Izreea vocally growled at Jonathan for interrupting but was herself cut off by a sense of emptiness emanating from Stein. She looked back at Stein and found that the color of her rocky exterior had paled to the color of white marble. Her eyes were wide, glinting, and much brighter than normal. There was a feeling of emptiness stretching from her that seemed to drown those around her in uncertainty. When she recovered enough to speak, she forgot to move her lips to match her voice because of her surprise.

“I … I betrayed no one, especially not Lord Ultaris. Lebine and Sterben always disagreed but fought to the death? I am the rock … I have a contract; I would never break …” There was a long moment of silence, but there was nothing uncomfortable about the silence.

As the silence stretched, the sensations of stoic loyalty returned, and magic again emanated from Stein. Her eyes grew steady, and she seemed to have recovered somewhat, although her exterior stayed white for some reason. She made a small chiming noise, which reminded the others of a mortal body clearing its throat. She turned her head to Izreea again and spoke. Her voice had returned to its usual tone, and her lips moved again to match her airless words.

“I see much has changed, including who governs this world. I have always been … stubborn, and I won’t apologize for that. However, I will try to alter my perspectives. ‘Humility’, I believe, is the word you would use. Please … “she paused as if the word was bitter to her stony tongue “… please tell me everything that you know, starting with this ‘betrayal’ which was mentioned.”

Jonathan opened his mouth to speak, and Stein pointed a finger at him without turning her head from Izreea and said, “Not you.”

The rest of the group chuckled at Jonathan’s expense for a moment before they collectively told the known history of the guardian’s fall, the story of Ultaris’ spell to alter time, his division that created Sparrow, and their journey to restore the memories of the dragon guardians.

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