The Protectors: Book 1 in the Protectors Saga (42 page)

“I’m just curious.” Bunny said, “We all have powers;
I was just wondering what I should expect when I get to use
mine.”

“You may never get to use yours.” Gumptin told Bunny
plainly, not bothering to spare her hopes, “You, as human beings,
are more like vessels for your powers than wielders of them. It
would take great oneness with yourself to be able to brandish your
powers at your will. I am astonished Avery was able to use her
powers so effectively, and as she is being very vague as to how she
was able to use those powers…”

“Vague?!” Avery cut in, offended by the use of that
word, “I’ve told you everything! I can’t tell you what I don’t
know, and I don’t know how or why I was able to use my power.”

“Well, was there a trigger that caused the power to
come?” Gumptin prodded, not letting the subject drop.

Avery thought back to the moment right before she
felt the warm energy course through her, “He was choking me to
death; I almost died.”

Gumptin waved his hands dismissively, “You almost
died a hundred times before. You did actually die once! Why did it
not work then?”

“You’re supposed to be the expert, Gumptin, not me.”
Avery told him, getting sick of the conversation. She regretted
even bringing the subject up, and she dreadfully feared Gumptin
wanting to add on ‘power practice’ to their already grueling
training schedule, Avery faked a yawn and told Gumptin, “I’ve got
to go home and get some sleep, or else I’ll never make it to
training on time tomorrow.”

“That statement would mean something if you had ever
actually been on time to training.” Gumptin told her disparagingly,
“Anyway, you do not need to worry about training tomorrow.”

The girls’ faces lit up.

“Seriously?!” Skylar asked, a huge smile on her
face.

“Do not get excited, Skylar.” Gumptin said, “The four
of you will still have training and patrol tomorrow. Avery, I need
you to travel to Vowhollow tomorrow and speak with King Audwode and
Queen Vaniana. They are the rulers of the Vowhollow Fairies, the
highest rank of Woodland Fairies, and one of the only Fairy groups
that we have any hope of receiving help from. Vowhollow lies on the
southwestern border of Blackmore, which means sooner rather than
later, the Emperor will try to conquer them. They know they have no
other choice but to work with the humans. They just need a little
reminding of that fact.”

“Why would they need reminding?” Avery asked.

“Oh, there was a small incident.” Gumptin said,
glancing sideways towards Jade, “I shall tell you about it
later.”

Jade and Avery shared a look, wondering exactly what
the Wizard wasn’t telling them.

“Meet me at the stables tomorrow fifteen minutes
before training starts.” Gumptin told Avery, “Then, I will give you
an update of the plan and a map to get you to Vowhollow. It is
about a day and a half ride, so make sure to bring your bedding
with you.”

Avery groaned. She went from not needing to worry
about training, to having to worry about getting up an extra
fifteen minutes early, sleeping on a blanket in the forest, and
dealing with mythical creatures that reminded her of children’s
stories. All in all, Avery would have much rather had to put up
with training.

“So, are these winged bugs expecting us, or is it an
unannounced visit?” Jade asked Gumptin, refusing to use the word
‘fairies’ in a sentence.

Gumptin blinked up at Jade, “No, they are not
expecting
Avery
. So, when
Avery
goes, she will have
to take extra care to make sure her point gets across.”

Jade stared down at Gumptin, “Well, when
Avery
tries to get her point across,
I
will be standing next to
her.”

“Absolutely not!” Gumptin passionately spit out,
shaking his head, “Not you! You are not going!”

Jade was taken aback for a moment by Gumptin’s
vehemence, but she recovered quickly, “You are not the leader,
little man. You don’t give the orders or make the decisions, Avery
does!”

If that was the argument that Jade wanted to take,
then, from a leader’s perspective, Avery didn’t see why she
shouldn’t go alone. After all, she was a Protector, and what could
happen to her that would be more dangerous than what she
encountered today.

“I’m fine going by myself.” Avery said, leaving
Gumptin with a look of relief, “Besides, Jade, you’re going to be
needed for patrol.”

“Oh, shut up, Avery!” Jade hollered at her, then
turned back to Gumptin and told him, “I’m going and that’s
final.”

“You just said I was the leader!” Avery shouted,
wondering at how quickly her authority had been taken away.

Without even looking at her, Jade waved her hand
dismissively and said, “Only when you don’t make dumb
decisions.”

“You are not going and
that
is final.” Gumptin
told Jade, sternly.

Jade laughed, “You just try and stop me. Skylar,
Sasha, and Bunny can handle patrolling. Just give them each a
bigger area to cover.”

Sasha, who hadn’t cared enough to say anything about
the matter until now, spoke up, “Jade, maybe you should take your
own advice and shut up. You want to give the three of us more work,
not to mention, putting us at more risk, just because you and Avery
are perversely co-dependent.”

Jade just stared at Sasha, not knowing how to respond
to her comment, or if she even wanted to.

“I think it’s a good idea for Jade to go with Avery.”
Bunny said, receiving looks of shock from both Jade and Sasha,
“This is a dangerous place. I mean, just look at Avery.” Everyone
turned their heads and stared at Avery’s clawed neck and bloody
mess of a shirt, “She should have Jade with her in case she runs
into any more trouble.”

Avery was getting sick and tired of listening to
everyone argue about plans that involved her without even
consulting her. She remembered Jade telling her about how she and
the other girls had always been told to look out for her. That was
something Avery wasn’t alright with. They needed to look out for
themselves, just like Avery needed to look out for herself.

“I’m not a child!” Avery protested, “I don‘t need a
bodyguard.” Even if she had wanted Jade to keep her company on the
long trip, there was no way she was going to admit it now.

Jade scoffed, and pointed towards Avery’s wounds,
“Until you learn how to come back without being covered in your own
blood…you’re a child.”

Avery knew Jade far too well to know that this was an
argument she was going to win. So, instead of standing out in the
darkness and shouting about it for another hour, Avery just rubbed
at her head, which had just recently started throbbing, and told
Jade, “Fine, I don’t care, come with me.”

“Of course, I’m coming with you.” Jade said to both
Avery and Gumptin, “I don’t even understand why this was up for
debate. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After taking a few steps towards her home, Jade
turned around and told Avery, “Make sure you take care of those
gashes when you get home.”

Skylar groaned, as she headed off with Sasha and
Bunny towards their houses, “Tomorrow’s gonna blow!” She
complained, picturing the extra work Gumptin was going to give the
three of them with Avery and Jade gone.

“Avery,” Gumptin said, before Avery had a chance to
make her own way home, “may I have a word with you.”

With his finger, Gumptin motioned for Avery to follow
him into the stables. Not wanting to argue anymore, Avery obeyed
and followed Gumptin.

Inside the stables, Pip was brushing down the
Protectors’ horses, while Thomas threw fresh green hay into the
stalls.

“It was not just because of Jade’s more than
offensive attitude that I wished for her to stay behind!” Gumptin
told Avery in a whispered yell.

“What are you talking about?” Avery asked, her
curiosity slightly peaked by Gumptin’s statement.

Gumptin sighed, “The Fairies will not take Jade’s
appearance in their kingdom very well.”

Now Avery’s interest was really peaked.

Gumptin continued, keeping his voice down, “Jade and
the Royal Fairy Prince Eryk had a secret love affair before she
died.”

“What?!” Avery laughed loudly, causing a few of the
horses to jump and Pip to turn around and stare at her.

Avery couldn’t help it; she could never have imagined
she would ever hear Jade’s name associated with the term ‘love
affair’. Sure, Jade was as much of a fan of a good looking guy as
most girls, but back on Earth, she preferred them just passing
through, in town for a few days to help her have some fun and
scratch a few urges, then out of her life forever. They never came
close to anything involving love. Avery couldn’t wait to tell Jade
about her past romance, with a Fairy Prince nonetheless.

Perhaps seeing the joyous look of anticipation on
Avery’s face, Gumptin told her, “Whatever you do, you cannot tell
Jade. You must keep her far, far away from Prince Eryk.”

Avery didn’t like that idea at all. She was already
keeping what the Serpentine Demon had told her from Jade. Now
Gumptin wanted her to keep Jade’s own love life a secret from her.
Avery was used to telling Jade everything. They never had any
secrets before Orcatia, and she didn’t like the feeling it was
giving her.

“Gumptin,” Avery said, “I don’t think that’s
something I can keep from Jade.”

“You have to!” Gumptin told her sternly, “Their
affair was the reason the Fairies withdrew their support. When the
Emperor first started gaining power, the Fairies worked with the
Protectors to fight the Emperor. Prince Eryk leads their army, so
he and Jade spent a lot of time together. Somewhere along the way
they developed a relationship, one that they tried to keep secret
from everyone. Unfortunately, the King and Queen found out. They
were so furious; they ordered Eryk to never see Jade again and
swore to never aid the Protectors again.”

Avery thought that was one of the biggest
overreactions she had ever heard of, “Why did they have such a
fit?” Avery asked.

“Jade is human,” Gumptin explained, “and Eryk must
marry a Fairy princess, or he can never ascend to the throne. He is
their only son and heir. It is out of the question for him to fall
in love with a human. To the King and Queen, the Protectors
betrayed them.”

Hearing the rest of the story caused Avery’s heart to
ache. The thought of Jade having to be ripped away from the man she
loved hurt Avery more than any Demon attack ever could. The only
comfort she had was the knowledge that Jade didn’t remember any of
it.

“If the Fairies think we betrayed them, why would
they even consider helping us?” Avery asked.

Gumptin shook his head, looking worn down, “I am
hoping that your death and subsequent memory loss have alleviated
some of the King and Queen’s anger. Avery,” Gumptin said, in such a
serious tone that it demanded Avery’s complete attention, “we need
the Fairies and their army. Without them, there is almost no hope.
Do whatever you have to do; say whatever you have to say, to get
them to help you. You have to make sure they understand the
severity of the situation.”

Avery nodded, swallowing hard. Gumptin’s words scared
her. The longer she stayed on Orcatia, the more people she met, and
the more monsters she fought, she realized just how serious the
situation with the Emperor was.

“And Avery,” Gumptin said, turning to leave,
“whatever you do, make sure Jade stays away from Eryk.”

After Gumptin left, Avery just stood in the stables,
contemplating how she was not only going to convince the Fairies to
help them, but also keep such pivotal information secret from
Jade.

“Avery.” She heard someone call her name, slowly
pulling her attention away from her thoughts.

When Avery turned towards the sound of her name, she
saw Pip standing just a few inches away from her. His hand was on
her shoulder and he was looking down at her with care in his eyes.
Avery blinked a few times, clearing her mind, until she was fully
back in the present.

“I thought ya might need this.” Pip said, handing her
a soft blue cotton scarf.

It took Avery a second before she realized the scarf
was to wrap around her neck, so that she could hide her wounds from
her family. The fact that Pip would have even thought about
something like that overwhelmed Avery with gratitude. After
everything she had been through, getting attacked and almost killed
by a Demon, learning she might have had something to do with them
getting killed, dealing with the implications of Jade’s heartfelt
speech on the lookout, the prospect of having to lie to Jade once
again, and the weight of getting the Fairies help resting on her
shoulders, it was almost overwhelming to have such a small but kind
act done for her.

Without even thinking about it, Avery stood up on her
tiptoes and hugged Pip around his neck. If she hadn’t already been
so emotionally drained, she would have cried into his horse scented
tunic. He instantly reached around Avery’s waist and held her
tightly.

“You’re a good friend.” Avery told him, pulling away
from the hug and wrapping the scarf around her neck.

“Avery,” Pip said, a cautious look on his face and
one of his hands still resting on her waist, “I…” Pip averted his
eyes away from Avery and let his hand fall to his side, “I want ya
to make sure ya get a good night's rest.” He smiled widely at
Avery, a smile so wide that it almost looked forced, but Avery
didn‘t pick up on it. She took off towards her house, the cool
breeze outside the stables blowing her auburn hair and blue scarf
into a peaceful dance.

Avery rushed inside her house and pushed back her
charging dogs, dashing up the steps to her room before Cinder and
her parents could get a good look at her. The last thing Avery
wanted was for her little sister to see her all clawed up.