Excerpt: Magic's Guardian

(Continued from where the last one left off)

Ilyrana had only been through this forest a few times in her life. Her earliest memories of it were from childhood, when she was about eight years old. She and Ilario were visiting their uncle in the forest village where he lived as a sort of hermit. She remembered sitting around the fire with members of the village, her brother on one side and her uncle on the other, and frowning in confusion as other villagers standing in a group glanced over their way every few moments and whispered something.

The ride to the village would be long, and soon she would only have the moon’s light to guide her as she went further into the forest.

Ilyrana knew she had reached the village of the Darnassus clan when she saw the path lighted by tall torches on both sides up ahead. Her stomach grumbled and she sighed in relief. Maybe her uncle would be able to tell her what was going on.

She reached the end of the path that led into the village’s clearing and slid off of her horse, looking around. Ilyrana stepped forward, clutching the reigns of her horse, as a man walked past.

“Excuse me,” Ilyrana said. “I’m looking for Jasvinder Kalahari.”

The man eyed her up and down for a moment. “Who are you?”

“I’m his niece, Ilyrana Kalahari,” she answered.

“Ilyrana?”

Ilyrana turned to the right when she heard the familiar voice of her uncle. He emerged from a tent, ducking out of it and coming to his full height. His once brown shoulder length hair had turned a deep gray, and his beard had done the same. In one hand he clutched a tall walking stick, with a curve to its top.

“What are you doing here?” Jasvinder asked with a chuckle as he approached.

“Ixys has been attacked,” Ilyrana answered hesitantly, eyeing the people who were gathering around to listen. “My parent’s house has probably been burned to the ground. I had no where to go.”

“Attacked? By whom?” Jasvinder asked, frowning.

“I’m not sure,” Ilyrana replied, shaking her head. “They were looking for . . . someone.” Did she dare mention Ilario? No. Now’s not the time.

Jasvinder nodded. “Come, we’ll discuss this elsewhere,” he said. He placed an arm over her shoulders. “Someone will take care of the horse for you.”

Nodding, Ilyrana let go of the reigns and followed her uncle towards the home he had ducked out of. She ducked slightly to enter, looking around. It was just as she remembered it. The home was hut-like, built for a small family of at least three, though there was only one who lived in it. A cooking area was to the left, and a bed was in the back corner. A small fire pit was in the middle.

Once they were in the hut, Jasvinder lit a lantern and placed it upon a small table in order to light the small room. He bent down near the fire pit and began rubbing two rocks together to start a fire.

“Outside of these events, how have you been, Ilyrana?” he asked.

“I’ve been better,” Ilyrana admitted. “I’ve been missing Ilario lately, but I’ve been getting by.”

“Have you heard from him lately?”

Ilyrana hesitated for a moment. “He made brief contact with me earlier,” she answered, her eyes watching as a small fire began to form in the pit. “He’s the one who told me to run, and leave the city.”

“He must have had a vision,” Jasvinder said. “Does he still refuse to accept that particular ability?”

She nodded, “The last time he was home, we argued about it, but . . . he seems determined to forget that he has them.”

“Unless, of course, they tell him that you’re in danger,” he added. “And what about you? Have you had any visions lately?”

“No,” Ilyrana replied softly. “Not unless you count the few that Ilario has sent me, which haven’t been all that . . . meaningful.”

Jasvinder moved to sit on a log near the fire that served as a chair, gesturing to Ilyrana for him to join him on the opposite log. The two sat in silence for a moment until Jasvinder looked up from the fire and at his niece.

“Who do you think those men were?” he asked.

Ilyrana sighed. “I don’t know. They mentioned something about taking prisoners.”

Jasvinder looked toward the entrance of the hut. Through the small space he could see a familiar figure looking in towards them and he nodded, standing from the log.

“I’ll be right back,” Jasvinder said.