*
Somewhere awfully far away, James had awoken too, and he too could remember the conversation he’d shared with his mother while he was dreaming.
He’d dreamt lucidly before, but this surely was... different. It’d seemed almost real. It hadn’t been, of course, because he hadn’t any recollection of feeling anything whenever he touched something inside that dream. It’d just seemed real, because his mother had been there.
Was James really able contact home through his dreams? Could he contact other people, too? Or just his mother?
Because if he could, he’d surely try to do the same thing with Anna. And... maybe finally tell her what he should’ve told her so many times before.
He looked aside, at his sister, who’d caused him to wake up. “Why’d you wake me up, anyway?” he said. His words were a whisper; the others were still asleep.
“You were... restless,” Samira said. “You kept twisting and turning, as if you were having some kind of nightmare. I thought it’d be best if I woke you up.”
“I saw Mum in my dream,” James said, running his fingers through the grass, which had a strange, silverish hue. The teenagers had arrived in the Silver Valley earlier before falling asleep in the silver grass.
The extraordinary colour of the grass was probably what gave the valley its name; the leaves on the birch trees that grew there was similar to that of the grass. It looked beautiful.
“You know, Samira?” James said. “I think I might be able to reach home through my dreams.”
“Really?” Samira said, itching to know more. “But... how, then?”
James shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s like a lucid dream, but more realistic. As if there’s another person on the other side of the dream, sharing the dream with me. And this person happens to be Mum for now. I don’t really know.”
“Maybe you can ask the Fairy Queen about it,” Samira said, running her fingers through her hair, getting ready to braid it. “Maybe she knows more. Or maybe she knows someone who can tell you about it.”
James allowed himself to fall backwards in the grass; he couldn’t help but yawn. “Yeah...” he said, between the yawn. “Maybe... we should...”
And before he even knew it, he’d fallen back to sleep. But this time, he wasn’t able to contact home. No matter how hard he tried; he just couldn’t reach out, couldn’t find his mother.
He did have another lucid dream, however this time, it was empty.
The Silver Valley
The teenagers waited for sunset before leaving their safe place and setting off into the valley. They didn’t have the idea that it was autumn; all trees were still fully-leaved, and even the night was fairly warm.
It’d been decided that they wouldn’t be going to visit the Fairy Queen first; Thomas felt there was something he had to do near one of the caves near the mountain. They were known as the Ogre Caves to natives (the Guardians spent some time talking to the occasional gnome whenever they needed any information).
“So... what is so urgent you need to do inside those caves?” James asked Thomas, who was still carrying the map. He didn’t answer, however.
“Do you think they’re under the Master’s influence? What if they attack us?” Bella said.
James could clearly hear by the tone of his voice that she was mildly scared. He didn’t blame her; ogres weren’t exactly the kind of magical creature that was famous for its kindness.
“We can’t possibly know, Bella,” he mumbled. “The valley is the part of the world that’s the least affected by the Master’s Magic, due to the many open fields...” he mumbled. “But since ogres are fairly strong and tall, making them good warriors, and they live in a dark area, I’d say that there is a certain possibility that they are.”
Bella sighed. “Oh boy.
By the way, Thom; the kid asked you a question! Care to answer?”
Thomas looked up from the map, and looked aside, at Bella. “Huh? What?” he said. “Oh, right. Well... I don’t know. There’s just a... certain feeling that’s pulling me toward there somehow.”
James looked at him. “Oh?” he said. “Well... we’re almost there,” he said, pointing at the small hologram floating above the map. “Look.”
“Oh... So that’s it?” Bella said. “It looks awfully close.”
“It is, Bella,” Samira said. “I can see the mountains from here. We should be there within a few minutes.”
She was right. After barely a quarter of an hour, the team stopped in front of a row of caves. Ogre caves.
“It sure is dark back there,” Samira said. “I’m not going in there, just so you know.” Samira was afraid of the dark; the others knew she was.
“Don’t worry, Sam,” Thomas said. “You won’t have to go inside.”
He walked towards one of the cave’s outer walls. He laid his hand against it, as if it was made of some strange material.
“I...” he mumbled.
“What’s the matter, Thomas?” James asked, as he approached Thomas.
“I... can feel something inside this cave,” Thomas replied. “It’s calling for me. I should go in there on my own to go get it.”
“Thomas, you’re not going in there on your own,” James said. “Someone has to go in there with you.”
“No, James, you’ve got to stay here. This is something I’ve got to do on my own.” Thomas replied strictly.
“Thomas, James is right,” Antonio said. “You can’t go in there all alone. If any of the ogres catch you, you’re dead.”
“All right then,” Thomas said. “Antonio, you’re going with me. But stay right behind me.”
James stared at him; the indignant look on his face caused the British nineteen-year-old chuckle. “James, this isn’t anything you should take personally,” he said. “But you’re just... a kid.”
“I might be just a kid, I am taller than Antonio!” James protested. Antonio laughed.
“Yeah, but I can lift you up with one hand while you’ve got trouble with picking up a milk carton,” he laughed. James wasn’t amused.
“Fine, go ahead,” he grunted.
Antonio and Thomas spent a short while outside of the cave laughing, but eventually entered
With great care, the two boys set foot in the darkness of the cave.
“Thomas? Do you see anything?” Antonio asked with a careful whisper. The only lights that shone were the blades of their weapons; they could hear deep breathing all around them, and the smell was unbearable.
“I think they’re asleep. Watch your step!” Thomas whispered back.
“Roger that,” Antonio said. “What are we actually looking for?”
“You see, that’s why I didn’t want anyone to come along at first,” Thomas whispered, as he agilely avoided stepping on something that seemed to be an ogre’s arm. “I don’t know what it looks like. I just have this strange connection with it, whatever it is...”
“You mean as in some sort of energy source?” Antonio said; he’d accidentally set foot on an ogre’s chest, but quickly jumped over it; luckily, the ogre just snorted loudly, but didn’t react in any other way.
“Where are all these questions coming from?” Thomas whispered looking at Antonio. “You usually seem to prefer short and brief, yet useful conversations...”
“Sorry for showing genuine interest in you for once,” Antonio replied, slightly indignant. He saw Thomas nodding in the dark.
“Sorry, that was rude.”
“It’s all right. I don’t really show too much interest toward you guys, so I guess that’s my own problem,” Antonio said. “I should work on that. Seen anything yet?”
Just at the moment he’d said that, Thomas disappeared behind a corner of the cave, from where a mysterious light seemed to shine.
“I- I think so,” Thomas said, when Antonio joined him. On a stone altar, at the middle of the room, lied a sceptre. It was made of gold, with a green gem hold by a sort of claw. It had a dark green
, glittering pattern of tiny little gemstones all over the gold.
“Is- is that what we came for?” Antonio asked.
“Yes... I think it is,” Thomas replied. “Let’s take it out of here and then find out whatever it is. It... looks like some kind of sceptre.”
“Well, if it looks like one, I guess that it must be one as well,” Antonio replied, and leaned carelessly against the stone wall.
Suddenly, his elbow hit a rock, which shove backwards and a trapdoor in the wall opened and the floor moved down, causing Antonio to fall.
“ANTONIO!” Thomas yelled, and was able to grab Antonio’s hand just in time.
“Shit!” Antonio spewed; Thomas was too busy pulling him out of the trap pit to make a comment.
Antonio, together with Thomas’ help, managed to pull himself back up. But... their yelling had awakened some of the ogres.
They were standing in the only exit; they didn’t seem to be too happy with the two intruders. “What brings you two here, boys?” one of the ogres spoke, in a low voice, with a strange British accent.
“Um... We came to pick up something I believe belongs to me,” Thomas replied. Antonio looked at him as if he’d gone mad, but Thomas decided to ignore it, and show the ogres the sceptre.
“I see,” the ogre said as he inspected the sceptre. “The Sceptre of the Soul belonged to a Guardian that died in our very cage. He said we had to hang on to it until another Guardian would come get it. That must be you.”
“Yes,” Thomas confirmed. “I am the Guardian of Soul, and this is my friend, the Guardian of Day and Night. Our friends are waiting outside for us.”
It was strange; he didn’t feel any kind of fear for the three gigantic, grey creatures in front of him, who could probably crush his head between two of their fingers. They spoke to him in a friendly fashion, and he responded that way. There was no need for him to be afraid.
Antonio was still staring at him as if he was nuts, though.
“Well, my young Guardian, then I assume you’d like to return to your friends,” the middle ogre said. “Be our guest.”
As he spoke, the other two ogres moved aside, allowing Thomas and Antonio to pass. “Go save our world,” the middle ogre said. “Our fate lies in your hands.”
Thomas thanked the three ogres and left the cave together with Antonio. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?” he said.
“You think?” Antonio burst. “I don’t even know what in the world that ogre was saying!”
“Wait – you didn’t?” Thomas said, sounding genuinely confused. He’d heard everything the ogre had said in perfect English – so why hadn’t Antonio? But he was pulled from his thoughts by his friends approaching.
“Look! There they are!” Samira shouted. “What took you so long, guys?”
“Had some trouble getting through,” Antonio replied with a deep sigh, while leaning on the rock wall of the cave with his right hand. When he realised what he was doing, he quickly pulled his hand back.
“What do you mean, “had some trouble getting through?” “ Samira asked, but James shook his head.
“Never mind,” he said. “Thomas is, apparently, fluent in Latin.”
“I’m not!” Thomas argued with him. “The ogre spoke in English, and I replied in the same language. Unless...” He looked at the strangely shaped sceptre in his hand.
“I- I don’t know,” Thomas replied, while looking at the strange-shaped sceptre in his hand; suddenly, the orb started to glow bright green. The emerald around his neck was glowing as well, lifting him off the ground in the same way Bella had been lifted.
“Thomas,” Akilah’s amplified voice said. “You trusted your intuition inside that cave, engaging in conversation with a seemingly hostile creature; you trusted it not to attack you. In the meantime, you have retrieved your Guardian’s Totem: Intuition.” The sceptre floated in mid-air and rotated to its side, so the word Intuition that had been engraved into the sceptre became visible. “This is the Sceptre of Soul, which allows you to speak and understand any language you are addressed in. However, everything will sound like English to you.
As long as you possess the Sceptre, you will be able to feel dark energy in one’s soul, which should help you pick your allies.
Good luck, Guardian.”
The light extinguished as soon as Thomas grabbed the sceptre and his feet touched the ground. He lifted the sceptre up and held it into the light.
“Wow,” Thomas whispered. “Amazing.”
“Great job, Thomas!” James cheered. “But I think it’s about time we followed Gabriel’s advice and went to visit the Queen.”
“We can’t keep Her Majesty waiting, of course,” Samira said. “Maybe she’ll want to marry you, James.”
The others chuckled; even James couldn’t help it. It was good to hear that jokes still weren’t out of the question. “But really, guys,” James said. “We should keep moving. There’s a lot waiting ahead of us. And I just want to get this thing over with.”
Get this thing over with, the words echoed in his head. That was exactly what he wanted to do. Get it over with; let it all be done quickly. But why, he didn’t know.
But what if it hadn’t been true? That dream he had earlier? What if it was just something of his own fears, something his sub-conscious made up from his mind? What if he couldn’t contact home at all?
He’d try again in the morning. Just to make sure. Perhaps he could only contact his family, or could only contact people in general whenever they were asleep.
Yet, still, there was some kind of strange fear that kept creeping up on him. Like some kind of homesickness. He just wanted to talk to someone from home; in any way possible. It didn’t matter how, where or when.
He just wanted to, because he felt like he needed to. And if anything happened, he’d make sure to tell his sister. Because if James could contact home every now and then, he could keep his mother posted on their adventures – well, more or less -, and let her know they were still okay.
Guardian: Protectors of Light Page 14
