by Joanne Vruno
I squeezed Emily’s hand. “Just ignore it. Stay calm,” I told her in my head.
The swan appeared from under the bridge and looked me straight in the eye.
“Let me introduce myself. I’m Alvit, the swan maiden from Murkwood. Maybe you’ve heard of me? I’m of no threat to you. As I said, King Klas sent me. You do know of King Klas, the light elf king from the kingdom of Ijus? It’s the only light elf kingdom left.”
Emily and I still ignored Alvit. I couldn’t read if Alvit was safe or not.
“I really can’t stand this ignoring! You’re not fooling me, Aly the guardian.” Alvit took flight with her enormous wings. “I said you’re needed, so come you will!” she firmly stated as her webbed talons clamped down on my shoulders from behind and started to lift me into the air. “You will come with me, one way or another.”
I knew my only defense was to quietly say, “Have Alvit drop me. Have Alvit drop me. Have Alvit drop me.” I was soon free and falling toward the water.
I had only seconds before she’d grab me again, so I quickly repeated, “Send Alvit back to where she came from. Send Alvit back to where she came from. Send Alvit back to where she came from.” Poof! The swan was gone, but I was still falling and was mere feet from the creek.
Emily looked on in shock as I hit the cold water. “Aly, are you all right? Are you hurt? Is she really gone?”
I slowly stood, soaked and a bit bruised. I looked to the sky, “Yes, Emily, she’s gone for now. She’ll be back, though. She knows too much about me. She was searching for me and won’t be giving that up.”
“Aly, you’re all wet!” said Mom, coming around the bend, “How in the world did you fall into the creek?”
“I slipped off the rocks when I tried to cross over. I’m freezing. Can we go home?” The water was cold, though I’d ignored that until now. I climbed up the bank, my shoes making squishing sounds, and we hurried to the car.
Luckily, Mom always had a blanket stashed in the trunk. I quickly wrapped it around me and kicked off my wet shoes and socks.
“Dad, would you mind turning on the heat?” I asked. Chica seemed to know I needed warmth and curled up against me.
Emily soon spoke in my head, “Grandma needs to know about Alvit right away!”
I looked at Emily and patted her hand.
“In the bath with you, young lady, as soon as we get home. I can’t believe you lost your balance. I hope you don’t end up sick,” said Mom.
I hardly heard her. I tried to review what had happened. I needed to contact Grandma and look up Alvit on the Internet. I had never read anything on a swan maiden. She was so determined I needed to leave with her right then. But why? I hoped Grandma or the elves would know.
A bath was just what I needed. I soon regained warmth and stopped shivering. I saw I was going to get some big bruises on my leg, but quickly healed the areas that were sore. I did not want Mom to notice the bruises. Falling on a rock wouldn’t cause a bruise like falling five feet. As I got into pajamas and headed to my room, I decided to have Elsa relay the information of Alvit to my grandma’s house. I was too tired to transport myself.
I told both tomtes about meeting Alvit. Both were as alarmed as I was that she tried to abduct me. Elsa quickly left to tell Grandma, and Enar went to tell Alf and Aina. Tomorrow would have answers, but tonight I was starving, so I headed to the kitchen. Emily was waiting for me as I arrived.
“Are you hurt? You fell so far.” said Emily quietly so Mom wouldn’t hear.
“I’m fine, just very tired.” I grabbed an apple and yogurt and sat down to eat.
“I’m glad to hear that.” said Emily.
“Girls, tomorrow may be a day off, but we need to get an early start so I can get to work on time. Off to bed after you finish your snacks,” said Mom from the living room.
Emily took off to bed, and I headed there after I finished eating. I was exhausted and, even though I was still keyed up by the encounter with Alvit, to my surprise sleep came quickly.
Fourteen
Mom made us breakfast and then we were off for Grandma’s. We hugged Mom goodbye by the car as Grandma came out of her house and stood on the front stoop. She asked Mom, “Beth, are there any specific apples you want us to get you at the orchard this year?”
“I love the Honeycrisps and Haralsons,” she told Grandma. To us, she said, “Girls, here’s some money to pay for the apples and treats you may find. You two be good for Grandma.”
“We will, Mom.”
“They’re always good for me, Beth. You know that,” said Grandma.
We all waved as Mom drove away, then headed into the house. As we entered the living room we were met with the usual creature forum. Emily stood in shock.
“Aly, would you like to make introductions?” asked Grandma with a huge smile.
I took Emily’s hand, “Well, Emily, you remember Lina and Berg, Grandma’s tomtes.” Emily bowed her head to them. “This is Lunt. I think you met him after the sprite attack. Lunt is one of Grandma’s gnomes, and my instructor along with Grandma on ignoring others.”
“Nice to see you again, Miss Emily,” said Lunt, holding out his hand. Emily shook it gently.
“And lastly, Emily, this is Silver, the leader of a band of light elves.”
Emily’s eyes were wide as Silver stood up in her regal way and took one of Emily’s fingers to shake as she said, “It is an honor to finally meet you, Emily.”
“You’re the one who sent protectors into the school for me. You’re an elf. I’ve always wanted to meet an elf,” said Emily, totally star struck.
We all laughed. I had her sit next to me on the floor.
“Aly, you know elves!” said Emily.
“I haven’t been able to tell you. But seeing Silver here today leads me to wonder if that means it’s time Emily gets to know the truth?” I asked Grandma. “She already knows three of my powers: transporting, healing and telepathically speaking. And Emily already has the ability to speak telepathically. We found that out yesterday,” I announced to everyone.
“So, you are on your way to become a guardian, too,” said Silver.
“A guardian? A guardian of what?” asked Emily.
“A guardian of light elves like your grandmother and sister. A guardian of my people to keep us safe from all harm,” said Silver.
“Grandma, is this true?” asked Emily, first looking at Grandma, who nodded at her, and then at me.
“And you had to keep this from me?”
“Yes, I had to. A guardian can’t speak of elves to anyone or anything but the creatures and humans who keep them safe. You’re now a guardian in training. The same rule applies to you,” I answered.
Emily looked around at everyone, taking in all this knowledge.
“Now that the introductions are over,” said Silver, “Aly, we need to know what Alvit said to you, word for word. Please start at your first sighting of her and tell us the story.”
I took a deep breath, then began. “Emily and I were ahead of our parents on our way back to the car when I spotted the white swan. A signal bird clued me into knowing it wasn’t a real swan. I gave Emily the signal we made up for a creature sighting after the sprite episode. We both passed the swan without eye contact. When we ignored it, it started speaking. It knew I was a guardian, knew my name, and said King Klas sent her to find me and an endangered colony. I still ignored her, so she came face to face with me. She told me she was Alvit and that I needed to go with her because I was needed. I still ignored her. This infuriated her and she flew up and behind me and grabbed my shoulders in her webbed talons. As she lifted me, I used my magic to have her release me, then quickly sent her back to where she came from. Then I fell five feet into the creek. Emily ignored all of this and never spoke. Emily, could you hear her?” I asked.
“Yes, but I didn’t understand all of it. When Aly was lifted up I wanted to scream, but Aly always said to be calm. I was afraid if she knew I could see her, she might take us both. One of us needed to get to Grandma. So I kept still. It was so scary,” Emily stated as she let out a sigh.
“You did really well, Emily. You two sisters are going to be formidable guardians,” said Lunt with a smile.
I looked at Emily, “I’m proud of you, Emily. I was so focused on what was happening, I didn’t realize until now how well you performed, even as scared as you must have been.”
“What? Me scared? Isn’t it normal for a giant bird to try to haul off your sister right in front of you? No big deal! Happens every day,” said Emily.
The room went silent, not filled with the laughter the way Emily might have expected.
Oh, Emily, if only you knew! I thought.
“I’m just grateful neither of you were hurt,” said Grandma. “Both of you followed your training. That’s what saved you.” She turned to Silver. “Now, who’s this Alvit?”
Silver said. “Pretty much as she said. A swan maiden. She’s always been loyal to the light elves. She’s one of three sisters who settled down and raised families with human husbands. A colony must be in grave danger for King Klas to enlist her help. All communication to the king has been suspended for a time, so I don’t know what’s wrong. The king is securing the castle from spies before any communication is reinstated. If he wishes Aly to be their guardian, we need to bring the colony to us. That was Alvit’s misunderstanding. Aly can’t leave her family and go to the colony. The colony needs to come here.”
“Is that wise? Two colonies so close? Where would they go?” asked Berg.
Silver gave that some thought. All eyes were on her. “It won’t be close in that way. Aly, you’d always need to transport yourself to the new elf village, but I think the park where you were yesterday would be perfect. The new village would be far enough from mine that danger wouldn’t catch both villages, but close enough for Aly. There are many acres of woods off the paths few humans ever travel. Our elves could change their work locations away from that direction and move more east, north, and south. The new village could focus on the west, north, and south. We need to stay separate. A large village would draw too much attention. They hopefully have their head elves. If not, we may need to review this. We won’t know until we move them here and see the colony’s situation. Are you two up for it?” Silver asked, looking at Grandma and me.
“Do we have the power to do it?” asked Grandma.
“We won’t know until you try,” said Silver. “We may not get them all, but I think we can get the majority. Maybe Alvit will figure out what we’re doing and carry the others. Let’s meet in the park tomorrow morning around seven. That way few humans will be around. Tonight, Alice, Aly, you need to eat well and rest up. You’ll need all your energy.”
“Can I help too?” asked Emily.
Silver smile. “No, my dear. We need to keep your identity a secret from even the new band right now. We don’t know them or their situation. Some rock elf spies could be mixed in their colony for all we know. You should stay here under Lina and Berg’s protection. Your sister and Grandma have already experienced the dangers of guardianship. You haven’t had all your training or powers. When I leave I’ll send your new instructor to you. He has been missing teaching, and I think he’ll enjoy spending the day with you and your sister. If there are no more questions, I’ll take my leave. Dolph will arrive sometime this afternoon when we figure out how our village safeguards need to change related to these new visitors.”
With that, Silver left.
“Alice, I’m going with you in the morning. I want to be there in case there’s trouble. I can get help in seconds, if need be,” said Lunt.
“We’d love to have your company, Lunt. Thanks. Aly, we must prepare in case this is a trap,” said Grandma. “I’m open to any suggestions from the rest of you.”
“What do you mean ‘a trap’?” asked Emily.
Grandma put her hand on Emily’s shoulder. “You have so much to learn yet, dear. There are light elves like Silver, but also rock elves who want to eliminate all light elves. That’s why there are guardians. The villages of light elves are being hunted by rock elves. They look similar in many ways, but one distinct difference is in their eyes. Light elves have clear eyes. You can see their color. Rock elves’ eyes are cloudy, usually dark grayish. We’re not sure which type of elves are coming. We need to be prepared. We need to plan. Aly and I know all the elves from our village. The plan for you, Emily, is to ignore all elves except Silver and Dolph until one of us introduces you to a specific elf. Dolph you’ll meet today. He’s going to teach you about sentries and signals to keep you safe. You need to stay hidden. The only creatures that know you have any powers are the few you currently know. The swan should not have sensed any powers in you by the way you ignored her. For at least the next few months, until we adapt to the new colony, we’re going to keep silent. Your powers may come, but we’ll quietly train you at your home or here. We will visit no village until we know it’s safe. All right?”
I knew Emily was disappointed, but she said, “All right, Grandma, but if you need me I’d help if I can.”
Grandma hugged Emily. “You’re my brave, brave girl. I’m so proud to be your grandmother. Following directions is going to be tough. You’ll have more creatures around to ignore. The new lead elves will be sending messages to Aly through your gnomes and tomtes. They won’t know that all of us will also know those messages. If all turns out well, we can use the communication line both ways.”
I tried to stay calm with all these plans being made, but my thoughts took over. I am the one chosen to go into the midst of what could be the lion’s den. I have to do this alone. I have to be the one to stand strong. The king chose me to switch colonies. Nobody can really have my back, or they’ll be noticed. Aly, you’re stronger than you know. Focus on what you’ve done. As I thought of the dwarf incident last summer I remembered nature was always with me. That made me feel better.
Grandma was looking at me when I let out a determined sigh. “We can do this, Aly.”
Fifteen
I was happy when Dolph showed up around one o’clock. I had not seen him for a month and he always lightened up the situations. Even when he was worried, he never let on.
“I hear I have a new student?” asked Dolph as he popped into Grandma’s living room. “Miss Emily, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Dolph, Silver’s husband and the other leader of our village of light elves. I wish I could train you at the village, but with visitors arriving tomorrow it’s better for us to be here. I brought some friends with me. Alice, you know I would rather be outdoors, so would you kindly do your magic so we can train undetected?”
“Definitely.” answered Grandma. She walked to the back door, and we followed her. Emily’s eyes were full of concentration, waiting to see would happen next. Grandma pulled out her amulet and held it out to the sky. A bright spark lit up from it, and then we all entered the yard.
“Emily, this amulet makes us invisible to all creatures and humans. They see an empty yard and can’t hear anything we say. You and Dolph can train without any being from the outside knowing,” said Grandma.
“Grandma, we only have one amulet. How am I supposed to keep the new village hidden?” I asked.
“Hmmm . . . good question. There were only nine made. We need to ask King Klas. What do you think, Dolph?”
“You’re right, Alice, only nine were made, and the king is the only one who can make one. I wonder what happened to the one for the village that’s coming? Let’s wait and see. Communication is down. Only dire emergency messages can be sent. They’ve found more spies in the light elf castle, and the king doesn’t want information about the colonies to be intercepted. That’s why we didn’t recei
ve direct notice from the king about the colony in danger. I still can’t believe he sent Alvit. She’s such an icon in the mythical world. I was honored when I met her and her sisters once when I was very young. They visited the Kingdom of Ijus before heading off to Murkwood. Magnificent creatures, unlike any bird I’ve ever seen, but, then, they’re not just birds. They’re also beautiful ladies,” said Dolph.
“What? She’s also a lady?” I asked.
“Yes, the swan maidens can change into human ladies. They can shed their feathered cloaks and become human. If a human man can find their cloak of feathers, a swan maiden must marry him. I’ve heard they have beauty unmatched by any human woman. I’ve only seen them in their swan form, which is very impressive. Don’t you two agree?” asked Dolph.
“She was very stunning, but also very bossy. I upset her because I wouldn’t acknowledge her. I pretended I couldn’t see or hear her. She lost her temper with that!”
“Aly, understand, she’s use to being adored by all. You ruffled her feathers, but don’t worry about it.”
“Ruffled feathers. Good one,” laughed Emily.
Dolph smiled. “It is time to get to work. Alice, I think you have some training for Aly, too?” he asked Grandma.
“I do,” she said. “Aly, let’s head inside and leave these two to their work.”
I followed Grandma inside where we sat down at her kitchen table. She took off her amulet and handed it to me. I studied the symbol of the midnight sun engraved in it as Grandma said, “We may only have one amulet, but you need to know how to use it. It has more powers than just hiding the light elf village, or the yard when we train. It can also be used as a signal in case of trouble. I can send a light beam to the village, even to King Klas if need be. The light travels underground and emerges at the foot of whomever you send it to. They’ll see a glow by their feet. The king installed powers in the amulet that allows him to know which guardian sent the message. As I said, there are only nine guardians and nine amulets. I’m not sure if the emblems engraved in them are the same or not. As far as I know, no two guardians have ever met to compare. I believe this will be the first time two colonies of elves have met in over a thousand years. With the earth being so immense, chances two colonies would choose to live in the same area seem unlikely.”
