by Erin Maxwell
yet she wouldn’t reach her weapon in time to defend against their attacks.
A deep tremor cracked the ceiling of the cave before it collapsed and the giant ice golem slammed down on top of the zho’unoream before she could form a plan. Any who escaped being crushed, couldn’t move in time to escape the golem's huge weapon.
Taking advantage of the distraction, she climbed to her feet and ran towards the golem as he swung his weapon at another group of zho’unoream. She leapt onto his back and climbed as quickly as she could. The golem reached up to grab her, but she jumped away from his hand and grabbed hold of a piece of the broken ground the golem had entered, and hauled herself up.
With no weapon to defend herself with, she ran.
The snow rumbled and shook, causing her to stagger. A wall of ice tore up from the ground, encasing her in an icy prison. When the golem crashed up from the hole he’d created, and landed in front of her, she knew without a doubt there was no escaping him this time. Weapon-less and without breath, she backed against the wall.
The golem stood at his full, impressive height, casting his dark shadow across her. He raised the deadly ball of sharp, jagged ice at the end of his arm, and brought it down. Moving too fast for her to move, Amaya knew she was done. She'd failed. When she saw her own defeated appearance within the ice, it exploded abruptly. Rock and ice dropped in a pile before her, and she remained unharmed.
After inhaling enough to fill her lungs so she could stand, she turned. “I didn’t need your help.”
Her guardian stood before her, smiling—tall and tanned with tattoos that twisted and wrapped around his muscled body. His eyes burned like molten lava in the pits of a volcano and his large, leathery wings matched the colour of his black hair, which he’d tied at the nape of his neck. At over twenty-five thousand years old, Cian was the strongest guardian alive. His name literally translated ancient. His skin, a map of scars, told of eons of fighting, ages of war. His control over fire and the darkness made him a formidable warrior. And he was her protector.
“Really?”
Amaya narrowed her eyes. “I had everything under control, Cian!”
Cian’s smile widened, revealing perfect white teeth with slightly sharpened canines. “It didn’t seem that way.” After a pause, his smile dropped. “I was only protecting you,” he replied.
Amaya sighed as the broken rock and ice behind her began to quiver and roll across the snow. “You knew I was in no danger,” she spoke lightly this time as he stepped up to her and wrapped her in his warm embrace. She inhaled deeply when his aura warmed her entire body.
“I know.” His eyes burned. “I respected your wish to take this journey unaccompanied, despite the dangers of that alone.” His eyes lowered to her thigh, where the cauterized wound was.
She shifted guiltily, staring at her boots. She remembered the fire she'd built to keep her warm during the night, expanding like an explosion and scaring the kuav away after it had attacked her. Only now realising Cian had helped her without interfering himself. He'd let her continue her journey, despite his feelings.
He touched her chin and gently lifted her face. “It is in my nature to help, whether you were in danger or not.”
The rumbling grew louder as rocks slammed and twisted into each other.
“I know,” she murmured as he pressed his lips against her forehead. She briefly closed her eyes and then turned in his embrace to look at the ice golem, who stood at his full height once more. “Sorry about that, Srak’ou.”
The ice giant was not only as old as the planet itself but immortal. As part of Khrellia, his death would only come if the planet should die. He too was a Guardian, not to a creature, but an object—the gates to Crystal Lake, a beautiful but dangerous place to venture.
Srak'ou not only protected the gates from those trying to venture through but to stop anything coming from the other side. It was how Amaya met him in the first place. He’d brought her up when an avalanche had killed her parents while they tried to get through the gates, their reasons still unknown to this day. He’d felt it his duty to keep her safe when she had no one else to rely on. She’d trained with him as soon as she could hold a sword, and because of Srak’ou, she’d grown stronger. Until Cian arrived and their connection had formed. She hadn’t seen Srak’ou for a while.
“Understandable, Princess,” the golem replied in a deep rugged voice. “Master Cian is your guardian. He only did what he thought right.”
“Even if he did know I was in no danger from you, I know.”
The ice golem laughed and the sound reverberated through her entire body. “Indeed. I am not angry at all, but very impressed with your strength, Princess. You have grown stronger than I could ever imagine.”
“Maybe we might finish the fight without interruption one day when I’m not busy.”
Srak’ou bowed his head. “Maybe.”
Cain turned her. “I hope you’re not thinking about going on another adventure.”
“Why not? It’s good to have allies in different places.” She always had her views of Nuare, a warlock who grew more powerful with each passing day and threatened the lives of everyone on planet Khrellia in his desire to stand above all others, while they knelt before him. It would only be a matter of time before he acted.
Amaya wanted to stop him and anyone who stood beside him.
“It’s my job to protect you, Amaya,” he responded angrily.
“I know, but other guardians aren’t as strong as you—no way near! Yet as strong as you are, you aren’t strong enough to protect us all, which I know you want to do. It’s your nature.” It was the reason she loved him and trusted him without fault. He never put himself before others and she worried constantly because of that. “It would just make it easier when the time comes if others can fight by your side to keep everyone safe. Including you. I can’t live without you.” Her kind—the syhien—were the only creatures with guardians. Despite having a protector as strong as Cian, Amaya had never liked relying on others when it came to her own safety, or that of her kind, especially when it could mean her death. Guardians were powerful enough to survive if their syhien were killed. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the syhien. If their guardian died, so would they.
Meeting Cian’s molten eyes, she smiled. “Besides, I think you’ll enjoy the next adventure. I’m thinking about going somewhere warmer. I never really enjoyed the cold.”
