Chapter 7

NYLA and her father walked alongside their horses, rein in hand as they headed toward the rendezvous to meet with their General, Nyla’s brother. The sun was slowly setting, casting hues of orange across the sky lined with dark clouds and the leaves rolled on the ground as the breeze swept past.

Upon seeing a familiar figure waiting outside the Leaf Inn, Nyla called out, “Nolan!” her brother looked up upon hearing his name and smiled. His short brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, where a collection of braids were gathered, a blue ribbon tied around it. He wore a royal blue robe with a brown belt wrapped around his waist.

“Pêkan.” Nolan called, using the native term for ‘little one’, a term of endearment he had used for as long as Nyla could remember, he then bowed to their father, “Father.” He greeted.

“Son. How was your trip?”

“Well, thank you. I left several Gaurde in Jade Forest before arriving here yesterday.”

Oriel nodded. “How is Lilo doing?”

“Villages surrounding the palace were burnt to the ground and the forest has nearly been turned to ash. Preator Lilo feels very responsible. I’ve been trying to help him as much as I can.”

Nolan and Lilo were once best friends, but the call for duty and status had separated them when Lilo had taken on the mantle as Preator, leaving Nolan to treat him differently, with more respect and with less casual conversations. Of course, Lilo was saddened by this, but he understood Nolan’s morals and accepted that until Nolan had become Preator, their friendship would be different for a while, but that didn’t stop them from meeting up every now and then to catch up. Lilo deeply enjoyed the company of others and had made many friends throughout Melgaesia, one could say he was quite popular, but he was too humble and modest to admit it.

“We’ll leave at first light tomorrow,” Oriel said to his two children, “we shall need a well-rested and clear mind if we are to assist Lilo properly.” They nodded. Oriel then headed into the inn, the aroma of beer and roasted meat escaping through the temporarily opened door along with the grumble of laughter and conversation.

With their father gone, Nolan turned toward his sister, “So, tell me Pêkan, what’s been happening lately?” He wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulder and led them for a walk down the street between the stalls as the scent of different herbs hit Nyla in the nose.

“Oh, where to start.” Nyla sighed before she began to tell the tale of the last couple of days. Nolan listened with trained ears as his sister raised her concerns and theories about the sphere. Without much intention, she told him all about the other Sybils as well, Rowan’s cheekiness yet intelligence, Enid’s calm and collected visage, Ezra’s shy and compassionate nature, and Kai’s silent and observant eyes.

“You spoke with Kai?” Nolan pulled himself from his sister’s side, “How did it go?”

“Well, words came out of my mouth.”

“Well, that’s great. I’m surprised anything came out of your mouth since you both haven’t spoken to each other in over eight years.” Nolan stopped to admire one of the stalls selling different types of tonics. Bottles filled with blue, green and creamy mixtures lined the table’s edge.

“Yes, well.” Nyla played with her fingers, “It felt weird.”

“Weird?”

“To see him all grown up.” she explained, “It seems that breaking off our friendship barely affected him.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. From what I hear from Lilo, Kai has missed your company. It’s not too late to make amends, Nyla.” Nolan moved on from the stall as Nyla sighed, brushing her bangs from her face, “Look,” Nolan stopped to grasp his sister’s shoulders, “I understand why you did what you did, but, if I think of my friendship with Lilo, I’m reminded that we need friends.”

“But I have you and dad. I don’t need friends.”

Nolan sighed, “Nyla.”

She groaned. “Alright, I’ll talk with him when we arrive.” Satisfied with the answer, Nolan wrapped his arm around her shoulders again and they continued their walk.

After having spent the night at the inn, Oriel and his children made their way to Jade Forest at last. As they entered deeper into the forest, ash floated in the air, several remnants of bushes were still smoking from the fires that had once covered the forest and the ground was scorched black, surrounding the charred trees. Nyla covered her nose so as not to breathe in too much smoke that still drifted through the air.

They arrived at the first village, where several of the villagers were still trying to put out the remaining flames, ash smeared on their faces, evidence of their labour. Several Guarde from Lily were posted along the border of the village to allow the residents and Guarde of the village to concentrate on other tasks. One of the Guarde approached them and bowed in greeting.

“Preator Oriel, several medical tents have been set up where Healers from Sage have come to offer aid and the Guarde have been posted all around the forest.”

“Good work, Embry.” Oriel dismounted his horse, followed by his children, “Where is Preator Lilo now?”

“In the tent in the village centre.” The Guarde said as he took the reins from him.

“Thank you.”

Nyla followed behind her father and brother through the tents as several cries were heard in the distance. Children tried to help the adults move most of the charred debris out the way whilst others brought in new timber to rebuild a more standard medical centre. A flash of brown robe caught Nyla’s eye as she spotted Enid talking with someone. She shot one last glance at the backs of her father and brother before making her way over to him. He spotted her and finished his conversation with the person he was talking to before turning to her.

“Hey, Enid.” She said, “How bad are things?”

Enid placed his hands on his hips with a sigh. “Well, this isn’t the only village attacked. Several other outlying villages have also been set ablaze. I would like to stay and help more, but my father has summoned me back to Kesmet. They’re putting the protective borders up as soon as I arrive back home, so I won't be able to portal back if something happens. Keep an eye on things, okay?” Nyla nodded.

Enid smiled then walked past her. He conjured a portal before he walked through it, leaving Nyla standing by herself. She sighed with her hands on her hips before she made her way to find the tent at the centre of the village.

“We appreciate your concern.” Nyla heard as she neared the tent, which a Guarde had pointed out when she asked for directions. She peeked inside the tent to find several men standing around a table in the centre. Her father, Nolan, Lilo, Kai and a man she did not recognize who was standing beside Lilo. He had a sour look on his face which was aged with wrinkles.

Lilo looked over to where Nyla was standing. “Nyla.”

“Preator.” she bowed her head.

“Please, come in.” Nyla hesitantly walked into the tent, not used to being invited to attend a gathering of Preators and Advisors. Kai sent her a short nod from his corner, which Nyla returned with a small smile.

“Perhaps it is not wise to invite so many foreigners into this meeting.” The sour man muttered into Lilo’s ear as he sneered at Nyla.

“Nyla has every right to be here, Cybis.”

“Yes, but this is a sensitive matter, Preator.”

“I trust the Lily clan as though they were my own.” Lilo’s voice raised slightly. Cybis bowed his head.

Her father cleared his throat to break the tension. “What happened, Lilo.”

“Scorched villages. Faite attacks. Just as in Juno City.” Oriel nodded with a sigh, “But that is not all.” Cybis looked away, annoyed. As though he did not support Lilo sharing this next piece of ‘sensitive’ information.

“What is it?” Nolan asked, noticing Cybis’ behaviour.

Lilo tapped the table with his finger lightly, as he sighed. “The piece of the sphere has been stolen.”

Nyla’s father pinched the bridge of his nose. She turned to Lilo. “Do you have a lead?”

“No,” he replied, “That is why you’re here, Nyla. I know you investigated with the Juno Guarde. Perhaps you can find one.”

Nyla nodded. With a quick smile, Lilo led them out the tent. She walked faster to catch up with him before shooting a quick glance at the sour man who trailed behind them with distrustful eyes.

“Who is that man?” She whispered to which Lilo smiled.

“That is my advisor, Cybis Thornhill.”

“He’s not a very likeable person.”

Lilo chuckled. “Perhaps, but he has the best interest of the region at heart. It makes him a loyal ally.”

The villagers they passed bowed as they walked past them. Lilo returns a short nod and smile to each of them. He truly was the most beloved Preator in all of Melgaesia.

The further he led them into the village, the more severe the damage was. Up to the point where buildings were completely reduced to ash. Up ahead, Nyla saw a large oak tree and noticed that this was where Lilo was leading. The tree looked as though it had exploded from the inside out. The bark of the tree was aged, brittle, and charred. Scorched black.

“The piece was hidden in the tree?” Nyla’s mouth hung open. Lilo smirked slightly.

“It was,” he said.

“How did they find it?” Nolan asked.

“I’m not sure.”

“And no one saw anything?”

“No,” Lilo replied disappointed. He gestured behind them toward the ground. “The scorched path suggests that the thief knew where to go.” The ground leading up toward the tree was indeed burnt to a crisp along with the buildings that were on either side of the path.

“Well, it is possible that the pieces of the sphere are attracted to each other, that way the thief could find it even without knowing where it was.” Nyla said.

“You seem to know quite a bit of the Althea Sphere, my Lady.” Cybis sneered.

“Yes, well, I spent years studying the Althea Sphere.”

“Nyla.” Oriel shot a cautious look at her.

“And why would you need to study the sphere?” the man asked.

“Cybis.” Lilo quieted gently. Cybis bowed his head in apology. Nyla could respect his cautious nature and loyalty to the Jade clan if he was not constantly sneering at her. Like he was hoping she would turn to ash, like their surroundings, if he stared hard enough.

“Let’s get back to the issue at hand,” Nolan said, “two of the five pieces are now in the hands of our thief, and we have no way of knowing where and when they will attack again. We need to act.”

“I believe Preator Silas was right,” Lilo said, “we need to destroy the remaining pieces.”

Oriel nodded “I will inform the other Preators.”

Lilo nodded, “Cybis will lead you to your tents. Please excuse me as I have quite a bit of work to do.”

“I’ll help you,” Nolan said. Lilo nodded and the two of them bowed and walked back to the tent together. Oriel patted Nyla’s shoulder and then gestured for Cybis to show him the way.

Nyla looked over at Kai awkwardly, sucking in her breath. “If there’s something you need to do, I’m sure I can find my way around.”

“Where did you learn about the Althea Sphere?” Kai asked, ignoring Nyla’s statement.

“Uhh,” Nyla began, caught off guard, “The library in Lily Cove. It has books and documents that predate many of our Preators, up until our first Preator, Preator Nile. He was a scholar and studied the piece of the Althea Sphere in his possession to try and unlock its secrets, he wrote many journals on his findings, but after having realised the power within, he sealed it in his sword. Over time, unfortunately, the power of the sphere piece had begun to seep out of the sword and eventually drove him insane.”

Kai turned to face Nyla directly. “Can I ask you something?”