by Mary Coffin
~~~
Elwyn heard a soft knock and a door opened. She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was in the same room that she was in before. Curtains were drawn but it seemed darker now. It must be night time.
A woman stood at the door, a slight smile on her face. A man appeared behind her and he pushed the door open farther.
“I’ll bring her some soup,” the woman said. Then she turned and brushed past the man.
He walked into the room. “How do you feel?”
Elwyn didn’t say anything. It felt like her mouth wasn’t ready to speak. She tried to push herself up in bed and moaned from the dizziness in her head.
The woman entered, carrying a tray with a bowl on it. She set the tray on a table next to the bed and took an extra pillow and propped it behind Elwyn’s back. She picked up the tray and set it on her lap. Then she filled a spoon with some liquid and held it out for Elwyn to sip. Elwyn looked blankly at the man and the woman. Then she leaned slightly forward and drank the liquid.
The man sat in a chair. The woman glanced at him and then looked at Elwyn. She dipped the spoon into the bowl and offered it to Elwyn again.
In a soft spoken voice, the woman asked “What’s your name?”
Elwyn swallowed the soup that was in her mouth. She looked at the woman and her mouth opened slightly, as if she were going to speak, but then it closed again. Her eyes glanced around the room and at the man, hoping something would trigger her memory.
Then she replied so quietly, the woman had to lean forward to hear her. “I don’t know.”
FORTY FOUR
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Tannis, Guardians of Light
Northland
Tannis was utterly devastated. He and the others couldn’t return home last evening. Not knowing where the other member of the Brethren was, they didn’t want to risk travelling at night, especially since it was so dark. He didn’t talk much after Noya had told him that Markus was ill. Between that, and the fact that they were returning to the Northland empty-handed, he felt vacant inside.
As if that wasn’t enough of a challenge to deal with, they returned the next morning to learn that Markus was dead and the journal was gone! No one knew who took the journal. No one saw anything except possibly Markus and he was too dead to talk about it. Everyone assumed it was the Brethren and, knowing that one member was on the loose, even Noya, Katarina and Simon seemed to agree that it was the likely scenario.
“I certainly didn’t notice anything,” Anton said. “It seemed like a normal, quiet evening…that is, until the alarm bell was sounded.” His voice trailed off.
The silence in the room was heavy. In fact, the silence in the whole compound was deafening, thought Tannis.
“Now that Noya is in charge, I wonder what she’ll do about it…if anything.” Anton was speculating out loud.
Tannis thought Anton was having almost as much difficulty with the events as he was himself. Still, he didn’t feel like talking. He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
He couldn’t get past the shock. Ever since he could remember, he wanted nothing more than to join the Guardians. Once he did join, he wanted nothing more than to find the crystal for Markus and to help Markus be the great leader that Tannis believed he was. Now, it felt like someone had tossed his whole life up into the sky and he stood by helplessly, as he watched it land, in pieces, upside down.
The knock on the door abruptly pulled Tannis from his thoughts but he didn’t move from his bed. Anton glanced at him and then walked to the door. He opened it but Tannis couldn’t see who it was. He really didn’t care but then he heard Katarina’s voice.
“Noya wants to see Tannis,” she said.
Good for her, thought Tannis sarcastically. Anton turned around to look at Tannis and saw that he wasn’t moving. He turned back to Katarina.
“I’ll let him know,” replied Anton and he closed the door.
Why should I go see her? She probably wants to kick me out of the Guardians. No, wait. She wants me to dig the grave for Markus and then kick me out of the Guardians.
Anton looked at his roommate. “Did you hear Katarina? I seriously doubt that you want to cross Noya, especially now that she’s in charge.”
Tannis sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I don’t care.”
Anton appeared stunned by Tannis’s response. “Are…are you serious?”
Tannis didn’t respond. He just stared at the floor.
“Please, Tannis. We don’t need any more turmoil around here.”
Tannis sighed. “Fine.” He stood and walked to the door. “It will probably be my last act as a Guardian.” He slammed the door shut on his way out.