Chapter 21

The night sky was beautiful. From the roof Miran wanted to reach out and touch one of the stars. Seeing them in the mortal realm reminded him just how different it was the Isle. Stars back at home were farther away than they were in the human world. He had once read that the barriers around the Isle were made of such strong energy that everything outside it lacked lustre in comparison.

As much as he tried, even the beauty of a thousand stars couldn't calm the storm in his mind. The talk with his grandmother had gone on well given the circumstances but he knew that something wasn't right. It all started with the unexpected visit from the Matriarch. His grandmother never did anything on impulse and she certainly would never play messenger for anyone. So why did she come to the mortal realm?

Calling him back home was one thing but to have her outside the Isle for such a trivial matter was unbelievable. If he was correct then probably no one knew of her recent visit to the human realm. The Leader's movements in and out of the Isle were restricted not just for their safety but for the stability of the Guardians. It was easier to protect the Leader while they were in the Isle and with that prevent any incident that could occur with their departure.

Finding out his grandmother's true motives was going to be hard as she was more than an expert at hiding things. As if her appearance in the realm was not weird enough, she had gone ahead to surprise him by inviting him to a dinner held in her honor. The dinner part wasn't as surprising as the one who was to host it. Councilor Jamil was too calculative to hold a dinner just for show, he was obviously planning something.

Not many Guardians knew of the subtle feud between the councilor and the Matriarch but having being brought up in the palace Miran had a sixth sense of reading in between the lines. His grandmother often told him not to dwell too much on what people said but to be quick to determine what remained unsaid and what was implied in the spoken words.

That was how he knew that she and the councilor were not on good terms. In his grandmother's eyes Councilor Jamil was a good for nothing boot licker who supported the winning side instead of fighting his own battles. One day she had called Miran to her side during a council meeting and told him to watch.

The Matriarch's seat was set apart from the rest of the hall. From where he stood Miran had the perfect view of the concilors below. They were debating on an conflict between the Fire and Earth Guardians. A fire had broken out in the Earth territory and their councilors were demanding answers from the Fire Guardians. Blames were shifted back and forth with the Airs trying to stop any violence that might have occurred.

During the whole session the Matriarch was silent. The Waters council lead by Councilor Jamil didn't add anything to the ongoing motion. Miran took the time to analyse the whole issue and possibly come up with a solution that could be agreed upon by both sides.

"Your Majesty kindly give your views on this matter. You are known to be fair and just and this we will agree to whichever it is you decide."

An Earth Councilor addressed the Matriarch his head bowed. To the ordinary person, the act would have appeared as one of honor and respect but Miran knew better. The councilor had intended to be the first to acknowledge the Matriarch in the case hoping that she would rule in their favor in return.

"Thank you for the flattering words Councilor Sophia but I will not be judging today. I invited the heir today to give him a chance to rule over this matter. If his judgement is sound then I decree that it be taken with the same weight as it would be coming from me. Are there any objections to this?"

None came from below and Miran wasn't surprised. As much as the councilors respected the Matriarch, they would have never asked for him to be brought to the tower. They knew how highly the Matriarch regarded him and had all tried to get into his good graces. As leaders of the Isle they also wanted to gauge and see if he was fit to be the future ruler.

Miran could tell that his next words were going to determine his position with the council members from that day onwards. He wasn't worried after listening to the whole saga he had come to a conclusion that was both just and logical.

" I am not very familiar with the Earth territory but the area you spoke of Councilor Sophia, is not near the border between your side and the Fire territory?"

" That is right. It is why we believe that they are responsible for the fire out break."

" But for a fire as big as the one in question, it would not only mean as many as ten Fire Guardians but also enough fuel to feed the it. I mean we are talking of a green forest here, no dry undergrowth to support the flames. That many people would have certainly been discovered in a short time considering the signatures they had. Not enough time to set the fire."

He saw the frown in every council members' face as they tried to picture the scenario he was setting out. Miran also didn't fail to notice the small smile that was on his grandmother's face. He was right in his thread of thought, it gave him the courage to continue.

"You say that the ones who first discovered the fire were novices who saw the smoke at a distance but if that was the case then it would have been spotted much later than the supposed time. Apart from destruction of nature there was no other gain from the fire as no property was destroyed, therefore no motive whatsoever.

The fire was an accident but then who caused it? If I am not wrong then I am guessing it is the very novices who reported the fire in the first place. Check if they had invited any Fire novices into the territory, it is possible that maybe they were having a party there. That would answer for the fuel, add a novice losing control and you get yourself a big fire."

Miran stepped back and watched as the councilors mumbled amongst themselves. They knew he was right. It was Councilor Jamil who stood up first to not only agree with him but also congratulate him on find the answer to such a difficult matter. The councilor wasn't aware of the little sneer on his grandmother's face and went on to adjourn the meeting.

"That man is the exact image the Sire had in mind when creating the hyena in the mortal realm. Keep your distance from him."

Only Miran was able to hear his grandmother's words and he couldn't agree more.

His mind returned to the present as he entered his room. It would be his last night in it. Miran knew it would be hard to get a chance to return the human realm. The room was smaller than what he had back home and even in the dark he was still able to see everything clearly. The box from his mother sat on the floor at the end of the bed and he was just about to pick it up when he felt the Light spirit's presence in the room.

She rarely appeared unless it was important, the contents of the box would just have to wait until another time. Standing near a window on the right wall, she briefly glanced at the box before moving to the chair she always sat on.

"I came to inform you something important. I needed to be sure first before telling you anything but not now all my doubts have been put to rest. It is concerning Reyna's violent behavior earlier but before I tell you what I have, answer this for me. Has she ever reacted in the same way before?"

"Yes, the first day I met her, she tried to kill me."

"I am guessing you had just experienced a burnout right before that."

He nodded not wanting to interrupt her thoughts.

"I believe that the dark child is familiar with the beings you battled on the night before I came. One of them in particular who is known for his dead eyes."

Demons. She was talking about demons. Reyna had once explained to him that the spirits were not allowed to talk of things paranormal to the mortal realm. It was only after proper phrasing and use of careful wording that they could express what they wanted to say. They had only battled low level demons before the spirit appeared, so it was only obvious that they were what she was referring to.

But low level demons did not have eyes and the rest had completely black eyes. He had never had of a demon with white eyes and just as he was about to ask, the door barged open. Serena switched on the lights before running to him. Her eyes searched his frantically as she pulled on to his arm.

"Calm down Serena, what is going on?"

Miran knew she couldn't see the spirit in the room and wasn't sure what could have scared her so much.

"Reyna is gone."