The sun was rising for the day, but Corlai was tired. She had had nightshift, but she wasn’t due to return home until midmorning. She hovered a good five feet above the ground on her lacy, lightly blue wings. The wings were one of the many characteristics passed down from her ancestors; a faerie characteristic out of a mixture of elves, mages and faeries.

“You look like a drooping flower,” a voice said from somewhere below her.

She perked up and looked around until she spotted a man grinning up at her.

“Hachiman!” she exclaimed and flew down into his arms. He hugged her tightly and swung her around. When he put her down on the ground he claimed her lips for a kiss to which she passionately responded.

When they pulled away she smiled up at him and asked, “Are you to take over for me?”

“No. I was sent to relieve the other two and then finish out the shift with you.” He replied.

Corlai looked extremely surprised, her sky blue eyes locking with his black rimmed gray.

“Why? We haven’t had a shift with less than three Guardians for centuries. Not since the evil mage attempted to break our barriers and steal our secrets.” She said.

He nodded, some of his short wavy black hair falling into his eyes. Before he could fix it Corlai reached up and tucked it behind his pointed ears. She earned a soft kiss on the cheek and smiled up at him.

“It is because the other two are going to be needed later tonight for the preparations for the celebration marking the founding of our people.” He said.

She looked enlightened now, “I almost forgot that.” Then she sighed, “I have duty again tonight.”

“You’ll have Zipakna and I as company. That should cheer you,” Hachiman said, his smile widening a bit.

“Why is the Commander and her First Officer joining a lowly scout on her shift? If I didn’t know any better y’all are expecting something to happen.” She said, an eyebrow raised.

He just grinned at her and ran a gentle hand along the edge of one of her wings.

She studied his face for a couple of minutes, “You are expecting something to happen. What? When?” she said.

His eyes met hers again, the smile replaced with a semi-serious expression. “We don’t know for certain yet, but the Seer of the faerie blood has said for many years that something of monumental purpose is to occur on this very night. We have awaited and prepared for this night ever since; you do not dismiss those with faerie seeing powers, no matter how vague they seem.” He said.

She nodded mutely, her gaze going briefly towards a large cave opening half hidden with fallen rocks, foliage and trees.

“You don’t think it has anything to do with the Sleeping Ones, do you?” she asked.

The Sleeping Ones often called the Fallen Ones, were a bare handful of people, all from different nations. They had been at the battle that had ended the time of chaos just several years over 16,150 years ago. But during that final energy blast that had formed the Darkfire Sea between the two elven lands, it had been in the middle of the energy waves into a state of dormancy. Those had been caught on the bare edges of the deadly magic had also been killed or maimed. But a few just fell, neither dead nor truly alive. They still breathed, but they did not age nor did their bodies’ function as they should.

Those who had found the six, a band of faeries, mages and elves from either side, decided to use their own magic to protect them until the day they’d reawaken. They built their city just half a mile from the cavern they placed their charges in and working together they built their numbers and began their guardianship. And since then they’ve become the Guardians of the Sleeping Legends, keeping them and their people secret from the rest of the world.

Hachiman followed her gaze and gave a small shrug, “It could be anything. That’s why we’re taking extra precautions tonight. Our life and duty are to protecting the Sleeping Ones. Not even Commander Zipakna wants to take even the smallest risk where they are concerned.” He said.

She nodded and then stifled a yawn behind a hand.

“Tired?” he asked, his features soft as he pushed back a few strands of hair from her face.

She nodded mutely and closed her eyes at his soft touch and gentle kiss on the forehead.

“Well, let’s finish out the shift. We only have a couple more hours until the next shift. I’m sure you can last that long.” He smiled.

She slightly frowned, but nodded. She tugged lightly at his arm and said, “Just come on.”

He just smiled as she walked away, her hand sliding down his arm as she went. He followed as she led the way to the cave opening and then stopped. With a little push off the ground with her feet she launched into the air on her wings.

An hour passed as the two made the rounds and then met back near the opening of the cave. Hachiman leaned against a tree, examining the dagger he always carried while Corlai sat on a boulder, weaving a wreath of ivy vines she pulled down from the tree that the man leaned on.

For awhile the two were silent but Corlai filled it with a question. “Who is to have the next shift, do you know?”

The man glanced up at her and thoughtfully replied, “I think it’s Tarke and Sem from the White District and Abela and Keri from the Red District.”

As Guardians they protected and kept their very existence secret from the world around them. But the occasional person found them and usually they weren’t friendly at all. Those few times some of the Guardians’ families were wiped out almost completely. So to compensate, each house was given a random color, usually a flag or paint of the outer part of the building somewhere, and each color represented a district. Therefore when guardian duties were being carried out, not everyone from one area was gone. It made sure that if their people were ever attacked again from any direction, there would still be a sufficient amount of people left to defend their homes.

Besides, the town of the Guardians was very close to the lands of the elves, on the Light Clan border though. But as time went on, the Guardians border protections grew stronger as the Light Clan turned their attention to their own people, never knowing that there was a tiny mixed nation near them.

Corlai nodded and said, “Oh yes, I recall Sem and Keri grumbling about it.”

Hachiman smirked up at her, “You are just glad that being Blue District after tonight you will not have to be on duty again for about a fortnight.”

She grinned at him, total amusement in her sky blue eyes. “And with you in the Black District, as well as being First Officer to Commander Zipakna, you will not have to see duty for another month.”

Hachiman chuckled and lightly touched her ankle, where her legs dangled down the side of the boulder. She looked down at his touch and smiled warmly, her eyes being pulled up to his.

A chilled wind reached the two, causing them to look around for its origin. “What was that?” Corlai asked, dropping her ivy chain to wrap her arms around herself.

Hachiman drew his dagger, now alert and his body tense for anything. Corlai slid down from the boulder, keeping her body behind her lover. Another burst of chilled air flowed around them, drawing their eyes towards the opening of the cave in which the Fallen Ones were being held in.

“What is happening?” she asked, her words betraying her youth, though she was twenty years old.

“It is impossible.” Hachiman stated. “Nothing should be coming from the cave, not even a breeze. It’s full of magic.” He continued.

“Then what could be happening?” Corlai’s voice now held a tiny touch of fright.

That emotion alone made Hachiman look back at his lover, his expression softening. With his free hand he reached out to gently touch her cheek. She leaned into his hand, but her eyes gazed intently into his own. After a minute he turned his attention back to the mouth of the cave.

“We should go in there…” he started.

“But Hachiman…shouldn’t at least Commander Zipakna and Chieftain Gankre be informed of this development?” Corlai asked, her own gaze following his.

He glanced back at her but he was already starting to walk towards the cave. “Our sole priority is the Sleeping Ones. After we check on them then we can tell our Commander and Chieftain, but not until then.” He said firmly, his voice taking on his Officer tone.

She swallowed and nodded, her wings opening and closing with Corlai’s emotions. She followed her Officer and lover, her body tense.

Cautiously the two of them entered the mouth of the cave and started making their way towards the area where the Fallen Ones lay on the stone altars erected for them long ago. As they walked carefully, dodging all stray stones and other objects, they could still feel the breeze. Corlai hugged her arms, feeling a little chilled.

“It feels as if the magic if flowing out of the cave with the breeze…” Hachiman said, sounding very thoughtful.

Corlai looked a little more shocked at this and then sensed the area with her own magical senses. She had to agree. The cave was losing the heaviness of magic that had flooded the cave for as long as the six Fallen Ones had been placed inside, soon after the Chaotic Times had ended with that final sacrifice.

“Should we risk creating a magelight?” she asked, looking back at her lover’s form.

He glanced back at her, but before he could answer, they heard rustling sounds. Someone was stirring…

One of the Sleeping Ones was waking up.

TBC