Setting Dylas down just inside the city gates, I cast a healing spell on the both of us. Then I half-carried, half-dragged the semi-conscious man to the clinic. Bursting through the doors, I pushed him into Nancy’s arms. “Here, please patch him up—then prepare yourselves to evacuate.”

“Oh my,” she said, looking alarmed. “Is it that bad?”

“You’ve no idea just how bad,” I said as I turned and ran out the door.

Arthur was not in his offices, and I pounded my fist into the door jamb in frustration. Nor was he in the baths, so next I tried the castle, hoping that he might be found there.

When I pushed the doors to the main castle chamber—Venti’s chamber—I stopped and stood stock still in surprise. Not only was Arthur there, but Venti was awake. Both turned and looked at me and immediately saw all was not well.

“What is it, Leon? You look distraught,” Arthur said, looking concerned.

“It—the fight’s not going well. I… I honestly don’t know if… if she’s alive or dead by now. He’s powerful—far more powerful than we ever dreamed. Dylas nearly died, and she ordered me to get him out of there and warn everyone in town.”

“That pretentious, arrogant fool,” Venti sighed. I looked from her to Arthur and back again—I’d been too agitated to ask what woke her. “Oh, this?” she said, divining my unspoken question. “Well, you recall that Doug managed to get a rune sphere from that foolish emperor?”

I nodded, and Arthur spoke up. “Just after the three of you left, the honor guard finally arrived, so we placed the sphere. Soon afterwards, Venti awoke. I had just been filling her in on recent developments when you arrived.”

“Don’t worry, Leon,” Venti said softly, her bright eyes glimmering shades of blue and green and gold. “Avani has more strength to her than even you can imagine.”

She rose up onto her haunches, stretching her wings. “Arthur, will you please take a fighter up in the airship to attack the fortress from the sky? Not you, Leon—you’re injured and need to recover. Besides, I may have another need for you before the day is through. Why don’t you take Doug? I think he would appreciate the opportunity for a little… revenge. Meanwhile, I must eat something—it’s been weeks since I’ve had a meal, and I am a little weak. Afterwards, I will join you there.”

“Yes, that sounds like an excellent plan. Go get some rest, Leon,” Arthur said as he set off to find Doug.

“I second that. You look, well, dreadful. Volkanon should be here momentarily with my meal. Do join me—you need to restore your energy, too.”

“How can I possibly eat at a time like this? Venti, I—I left her there. Left her behind to save my own hide. And I don’t even know….”

“Stop being such a fool,” Venti snapped. “You did exactly as she instructed. What do you think would have happened had you disobeyed? Without you and Dylas there, she can focus solely on her battle, without fear of injuring you two, and without needing to drain her energy to keep you alive. And we needed to know—I needed to know—what was happening.”

Her eyes softened again, and she said more kindly, “I know you’re worried and upset. But as I said before, she has more strength than you realize. Although I was unable to restore her memory or to discern who she was or whence she came, I could sense that strength within her. Her spirit shines like a star in the blackest night—like a ray of sunshine in the deepest, darkest forest. Whatever her past, she is someone to be reckoned with. I fancy that upstart emperor will find that he has bitten off more than he can chew this time. Ahh, and speaking of biting and chewing, here comes Volkanon. Now sit with me, eat, and regain your strength. As I said, I may have need of you—and the other Guardians—before we’re done.”

Though I realized the sense of all Venti said, and understood the need for us to take a moment to restore our strength, nevertheless I chafed inwardly at any and all delays in sending whatever aid possible to Avani’s side. I reflected on the implications of that as I wolfed the food offered to me. The events of the past few days had forced me to realize just how much she’d come to mean to me. I knew that I loved her—I suppose I’d always known that on some level, ever since I first saw her there in the tower. But the depth of my attachment to her caught me by surprise. It had crept up on me unawares, this love—and it was deeply disconcerting. I shouldn’t love her—I couldn’t love her… yet, I did. I knew it was selfish of me. I could never marry her, and it was unfair to ask her to stay with me when I refused to give her any commitment. She deserved better, and I knew it.

But this was no time to be pondering such things. Venti had devoured her food hastily, and she was now ready to go to Avani’s aid. Arthur and Doug had left while she was midway through her meal, so they would arrive first.

“Gather the rest of the Guardians here at my dais. Wait to hear from me—if I need you, I will call upon you. Yes, Dylas, too—if he is not yet recovered, heal him yourself. Volkanon will feed you if you need additional restoratives.” She rose up on her haunches and spread her wings as I ducked out of the way. “Now it is time for us to deal with this crackpot once and for all!” And she launched herself into the air, soaring up through the open roof of her chamber and out of sight.

I hurried off, first to the clinic to see if Dylas was awake yet. I found him sitting in bed, looking thoroughly pissed off despite his obvious debilitation. Nancy was trying to persuade him to drink some kind of broth or something while Dolce stood nearby, looking annoyed by his stubbornness.

He looked up as I walked in and scowled, then tried to rise. He was still too weak, though, and fell back on the bed, angrier than ever. “What the hell?” he demanded. “Why are we here? Where’s Avani? No one will tell me anything!”

I sighed—he wasn’t going to like this, but that was just too bad. “Avani was still fighting Ethelberd when I brought you here. As far as I know—and sincerely hope—she’s fighting him still.”

“You what? What kind of idiot are you? How could you just run off and abandon her like that?” he roared.

I stiffened—it didn’t help to hear my own recriminations thrown back at me in his voice. “I did what she asked—what seemed best for everyone. Was I happy to leave her there to drag your sorry hide back here to get healed? Not at all. Did I want to stay? Hell, yes. But face it, we were just in her way—holding her back from fighting at her full strength. I did what had to be done. And that’s why I’m here—there may yet be more work for us.” Gesturing for Dolce to come nearer, I explained that Venti had gone to Avani’s aid but had asked the four of us to wait at her dais in case she needed our assistance. Dolce nodded, and Pico offered to go find Amber, zipping out in her ghostly way as soon as I agreed.

Dylas was not yet recovered enough to stand, let alone walk. So with a brief apology to Nancy, I cast a few healing spells on him, until he seemed mostly recovered from his injuries. Then the three of us headed to the castle where we were joined by Amber and Pico. Volkanon brought us some food, to fortify us should we be needed… and we waited. 

As we waited, Dylas sat next to me at the edge of Venti’s dais, next to her perch. “Hey. Sorry about earlier. You were right. I… I was pretty useless. Thanks for… for getting me out of there.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Sure.” I sighed and looked away. “You know… I really didn’t want to leave her. It just… seemed like the best thing to do. But I’m still not happy that I did it.”

“Do... do you think she’ll be okay?”

I looked over at him, seeing pure, unadorned love and concern in his eyes. Because of his size and strength, I tended to lose sight of how young and inexperienced he was. “If anyone can get through this unscathed, it’ll be her.”

Before he could reply, I heard a faint voice speaking in my head—Venti’s voice. Startled, I looked around, and from the looks on the other three Guardians, I could see that they had heard it as well. “Quickly, all of you—Avani needs your help!” the voice cried weakly. “Gather the townsfolk and go to the rune points. Channel all the hopes and prayers of the town through the rune points. They should reach her through my charm that she wears on her breast and help to strengthen her. It’s our only hope—make haste!” Then silence.

We looked at one another for a brief moment, then Dolce rose and ran to the door. “Well, you all heard her—let’s get moving! I’ll take Jones, Nancy, and Kiel.” Then she was gone.

“I’ll take Margaret and Porcoline,” Dylas said, rising quickly.

“And I’ll take Lumie!” Amber said.

“Okay, fine. Dylas, take Bado and Clorica, too, will you?” He nodded and ran off. “And Amber, please take Vishnal and Blossom. And take good care of Granny!” I called as she darted out the door, her colorful wings fluttering. Then I ran to the butlers’ quarters in the castle.

I found Volkanon at his desk and quickly explained his mistress’s request, then we tracked down Forte before heading to the inn to get Lin and Xiao. We left at once, as it was a bit of a journey to the tower of Leon Karnak—especially without the airship at our disposal. Upon our arrival at the tower, the five of us hastened up the stairs and terraces that led to the top of the tower. The exterior was eerily devoid of monsters, and I briefly wondered if they'd been drawn away by the battle in the fortress that hovered in the sky nearby. Whatever the reason, I was grateful to avoid further delay.

We reached the top of the tower and gathered around the focal point for the rune power there between the ancient kitsune statues that stood guard at the pinnacle. “All right, everyone,” I said, closing my fan and rapping it against my shoulder to get their attention. “Let's get this show on the road!”

Forte scowled at me. “This is not a joke, Leon. Can't you be serious for once?”

I looked at her without smiling. “I assure you, I am completely serious. Never more so in my life.” I turned to the others. “Venti has asked me and the other Guardians to focus rune energy through the four rune points to Avani via the charm she possesses. We need you, the people of Selphia, to focus, too—send her your prayers, your hopes, your dreams, your wishes, and they will strengthen her. Give voice to your thoughts, which will give them form, then I will take those forms and channel them through me to her. Let's get going! Forte, you start.” And I waited.

Forte blushed and shifted uncomfortably. After a brief pause, she spoke, looking at the ground to hide her discomfort. “Avani, I hope you can hear me. I remember when you first arrived in town, I offered to spar with you in order to train you in combat, because I sensed your potential. But you surpassed me in almost no time at all, in every way, and the teacher became the taught. Yet knowing my pride, you still asked me to teach you, to spar with you, even when it was really the other way around. In this and a thousand other ways, you showed your kindness. And so I pray for strength for you, to deal mighty blows to your opponent and return safely to us.” And she lifted her head proudly, almost defiantly, to look me in the eyes as soon as she finished her prayer.

I nodded, feeling the fiery energy of Forte’s strength flowing from her through me and into the rune point as she spoke. Maintaining the flow of energy, I said, “Volkanon, you're next.”

Though I didn't turn to look at him, I could sense him straightening up as he spoke. “Miss Avani, when you arrived, it would have been easy for you to take advantage of the situation and pretend to be more than you were. Yet you were never anything but honest and never once tried to use your circumstances to your advantage. And despite not knowing the people of Selphia, you stepped up and lent a hand wherever and whenever you were needed. No request was too small, no task too great. And so, showing your faithfulness in this and a thousand other ways, we all learned you were someone we could rely on. Now we depend upon you to save us all, and so I pray for courage for you, to boldly and unflinchingly face our enemy and return to us in victory.”

A blue stream of courage joined with Forte's strength as I said “Now you, Lin.”

A rustle of silken fabric from behind me, then Lin spoke in her lilting voice. “Oh! Avani, I want you to come home to us, safe and sound. I remember the first time that my husband came to visit after you arrived, and even though you didn't know who he was—even though he was no more than a stranger to you—you rescued him from the monsters that were threatening him and even helped him out with his business. In this and a thousand other ways, you showed your compassion. And so I pray for healing for you, to keep you safe and well as you fight for all of us and to allow you to return home to us.”

Emerald healing energy joined courage and strength, and as I focused on maintaining the flow through the rune point, I said, “Xiao, it's your turn.”

Xiao stepped towards me, tripping and falling as she did so. I could hear her pick herself up and could almost feel the heat of her blush as she carefully approached me. “Oh, it seems I am clumsy even at a time like this, yes? Avani, can you hear me? I remember especially the first Beach Day after you arrived, when I was feeling sad after seeing how pretty my cute mama looked in her swimsuit. I didn't want to join everyone at the lake, yes? Do you remember? And then you smiled at me and told me that I looked very cute in my swimsuit, and you didn't even look at my mama like everyone else did. And I felt so much better, and I had a lot of fun that day at the lake with you and everyone else. Yes, yes! You gave me my joy back when I had lost it then and a thousand other times, and so now it seems I am praying for rune energy for you, to keep you going in your fight so that you can return home safely, so I can again smile for you.”

The flow of violet rune energy, green healing power, blue courage, and crimson strength coursed through me as I channeled it through the rune point to Avani. I braced myself as I joined my voice to theirs. “My Lady, you came to rescue me, a total stranger, and risked your life to return me safely to the realm of the living. Once I had no hope, no future; you restored both to me in a thousand thousand ways. And so, My Lady, I add to the rest my prayer. I pray for hope, that you may look danger and even death in the face and smile, knowing that all is not lost, and that you are not alone—not now, nor ever. I believe in whatever future you weave from our prayers, because I believe in you.” Then as the golden light of my prayer intertwined with the other energies flowing through me, in my thoughts I added, “Come home safely, Avani—you are my future.”

And I sent all our hopes to her, and I prayed that they reached her in time.