The Mirror Guard (chapter 4)

Four: Four Days in the Stark

“THERE IS NOTHING LEFT!” Eva shouted. They were sitting in a clearing. Nothing but white around them, far off to the south there was a cluster of pine trees. Eva was on her knees rooting through the two survival packs that they had. Mrs. Shimmyshanks was laying in the still erected tent. Every so often you’d hear her groan in pain. Her temperature was continuing to rise.

“I guess we ran out.” Eke said stupidly.

“How much have you been eating!?”

“Me?” Eke asked. “What about little Jono?”

“The argument there is in the word ‘little’. He can’t eat more than you.” Eva began shoving everything she’d had splayed around her on the snowy ground back into the packs. She was angry. “You snobby rich fool! Do you know how to hunt? Do you know what plants you can eat out here? Your mother is dying! Getting some food in her might be the only thing that keeps her alive right now.”

Eke had tears in his eyes, which were freezing before they dripped from his face. “I — I’m sorry.” Eke wiped his face and shook his head. “What are we going to do?” Eva had never seen a rich boy cry before. <What could they possibly have to cry about?>

Eva huffed. She took in a deep breath. She tried to supply some hope where there wasn’t any. She didn’t want to hear Eke crying anymore. “We’re going to have to hunt.”

“Eva…” Jono shuffled in the tent and poked his head out the flaps. His cheeks were rosy and his eyes were full of sleep. “I’m hungry.”

Eva glared at Eke and then sighed. “We need to catch something buddy. You’re going to have to be strong and patient.”

“I can be strong.” Eva smiled at her little brother.

She zipped the packs closed and went to check Mrs. Shimmyshank’s forehead before her brother closed the tent. The old hag grumbled at being disturbed. Then opened her eyes as if she were waking as a young beautiful princess after her prince has just kissed her awake. She cringed at Eva. “Filthy! Wear gloves when you touch my forehead.”

“Still some bite in her.” Eva said. “I would assume you’re feeling better.” Eva turned towards Eke, who was smacking stones together to sharpen the one. There was a thin stick clamped between his legs. He had twine hanging in his teeth.

“Hommmn es ssshe?”

“I think she’s fine.” Eva said. She closed the tent after pulling her upper-half from the opening. She watched Eke feebly etching away bit by bit of the flat stone he’d been holding. She guessed he was going to make a spear, which was actually the smartest thing the rich boy had done since they’d entered the Stark. She watched him struggle with tying the pointed stone to the tip of the weak stick he had clamped between his knees. Eva laughed to herself, “Just — stop.”

Eke looked up at her dumbfounded, as if to say, “What?”

Eva reached out her hand, and in a strange bond that only reserve Guardian and artificial butler share, Benjamin was in perfect arm’s reach. The two grasped each other’s hands and as Eva pulled her arm forward, Benjamin transformed into his mock-mirrorblade form. Eva brandished the over-sized blade and fell easily into Angerstance, her personal favorite stance. Angerstance was an aggressive stance. It was a form made for stepping forward and overpowering your opponent. It was a reckless stance to most, a stance that you used when you had no way of losing the fight.

“Oh — good idea!” Eke exclaimed. He looked one last time at his collection of spear parts — and said, “We’ll just use your sword.”

Eva and Eke trekked further from the camp than Eva would have wanted. “We’re going to have to continue on soon. You know that, right?” Eva asked Eke.

Eke was silent for a moment. Lifting his boot out of the knee-high snow, pressing forward. “I know…”

There were two types of creatures in the Stark: Those that looked for food opportunities and those that spent their time preventing themselves from becoming food. The ladder would have scent them early on and kept their distance. Eva wanted to hunt this type of Stark creature. Those that looked for food opportunities wouldn’t hesitate to make them meals.

Eva didn’t like the pain in his voice. “Once we get some food in her stomach she should be strong enough to continue on.”

“Yea…” False hope.

There was movement!

Eva instantly crouched down into the snow. Eke was still standing like a fool. She grabbed his arm and nearly yanked him beneath the drifts. “Hey!” He gasped. Eva held a finger over her mouth and used her other gloved hand to cover his. She glared at him to get his attention.

Slowly, she pointed. Just on the edge of sight, there was something moving in the distance. It looked like a deer — or at least something moving upon hooves. Eva thought it was weird that the creature was moving alone because most hoofed creatures out here were herd animals. There was safety in numbers in the Stark.

“You see the deer out there?” Eva whispered, pointing.

Eke shook his head. “We’re only going to get one chance at this,” Eva began. “I’m gonna need you to scare it towards me. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“There’s approximately…”

“Benjamin! Quiet,” Eva hissed.

Eke began moving into position. Eva went in the opposite direction. She was hoping the deer came in her direction like she was hoping. They didn’t really have enough able-bodied people to corral the animal the way she wanted. She assumed contentstance. This stance was made for versatility. From her position she could strike, parry, guard, or easily slip into any of the other six stances. It was the perfect stance when dealing with something as unpredictable as a wild animal.

The deer moved like it was frantically searching for something. It was erratic. It moved closer to Eva, stepping through a veil of snowfall. She stayed lose in her stance, trying to stay nimble. She hoped the deer wasn’t sick. She didn’t feel too confident based on how it was moving. Sick meat wouldn’t help Mrs. Shimmyshanks — it wouldn’t help any of them.

There was movement beyond the deer. Eva could see Eke stumbling over snow drifts. He was closer to the deer than Eva was. It was in that moment, as the creature ventured closer to her, that she realized it wasn’t a deer at all. She figured it looked a little stockier in the legs than a deer, but not by much. The creature was a unicorn. She could see the black zig-zagging horn upon its forehead. Unicorns used that horn to cut and dig into the permafrost for roots.

The unicorn wasn’t alone. …There was someone on its back! A short rider with an oval face. <Cavaman?> Eva thought. A Cavaman wouldn’t ride so erratically. They were practically one with the Stark, one with their beasts. Their animals were a way of life, not simple pets or ornamentation. This rider was clearly looking for something.

Eva realized, “Eke don’t!” She screamed, blowing her cover. The unicorn reared, pawing the air. The rider was nearly thrown. The rider was thrown from the unicorn’s back, but in true Mirror Guardian grace, the rider flipped in the air and landed in a crouch in the snow.

“Ono!” Eva blurted.

Ono had rations of thick slices of meat that he brought with him to their camp. They quickly cooked it up and ate it ravenously. Color was returning to Mrs. Shimmyshanks’ face, but she still had a long journey ahead of her.

They all sat around the fire. Its heat was enough to press back the cold, just enough that they could all relax a little and shed their starkas. Ono hardly wore his starka anyway. Eva always laughed to herself about Cavaman physiology. How could two different groups of people diverge so much from each other genetically? And then, merge together in the form of a Mirror Guardian, binding their souls in a connection more powerful and everlasting than marriage? The universe worked in such strange ways.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Ono said to Eva. She couldn’t stop looking into his dark eyes.

“Yea. We’re fine,” Eke replied sharply.

“Can I pet your unicorn?” Jono asked.

“Sure buddy, here…” Ono pulled some roots from his pocket. “She likes these.”

Eva asked, “What happened in Crystalis?”

Ono looked distant. It was as if he was wrestling with the right words to say. “Fallen. Some were able to hunker down and wait out the wyrm attacks, but the wall is damaged in various places. There will be more wyrms.”

“How did you find us?” Eva asked.

“I can’t really explain,” Ono replied. He seemed to blush for some reason. Eva pretended that she didn’t notice. “But lucky that I did.”

“Yea. So lucky,” Eke said sarcastically. Eva glared at him.

“Where are you going, anyway?” Ono asked.

“When I was a kid, my parents were always out here helping the higher ups find and build a bunker just in case something ever happened to Crystalis. It’s out here somewhere.”

“Yes,” Eke announced proudly. “My mother can get us in.”

“I don’t think the Guard knows about this bunker.” Ono said genuinely.

“It’s meant only for a select few,” Eke said.

“Oh, exclusive, eh?” Ono snickered, “You think they’ll let a good ol’ wall warrior in?”

Eva smiled, but Eke said, “Hardly.”

“Excuse me?” Ono asked.

“Eke.” Eva snapped.

“No — go ahead Mr. Shimmyshanks.” Ono chided. He said “Shimmyshanks” with a little bit of exaggerated flavor.

“I just meant — hardly a wall warrior, a Mirror Guardian… I mean, you don’t have a soulbond yet. You can’t even make a mirrorblade for shards sake.”

“Right you are, Shimmyshanks. But every dog has their day…” Eke was half-paying attention to Ono while his mouth was stuffed with the jerky Ono had brought. “By the looks of it, you needed me.” Eke didn’t understand what Ono was insinuating, until he took a big chew of the jerky overflowing in his mouth. Immediately, Eke swallowed the jerky in his mouth and handed the rest to Jono, who was returning to the light of the fire after feeding the unicorn.

Ono smiled, clearly satisfied that he’d shut the rich boy up for a minute or two. “So,” he said to Eva, “What’s the plan, Ness?”

Eva giggled stupidly. “Don’t call me that.” She caught Eke rolling his eyes. “We rest. And then in the morning we make for the bunker.”

“I’ll take first watch,” both Ono and Eke said at the same time. Eke glared at the Mirror Guardian. While Ono looked to Eva to make the decision.

“Eke, you should tend to your mother. Ono will take first watch.”

Eke huffed and crunched through the snow towards where his mother was resting inside the tent.

“Thank you for coming.” Eva said to Ono quietly.

“What are friends for?” He smiled. “You should get some sleep.”

“I’m okay,” Eva said. “What about you buddy? Ready for bed?” She asked Jono.

“No!” Jono thundered. “I want to hear a story.”

“A story?” Eva asked. “Now?”

“I’ve got a story,” Ono said.

“It’s not scary right? He won’t sleep.”

“No, it’s not scary. It’s the story of the Fawn of Duplinacktu.” Ono began.