Young Guardian Trilogy by Lady Adellandra Dratianos (the lemonade war series .TXT) 📖

back to the SheWolf, who was sitting, staring at me intently with her green eyes.
Taking my own advice about the fear, I cautiously knelt down to her, putting my hand out for her to catch my scent.
“Be careful, Young Guardian.” Katherine advised me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Please.”
She was back in her Balinese-human form.
I nodded my head, telling her. “I will.”
The SheWolf sniffed at my hand, licking it. Her tail wagged, so I knew it was okay. I looked into her green eyes and could have sworn she was smiling!
I smiled, daring to use the Unicorn Magic on her. “What’s your name?”
I heard a strange, echoing voice in my head. Not yet, Young Guardian.
The SheWolf nodded to me, standing on all fours. She started to walk away, but I had the urge to follow. Katherine was right behind me. The SheWolf led us to a large rock. She started digging in the dirt until she uncovered a palm-sized green jewel.
I stared at both her and the jewel. When our eyes met, she nodded. Pick it up and close your eyes. Tell Katherine what you see.
I obeyed, picking the jewel up off the ground. I brushed the dirt off before holding it in the cup of my hands. I closed my eyes, getting the image of a rearing unicorn. I could feel some kind of energy pulsing from the jewel.
The SheWolf’s echoing voice pierced through my thoughts, breaking the image. Keep the jewel safe, Ariana Moon. I will see you soon. She turned to Katherine. Take care of her, Katherine.
With that, the SheWolf disappeared.
“What was that all about?” Katherine asked, awed. “How did she know my name?”
I shrugged, standing. “I don’t know, but that was one heck of a head rush.”
“Are you alright?” Katherine asked, now worried. “What did you see?”
“A rearing unicorn.” I told her. I noticed I still had the jewel in my hand. I placed it in the other pouch on my belt. “I wonder why?”
My friend began walking and I followed until she stopped suddenly. “You used its Magic on her, did you not?”
I nodded. “Yeah, why?”
She smiled, taking my hands in hers. “A green jewel? Do you know what that represents?” I shook my head so she cried. “The Unicorn Magic!”
“Could that also be why she had green eyes?” I asked my friend.
“I did not notice. Green eyes, you say?” I nodded again. “I will have to think about that.”
“Take your time.” I told her. “In the meantime, we still don’t know where we are or what we’re doing here.”
“Right.” She said.
We walked side by side until we heard a loud screeching noise coming from above us. When I looked up, I noticed a large shape, hurling down to us from the sky. I had to push Katherine out of the way in order not to get hit by it. We both landed hard on the ground.
I stood up, helping her up as well. “Are you okay?”
She brushed herself off. “Aye. Dazed, but fine.” She looked over to it. “What is that thing?”
I took a closer look as we headed over to it. It had the head and wings of an eagle, the body of a lion and the tail of a serpent. The creature was wounded, an arrow sticking out of its wing, the blood all over its body.
“Goddess bless, it’s a griffin!” Katherine cried. I turned to her. “Legends say griffins guard riches and mines. I wonder who tried to kill it.”
The griffin gave out a loud screech, trying to move its wing. I moved closer to it, ready to examine its wing. Like the wolves, I put my hand to its snout for it to catch my scent. The griffin shuddered at my touch, nearly pecking me to pieces.
“Calm down, I won’t hurt you!” I told it. Calmly, I tried to touch it again. And again, it squirmed. I turned to Katherine. “Can you put a freezing spell on it or something? If it keeps jerking about, I won’t be able to get the arrow out or heal the wound.”
Katherine nodded. “Freezing would defeat your purpose. The moment you touch it, it will unfreeze. I know a stun-type of spell, though. Mother taught me when I was a kit.”
“What are you waiting for?” I asked her playfully. “Call it!”
Katherine took a deep breath and held her arms out. She began singing; seven notes coming from her mouth formed a kind of mist. The pale-colored mist wrapped itself around the griffin’s head, forcing it to close its eyes. Once that was done, Katherine sang a short tune.

“Relax to see it, truth will be it
“Friends are here to help you soar.”

I watched the griffin’s reaction as she sang the tune again. Its eyes opened. What were once which were red and furious, now were turned silver and trusting. I smiled when I saw a ring of Katherine’s violet Companion Magic surrounding the griffin. I sensed it was calm and used telekinesis to take the arrow out without damaging any more of the wing. I saw the large cut the arrow had left and put both my hands on it. I didn’t care whether I was getting blood all over me; I just wanted to get the creature’s wound healed.
So I trusted something I hadn’t been able to trust for a long time. The Mystic’s Healer’s Magic. At first, the aura around my hands was red, signaling blood and flesh. It changed colors with each thought I put into it. Recalling my biology lessons back at the System, I began to see the bones of the wing inside my head. Concentrating on that image, I used the Healer’s Magic to put the bones back into place in my mind. It was some powerful magic, I knew, but it would have to be done.
As the bones slowly put themselves back into place, the flesh around it began to close up and heal. The Magic aura around my hands turned from red to pink and back to opalescent, which told me I’d done my job and healed the wound properly.
I lifted my hands from the griffin’s wing slowly. Its head turned to my eyes, nodding its thanks to me.
“You’re welcome.” I told it. “I don’t know much about griffins, so I did my best.”
An echoing voice, different and more flowery entered my mind. Your best was good enough. Thank you, Young Guardian, for healing me.
It was a woman’s voice. She turned to Katherine. Thank you, Katherine, for calming me down. I was stunned by the arrow, unable to think. Both of you. Follow me. I have something for you.
“How did you know our names?” Katherine asked her.
No time for silly questions. The lady griffin replied, leading us to a cave at the edge of the woods. You will know the answers later.
She stopped at the entrance, turning her head to us. Stay here, I will fetch it.
When she came back out, she held a small, crystal jewel in her beak. Hold your hand out, Young Guardian.
I obeyed once again, not knowing why. She dropped it into my hand, saying in my head. It is the least I could do to repay your kindness.
“Thank you, lady griffon.” I said softly, examining it.
Close your eyes and tell me what you see. She relayed to me.
In my mind, I saw the scene some time ago, when Aaron came to the System to help with the Crusades. He and I were talking, and the subject turned to family. I showed him how a Mystic could change their appearance by a simple thought and waving their arms.
“The Crusades, with Aaron at the System for the first time.” I said aloud, eyes still closed. “I changed my clothes with Magic, just like Luna taught me.”
Good. Now, what do you see around your image as you are doing so?
“The opalescent glow of my own Magic.” I told her. I looked to Katherine, who was smiling.
When I looked back to the lady griffin, she was gone.
“Where’d she go?” I asked Katherine. My friend shook her head.
“Still no answers of where we are or why we are here.” Katherine said. “I did not bother asking the griffin because they talk in riddles.”
“Right. It would only confuse us more.” I told her, placing the new jewel in the pouch.
We began walking again, searching for someone to tell us something about this place. I heard crashing of waves on the shore and went to it.
“There’s something out there.” Katherine replied, pointing to the middle of the water.
It looked as big as an ocean, maybe bigger. I glanced where the water met the sky. As soon as I put my bare foot into the water, I could feel something in trouble.
Great. Something else needed my help, but there was no way I could get to it.
“I can sense it, Katherine.” I said. “I can’t do anything about it.”
“You do not think I am going in there?” She asked me, cowering away from the water.
I smiled. “Like a true feline, Kat. Afraid of the water?”
“Nay. I cannot swim.” She said. “Can you?”
“Sure, but the thing I sense is deep below the water.” I said. “Not even I can hold my breath long enough to help it. I’m still human, you know.”
“Are you not a Mystic?”
I stared at my friend. “Your point?”
“Use Magic, like you did with the griffon and the SheWolf.” She told me. “You are no longer in the Outer Realm, so its rules do not apply.”
“How do you know I can do it?”
Katherine grinned. “I have faith in you.”
I looked to the water again, thinking. “That makes one of us.”
In the distance, I saw the shadow of a barge on the middle of the water. Whatever was in trouble was in trouble from that.
I took my belt off, handing it to her, and then changed to a bathing suit using Magic. Hugging my friend, I dove in.
“Good luck!” I heard her scream as my head hit the water.
I was under the water, which was cold at first. I had to hurry with a spell, but I couldn’t think of any. I closed my eyes and prayed for the Mystic Goddess to let me breathe underwater.
Cautiously, I let out my breath. I don’t know how, but I was doing it.
Yes! I cried in my mind. Now to get to that troubled creature.
I swam straight, letting my instincts pick up the empathic cries for help. As I got closer to the creature, I could see the scene clearly. The barge fishermen had caught a dolphin in its net.
Don’t worry. I can help. I sent to it.
It nodded to me, telling me to go ahead.
How was I going to get it out? I asked myself. I looked around for something sharp to cut the net with, then thought of something. I brought my hand to my vision, using telekinesis to bring a dagger to my grip.
Be still, or I’ll accidentally cut you. I told it.
Please hurry. It told me in a gurgling-girlish voice. My little ones need me.
Carefully, I used the dagger to cut the net around her, letting the dolphin out of its net.
It turned its head to me, letting me see her shining blue eyes. Thank you, Young Guardian. Take hold of my fin and hang on. I have something for you.
It was fun to swim on the dolphin’s fin. I felt free of cares under