CHAPTER 4

“Just a moment.”

Birdie knocked again, missing the muffled groan from inside.

“I’m coming! I’m coming! Wait a moment…”

Shields opened the door to his quarters, dressed in his wrinkled ceremonial uniform and looking worse than he did when he went in nearly 2 hours before. The heavy circles beneath his eyes were now pooled with shadow and fret, and he didn't bother looking up at Birdie as he stepped out into the hall.

“Did you get any sleep at all?” Brooke asked from over Birdie's shoulder. She too held the tired haze of sleep deprivation, but Brooke wore it well and at least had the forethought to hang her garment before casting it aside, unlike Shields who looked distinctly ruffled and creased.

“No."

"Me neither!" The girl said brightly, handing him a ceremonial lantern which he took gratefully.

The three of them set off from the Champion's hall and down the cobbled stone road into the city. Birdie gripped her little silver lantern and focused on drawing in magic. A vague warmness blossomed at the tip of her index finger, and then a small flame hovered just above the digit. She reached in and lit the wick, closing the mirrored door and allowing the pale white glow to spill across the path. Unlike hearthfire, this light glowed in pure clean brilliance, as it stemmed from the power around them, and not from kindling.

That little trick was about as much magic as she could muster, but not for long. In just a few hours, she would have the capacity to perform much more impressive feats. She and Gabriel had spent the past ten years studying magic, reading books and texts about it, but the most either of then could do was summon the small flame. This was nothing compared to the wonders she'd seen the other Champions perform. Brooke had a penchant for healing small wounds. Cedar was skilled with elemental magic, and could move earthen mounds, manipulate water from a dry well, even stem the flow of the river when it threatened to overflow three springs ago when the rainy season was too heavy. Shields was well rounded, but Birdie suspected that he most often used his power to extend his own stamina on nights like this when he worked too thin.

There were plenty opportunities for Birdie to grow in the coming months as she studied under her talented leaders, but above all else, she was the most excited to learn about Ammi's magic. The power Ammi wielded to bring them safely to the City of Trees after fleeing from Coastland had been so incredible, that Birdie doubted any of the other Champions had ever done anything like it.

That was the type of magic Birdie would need the most if she was going to make it back home.

She looked above the illumination of her lamp at the little city that claimed to be hers, wondering what it would look like tomorrow when she viewed it through mortal eyes.

Would the dark wooden buildings with steep pointed roofs still look so rustic and crude? Would the lines of shops and businesses suddenly seem less like enemy territory and more like somewhere she might visit for fun?

It’s funny, she thought, turning onto the lower breezeway near the perimeter,

I’ve been waiting years for this. So why do I feel kind of…

“Everybody ready?”

From the top of the outer wallvin the distance, Ammi stood with her hand on the opening pedestal, the silver lines of magic already spiraling in concentric loops and circles as the door swung open. She climbed down to meet them, and they set off into the night, leaving the sleeping city behind.

Birdie wondered if the team always felt this tense on their way to meet the divine, or if their current circumstances were to blame for making everything feel like it hung on the blade of a knife.

The crunch of gravel felt less homy and more ominous as they cut through the field towards the trees. She remembered ten years ago when she, Gabriel, and Ammi had first set foot in this pasture. She remembered seeing the distant glow of the city and feeling hope for the first time in weeks. Now she was walking away from it after a decade of training, on her way to become its Champion. She couldn't help but smile darkly as she thought about how wrong she had been then, to think that they would ever come to feel at home here. The City of Trees would never be her home. But it's divine would be her key to escape, so in the end it wasn't a total loss.

Their path wandered by a curve in the wide and shallow river and Birdie broke away from her thought and craned her neck back to inspect the tree by the wall. She had hoped to see Gabriel sitting on the bank, as he often did, his shoes off and feet in the water as he thought deeply about life and the future. But he wasn’t there, the little Grove stood empty, and Gabriel was still missing.

A deep knot of worry twisted in her gut as she turned away. She checked his room before she left, and found no sign of him there either. His bed was empty and still a mess from the day before. So too was his desk, strewn with scrolls and maps with a book still propped open as if he'd just left for a moment and intended to pick right back up again.

Amidst the clutter and chaos of his room, she did notice one or two things out of order from the mess. His travel cloak was missing, as well as the dark boots he typically wore when they did patrols outside the wall. Birdie figured that he must have slipped in while they were on patrols and then run off somewhere. Not too far, hopefully. It wasn't a huge city, and there were only so many places you could hide.

Her worry grew.

Back home, her real home in the south, her mother had owned a cat. Birdie remembered crying in her mother's arms when one day a whole week passed with no sign of the little creature. She'd left bowls of milk and dried fish out on her windowsill where it normally waited for her, but day after day he failed to show up

“don’t cry little Birdie.” Her mother cooed as she held her.

“cats are soft and sweet and small, but they are tough little guys. He will come back when he’s ready.”

She felt a pang at the memory. He will come back when he’s ready… Birdie hoped the same that was true for cats was true for her Gabriel.

Ammi spoke up from the front, her even voice making Birdie jump as she had gotten used to the silence.

"I should mention, Cedar is out in the woods with six Hunters looking for their lost boy."

"They know to steer clear of us right?" Shields asked wearily

"Of course. They are combing the northern territory for now. If they come up empty we can search everywhere else with magic in the morning…"

"Another sleepless night and day," Shields grumbled.

"I'll have to ask the divine for another allotment."

Their leader was typically a stoic and stalwart man, but Birdie was noticing that as the years went on his patience for nonsense and stupid situations was beginning to slip. He was shorter with the Hunters whenever they came to complain, and while he still bent over backwards to handle civil disputes with grace and fairness, his judgements usually came with a bite of harsh reality and scathing sarcasm. Some disliked the tired man he was turning out to be, but Birdie loved it. Seeing people allowing themselves to be taken advantage of bothered her, and she liked that Shields no longer let annoying people walk all over him. Especially the Hunters.

She wished that they would handle their own problems. This always seemed to happen. The Hunters harp on the Champions for being short staffed. They prattle on about how much more power and influence they had, and gloat that their sect was so vast and capable by comparison. They liked to complain about the long wait for gate access and how long it took Champions to respond to every little domestic case, boasting that they were better in every way, yet they constantly flooded the Champions with their own problems and took up their time. The bridge leading to the chapel broke, and the Champions came to fix it. Six years ago, summer locusts infested their silo, threatening to destroy their grain store. So what do they do? Come running to Shields for help. Again and again the Champions bailed them out of trouble, yet they couldnt even be bothered to recognize the Champions as legitimate figures of Authority.

Why couldn't they find their own missing man? Why did they have to pull on her already exhausted team to do it for them? Weren't they the ones who always hissed about having a more genuine connection with the land, unlike the champions who they claimed were unnatural Heretic?

One thing was for sure in Birdie's mind , after tonight, once she was a fully realized Champion, she would not let them take advantage of her. She wasn't going to waste her short life helping thoss fanatical hypocrites.

Ammi interrupted Birdies thought when she spoke tentatively from the front.

"I'd also hoped that maybe we can ask the divine if he has any leads on the missing boy. After all, he has his senses through the entire forest. There is no way he doesnt know where the Hunter is."

"But I thought the divine can't effect the Hunters?" Birdie asked in suprise.

"Not all of them," Brooke clarified.

"There is a line of elves within the Hunter lineage who come from their original founders. The divine cannot interfere with them in any capacity and neither can we. I cant heal them any more than the divine could sense their presence in the woods. But those true to the lineage are few and far between now. Chances are the divine knows where he is."

"Especially if the divine was involved in the disappearance," Ammi added darkly.

"I wouldn't go implying foul play Ammi," Shields warned.

"The last thing we need is to piss him off."

"I was just going to wait until after the ceremony and ask if he could help us look. Save the time and get a feel for what he knows."

"That's a good idea Ammi! Asking without asking," Brooke said knowingly, still bright as the sun in a sky full of stars.

Shields held his lantern high and surveyed the woods. Birdie couldn't see his face but she knew he was scowling.

"It won't matter if it's implied or stated outright. The divine will know you suspect him."

"Yes, " Ammi said in patience, "but to blatantly ask might cause offense, and to not ask would waste our time. The divine and I understand each other. He won't hold it against me if I do what I think is right.”

They finally made it to the treeline, and the conversation died as the stepped into the crowded wood. Though she still had her elvish eyes and could easily see through the shadows, the depths of the forest still filled her with a visceral fear as she remembered her flight through the wilds ten years prior. This was different though. These were safe lands- the divine made sure of that. They would meet no opposition so long as they remained within his domain.

Gabriel’s voice echoed in her mind.

“He’s a demon Birdie! They all are! Please don’t go tonight!”

She shivered as nagging anxiety buzzed at the back of her skull. She shook it off and pressed on.

The hike proved tedious even though this wasn’t her first time in the woods. Besides the occasion of her first flight to the city, she’d also accompanied the Champions on patrols and trained on the game trails a number of times. This was the first time she had been here in the dark in ten years though, and she couldn't shake the fear of her childhood as it seemed to creep up on her as she climbed.

The rest of the party walked with caution as well, but not born of fear. They moved in acute care, feet searching in the dark as they took the trail with trepidation, pointing out tricky roots and bulging rocks to one another. Birdie observed them in interest and anticipation, clearly seeing what they had to discover by lantern light. She was used to feeling like a foreigner, but right now she didn’t even feel like she belonged to the same species.

Ammi led the way, but she slowed her pace during a wide stretch in the trail, taking up stride beside her and leaning in to whisper.

“Once we reach the stairs we shouldn't speak freely. So it's best I give you my advice now.”

“Stairs?” Birdie asked.

Ammi smiled, “Let’s just say you’re in for a treat.”

"Okay…"

The woman studied her, a familiar sadness and pride twinkling in her eye. Through the scars above her brow and down her cheek, she still held that same air of quiet strength and kindness that always seemed to carry Birdie through whatever troubled her.

"By the divines you look just like your mother. She would be so proud."

The comment was a familiar one. Ammi used it whenever observing Birdie as she tackled training assignments and difficult situations. Birdie suspected that the woman knew how much the comparison meant to her, and that’s why she used it so much.

Birdie could no longer remember the details of her mother’s face, a fact that filled her with immense guilt. She remembered the kindness. The gentle hands and tender words. But try as she might, the finer features were just gone. Sapped from her memory like dew vaporizing in the morning sun as year after year brought more distance from her.

When Ammi told her she looked like her mother, it gave her hope that her mothers face was not entirely gone. It could be found in her, and in the glowing mind of the champion Ammi.

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As comforting as her thought was, Birdie didn't feel like discussing her mother at the moment. She was already on the edge of her frayed nerves, and worried that dwelling on her dead mom might send her over, so she just nodded and continued in silence.

Ammi seemed to sense her attitude, and in her kindness she changed the subject.

“There are a few things you should know before you face him… so I suggest you listen. I am somewhat of an expert on the matter.”

Ammi gazed up at the stars, the glassy constellations reflecting on her face and matching the nutty silver strands of her braided hair.

“You know that I failed my first Sacrifice, right?”

“Yeah.” It wasn’t exactly something Birdie or the others liked to bring up, but she knew the gist of the story. Ammi was somewhat of a legend among the townsfolk- the warrior who survived the southern invasion and three rounds of sacrifice with the divine, a feat unheard of.

Ammi stepped over a fallen tree in the path, holding her hand out to assist Birdie over.

“The divine who protected Coastlund was… well, he was very different from the one you are about to meet tonight.”

“Was he better, or?” she trailed off.

“Hhm. I am not sure if you can rightfully compare the two. That would be like comparing the sea to the sky- they are different but fundamentally the same. The biggest rift comes down to how he treated his Champions. The divine in Coastlund was much much worse.”

The incline leveled out, and they walked a little slower, but Shields and Brooke still hung back.

“I was only fourteen when I took my first ritual, almost thirty-six years ago.”

She laughed through her nose, shaking her head with a scowl. “How time flies.”

“Wait- really? Only fourteen?”

Birdie thought back to two years ago when she was that age. She hadn’t even managed to summon a flame yet, and forget emotional readiness. She never would have felt comfortable facing the divine.

It was unheard of, in fact. Gabriel's brother Levi had been seventeen when he faced the divine in Coastlund. Brooke was sixteen when she took the oath almost eight years ago. Denny, the little cadet back at the hall, would have to wait another seven years before Shields would even let him attempt the Ritual, as he had with Birdie.

“How did you get away with that?” she asked.

Ammi shrugged.

“The rules were different down there. And let’s just say I lacked proper adult guidance and thought going to a powerful narcissistic being with a sadistic streak was a good place to find it.”

Sadistic streak? Once again Garbiel’s warning popped into her head…

But Ammi wouldn’t let me do this if she thought it was wrong. She would have stopped me ages ago.

She shook her head, trying to gently fling the doubt from her mind and out of her ears.

“So you failed at fourteen. Do you regret it?

“Not at all. When I look back at who I was at the time, having to take a year and find myself really helped me in the long run. I was much more prepared my second time around. It was cruel, but it was for the best.”

“Ammi-”

“I’m just saying… no matter what happens today, remember that you are every bit as valuable now as you will be tomorrow morning… Gabriel is too. You don't need the divine’s blessing to be a strong person.”

They walked in silence while Birdie digested the advice. In terms of power, she knew for a fact that she was leagues behind the Champions. Elves simply didn't have the ability to wield magic with any significance. Power came from the divines, and where the divines came from nobody knew. All they knew is that those beings of power refused to commune with any who didn't make the sacrifice.

Where the champions could use magic to destroy monsters, stop invaders, help the crops grow, heal wounds, and even move earth, an elf learning magic could only summon a light, close a door, or give someone a static shock. How could she be of any use in the world with that? How could she save anybody, or take back her home? How could she help Gabriel?

“Now that I’ve told you that, there is something I should warn you about… When you make the trade… give only your elvish birthright, and that’s it. Do not agree to anything else.”

“You can give more?” Birdie said, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve never heard the divine here ask for more, but it’s a possibility. Divines are known to be tricky and strange. No matter how cruel or kind, they are all inherently selfish. Only answer with facts, offer as little in response as you can, and don’t agree to anything before asking for a detailed explanation first. Follow those rules and you should be alright.”

“Is he going to try to trick me?”

“I don't think this one will. But just in case, stay on your guard. I wouldn't put it passed the divines to change their ways overnight."

“Huh… What’s he like?” Birdie asked.

“Careful Ammi,” Shields droned from the back.

Ammi rolled her eyes at Birdie, the two of them smiling at his incessant dotting.

“He’s… different. Very different from the divine in Coastlund. That one was proud and powerful. Spiteful. He wasn’t afraid to exercise judgment and he was cruel and liberal with his punishments. He ran a tight ship. But this one… he is…” She trailed off, searching for the right words.

“Accentric!” Brooke offered up from behind them.

“Chaotic." Ammi decided. "His intentions are good on the surface, but he is unpredictable. Even after ten years, I still find it hard to get a read on him, which is dangerous. How can you confidently stand on something that you’re unsure of?”

“So you don't trust him?”

"We're nearly there," Shields called, his voice grumpy and warning.

"That's our cue to shut up I guess," Birdie said in breathy laughter, trying to lighten the ball of nerves in her chest that still wriggled like snakes.

“He’s right,” Ammi pointed with her lantern, “Here they are.”

Birdie looked up and froze, her mouth falling open at the sight before her.

The inclining terrain gave way to a set of stone stairs that stretched forward through a tunnel of trees. It looked as if they were meant to be there, grown with the roots and ferns that wound and twisted around the flight of steps. A familiar pattern dotted the dark etched stone, swirls and circles that matched the design on the gate back in town.

And it was steep.

Hundreds of steps ascended at breakneck trajectory for so long that even with her darkvision, Birdie couldn’t see the end. They simply faded into obscurity.

“Ammi, you’re our lead tonight. You remember the oath and introductions?” Shields asked.

“Yes sir.” Ammi went around to the side of the staircase and crouched down, fiddling with something. Birdie watched as the woman removed a few boughs of pine and fern leaves from a small indentation in the earth, uncovering a gray stone box. She lifted the lid and withdrew a large silver lantern from its dusty depths. It was bigger than the rest, and had strange inscriptions along its circular base in a language Birdie didn’t recognize.

Ammi placed her small lantern inside and closed the box, replacing it’s coverings. She stood up straight, giving a soft groan as she rubbed her back with her free hand, reminding Birdie of age and humanity, a fate which awaited her at the top of the stairs.

“Alright Birdie. you are going to follow me up to the shrine. We will stop half way to put you under oath, and then proceed. Do you have any questions before we start?”

Birdie silenced her doubt. Trusting in Ammi. In Shields and Brooke, who she beieved both wanted the best for her. She shook her head, clenching her fists to hide their trembling.

“Then let’s begin.”

Ammi stepped onto the first stair, and the lights began to spread. Just like the gate back at the city and the lanterns they held, specks of dotted light streaked out from the touch, and webbed upwards, brighter than the stars and dazzling. It seemed to pulse faintly under Ammi, rhythmically growing bright and dim like a beating heart.

She turned and beckoned Bridie to follow before climbing on higher without her.

Birdie hesitated, watching as the light emanating from Ammi slowly retreated with her, leaving the rest of them behind in faded darkness.

This is it.

She took her first step and suppressed a gasp of wonder.

Light spread from her feet as well, but it extended through the ground and into the roots around them. Like fireworks on a holiday, the light burst through the foliage and traced every leaf and twig, twinkling like a beautiful rustic galaxy. It was just like the magical display back at the gate, but a million times more grand. She turned on the spot, beholding the hypnotic beauty of it all, and caught Brooke’s eye as she did. The girl beamed at her, her large and lovely eyes twinkling in the light as she wiggled her eyebrows in shared excitement.

Birdie returned the smile and looked at Shields. He stood back, still looking exhausted and kerfuffled, but from the corner of his eye Birdie saw it. For a brief moment he stared at her with a small and smile which he quickly sheathed.

Birdie smiled, the ball of nerves unraveling enough that she could take the next step. And the next.

The lights grew brighter as each champion joined the climb, until she felt like she was walking through a deep night sky…

No. Not the sky, she thought.

It reminded her of something else. A scene from memories buried deep under leagues of ocean and fire.

Birdie had known she wanted to be a Champion when she was five years old. She remembered the day Gabriel’s brother came off the boat, his leader’s ceremonial lantern held high as the water, like living light, crashed on the shore. The sea was full of tiny organisms that when disturbed, shone like blue fire during the summer months, and on the day of his sacrifice, Levi shined with them.

The people of her village cheered as the garrison of champions lifted him into the air and snang him a song of victory. Birdie looked up into his eyes, he looked so different with tears streaming down his cheeks as he beamed out at everyone.

“They are tears of joy dear,” her mom explained tenderly, “He is happy because he just did something very difficult and selfless. He made a big sacrifice to protect us.”

It was the first time she’d ever seen someone cry in joy. He opened his arms to the sky then, like he was flying.

After that day, she and Gabriel spent their sunny afternoons on the beach, looking out at the islands dotting the horizon and dreaming of making their own boat rides some day. Coming back stronger, brighter, different. Just like Levi.

They didn’t know then what the weight of power could do to a person, and just what you lost when you gained the magic of the divines.

After Levi’s death and the fall of their hometown, the meaning of champion changed. Birdie wanted to be different now, but not to cry tears of joy or hear the townspeople sing her name.

Power was her key to her revenge.

“This is it Birdie. You cannot go any further without taking the vow.”

Birdie stopped on a landing in the stairs, doing her best not to breathe too loudly and give away how winded she was from the climb. Brooke and Shields stopped behind her, their glowing auras joining hers.

Ammi turned to face her, the silver light of her lantern flashing brighter and casting triangles of shadow and planes of light across her scarred angular face.

“What you are about to see here you cannot share. You will keep this secret from all who do not hold the title Champion, and you will not discuss the details of this ritual with anyone. Do you accept?"

Birdie nodded in resolution.

“I accept.”

Ammi reached out to Birdie, the palm of her hand radiating a faint glow. As she took it, her muscles contracted in an icy seize, pulling her arm into a wrenching spasm of pain. Birdie fought it, pressing her lips into a line and straightening up before she could fully double over. She squared her shoulders in defiance, looking into Ammi’s eyes as she rode the strange discomfort that held her.

Ammi glared down at her in pride, and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

Before she knew it, the episode was over. Ammi released her, and turned to climb once more.

Bridie looked down at her hand. The prints of Ammi’s fingers glowed faintly around her flesh, reminding her of the sting. Reminding her of the glowing water on the day of Levi’s ritual.

She climbed on.

She was so lost in thought that time got away from her. The foliage above was so dense that she couldn't even see the sky to gauge the progression of the night that way. The anticipation climbed with them, and she found herself wishing despite herself that the whole ordeal was over with…

A shining glow crested the horizon, brighter than the rising sun, but pearly white and silver. Ammi stood silhouetted in the firmament, watching the rest of them climb to meet her.

Birdie felt like her heart was about to boil over like an unwatched pot. The top of a structure slid into view, etched marble pillars supporting a round open roof that gave way to a clearing of leafy stars.

“It’s about time! I worried last night had spooked you off for good and you’d left poor me all alone with no champions.”

The voice filled the natural stairway and resonated within her bones.

Is this the divine? She thought in wonder.

He sounds so young!

She joined Ammi at the top and stared into the center of the shrine, still breathing heavily from her climb.

It looked like the whole thing was built in moonlight. At the center of the large circular clearing, a shallow shelter sat empty, adorned with climbing flowers and wisteria vines. Cool green grass dusted with lobelia flowers and white baby’s breath rippled in a cool pleasant breeze. Birdie thought distantly that the movement looked like waves.

She could spend all night locked in appreciation for the place, but instead she looked to Ammi for her next move. The woman didn’t notice. She was too busy staring in transfixed horror at the shrine, her face pale as a sheet and beaded with sweat.

“psssst,” Shields was with them now, and he tugged on the shoulder of Ammi’s uniform.

“did you forget the words?”

Ammi shook her head, stepping to the side she pointed into the clearing, and Birdie watched as Shields too went as white as snow.

“Where-”

“Oh, I’m over here!”

Birdie’s eyes flicked to the source of the voice, and she couldn’t help but let her mouth fall open in shock.

About ten feet to the left of the shelter, sitting atop a grassy mound was the divine. He lounged on the little hill as if it were a chaise, twirling a pendant in his fingers and wearing a look of mischievous mastery, not even bothering to look at them. His skin shone like the ashes of a dead campfire, smoothe like the inky blackness of the sky, and dotted with white freckles like a chart of constellations. His hair matched the marble that made up the shrine, falling in perfect brilliant sheets to his jaw, covered by white robes and finery, his every appendage covered in silver bangles and rings. Despite the decadence, he still seemed to blend perfectly with the dark forest around him, a mirrors reflection of the night sky.

Handsome and foreign.

“I thought I would change things up a bit! Wouldn’t want you guys to get bored of me, what with two rituals in a row!”

“Er, y-yes.” Ammi responded respectfully, her grip on her lantern tightening. Birdie looked between her three companions, utterly perplexed at their fearful faces.

“what do we do?” Brooke hissed.

“I don’t know! He hasn’t initiated the ritual yet,” Ammi murmured, troubled.

Birdie shifted uncomfortably. Was this somehow out of the ordinary?

“Well don’t just stand there! Come forwar- oh wait, of course! You silly humans and your need for routine. Fine, I’ll humor you.”

The divine swung his legs over the mound and he looked them up and down, his eyes pools of the purest black with irises white like pearls.

“State your name and intention! And let's gather over here today, I am getting pretty bored of that shelter.”