Chapter 34

“The origins of Moon Superior and Moon Inferior are curiously never detailed in the Instructions. From what we know, Life did not create the planet Merith, she only selected it as her sacred residence. If that is the case, then we are to assume the two moons were already there, created by the moving of the cosmos before she ever arrived.”

Faith in the Guardian by Grand Arboler Norman Thicket, year 4021

Groves

The snowfall had slowed to an occasional drizzle. The Capital Grove remained empty and silent. Kimberly stood under the protective, needle-strewn branches of the Tree of Life. She folded her arms and tightened her coat around her to stay warm.

She’d been there for hours. Although the sun and dim moons were behind the clouds, she could tell it was getting darker. A part of her grew antsy with anticipation. Another part of her groaned that nobody had arrived at the Grove to wait with her.

Did anybody believe me? she wondered. Did I sound too crazy? She shivered and blew warm air into her hands. “Maybe I am crazy,” she said aloud.

Did I truly hear a voice? I thought I did. Maybe it was just my imagination; my subconscious creating an experience that I wanted to have. If that is the case, then I’ve made a terrible mistake. I shouldn’t have announced my made-up prophecy to the entire world! What was I thinking?

“No,” she said to herself. “Stop thinking like that, Kim. She spoke to you. You heard her. He’s really going to come tonight. Just be patient and stop doubting, okay?”

She thought back to that moment, several hours earlier, when she treespoke with Life. My Guardian comes tonight. That was what the voice said. Simple. Clear. Short. Penetrating.

Kimberly placed her hand again on Life’s trunk. “Can you just tell me I’m not crazy, please?” she said. “I’d really appreciate it.”

Nothing.

“Or at least just treespeak to me again. Anything. A single word would suffice.”

All she could hear was the barely audible sound of snowflakes landing on branches overhead.

“Hey, there you are!”

Kimberly spun on her heels to see a large man approaching. “Pandrin?”

“That’s right. Glad to see you’re still here and alright.” It was hard for Kimberly to recognize the Capital Grove’s Head of Security without his sunglasses on.

“Is something wrong? Am I in danger?”

“No,” he said. “Quite the opposite.” He smiled at her. He had dark skin, short black hair, and he wore his typical black suit. “We just barely let the crowd in.”

Kimberly’s heart leaped. “The mob? You let them in? What were you thinking?”

“No, not the mob. The Enforcers managed to move them all over to the western side, where the gap in the wall is.” He thumbed behind him. “I’m talking about that crowd.”

Through the trees, Kimberly could see a mass of people walking on the snow-covered pathways. Hundreds, maybe thousands of Arbolers had come to the Grove. They wore coats, boots, gloves, and hoods, but none of those things seem to keep them as warm as the smiles on their faces. They’d heeded Kimberly’s call. They believe me…

“It took a while for us to let them in,” Pandrin explained. “Had to sort them out first. We had to make sure none of the mob members got in. Don’t want any of them causing havoc in here.”

“How did you do it?” she asked, still feeling dumbfounded. “Sort them out, I mean?

“They did it themselves, really. There were some scuffles that broke out between the two crowds near the gate, and that quickly separated who’s on who’s side. The Seculars literally got pushed away from the gate by hundreds of Arbolers and Enforcers. With all that going on, it became surprisingly easy to tell who supported us and who didn’t.”

Kimberly smiled as the first group of Arbolers arrived at the Tree. Most were adults, though some were teenagers. They pointed at Kimberly with star struck faces and then moved on to make room for all the Arbolers to enter the area. She waved awkwardly at them, grateful for the support, and surprised with how many came.

Nearly an hour passed and Arbolers were still pouring into the Grove. The sun was close to setting and the snow kept falling, but they kept coming. Some gathered with their families and friends near certain statues, trees, frozen ponds, and pavilions. The different religions began to divide themselves into groups, breaking into hymns or mass treespeeches.

The Ascendists, Kimberly’s fellow members, gathered near the giant statue of the Guardian of Magic, the one that depicted his fourth Appearance, the Appearance Kimberly said would happen tonight. The Reborns gathered near an orchard of young trees that had been planted in the year 4000; it was, to them, a symbol of the Guardian’s rebirth. Most of the Followers of Life congregated around the Tree of Life, where the largest number of people remained. Kimberly was there, standing next to Life, singing hymns, and treespeaking along with the rest.

Every other person deployed their personal drones to hover above the crowd and shine a light down on them as the night grew darker. Several people had the foresight to bring some food: large tubs of sliced sandwiches and bags of crackers—each with an extra pinch of traditional Salverian salt included. One man, a preacher among the Followers of Life, had a fancy drone with heat panels on the bottom, so when it flew above, it kept a small group of people warm.

Arbolers bombarded Kimberly with questions and pictures. They wanted to know what time the Guardian would come, what the voice of Life sounded like, what additional prophecies she could make. Pandrin kept most of them at bay whenever she got too overwhelmed.

She jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. “Marissa, you made it!”

Her best friend smiled back at her. “Yes! I’m so glad they let me in!”

They hugged.

“Honestly, I didn’t think you would come,” Kimberly said. “I mean, since you’re not an Arboler, that is.”

Marissa shrugged. “I may not believe in the Guardian of Magic, but I do believe in supporting my best friend.”

A wide grin spread on Kimberly’s face. “Well, if there ever comes a time when you broadcast to the world that you’re hearing voices, I’ll be there for you.”

“Deal.”

They shook on it and laughed.

“Miss Groves,” Pandrin said. “You’ll want to hear this.”

Kimberly turned. Two men—one tall, the other narrow-faced—in green and white robes, signifying them as elite Followers of Life, smiled at her. “How can I help you?”

The two men bowed to her. “Oh, miss Groves, I believe it is only gratitude we offer,” one said.

“You have saved the trees from desecration this night,” the other said. “Your heroic broadcast will go down in history.”

Kimberly gave a polite nod. “Thanks for your support. Just wait till the Guardian comes, then you can thank him.”

“Oh, we don’t think any waiting will be necessary.”

“What do you mean?”

The narrow-faced one spoke. “We believe the Guardian is already here.” He paused. Kimberly furrowed her eyebrows. “We’ve been discussing this with the members of our sect, and we are beginning to believe that you, Kimberly Groves, are indeed the Guardian of Magic.”

Kimberly felt like she’d been punched in the gut. “How so?”

“We know this may come as a shock to you,” the tall man said, “you being an Ascendist and all. But in our sect, we don’t believe in an Ascended Guardian. We believe the Guardian can be anyone—man or woman—who rises to save Life and the magic within Her. And many of us are starting to agree that you and your actions this day prove worthy of being the Guardian of Magic.”

The other man jumped in, numbering his fingers as he made a list. “You’re a leader to all the Arbolers. You’ve defended the trees relentlessly in the lumber debate. Your broadcast today was heroic and inspiring and might just be what the trees need to be protected and saved. And—this is pretty interesting—your last name is Groves and you have indeed saved the Capital Grove.”

Kimberly looked at the two men with her hands on her hips, completely stunned.

“Mages!” Marissa said teasingly. “This whole time I’ve been rooming with the flaming Guardian of Magic?”

“No,” Kimberly said. “I’m sorry gentlemen, but I’m no Guardian of Magic. I believe he is a man.”

“Did Life tell you the Guardian is a man?” Narrow Face asked. “What were the specific words She spoke to you earlier today?”

My Guardian comes tonight.

Kimberly hesitated to answer.

The two men looked at each other. “My Lady,” the tall man said. “Say the word and we will fight these Life-forsaken Seculars to the death. Terick Oakley can have his early demise if you so wish.”

“What? No!” Kimberly snapped, absolutely disgusted. “I don’t want any more violence! It has to stop now!” She pointed a finger at them. “It’s because of people like you, I nearly died at the Justice Hall bombing! It’s because of people like you, we lost the lumber debate!”

The smiles vanished off the men’s faces. A crowd quickly began to form around Kimberly. “Unless the Guardian of Magic says otherwise, we will protect the trees using nonviolent methods only! You hear me?”

The two men looked shocked. The crowd around them cheered in support of Kimberly. Narrow Face quickly reformed his mellow smile. “As you said, ‘until the Guardian says otherwise.’” He spoke soft enough so only Kimberly heard. “We will see how this night plays out. If no supernatural man appears, then you’ll know what I say is true.”

“Get out.” She glared hard at them as they quickly removed themselves from the congested crowd—which began cheering louder as they left.

The cheers suddenly died down as a shrilling scream pierced the air. Everyone looked toward the disturbing sound. Kimberly never saw the woman who yelled, but she clearly heard her words.

“The mob is trying to enter the western wall!”