Chapter 18 - What was that Word? The first Stel'Na felt was a quaking of the ground beneath her. It was a Guardian's purpose to prevent such an occurrence. But that didn't change the fact that it had happened. It didn't change the fact that they were here. Outsiders deep inside the Papillion Forest. They had lit the trees on fire. It was the middle of the night. No one could have predicted it. No one was prepared.Stel'Na and the three remaining adult huntresses rushed outside. The young girls were already awake. They were armed, but frightened. At the least they weren't panicking. Most stared at the fires in confusion, wondering how they'd come about, oblivious to the dangers they represented. Some looked to the adults to decide the next course of action. They would be no use in a fight if the battle with the Kreiva had been any indication. The village's numbers had also been thinned significantly. Stel'Na's worst fears had come to pass.The fires were spreading. They had already reached the back of the village. Plants in the garden were turning black. A single stray ember blown by the wind was all it would take to light the huts ablaze."Out! All of you!" Stel'Na ordered. As a former Guardian, she was the only one with experience in fighting plains dwellers. The only one with power enough to drive back their forces. But their numbers and location were unknown to her. The last known occurrence of a large invasion had been long before she'd been born. "Run into the forest as hard as you can. Don't stay together. Scatter around and hide yourselves within trees or bushes. Your priority is to survive! We are under attack from outsiders. Do not, under any circumstance, attack the enemy unless you are certain that they are alone and that you can win. Go! Now! They are near!"Everyone ran off into the forest without need of a second command. Stel'Na felt a fury grow within her. It was unlikely that the girls would survive the night. If soldiers didn't find them first, the spreading flames would likely catch them before they reached safety. The smallest was especially at risk. She watched Tavi's tiny form scurry along, trying to keep up with the others. She was new and untrained. She didn't yet possess the same stamina as the others. Though the girl had grown in bravery since the battle against the Kreiva, she would likely disobey the order to scatter. Stel'Na feared for her fate. Outsiders were known to take captives to use as labor or other things.She glanced back at the flames one last time. Their light reflected in her eyes. The huntress within her was reborn. She turned to follow her sisters.Her few seconds of delay were what saved her life.For all her experience, Stel'Na failed to see past a simple bait. She regretted having given her orders so quickly. Every remaining Selharr stepped outside the fenced area of the village. Stel'Na saw her own movements in slow; her hand outstretched, her mouth hanging open, and a warning shout at the edge of her lips.It didn't come out in time.The fires had been used to smoke out the women and girls. The moment they stepped outside the village, all of them had been punctured by many bolts from the crossbows used by soldiers of the plains. They were already lying in wait. "Wait! Don't leave!" the eldest sister cried, the words finally leaving her mouth. Tavi was the only one unharmed. But her tiny legs were carrying her into a waiting line of enemies. Two adults still breathed, though they were on their knees and not long for the world. In that very instant, Stel'Na was left alone. And she felt it.The last remaining Selharr capable of fighting.There was a rising heat behind her. The fires had reached the village. The heat within Stel'Na's heart was much greater. Her eyes burned with a rage she'd never felt before. She grasped at the full extent of power that she'd only ever touched in her time as a Guardian. Her black and grey hair turned bright in color. The veins in her neck bulged. They glowed a pale silver, just like the smoke veiled moons in the sky. She growled as her back split open and multicolored butterfly wings sprouted out from behind them. Had an unaware sister been passing by at that moment, they would have called Stel'Na their Mother.The true power of a Guardian was manifested. Everything was clearer than it had ever been. Stel'Na could sense the very life of everything around her. All of the trees. The plants. The insects. Each and every blade of grass. She could feel their emotions. See their lifespan. Hear their fearful cries as the fires spread. Stel'Na could also see the locations of her enemies. They gave alarmed shouts, pointing in her direction. Multiple soldiers rushed in towards her. Time seemed to slow as they approached.Stel'Na took note of their armor. Iron plates with a sun engraved upon them. Cloaks like that of the night sky. They were soldiers of the Astral Union. They had come sniffing a few times during her tenure as a Guardian. But they had never tried attacking. Not until today. They were after the Divine Artifacts in Ny'Danis' possession. Stel'Na had seen them before. Among them there was a spear-like weapon and some manner of armor that prevented mortal wounds. There were also things capable of controlling another's actions. Artifacts were said to have been created for the betterment of humans. But to Stel'Na, it seemed that their powers were too readily abused by anyone with even the slightest intent to cause harm.She closed her eyes. Hear me, oh creatures of this forest. Hear me and obey, so that we still have a home come dawn.All attention was turned towards her. The fear she'd felt within the flora and fauna had turned into confidence. They all looked to her for guidance and safety. We hear and obey, Daughter of the Forest. Use us if you must.Stel'Na opened her eyes. Her enemies had barely taken a step in that instant of conversation. She rose from the ground and violently flapped her wings. A gust of wind blew forth, knocking everyone off of their feet and simultaneously spreading the flames. Stel'Na growled at her own stupidity. Using wind was out of the question. She commanded every insect within her range of senses to assault any enemy it saw. They would only work as a minor distraction. The insects of the Papillion Forest were not particularly dangerous or poisonous.The ironclad soldiers stood up once more. They rushed in wildly, howling at the top of their lungs, their attacks completely void of strategy. They were suicidal attacks. The soldiers were smart enough to realize that they would die to the flames surrounding them if they weren't killed first. They planned to take Stel'Na down with them. She met their charge with her own, her speed unfathomable to the human eye. Bone knives flashed as they went through throats with ease. Still, there were too many to kill by hand.Stel'Na was finding it hard to breathe. Thickening smoke began enveloping the village. Some of the soldiers were coughing as they ran. Stel'Na stretched out her hands. The elm trees around the village shook violently. The very ground beneath them trembled. Thick dark roots came ripping out of the soil. Uprooted, the trees were destined to die. They gave their life willingly to the Guardian rather than be turned to ash. Stel'Na felt their resolve within her blood. It resonated with her own. Some were already burning. To die a martyr would be a point of honor for the trees.Stel'Na commanded the tree roots to bind enemies and crush them in their grip. The trees obeyed. They moved as if their roots were limbs. Charging enemies were tripped and then thrown into the air. Blades of grass and leaves that were not yet black dust ripped themselves from the ground and from branches. Stel'Na created spiraling gusts of wind that caused the leaves to tear apart bound enemies like a storm of razors. The usage of wind mattered little now. The fire had already spread beyond control.Men screamed as their flesh was torn apart and their bones were squeezed and ground to dust. Stel'Na revelled in the carnage unfolding before her. Such was the fate of those that dared to invade the Papillion Forest with ill intent. Stel'Na gasped as searing pain spread along her newly grown wings. She turned to find more enemies behind her. Of course. They had surrounded the village. They weren't in just one direction.She took her distance from the dozens of newcomers, their armor blackened with soot and some of them with burns upon their skin. They'd come straight through the fires. They ran after her, but her speed could not be matched. Some of them ran between the burning huts with little care. The huts crumbled and hot wood fell upon their shoulders, their agonizing cries creating pockets in the thickening haze. Stel'Na knew her priorities were to find any surviving Vashiri and to head to the center of the grove to defend Ny'Danis. She glanced back at the fallen Selharr. Those still alive now lay on the ground. Barely a hint of life could be sensed from them, their hearts weakening with each passing second.Stel'Na turned back to her enemies, her vision still clear despite the tears in her eyes. She had dallied too long in her rage. Tavi might still be alive somewhere, crying. The enemies around Stel'Na would burn regardless. Survivors could be found and killed later. She took flight once more, her lungs desperate for clean air. She flip flopped around, her balance irregular. The newly made cuts in her wings had robbed her of her ability of flight. She cursed as she was forced to inhale a large plume of smoke. Her lungs rejected it, forcing her into a violent coughing fit and dropping her to the ground. She fell on her back, her delicate wings crumpling under her weight. Stel'Na cried out in pain.Her powers of a Guardian began to fade. She was losing her ability to sense the forest's life. Either that, or everything around her was already dead. She rolled to her front, glaring at the soldiers as her fingers curled around the handles of her knives. She slowly pushed herself up. The soldiers, having seen her on the ground, came after her once more. She wondered what drove them. It couldn't be greed. They knew they would perish. She wondered if it was a sense of duty. Or if it was zealotry. They were the invaders. They were the looters. "What manner of lies have your leaders told you!" she screamed.Knives in hand, Stel'Na met her enemies in the haze and heat covered battlefield. Despite her age, the soldiers were weaker than her. She was a huntress. A Vashiri. A woman who'd survived on primal instinct for most of her life. She was also a survivor of the Guardian Trials. Her martial skills were not unparalleled when compared to plains dweller experts. But the soldiers before her were far from the best. Her attack patterns were unexpected and mimicked animal movements more than humans. The ironclad soldiers had also been weakened by the smoke just as Stel'Na had. But the weight of their armor served to slow them even further. The heat being absorbed by their iron shells was roasting them from the inside. Pain unbearable, some finally collapsed and cried.Stel'Na dispatched her enemies with ease, dodging their blows and slashing them where they least expected it. She kept low to the ground, knowing smoke to rise. The limited air on the ground was cleaner, though just barely. Her lungs still burned. She pounced like a panther coming upon its prey when she saw boots before her in the smoke. It reminded her of one of the Guardian Trials. She was hunting enemies in the fog. Few that saw her tried to prepare. But their reactions were slow. They soon found bone knives stabbing into their necks or eyes.The last remaining foes were the squad leaders. Those wearing the night sky cloaks. To Stel'Na's surprise, they lay low, covering their faces with their cloaks. They rolled back and rose to a ready position when they noticed the crouching huntress emerging from the haze. Three, Stel'Na counted. They circled around her, as if hunting a rabid dog. She didn't allow them to fully surround her. She snarled as she lunged towards one, spinning to dodge a vertical slash by a hair's breadth. The man instantly spun as well, not letting himself get caught off guard. Stel'Na went down in a squat and stuck her knife in his knee joint, forcing him down to her level. Her free hand knife then found his neck.Another man thrust towards her with the point of his sword. She tried leaping back. She slipped on the blood slick ground and fell on her rear instead. The tip of the sword pierced through the muscles in her shoulder. Searing pain spread out from the point of impact. Stel'Na ignored it. It was not hotter than her current environment. She was, she realized, drenched in sweat. Just as her foes likely were as well. The man tried skewering her completely, thrusting harder with his longsword. Stel'Na fell flat on her back and rolled away, disappearing into the fog. She reappeared behind a cautious enemy, executing them before they could mount an effective resistance.She found herself back on her knees again shortly after, coughing violently. Her blood had been completely poisoned by the smoke. There no longer was a way out. Her last adversary came into her field of vision, the tip of his blade red with her blood. He was also weak. He was holding his coughs in, grunting with each breath as his mouth remained shut. His sword came from the side, threatening to separate her head from her body in a clean swing. With a final act of defiance, Stel'Na raised her arm and hit the flat end of the sword before the sharp edge reached her. It arced towards the ground and got stuck in the dirt, the weight of the blade pulling its weakened owner a half step forward.Stel'Na dropped the knife in her left hand. She gripped the blade of the sword and roared as she used it as a support to pull herself closer to the man, uncaring for the cuts upon her hand. He had a look of surprise as her face closed in on his. Their foreheads collided. Stel'Na stuck the knife in her right hand into his side. She watched as his expression turned from shock to pain. To then fear. She snarled and twisted the knife. Her heart slowed. No clean blood remained for it to pump.The man's lips finally parted. He coughed out what he'd been holding back, spraying blood onto her face. She pulled the knife out and then stuck it back in slightly higher than last time. He gasped and tried backing away. Stel'Na gripped his hair with her bloodied left hand and held him in place. She stabbed his side repeatedly until he no longer made any reactions. His consciousness was fading. She held him to her breasts and plunged the knife in his back. He gasped once more. She pushed him away to get one last satisfactory look at his expression.He fell on his rear and slowly backed away from her, trembling. "That's right," Stel'Na said, her voice beyond rasped. "Run. Flee like the coward that you are. You are already dead. Die knowing that you were felled by Stel'Na Vashiri. Die with that expression of fear!" She marched towards him. She pressed a firm foot on his chest, forcing him flat on his back and causing the knife embedded there to dig in deeper. His expression made it seem as if he were begging for mercy. He would get none. They had set the forest on fire. Stel'Na had not an ounce of remorse for him. She leaned in, putting more weight on her foot. "What was that word you plains dwellers call your inferiors? Ah, yes. I remember. Bitch. Die like the bitch that you are," she said. She stomped on the breastplate until her foe no longer moved.Stel'Na stepped away from him. She staggered towards the edge of the village. There was no strength left in her. All of her organs ached terribly, her lungs most of all. Blurring eyes scanned the glowing darkness for a little girl. Tavi was nowhere to be seen.Stel'Na placed a hand on her chest. She could not even feel her own heartbeat. She stopped moving and looked up at the night sky. It was covered by thick smoke. Fuzzy orange light was the last thing she saw. Tears rolled down the sides of her face. Stel'Na stood tall. She puffed out her chest. Her consciousness slowly drifted away and the world around her became dark. Her cracked lips held a slight gap. A faint and hollow smile touched them. Forgive me Mother. I did my best. I will pray for your victory from the afterlife.Life slipped out of her from the gap between her lips. She died with a heart full of pride. The pride of a Guardian and a warrior. A Daughter of the Forest. Stel'Na Vashiri passed on whilst standing upright with her head held high.