Chapter 405: Peace
I sat beside the elemental on a snowy hillside, resting against Fable with my legs tucked neatly beneath me. My tail twitched back and forth impatiently as the Last Light Company formed ranks in the valley below us as they prepared to enter the gate. Those chosen to remain behind and guard the entrance or not suited to combat in a wintery climate were establishing camp just beneath the gate.
My impatience wasn’t so much because the preparations were taking long, but I didn’t know what else to feel. I’d accepted that I would remain behind, but though they hadn’t even left yet, I yearned for them to return safely. My chest tightened just thinking about the battle to come, memories of my near-death experiences in the gates coming to the forefront of my mind. Without my Nexus and protection, how many soldiers would be exposed to the elements of a sixth-level gate, not to mention the claws of their infernal inhabitants?
I wished I’d had those thoughts sooner, but even if I’d shared them with the others, I doubted it would make any difference in their decision. They were all battle maniacs, the whole lot of them! For some reason, they actually liked being exposed to danger. I’d even overheard some of the more senior soldiers complaining about the battle in Bluegate Keep because it felt ’too easy’ when the enemy couldn’t break my wards.
The elemental glanced at me as I let out a sharp, exasperated breath. "Is something the matter, my lady?"
"Please, don’t call me that," I muttered, but knew it was futile. The ice spirit had a strange attachment to decorum, even more than Luxxa.
Of course, ’My Lady’ was better than ’Star Mother,’ which was the most embarrassing of them all, but how did he even hear that term anyway? It was a distinctly mortal title, one that he shouldn’t have encountered since his ascension and sentience. He must have picked one of the times Bethiv let his tongue slip.
Realizing he was still waiting for an answer, I stared down at my hands, which tightened anxiously. "Sorry, just a little on edge. I’m not used to staying behind."
"I do not know them, but you should depend on your allies. The water hero has faced more gates than you know, and conquered in all of them," the spirit said slowly.
I followed its gaze to Korra, who stood at the forefront of the massing army. She wore a bright, cheerful smile and laughed as Jenna made some sort of joke. It had taken some convincing to get the Star Guard to leave my side and accompany her, but after learning that the ice spirit and Fable would be there for me, they agreed. That was some comfort, at least.