Prologue:

"Are you sure that she is the one?" the Keeper of Fire questioned, absent-mindedly brushing his black hair out of his eyes.

"Yes." The Guardian of Elements replied. She stared down into the Seeing Pool, watching as the young girl in its reflection tossed a ball to her friend. The Guardian turned towards the Element Keepers. "She is the one. I am sure of it. She has power, though she does not know it yet. She will make a formidable Guarder."

"How do you know? She might be powerful, but that is not the main characteristic that we look for in potential Guarders." The speaker this time was a silver haired woman, the Keeper of Air.

"I just do." the Guardian insisted. She turned back to the Pool. "She will become the greatest of us all."

Chapter 1:

CLASH CLASH CLANG! The enemy Guarder sprang at her, but she was too quick. Slipping cat-like to the side, she stabbed quickly at the other Guarder's shoulder, as he stumbled past her. He whipped around with an angry snarl, and attacked her again. This time she stood fast, and countered each of his blows with contemptuous ease. Perspiration trickled down her back, and she decided to put an end to this fight. She hit the base of the Guarder's sword, then twisted, placing all her weight into the move. The sword clattered out of his hand, and she stabbed her own sword swiftly through his chest. The Guarder's cry of pain was abruptly cut off, and he slumped to the ground, dead.

"By my authority as the Guardian of Elements, I declare this man guilty of murder to his fellow Herdmates, and treason to the Unicorn Herd. I have carried out his sentence with my own hand." She announced. She turned around to the cheering Guarders, and...

"Kelly?" Kelly Patterson was jerked out of her daydream by the sound of her maths teacher's voice.

"I'm sorry?" She said guiltily.

"I said," Mrs. Davies barked crossly, "can you please tell us the answer to question two on page thirty-nine?"

Kelly stared numbly at her maths book. "3.28" she answered.

Mrs. Davies nodded approvingly. "Very good Kelly. 100 house points."

There was a muted snigger from the other side of the room. "Teacher's pet." Someone muttered.

Kelly glared at the girl who had spoken. Her name was Courtney Patterson and she was Kelly's foster sister. Kelly was an orphan. She had been found on the beach when she was three weeks old, with no clues to whom her real parents might be. The Pattersons adopted her, and their real daughter, Courtney, had made it her life's goal to make Kelly's life hell. So far, she was succeeding.

Mrs. Davies went on talking to the class about how exactly to answer that question. Kelly sighed inwardly. How stupid her daydream was. Like the Guarders were ever going to choose her to become a Guarder and a member of the Unicorn Herd. If Courtney ever found out that Kelly believed in magic, Kelly would be the laughing stock of Carmel College for the rest of her school life. As it was, she was already teased by other people as well as Courtney. She was just plain old Kelly Patterson, the horse-crazy nerd who had nothing better to do than study.

Kelly glanced across to where her best friend, well actually her only friend, Cayley was sitting. Cayley glanced up and gave Kelly an encouraging smile.

Ignore them, they're numnahs, Cayley mouthed at her.

Kelly giggled at the insult. A numnah was the blanket that you place underneath a horse's saddle. She came up with an extremely satisfying mental image of the posh, strawberry-blond haired Courtney squashed between a saddle and a horse's back.

Kelly glanced at her watch. It was 12:40. That meant lunch started in five minutes. Yippee skippee. Time for Kelly to get bullied for 45 minutes. Kelly groaned. The only time she had any peace was when she was asleep.

BBBRRRRIIIINNNNGGGGG! The bell rang for lunch and everybody started to pack up their stuff and leave. When Kelly reached the door, Courtney and her mean-girl cronies were waiting for her. She started to walk past them, but Courtney stuck out her foot. Kelly was about to step over it and ignore them, but then had second thoughts. She flung out her leg and kicked Courtney's shin with a satisfying SMACK. Courtney yelled in pain and Kelly made her escape, shoving passed two of Courtney's friends. "You better watch you back, horse girl, 'cos you're in for it now!" Courtney shouted after her.

Her gang started whinnying, imitating horses. Kelly ignored them and quickly walked to the deck, where Cayley was waiting.

"Are you ok?" Cayley asked, concerned.

Kelly waved it off. "Yeah, just Courtney and her band of snobs. They tried to trip me over at the door. I kicked Courtney in the shin."

Cayley grinned. "Good move." She said. Then her smile faded. "But be careful now Kelly, Courtney's going to be out for blood."

Kelly sighed in frustration. "I know. Sometimes I just want to leave and never see them or their damned house again."

Cayley frowned thoughtfully. "You know, that's not such a bad idea." Kelly glanced at her.

"What do you mean?" She asked, intrigued.

Cayley shrugged. "Well, I just thought, you could run away. They treat you like a slave, so you would have no trouble surviving in the wild. You could hide out in Secret Cove."

Secret Cove was a hidden cave in the cliffs that Cayley and Kelly had stumbled into (literally) a few months ago. Kelly had been staying at Cayley's, which was a rare treat, and they had been exploring the headland at Arkles Bay Beach. Kelly had fallen down a hole, landed on soft sand, and had found herself in a naturally formed cave. The cave was hidden from the sea by the rocks of the headland, and you wouldn't find the entrance through the roof unless you knew it was there, or, if you fell down it. The two girls had dubbed the cave Secret Cove, because as far as they knew, they were the only ones to find it. It was their special place.

Kelly nodded slowly. "You know, that might actually work. It's just we don't know whether or not the tide comes in and floods it when it's high."

Cayley shook her head immediately. "It won't. There are no tidal rings. The sea entrance is too well blocked by the headland." Cayley was a sailor, so Kelly was inclined to trust her when it came to ocean knowledge.

The girls started walking to their usual spot at the back corner of the Year 10 deck. Except there were already people there.

"Well well well. What have we got here, girls?" Kelly and Cayley froze at the sound of Courtney's voice. Kelly glared daggers at her long-time enemy. "Get lost Courtney. We have nothing to say to you."

Courtney smirked. "Maybe. But I have plenty to say to you. Think it was funny hmm, to kick me? Did you think you could get the better of me? Because I'm about to show you just how wrong you were, horse girl." She drew her fist back, and two of her friends, Hailey and Jessica, leapt forward and attempted to pin Kelly's arms back, while two others did the same to Cayley. Big mistake.

Instinct took over. Kelly darted backwards, and the two girls stumbled, meeting no resistence. Kelly spun around and shoved Jessica into Hailey, so the two of them went crashing into a picnic bench. Cayley was struggling with her two attackers, and Kelly started to move over to help her, but Courtney intercepted her. "Going somewhere, horse girl?" The bully hissed. She lunged at Kelly, who brought her hand up and felt it connect with Courtney's face with a solid jolt. Then the breath was driven out of her as Courtney landed a punch in Kelly's stomach. Kelly drew back, and noticed that while Courtney was breathing heavily, she was wide awake and noticing every detail. This time, she made the attack, punching Courtney in the jaw with her left hand, twice, then drew her right fist back in the preparation for throwing a vicious right hook. Courtney staggered back, crashing into a table and didn't seem to notice the other Year 10's screaming and moving out of range. Kelly paused, unwilling to attack someone who couldn't fight back. But Courtney wasn't as disabled as she seemed. Enraged that Kelly had somehow gotten the better of her, she lunged for her and fastened her hands around Kelly's throat. Kelly hadn't expected the move, and started to gasp for air as Courtney choked her. Suddenly, Courtney's weight was pulled off her. Kelly twisted to the side, retching and gasping to get oxygen back into her lungs. "JUST WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Mrs. Davies roared.

"It was Kelly, ma'am, she attacked us! We were just eating our lunch peacefully and she and her friend came over and started fighting us."

Kelly was outraged at this explanation. "That is a lie! We were going over to our usual spot, and Courtney blocked our way, saying that she had something to say to us. She tried to punch me and started to choke me, when you came and pulled her off."

"It's true, Mrs. Davies." A Year 10 student piped up. "My friends and I saw the whole thing. Courtney really did attack Kelly and her friend."

Mrs. Davies turned to Courtney. "It seems that you have lied to a teacher, Courtney, and attacked a student. Kelly isn't really a fighting girl, either."

Now Courtney struggled to stand upright. "They're lying!" She cried. "I didn't attack Kelly, I was just defending myself."

Mrs. Davies raised an eyebrow. "Well, you were the one trying to suffocate Kelly, not the other way round, and it was your friends that were attacking Cayley, not her attacking them. That much is very clear. All of you will have 1 month detention. My room, lunch times and after school, cleaning up rubbish."

"But-"

"No 'buts' Courtney. You are in the wrong. Get back to your classrooms, NOW."

Courtney shot a venomous glare at Kelly and stalked away. Kelly thought back to what Courtney had called her in maths. Sometimes, she thought, being the teacher's pet payed off.

***

"Are you sure about this?" Cayley asked for the 15th time that day.

Kelly sighed. "Yes, Cayley, I am. It was your idea, remember?!?

Cayley gestured helplessly with her hand. "I know, but..."

"But?" Kelly asked.

"Just be careful ok?" Cayley stared with concern at her BFF. They were on the bus home the day after the fight with Courtney. The Pattersons had been furious when they found out about the fight. As usual, they blamed Kelly for everything. It was their punishment of grounding her for the whole of the Christmas holidays that led Kelly to the decision of going through with Cayley's idea of running away. Now, when they got off the bus to walk home, instead of walking to the Patterson's address, Kelly would go in the opposite direction, and climb the headland to the Secret Cove. She had her backpack stuffed with food, water and her sleeping bag. Now that the time was almost here for Kelly to go, Cayley was having doubts.

"I will." Kelly promised. "I have my cell phone, so I'll keep in touch with you. Delete all of my messages and calls immediately after you've read them. If the Pattersons bother to search for me, you will be the first person they ask.".

"How long will you stay away for?" Cayley asked in a trembling voice.

Kelly sighed. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Cayley just nodded.

"Come on, our stop's here." Kelly grabbed her bag and started to walk to the front of the bus. Cayley followed reluctantly. Once they were off the bus, the two girls stood facing each other.

"Well, I guess this is it." Cayley said at last. It was a Friday, so the trouble of Kelly not turning up to school was postponed.

"Yeah. Well, I'll text you when I reach the cave." Kelly said.

Cayley nodded. "Make sure you do." She replied. The girls hesitated for a minute longer, then walked off in their designated directions.

The day was windy. Kelly repeatedly brushed her dark blond hair out of her eyes. Luckily, the tide was out, so Kelly was able to stay dry while she climbed over various rocks and boulders to reach the entrance to the Secret Cove. She brushed aside the seaweed that they used to help cover the hole, and shimmied down the rope they had placed there. Landing softly on the sand floor of the cave, she glanced around. Nothing had changed since their last visit 3 months ago. There were already small natural ledges that were part of the cave, and that was where Kelly placed all of her food, arranging it in such a way that it all fit perfectly and nothing fell off. Then she moved over to a shallow dip in the floor, and laid out her purple sleeping bag. Lastly, she pulled out her phone and typed in a quick text to Cayley.

I'm here.

The other girl responded instantly.

Everything good?

Yep

Good. Have 2 go, mum has doc appt.

k bye

That finished, Kelly pulled one of her favourite books out. Magic's Price, by Mercedes Lackey. She opened it, and prepared herself to be pulled into the world of the Heralds of Valdemar and Herald-Mage Vanyel, when a voice seemed to ring through the cave.

:|Well, this is a nice cozy place you have here, isn't it Kelly?|: