:|Are you sure you want to do this?|: Fireflame asked.

"Flame. This was your idea. But I really need to see her." Flameheart replied.

:|I know. But now I'm having doubts.|: He replied, and Flameheart felt a pang in her chest. Cayley had said the same thing just before she ran away.

"Not helping. Can we just get this over with?" She said impatiently. The Companion didn't reply, but Flameheart soon noticed that a swirling vortex of fire was opening up in front of her. The gateway. "How do I get through to the park?" She asked.

:|Imagine where you want to go. Then just step through the gateway.|:

Flameheart took a deep breath. "Ok." She imagined the park, how it would be. The swings, the climbing frame. The stretch of grass that Cayley and her used to play on. Then she threw herself into the gateway.

It was different to the first time she Fire-travelled. Before she was on Flame, and his height protected her from the flames. But this time, it was like she was in a bonfire, right in the centre. Flameheart thanked Regulus that she was immune to fire, or she would have been burned to a crisp. The fire was a whirlwind, and it spun around, getting faster and faster before the Guarder was spat out onto the familiar grass of the park.

"Kelly?" Flameheart spun around at the uncertain voice of her best friend.

"CAYLEY!" She yelled, and flung herself into the other girl's arms.

Cayley giggled and hugged her back. "Kelly! It's so good to see you! To be honest I didn't think you would actually come. And what are you wearing?"

Flameheart sighed. "Of course I would come. And Cayley, what I told you in that dream is real. I am a Guarder, and my name's Flameheart. How else would I have appeared out of a circle of fire?"

"I don't know." Cayley admitted. "I guess I kinda have to believe you, don't I. Now I don't suppose you can show me some of your tricks?"

Flameheart hesitated. "I don't know... I want to, but what if someone sees me. And I don't think that mortals are even supposed to know about Guarders."

"Please? No one ever comes here except for us anyway. And I already know so I don't really think it'll make much difference."

"Fine." Flameheart caved, and moved back.

She decided that she would use her Talents before her actual powers. Flameheart sprinted off around the park and was back in front of her friend in 5 seconds.

Cayley's mouth dropped open. "Wow. H-how can you do that?" She exclaimed.

"I have the Speed Talent. So I can move really really fast. I also have the Mind Talent. So I know that right now you are thinking about how damn right unbelievable this is." Flameheart smirked. She was always the one asking stuff back at camp, and she liked it now that she was the superior one. Flameheart was a show-off and she knew it. Cayley did to.

"That is so cool!" Cayley yelled, her voice echoing back to her. Flameheart grinned, before flicking her wrist. Flames rose up and engulfed the swings, startling her friend. Flameheart laughed and gestured to flames, making them die down. The swings were completely unharmed. There was no trace that they had been burning fiercely just moments before.

Cayley didn't even say anything, just stood there with a wondered look on her face. Flameheart started to say something before she cut herself off.

"This way! They're over here, I'm sure of it!" A voice yelled. Flameheart's eyes widened in fear and surprise, before she grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her to the bushes.

"What's going on?" Cayley whispered to her, but Flameheart signalled for her to be silent. They crouched in the bushes, trying to hide, but they were still very visible.

Flameheart wished that they looked exactly like the bushes, or that she had Breezestorm's Illusion Talent. That way they would at least have a chance at hiding.

She caught her breath as 5 figures came into view. She could recognise the black cloaks they wore anywhere. Night Riders. She shrunk further into the bushes. Here, in the mortal world, without Fireflame or her friends to help her, she would have no chance at fighting them. Plus she stupidly left her sword back at camp.

"Where did they go?" One of the Rider's complained. "I swear that the magic flare was coming from here."

Flameheart gulped. She hadn't known that her magic would send up flares and attractions when she used it. Now it would probably get her killed.

The Night Riders spread out around the park, obviously searching for the two girls. One of them came extremely close to the bushes where they were hiding, but after inspecting them intently, moved on.

Cayley let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief, while Flameheart frowned in confusion. There was no way that the Rider could've not seen them, but he had passed right on. Unless.... unless she also had the Illusion Talent. That would mean she already had four different Talents, and according to Kennaspark, that was almost never heard of.

"They're not here. Let's move on." The Rider that had passed the bushes called out. His companions agreed, and the Riders disappeared in a whirl of black.

Flameheart waited for a few moments to make extra sure that the Riders were gone, before caustiously rising from her hiding place. Cayley followed suit.

"What, were they?" She asked, still slightly pale with fear.

"Night Riders. The Guarders most dangerous enemy. I didn't know that my magic would send up a flare and attract them. I'm really sorry." Flameheart replied.

"No, it's my fault. I'm the one who asked you to use your powers. You should probably head back to your Guarder world." Cayley said, hugging her friend.

"Yes she should." A voice called. A voice that was all too familiar to Flameheart.

She spun around in shock. "What the stars are you doing here?" She snarled.

Snowrush smirked back. "The question is, what are you doing here? I didn't think you were giving permission to re-enter the mortal world."

Flameheart glared at her Companion, whom was carrying the Water Guarder.

:|Why in Regulus did you bring him here?|:

:|I wasn't really given much choice. He somehow knew what was going on, and we traced those Night Riders to you.|: Fireflame replied.

Flameheart turned her attention back to Snowrush, answering his jibe. "And you were? I seriously doubt that. And why are you riding my Companion?"

"Look, I'm trying to keep you out of trouble here. No one has noticed that you've left yet, but they will soon. There's already too much magical activity in this area, so we can no longer Element-travel back to Camp. I know another way, but you have to trust me." Snowrush said. He seemed well-meaning, but Flameheart was still wary of him. But she turned to her old friend.

"Cayley. Return home, and tell no one of this. I promise you will see me again, but I have to go. Do not forget me, please." She begged.

Cayley half-smiled. "How would I ever be able to forget you? Kel- I mean, Flameheart. Be careful, okay? You might be someone else now, but you will always be my best friend, and you have a habit of getting into trouble. Take care."

The two girls hugged each other for a long moment, before Cayley spun around and quickly left the park.

"Okay, Snowrush. How can I be sure to trust you? You've never tried to help me before." She glared suspiciously at him.

"I know that we've never really got along with each other, but following me is your only chance of returning without the Guardian being alerted. You don't know what the punishments are like, and people will think that you're a Night Rider in disguise, conspiring against us. I know you're not." He sounded... desperate, almost.

:|Flame? What do you think?|:

:|Trust him. He's right. I didn't think about the energy traces we would leave. The Gate is the only way out.|:

:|Gate?|:

Fireflame didn't have time to reply. Snowrush dismounted and signalled for the Fire Apprentice to follow him.

"Where are we going?" She jogged to catch up with him.

"A Gate. It's a portal that's in a fixed place. There are dozens of them scattered across Νέος κόσμος, and we can use them to travel back and force between the different worlds." (A/N its said Néos kósmos. its Greek) Snowrush answered.

"What's Νέος κόσμος ?" Flameheart asked. She knew it was in a different language, and the translation came to her at the same time Snowrush spoke it.

"It means 'The New World' in our language. (A/N i know its greek but just go with it.) Otherwise known as Earth. It's named that because Earth is the newest world to date." Snowrush glanced at her. "Did Reddust not teach you that?"

"No." Flameheart said, somewhat grumpily. "He did not." All three of them were still walking. Flameheart recognised where they were, but wasnt' overly certain about where they were actually going.

"Then I'll tell you. What the mortals call the planets, are actually different realms. You haven't been able to find us with you weird devices because Νέος κόσμος is the only realm that does not use magic. I'm not going to name them all, mainly because half of the names are inpronouncable. But we can Element-travel between worlds, or we can use a Gate. Gates don't give off any flares, which is why we'll be using one to get back. We can say we just went out for some early training." Snowrush turned a sharp corner, and Flameheart recognised her old house farther down the road.

"Does our world have a name? Because everyone just says Camp, but surely that's just where we all live." The question had been bugging Flameherat for a while, and now she might finally find an answer.

"Yes. Our world is called Τόπος των άστρων. ( Tópos to̱n ástro̱n) It means 'The Place of the Stars' since that's what we pull our powers from. I do not know which planet the mortals call it though." Snowrush said, but then Flameheart came to a dead stop.

"Something wrong?" He inquired.

"Yes, well, no, yes. Ugh I don't know. This is the house I lived in when I was a mortal, but it wasn't home. I was abused daily by my foster family. I was adopted. Some people found me stranded on the beach when I was three weeks old." Flameheart watched the house warily out of the corner of her eye, just incase Courtney or her family came out and saw them. Although she doubted they would recognise her.

"We must keep moving." Snowrush announced once they had left Flameheart's old home behind. "I can sense the sea. Is there a beach near here?"

"Yes. That's where Flameheart found me." Fireflame nuzzled his Guarder affectionately. "I can show you."

"The Gate is in a cave far off on an island. We need to go to a beach to access it. Lead the way." Snowrush gestured for her to take the lead.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Flameheart wondered out loud, as she followed the familiar route to the beach.

Snowrush hesitated before answering. "I don't hate you, Flameheart. I never did." He finally said softly.

She stopped. "But you're always so mean to me. Why? What did I do to you?" She crossed her arms.

"I- I don't know. I saw you for the first time, and I didn't mean to, but everything I said just came off as sharp and rude. I was uncertain about you and that's what I do when I'm not sure about something." He hung his head.

"You could have just talked to me, you know. You don't always have to keep everything inside you." Flameheart said, but realised that it was the wrong thing to say when she saw Snowrush's reaction.

"It doesn't matter, okay? I can do what I want about how I feel. I don't need a mortal to tell me." He brushed past her, and ended up at the beach.

"Damn." Flameheart muttered. For a second she thought that her and Snowrush might have a chance at being friends, but she had only set him off again.

She watched as he waded knee-deep into the water. "Well?" He called. "Are you coming or not?"

"We're swimming to the island?" She asked increduously. "I'm a Fire Guarder! Remember what happened last time I got soaked with salt water!?"

"It's fine, my powers will protect you and Fireflame. Now hurry up!" He shouted.

Flameheart glanced sideways at her Companion. "If we die, I'm blaming you." She said before they ran down to the waters edge.

"Are you sure nothing will happen?" She eyed the water doubtfully.

Snowrush rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. Now take my hand, and don't let go of me or Fireflame."

She hesitated a moment longer, before grasping Fireflame's mane in one hand, and locking onto Snowrush with the other.

"Then let's go." He said, before all three of them were dragged underwater.

hey guys! So I know I have not updated for ages, and I'm really sorry. I can only write when I have an idea and the writers block that Iv had for about 2 months just disappeared. I know this is a short chapter, but I wanted to end it there, because some extra stuff is happening next.

I have also realised that this book needs major editing so I will be doing that.

5 reads and 1 vote for the next chapter!

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