Kelly jerked her head up in shock. There, standing in the middle of the cave was a magnificent chestnut stallion, who happened to be gazing at her with a mixture of amusement and intelligence in his eyes. Kelly's eye ran over the horse's muscular body, going from the powerful haunches to the gleaming mane. Was she imagining it, or did his eyes hold the flicker of a flame reflected in them? Kelly opened her mouth, then shut it. What could she say? A strange horse suddenly appears in her hideout, and somehow knows her name, not to mention it could talk.

:|You look startled, Kelly. May I ask why?|:

Kelly finally found her voice. "Wh-who are you, and h-how do you know my name?" She stuttered.

A sense of amusement washed over her, ringing through her mind.

:|My apologies. I am Fireflame, and I am a Unicorn Companion. I have come here to ask you to be my Guarder.|:

Kelly gaped. All her life she had wanted to be a Guarder, but they were described as myths, no longer real. The legends said they were fierce warriors, and were dedicated to protecting the world. There were four types of Guarders: Fire Guarders, Air Guarders, Earth Guarders and Water Guarders. Every Guarder controlled one element, which determined which type of Guarder he or she was. Long ago the Unicorn Companions would come down to the mortal world and choose their Guarders. As time went on, the Guarders were forgotten and the Unicorn Herd was just a myth. Or so people thought.

"You're a Unicorn Companion, and you want me to be your GUARDER!?!" Kelly's voice rose into a shriek. "But-but where's your horn? And there is no way I'd be a good Guarder. I'm just nerdy old Kelly Patterson who believes in magic and is the laughing stock of Carmel College."

:|You are not just nerdy old Kelly Patterson, you are my Guarder and will be an extremely fierce Guarder by the time you have finished your training. And right now, I am in my mortal form. I am only in my true form as a Unicorn Companion when I am in the Realm of the Guarders.|:

Fireflame said sharply.

Kelly now realised that Fireflame wasn't actually talking out loud, he was speaking in her mind. She shook her head. This was WAY too much to process. Her? A Guarder? Yeah right. Courtney would really have a laugh at that.

:|You wouldn't have to deal with Courtney if you came with me. The Guarders would welcome you. They don't treat anyone unfairly.|:

Fireflame pointed out.

Kelly jumped. She hadn't realised that the Companion could read her mind.

:|Of course I can read your mind, Kelly. I've Chosen you. Now, will you come with me to Camp and become a Fire Element Apprentice, or will you stay here and go back to your life of a slave?|:

Kelly hesitated. She desperately wanted to go, but what about Cayley? She would freak if Kelly just disappeared.

:|Cayley will understand. You can send her a dream message when we get back to Camp.|:

"Will you stop DOING that!?!" Kelly flashed at Fireflame. "It is really annoying. And what the hell is a dream message?"

:|A dream message is when you talk to someone in a dream, to pass on a message or bring someone back from somewhere. And if you don't want anyone to read your thoughts, then you'd better shield yourself, although I'll still be able to understand what you're thinking. Once you are Chosen, the Guarder and Companion cannot block each other out.|:

Kelly groaned. "That is all well and good, if I had even the faintest idea of how to shield."

Kelly felt a spark of surprise in her mind.

:|You don't? I would have thought you would, what with all the books you read. The answer is in there.|:

Fireflame nodded his head to the book Kelly had been about to read, Magic's Price. It was lying where she had discarded it, forgetting about it completely in the latest series of events. She bent down and picked it up. She remembered how the main character couldn't shield his mind, and was taught to. You had to find your ground, and center. She tried that now, finding the place that was the most secure in her mind as her ground, then imagining walls around her mind and centering them. She glanced over at Fireflame.

"That better?" She asked.

He seemed to shrug.

:|Probably. I can't test you because I can always access your mind through our link, but I suspect that you have a very strong Fire Gift. If I was another Guarder, when you are fully trained I would want you as my ally, rather than as my enemy.|:

Kelly was quite pleased with this praise, though she tried not to show it. "Well, time is ticking. Should we go now?"

:|Yes. But I warn you, once you climb onto my back and once we Fire-travel to Camp, there is no going back. This life, as you know it, will be gone forever.|:

Kelly grinned. "That might be a good thing."

:|Well then, hop on.|:

Kelly took a running leap and vaulted herself up onto the stallion's back. She gasped in surprise at the strength in Fireflame's muscles. A thrill of excitement ran through her. This was it. She was finally going to be a Guarder. Fireflame reared, and Kelly grabbed onto his mane, hoping desperately that she wouldn't fall off. But there seemed to be a force around her which held her on. Another small piece of Guarder magic, she guessed. You don't fall off unless you want to.

All these thoughts were dashed from her mind as Kelly realised with a surge of fear that a huge fire had appeared in front of them, and that Fireflame was about to jump through it.