But as soon as she looked up again, her heart dropped right back to the ground. Kyo’s fire was gone. And so was his wings. A look of surprise crossed his face as he suddenly stopped, replaced with a look of horror as he began to plummet back to Earth, nearly crashing into Diago, who twisted midair to get out of the way, and to try and grab the red heads clothes.

“KYO!” Katie’s scream was lost to the winds as he dropped past her, her hands frantically trying to grab her best friend. Dae also tried to grab him but both of them missed, Kyo reaching out to them as he dropped faster to the ground. With tears bursting from her eyes, Katie snapped in her wings and suddenly dropped after him.

“Katie no!” she briefly heard as she fell past Dae. She stretched out her hands, reaching towards Kyo, his eyes filled with fear held onto her tear filled ones.

“YOU. ARE. NOT. ALLOWED. TO. DIE!” she screamed into the wind. Kyo opened his mouth to say something, but any sound was lost to the rushing air. Katie tried to ignore the sight of the playground rushing up to them. She screwed her eyes up, screaming in both terror for herself and her friend. The wind rushed past them both, screaming in her ears. There was another sound, like a whooshing of huge wings, but Katie ignored it. Nothing could save them now. She opened her eyes as she wanted to see Kyo before they both died, she wanted to tell him she loved him as much as a brother, nearly as much as Diago. She never thought of Kyo as a potential boyfriend, but always as a second brother. She silently prayed for a miracle and wondered why she didn’t just open her wings and save herself.

‘Because you could never give up on your friend. I respect that. My power is yours,’ spoke a gravely voice into her head. She gasped as Earth power surged through her and shot to the ground. The playground abruptly broke apart, rocks and earth forming together, reaching out to Kyo faster than Kyo was falling. She gasped again as it caught him, unharmed.

“SHIT,” she yelled as she tried to open her wings, but the wind resistance was making it hard and she was exhausted from her first proper flight.

“OW,” she yelled again as she yanked to a stop, causing whiplash in her neck. The sound of rushing wind stopped, but it was suddenly very hot. The whooshing of large wings was louder now and Katie tried to turn her head to see what was holding her up, but a shot of pain went through her neck and she grimaced.

“Keep still silly girl,” a voice sounding femine but like a thousand coals crackling addressed her snappily and she pouted and folded her arms as she was lowered to the now destroyed playground. The earth that held Kyo was lowering him to the ground He gawped at it then at Katie.

“I don’t think we are mages,” Katie touched down and the grip on her was removed. She turned and looked up to see a huge bird, the colour of flames, feathers rippling like it was on fire.

“Wow, you’re a phoenix,” The bird snorted at her stupid comment and then flew to land beside Kyo. It was so large he could probably ride on it without problem. She turned to look at the huge pile of rocks and earth, then stepped back as she realised it was man shaped. Kind eyes made out of emeralds sparkled at her and the being held out its hand.

“I am Golem. I am the First Earth Guardian, First King of all Guardians,” Katie looked at him slack jawed, Kyo giving the phoenix the same look as she announced herself.

“I am Phoenix. THE Phoenix, not A Phoenix. First Fire Guardian and First Queen of all Guardians,”

“Katie, you may step on my hand I will not harm you,” spoke Golem gently. Katie, too awed to do much else, nodded and robotically stepped onto the rocky hand. She stumbled as he drew her up to his chest and then looked up to the sky. Diago and Dae! She realised with a shock that they probably thought she and Kyo was going to die. She looked to the sky and blinked as Dae dropped gently from the air, a large body of water shaped like a dragon swirling in the air above him Diago dropped on Golem’s hand and hugged his sister tightly. A shining being, whose skin seemed to swirl with clouds, smiled gently to them. It was female shaped and three times as tall as a man, with vast glittering wings.

“I am Sky, First Air Guardian and Second Queen of all Guardians,” her voice was soothing and calm, sounding like a wind rustling through leaves in a forest. She gripped to Diago as a watery voice, the sound of waves crashing into cliffs, of seagulls and whale calls, rumbled out.

“And I am Leviathan, First Water Guardian and Second King of all Guardians. Nice to meet you,” Dae stared upwards as Leviathan descended and wrapped himself around Dae, gently, so that Dae was surrounded by water, constantly flowing. Katie noticed all the Guardians, including her own, whose rocky skin was always growing moss then flowering then dying off again, had a flow to their skin.

“DO YOU MIND NOT DESTROYING THE SCHOOL PROPERTY,” Katie jumped as Ghost’s magnified voice shouted out across to them.