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The echoing was beginning to distract Macey. It was a little too dramatic for her taste.
"Why will we be last? What's so special about us?"
"You're the ones who make or break the Wardens' legacy... if you succeed, there will be no more need for us. If you fail, there will be nobody left to fight for."
Macey swallowed hard. No pressure then.
"Does that mean we'll die if we succeed?"
"No... no.... no... you'll live happily ever after."
A slight chuckle followed that last statement. Dead Wardens with a sense of humour? How very strange.
Now came the most important question. "Why am I here?"
"Do you know what to do to save the world... the world... the world?"
Macey cringed. That was the tiny problem she was trying to ignore.
"No. We know that the Staran are dying, but we don't know why or what we can do about it."
"The Staran are only one part of the whole picture. You will need to look beyond them to see the root of the evil that is spreading quickly."
"The Voice... ehm, Mahoun?"
"Again, he is only a part. There is more going on than you know, but you need to hurry up to find a solution."
Macey sighed in frustration. How did new problems keep coming along? Dealing with both the Staran and the Voice was a big enough challenge. Now they were saying that there was more? Oh waves, this was becoming an impossible mission.
"Can you help?" she asked, trying to keep desperation from sneaking into her voice.
"No... no... no..."
"Then why am I here? Just so you can tell me how hopeless everything is? How we're likely going to fail?"
"No... no... no..."
"And stop doing that echo thing!" Macey screamed, frustrated and angry. Bad news kept overwhelming here and there was no end in sight. Didn't she deserve a break? Some time with her men? A moment to recuperate from the time she'd spent as a prisoner?
One of the six people got up. His face stayed in the shadows, but it was clear that he was a man. His broad shoulders reminded her of Flint, but he looked older, even though she could just see his body.
"I'm sorry," he said calmly with a deep, gentle voice. "We're not used to talking to outsiders. We didn't want to anger you."
"You didn't," Macey tried to backpedal. "It's just that I never seem to get good news, it's always doom and gloom. And with every answer we find, ten more questions pop up. It's so frustrating."
The man chuckled softly. "I remember that feeling. It seems not much has changed for the next generation of Wardens. But don't despair, there is always hope. As long as the seven of you are together, there is still a chance to fulfil your purpose."
"I don't have all the marks yet," Macey admitted.
"You will have them, soon. But you won't need them until the very end, so don't worry."
"So they're important?"
The man laughed again. "Oh yes, they're very important. Right now, though, you should focus on something else. The Staran won't let you travel on them for much longer. You need to stabilise them before you can proceed to deal with the other issues. A certain mouse should be able to help you."
"Luch? But she's not said anything about the Staran so far?"
"She? Is she pretending to be a woman this time?"
