by Wendy Owens
Gabe watched as Michael pulled a plain simple pipe out of the box and began packing it with the tobacco that he also had hidden within. Gabe could not remember actually witnessing a man smoking a pipe in person before. The elegance of the device was not lost on him, but when the smoke curled around Gabe’s nostrils and they began to ache, he remembered why he had never tried smoking himself.
“Well,” Michael continued, “I guess the best place to start is who we are. Have you ever heard of a guardian angel?” Michael asked.
Gabe nodded, wondering again if he had slipped into a mad man’s world.
“We’re called many things but within The Order we’re called the guardians. I know, I know,” Michael said with a smirk. “A bit of a grand title, but I think you’ll find it’s a fitting one. Trust me, I mean that with as much modesty as I can muster.”
Michael gave Gabe a wink. There was something about the man that put him at ease.
“What’s The Order?” Gabe inquired.
“The Order is an organization that dates back longer than history books have been recording events. It was designed in an effort to fight the evil that roams this earth.”
“So you’re like some kind of special task force for fighting the bad guys?” Gabe asked trying his best not to sound sarcastic.
“It’s impossible to go into all of our history in a short amount of time, but I will try my best. Uri and I are, well I guess what someone could call, a little more specialized.”
“Specialized?” Gabe asked.
“Around two thousand years ago, the need arose for The Order of the One Son to create the guardians. I know, that seems like an insanely long time ago, but I assure you it’s the truth,” Michael continued.
“This is all very hard to believe ... The Order of the One Son and thousands of years? I’m sorry. I hope you can understand my skepticism,” Gabe stated, fearful he might insult this kind man.
“Of course,” Michael replied. “But the truth remains that two thousand years ago the world changed forever. Mankind needed us more than they would ever know. Any clue what may have happened around that time?”
Michael looked at Gabe for an answer, but he had nothing. His lack of response, however, did not change the fact that he was hanging on every word Michael said.
“Someone you may have heard of before, Jesus Christ,” as Michael said his name he searched Gabe for some sort of recognition before continuing. “Around this time he was crucified. What was so important about this event that it caused the need for us? When Christ was hung on that cross, God turned his back on his son and all of mankind.”
Gabe furrowed his brow as he listened to Michael. He wondered why he was getting a Bible lesson from this guy rather than the answers he had been promised.
Michael continued. “That means during that time, while God was not protecting the realm of Earth, the demons of the underworld were also not being kept at bay. They were wreaking havoc on the people of Earth. When Christ drew his last breath--”
“What happened?” Gabe did not believe Michael’s fairytale, nonetheless he found it extremely fascinating and entertaining.
“With a great and powerful push, the demons fractured the barrier between Earth and the underworld,” Michael added.
As Michael puffed on the pipe, Gabe thought about the creatures he had seen the night before. The contorted face of the monster flashed through his mind. Just a couple days ago he knew he would have written Michael off as crazy, but something in him wanted to hear more. He felt the need to search for a truth that some inner sense told him may be possible.
“For three days these creatures were allowed to destroy and terrorize the world with no interference. One of God’s most favored angels, Lucifer, had been cast out from heaven years before for trying to take God’s throne by force. When Christ died, Lucifer thought he had, at last, won the long fought battle between Heaven and Hell. Then, in one instant, God took back control through the resurrection. Though Hell’s forces were pushed back, the fractures could not be repaired. That’s when the guardians were introduced.”
Michael stood and walked to a nearby bookshelf, searching them with a finger. At last he landed on a large, blue, leather bound book. He set his pipe in a tray on the fireplace mantel and carried the book over to Gabe, taking a seat next to him on the couch.
Gabe watched as Michael flipped through the old pages, finally landing somewhere in the middle.
“Here,” he continued, placing part of the book on Gabe’s leg. He pointed to a passage. Gabe listened to Michael as he read about the dissension of the original guardians. Gabe studied the old ink drawing on the opposite page. The illustration was a picture of strong and muscular men with grand wings spread out behind them and people bowing all around.
“You’re trying to tell me you’re angels?” Gabe asked, feeling a bit silly as the words left his lips.
“Sort of,” Michael replied.
“How can you 'sort of' be an angel?” Gabe asked, frustrated with Michael’s response.
“Remember when I said we were specialized?” Michael reminded him.
“Yeah,” Gabe nodded.
“We’re a unique breed of angel. Our primary purpose is to keep the creatures of Hell where they belong. But we can get into all of that later,” Michael continued as he explained the parts the book left out. “We are also set apart by the fact that we are no longer immortal.”
“Wait, what?” Gabe said, trying not to laugh. “Are you telling me you were once immortal?”
“No, I personally never have been immortal. As the years passed, the original guardians took wives or husbands, and soon enough they had families. I am one of the descendants. The choice to make a family here on Earth meant one would have to sacrifice their immortal life. Eventually, every guardian felt overwhelmed by the desire to make a home in this world.” As the words left Michael’s lips, he bowed his head and paused thoughtfully in silence.
A moment later he continued. “A lonely life is a very hard life indeed. One I hope you will never have to experience.”
The words made Gabe think about how his life had already been full of loneliness. Somehow though, Gabe thought that Michael knew of a greater loneliness.
At last Michael looked at Gabe. As if trying to push some awful memory from his mind, Michael began again.
“When the time did come that a guardian died, a member of his or her sacred bloodline would receive the calling. These hybrids of mankind and angels are blessed with divine abilities to help them in their quest to battle creatures from the underworld. With each generation the bloodline has weakened and their life cycle shortens.”
“Shortens? How long do guardians live?” Gabe asked, immersed in the tale Michael was spinning.
“The original guardians lived nearly a thousand years.” Michael replied. “Once the bloodlines were mixed with humans, the life cycles began to be anywhere from two hundred to three hundred years, depending on how diluted the bloodlines are. Of course there are always exceptions.”
“So how old are you?” Gabe asked, wondering if he himself were now going mad.
“I will be three hundred and forty-six years old next week,” Michael replied. Gabe was shocked the man could say it with a straight face.
“Wow, you really do look amazing for your age,” Gabe added, annoyed that he was being toyed with.
“A guardian doesn’t age the same way humans do,” Michael explained, ignoring Gabe’s taunts. “Most of us remain young in appearance until we die. It’s one of our abilities. Gabe, I know this is all very hard to accept, but if you give us time, we can show you we’re telling you the truth.”
Gabe was still trying to wrap his mind around the possibility of living for hundreds of years when Michael continued his story.
“The mission of the guardians is to protect mankind from the forces of Hell. A guardian is to preserve free will and avoid allowing humans to see anything super natural while helping them on their quest for di
vine knowledge.”
“A quest for divine knowledge? Sorry, but I never knew there was such a quest.” Gabe found that as Michael spoke he had more questions rather than less.
“There is a battle over mankind’s eternal souls. We protect them so they can learn enough to make a decision on what they believe,” Michael explained.
Michael sat watching Gabe’s reaction. Gabe just stared off into the distance as he tried to process all of the information.
“Do you have any other questions so far?” Michael finally asked.
Gabe had a mountain of questions. It was hard to narrow it down to just one. When he agreed to come here last night, the last thing he had expected to be told was that there were angels and demons running around the earth battling it out for mankind’s souls.
“So are you saying Uri and Sophie are several hundred years old?”
Michael laughed, sliding the book completely into Gabe’s hands and standing to retrieve his pipe.
“No, no ... they are still aging normally and will continue to until their twenties. That’s usually when we see the aging process slow,” Michael replied. “Guardians became mortal when they were placed among mankind. We do have long lives, but in the end we all die. There are no original guardians left. The old folks like me have an important job and that’s to prepare the next generation.”
Gabe looked up at Michael, completely overwhelmed and confused by what he was being told. Seeing Gabe’s state, Michael suggested a break.
“We have one of the most amazing cooks. I’m sure you have never tasted such delicacies.”
Gabe thought about all the unanswered questions he had, but the growls of his stomach were immediately outweighing any of them. He nodded and stood, placing the oversized book onto the couch. He followed Michael from the room while visions of sticky gooey pastries played out in his mind.
Gabe followed Michael outside and across the courtyard. He squinted as the sun glared down on them. With each step, he could feel everyone around them stop what they were doing and watch.
“Don’t mind them,” Michael said, glancing at Gabe with a smile. “You have to understand, they’ve been waiting for some time to meet you.”
Gabe considered everything he had seen and heard since he met Uri the night before. “Excuse me, I’m sure you can understand when I say everything I’ve been told up until now seems, in itself, pretty spectacular. To be honest, as I said before, it’s a little hard to believe. But all of that aside, I don’t understand where I fit into this equation.”
“You fit in right here, along side your brothers and sisters,” Michael replied casually.
“No, you’re not understanding me. I don’t know any of these people, there has been some sort of mistake,” Gabe added as Michael came to a stop. Realizing Michael was no longer at his side Gabe halted and looked back. “What’s wrong?”
Michael rushed up, placing his hands on Gabe’s shoulders. He looked into his eyes and with a soft but direct tone said, “Gabe, you can’t see it? You’re one of the guardians. A very important one that we’ve been waiting for, for a long time.”
Gabe was suddenly locked in Michael’s stare.
“What? No, I can’t be. I’m sixteen years old. My parents ...” Gabe thought of his parents and their tragic death, hesitating for a moment. “My parents were humans.”
Michael smiled, which gave Gabe a little comfort.
“Gabe, except for the original guardians we all were born of human parents. What make us special are our bloodlines. Your great, great, great grandfather died a year before you were born. With his death, the ancestral line was activated. You were the next born in his line, which meant you were destined to take his place,” Michael dropped his hands from Gabe’s shoulders and looked off into the distance, whispering just below his breath, “and for so much more.”
Gabe had heard Michael’s mutterings, but dismissed them as he was still trying to absorb being told he was a guardian.
“I don’t see how ...” Gabe felt his legs begin to wobble. “I’m just a ...” His thoughts were jumbled and he had trouble finding the right words. Michael grabbed his arm and led him to a nearby stone bench.
“Everyone who comes here is overwhelmed when they first learn about who they are,” Michael reassured him.
“Wait,” Gabe said looking at Michael. “You mean all of these kids here are guardians?”
“Some,” Michael answered, looking up at all the young people milling about. “There are those who have different paths than guardians. Ultimately we have all come together to join our special talents in this fight.”
“So they all came to you the same as me? None of them knew who they were or what they were until they met you?” Gabe asked, intrigued by the idea of other people traveling the same path as him. He had gone through life with an immense feeling of being alone up until now. Even if it was a messed up connection, it was a connection nonetheless.
Michael thought about the question for a moment. “I guess it depends on the individual. Many of these kids have come from a lot of different places and situations. But yes, several are similar to yours. A number of guardian’s families stay on here and help with our needs for generations after their bloodlines have been activated. But it’s a very reclusive life and hard for most to make the choice to stay hidden.”
“Can they leave whenever they want?” Gabe asked.
“Well,” Michael began, “in order to keep our secret it’s necessary for us to wipe all knowledge of the manor from their memory. Then they are allowed to leave and start their own lives.”
“You erase their memory?” Gabe said in a disgusted tone.
“It’s not as bad as you might think Gabe,” Michael replied, defending their methods. “They go into the world with memories of their friends and family, just any recollection of the guardians or the location of the manor must be wiped out. They’re given the choice.”
Michael leaned down to meet eyes with Gabe.
“Rampart Manor is cloaked by very powerful incantations. All the forces of the underworld believe the destruction of the guardians is the key to being able to overrun earth. The worst part is that they’re right.”
“What?” Gabe asked trying not to sound panicked.
“We’re the last line of defense. If we’re gone, the demons will triumph and the earth will be in ruins. What the demons don’t realize, or they are so blinded by their desire to conquer that they don’t care, is if that were to happen it would usher in the end of days.”
“We’re it?” Gabe asked incredulously, “The end of us means the end of the world?”
Michael smiled. He enjoyed that Gabe had referred to the guardians as “us.”
“The responsibility does not lie solely with Rampart. We’re not the only training ground for guardians. There were a total of four facilities spread throughout the world until 1942.”
“What happened in 1942?”
“A sister facility, Raven Torch, was destroyed. A powerful evil force killed all of the guardians within. The remaining three locations have dedicated their efforts to concealing their secrets not only for the sake of the guardians but for mankind,” Michael explained, his voice cracking as he told the story.
“When Rampart Manor was established hundreds of years ago the demons came close to discovering our location.”
“What happened?”
“I wasn’t born when Rampart was built. Legend says our master guardian at the time was given the task of venturing to the new world and building a training facility,” Michael began the story. “He was making progress and the locals were eagerly helping in the building process. Somehow a legion of demons discovered Rampart was being constructed and that the village of Roanoke was helping in that construction. The demons came in during the night and wiped out the entire village.”
“Wait,” Gabe stopped Michael’s story. He couldn’t believe what he was about to ask. “Are you saying the ‘Lost Colony’ of Roanoke was slaughtered
by demons?”
Michael nodded solemnly.
“Those left sought shelter within the walls of Rampart. Thanks to the clerics incantations, Rampart manor wasn’t discovered.” Michael stood and extended his hand to Gabe, clearing his throat.
“How about we go and get that food I’ve been promising you?” he asked. The sad history clearly unsettled him.
Remembering the previously mentioned feast, Gabe stood. As they walked toward a large, stone building across the courtyard, Michael further told Gabe about the manor and their mission to preserve mankind.
After a lifetime of being shifted around from foster home to foster home, Gabe thought about how the place sounded like a vacation paradise. Even with the threat of demons, he could imagine himself in this life.
Finally they arrived at the entrance to the dining hall. Michael pushed the old wooden door open to reveal a huge room that had wooden tables surrounded by long, rustic benches. The tables filled the large open space. Gabe imagined it could hold hundreds of people.
“This is where we all gather for our meals together,” Michael explained.
It finally dawned on Gabe exactly how vast this place was. It was quite amazing.
“Just around this corner,” Michael said, leading the way. Gabe followed him back through a large archway. As they continued down the corridor, amazing smells began to fill his nostrils. It was absolutely intoxicating. He could taste the sugar in the air as they walked.
They rounded a corner. Without warning, Gabe’s jaw dropped in awe as he saw a huge kitchen in front of him. The walls were covered in ivory subway tiles. There were wooden prep tables in every direction. Gabe counted at least a dozen stoves. He could imagine what the kitchen must be like when it was bustling with cooks.
“Chef,” Michael said rushing over to shake the hand of a lanky man standing only feet away. Gabe thought it humorous that a chef could be so thin, but quickly lost that thought when he saw the lavish table behind the man. He realized he hadn’t eaten dinner the previous evening. The growling in his stomach gave testimony to his hunger. Michael continued introducing them. Gabe struggled to listen with all the distracting delicious delights before him. Soon the pleasantries were done and the chef stepped aside so Gabe could fill his plate.
