About a hundred men and women were warming up inside the pit, some using jump ropes and freestanding punching bags while others jousted with wooden staffs or sprinted around the pit, which was now five times its usual size. It had been completely gutted out, all the seats and the booths removed to create more space. More Guardians training meant more weapons, which lined the wall.
The other Cardinal Psis smiled and waved to the Guardians they knew. Growing up on Earth meant I’d never had any contact with the SGs in Xenith while all the Psi Cardinals, like Remy, Sykes, Izzy, and Kim, hadn’t moved to Earth until they turned sixteen. Before, I would have been envious of them. Lately, I’d come to appreciate my unorthodox upbringing.
I made eye contact with men and women I’d only seen from afar in the cafeteria, until I saw a familiar face—Lucien. He waved enthusiastically. I smiled and waved back. Two more familiar faces jumped at me from a group on my right. They were the SGs I’d met on the island the day I was attacked. They smiled and nodded.
“Guardians,” Master Haziel barked, “I want half of you on this side of the pit,” he pointed to his right, “and the other half on this side.” He pointed left. “Grab a wooden staff.”
The room split, leaving a clear area in the middle section.
“Cardinals, put your swords away and move to the middle of the pit.”
We did as Master Haziel instructed. Now there were two empty areas between us and the SGs. Just wide enough for a combat zone, except the Guardians had weapons and we didn’t.
As though he heard me, Master Haziel added, “Cardinals, use whatever means of defense you can to stop them. There are about one-hundred fifty of them and nine of us. Let me know when you are ready, Cardinals.”
I looked at the other Cardinal Psis from the corner of my eyes. They looked worried as they studied the SGs.
This is bull, the blond whiner telepathed.
Shut up, dude, his curly-haired friend snapped. We need to come up with a plan.
We need weapons, the blond insisted.
We are the weapons, I wanted to correct him.
Then he would have given them to us, the quiet member of the trio said. He rarely said much. Our gazes met. What do you think, Lil?
I shrugged. We use all our abilities to win this.
Uh, please, Onora said. It’s obvious he wants us to use the move Mrs. Deveraux has been teaching us.
But we haven’t mastered it, Cat-eyes griped.
We’ll do the best we can, Onora said, glancing at everyone except me. Let’s stand back-to-back, four facing one group and four the other. Lil can fight both sides.
I was tempted to let them take a beating, but Mrs. D’s words kept ringing in my head. My gaze collided with hers. She stood near the door, arms crossed and narrowed eyes locked on me. Opposite her, near the weapons on the wall, was Master Haziel. His eyes were closed as though he was meditating. He didn’t fool me.
Onora opened her mouth to signal him, but I cut her off. We are not ready, Onora.
Her eyes narrowed. Excuse me?
Just listen without interrupting, okay? I glanced at the others. They were all looking at me with suspicion. I know how Master Haziel thinks. This little jousting thing is a test or a lesson, and you won’t like the results if you treat it as a joke. Nothing happens in this enclave without his knowledge. He knows about the dinner fiasco and that we are not getting along, and this is his way of telling us to start acting like a team or else. They continued to stare at me like I had two heads. Do you want to double your training hours?
They shook their heads.
So what do you say we surprise him by joining forces and doing this right?
Why should we trust you? Onora asked.
Because I have nothing to lose while you do.
What do you mean? the blond asked.
You have former teachers, childhood friends, even relatives in this room. When you fail, guess who will be humiliated?
Silence followed my question. I didn’t expect an answer anyway.
We are Cardinal Psi Guardians, guys. We don’t get defeated by the very people we’re trying to protect. So let’s knock them on their butts. Play games with their minds. Use your power of persuasion to turn them against each other. And when they are down, let’s place swords as a barrier between us and them.
Chuckles and nods followed.
Like Onora said, four face one group and four the other.
And you? Onora asked.
I grinned. I’m not going to let you guys have all the fun. Just remember, we are to disarm them, not seriously injure them.
She nodded, then turned to face the other side.
“Ready,” I called out.
“Forty-five seconds,” he snapped, looking up. “If this was a real battle, we would all be dead.”
How did he do that? He didn’t even own a freaking watch. “Next time we’ll have a plan before we come to the pit,” I said.
He humphed. “Start in three, two, one…go.”
The SGs charged, but we were ready.
We were still laughing when we left the pit and headed back to the Psi classroom.
“Did you see Master Haziel’s face when we had half the guys fighting each other while the others pinned to the wall with the swords?” Cat-eyes asked.
“That’s the most fun we’ve had since arriving here,” Onora added.
“Do you think he’ll make the others go through something similar?” the annoying blond asked.
“I hope so, but we can’t tell them,” his curly-haired buddy said. “I want to watch Haakon get taken down.”
I frowned, following their conversation. “You want to see your friends fail?”
“Like an escapee from Tartarus.” They laughed and bumped fists. “Haakon is one of the Earth Guardians in our team. He believes their ability is superior to ours,” Curly-hair added.
All Guardian abilities had their pros and cons. I’d seen Remy rip apart a wall of steel like it was nothing, then reduce it to something so light you could blow on it and watch it float away. But he had to physically connect with an object. The strong winds Kim created could move anything, yet they were useless in a confined place. Energy turned everything into dust, yet it was so lethal Sykes rarely used it during sparring. The same could be said of water abilities. Water Guardians sucked moisture out of anything, mummifying live things in a matter of seconds. Stopping time wasn’t something Time Guardians did often, because it drained them and they then had to speed up time to make things right. However impressive, they were nothing compared to psi abilities. The mind was the most powerful of all organs, yet it was also the easiest to manipulate.
We entered the classroom, but it was empty. Where was Mrs. D? For a moment, we stood around awkwardly.
“Thanks for coming up with a plan back there,” the redhead said out loud, though he stood right in front of me. “If you hadn’t, we would have been crushed.”
I shrugged. “There’s no need to thank me. We’re a team.”
“I know we didn’t really introduce ourselves.” His face grew red as he offered me his hand. “I’m Kent.”
I grinned. “Like Clark Kent?”
“Who?” he asked.
“Son of Krypton…red-blue blur,” I tried to clarify, but he still looked puzzled.
His blond sector mate draped an arm around his shoulder. “Kent here is more into books than comics or TV, so you have to very specific with him. She means Superman.” He extended his arm in the air for emphasis. As if possible, Kent grew redder until his cheeks matched his red, unruly hair. He appeared much younger than his teammates.
“I’m Nioclas, but everyone calls me Nio,” the blond said, drawing my attention back to him. He turned and beckoned his curly-haired friend forward. “He’s Sim, short for Simiel. The three of us are from Brussels, Northeast Sector.”
“Yuki,” Onora’s partner, the one I was convinced was a Nosferatu, said and moved closer.
“Eva,” the cat-ey
ed Cardinal from Buenos Aires said then introduced the rest of her team. “Fiona and Oscar.”
Once again, I found myself staring at Eva’s eyes. “Nice to officially meet you guys.”
“So what are we going to do now that we’ve made nice?” Nio asked, rubbing his hands. “The teacher is gone and Master Haziel is nursing bruised egos in the pit. Is there a cool hangout joint around this valley? And why did you guys choose this place as your base? Why not New York or L.A., somewhere with entertainment and nice restaurants?”
“We don’t like our Cardinals distracted, Cardinal Nioclas,” Mrs. D said from the doorway. “Besides, those so-called entertainments are only a teleport away. I’ve some news I need to share before we go back to practice.”
No one complained about going back to practice, though I felt their disappointment. We moved closer.
“Master Haziel was so impressed by your performance he’s decided to make it part of our daily routine, which means coming up with new ways to beat the SGs. You know what they say about using the same move…”
“You opponent expects it and comes up with a countermove,” I said, repeating Master Haziel’s words.
“That’s right,” Mrs. D said. “Also, from today, you will spend more time together, which means you will sit together during lunch and dinner.” She paused, giving us time to protest.
Once again, no one spoke, though I read mixed feelings from them—relief, disappointment, excitement. I usually looked forward to having dinner with my friends, but since we met afterwards at Sykes and Remy’s, I didn’t mind.
“You understand what I just said?” Mrs. D asked. “No more eating with your sector teammates.”
“Yes, ma’am,” we said in unison.
Mrs. D frowned. “What have you done with my disagreeable Psi Team?”
We laughed.
She chuckled. “Okay, back to work. You might have won the first joust, but we have more work to do.”
We trained for another hour, the rest of the team slowly warming up to Mrs. D as they realized her occasional sharpness wasn’t an attempt to belittle them. She had high expectations, just like Master Haziel.
“She’s not that bad,” Onora said as we left the Academy.
“What are your trainers like?” I asked.
“Intimidated by us most of the time,” she answered. The others nodded.
“Who can blame them? We’re superior,” Nio said.
“Shut up, Nio,” Sim told him. “We are stronger Psis, that’s all. With that comes responsibility. Why do you think Lil warned us during the match? We could easily have hurt the SGs.”
Nio flipped him off.
We teleported once we reached HQ hallways. Even with the students and the Civilians gone, we still didn’t teleport from the Academy. At home, I got in the shower. I was getting dressed when I heard movements coming from the kitchen. A quick scan and I grinned. Grampa was home. I’d missed him. I didn’t see much of him anymore, since it seemed like all his time was taken with teaching or searching for the Summoners.
Removing the towel I’d wrapped around my head, I left my room and followed the sounds to the kitchen. He stood in front of the stove, stirring something. His hair seemed to have turned gray overnight.
“Whatcha cookin’, Grampa?” I asked, walking to his side.
“Cream of potato soup.” He dropped an arm around my shoulders and dropped a kiss on my temple. “How’s training?”
“Gruesome. We took out half the SGs during a mock attack.”
He chuckled but appeared distracted.
“Where’s Aunt Janelle?” I asked.
“She’ll be here shortly. Would you like to share our soup?”
I hated potato soup. “Sorry, I can’t. I have to join the other Cardinal Psis for lunch.”
He leaned back to study me, his craggy eyebrows raised. “Have to?”
“Mrs. D’s brilliant idea to make us one big, happy family. Whether it works is another story.” I leaned against the counter and studied him. This would have been the perfect time to bring up the Specials again, but he looked exhausted. His eyes drooped with fatigue and his emotions—he was frustrated and concerned. His beard had grown longer and whiter, too. “So? How are things going?”
“The same.”
“Are you still trying to find the Summoners?”
Instead of answering, he looked at his watch. “Shouldn’t you be heading to the cafeteria?”
In other words, he wasn’t going to discuss anything with me. “Do you know my birthday is coming up?”
“Already? With everything happening, I totally forgot.”
“Grampa!”
He chuckled. “It is in three days, I know. We’ll have a small celebration with your friends.”
I sighed. My birthday was the one day I reconnected with my Gypsy relatives. We always watched a special performance by my grandmother’s Kalderash circus.
“Can I visit my cousins after we defeat Raphael?” I asked.
A look I couldn’t define crossed his face and my heart sank.
“We are going to defeat them, right?” I asked.
“Of course. Oh, and taking charge of the situation like you did during the mock attack was very good. No matter how disagreeable your teammates are, when your plan is sensible, they’ll always listen to you.”
Ilaughed. Like Master Haziel, he always knew everything that happened around here. I reached up and kissed his cheek. His beard tickled my nose.
“I love you, Grampa.”
I teleported and appeared in the hallway outside HQ offices, then raced toward the Academy’s cafeteria. Everyone was already seated, a low buzz in the air. Onora and Nio waved me over to the Psi Team table at end of the room. Eating in here the last two days had been torture. Our team had received glares from the other Cardinals as soon as we walked in. Today, everything seemed brighter. Smiling, I started across the huge room.
A moan came from my right followed by, “My back.”
When two more echoed it, I slowed down and glanced at the table. It was occupied by the SGs. One by one, they clutched parts of their body and moaned as though in pain. A second table picked up the cry of pain. Then the third.
I stopped and the moaning ceased. I studied the SGs’ serious expressions, lowered my shield, then grinned. They weren’t hurt. They were just messing with me. The walls of the pit weren’t padded and we hadn’t exactly played nice during the mock attack, but no one had broken anything. They had all been on their feet when we left. Besides, their bruises had been superficial and easily self-healed.
Grinning, I continued walking. The fake cries picked up and, like a wave, moved from table to table, perfectly synchronized with my walk across the room. My cheeks grew hot. One thing was for sure, they were not going to quit until I said something. But what was I supposed to say?
I stopped again, bit my lower lip and studied them. Some were grinning, while others still wore the fake grimaces. “Do I need to apologize for the Psi Team?” I asked.
“Yes,” the SGs yelled in unison, as though their performance was staged.
“No,” the Psi Team called back from their table. They were on their feet, waving and shaking their heads.
I glanced at the SGs and shrugged. “Sorry, Guardians. I must side with my team. After all, that was just the first round,” I added jokingly.
The SGs nearest me started murmuring, “Rematch…rematch… rematch…”
The rest of them picked up the chant, about three hundred men and women, half of whom hadn’t even been in the pit.
The Psi table whistled and yelled, “Bring it on…bring it on…bring it on…”
The chanting echoed around the cafeteria. My gaze connected with Sykes’ at the Energy Team table. He looked confused. Remy and the others also wore puzzled expressions
What’s going on? Remy telepathed.
Let’s meet after lunch and I’ll explain. I continued on to my table and was surprised when everyone raised their han
ds to high-five me. I sat beside Kent. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to crush them again,” Nio said and bumped fists with Sim.
“We thought you abandoned us,” Onora said as soon as I sat.
“Why would I do that?” There were serving bowls of salad and soup in the middle of the table, along with platters of fruit and sandwiches. I floated my plate to the salad bowl and served myself. “My grandfather was home, and I hadn’t seen him in a while.”
The conversation around our table was lively. They wanted to know about my childhood, growing up with the Gypsies, being on the road with Grampa. I did my best to answer, but my gaze kept going to the senior Cardinal Guardians’ table. It was empty. A quick scan indicated Bran wasn’t in the valley. Cardinals Seth and Moira were missing too. Grampa, Aunt Janelle and Cardinal Hsia were at my place. Where were Bran and the other two Cardinals?
I finished my salad and was reaching for an apple when Nio asked, “Can you take us downtown sometime?”
“Sure. When?”
“This afternoon?”
“Oh yes, please,” Onora piped in. “We’ve been cooped up here for three days straight with nothing to do but play games when not training. Cabin fever is starting to kick in.”
Since the junior and mid-level Cardinals were houseguests of the senior Cardinals, their houses didn’t have electronics. “Give me an hour to arrange something. We’ll probably need cars and drivers. A good thing the Civilians left their cars behind.”
“Why do we need cars?” Eva asked.
“Yeah, why not just teleport there?” Sim added.
I shrugged. “Because we’re not allowed to. We drive. Don’t you?”
“No, but I could learn,” Nio said. “How hard can it be if humans do it?”
Was he serious? I cocked my brow at the others. They shook their heads. “You’re kidding. You do not drive?”
“We have no need for cars,” Onora said.
“How do you get to school, blend in with the other students?” I asked.
“We’ve all graduated; before, Civilian drivers drove us to and from school,” she said. “As for humans, we didn’t interact with them.”
“We still don’t,” Nio added. “To blend in, we just observe and imitate their behavior.” He grabbed Kent’s arm. “Kent can learn how to drive in seconds if you have a manual. He’s something of a super genius.”
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