The Guardian (Callista Ryan Series)

by Alexandra Weiss

  Callie returned her eyes to Alex’s back. She didn’t mind, for the moment, being compared to property. She didn’t mind that he had an odd habit of not speaking. She realized that this was not the first time that he had saved her, and so she murmured, “Thank you.”

  He turned his head slightly, and she saw his profile as he looked down at the floor. He nodded in acknowledgement, and she thought that he was about to say something. He may well have, except that at that moment, a violent scream rang out through the treetops, rippling towards them.

  Callie jumped at the sound. She had forgotten that they were not the only three people in this forest. She saw Alex jerk his head upwards, and imagined that he was searching the perimeter for the person screaming. He didn’t move, though, and Callie took that to be a sign that the person was nowhere near.

  In a split second, Alex’s wings suddenly shot out, causing Callie to jump backwards. She watched as he stepped backwards, his enormous white wings drawing nearer, so that she was completely blocked from view to whomever might have been outside. She couldn’t see over the wings, but just then she heard a voice.

  “Alex,” a woman called. Callie heard a flutter of air, felt the gust of a breeze. Someone was outside the door, having just flown towards them.

  “What is it?” she heard him growl, his voice shockingly harsh. She focused on the feathers in front of her, near enough that if she simply lifted a hand now, she could reach out and touch them. They were longer than she’d expected, and appeared downy and soft. They protruded from a pucker of pink skin which ran from the bottoms of his shoulder blades to his lower ribs. The two bases of his wings never touched, leaving a bronze patch of bare skin along his spine. After that, the wings extended in graceful arches, reaching outwards as they spread in each direction.

  “Emeric sent me,” the woman continued. “You and Shay are needed.”

  Callie saw Alex’s back stiffen. She watched the contours of his ribs freeze into a more erect posture, his shoulders lifting with tension. Upon the play of skin, she could see the faint, pink line of a jagged scar running parallel to the base of his right wing. It was long and uneven, and Callie wondered what could have made such a mark.

  His wings dropped, folding once more behind his back now that he sensed no threat. Callie was able to peek over his shoulder from where she stood behind him, and saw a Guardian hovering outside of the cottage.

  But this Guardian looked nothing like the ones Callie had seen so far. She had fluid, effervescent hair hanging down to her hips, each strand the color of sunlight. Her small figure was adorned in the same white, backless dress which Shay wore, allowing freedom of motion for her wings, and though it was a simple style, on this woman it might as well have been a ball gown. Her delicate face was the color of fresh cream, her cheekbones tainted a shade of strawberries. Her blue eyes slanted a disdainful look in Callie’s direction.

  She looked like one of the Greek gods that Callie had read about as a child, and Callie was sure that she had never seen anyone so exquisitely lovely. It hurt to look at her, as Callie knew that she would never have a hope of even being compared to this creature.

  Before Callie had even begun to measure the bruises this Guardian had just printed upon her ego, Shay stepped out the door and soared away. The newest woman finished sizing Callie up, looking displeased, and turned to follow Shay.

  Alex turned, pinning Callie with his pure brown eyes. Callie swallowed, recognizing the predatory gleam there. “What are you doing?” she asked. He took a step towards her, closing the short gap between them. “Hey, I asked you—wait, what…I don’t think so!” she said, backing up a step as he reached for her. “Don’t even think about it. Alex!” she cried as he scooped her effortlessly into his arms. “Let me go!”

  He didn’t listen, choosing instead to leap into the air.

  “Hey!” she screamed as they began to weave through the branches.

  She could barely watch as the tree trunks and errant branches and huge leaves threatened to ram into them as they plowed through the forest. She threw her arms around his neck, terrified that he would drop her, and buried her eyes in the crook between his neck and shoulder, unable to watch. Each time a leaf grazed her arm, she nearly jumped out of her skin, sure that they had at last hit a tree. But each time, they continued along at rampant speed, Callie trapped in the arms of what she could only compare to a lunatic driver.

  She felt the soaring wind at her cheek, and peeked forward, watching the foliage zoom past them in fast-forward. After what could have been hours, a house broke through the trees with sudden clarity. It looked much the same as Shay’s house, though the shape was a little narrower in the branches.

  Callie waited for Alex to fly them to the front door, only he began to circle around back instead.

  “Where are we?” Callie asked.

  He held a finger to his lips, cradling her in one arm. When he found a space he seemed satisfied with amongst the tangles of open branches, he halted swiftly and sank to a wide branch. He set her down on top of the branch, carefully adjusting her so that she balanced easily before he let her go.

  “Stay here,” he whispered. She would have protested, but then noticed the way he was looking at her. She nodded, unsure why there was such sadness in his dark features.

  He flew away then, and she heard voices to her right.

  She saw that the branch he had placed her on led to the house she had just seen. The house was settled not five feet away from her, though it was slightly hidden through the mossy leaves. She gently parted the leaves, inching her way along the branch until she could reach forward and touch the wooden walls of the house.

  She leaned against those planks and managed to stand upon the broad branch, and then leaned slightly to her right. A window similar to the one in Shay’s house was carved into this wall, and Callie peeked through it to see who was inside.

  “Emeric, please, don’t do this,” a girl begged. Callie saw the girl standing in the center of a tense circle of people, including Shay, Emeric, the blond woman, and a red-haired woman whom Callie had never seen before.

  Callie noted with shock the sparkling silver color of the red-haired woman’s wings. The girl looked to be a few years younger than Shay, and wore brown braids which swung over her shoulders. She was tall compared to the other women in the room, though shorter than Emeric. Her back was to Callie as she faced Emeric. “Please. I haven’t done anything.”

  Just then, Alex appeared in the doorway, as though having just flown in. He bowed his head in greeting, and then joined the circle. Callie edged forwards, trying to see more clearly. “I apologize for the delay,” he said briskly. He looked at the red-haired woman with a solemn expression. “Adeline,” he said then, by way of greeting.

  “Alexander,” the woman said. Callie craned her neck, but could only see the wild red curls of this new woman’s hair, and nothing else.

  “Well, shall we get on with it?” Emeric asked. “Shay, if you would.”

  Shay stepped into the center of the circle, and the girl shied away at first. Shay paused, and then approached again, and this time the girl held still as though accepting her fate. Shay pinched the upper curve of one of the girl’s wings, pulling it outwards so that it unfolded. Shay peered more closely at the base of the wing, carefully lifting certain feathers this way and that, before replacing it into its natural fold. She then stepped to the opposite side and proceeded to perform the same examination on the second wing.

  Once through, Shay circled around to the front of the girl and peeled open her jaw. The girl released a shaky breath as she opened her mouth, allowing Shay to see inside. The action reminded Callie of being in a doctor’s office, having a strep test performed. After a few moments of this, Shay stepped away, and nodded.

  The girl let out an unexpected scream then, as though having been handed a death sentence. Callie gasped at the shock of it, and several heads in the room snapped to look towards the window. She managed to duck behind
the wall just before any eyes found her.

  After a moment, the voices continued. “You’re sure?” Callie heard Emeric ask. She slowly returned her face to the window to witness what was about to happen.

  Shay nodded again. “The girl is definitely a Siren,” she said. “The bases of her wings have already begun to take on a silvery sheen; no doubt the will be covered within the decade. And her vocal folds show signs of increased oscillation from the call. She is no longer a Guardian.”

  Callie frowned at the verdict. She couldn’t understand it, but from the girl’s reaction, it was the worst possible outcome.

  “No,” the girl sobbed. “Please, I promise I won’t become one of them. I’ll be good, I swear. Please don’t make me leave with her.”

  Alex’s fists clenched, his forearms swelling as the muscles protruded in his anger. Shay had stepped away from the girl now, and appeared disinterested in her pleadings. Emeric was emotionless, his body relaxed.

  “I’m sorry,” Emeric said by way of answer.

  “No!” the girl cried. “No, please don’t! It isn’t my fault. I didn’t mean to—I didn’t do anything wrong!”

  Her sobs were wracking her entire body, and she was visibly quaking with fear. She had clutched onto Emeric’s shoulders in desperation, seeming as though she were about to buckle under the weight of his decision.

  “I know, little one,” Emeric replied coolly, peeling her fingers from his chest. “But your place is no longer in this forest. You must go now.”

  “Please, no,” the girl whimpered, even as he gently pushed her away from him.

  A movement from the red-haired woman stole Callie’s attention. She had sprung into action, confidently traversing the room until she had reached the girl. Without sympathy, she clutched the girl’s wrist and began to drag her over to the door, even as the girl pulled against her with terrified shrieks.

  Callie noticed with some surprise that Alex now stood, blocking the doorway. The woman stopped in front of him, and Callie took in the expression on his face. It was nearly indescribable, it bespoke so much. Most present was anger. But behind that, there was sadness. Disbelief. Bitterness. Callie felt her heart sink at the sight. Even behind the chilling amount of hatred he was exuding, he seemed vulnerable.

  Finally, Emeric said one quiet word which commanded that Alex let them pass. “Alexander.”

  Alex started, and didn’t move for a moment. But then, slowly, he took a reluctant step sideways, a heartbroken goodbye in his eyes. Callie wondered if the girl was about to die.

  The red-haired woman leapt from the doorway, and Callie watched as she towed the girl through the air, undaunted by the fact that the girl didn’t even open her wings, still crying and struggling against the woman’s hold. They disappeared soon after, and Callie shuddered when she thought about what would happen next.

  She planted her hands firmly on the windowsill, hoisting herself up onto the edge of it. She turned around, lifting herself more effectively as she slid onto it backwards. “What is she doing here?” she heard Emeric’s calm voice ask.

  A warm pair of arms wrapped around her, drawing her through the window easily. She turned around once on her feet and saw that it was Alex. She stepped away from the window, into the room.

  “What are you doing here, Callista?” Emeric asked, and she saw that he was looking at her unhappily.

  “I—“ Callie began, but Alex cut her off.

  “I brought her. We couldn’t leave her alone at the house.”

  “Hey, thanks,” Callie said, sparing him a dirty look. “We all know you can’t leave the human alone. She’ll just jump out the window again, right?”

  Alex lifted an eyebrow, as though to say It’s happened before. Callie sighed and shook her head, turning back to Emeric. He was no longer focused on her, however. He stared out into the forest, after the vanished girl, with a disconsolate gaze.

  “Who was she?” Callie asked, uncomfortable with the somber mood in the room.

  Emeric eyed her distantly. “We couldn’t allow her to be here, anymore. It was for her own sake,” he said, as though making an excuse. She wondered why he felt the need to justify his actions.

  “Alright,” she said, holding up her hands in a placating fashion when she noted the fever behind his eyes. She wasn’t sure what to say; she had only known this man for the past few hours, and they hadn’t met under the best circumstances. Was she now supposed to comfort him?

  She heard a shuffle of footfalls behind her, and realized that Alex was standing near to her now. Perhaps it was because he had saved her life today, but she was able to relax a little knowing he was there. She waited for someone to answer her question, and watched as the heat slowly drained from behind Emeric’s eyes. He seemed calm again, his chest rising and falling in smooth measure.

  “Emeric?” she asked.

  He cleared his throat, regaining control. “That, Callista,” he said steadily, “was a budding enemy.”

  Chapter Six

  Recollection

  “What, her?” Callie asked in horror.

  She was sitting on the couch in what Callie now knew to be Emeric’s house. It was more extravagantly decorated than Shay’s; where Shay preferred minimalism and practicality, Emeric seemed to be a collector of fine things. The couch she sat on was made with red velvet. The dining table was built of dark cherry wood, gilded at the corners and along the legs with tasteful restraint. The portraits on the walls were what she could only assume to be original copies of great works, works by men named Apelles, Cimabue, and Van Eyck. She even recognized one of the paintings as being by Michelangelo; it was a picture of a woman holding a goose, the bird’s feathers appearing to grow out of her own flesh. Callie had stared at this painting for a moment too long. It seemed appropriate here, in this house, given its surroundings. Everything was luscious and indulgent, sparing no detail.

  Emeric nodded in response to her question from where he stood in the kitchen, and then walked over to the couch with two glasses of wine. He sat next to her, offering her one of the crystal goblets. She shook her head, wondering if he knew that she was only seventeen, or if he simply had no regard for the rules of her world.

  “What do you mean, an enemy?” Callie asked, looking to Alex and Shay now. The blond woman had left soon after Callie had arrived. Shay sat across from the couch in a wide chair, while Alex sat on the windowsill, glancing occasionally into the forest. Each snap and pop of the fire that Emeric had lit startled Callie; night was an unfriendly time in this strange forest, especially now that there were enemies roaming around.

  “They are named Sirens,” Shay explained, crossing her legs and leaning her chin against her palm. On second thought, Shay reached forwards and took the abandoned glass of wine, and then resettled into the chair.

  “Sirens? Like, in the stories?” Callie asked. “What, they lure sailors to their deaths?”

  Shay smirked across the dimly lit room. “Something like that,” she murmured.

  The fire cracked again, and Callie jumped. Shadows moved across the walls, tongues of fire casting their dances upon the wooden panels. The deep mahogany colors in the room made everything seem a little eerie.

  “But that girl was a Guardian,” Callie protested.

  “Yes,” Emeric said.

  “So why did you make her leave? And what is a Siren, really? I assume they’re not creatures from mythology,” Callie said, unable to help the bitterness that seeped into her voice.

  Emeric sipped his wine and stood up, restless as the night grew long. He didn’t seem to have heard her question, if the way he paced back and forth across the room, apparently lost in thought, said anything about his mindset.

  “Emeric,” she said, and he stopped pacing to look at her.

  “Callista, there is much for you to learn here,” he said, his tone weary.

  “Educate me, then,” she challenged leaning forwards.

  With a sigh, he regained his seat and looked her in the ey
es. “A Siren is a heartless beast,” he said. “She will break your neck as soon as look at you, and you won’t even see her coming. They have no respect for the lives of anyone not of their own kind, and they are resolute about the destruction they cause. Sirens are selfish creatures.” With a sour smirk and a quick shake of the head, Emeric murmured, “Selfish creatures, indeed. They divide their time between adhering to their own desires and planning our demise.”

  “But that girl…” Callie said.

  “Yes, that girl was one of them,” Emeric replied. “She was also one of us as of this morning. Allow me to explain.” He placed his wine on the table, settling into the story. “A Siren is originally a human, just like you. She will have all of the indicators which predict her future evolution into a Guardian; and, usually between her twelfth and seventeenth birthday, she will grow wings and become one of us. She then joins us here in the canopy to live amongst us until, one day, she will accidentally emit a call. This is known as the call of the Siren; neither Guardians nor humans can hear it, but Sirens will detect it no matter how far away they are. It is an excellent form of communication across great distances, a sort of distress signal. The Guardian who has made the call hears it, and realizes her fate, before any of the rest of us do. She has, of course, little control over this new talent while she is in the canopy. At that state of being so inexperienced in Siren practices, she is unable to stop herself from emitting the signal.”

  “A distress signal? Why would they suddenly be distressed if they’ve been living here all that time?” Callie asked.

  “A Siren is always in distress when around a Guardian. The call is involuntarily made in such circumstances, as the body of a budding Siren is agitated and feels the need to call for help. It is not unlike a human screaming when in pain. Eventually, the Siren learns to control her call, and then to use it whenever she chooses,” Emeric explained.