Protect (The Guardians Book 1)

by K. B. Wheelock

  Gris rifled through the backpack he carried. “What did you find?” he asked, handing her a paper and pencil.

  “I’m not sure, but if it’s what I think it is, it could be significant”. Both men watched as she made a rubbing of the stone.

  Keyne gasped as the outline of wings and a upside down triangle formed. The same image that the R.C. used. Were the stories actually true?

  “Besides the rock, there is nothing here,” Gris said. “Let’s go to the other pond. It should be about one hundred feet to the west of here”. He turned and started walking, with Keyne following.

  Rose slowly got up and looked around. The sun was quickly approaching the horizon and she shivered. She most definitely would not want to be in these woods after dark. The rasp of a bullfrog made her jump, and she scurried to catch up with the men. She could see them walking around a smaller marshy pond. A vine caught her foot pulling her off the path. With a startled scream she fell to the ground and kept going, rotten wood and dirt falling with her. Screaming, she inhaled water as she fell into its ice-cold grasp. Just as quickly, her head popped up and she treaded water, coughing. Above her she could see blue sky and the spindly arms of the trees reaching skyward. Thank God, I didn’t turn into a mouse this time.

  “Rose! Where are you?” Keyne and Gris shouted repeatedly. She could hear them running towards her, the snap of branches deafening in the silence.

  “I’m down here,” she yelled. “I fell through some boards.” Suddenly, the light from above was blotted out as a shape came falling in after her. She quickly moved away as the shape hit the water, splashing her with cold grimy water.

  Gris’s head popped up. “Um, that wasn’t how I planned to find you. Are you okay?”

  Rose nodded, her teeth starting to chatter from the cold.

  A more cautious Keyne peered down the hole. “Are you two okay?”

  “Yes,” shouted Gris. “But our supplies may be a bit wet. Can you get back to the car to get some rope to get us out?”

  “Yes, but it will take at least twenty minutes. Can you get out of the water?”

  Gris peered around the hole that they found themselves in. The water was about 8’ deep in the center, but it seemed to slope up. The room was about 10’ around with smooth mud sides rising above them. There was no way that they would be able to climb out of the pit without help.

  “I think so. It feels like the floor slopes up and there is a dark area behind us that looks like a cave of some kind. We will try to wait over there. Bring some clothes, too. Rose is shaking with cold,” He didn’t mention that the cold was sapping his strength, as well.

  “Okay I’ll hurry. Be safe” Keyne yelled and was off.

  “Rose, let’s try to get over there.” He pointed to the dark area. They half swam, half doggie paddled through the cold water. As Gris’s feet found the muddy bottom, he started to slip and go under water again. “Swim or crawl to the edge,” he sputtered. Finally, they reached the smooth, sloped edge. As Gris had thought, there was an opening in the wall that absorbed the little light that came from the opening they had fallen through. Wringing her hair out, Rose trembled in cold.

  “Did anything in there survive?” She nodded at the pack that Gris had managed to keep ahold of.

  “They claim that this backpack is waterproof. Let’s see how waterproof it is.” He opened the bag and pulled out a flashlight, bottles of water, bags of beef jerky and a slightly damp sweater. “Here take your shirt off and put this on”. He shoved it at her and turned around. He picked the flashlight up and aimed it into the cave. “Huh. Look at these walls.”

  Rose followed him and touched the walls. They reminded her of some jewelry she had seen, they looked like a hammered bronze, though were made of a cold stone. “What kind of equipment would do this?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure, but I want to see where this goes,” he said. Rose followed him, looking back at the watery pit they had fallen into, “But what about Keyne?”

  “He will be at least another fifteen minutes. We can walk 5-7 minutes to see where this goes and then turn around and be back before he is.”

  Curiosity won out over fear, and Rose agreed. The hammered walls continued and widened into a hallway that was about 6 feet across and had a slight downward slope. For being under a forest, no roots or moisture were present, as if a spell were over the walls. After a few minutes they could see a T ahead. “Maybe we should turn around,” Rose said.

  Reluctantly, Gris agreed. He was very curious as to where these tunnels led. “Let’s just get to that T and see what is in either direction.” Turning to the right, he saw the tunnel continue into darkness, to the left it dead ended. “Well, I guess that is that. We will have to come down here with Keyne and explore more.” They turned and started back the way they had come. Rose was slightly ahead of Gris when she heard a thump. Turning around she saw Gris spread out on the ground, looking up she screamed and tried to run. But a hand grabbed her, and she lost consciousness.

  Chapter Ten

  The first thing she became aware of was the pounding in her head. Her eyes were heavy, and maybe it was for the best. If the pounding hurt this much, then she didn’t want to know what light would do to her. She felt for her changing stone, and it was still around her neck but another cord has joined it, it was about quarter inch around and braided. It wasn’t tight on her neck but also was not something that she could just lift over her head and remove. She slowly sat up, clutching her head and looked around. She was in a small room, the walls had the same hammered finish as the hallway. She sat on a bench that was about 3 feet wide and ran along one side of the room. There was nothing else in the room, she couldn’t even see a door in which to leave. Panic filled her as she realized that she was alone and a prisoner.

  A noise had her looking up as a portion of the wall slid open. A robed figure came in followed by a young woman in a white short shift-style dress and sandals, a thin gold braid surrounded her throat and wrist. In her hands was a pile of clothes. “Opaline will help you dress.” A voice rumbled from the hood of the figure standing at the door.

  “Where am I? Who are you? What do you want?” Rose asked, fear making her voice shake.

  “It is irrelevant,” the voice rumbled. “Do as Opaline asks.”

  “Where is Gris? I have friends who will be looking for me–” A dark chuckle interrupted her.

  “You have no friends. You have no one. Your life is forfeit.” And the robed figure turned and walked out sealing the room once more behind the invisible door.

  Opaline walked over to one wall across from the bench and touched the bracelet on her wrist to a spot on the wall. Again, the wall slid back to reveal another room. She pointed Rose towards the room, indicating that she should go in. Rose shook her head. “What do they want with me? I’m not going anywhere until someone tells me what is going on!”

  Again, Opaline indicated the room, not saying a word, her eyes pleading with Rose to do as asked. Instead, Rose sat down, refusing to move. “No, tell me what is going on.”

  The other partition slid open again, and the robed figure came back in, this time followed by a man holding a small thin leather strap. “You will do as Opaline directs, or your punishment will be hers as well,” the robed figure said, the man holding the strap pulled it through his hand as if caressing a lover, a smile on his face. Rose looked from him to Opaline. The fear on Opaline’s face set a fear into her own heart. She didn’t understand what was going on, but she knew that whatever put that fear in Opaline’s eyes was something that she wanted to avoid. Slowly, she nodded her agreement and went to stand next to Opaline.

  The robed figure turned to the man next to him, “Eulle, you will stay here and ensure that our . . . guest complies,” Eulle nodded his head and smiled over at the girls, yet the smile never reached his eyes as he continued to stroke the strap. Once again, the wall closed sealing them in.

  This time when Opaline pointed to the room, Rose quickly complied want
ing to put some distance between her and Eulle. But Eulle followed them to stand in the doorway, obviously not believing she would listen. The room they entered was similar to a bathroom, but also as foreign to one as could be. The back wall was a semi opaque material that allowed diluted light to come into the room. Centered on the wall was a water fountain that flowed into a crystal-clear pool with gems embedded into the bottom and sides. A bench sat along one side of the pool. To the right of the pool was a small half wall. To the left was a shelf with numerous instruments and jars along it and a smooth metal attached to the wall that resembled a mirror.

  Opaline gestured to Rose, miming taking her clothes off. “HELL NO! I am not taking anything off with psycho dude watching!” Fear once again crept into Opaline’s eyes, and a loud crack filled the air, Rose looked over towards the doorway. Eulle grinned, the strap swaying in his hand. Slowly, Rose started to remove her clothes, avoiding looking at Eulle, a flush creeping over her pale skin. As soon as her clothes were removed, Opaline indicated that Rose should step into the water. Rose sighed at the warmth. She might not want to do as asked, but she couldn’t help that the warm water was welcome after the cold water she had plunged into.

  Opaline gently pushed on Rose’s head, without words telling her to go under water. Rose came up sputtering, hair dripping. Opaline didn’t speak, just took one of the bottles and dumped an inky mixture into her hand. The smell of berries and rosemary filled the room. Slowly she worked the solution into Rose’s curls, working her fingers through the tangles. Again, she pushed on Rose’s head and she went under the water. Strong fingers massaged her head, removing all the suds. Rose came back to the surface, the bubbles swirling away through a before unseen channel that went to the area behind the wall.

  Opaline sat on the edge of the pool, a small tool that resembled a razor blade and a pair of tweezers next to her. Touching Rose’s foot she indicated for her to raise her leg. Rose shied away, “Um, no thanks. I can do that myself.” Opaline shifted her eyes towards Eulle. Rose slowly extended her leg. Ever so gently, Opaline ran the blade over her leg, removing any and all hair. She put the leg back into the water and indicated that Rose should lift her other leg up. Rose complied, and the ritual was repeated.

  Next, Opaline indicated that Rose should stand and once she did Opaline picked up the tweezers. “Oh no, Oh no,” Rose quickly stepped back, tripping on the back of the pool. Strong arms grabbed her and held her still. Rose shook like a leaf, so scared that she was for once unable to hear someone’s thoughts. With every pluck of hair, she whimpered and jerked. No one had ever touched her so intimately, yet been so detached. The silence that permeated the room was building upon the fear she already felt.

  Eulle pulled her closer to him, tightening his hold on her, making it harder for her to move as Opaline spread her legs wider, lifting each foot to rest in an indentation. Clearly, she, or someone like her, had performed this ritual many times in this room. Tears coursed down Rose’s face as her body was plucked and scraped smooth. Any time that she moved more than a few inches or did not obey fast enough, the tight arms would punishingly grab her or the crack of the strap could be heard. It never touched her or Opaline, but the air around one or the other would move and make them jump.

  Finally, Opaline stood and moved the tools back to the shelf. She returned with a pencil and a small tub of powder. She indicated that Rose should sit on the shelf and recline in the water. Gently pressing on her eyelids, she indicated that Rose should close them. This part of the ritual at least did not scare Rose. She complied and the pencil was gently dragged along her eyelid and under the corner of her eye. Gentle fingers rubbed a paste into her cheeks and over her lips. Fingers combed through her hair and gentle tugs and pulls let her know it was being stylized. A comb was pushed in to the point that it just touched her scalp, causing her to yelp and open her eyes. Eulle took a step towards her and stopped. Opaline indicated that Rose should step out of the water. A rough cloth was briskly rubbed over her causing her pale skin to pink.

  Opaline walked over to the area behind the wall and mimed squatting over the hole in the ground. Rose assumed this was meant as a toilet. She blushed but complied. At least here she wasn’t under the watchful eye of Eulle.

  Rose whispered “Opaline, what is this place? What are they doing with me?” Opaline just put a finger to her lips, but the crack of the strap was heard and Opaline opened her mouth in a silent scream, tears coursing down her face. Eulle roughly pushed her out of the way and pulled Rose to him. Shaking in fear, she looked at Opaline then back at Eulle. Eulle pulled out a slender piece of leather, less than a quarter inch in width from his belt. Roughly he turned Rose to lean against the wall and the next second she screamed. Her bottom was a fire of pain. Eulle turned her back around, put his finger upon his mouth in the universal sign of silence and then walked back to the doorway. The message was received, talking was not allowed.

  Opaline touched Rose’s hand gently. She handed her a wet cloth and mimed wiping. Opaline took a similar cloth and wiped the fiery red streak that Eulle had left on her. The pain receded, but not the memory. Opaline took Rose’s hand and pulled her towards the mirror. She took a long purple cloth and set it around Rose’s neck, making sure it hung to equal lengths on either side. She then wrapped each side over the opposite breast so it crossed at her neck and tied it in the back. A second purple cloth was wrapped around her waist, barely covering her bottom. Finally she took a scented bottle and pulled a small stick out of it. Jasmine filled the room as she applied the stick to each of Rose’s ears, her wrists, her ankles, and breasts.

  With a small, sad smile Opaline led her back into the room that was now Rose’s prison. With a last sad look, Opaline opened the sliding door and left. Eulle remained, an imposing figure in the room.

  Having no idea how long she had been captive, or where Gris and Keyne were, Rose worried at her lip, wondering what would happen next. Each minute her fear mounted. She had never been good with the unknown, it was why she preferred her books over field work. A noise had her looking up to see that the door was again open, and the cloaked figure was in front of her.

  “It is time” he rumbled. Eulle came and pulled Rose to her feet, ushering her before him and behind the cloaked figure. The halls that they walked through were much like the ones Rose had seen before, but where those were dark and plain, these had torches that lit before they would reach them, a warm glow suffusing the hall. The hammered walls were broken up with tapestries and alcoves with various ceramic pieces. They reached an intersection and turned to the right. Eventually, they came upon a set of double doors that gleamed. Intricate carvings of dragons, werewolves, mages, and winged apparitions appear to flicker and move.

  In front of the doors, stood two guards who opened the door. They walked into a large room. Pockets of cloaked people were scattered around the room, all staring at them as the robed figure led them forward. At the end of the space was a large fire, the smoke disappearing as it rose. Whispering began to spread through the room, looks of awe on their faces.

  The robed figure turned to face the people. A young girl in a white sheath brought him a staff with a large gem on the top. Perched upon the gem an intricately carved winged man stood with his arms outstretched. He pounded the staff in a rhythm that was slowly picked up as some in the room stomped their feet, others clapped their hands, but not a word was spoken. At a prearranged signal, he stopped and the doors opened again. Two soldiers led two men forward, followed by another two soldiers. Rose cried out as she saw the men. Eulle grabbed her arm painfully, and she shut her mouth.

  Gris and Keyne were bare-chested and barefoot. Around each of their necks was a gold braid, similar to the one that Opaline and Eulle wore. Their hands were bound before them, and they stumbled when the guards pushed them forwards. It was clear that they had put up a fight, but had lost. “Rose!” Gris shouted, a crack and scream followed. The guard behind him carried a cat o’ nine tails. The ends had just kissed Gris
’ back, and he stumbled. The guards stopped before the robed figure and then were motioned to stand to his right.

  The deep voice began. “It is time. Many years we have come and gone without anyone knowing of our place here. But these three have come. One shall serve, one shall become one of us and one shall die.” Another young woman came and handed him a branding iron, at the end of the rod was the wings and triangle symbol that had been on the mounting stone. The robed figure set the iron into the fire. “My faithful people. We must choose. Who shall stay and who shall die?”

  Muttering was heard from around the room. The robed figure came to stand in front of Rose, touching her mahogony hair. “This one shall become one of us, to serve as we wish, the rightful place for women.” Rose trembled at his words. “The ten lords may choose, one to train her and decide her fate. Step forward”. Ten cloaked figures stepped forward. “each of you may examine her then you must enter your draught if you wish to be eligible. Remember this opportunity is rare, few stumble upon us.”

  The cloaked men came to Rose, circling her. Even though Rose was covered with the scarfs, she felt naked at their stares. A daring few touched her hair, one dragged a callused finger down her arm. Trembling, Rose stood still, tears coursing down her face. She did not understand what was happening, why she couldn’t change. Why couldn’t she hear the thoughts of these men when they touched her, or Opaline or Eulle’s thoughts earlier?

  Nine of the men walked towards the robed figure with the staff. In one hand he held a bag that each man dropped a draught into. The last man gave Rose a lingering look, and then walked towards the cloaked figure. He put two draughts into the bag. “The draughts are entered. On the morrow the winning draught shall claim her.” Looking over at Eulle, the cloaked figure nodded. Eulle roughly grabbed Rose and carried her to the table in front of the fire. He laid her on her stomach and held her arms. Another guard came and took her feet. The robed figure stood between her and the fire.