Guardians of Vesturon 2 - Resurrection

by Hargrove, A. M.

  Finally, it was Rayn’s turn to come in.

  “How are your ankle and arm feeling?” he quietly asked.

  “They have been better, but thank you for once again coming to my rescue. I cannot believe I did all of that. I guess I was preoccupied and in a hurry. I am really very sorry about the busts. What can I do to replace them?” she wanted to know.

  “Er… yes, well those were sort of ancient and just maybe a bit irreplaceable,” he said sheepishly.

  “Oh, no! Now I’m sure your parents really hate me!” She looked up at him in remorse.

  “No, they do not hate you at all. They actually think you are making a very wise decision here,” he informed her.

  “I don’t mean about us! I mean about how I destroyed the busts!”

  “Do not worry about those. I am just glad you will be back to yourself by tomorrow. We have plenty of busts in the house, and there were too many anyway,” he said with a smile.

  “Will I ever quit making a mess of things?”

  “I hope not! Maddie, you have a way of keeping things… interesting!” His eyes locked onto hers, and he was silent for a moment.

  Maddie was thinking about how kind he was—kind and considerate, drop dead gorgeous, and completely unselfish.

  “Why would you think I could ever be anything less to you, Maddie?” he asked, reading her thoughts.

  She would probably never get used to the telepathy thing, but she answered him by saying, “Because I’ve made a mess of things and hurt you beyond belief. I would want to hurt me back if I was you.”

  “No, you would never do such a thing. Anyway, it is time for me to leave. You know we are headed back to Earth now. You know how to reach me if you need me, and I will try my best not to send many thoughts your way. However, sometimes, I may not be able to help myself.”

  Maddie thought about that for a moment and blurted, “I want you to send thoughts my way every day. I don’t want to be away from you. I just want to get to know myself a little better. How long before you come back?” She didn’t know how she was going to endure his absence.

  “That is completely up to you. I can come back whenever you are ready. You just say the word, and I am here.”

  “Will I be allowed to visit you?”

  “Oh, you are not under any restrictions here, Maddie. You are Vesturion and are free to go wherever you desire. I just think it is best for me to give you some space. If you want to visit, just say the word.”

  She knew her relief with that piece of news was written all over her face. “I am going to miss you, Rayn. There are no words.”

  “None for me either, Maddie.”

  He wrapped his hands in her hair and brought it to his face, inhaling her essence. Then, he brushed her lips with his and disappeared.

  Part Three

  ~ The Academy ~

  Chapter 1

  Lysandra Ballistarius sat at the table, huddled over a piece of paper, furiously scribbling on it. Maddie tried to sneak a peek, but she wasn’t rewarded with much. Taruk sat next to his wife, patiently watching her. Finally, she looked across the table at her granddaughter and said, “I think this should do it.”

  Lysandra spun the page around, and Maddie looked at what appeared to be a schematic drawing of her family tree. “Now, let me see if I can do this justice. This starts with my grandparents, who, as you know, were Nunne’hi. This goes back to before the early days, when our people were awarded the land from the government, and the reservation was established. It wasn’t until this time...” She pointed to a line indicating to 100 or so years later. “...that Taruk appeared. He came as a Guardian, and that is when we met. I think you know what happened next. We united, and your mother, Mariah was born. Unfortunately, Taruk had to return to Vesturon, and eventually, I joined him. Your mother lived with my sister until she went to college where she met your father. Now, here is where it gets interesting...”

  She dragged the paperback, made a few more marks on it and spun it back toward Maddie. “Your father was of Irish descent and his grandfather was a Guardian as well. His ancestors were descended from the ancient Celts and that is how his grandparents met. Like the Nunne’hi, the Celts were also connected to the Guardians. So, Maddie, your blood runs deep with Vesturion heritage. I believe that is why your Vesturion traits have manifested themselves so strongly. That seems to happen when you are exposed to other Vesturions. It was only a matter of time before things started happening to you that you wouldn’t have been able to explain.”

  “Why do you think my dad never told me any of this?” Maddie wondered aloud.

  “My guess is that he was planning to, but he simply died unexpectedly before he had the opportunity,” Taruk explained.

  Lysandra asked Maddie whether or not Rayn related to her the breadth of talent the Vesturions can have.

  “You mean telekinesis and all?”

  Taruk nodded. “Some of us have preternatural and even supernatural talents. Besides telepathy, some of us also have telekinetic powers. Some possess unsurpassed intellect, like Rayn. This can come in the form of a photographic memory or simply the ability to possess perfect recall. Still others possess immense strength and speed and the unique Power of Command. And by now, I am quite sure you have experienced the wonderful gift of Relief we can impart. It is perhaps our greatest gift… the ability to calm others by a mere touch. Perhaps Rayn or his siblings didn’t want to frighten you with all of these anomalies.”

  “Would it be possible for me to develop any of these now that I am here?” Maddie curiously asked.

  Taruk and Lysandra looked at each other, and Maddie could feel that they were communicating. She knew they were withholding something from her, so she asked without hesitation, “What are you not telling me?”

  “Maddie, when you were a small child, your mother observed telekinetic powers in you. She worried about this because earthlings, as you know, don’t possess these powers. She wanted this ability of yours suppressed until you were older and able to deal with it. We believe that your parents never had the opportunity to let you know this,” Taruk stated.

  Lysandra added, “We were in constant communication with your mother when she was alive, Maddie. She told us of many incidents where she would find you surrounded by your favorite toys and she hadn’t given them to you. She also told us about times when you were angry how you would make pictures and other objects fly around the room. She worried incessantly that others would see your powers before you learned to control them.”

  Maddie was astounded and amazed at the same time. Excitement filled her mind, and the feelings were so strong that both Lysandra and Taruk both felt the force of them.

  Maddie wanted to test this power of hers, so she started to concentrate on moving her grandmother’s pen. Suddenly, the pen slid out of Lysandra’s hand and right into Maddie’s.

  “Oh. My. Gosh. I did not expect that to happen!” she exclaimed with a very satisfied look upon her face.

  Taruk quickly admonished her. “Maddie, you must have a care when doing that. You can injure yourself, or worse yet, someone else. If this power isn’t carefully controlled, you can accidentally move things that are fairly heavy, and if someone got in the way, well, you can guess how an injury could occur,” he concluded.

  That was something she had not considered, and she immediately felt guilty about her little experiment.

  “We need to teach you to harness this power and use it in an appropriate way,” Taruk continued.

  “Can we start now? I really want to learn!”

  Both of her grandparents laughed, and they decided they would give Maddie her very first lesson after lunch.

  They loved having Maddie living with them, but they were still a bit concerned about her relationship with Rayn. She assured them repeatedly that she had every intention of marrying him, but that she needed to undertake this journey of learning about and understanding her new world.

  “We just want to make sure that you are making
the right decision regarding you and Rayn. He is the finest of men, and he will make a wonderful mate. We do not want you to have any regrets regarding this,” Lysandra explained.

  After they ate, they started her first lesson in telekinesis. Lysandra instructed Maddie to move the pen on the table. She told her that she would need total concentration and that the power would need to flow from her mind outward.

  Maddie tried to focus all of her thoughts and energy on her first object. She closed her eyes and concentrated everything she had on it, blocking out any other thoughts. She started to feel a slight tingling in her hands, as if there was a tiny electrical current issuing forth. The tingling sensation grew, and Maddie could literally see a glow coming from her hands. Once she saw it, she felt the glow reach out and move the pen.

  Her grandparents were watching closely as Maddie caused the pen to move across the table toward her. Maddie excitedly screeched, “Did you see that glow? It felt like it tingled out of me directly to the pen. I knew it was going to move before it actually did.”

  “That’s exactly right. Only you can see the glow though, Maddie. Just as you cannot see mine, I cannot see yours,” Lysandra explained.

  “That is so cool! What else can I try?” Maddie asked.

  They decided to keep the objects very small until they were sure that Maddie had total control over her power. They soon discovered that her powers were very strong, and they realized it wouldn’t be long before she progressed.

  ********

  Maddie’s days sped by in a blur. Taruk had hired Athyna Montelveldo as a tutor for her in many different subjects including, science, and Vesturion history. He thought it would be imperative that she learn about Vesturion politics and its governments as well as its relationship to Earth and other planets. Athyna was exceedingly brilliant in many areas and had taught at the Academy in years past. She and Maddie were close friends and allies, as Athyna and Therron seemed to have a growing interest in one another.

  Taruk was also instructing her on how to develop her other Vesturion powers. Besides telekinesis, Maddie possessed acute hearing, speed, and agility. She was experiencing rapid turnover at the cellular level, her bones and muscles becoming denser, resulting in an amazing increase in her strength. Maddie’s telepathic abilities were nearly fully developed, and she had also learned how to block her thoughts so that they weren’t broadcast for all to hear.

  She was unaware of how strong and fast she had become until one day when she was on the exertron, an advanced version of the treadmill, she noticed she was effortlessly running thirty miles per hour. Until then, she was clueless to how fast she had become. She would have to test her real speed soon.

  ********

  One afternoon, they received a summons that their presence was required at the Yarrister palace. No other explanation was given, and Maddie began to worry that something had happened to Rayn.

  They immediately teleported there, and Maddie nearly knocked Therron over in her rush to find some answers.

  They were quickly joined by Rowan and Annalise, who imparted the distressing news.

  “The Command Center has intercepted an encrypted message from Xanthus that does not bode well for us,” Rowan began.

  He explained that the message came from a warring faction from the planet of Xanthus, known for their invasive marauding of other solar systems. This group of invaders was headed toward Earth to try to tap into its natural resources.

  “Xanthus has been in a civil war for centuries. Evidently, their own planet is now close to complete deletion of its resources, and they are on a mission, seeking other places to raid. We tried over the years to warn them of their careless ways, but they were unwilling to heed our missives. Now, we fear, they are taking a stab at salvaging their society at Earth’s expense,” Rowan explained.

  The Guardians had been called in to halt their advances and give them an opportunity to turn back. If they agree, it would be a peaceful mission. If they refused, they have no choice but to go to war. They would not let them take over Earth.

  The Guardians will also need to protect Earth, if war ensues. If they cannot stop the Xanthians before they progress to Earth, they will need all the Guardians there to protect the humans from destruction. Therron would be leaving immediately with the Star Transporters to lead the Guardians in the brigade to stop the Xanthians from progressing any further. Rowan would head to Earth, because the Guardians currently there would meet to review and ensure that their high level protective plans were in place.

  “I have to go with you,” Maddie stated. “Give me a moment to grab some things.”

  Rowan looked at her with admiration and said, “Maddie, that is a courageous thing you offer, but I will not allow it. You, my dear, would only be a distraction for Rayn. He needs to be totally immersed in his duties as the Leader of the Guardians. It would not be ideal for him if you were there. He would be too worried about you.”

  All present in the room hit Maddie with their thoughts, and it was difficult to argue with their logic. She didn’t know if she could function though, worried about Rayn.

  They all hit her back mentally, but Lysandra spoke aloud. “Maddie, you know Rowan is right. You cannot go.”

  Both Therron and Rowan bid their farewells and were gone, leaving the rest of them in mental turmoil.

  Chapter 2

  A month passed when they received word from Therron that the Guardian brigade had been unsuccessful with the Xanthians and that they were going to war. Sharra was called back from Earth to command the Star Avengers, a group of strategic pilots that would be focused on immobilizing their invaders. Sharra was one of the best fighter pilots on Vesturon, and they needed her strategic expertise to carry out this mission.

  Upon hearing this news, Maddie dashed to the palace. Sharra would be staying there until all arrangements for the Avengers were complete.

  “Oh Sharra! You must promise to be careful. I will be so worried about you,” Maddie gushed.

  “Maddie, do not worry. This will be a piece of candy for me.”

  Maddie interrupted her, “You mean cake... a piece of cake.”

  “Yes, well that too. I am excited about leading this mission, and I do not expect to be gone for long,” Sharra told her.

  “Sharra, how is Rayn holding out? Does he… ?”

  “He misses you terribly and is working very hard. I know he will be glad when this is over, and we all can settle back down. But, Maddie, Rayn is strong, and he will be ok.”

  “Sharra, I will miss you. I have missed you so much. Be careful, and don’t do anything rash, okay? Promise me?” Maddie begged.

  “I promise, sister. After all, I still have a unification ceremony and reception to plan, right?”

  Maddie grinned and said, “Absolutely, and I wouldn’t dream of doing it without you. I love you, Sharra!”

  She quickly left, before Sharra could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. She refused to show any weakness as Sharra had so many more things to worry about right now.

  ********

  They were kept current on all activities, and things seemed to be going well for Vesturon. The Xanthians were unusually resilient, but they were showing huge signs of weakness in their ranks. There was dissension amongst its citizens, and the military leaders were losing the confidence of its people. The Vesturions were hopeful that this conflict would be resolved within another six months.

  Maddie visited Rowan and Annalise daily. She had earned their respect, and they kept her informed of all activities that involved their children.

  Therron was now stationed in the furthest quadrant of the Aqualine Galaxy as the final deterrent for the advancement of the Xanthians. Xarrid was with him, acting as the head of the Command Center. Xarrid was responsible for intercepting all communiques from Xanthus and breaking down their encryption.

  Meanwhile, Maddie worked diligently with her grandparents to develop her skills and powers. She had attained the level where her grandparents could
no longer teach her. Her powers simply surpassed theirs. Her telekinesis was exceptionally strong. They had taught her to harness it and to only call upon it in extreme emergencies. It was nothing at all for her to move small objects around, and they told her to practice this daily so that her powers would stay sharp.

  Her physical strength even amazed Maddie. She could fight! She became an expert in the martial arts and was fast. She could drop her opponents before they knew what hit them. She felt worthless, however, and had a burning to be involved with a cause.

  ********

  “I want to become a Guardian,” Maddie breathlessly announced. She was slightly winded from her run to the palace.

  Rowan glanced at Annalise.

  “I should have expected this, but you have taken me by surprise, Maddie. I have heard how adept you have become with your abilities.” Rowan didn’t tell her of the praises he continually heard about. There were too many to recount.

  “Maddie, becoming a Guardian is not an easy task.”

  “I know that, Annalise, but I want to do it. I have been training, and I am now at the top ranking in my fighting abilities. I am strong—really strong,” she said with a giggle.

  “It takes more than physical strength, Maddie,” Rowan added. He was examining her and noticing how much more developed her muscles had become.

  “Please, I know all of that. I have done a significant amount of research on it. I want to do it. I want to become skilled. Look, Rayn will want to lock me up in a gilt cage because of his protective instincts. If I can learn to take care of myself, fight back, and defend myself, he will be more likely to allow me to stay with him. I don’t want to live sheltered in a cage.”

  “You will be tested to the limit, physically and mentally. Some students break in the process, Maddie. It is difficult, and it takes time.” Rowan worried what could happen to her during this training.

  “I know. Look, I have been through some undesirable situations, and I am prepared to face whatever it takes. Please!”