Mercy (The Guardians Series 1)

by Wendy Saunders

  Knowing she had to keep moving, she fought the drowsiness, lifting her head and reaching for the bank. It was like trying to swim through clay, clawing her way towards solid ground. Taking a chance and letting go of the roots she made a grab for the bank and dug in. Hauling her battered body out of the icy water was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. Her nails dug into the soil as she crawled slowly and painfully up the bank back towards the woods.

  She shakily pushed herself to her hands and knees but as she took a breath and tried to stand she collapsed in a heap. Her ankle wouldn’t take her weight and her body was too heavy. Dragging herself inch by painful inch towards the nearest tree she rolled over, her breath expelling from her lips as a fine mist. She could barely feel anything now; her eyes drifted closed leaving her unaware of the filthy fog draping itself over her body in the grotesque parody of a lover’s caress. She vaguely thought she heard someone in the distance calling her name and then the darkness claimed her.

  ‘OLIVIA!’ Theo shouted again and again, panic was gripping him by the throat now. How could he find her, he could barely see a foot in front of him. He was aware Jake had followed him into the woods and was behind him somewhere but he couldn’t see him either.

  He stumbled onward blindly, she was here somewhere. He could feel her. Stopping for a moment he strained to hear a sound, any sound which might give away her location. There was nothing but an eerie silence shrouded by the thick greasy fog.

  Suddenly out the corner of his eye he caught a flutter of light, but as he turned towards it, it disappeared into the mist. It came again, a faint red glow hovering in the air, before a roll of fog covered it once again. Quickening his pace he moved toward the strange light. This time when the mist parted he saw it was moving towards him. He skidded to a halt and watched as it buzzed back and forth through the air weaving on the air current, before it shot towards him, pausing barely two feet in front of him. His breath caught in his throat at the wonder before him.

  It hung in the air hovering. It looked like a huge dragonfly but was composed entirely of flames. Its gossamer wings blurred with sparks of gold and yellow and flecks of red.

  It was her. It was her magic and it was reaching out to him.

  ‘Take me to her,’ he whispered urgently.

  The dragonfly shivered in delight and circled him madly twice before shooting off into the woods. He took off after it, racing to keep up, dodging trees and branches.

  Suddenly it stopped and plummeted to the ground. At first he wasn’t sure what he was looking at, all he could see was a pale, dirty crumpled heap splayed out on the cold damp ground. But as the dragonfly dived the heap twitched. Theo’s stomach turned over in horror as he realised just what he was looking at.

  ‘No!’ He rushed forwards and dropped to his knees.

  Olivia’s spine arched sharply as the dragonfly plunged into her chest, glowing beneath her ribs as it was reabsorbed into her body. She slumped lifelessly back to the ground as Theo scooped her into his arms and pulled her against his body. Her nightgown was soaked through and plastered to her skin, covered in mud and blood. Her hair hung in thick wet ropes against her pale skin. Blood trailed the side of her face from a cut at her temple and her lips were turning blue.

  Theo pulled off his jacket and wrapped her up in it tightly. Her skin was like ice, he needed to get her inside quickly.

  ‘Jake,’ he called out into the fog.

  ‘I’m coming,’ the muffled voice replied.

  ‘Olivia,’ Theo stroked her face, grasping her chin and shaking her gently, ‘Olivia, open your eyes.’

  Slowly she stirred, her eyes rolling back in her head as she tried to focus.

  ‘Olivia,’ he repeated more forcefully, ‘stay with me.’

  Her eyes met his, her gaze slightly unfocused as she tried to speak.

  He couldn’t hear her, her voice was barely more than a croaky whisper. Leaning closer he moved his ear closer to her lips.

  Before he could puzzle out what she meant, he heard a sharp growl and his head snapped up. That sounded too close and too big to be a stray dog. Sliding his arms around her back and under her knees he lifted her quickly and carefully.

  ‘Jake!’ he called again urgently.

  Jake burst through the fog, his weapon drawn. His eyes widened as they fell on Olivia draped lifelessly in Theo’s arms. His was about to speak when the growl came again, low and menacing. Jake raised his weapon training it on the fog, his eyes sweeping back and forth restlessly as he placed Theo and Olivia protectively behind him. This time when the growl came it was accompanied by an angry snarl.

  ‘Theo run!’ Jake shouted.

  Theo turned and bolted through the trees cradling Olivia gently in his arms. He heard Jake fire once, twice and then take off right behind them, shouting directions as they cut through the fog. It was gaining on them, whatever it was. They broke through the edge of the tree line breathing heavily. The mist had now spilled out of the woods and across the grassy expanse between them and Olivia’s house.

  ‘What the hell?’ Jake breathed.

  Silver coloured rings rose up in the mist, pale and ghostly, surrounding Olivia’s property. They would have been mesmerising if not for the ominous growling and snarling coming from behind them. They caught vague glimpses as the fog writhed and shifted. It was hard to get a sense of the creature without actually seeing it, but it was big almost as tall as a small horse and its form was black and skeletal.

  ‘They must be Olivia’s protective wards,’ Theo started towards them, ‘we need to get her inside the circle.’

  Behind him he could hear Jake fire again as they both ran flat out for the shining silver discs rising to form a column.

  The creature was snapping at their heels but they didn’t dare look back.

  Theo was breathing hard, his lungs burning as he gripped Olivia tighter. He felt Jake stumble next to him but just about manage to stay upright, they were almost there. With a final burst of speed and a roar of adrenalin he leapt through the ethereal light closely followed by Jake. They spun around just in time to see the creature in all its terrifying glory leap behind them. It crashed into the silvery light with a sickening impact and fell to the ground hissing. It climbed to its feet, its white dead looking eyes glaring at them hatefully as it paced back and forth growling deep in its throat.

  Theo had never seen anything like it, it was huge. Its body was black and corpse-like with patches of mangy fur hanging off it in filthy looking clumps. Drool hung from its jaws, which hung open revealing rows of tiny needle pointed teeth.

  Suddenly it rushed forwards throwing its emaciated body against the silvery shield. It shied away and a large patch of burned flesh appeared at its shoulder, raw and angry. It growled and rushed the shield again and again. Each time it burned and singed its body but the creature didn’t seem to care, it kept on relentlessly.

  Olivia stirred in Theo’s arms. One of the protective rings suddenly tore, shredding into thin silvery threads which crashed to the ground like shards of glass. Both Theo and Jake took an involuntary step back as the creature charged the rings again. Its skin was torn at its shoulder and across its muzzle. The wounds oozed sickly blackened blood, revealing bleached white patches of bone and yet it continued to hack away at the shield trying to get to Olivia.

  ‘Theo,’ she croaked weakly, ‘put me down.’

  ‘No,’ he looked down at her.

  Although she was pale and weak her eyes had lost that glazed unfocused look and now stared back at him with grim determination. Another ring shattered and crashed to the ground but he didn’t look, his eyes were locked on her alone.

  ‘Theo, the wards are not designed for this, in a few more moments they will fail and I won’t be able to stop it,’ she breathed.

  ‘You don’t have the strength for this,’ he argued.

  ‘Put me down Theo.’

  Fighting against the deeply rooted need to protect her, h
e allowed her to slide down until her feet touched the ground but the moment they did her legs folded under her. He caught her, holding her upright against his body with one of her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

  ‘Just hold onto me,’ she whispered.

  He nodded slowly as she turned her attention to the creature hissing and snarling on the other side.

  She reached inside herself, feeling for the heat and light of her magic. Her hands trembled and glowed but a wave of exhaustion swamped her. She tried again but she barely managed a few sparks from her fingertips. Drawing in a deep breath, cold clammy sweat broke out on her forehead. She reached for it once more but nothing, it was like trying to catch smoke in her bare hands; every time she reached for it, it simply slipped through her fingers.

  Her head slumped against Theo’s chest as she tried to gather what little strength remained, when the last ring fell shattering at their feet.

  The creature leapt forwards, a snarling mass of teeth and claws. Theo yanked Olivia back while Jake leapt in front of them both, firing at the creature. The bullets tore holes and gouged out chunks of its decaying flesh but they didn’t even slow it down. Jake ejected the clip from his gun and reached into his belt for another but it barrelled towards him sweeping him aside as if he were no more than an annoyance.

  Theo watched as Jake hit the floor a few yards away with such force it knocked the breath from his lungs and left him gasping for breath. Knowing there was nothing he could do to help his friend he shoved Olivia behind him as they backed away. His eyes frantically searched the cold hard ground for anything he could use as a weapon but there was nothing.

  The creature swiped at Theo catching him across the ribs and leaving deep claw marks in his skin as it threw him aside. He clutched at the earth trying to get up, to get to Olivia, watching in horror as it leapt and knocked her to the ground.

  It had her pinned, its jaws snapping inches from her face. She grabbed its throat trying to hold it back. Its breath was fetid and as it snarled flecks of spittle rained down on her face. Its claws dug and scratched at the earth either side of her head as it tried to get at her.

  She couldn’t hold it back much longer, it was too strong, and her arms were already weakening. It’s dripping muzzle snapping closer and closer to her face. Suddenly she felt the fury begin to build deep in her gut. Her jaw clenched so hard her teeth almost cracked. She would not allow it to end like this, she’d had enough. Everything crashed in on her, the pain of coming home, the unfairness of her being accused of murder, her father taunting her about her mother, the fact her own aunt hadn’t wanted her. The pain and numbing exhaustion of her injured body, it all coalesced into a hot hard ball of absolute fury.

  Her hands suddenly erupted in flames, not her usual warm gold and red fire, these flames burned pure sapphire blue edged in deep jet black. The flames ran all the way up her arms to her elbows and she felt the addictive whip of power blast straight through her. The magic which gripped her body was like nothing she’d ever felt before. It was vast and carried with it the air of thousands and thousands of years. It was an ancient magic and it was all hers, she could take it. It was as seductive as it was dark and it curled deep inside her like a lover, calling for her surrender.

  The snarls of the creature suddenly turned to whimpers of pain. It struggled now to get away from her, writhing in her vice-like grip.

  The hate inside her magnified; she wanted to hurt it and for one awful moment revelled in its agony. She made the fire burn hotter, brighter.

  Smoke began pouring from its mouth and nostrils. It scrambled and snapped trying to break her grip on its throat, but at that moment nothing could have been enough to prise her death-like grip off it. She wanted its pain, she wanted it to suffer. Beneath the gaping wounds on its thin body she could see patches of blue, where the flames seared beneath its flesh, burning it from the inside out. It howled a sound of inhuman agony before it finally burst into white hot flames of blue and black. Dust and ash scattered on the night air, tiny little burning fragments spinning madly on the wind, like cinders blown from an open fire.

  She could feel the power rising up inside her like a great tsunami; feeling her whole body thrumming with the arousal of such a vast inescapable power. It was like no high she’d ever experienced, she raised her hands to the sky, towards the burning stars and heavy grey moisture laden clouds closed in, bursting wide open. Jagged violent slashes of rain speared to the ground burning away the oily looking fog and cleansing the ground.

  Riding the monsoon of power she pulled shards of lightening down from the sky. They sizzled and smoked as they hit the ground filling the air with the stormy scent of ozone. More and more lightening struck the ground following the exact circumference of her original protective wards only now instead of glowing a whimsical fairy-like silver they flamed brightly with sapphire blue flames streaked with black.

  Amidst the storm a lone figure suddenly appeared before Olivia, a woman not much older than herself with a beautiful serious face. Long dark hair hung in a thick braid over one shoulder. She wore a short dark green tunic belted at the waist with a thick brown leather belt and from it hung a hunting knife. A bow and full quiver of arrows were strapped diagonally across her back and her bare legs were covered by sandals which laced up her calves.

  ‘Daughter,’ her voice was low and musical but held a note of authority, ‘this is not the way.’

  Her heart clenched tightly, her senses overwhelmed as she beheld the form of the goddess Diana.

  ‘It’s so strong,’ Olivia breathed as she felt another whip of power lance through her.

  ‘It is not the way,’ the goddess repeated, ‘You have much to do before you can wield such an elemental power. Your path lies at your feet, you have but to step forward for your journey to begin.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘You will,’ she stepped forward, ‘now child release the power, for it was not yours to take.’

  There was no mistaking the command in that voice. Hesitantly Olivia released her grip. The ring of fire burned higher and higher until it suddenly exploded sending a shockwave outwards, so powerful it shook the very roots of the thick trees and made the ground tremble.

  Olivia looked up, the goddess was gone. She swayed on her feet, her body pushed past its limit of endurance and filled with bone deep exhaustion. A sudden eerie silence filled the air, the protective circle now a muted blue glow throbbed once, twice, like a heartbeat and then disappeared beneath the ground. Olivia’s vision greyed at the edges and a ringing filled her ears. She didn’t even see the ground rushing up to meet her, as her eyes rolled back in her head. All she knew was she was falling.

  When she woke Olivia found she was lying on the old sofa in the library tucked up tightly in her favourite blanket. Theo and Jake were talking quietly in the corner of the room but she couldn’t hear what they were saying. Her body was wracked with deep shudders and she was so tired her vision blurred. Her gaze was drawn to the flames and she felt comforted by the familiar sight. As she usually did when she was trying to relax she watched the fire dance, picking apart the threads of gold, yellow, orange and red. She was so cold, she yearned towards the flames. She could see the fine threads of gold reaching out from the fireplace towards her. She slowly and carefully pushed the blanket aside and slipped off the sofa onto the floor crawling towards the flames.

  ‘I still think I should go and get Louisa,’ Jake murmured to Theo.

  ‘It’s still late,’ Theo shook his head. ‘My wounds are fairly shallow, and they’ve stopped bleeding already. Olivia needs sleep, she needs to keep warm and replenish her energy. In the morning we can call your sister if she still hasn’t improved.’

  Turning absently to view the still sleeping woman, Theo’s heart jolted as he saw her in front of the fireplace reaching into the flames.

  ‘OLIVIA!’ he gasped starting towards her.

  ‘Theo wait!’ Jake grabbed him and hel
d him back.

  Olivia had reached into the flames, but they didn’t burn her. She breathed a deep sigh of relief as the warmth spread up her arms and through her body. It was as if the fire was feeding her, replacing her lost energy. She couldn’t explain it, she’d always known that fire was her element, her strongest gift but until this moment she hadn’t realised she was the fire. She didn’t just control it; it was a part of her. She was indeed a creature of flame and ash.

  The cleansing energy pulsed gently through her body, her shudders subsided and her tightly coiled muscles began to relax. Her skin had lost its sickly white pallor and began to glow a warm gold. Her lips had also lost their alarming bluish cast and were once again a soft rose colour. The fog in her mind began to clear, although she was still tired she found she could now focus. Withdrawing her hands from the fire she turned to the two men watching her.

  ‘I’m sorry if I worried you.’

  Theo dropped to his knees in front of the fire and took her hands in his, turning them over to examine them. Her hands were still filthy and her palms were scratched and cut but there were no burns.

  ‘How did you do that?’

  ‘I’m not exactly sure,’ she frowned.

  ‘You’ve taken about twenty years off my life tonight Olive,’ Jake released the breath he had been holding.

  ‘I really am sorry, I was stupid,’ she replied. ‘You can say I told you so.’

  ‘What happened?’ Jake asked angrily, ‘why the hell would you leave the house?’

  ‘I made a mistake,’ she looked down at her dirty blood stained hands. ‘I protected the house against intruders, against anyone who would wish me harm. I didn’t think to protect myself.’

  ‘Explain,’ Jake crossed his arms.

  ‘I went to bed; I checked all the doors and windows. The protective circle was intact; I knew nothing could get in. I never expected it to lure me outside, whatever is out there in the woods, it’s not natural.’