The Guardian

by Quinn Arthurs

  “I’m fine, really.” It was all I could think to say as I patted her back again, my shirt now stuck to me completely due to the copious amount of tears soaking it. Opal cheeped plaintively, rubbing her head against River’s cheek, offering her own comfort, her wings fluttering in distress and making pretty patterns in the light. I hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit guilty for pumping her for information when she was so clearly upset. “Do you think the Ancients will punish me for what I did to Birch?”

  “He’s alive.” River sniffled. “They won’t punish you since he lived, they don’t care if the burns don’t heal right.”

  “The burns didn’t heal right?” I was shocked to hear that since Onyx hadn’t mentioned it.

  “Uh-uh. They don’t know why they didn’t, but he’s furious. I heard the other servants talking. His hair’s all gone, and a lot of the marks scarred him. They say you used some kind of cursed fire.” Her words were awed, and I swallowed hard at the self-disgust that rose like bile in my throat. I hadn’t meant to truly maim him, I just hadn’t wanted to die.

  She pushed away from me, wiping frantically at the tear tracks on her face. “You’ve had so many folks here, fae and witches, asking about you. They want to know who you are and get into your good graces. They’re all a bit afraid of you, I think. I thought Reed was going to throw the last one through the door when he asked if you had taken a mate yet or were willing to have more.”

  “That’s, um, awkward.” I wasn’t sure what else to say to that. I assumed it was a compliment, but it didn’t seem like one. It just seemed a little bit creepy.

  “Reed and Terran will be so happy to know you’ve woken up. Onyx insisted on standing guard, so they’ve been waiting for you. Well, Reed has since he woke up. He even saved you all of the cakes I brought him, just in case you woke up and wanted some.”

  A smile tilted my lips and I shook my head at his sweet, goofy gesture. “Well, then I better not keep them waiting anymore, hm?” I glanced at Opal, pondering for a moment. She’d seemed to recognize at least basic speech and emotions, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to be more direct. “Opal, do you want to stay here or come with me?” River appeared confused that I was talking to the dragon, and I questioned my own sanity for a moment before Opal chirped, flipping her wings back and settling down into the comforter. “Apparently she’ll stay.” My stomach growled and I chuckled. “I’m ready for some cakes though. Lead the way.”

  I wondered if the others would greet me the way Onyx had, and if I would really be willing to object to it. Those men were as addictive as the cakes, and just as bad for me. I just needed to figure out what to do about it.

  22

  Terran and Reed were both in the sitting area, though Onyx was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if he’d let Terran and Reed know what had happened, or if any of them were upset or angry that all three of them had kissed me. Not that it should matter, it was just a kiss; it wasn’t like things were going to evolve into anything else between us.

  Reed jumped up when he saw me, striding over to me and inspecting me as though assuring himself that my injuries were healed. I raised a hand to my cheek, reassuring myself that Onyx had been correct and there was no lasting damage from the blade that had sliced into me. The skin was smooth and unblemished, no scarring catching my fingertips, to my relief. Terran had stood too, his body stiff as if he was holding himself back. I offered a smile, hoping to relax him so that I could relax as well.

  “How long did I sleep?” I figured it had been a while, considering the amount of energy I had used.

  “Four days,” Terran replied, returning the smile. “A surprisingly short time period for what you went through.”

  I wasn’t sure why things felt so awkward between us now when they hadn’t before. “Well, I feel fine now.” I offered.

  River darted her gaze between the two of us, considering each of us, before shaking her head. “Who’s hungry?” I appreciated her attempt to change up the subject and ease things between us, and I happily jumped at her excuse.

  “Me!”

  “Oh!” Reed exclaimed, turning so fast he nearly tripped. “Here.” He neatly balanced the tray of cakes, stacked more than half a dozen high. I gaped at the amount he had compiled, before succumbing to laughter. I nearly bent over as the laughter rose inside of me, my stomach muscles aching as I howled at the ridiculous amount of sweets he had hoarded for me.

  Terran and Reed joined in my laughter, though I attempted to calm myself even as tears streamed down my face. “I think —” I gasped the words out, struggling to get enough air to speak clearly. “I think we have enough cakes, that’s for sure.” Terran and Reed settled down onto the couch, allowing River and me to sit across from them, all of us taking our share of the sweets. “So, what do we do now?” I asked hesitantly, picking at my cakes. I wondered idly if River would ever teach me how to make them.

  “About what?” Terran asked, seemingly confused by my question.

  “About me. This. I mean, we focused on dealing with Birch, but that threat’s gone.” I shrugged a little. “I’m just not sure where we go from here. I know Birch was just one part of things, so I’m not foolish enough to think that I can go home, but I don’t know what my role is going to be.”

  “We’re still going to train you,” Terran’s said softly.

  “Don’t you want to learn?” Reed sounded confused, as if he couldn’t imagine that thought ever crossing someone’s mind.

  “I do, I just…” I struggled to find the words I wanted. “This has all been a whirlwind. I get here and right away I’m attacked, threatened, forced to learn to defend myself on the fly.” Terran grimaced, though he didn’t interrupt me. “I don’t know why the Ancients want me here, what they’re hoping to gain by training me as a Guardian. I don’t know if I’ll have the same rights or anything as the other Guardians. I still don’t know what happened to my mom, or how I’m going to find any answers regarding her murder. Why I was targeted, if I even truly was. Hell, how do I find out who my father is?” The thoughts were flying so fast through my mind it was hard to orient myself and get the words out in any recognizable order.

  “Tori.” Reed leaned forward, pushing aside the platter of cakes to squeeze my hand. “I know this has been an ordeal for you. I’m sorry this has been your introduction to what life in this realm is like. We will help you in whatever way we can. If you want to try and find out who your father is, we can help. If you merely want to focus on training as a Guardian, we can do that as well.”

  “The Ancients aren’t too forthcoming about what their plans or their reasonings are.” Scorn laced Terran’s words.

  “I heard you weren’t too happy with them when they intervened.” I tried to keep my tone casual. I was surprised in such a brutal society that any kind of dissent or oppositional behavior was allowed to exist.

  Terran’s face hardened, his dark eyes flashing. “They only intervened when you were all nearly dead. We claimed this challenge in their name, invoking their rules, and yet they let it continue.”

  “They may not have been there,” I pointed out.

  “Someone would have notified them as soon as the challenge was set.” Terran’s words dripped with disdain. “They would not have been unaware of something along these lines.”

  “They watch the battles from a distance,” Reed explained. “It’s a way for them to judge our skills, to investigate potential pairings, ensure things don’t get out of hand. Even if they aren’t there when a battle starts, they will be shortly afterward. It’s a well-known fact.”

  “I’d put this one into the ‘getting out of hand’ category,” I remarked dryly. “Unless nearly burning another to death and trying to slice each other into ribbons is just considered a Tuesday night around here.” I desperately hoped not, I didn’t think that I could continue fighting battles like the one I had just survived on a regular basis, not if I hoped to keep my sanity intact.

  “It depends.” Terran’s words
didn’t fill me with optimism. “A true, sanctioned fight should not go that far. However, near death experiences aren’t rare here. It’s part of the word you’ll need to get used to, Tori. It’s not a good part, nor one that I am particularly proud of.”

  “I don’t think many of us are very proud of it,” River added. “This is how life is in the Hold, it’s just the reality here.”

  “But not outside of the Hold?” I asked curiously. It was hard to picture a different world occurring outside of this one, one with separate rules or customs.

  “Life outside the Hold is difficult.” Reed seemed to be searching for his words with care. “There’s a very good reason most of us, and our families, remain within the fortified boundaries of the Hold.”

  “You never leave the Hold?” I gaped at the three of them in shock.

  “My family is here, so it is easy for me to stay here.” River shrugged, as though it didn’t bother her to remain forever in one building.

  “I have some family outside of the walls,” Terran stated. “I also have some family in the human realm. We’ll visit them occasionally, but our work keeps us here. We train, we focus on ourselves as a unit. The world outside of us almost ceases to exist.”

  “But why?” It just didn’t make sense to me that becoming a Guardian meant segregating themselves so completely from the others of their races. Terran and Reed exchanged a look, and I growled. “You keep picking and choosing what information to give me! I’m never going to learn or understand at this rate.”

  “It’s not that,” Reed assured me, shaking his head as if to dismiss the idea that they were withholding anything. “Much of what we have to tell you about life outside of the Hold involves the prophecy. We had respected your decision to exclude that portion of our world for the moment.”

  I hesitated, torn now. I wanted more information on this world. I felt that I was living blindly in comparison to the others, which was not a comfortable feeling, especially when I wasn’t sure when someone was going to jump from the shadows and demand a battle that could cost me my life. Yet, the idea that not only were there such things as prophecies, but that they were accurate and, more importantly, I was set to play a key role in one, was something that was too hard to wrap my mind around.

  “I thought the prophecies weren’t well known,” I hedged.

  “The prophecies are not, not anymore,” Terran explained. “They are still incredibly relevant to explaining things to you.”

  “You do not believe in prophecies, yet you resist hearing them, less you come to believe in them.” Onyx’s voice at my elbow had my shrieking, lashing out with a fist that he easily caught. He smirked, glancing at my hand in his, before releasing me and stepping away. “You have been here days and have beaten a Guardian.” He hesitated a moment before adding, “You have even taken me to the floor. What do you need to fear from words?”

  “Onyx is right,” Terran reassured me. “There is nothing to fear here.”

  “I’m still not sure about prophecies, or about the idea of soulmates or fate,” I admitted. “I do want to know more though. I mean, why don’t you leave the Hold, Onyx? Don’t you get, I don’t know, bored here?”

  I hadn’t grown up financially secure by any means, but I had been able to visit the parks, the library, or even wander around the mall if the mood struck me if I didn’t want to be trapped inside the same four walls every day. Although the Hold was beautiful with its wide windows and intricate decorations, I was sure that staring at the same walls for an eternity would be enough to drive a being a little bit mad.

  “I will not set foot outside of the Hold again unless I am called on a mission,” Onyx said firmly, though there was no censure in it. It seemed nearly dying was enough to thaw the ice that had grown between us. Well, that or the heat of the kiss we’d shared. “It is not the way of the fae. We are too conspicuous in the human world, and it is too dangerous for us to be wandering around the Fae Realm.”

  I ground my teeth, resisting the urge to try to hit him again. “Are you being cryptic on purpose or are you just not thinking things through before you say them?”

  He blinked before smirking at me. “It’s difficult to figure out where to start when this is all we’ve ever known,” he pointed out. I merely shrugged in response.

  “Although tales of the prophecy stopped being told long ago, we Guardians are still taught of what may come.” Reed’s voice echoed like a master storyteller, his slender hands moving in the air as he spoke. Even River sat wide-eyed in anticipation, waiting to see what he would say. “Eons ago, at the earliest memories of the fae and witch nations, there was no reigning Queen. Both nations were ruled by a clan, a collaboration of members that worked together for the benefit of their peoples, although each had a leader. The fae’s were led by either a prince or princess, both blood and power going into the choosing of their rule. Witches were ruled by a chief, no blood was needed to claim the leadership role as it was chosen purely on who was the most powerful and capable to rule.

  “They were not all powerful, however, as the Elvish queen is now. They required working with other members of the clan to make decisions, some were even removed from power if their ideas interfered with the health and safety of the clan. Both clans worked together, ensuring the health and harmony of both of their peoples. Not all were happy though. There are more peoples in our realm than just the fae and the witches, and unlike our clans, they were not prospering. War and anarchy flourished, though the protective wards of the clans kept them from our people.”

  Terran settled back into the sofa, playing idly with a cake as he listened to a story I assumed he had heard time and time again. Surprising me, he picked up the refrain, as though they had trained to recite this together. I wondered for a moment if they had, preparing for this day when they acquired a charge or a new Guardian to train.

  “Yet there were some among the fae and the witches who disagreed with the course that the clans were taking. They craved power, fame, notoriety; others believed that one of the clans should step up and rule, and despised the collaboration between our peoples. They made the decision to turn to the elves, our closest neighbors, and a race who detested us. They offered information at first, hints about what could be used to help divide our people, ways that we could be separated or injured. Soon, that was not enough. Eventually, these traitors would provide access to our clan leaders themselves, allowing the elves to capture them when they were in transit and at their weakest. The clans were decimated as their strongest were captured, killed, and the warnings that kept our people safe were slowly weakened.”

  “They killed them?” I asked in shock. I knew humans didn’t hesitate to kill their adversaries, that governments would overthrow each other on a regular basis. Yet I was surprised to note that I expected a higher level of behavior from the fae and the witches for some reason.

  “They killed many, not just the clan leaders. There was a mass genocide of both of our peoples as the elves established themselves as our ruling class. A monarchy was established, and the elves began their reign.” Terran’s voice was cold, his shoulders stiff as he spoke with disdain. “There were centuries of killings, of blood that ran between us. The Elves encouraged our peoples to turn on each other, to submit each other for punishments to prevent punishments for themselves. Many created false stories, histories that didn’t exist, in order to avoid the elves’ blades.”

  “These resentments built and built.” Onyx picked up the train of the story. “Until very little faith remained between the fae and the witches.The two stopped intermingling, resigned to the darkness in which they were living. Then, a prophecy was made. The name of the seer who made the prophecy has been lost to time, so we have no idea if it was witch or fae. They spoke of a child, one who was half-fae and half-witch, who would find their mate when their Guardians were called. That when the one prophesied joined their soul with their mates’, they would reach the full extent of their powers. She would bring the light back to
the fae and witch people, remove the elves from the throne, and bring us back the hope that we have lost.”

  I blinked, confused. “That is the most generic prophecy... ever. I mean…” I looked desperately at River first, who had covered her mouth in shock as she stared at me. “I can’t be the first half-witch, half-fae child. You told me yourself that though they’re rare, there have been others. Besides, why didn’t the elves just prevent the fae and witches from procreating? Wouldn’t that have forestalled the prophecy before it even started?”

  “As we told you,” Reed interrupted my tirade. “Fae and witch children are rarely ever conceived. If they are, they don’t make it to birth, or to childhood. Few fae and witches even tried to bear children, and those who did flee to the Guardian’s Hold in the hopes that they would be welcomed until the child was born. Some were turned away for fear they were spies, others were betrayed before they even reached the Hold’s safety. The few who were claimed by the Hold, the child rarely lasted. The ones who did, rarely reached any type of potential and died well before their time.”

  “Why didn’t the elves destroy the Hold itself? Prevent the Guardians from being able to find their mate? Or simply prevent anyone from being trained?”

  “When the elves first took over, the Hold was created. The last strongest of our lines gave their lives, pouring their blood and will into creating a safe space. As time moved on, more and more poured their lives into this building, into its ground. This space is sacred. The elves spend many years trying to destroy it, or even breach its ground. They have never succeeded. Eventually, as time wore on and no Guardians stepped up with their mate, the prophecy has been mostly forgotten, even by the elves. They stopped fighting a war they knew they couldn’t win, turning their attention back to themselves.”

  My head was spinning at the influx of information, the words buzzing inside of me. “So, a stronghold was created, but most were not allowed to enter it, only those chosen worthy.” Fury burned inside of me at the realization that so many had died simply because someone else had decided they were not deserving enough of that safety? Then more had been kept out of it, for fear the sacred walls would be tarnished in some way.