The Guardian

by J. L McFadden

  “Let’s do it then.” John said boldly.

  “I am glad to see you are in high spirits today, because I am going to teach you a few things today.”

  “If you say so Adela!”

  “Hey!” Galechka screamed,” Don’t be so cocky and pay attention.”

  John thought to himself that he probably should not be teaching her phrases like that anymore. Actually, she seemed to use a lot of what he taught her against him.

  Adela and John both looked at each other and Adela motioned to him that it was time to start. She appeared behind him again without him seeing her, but this time he felt her and grabbed her hand as she was attempting to grab his shoulder ant following through with a blow of his own to her chest knocking her back a few feet. Adela had a smile on her face and looked happily surprised by this progress that he had just shown to her. She ran towards him jumping about ten feet before him and rolling until about three feet away from him leaping forward with landing a punch into John’s face that sent him spinning around and down to the ground.

  More embarrassed than hurt John was on his hunches with one hand touching the ground for balance and maybe some power on the way back up. He looked over at Galechka for a fleeting second and winked at her to let her know all was well. He bolted up and towards Adela and began to swing as he got close enough to her; left, right, left and another right not making a single impact on her at all.

  She laughed and playfully said,” You’re going to need to do better than that my dear boy.”

  He just shook his head and looked at Galechka for some strength and she was already waiting for him to look into her eyes. He could see by her stare that she was telling him to look deep and to pull from his hidden strength. His eyes began to start to glow a radiant glow and Adela was pleased that the two were learning to work together on this matter.

  The fight went on for hours and the fury of the fight seemed to expediently increase every so often. Adela was holding back less and less and wondering how much she could give him without killing him. She was now starting to dig within herself a bit to hit him harder and harder it was no longer a game between them when she felt it, her own strength just had a huge jump and she was caught off guard by it. She could feel the power surging in her. John noticed that all the sudden her attacks were not just stronger, but faster and the fact that her eyes were now glowing kind of worried him; he concentrated on Galechka trying to keep up with what was being handed to him.

  Adela did not feel as she normally did, she felt more powerful, more important, and godlier like than she had ever felt. She felt a burst of energy that felt somewhat evil, but somewhat good. She did not know what was going over her, but it felt great; she had the feeling that nothing nor no one could stop her.

  Out of the blue her eyes lit up the night and she charged at John screaming like a mad banshee, she kicked him knocking him eighteen of twenty feet back, as soon as he was about to touch down with his feet she hit him sending him about ten feet into the air where she met in at the moment of declination and gave him a spinning kick that sent him lunging into the earth, leaving a huge burst of dirt and dust as he slammed into it; there was an indentation around his body and Galechka screamed out his name.

  You could see the fear in Galechka’s eyes as she tried to peer through the cloud of dust and debris, just hoping her man was still by some miracle still alive; she could see in Adela’s eyes that it was as if she was possessed by some evil being not of this planet or plain. She could hear John now breathing and sound of growing was coming from the cloud of dirt, he was on all fours and picking up his one fist and slamming it into the ground.

  He was holding his fist just above the ground after his massive strike to it growling, he looked up at Galechka and his eyes stopped glowing green for a second and they changed to a bright yellow as she gasped at the sight they turned back to green as he growled, his bones and skin felt as if they were cracking and breaking, they felt as though they were expanding; John felt his spine snapping and popping as he could feel this electricity running through his system. To Galechka it seemed like he had gained twenty pounds in muscle and his eyes were like green torches as he growled, it reminded her of what it looked like when a werewolf took on the werewolf form.

  He howled into the air like a rabid beast and charged after Adela, she laughed still drunken on her new power to have a sobering surprise and he not only struck her and sent her sailing through the air, but managed by some unknown miracle to be standing thirty feet in front of her launching ground to raise his hands up over his head with his fists clenched together forming one fist, slamming it down in perfect timing on her skull sending her smashing into the dirt below. He kicked her out across the field and Galechka quickly put herself between him and Adela begging him to stop.

  Using both of her arms to lift herself up of the ground, her face covered in dirt, but hardly a mark on her angelic complexion. She stated,” All now, Galechka he and I are just starting to have fun.” Galechka took the hint and stepped out from in between them, she was still shaken, but glad to see that John would obey her even when fully enraged.

  Adela spun herself up and around onto her feet motioning to John to bring it; she put her hand up for a moment to get John to halt, looking at Galechka she said,” Galechka, this is what we need; we need to open up his hidden powers, but it seems we have opened up some of my own new found abilities.” With her eyes still on Galechka she motioned for him to commence with his attack on her.

  John growled to himself, you could see the rage he had in his eyes, the power of something none of them had seen before. Adela knew that she needed him to stay focused and not lose control at this point so he knew how to deal with the real ancients when it came time.

  Their battle was not contained to the normal training fields, but for almost the whole forest. Adela knew now was not the time to worry about a spy seeing or hearing them, but the time to push both of them as far as they could before sunrise.

  While Galechka was trying to keep up with the fight, she ran across the wolf pack and Vitaliy ; every being watching the destruction of the forest were not just bothered by their families home being destroyed, but cringed at the thought of what strength a real ancient had if Adela was only a newbie. They only hoped and prayed that the boy would not fall doom to the ancients, because it surely would mark their demise as well.

  The Return Home

  Galechka was so glad to be back home, back in her comfort zone, back in the place that was her personal palace. She was so glad to be in her own bed, surrounded by her own things, and not to have the smell of wolf around her. John was just glad to see her so happy and delighted to be back in her surroundings. He was coming to grasps that he hadn’t a place and he had chosen to be around strangers to him that wanted to cause him harm just to be with her.

  It bothered Adela that Galechka never took John’s thoughts or emotions into consideration; she had noticed that since they had been back Galechka while surrounded by her friends in the coven was ignoring and even being cold to John, it seemed to be just to make her vampress friends happy. Adela also was not too happy with hearing one of the males mocking Galechka for laying with a human, calling her a whore who sleeps with jungle monkeys, because he was also born in another country. She knew not what to do with these events and was concerned over John’s mental state, since that was as important to everything for his survival; he needed to be on his toes and ready to deal with anything that might come his way. She feared that depression may cause him to be sloppy and unprepared.

  The younger vampires were all in the front all by the main entrance to the castle talking and joking, mostly poking fun at Galechka. She tried to play it off so worried about what they thought about her. Dear God what if they think less of me. She tried to act like she wasn’t sure what she was doing as her friend spewed twisting words for her boyfriend trying to make Galechka reject the man that loved her so much. She had no clue what was going on, just believed it to be
her friend giving her unknown truths to life, where two beings from other countries should and could not be together.

  Adela had finally had it; she called Galechka into the hallway and commenced with her voice sounding like a demon from hell,” WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?”

  Galechka not knowing what to say,” Nothing, we were just taking.”

  “ARE YOU GOING TO BE SO STUPID? IN ANOTHER YEAR MOST OF THEM WILL BE GONE. SOON YOUR MAN IS GOING TO DO EVERYTHING HE CAN TO SAVE US ALL!”

  “But they are right, we are not just human and vampire, but he was born in the States and it is not correct for us to be together.”

  “ARE YOU NUTS? HE IS HALF SLAVIC; PLUS HE LOVES YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING. DO YOU NOT SEE YOUR MAN THINKS OF YOU FIRST AND THEIR MEN DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT THEM UNLESS IT IS CONVINENT?”

  “I don’t know, maybe you are right maybe they are right, but I do not need this kind of relationship.”

  Unaware of anything that was going on, John was lying in bed trying to rest after the battle he had had with Adela a few days before. He was takings Adela’s advice on getting rest and being ready for what was to come. He had some idea some that the one person was trying to tell Galechka stupid things, but not that such and orchestrated group was working on her. Girls jealous and upset that they see a man was caring for Galechka more than their men cared for them.

  “THEY ARE ONLY JELOUS OF WHAT YOU HAVE AND I AM GOING TO END IT NOW!”

  Adela drug Galechka by the arm into the front entrance way, just in front of the fire place and said in a calm, soft voice,” Who thinks Galechka is making a mistake being with that thing upstairs?”

  One of the boys raised his hand with his glass of wine in hand and said,” Hear hear, that is what I have been telling everyone.”

  Completely on aware of what was about to be his fate, he smiled at everyone with his glass raised up in the air as to incite a huge toast among the room. Adela wanted to puke, because of what a waste of space he had and always would be; so proud of himself and his stupid blathering’s. This man not only would mess up his own life, but of all those around him, forever damning himself and those in his company to be nothing. He smirked and grinded and said things of such stupidity that it did not even register in Adela’s ears. He went on to say that in the dead of the night he himself would stab the outsider and anyone lying with him.

  Adela rolled her eyes knowing what was about to happen ahead of time; she grabbed Galechka by the arm and said, “Summon him.”

  “Why?” She questioned,” There is no need.”

  Adela growing more and more angry at Galechka’s worries of what her so called friends thought over the man you would die to give her everything, twisted Galechka’s arm and whispered in her eye,” Oh, my dear you are in grave danger at this moment.”

  Galechka looked at her with fear and concern in her eyes; she was wondering how Adela could be so angry over the truth, which her friends were speaking. How could she, and all the sudden an immense pain seared into Galechka’s arm, it was Adela squeezing her arm to the point it felt as if it was going to rupture.

  In Galechka’s bed John sat straight up feeling Galechka’s troublesome pain and need for help, but was confused by the miss signals coming from her telling him not to come. He jumped out of bed and ran out, and down the long hallway, at the very end of it was the banister that led to one of the two spiraling staircases that led to where his beloved was waiting. He launched over the banister taking the full plunge of the fall of about twenty feet, landing in a crouched position ready to pounce on whoever was harming her; his eyes already glowing a bright, bright, dark green, his half naked body had veins exploding out of his skin, you could see his pulse through them as his muscle mass heaved to the motion of his breath.

  Adela lent her head to the side motioning to the drunken buffoon with the glass of wine and said,” He is planning on killing you in your sleep and Galechka my dear friend.”

  John looked at her to make sure she was serious or if this was just a statement brought on by a drunken maiden. He could tell that she was serious and she motioned her head for him to attack.

  “For the love of god, kill him, because he will in your sleep; he is a coward and never will say it to your face. “She laughed and released her hold on Galechka,” Wait until you see what her human can do.”

  The drunkard laughed and proclaimed,” I have no problems for the one that was not born of Mother Russia as long as he leaves our people alone.”

  Adela sighed and retorted,” This is the trouble I have with those I turned after the Red Revolution, they all believe this stupidity. You know I remember when Russians could speak three or four languages, to work hard earn money was not enough, you needed to be well educated.”

  “What trash do you speak of wench?” The drunkard said as he took s slug of his drink, so sloppily that it ran down his cheeks and onto his shirt,” Before you turned me my grandfather told me all.”

  “You are a coward and a waste of space; it was a mistake to turn you, but I was trying to do your lady a favor when you fell ill.” Adela frustrated and motioned for John to attack him.

  Galechka had a look of anger and fear, her boyfriend against her friend’s boyfriend how could this be. The drunk through his glass at Galechka and said something in Russian to her and by the look in her eyes John knew it was bad and being enough to cause him to go on the attack. John jumped halfway across the room landing in front of him spinning around and back handed him hard enough to send him sailing into the wall. As the drunkard found himself sliding down the wall he felt someone hitting him in the stomach with unreal power and strength with rapid fire left, right, left, and then an upper cut into the chin sending him sailing into the air again.

  This time he fell straight into the ground and John grabbed him by the hair on his head holding him in place, so that he could ram his knee into the drunkard’s face over and over again, as he felt the drunk vampire begin to blackout he loosened his grasp and gave one final blow with his knee, harder than the rest sending him soaring through the air onto the ground landing and skidding about five feet after impact right in front of Adela’s feet.

  Adela sipping on a glass of wine stepped in front of this waste of space and time and addressed the room,” Who in here believes a word of what this man says?” As the question reverberated around the room she looked around to people’s reactions,” Who are his followers and who are mine? Looking around the room she disappeared only to reappear in front of two of the girl’s, that soon fell to the ground, because their hearts where both in Adela’s hands. The maggot of a vampire was trying to crawl off in the distraction of the entire coven being shocked by this display of power from Adela.

  He thought he was almost out the door to find Adela’s heels were digging into the back up her skull, she lifted her foot off and as he sighed in relief she slammed it back down sending his skull into pieces across the floor like a bomb had gone off with in it.

  “ANYONE CAUGHT SPEAKING THESE WORDS OF UTTER STUPIDTY WILL BE DAMNED TO THE SAME FATE!”

  She walked up to Galechka and said,” Careful who you let close to your heart most are hateful bitches spewing venom of hatred and lies just trying to take what you have, which they don’t away.”

  Adela walked over to John motioning for him to follow her to the kitchen, deciding to leave Galechka to sulk over the loss of the trash she called her friends. She knew that these three were the culprits in the twisted thoughts Galechka had. She knew she had other issues of being trapped, but those were now for her to deal with alone. Adela was more worried about getting this boy fed and having him ready for a real fight.

  Adela’s Speech

  “My coven, we have gathered here today in our great hall to discuss: treachery, jealousy, hatred, and enslavement; you all may not be aware, but a spy was caught among these very halls listening in on our private conversations.

  I have done my best throughout these centuries to look out for myself and this coven, but eve
ry member and their personal freedoms and rights. Those things that have been begrudged from others and myself when I was just a member of another coven myself.

  In these years and centuries, I have seen brethren and sister get murdered and killed just for seeking their own freedom and speaking the truth. I myself had the love of my life struck down in front of me, just because his strength scared the ancients. For those who have not noticed I myself have begun this transformation and wonder how long until they come to slaughter this coven and myself, because of my new found powers.