The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1)

by C. L. McCourt

Daen nodded. "I was told of my mission. I was told I was to help her." Daen's use of the English language was cryptic at times but the message was clear.

  Pam asked, "Help who?"

  "I do not know. I think it is Raisal, but I do not know. Why was I sent here, if not for Raisal?"

  "Now that you know she's not here, what will you do?" Randell asked. He didn't like where this conversation was going. If Daen's mission wasn't here, would he leave to find whomever he was to help?

  Daen answered in Aduraun. "I'm not a tracker. I have to believe that if I were meant to hunt for someone, I would have been accompanied by a tracker."

  Three voices hummed in unison: "Umm ... "

  Daen scanned the confused faces and realized what he'd done. "Ah. I am not a ... What is it called? ... I cannot feel others. It is not my ... gift."

  "Does that mean you'll stay?" Randell asked. He was trying to contain his hopes but his parents could see his fear.

  Daen glanced between Ander and Pam, trying to read their faces, trying to determine if he would be welcome. "I ..."

  It was Pam who made the offer, shocking everyone in the room. "Stay; under one condition. You move into the guest room." She pointed to the ceiling.

  "Yes! Thanks, Mom." Randell said, jumping from his chair at the kitchen table and hugging her.

  Ander looked at Pam from the corner of his eye and grinned. "Yes, Daen. We would welcome you here as long as you need."

  Daen knew this arrangement was temporary. Yet he also knew that leaving here and wandering around a world like this would be risky and likely unproductive. Where would he go? How would he live? How would he know when he'd found her? He decided to be patient. He would learn to survive in this world and then he would venture out and see what he could find.

  6

  Family

  Two weeks later, Randell peered through the screen in the storm door, searching the street in front of his house. "When did you say they would be here?" He turned to look at the newspaper that hid half his father's body.

  Ander tipped the corner of the paper down to look at his son. "They'll be here by lunchtime. Now go clean up."

  Randell took one last glance out the door before running up the stairs for a quick shower after his training session with Daen. He knew Daen would be waiting to use the bathroom after him, so he hurried along.

  Daen waited patiently on the back porch for Randell to finish in the bathroom. He could hear the water running through the open bathroom window above the porch. As he waited, he worked to calm his nerves. Raisal's son was coming for a long weekend and it was his chance to find out where she might be. Although he was enjoying her family, he had a mission. The sooner he completed his mission, the sooner he helped her, the sooner he could return home ... he hoped.

  He heard the water stop, his cue to head upstairs to get ready, so he slipped inside the kitchen where Pam was busy baking chocolate chip cookies. He reached for one of the cookies on the cooling rack, not being able to resist the warm sweetness.

  Pam turned in time to see Daen sneak a cookie. "Hey! Upstairs. Now. Mary and Caille will be here any minute."

  Daen stuffed the cookie into his mouth smiled. "Mmm ... t's 'ood."

  Pam just laughed and shooed him away before he could snag another. "Shower." She raised her spatula and dared him to go for another.

  Daen bowed and backed out of the kitchen.

  ~~~

  "They're here!" Randell ran down the stairs, jumping from the fourth stair to the landing with a resounding thud onto the foyer tile floor before slamming through the front screen door.

  "Randell!" Ander set his cup of coffee on the kitchen counter and headed for the front door, mumbling that his son needed to learn restraint or their home would never survive.

  Pam and Daen followed at a calmer pace, amused by the commotion that a visit from family could invoke.

  Pam told Daen, "They always bring him something from their travels. And there will be lots of pictures to look at this evening."

  Daen was pleased for the Youngs' happiness but he couldn't help but feel a little envious. He'd been in the world of shadows for six weeks with no sign of being able to return to his world. He missed his world. It was one thing to move away from your family to have your own life. It was something else entirely to be moved to a place where you couldn't see them at all. Although he could manage being away from his family for a while, there was one person he didn't want to be away from. He wondered if she would wait for him. He wondered if anyone knew where he was.

  Pam reached the front door just in time to see Ander close the trunk of his parents' car. Randell picked up as much as he could carry and headed for the front door, followed by Mary, Caille, and Ander.

  Pam held the door open. "Hello! I'm glad to see you made it back in one piece."

  Mary smiled but rolled her eyes. "You know Caille. Nothing was going to keep him from touring half of Europe."

  "Oh, Mary, it wasn't half of Europe. Just a few countries." Caille winked at Ander, knowing that he'd put Mary's old body through quite an adventure.

  Mary walked slowly to the kitchen carrying a pie and fresh bread they'd picked up at a farmer's market on the way to the house. "It sure felt like it sometimes." She glanced at Pam. "I don't know where he gets the energy."

  Pam knowingly glanced at Ander, trying to hide her concern. They knew Caille hadn't shared much about his ancestry with his wife, Ander's mother. Raisal had been the one to inform Ander of his potential family traits, including an unusually long life and the power to read people.

  Pam had shared with Ander that she felt it was time Mary was told and he agreed. It was already apparent from looking at Caille and Ander that the men would significantly outlive their wives, barring any tragedies.

  Ander had shared this possibility with Pam when their relationship started to get serious. He'd held back on some of the family stories, not wanting her to think he was totally nuts. Pam hadn't laughed or run away. She'd listened and seemed to take it all in stride.

  Pam remembered when Ander had told her of the chance he would live a very long life. She hadn't thought much about it, or maybe she hadn't believed it, until Daen had shown up. Now, looking at Mary compared to Caille, the signs were there. She couldn't deny the possibility anymore.

  Mary placed the pie and bread on the counter. "I don't know how he stays looking so young." She laughed to herself. "Maybe it's in the family name."

  Daen stayed clear of the family chaos, watching from a distance as Ander, Randell, and Pam helped Mary and Caille get their things into the house. In the weeks leading up to their visit, Ander had told Caille that Daen was from the same world as Raisal but nothing more, waiting to have the discussion when Daen could hear and ask questions himself.

  Ander had relied on his father to finally tell his mother the family secret. He’d hoped Daen’s presence would have prompted Callie to do the right thing. As he watched the family interaction, Ander wondered what his father had shared. "Dad, can I see you for a moment?" he asked. He stepped from the kitchen, through the dining room, and into the living room, allowing enough space for them to have a private conversation.

  "What is it, Son? You look ... upset."

  "Not upset. Concerned. What have you told Mom about Daen ... about us?" Ander needed to know before he made a formal introduction and his mother started asking questions.

  Caille didn't answer.

  Ander nodded. "Just as I thought. You know that she's going to hear everything you've kept from her—right?"

  "You're right. It's time she knows. I've actually hinted at a few things over the years to see how receptive she would be but it didn't go well. She just changed the subject."

  Ander ran his hands through his sand-colored hair, worried that his mother was going to freak out when all was revealed.

  "I'm going to talk to her," he said. Ander stepped past his father, hoping Caille would stop him and have the talk with his mother himself, but he didn't.
>
  Ander entered the kitchen and hesitated before asking, "Mom, can I see you on the porch?" He held open the door and escorted her out, giving his father a disappointing look.

  Pam watched as Ander closed the door before turning to Caille. "I take it that means she still doesn't know?"

  Caille replied, "Not the unbelievable stuff that I can't prove. I'm afraid I haven't had the courage that Ander had with you." He let his son start the conversation as he worked up the nerve to join them.

  Pam understood. She remembered how nervous Ander had been when he shared aspects of his family history. She hoped Mary would be open to hearing her son just as Pam had been.

  Daen knew something was wrong and hoped whatever it was, wasn't because of him. Upsetting Ander's mother or father was the last thing he wanted to do. He stood as far away from everyone in the kitchen as he could, trying to be invisible, but at the same time anxious to talk to Caille about his mother.

  ~~~

  "Ander? What is it?" Mary asked as she sat down at the table on the far end of the porch.

  "We have a guest."

  Mary interrupted, "Yes. Daen, is it? He's a friend of ... yours? Your father said he was a friend of the family."

  Ander nodded. "That's true, but some things are going to be revealed that might ... how should I say this? ... things are going to be revealed that you might not understand."

  Mary scrunched her brows together. "Honey, if you're going to talk work, that's okay. I don't need to understand."

  Ander shook his head. He was beginning to understand why his father hadn't broached the subject with his mom before. He decided to just say it and have it out. "I'm just going to tell you. Bear with me."

  He took a calming breath and dove in. "Dad's mother was not from this world. She was sent here to hide from ... something ... I don't know. She came from a world where some people have what we might call magical powers. She had the gift of reading people. She could actually see their aura and understand their feelings. Dad inherited her gift, as did I, and now Randell as well.” Not wanting to give his mother a chance to tell him he was crazy, Ander pressed on. “Have you ever wondered how dad was so successful? I don't use my gift for business, but he did on occasion.

  "The reason I'm telling you this is because our guest, the man inside, is from the same place that Raisal came from. He needs to ask Dad about her, and things will be said that won't make sense unless you know where he's from." There. He'd said the hard part. The details could be filled in later. Now all he needed was her to say something.

  Mary's thoughts were scrambling as she searched for a kind way to respond. This was her son. The last thing she wanted to do was not believe him, but how could she? Other worlds? Magical powers? "Um. I don't know what to say."

  "Do you believe me?"

  She gave him an apologetic look.

  Ander looked out into the yard, trying to think of what else he could say. Would he believe her if the roles were reversed? No. He needed evidence. Then he got an idea. "You know how Dad doesn't seem to be aging? How he acts like he's half his age?"

  Mary patted his hand. "He's taken good care of himself."

  Ander nodded. "That's true. But he has an advantage that you and Pam and everyone else from this world don't have. The people from his mother's world—Raisal's world—live ... hundreds of years. Now, I don't know how long we will live, but we will live longer than most. That's what you're seeing in dad."

  Mary glanced at the window, as if looking through to the kitchen, knowing Caille was there. Ander could see her processing all those times when Caille didn't get tired and how he looked younger than most his age. He assumed her thoughts were wandering to his father's successes, how he always knew when a client wasn't buying his sell, and how he could always find a way to get through to them. She returned her gaze to Ander.

  He could see her disbelief battling with all the unexplainable truths. He watched her intently and saw her aura flutter. "Are you okay, Mom?"

  Just then, the door from the kitchen opened and the screen door spring creaked. Caille approached and sat next to his wife. "I think I should take over from here, Son."

  Ander returned to the kitchen.

  Pam asked, "How did it go?"

  Ander replied, "She'll be okay." He hoped.

  Daen stepped away from the wall where he'd been leaning, watching the family secrets being revealed. "I feel like this is my fault. The last thing I wanted was to upset your family."

  Ander waved him off. "Nonsense. We've wanted him to tell her for a long time now. If anything, it's good that you're here."

  Pam put the lunch on the table as Mary and Caille came in from the porch. Trying not to make a big deal out of what had just happened, Pam asked Mary, "Do you want tea, water, cola?"

  "Tea, please."

  "Grandma! Isn't it exciting?" Randell held the chair for her. "I was here when he came through. At first I thought it was because I was cleaning Great-Grandma's dagger. Did you know she had a dagger? I'll go get it."

  Randell attempted to dash from the kitchen but Ander intercepted. "Let's hold off on the dagger. Eat first."

  Randell hesitated; his desire to share everything he'd learned and seen had him vibrating like a plastic wind-up toy. But he heeded his father's warning look and took his seat at the table.

  Ander motioned for Daen to sit. "Mom, Dad. You know who this is, but let me introduce him anyway. Daen Mallaur, Guardian from Luxatra."

  Caille reached out his hand to Daen. "Welcome."

  Mary did the same. "Nice to meet you."

  "Hello." Daen shook their hands, a tradition he'd seen performed on several shows he'd started to watch, trying to understand the behavior and language of the people in this world.

  7

  Swords

  Once everyone had their plates full, Ander started the discussion he knew Daen was anxious to have. "I want to hear all about your trip, but before that, I was hoping to talk about Grandma Raisal. I don't remember hearing that she passed away. What happened to her?"

  Caille dusted the cobwebs from his memories before answering. "It was shortly after my father died. You were about ten, I think. She was sitting with us in the living room one night. Out of the blue, she said she needed some fresh air and went out back." He paused, looking at the faces in the room all watching him. He'd never told anyone the story he was about to tell and wasn't sure how he felt about it after all these years.

  After a moment he continued, "I found her a few minutes later standing at the tree line out back, staring into the woods. When I asked her what she was doing, she told me she was going home. Of course I didn't understand what she meant." He laughed to himself. "I told her not to stay out too late and then went back inside. Little did I know that would be the last time I would see her. I found her letter and a stack of official documents on my dresser later that evening, leaving me this house and all her money and asking me not to look for her."

  The room had become silent. No one was eating or speaking. They all held their breath. All eyes were on Caille as he stared into his food, remembering the night he lost his mother.

  Pam asked, "What did the letter say?"

  Caille tried to shrug off his feelings, acting as if it didn't pain him to know she'd left him. "You know. She said she loved us but she'd been away from her home too long. She said she would return. That's why I didn't worry too much. But over the years, I realized she was truly gone. Part of me believed that she was from the world in her stories ... another part didn't." He shook his head and chortled. "She walked into the woods and disappeared." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that. I didn't see it, but when we searched for her, we found her tracks. They simply stopped. She'd disappeared."

  Deep down, Caille knew where she had gone, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

  Daen had heard what he needed to hear but it didn't help. Apparently the woman he was to help was in Luxatra. The fact that she'd never returned to her family in Luxatra was surpr
ising. He knew the Gaulettes. He would have known of her return. Something had happened to her. Was that why he was here? Something wasn't right.

  The lunch conversation regained a happy tone when Randell blurted out that Daen was teaching him how to sword fight. Well, happy was how Randell saw it. Caille and Mary weren't so sure.

  Randell jumped away from the table. "Do you want to see?"

  "Randell!" Pam scolded. "Sit until we're done. Then you can show them."

  Randell slid back into his seat and continued eating his lunch, glancing around the table, waiting for the first sign that lunch was over.

  ~~~

  As soon as lunch was finished and his mother and grandmother were clearing the table, Randell ran from the room to retrieve the two dowels he and Daen used to practice sword fighting. He ran back into the kitchen and stood quietly, hoping to be noticed, anxious to show off what he'd learned so far.

  Daen laughed to himself. He had grown quite fond of the young man and didn't have the heart to ignore his obvious request. Daen stood and held out his hand for the dowel. "Come on. Let's go out back."

  Randell beamed with excitement as he followed Daen out the kitchen door to the back yard. Caille followed closely behind, looking forward to providing his grandson support.

  Daen pointed to a place next to him, just as he did every morning at practice.

  Randell took his place, explaining to Caille they needed to warm up first.

  Caille nodded with understanding.

  Daen and Randell started their warm-up dance and Ander spoke quietly to Caille. "It's amazing how Daen can keep him focused. You know how he is."

  Caille understood.

  Ander continued, "When Randell started learning, Daen wouldn't let him do the dance with the dowel until he mastered the positions in the warm-up exercise. He graduated to the dowel a couple weeks ago and is doing quite well."

  Caille watched with interest, intrigued by the grace and precision Daen and Randell demonstrated. "Are you going to get him a real sword?"

  "He's asked for one. Daen arrived with two swords, the sword he had in his youth and a much larger, heavier sword made for him when he became a guardian ... or I should say a warrior guardian. He's indicated that Randell can learn with the smaller one when the time comes, but I think Randell's going to want his own."