The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1)

by C. L. McCourt

  As promised, Randell scanned the groups of people as best he could without drawing too much attention to himself. As he neared the student center he spied two men leaning against a wall, watching the students as they passed by. Normally this wouldn't draw his attention, given he was supposed to be looking for a woman, but something wasn't right with them.

  The first thing he noticed was their age. Although one appeared to be the age of most students, the other was older, rougher. Furthermore, they had a predatory way of looking at people, as if they were hunting for just the right mark.

  Randell didn't want them to know they'd been discovered, so he stopped beside a large tree, using it to block their view of him. As casually as he could, he focused on them in an attempt to read their intentions. It didn't take long to see they were Luxatrans.

  He'd seen dark auras before, but nothing like this. He fumbled for his cell phone to call Daen. As he pressed Daen's speed-dial number, the two men stepped away from the wall and followed a large group of students through the glass doors.

  Randell stepped from behind the tree, phone pressed to his ear, and headed for the glass doors. He tried to appear casual as he entered the building, not knowing if the two men would be watching. He didn't want to draw attention to himself.

  "Hello? Hello? Randell?"

  Randell scanned the area but couldn’t see where they’d gone. "Sorry. I was following two guys." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Daen, I think they were Luxatrans, gifted Luxatrans if the intensity of colors is a measure of one's gift."

  Daen tensed. "Where are you?"

  "The student center, but I lost them." Randell stood near the entrance, still scanning the area around him.

  Daen grabbed his coat and car keys and headed for the apartment door. "Describe them and the colors."

  Randell turned to resume his walk to town. "One had a dull, charcoal-like coloring and the other looked like mud. They were rough looking, long hair, ill-fitting clothes, rustic leather coats. If I hadn't seen their aura, I would have guessed they were some Appalachian locals come to campus."

  Daen exited the apartment building and ran towards his truck. "Think. Did anything about their attire seem out of place?"

  Randell mentally scanned the scene in his memory. "Yeah, come to think of it, their coats weren't something you would buy in just any store and they each wore a pouch on their hip, similar to the one you wore when you first arrived."

  He started the truck. "Do you think they were armed?"

  "I couldn't tell. Their coats were open only a small amount. I couldn't see much other than the pouch and their clothes, which are from here."

  Balancing his phone between his shoulder and ear, Daen backed out of the parking space. He could hear that the background noise on Randell's end had changed. "Where are you now?"

  "Walking into town. I have to meet some colleagues. I'm already late."

  Daen pulled out of the apartment complex. "I'm coming to town. When and where can you meet me?"

  Randell glanced at his watch. "A couple of hours; let's say 4:00 at the lower entrance of the student center."

  "I'll see you then." Daen closed his phone and headed for town, hoping to get a parking spot on the street. If Randell was right and these men were Luxatrans, what were they doing here? Given the recent changes in his sleeping patterns, he knew he couldn't ignore Randell's observations.

  ~~~

  Rhea entered the student center with her fellow resident advisers, RA's for short. Money was tight, not an uncommon situation for students, but she had been lucky over the past few years and had gotten a dorm room. This year she was the RA and got a small stipend for being the authority figure on the hall. Lucky for her, because she didn't hit the lottery for a dorm room this year and without this job, Rhea would've had to find an apartment, something she couldn't afford.

  As they walked towards the stairs that led to the meeting rooms, Rhea leaned towards her friend Beth. "I'll be right there; I'm going to get something to drink before the meeting."

  "I'll come with you."

  They broke from the group and headed for the food court. Rhea's stomach growled as the smell of fast food permeated the air.

  Beth looked at Rhea with wonder. "Was that you?"

  Rhea placed her hand over her stomach. "I didn't get lunch. I guess I'm hungrier than I thought."

  Beth glanced at her watch. "We have time. Let's get something to eat."

  They stepped up to Au Bon Pain cafe. As they waited in line, Rhea began to feel uneasy, as if someone was watching her. She slowly glanced around the food court, looking for a familiar face or for some other reason for the strange feelings she was getting. As quickly as the feeling came to her, a moment later it was gone.

  Rhea shuddered, chills running through her body. If she’d been dead, she would have sworn someone had just walked on her grave.

  Beth noticed Rhea's behavior and followed her gaze. "Are you okay? Do you see someone?"

  "No. I just thought ... never mind." Rhea stepped up to the counter and placed her order.

  ~~~

  Daen had spent the last two hours wandering the student center and the surrounding area, but saw no one meeting Randell's description. Now he paced to and from the edge of town on College Avenue, waiting for Randell to show.

  He checked his watch, 3:55. He turned to walk towards town again, and this time was rewarded with the appearance of his closest friend. Randell stepped into the street to cross to Daen's side.

  Randell could see disappointment and frustration on Daen's face. "I take it you didn't find them."

  "No." Daen stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and scanned the area once more.

  Some activity at the student center door caught Randell's attention. A group of people exited just as a skateboarder raced by, startling a few members of the group. A flash of blue light sparked from the center of the group and then disappeared.

  Randell grabbed Daen's arm. "I just saw something."

  Daen spun around to look in the direction Randell was watching. "What?"

  Randell answered, "A flash of a blue light. It was faint but it was there."

  Daen scanned the area as the large group broke into smaller groups and headed back into campus. "Who was it?"

  "I can't tell. There are too many people." Randell concentrated on each group as quickly as he could, but nothing stood out. Randell shrugged, "I got nothing."

  Daen ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "Now what?"

  A man and woman walked by as they were talking. Their sideways glances conveyed they were curious about the language they were hearing. Randell and Daen were used to the occasional stares but ignored them. Daen had always encouraged Randell to speak Aduraun in his presence, wanting Randell to speak it fluently, just in case it was needed. Randell didn't mind. If his hopes of going to Luxatra were to be met, he needed to speak Aduraun with ease.

  Randell stepped towards the student center. "Come on, let's walk around a little. Maybe I'll spot them." They spent the next hour looking in every unlocked room in the student center they could find but didn't see them.

  Next, they headed into town to check out the bars and restaurants. The men had to eat; maybe they would get lucky.

  "Daen? What do we do if we see them or they see us?"

  Daen stopped dead in his tracks. "Um." Daen was forgetting where he was. He wasn't a guardian here. He couldn't just capture and interrogate without getting the wrong kind of attention.

  Randell asked, "And who do you think they are? Why would two Luxatrans be here?"

  Almost to himself, Daen said, "Yes. Why would ..." As he considered Randell's question, he had an epiphany. "The two men; you say they were leaning against the outside wall of the student center and then followed a group of people into the building. Then, a couple hours later, a large group of people came out and that's when you saw the blue light."

  "Yeah. What are you thinking?"

  Daen asked, "Is there a way t
o find out what groups were meeting today?"

  Randell shrugged. "I suppose I can. Why?"

  "What if they didn't just decide to go into the building? What if they followed someone?"

  Randell considered what Daen was saying. "Do you think they were following the person I saw?"

  Daen rubbed a hand over his chin, scanning the street and walkway, as if looking for answers. "It's possible. If I was in Luxatra and my patrol saw two men meeting your description standing around, watching people, and then suddenly following a group into a building, we would assume they were trackers. Or I should say hunters. Some Luxatrans can sense other gifted Luxatrans. Sometimes they become what you might call guns for hire. Those who use their gifts for selfish reasons tend to have colors that are dark and flat."

  "You're thinking they're hunters after someone from Luxatra?"

  Daen shrugged. "I'm guessing, but I think it's a reasonable assumption for now. If I'm right and they're hunting someone, that person is in danger. Hunters are not the type you want to mess with if you're untrained."

  Randell could read Daen's next thoughts. "They're tracking the woman you're here to help, aren't they? Do you think it's the trackers you've been sensing instead of the woman?"

  Daen shook his head. "I don't think so. Tracking isn't an active power, or at least not like what I've been feeling. If anything, it's her and she's defending herself."

  Randell looked confused. "But in the middle of the night?"

  Daen chewed his lower lip before sharing his thoughts. "You're right. That is odd." He threw his hands into the air. "Hell, I don't know. Nothing has felt right since I've been here. I've felt the Libraim twice, I've been crushed by an invisible force, I'm here to help someone I don't even know, and now you're telling me there are two Luxatran men in this world." Daen ran his hands through his hair and pulled.

  Randell didn't know what to say. He didn't know how Daen managed his anger and frustration, given what had happened, and what was happening. He checked his watch. "Let's go see if we can find out who had meeting rooms reserved or if there was a special event being hosted today. Then we can check out the town."

  Randell and Daen headed for the administrative offices for the student center. Thirty minutes later they had a list of events that had taken place that day. The list was long. In some instances rooms were booked by organizations and in others simply by a student's name.

  Randell scanned the list as they walked towards the building's exit. "I'm not sure this is going to give us what we want. Do you have any idea how many people have used the student center today? And this doesn't include groups that just show up and a use a room they haven't booked or camp out in one of the open spaces." Randell handed the list to Daen.

  Daen scanned the list and sighed. "I see what you mean. But the group that came out, it was large—right? Wouldn't that mean they were in a large space?"

  Randell took the list and scanned it again. "Here." He pointed at two meetings. "These are the rooms in the center that hosted large groups around the times we're considering. One was booked with a resident advisor meeting and the other hosted the Annual Feed and Seed Symposium. If she was in a large group, I would say it was one of these two. Care to take a guess?"

  Daen shrugged. "A symposium sounds like the attendees would have been professionals. The group we saw was younger, and dressed casually. I would guess RA."

  "Okay. Then we are looking for a female RA who glows light blue when something startles her. Still sounds like a needle in a haystack. Assuming we're right."

  "How do we get the names of the RAs?"

  "Now that will probably be tricky. I doubt that kind of information is on the Internet."

  "As faculty, can't you ask?" Daen was anxious, pressing Randell.

  "Not unless I have a good reason. It's not a secret as to who they are, but to publicize a list ... I'll ask, but don't hold your breath."

  "Thanks."

  Randell used his smart phone to look up the number of the RA's office on campus. A few minutes later he hung up. "They don't share the list. What do you want to try now?" Randell watched Daen as he scanned the field that divided the residence halls from the academic buildings.

  Daen sighed in defeat. "We haven't checked the town yet and I'm hungry."

  "Me too."

  They turned and headed back towards town.

  19

  Mummies

  The cave was lit with torches hanging on the walls. Water seeped from the walls, creating random streams across the dirt and stone floor. Tunnels veered off in several directions, each as creepy as the next. She turned to the tunnel on her right, following the twists and turns highlighted by the torches. The smell of rot grew more intense the further she went. The tunnel ended in a large, circular room. Carved into the walls, from ceiling to floor, were hundreds of narrow openings. In each opening lay one or more dried, shriveled mummy-like bodies.

  Shock and terror rushed through her. She turned to escape by the way she came, but found the opening to the tunnel gone, filled with more bodies. The torch struggled to stay lit as the air thinned, making it hard to breathe. The walls started to move in on her as she gasped for air.

  As the torches took their last breath, she was thrown into total darkness. Bony fingers started to crawl over her body, tugging on her clothes and hair, trying to pull her into the open tombs. She fought, thrashing at the sensations that crawled over her body, until she knew she couldn't win, leaving no other recourse than to scream.

  Rhea sat up in bed, gasping for air, her body trembling, her hands frantically wiping at her arms and legs, removing the sensations she’d felt in her dream. It was a dream. Just a dream. She flipped on the light and confirmed that she was in her room, alone.

  Rhea rubbed her eyes and glanced around her room, hoping all would be intact, but she could see that was not the case; her belongings were scattered across the floor. The mess could wait. She grabbed her journal and started writing about the catacombs filled with tombs and mummified bodies. She sketched pictures of what she remembered, pictures of the tunnel entrances and the tombs, trying to capture the images she had experienced before they faded from her memory.

  The knock on her door brought her away from her chore. "Just a minute." She slipped on a robe and opened her door to find the girl from across the hall looking sleep frazzled and concerned. "Carla, what's wrong?"

  Carla squinted in the light of the hall, her sleepy eyes resisting its brightness. "That's my question for you. Are you all right?"

  Rhea's stomach flipped over with guilt. "I'm so sorry I woke you. I had a bad dream. I'm okay."

  Carla blinked slowly. "Okay." She turned and shuffled back to her room.

  "Thanks for checking on me. And again, I'm sorry for waking you."

  Carla waved her hand behind her head and closed her door.

  Rhea closed her door as well and took inventory of the shambles that was her room. Not only was her blanket across the room, but books had fallen from her shelves, her desk lamp was on the floor, clothes in her closet were off their hangers, and the pages from a stapled handout she'd gotten in class carpeted the floor. This was the worst she'd ever seen it. "Thank goodness I don't have a roommate."

  Rhea decided to clean up her room, being too wound up to sleep. When she finally got everything put away, it was almost 3:00 in the morning. She had turned off her light and started to crawl into bed when she heard a familiar voice.

  ~~~

  "Grennal?" Rhea whipped around to face a small moon shadow under her desk. Her eyes landed on the familiar creature sitting amongst a collection of trees.

  "What are you doing up so late?" Grennal's voice was calm and quiet.

  "Am I ever glad to see you! What happened in January?" Rhea slipped her robe on again and sat on the floor to face her friend.

  "Hunters were camping in the area. I couldn't risk it. I knew you were returning to school, so I decided to make the trip. What's troubling you?"

  Rhe
a was tired, her brain was fuzzy, and she was frustrated. "Besides a lot of unanswered questions from our last visit? Dreams. That's the problem. Dreams. I had wanted to tell you about them the last time we met, but other, more pressing, topics took precedence. Speaking of which, can we pick up where we left off?"

  "I knew you would want to. Go ahead."

  "Okay, for starters, how is it possible that you carried me to this world in a basket? No offense, but ..." She waved her hand at Grennal's body, "... you're not exactly the type of creature that can walk on two legs carrying a basket."

  Grennal looked to her left and right before turning back to Rhea. "What I'm about to tell you must not be repeated to anyone else unless I say it's okay. Do you promise?"

  "Yes, of course."

  "I must start by telling you more about our world than I already have. You see, our world is not like the one in which you live. Some of us have the ability to connect with the energy around us; the ability to perform what people in that world would call magic. My gift is the ability to make myself appear different than I actually am."

  As if on autopilot, Rhea's mouth spit out, "Magic?" She shook her head. "Magic's an illusion."

  Rhea had been raised to believe there was always an explanation for the unexplainable. So many times her parents had been able to explain why something was true or false. They were scientists; it was their job. It was during those times that Rhea had doubted her sanity the most. If everything was explainable and there was no such thing as magic, then why did Rhea see another world in the shadows cast by the moon? The contradictions between what they told her and what she knew to be true had frustrated her.

  "Think about it, Rhea. What can you do that no one else can?"

  Rhea slowly answered, "I can see you. But mentally ill people see things that aren't there."

  "Are you going to start on that again?" Grennal jumped to her feet, agitated at Rhea's fear of believing after so much had happened. They'd had this discussion several times when Rhea was a child, and Grennal had thought Rhea had started to believe. "And who's to say they're ill? Maybe they're the ones who can truly see. Have you ever considered that?"