The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1)

by C. L. McCourt

  Once on the second floor, Rhea took charge by pulling back on Randell's hand and tugging him into the ladies' room. "In there, feet up." She pointed to the empty stall next to the one she was entering.

  They both closed their stall doors and stepped up on the toilet seats. They each gasped for air as their hearts pounded in their chests.

  ~~~

  Daen rounded the corner of the student center and scanned towards the library. Could they be hiding in the stacks? The trackers would be outside the library if they were. No, they didn't go into the library.

  He scanned the campus in front of him. Where did they go? They'd have to hide. There was no way for them to hide outside; the campus was too open. He looked to the next building. No, too simple. Randell would go someplace with some complexity, someplace he'd lectured before.

  The lecture halls; Daen took off at a full sprint, stopping just outside the building with the largest lecture hall. He stopped a student walking from the building. "Did you see a man and woman ran into that building?"

  She shook head. "No but I saw two men run in."

  He looked to the building and started to run as he shouted "Thanks."

  He stopped short of entering the building, not knowing if he would be stepping right in front of trackers. He needed a way to get their attention and not get caught. But how?

  He stepped back and looked at the building, surveying the layout and his options. He knew what he needed to do.

  ~~~

  Randell and Rhea couldn't hear beyond the restroom door. They didn't know who might be walking by or heading in their direction. Rhea heard the plastic toilet seat in the next stall creak, and the feeling that someone was watching her crept down her back.

  She tipped her head back and looked to the top of the stall to find Randell looking down at her.

  He whispered, "Thoughts?"

  Rhea unfolded her legs and stood, one foot on one edge of the toilet seat, one on the other, praying she wouldn't lose her footing. "Call Daen."

  Randell rolled his eyes and shook his head. Why hadn't he thought of that? He took out his phone and dialed Daen's speed-dial number. It rang and rang but no answer. He whispered, "He must have it on vibrate. He's not answering."

  They both looked at the door of the restroom, wondering where their pursuers might be. Randell's phone buzzed once; a text message. "It's from Daen. He says stay put until we hear from him." He looked at Rhea. "I guess he knows what's going on and has a plan."

  Suddenly the restroom door burst open. Randell and Rhea both ducked down. Rhea could feel her heart rate starting to increase again. If she didn't calm herself, they would sense her. What if they already had sensed her?

  Bestian nudged Gauvin forward. "Check it out. I'll keep watch."

  Gauvin slowly entered the restroom, just far enough to bend and see if there was anyone hiding in the stalls. "I don't see anyone."

  "Well, then, come on. They could be getting away while you take your time staring at the ladies' restroom."

  Gauvin turned and asked, "Do you feel her?"

  Bestian nodded. "Yes. She's close. Come on. It won't be long now."

  The door clicked shut behind them as they moved on to the next room.

  ~~~

  Daen stood between the lecture hall and the next building over. He looked both ways to make sure no one would see and then generated two energy balls. Not the cool bright ones he used to read by, but two hot weapons. He needed the trackers to sense him and not Rhea or Randell.

  He extinguished the balls and stepped into the next building and generated them again. Holding them live, he walked to the opposite end of the building, moving away from the lecture hall. He extinguished the energy balls and slipped out the exit, into the sunshine to wait.

  Time felt like it stood still. Would his plan work? He didn't have the best view of the lecture hall, but he would be able to see them coming down the walk long before they saw him.

  His patience was rewarded when he spied the two trackers heading in his direction. He stepped away from the doors and turned right, ducking along the side of the building and out of sight.

  The plan had worked; now he needed to tell Randell.

  ~~~

  Randell's phone buzzed once more. "He says to make a run for it, back towards town."

  Rhea jumped from the toilet seat and opened the stall door. "I'll see if anyone is coming. You don't need to be seen leaving the ladies' room with me."

  Rhea cracked open the door and checked the hall. All was clear. They made their getaway out the same doors they had used to enter the building. Not wanting to risk getting caught again, they ran across the street and behind a building before turning right towards town.

  Rhea asked, "What about Daen?"

  Randell answered, "Don't worry about Daen. He has a few tricks up his sleeve. They won't get him."

  Rhea's expression was full of questions, but Randell ignored her. "We need to get to a safe place." He scanned the buildings around them, trying to figure out the best hiding place until Daen gave the trackers the slip.

  Rhea suggested, "Let's try the student center. There are several places we can blend in and hide."

  Randell agreed.

  ~~~

  Daen peeked around the corner to see if the trackers were still heading his way, and they were. Now to get away. He turned and headed north towards the large parking lot that separated the campus from one of the main roads cutting through town.

  He ran as fast as he could without looking too much like a fugitive to those he passed. If the trackers were still on his tail, he didn't want to lead them to their apartment, so he headed west, towards the mall with all its stores; a perfect place to get lost.

  ~~~

  Hours passed before Randell heard from Daen. He and Rhea had decided to hide out in the billiards and foosball room. The place was busier than one would expect, given exams were still being held. They shot pool and played foosball, trying to blend in.

  Randell drove his cue into the racked set of balls, generating a loud crack and sending the pool balls in all directions. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry. Want to get something to eat?"

  Rhea's stomach growled.

  Randell suppressed a laugh. "I'll take that as a yes. Let's finish this game and if we haven't heard from Daen, we'll eat."

  Rhea nodded and looked at her watch. It was already after 3:00 in the afternoon. They'd been on the run and hiding since about 10:00 that morning. "How much longer do you think he'll be? Shouldn't he have lost them by now?"

  Randell shrugged. "I don't know. I've never done this before."

  Rhea stared at the table. It was her shot but her heart wasn't in the game. How had she gotten here, to this point in her life? Until that morning she had been a happy graduating senior whose biggest worry was what she should do for the rest of her life. Now ... if all didn't go well, she might never need to make that decision.

  Randell watched as Rhea seemed to drift away. He felt sorry for her. The idea of one's life being turned upside down in a matter of hours had to be hard to process. He'd been anticipating the day he and Daen met the woman Daen was to help. Although he had never imagined it would be like this, at least he had been prepared for a change.

  Randell's phone buzzed just as Rhea lined up to take her shot. She stood and waited for the message.

  "He's at the mall and wants me to call." Randell pressed the speed-dial number and waited for Daen to answer. "Hey. What's going on?"

  Daen said, "I think I lost them. I left them on campus near the administrative building."

  "I think we need to get Rhea back to her room." Randell glanced at Rhea to see her reaction.

  Rhea nodded without hesitation. She needed to get back to her room. She needed to be there in case Grennal showed. Although that wouldn't be until that night, she felt safe in her room.

  Daen agreed. "Where does she live?"

  Randell got the information from Rhea and passed it along
to Daen.

  "Well at least I don't have to cross campus, but you do. Be careful. Weave in and out of buildings to limit being seen from a long distance."

  Randell responded, "Sure thing. We'll see you there." He ended the call and motioned to Rhea. "Come on. Let's get you back to your room."

  Rhea placed the pool cue on the table and joined Randell as he walked towards the door. "What about Daen?"

  "He's been hiding in the mall. He thinks he lost them but they could be anyplace. We're going to make our way to your dorm and he's going to meet us there. Your job is to stay as calm as possible. We don't want to give the trackers something to sense."

  Rhea wasn't hungry anymore. "I'll try."

  31

  Waiting

  They reached her room without issue or being followed. At least they hoped they weren't followed. They hadn't spoken a word the entire walk. Randell kept a steady watch on Rhea to ensure she remained calm. He didn't want her aura to flash again and give them away. He couldn't be sure it was her they could sense, but he didn't want to take any chances.

  Rhea made mental notes of everything she'd learned and was starting to put the pieces together. So far she knew Grennal and Randell had special powers. She didn't know if Daen did, but given Randell's confidence in him, she had started to think that was the case.

  Then there was her. She was Luxatran. Randell kept telling her to be calm or else they would sense her. What did that mean? Did she give off some invisible signal? Then she practically electrocuted two men with a static shock without even trying. Static shock? No way. It had to be something else—but what? Last, there was the stuff in her room. How did stuff across the room from her bed get tossed about when she wasn't even near it? Could she have a gift as well? It certainly would explain a few things. But if she did, how could she not know?

  She was glad to be returning to her room. She knew Grennal was planning on returning that night, if it was safe, and she needed to talk to her. She needed answers.

  ~~~

  They met Daen in the lobby of Rhea’s dorm. He hadn't been waiting long. Less than a minute later, they were at Rhea's first-floor room. She opened the door and let them in. Daen scanned the hall to see if anyone was watching before stepping into the room and closing the door.

  Rhea was already sitting on her bed with her head resting in her hands. She was both physically and emotionally drained. "Now what?"

  Randell looked at his watch. "Do you think Grennal will return tonight?"

  Rhea's voice was muffled when she answered. "She's going to try."

  "Well, we have a long wait until the shadows come." Daen stood at the window and scanned as much of the area as he could.

  Rhea's stomach growled again. They had never gotten the food she and Randell had discussed.

  Randell asked Rhea, "Do you like pizza? My treat."

  Rhea lifted her head and was greeted with a warm, calm smile from Randell. "Sure. That sounds good." She pulled her phone from her pocket. "I'll place the order. What do you want?"

  Daen turned from the window. "Anything you order is fine with me."

  "Randell?"

  "Same." He handed her his credit card.

  She held the phone to her ear. "Yes. Delivery. Two mediums. One everything, one veggie. And a six-pack of cola." She gave the address and credit card information and hung up. Normalcy. That's what she needed right now and ordering pizza seemed a step in the right direction.

  Daen settled on the floor against the closet while Randell took the desk chair. Again the excitement of the day seemed to overtake their thoughts, and the room fell silent for a while.

  Rhea watched Daen, taking him in. He looked normal enough. Sure, he was pretty big, but around school, that wasn't unusual. "How did you come to be here?"

  Daen knew the question was for him. "I was sent here by the Libraim to help you."

  "You mentioned you were sent, but how did you get here?"

  Daen said, "I honestly don't know for sure. One minute I was enjoying the view of the Kinling Mountains and the next I was waking up in Randell's backyard."

  Rhea thought back to the journal date, 1988. He'd been here a long time. Guilty feelings started to creep into her heart, as well as confusion. How did the Libraim know she would even exist, let alone be in this world and need Daen's help?

  "You have nothing to feel guilty about." Randell's gaze was intense.

  How did he ... ah, he was reading her. This was going to take some getting used to. "Thanks, but to wait for me for twenty-four years—that's at least a third of a lifetime."

  Daen said, "I thought we went over this. I'm a lot older than I look and I'll live a lot longer than people in this world, as will you."

  As would she? Wait a sec. "Just how long will you live?"

  "Barring any complications, around four hundred of this world's years. Give or take."

  "F—four hundred? Does that mean I'll live that long?"

  Daen shrugged. "It's possible."

  OMG! "What about you, Randell?"

  Randell half smiled. "I don't think I'll last that long, but if my grandfather and father are any indication, I'll be around longer than most in this world."

  Rhea thought about what it would be like to live that long. Her mind was such a kaleidoscope of thoughts that comprehending a life span of that length was too much to process. "Something else is bothering me. How did the Libraim know to send you here? I wasn't even born when you were sent here."

  Daen considered the question. He was a young guardian and still had a lot to learn about the Libraim's powers. "I can only guess at the answer. Maybe it was told in a prophesy. Maybe the Libraim can see the future. Huh, maybe the Libraim can manipulate circumstances. I don't know."

  Rhea turned to Randell. "Randell, you said Raisal Gaulette was ... is your great-grandmother. She's the one from Luxatra, right? How did she get here?"

  "We don't know for sure." Randell reached into his courier bag and pulled out an old soft leather book and handed it to her. "This was hers. This is all we know. Read it while we wait for our food."

  Randell was starting to feel the effects of their earlier escapade. It didn't help that he’d stayed up half the night grading exams and submitting grades. It was a relief not to have that job hanging over his head, but now it was taking its toll. He eyed the unoccupied top bunk. "Do you mind?"

  Rhea waved her hand. "Help yourself."

  While they waited, Rhea leaned back on her pillows and started to read while Daen and Randell sat quietly. It wasn't long before she came upon the entry that answered her question. She read aloud.

  When I learned that my life was in danger, it seemed appropriate to hide. Now I wonder if I made the right choice. Will anyone ever learn where I am? Will they ever be told? I am grateful for the help I received in escaping but I miss my family.

  "Who do you think helped her?"

  Randell answered, "We don't know."

  Rhea read on, skimming through the pages, but stopped when she got to where Raisal mentioned the thread and read aloud again.

  It's been two months since I found myself in this strange world. I look at the people here and they appear flat, two-dimensional, compared to my people, and especially my family. I miss seeing the Gaulettes' silver threads glimmering in the light. I wonder if it will ever be safe to return.

  "This is why you think I'm a Gaulette ... because you see a silver thread when you look at me. Can you see the thread around your father?"

  The bed above her creaked and Randell's head appeared over the edge. "I've tried on my father and grandfather. Yours is the first I've seen. Who knows, maybe my gift is getting stronger. I'll have to look more closely at them next time I see them."

  Rhea looked to Daen to see if he would back the assumption. "What do you think?"

  Daen said, "I believe you're a Gaulette as well, but for other reasons."

  The bed above Rhea creaked again and Randell jumped to the floor. "What are you talking about?"r />
  Daen said, "I've been thinking ... a lot."

  Just then there was a knock on the door. The pizza had arrived. Rhea brought it into the room and laid everything out on the desks. They each grabbed a slice and a soda.

  Randell restarted the conversation. "You were saying? What makes you think she's a Gaulette?"

  "I wasn't sure at first," Daen said, "not until your observation. It's just ... she looks a lot like ... her." Daen locked eyes with Randell in silent communication.

  Randell understood. The relationship Daen had mourned. The woman he had left behind. That's who he referred to. Randell couldn't remember him ever saying her name. Daen's love was Randell's relative?

  He didn't know how to feel about the secret Daen had kept from him. He knew Daen to be a private man at times, but this bothered Randell more than he realized. He thought back over the years, searching for any clue he'd missed that would have told him that Daen had a stronger connection to his family than he let on. Then it came to him. "That explains a lot about our first meeting, how you knew the crest on the journal and your silence since then. Why didn't you say anything?"

  "I didn't want you to think I stayed because of some ... connection between her and your family. And after a while, it just didn't come up."

  Rhea suddenly felt left out of the discussion. "Excuse me, but you haven't explained why you think I am related to Randell."

  Daen looked at Rhea with caring eyes and spoke as if he were talking more to himself than her. "You look just like her. I left her and ... she must have found someone else. Every time I look at you, I see her." He shook his head and refocused. "I'm happy she found someone, but if you're who I think you are and you're here, then something must have happened to her. I'm not sure I want to know what."

  The room fell silent as Randell and Rhea took in what Daen had said.

  Until that moment, Daen had been hopeful that Grennal was his lost love. He knew Lanne had the gift of the veil, the ability to hide as something else, but now he wasn't so sure. If Grennal was Lanne, Rhea couldn't be her daughter. The Lanne he knew would never abandon her child into another world. Would she?