The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1)

by C. L. McCourt

  "I didn't ask him to go. I don't want to be responsible for anything that might happen."

  Pam chortled under her breath. "It's his choice." She shook her head. "He's always had a mind of his own. Ander and I have learned, when Randell wants something, he gets it. And we know he wants this. Besides, he's a grown man. We ... you, couldn't prevent him from going even if we tried." She pulled the door open and glanced over her shoulder. "We don't blame you." And with that she stepped out and closed the door.

  ~~~

  Bestian's eyes popped open to a view of the underside of the trees that towered over his head. His mind locked onto the sensation that had thumped him awake. "Gauvin, get up. We have to go."

  Gauvin squinted through the sun's rays as they pierced his eyes. "You sensed something?"

  "Yes! Now get up." Bestian was already breaking camp.

  Within minutes, they were plowing through the woods, heading for the road that led into town.

  "Where are we going?"

  "South." Bestian had a dazed look in his eyes, as if he were seeing and following something that wasn't there.

  Gauvin practically had to run to keep up.

  An hour later, they reached town and headed south on the main road. A half hour later, a truck pulled up next to them. "Can I offer you a ride?" The driver of the truck pointed to the empty bed of his pickup.

  Although Bestian and Gauvin had been in the world of shadows for a few months, they still hadn’t picked up enough of the language to understand what the man said. They did, however, understand his gesture. Bestian climbed in first, follow by Gauvin.

  "Just tap the window when you want to be left off." The driver of the truck tapped the back window before pulling back onto the road.

  Bestian continued to focus on the sensation of the gift as it lingered in the air in front of him. About ten minutes later, the sensation started to fade. Bestian tapped on the window and the driver pulled over.

  Gauvin gave the driver a bow of his head in thanks and took off after Bestian, who was now running down the side road abutted to the main road.

  "Have a nice day!" The driver waved and pulled away.

  Gauvin caught up with Bestian only because Bestian had stopped. "Are we here? Have you found them?"

  "No. I lost the trail. But we're closer. They'll reveal themselves again and then I'll have them."

  Have them, right. Gauvin couldn't help wonder who would have whom. They were two Luxatrans with active powers who didn't want to be found. He had no idea how they were going to catch them.

  42

  Swords

  Randell stepped into the kitchen. "Weekend breakfast. What's the occasion?"

  Pam gave him a glare as if he should know.

  "What?"

  "Your father is taking today and tomorrow off so we can spend time with you before you go. I thought it would be nice to have as many family meals as we can before ..." Pam gasped for air.

  "Ah, Mom." Randell pulled Pam into his arms. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

  Pam wiped away her tears and tipped her head back to look up at her boy. "Does that mean you'll stay?"

  "No, Mom." He dropped his hug and stepped back. "It's more than just wanting to go. I told you, I feel I need to go. It's like something is telling me I need to do this. Every time I think about staying, I get a pang of guilt in my chest that I can't ignore."

  "I suppose I'm not the only mother to have to say goodbye to her child."

  "It's not goodbye forever. I'll be back."

  Pushing her fears down, out of sight, Pam swatted him with her hand towel. "You'd better. Now go wake the others. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes."

  ~~~

  Rhea's lessons continued in the backyard after breakfast. After a swordless warm-up, Daen and Randell took her through drills with the dowels and a sawed-off broom handle. In unison they danced through the moves of battle, teaching Rhea blocks and strikes.

  When it looked like the moves were coming easy for her, Daen turned and faced her. "Now it's time to put your skills to use." In slow motion Daen stepped in to strike and stopped where her block should have met his blade. "Block my strike."

  Rhea executed a block and met his wooden blade.

  Daen stepped back. "I am going to attack and you are going to block. Then Randell will join in and we'll pick up the pace a little."

  Rhea's eyes went wide.

  Before she could comment, Daen added, "I wouldn't push you this hard, this fast, if it wasn't important. I don't know what we’ll face when we step through to Luxatra, and you need to be ready ... or at least as ready as possible."

  "What about making energy balls? Shouldn't I practice making and throwing them?"

  "There's more to your gift than energy balls. Sometimes revealing an active gift is the last thing you want to do."

  Rhea looked confused. "Um ... why?"

  Daen considered her question, thinking back to the same question he'd asked his mentor when he was a boy. He shared with her what he'd been taught. "Sometimes your best defense is surprise. If your enemies don't know what you can do, you can draw them in with their guards lowered, making it easier to subdue them with your gift."

  Rhea thought about what he’d said. "Ah, like yesterday. The tracker felt your attack and stepped away."

  Daen cringed with embarrassment. "Right. I'm out of practice. I should have remembered. And let that be a lesson. You need to be able to use a sword, because your gift can fail you."

  "Why a sword? Why not a gun?"

  Boy was she full of questions. Daen reminded himself that she'd never lived in Luxatra, so her questions were going to be many and possibly unusual. "We don't have guns in Luxatra, or at least we didn't, the last time I was there. So if you're attacked, it's highly probable your attacker will be wielding a sword. That's just the way of our world. So, let's get back to your lessons."

  Rhea's training continued for the rest of the morning. Pam brought snacks and water during their breaks.

  After their second break, Daen retrieved his swords, and Randell's, from the porch. He handed Rhea the smaller of his two swords. "Take this." It was the first sword he'd ever owned, gifted to him by his father. It had been made for him when he was a boy trying to prove he was a man. It had a wide blade and was almost a yard long from tip to hilt. The hilt was made for a larger hand than hers, but it was the best he could offer her. It was sheathed in a hard leather scabbard made specifically for the blade.

  Rhea said, "It's heavier than I thought it would be."

  "Part of the weight you feel is the scabbard." Daen unsheathed the sword that he'd earned when completing his Guardian training. He motioned for Rhea to do the same.

  Rhea held the sword like she'd held the dowel. Her muscles protested, and she lowered the tip of the sword to the ground. "It still feels heavy. My arms are killing me."

  Randell explained, "It's not heavy. You're just tired."

  "Yeah, well, then I need to rest." Rhea started to drag herself to the porch steps.

  Daen stepped closer to stop her. "Until you have enough upper body strength and stamina, you will use the energy around you to help you lift the sword, make it feel lighter."

  Rhea raised a brow, not sure she understood what he meant.

  Daen thought about how to explain. "Have you ever bench-pressed weights?"

  "Yes."

  "Have you ever had someone help you lift the bar when you were tired?"

  "Yeah, it's amazing how just a light touch under the bar can make the bar feel lighter."

  "Good. Although it's not exactly the same, imagine that the energy around you is someone lifting the sword with you, making it feel lighter."

  Rhea wasn't sure if he was pulling her leg or not, but she went along with it. She closed her eyes and imagined millions of tiny little energy hands touching the sword, helping her lift it. The imagery in her mind looked pretty silly, but after a moment, the sword felt lighter and her arms ached less. With two hands, she
moved the sword back and forth, parallel to the ground. Then she used one hand. Feeling pleased with herself, she looked past her sword to Daen for his approval, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw.

  Rhea stopped moving and gasped.

  Randell stepped closer. "What is it? What's wrong?"

  Rhea gazed at Daen, or actually around Daen. "He's glowing."

  Daen lowered his sword. "What does it look like?"

  "Green, a rich, vibrant green." It was so beautiful, Rhea didn't want stop looking at it.

  Daen sought confirmation. "Randell?"

  "Yep. You're glowing green." Randell smiled at Rhea. "So, another gift emerges."

  Pam and Ander had stepped out onto the porch during their discussion and Ander asked, "What's happening?"

  Daen explained, "I've been working with her, coaching her on finding, touching, and using the energy around her. She was using it to help her lift and move her sword when she saw me in a new light." He looked proud of her.

  Ander stepped forward and focused on Rhea with new interest. "Her aura has changed."

  "How has it changed?" Rhea glanced between Ander and Randell.

  Randell studied Rhea for a moment. "Interesting. I see what you mean, Dad. In addition to the new gold flecks I saw yesterday, your aura is now shimmering between blue and green and has a purple swirl running through it." Randell nodded. "Very nice."

  She looked down at her hands. "Why can't I see it? Can you see yours?"

  Randell answered, "I can see it in the mirror if I concentrate hard enough."

  Ander nodded his head towards the house. "There's a mirror by the front door."

  Rhea ran into the house, followed by everyone else. She stood in front of the mirror but didn't see anything.

  Randell could read the disappointment on her face. "Concentrate. Focus on you and only you."

  Randell held back his laughter as she narrowed her eyes and got a very serious look on her face. Should he tell her she didn't have to make a face to concentrate?

  "I see it! But I don't see the silver thread."

  "I can't see mine either. But then I couldn't see Dad's very well until yours appeared to me. Turn around and look at me and Dad. Do you see our threads?"

  This time Rhea relaxed her eyes and focused on Randell's and Ander's auras and nothing else. Slowly, little glints of silver started to show until she could see a thin web of silver. Rhea nodded, grinning ear to ear. "Very cool."

  Pam looked at her watch. "Your parents should be here shortly. Why don't you get cleaned up? I put a towel and washcloth in the bathroom at the top of the stairs."

  Rhea did a mental inventory of her body. "Yeah, I probably smell pretty bad by now." Rhea looked at Daen's and Randell's sweaty bodies.

  Pam jumped in, "You boys need to clean up as well." She shooed them. "Get going."

  ~~~

  Bestian and Gauvin had slipped into the woods to wait for the next sign from their targets. They didn't have long to wait before Bestian started to feel a slight tingle in the air.

  Gauvin noticed right away. "You feel something, don't you?"

  Bestian just nodded and tilted his head back as if to sniff the air. "I can't tell the direction yet, but it will come."

  Bestian sat tight and waited patiently while Gauvin kept a look out.

  Gauvin suggested, "I think it's time to call Darren. We can't keep running on foot."

  Bestian reached for the cell phone. "You might be right."

  43

  Confession

  Rhea, Randell, and Daen joined Pam and Ander in the kitchen to help prepare lunch. While they were training, Pam had stuffed herbs under the skin of a couple roasting chickens, the ones she'd taken from the freezer the night before, and placed them in the oven. The aroma filled the house.

  Rhea was put to work peeling potatoes and Randell chopped them as she finished, putting them in a pot of water to boil. Daen snapped the ends off fresh green beans and Ander peeled and sliced apples for pie. It was a domestic scene Rhea had never experienced before, but she loved it.

  Pam finished assembling the pie and popped it in the oven after removing the chickens. About twenty minutes later, the potatoes were ready for mashing. Pam put Randell's upper body strength to work.

  Randell gently complained, "You know we can use the mixer for these."

  "I know, but I like to see you work." Pam winked at him and pulled an oven dish from a cupboard. "Here, put them in here and cover them when you're done."

  All their work was done just in time for the doorbell to ring.

  Rhea looked at her watch. "That would be my parents." She followed Ander and Pam to the front door.

  The front door stood open, allowing Rhea to see her parents through the screen in the storm door. "Mr. and Mrs. Canton, please come in," Randell's father said. "I'm Ander Young." He pushed the screen door open, "And this is my wife, Pam."

  "Hello. I'm Christine Canton and this is my husband, Brian."

  "Mom! Dad!"

  "Rhea!" they said in unison.

  Rhea gave each a hug. "It's so good to see you."

  Pam gently coaxed them out of the foyer. "Let's go to the living room and sit down."

  Randell and Daen were already in the living room, waiting.

  "Mom, Dad, this is Randell Young and Daen Mallaur."

  Hellos and handshakes were exchanged.

  Pam motioned towards the couch under the window. "Please make yourself at home. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea, or cola?"

  Christine nodded. "Coffee would be nice. Thank you."

  Pam headed to the kitchen.

  Rhea turned to follow. "I'll help you."

  Rhea's parents watched her scurry from the living room. Brian looked puzzled. "Something has her upset."

  Christine nodded. "She was so insistent that we come here to talk to her and now she runs out of the room?" Christine looked at Randell and Daen. "Do either of you know what's going on?"

  Daen and Randell glanced at each other, neither knowing what they should say.

  Brian could see they weren't going to volunteer any information. "You're Randell, right?"

  Randell nodded.

  "How do you know my daughter?"

  "I was one of her professors. We met about three weeks ago when I was asked to fill in for a colleague who needed to take emergency leave."

  Christine cleared her throat. "At our university, befriending young students is frowned upon."

  "Oh! Yes. I assure you that is the case for us as well. It's just ... once you hear the full story, you'll understand."

  Christine turned to Daen. "And you know my daughter how?"

  "I'm Randell's friend. We share an apartment in town." He knew he wasn't being very helpful, but like Randell said, the story needed to be told before Daen said much more about himself and his ... connection ... to Rhea.

  Brian said, "I understand this gathering has something to do with my daughter's biological parents. Would either of you like to fill us in?"

  Randell shook his head. "I think we should wait for Rhea."

  Brian turned to Ander, his last opportunity to get some insight into the reason they’d been called to this home, before their daughter returned.

  Before Brian could ask another question, Ander asked one of his own, hoping to delay. "So, what is it you two do for a living?"

  Brian answered, "We're professors."

  "Oh, that's nice." Ander was at a loss. They weren't making the small talk easy. "In what field of study?"

  "School of Arts and Sciences. We're physics professors."

  Ander raised a brow. "Impressive."

  ~~~

  Pam pulled a tray out from a lower cupboard and started to load it with coffee cups.

  "How can I help?"

  "Can you get the creamer from the fridge and the sugar from the table?"

  Rhea went to work. "Do you have any advice for me? A direct approach or slow and easy?"

  "I can't say. You know
your parents best. Whatever approach you choose, I'll be there to back you up." She paused in what she was doing. "I remember what it was like when Ander told me what he could do. He was so sincere it was hard not to believe him. Until Daen came along with his active gift, I simply chose to believe what Ander and Randell said they could do." She picked up the tray. "Can you carry the coffee?"

  Rhea hesitated for a moment.

  Pam sensed Rhea's reluctance to follow. "Are you okay?"

  "I'm just nervous. There was a time when my parents wanted to get me psychological help when I was convinced there was a creature in the shadows watching me; you remember, the story we told you about Lanne. Anyway, ever since that day, I've pretended not to see anything in the shadows. Now I have to tell them I've been lying to them this whole time." Rhea sat at the kitchen table and placed her head in her hands. "And there isn't any reason to think they won't find me nuts when I tell them now."

  Pam sat with her and gently pulled Rhea's hands into her own. "They'll believe because they won't have a choice. With or without us by your side, you have proof that you're special. But don't worry; we'll be there for you." She patted Rhea's hand, then stood and picked up the tray.

  Rhea grabbed the coffee and they headed to the living room.

  ~~~

  Christine looked up as Rhea and Pam entered the room. "Rhea, I don't mean to be rude, but we're quite anxious to learn what couldn't wait until you got home." Her words told Rhea she was interested, but her eyes were worried.

  Rhea didn't say anything. She busied herself by pouring the coffee, all the while trying to formulate what to say.

  Brian took the coffee from her shaking hands. "Rhea. Sit down, please." His voice was calm but firm.

  She sat on the floor at the end of the coffee table.

  Brian continued, "Just say it."

  Rhea swallowed hard and dove in. "When I was nine, you caught me on the floor, looking into a shadow. To keep from being sent to a doctor, I admitted that nothing was there and I promised not to bring it up again." She took a deep breath. "I lied. I can see another world in the moon shadows. I can talk to ... the people ... who live there." She switched to Aduraun. "I can speak their language."