The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1)

by C. L. McCourt

  They had a long walk ahead of them, so Rhea decided to join Randell in twenty questions. "Daen, what was it like when you first arrived at Randell's?"

  Daen glanced over his shoulder and saw nothing except the road they had just traveled. "What do you mean?"

  "You know, the cars, the technology. Did you already speak English when you arrived?"

  Daen and Randell looked at each other. Randell thought back to when he was 13 and Dean appeared, like magic, in Randell's backyard. Randell thought about the expression on Daen's face when he first saw a television and the appliances in the kitchen and couldn't refrain from laughing. "The look on his face was priceless."

  Daen rolled his eyes. "And the look on your face was just as good when you laid eyes on me for the first time." Daen said over his shoulder, "You should have seen him, eyes wide, mouth gaping open," he laughed, "he looked like a kid who had just found a magic genie."

  There was no way for her to understand without sharing the story of the day Daen arrived, so Randell told her about finding Raisal's dagger and how when he was rubbing it with his shirt sleeve, a blast of blue light filled the room and how a few minutes later, he'd discovered Daen in his backyard.

  "What was it like when you saw your first car?"

  Daen laughed to himself, remembering his tour of the house. "I'd already been shocked by the small appliances in the kitchen, so seeing a large metal box on wheels was just one more strange thing. Of course, seeing it move without horses," Daen shook his head, "that took some getting used to."

  They continued on for another hour before Brauns came into sight on the horizon. Seeing the town reminded Daen that the conversation they'd been having so freely had to change. "Rhea?"

  "Yes?"

  "We're going to need a way for you to communicate with us while you're hidden."

  She chuckled to herself, "I suppose having a voice drift out from nowhere could cause a few heads to turn. What did you have in mind?"

  "I have an idea. Place your hand on my arm."

  Rhea did as Dean asked.

  "Randell, does that part of my arm disappear?"

  Randell looked at Daen's arms and started to shake his head but stopped. "There, your upper right arm, it looks like a chunk has been removed. Rhea, is that where your hand is?"

  "Yeah. If I can't speak or touch you, what're we going to do?"

  Randell said, "I had to look closely to find your hand. If you don't keep it there long, I don't think anyone will notice."

  Rhea said, "Okay, I assume a tap to your arm is what I'll use to get your attention, but then what?"

  They walked for another few minutes and then Randell suggested, "Daen and I will pretend to ask each other yes/no questions. Rhea, you tap once for yes and twice for no."

  Daen shrugged. "I suppose that could work."

  Rhea added, "Works for me."

  Daen continued, "Also, we need to switch to Aduraun. English will be a dead giveaway that something is up."

  They all agreed.

  ~~~

  Gauvin watched Bestian stir as he started to wake up just a few hours after falling asleep. It wasn't out of consideration that Bestian woke—it was the light. Gauvin knew he'd lost his chance to get any rest given Bestian's desire to leave at the start of the day. At least his clothes were almost dry, even if his boots weren't. He'd taken them off shortly after Bestian fell asleep, and had placed them close to the fire. It helped but they were still damp.

  Bestian looked at Gauvin's feet. "Why aren't you wearing your boots?" Once again, Gauvin proved he was going to be a hindrance to Bestian's plans. What fool removes his boots when on watch?

  Gauvin didn't answer as he watched Bestian stand and start to walk into the bushes with the soles of his boots squishing under his feet. Bestian hesitated, looked down at his own boots, and growled something Gauvin couldn't quite make out but it didn't matter. Bestian had his answer.

  Now that Gauvin was back in his own world, his tracker senses would return, and he wouldn't be totally dependent on Bestian. His gift hadn't worked at all in that other world, not until just before he'd been caught by the guardian and sent through the shadow.

  The woman they had been trying to capture was using her gift to conceal her location when she'd gotten too close to him. He'd stopped suddenly, sensing someone behind him. When he'd turned, he'd seen a shift in the air, a wobbly wave that distorted a small piece of what he could see. He'd known what that meant so he'd reached out and grabbed her, but the guardian had caught him from behind.

  His next memory was waking up with a cloth bag over his head. He was interrogated by the guardian and then pushed back into his world and into Hondau Lake. Lucky for him, Bestian had been pushed through first so he knew what was going to happen.

  Now that he was back in Luxatra, Gauvin had options. First was to break his ties with Bestian when the time was right. He was tired of being forced to follow Bestian's plans. He wanted to bring in the prize, and Bestian's brute force style had been shown not to be the answer.

  As Gauvin waited for Bestian to return from his morning preparations, he considered leaving him behind. He had a good idea where the guardian would be heading: the Kinling Mountains and the guardian's headquarters. But he wasn't a distance tracker, and that meant he still needed Bestian—for now.

  Bestian stepped out of the bushes and barked his order, "Come on."

  "Where are we going?" Gauvin was curious to learn if Bestian would make the same assumption he had.

  "North, towards King Argeon's castle."

  "What makes you think a guardian will go there?" Gauvin needed Bestian to rethink what he was planning. He needed a way for Bestian to think heading in the direction of the guardian headquarters was the way to go.

  "It's the closest and safest place."

  Gauvin was impressed, his reasoning made sense. But so did his. "If he wasn't a guardian, Argeon's castle would make sense." He left his comment hanging, waiting to see if Bestian took the bait.

  Bestian stopped, his eyes darted about as he reconsidered where the guardian would go. He turned and said, "We will head east towards the Kinling Mountains. He's a guardian. That's where he'll go." He rolled his eyes and looked at Gauvin. "You know what your problem is? You don't think things through."

  Gauvin nodded, his lips pressed together to hide the smirk that wanted to be released.

  3

  Brauns

  Bestian and Gauvin walked for hours before reaching the east-west road that connects the western shores of Taulomi to the Kinling Mountains and the guardian headquarters.

  Gauvin knew that their current speed would not allow them to reach their quarry in time. The guardian and the woman would be safe inside the guardian headquarters before he and Bestian even came close to the Kinling Mountains. If he and Bestian were to have any chance of catching them, they would need horses.

  The road they traveled was a busy thoroughfare, used by merchants as well as families making their customary trips to and from the shore. Gauvin knew there would be ample opportunity to acquire horses. The trick would be doing it without getting caught. He reveled in his ability to get away with the crimes which would have had him swinging by his neck a dozen times over.

  Bestian, on the other hand, had had a bounty on his head before they were pushed into the other world. Fortunately for him, his ability to sense gifts from a distance had made him near impossible to catch. And, if someone without a gift came after him, it usually wasn't a pretty picture in the end. They would either be left standing alone in an empty campsite having just missed him, or they wouldn't be left standing.

  Gauvin couldn't believe how lucky they'd been when the guardian had let them go, especially after what they'd done. He thought about the guardian's threats, promising they wouldn't survive their next encounter. The corners of his lips twitched, and his nostrils flared as he breathed in the air of freedom and basked in the knowledge that the guardian had made a huge mistake.

  ~~~
r />   The buildings grew larger as Rhea, Daen, and Randell approached Brauns from the south. The small, indiscernible dots they'd seen on the horizon had become men and women walking about town, living their lives as if nothing had changed. But something had changed.

  Rhea had been brought back to Luxatra, and if Daen was right, she was someone very special. But that didn't matter at the moment since the people in the town couldn't see her anyway.

  As they entered the town, passing the livery stable on the right, next to it the blacksmith, Rhea mumbled, "That was obviously planned." As she took in her surroundings, she would swear she was on two movie sets at the same time: one for an old western movie and another for a movie based a Jane Austin novel.

  Some of the buildings were stone and some were wood-framed, while others were brick or some combination of building materials. The road had gone from hard-packed dirt to well-worn cobblestone.

  Randell watched two men step from the stables and walk across the road to the Black Pony Tavern and Inn. He couldn't help wonder if they'd planned the inn's location, giving its guests a place to stable their horses during their stay or if it was just a coincidence.

  Rhea took in the sights of the buildings and the purposes they served. She stared at the people going about their business. She noticed most of the women wore ankle-length skirts or dresses. She realized that not only was Luxatra less mechanical than the world of shadows, but the fashions were lacking as well.

  She mumbled to herself, "I feel like I've stepped back in time."

  "Shh."

  Rhea stepped close to Daen and whispered, "Will I stand out if I wear the same type of clothes you two are wearing?"

  Daen stepped off the road between two buildings and looked at Randell, as they had planned, not wanting to draw attention. "Not many women dress in men's clothing."

  "Right ... well, unless it's going to cause a scandal, I'd rather wear something similar to what you and Randell are wearing. It'll travel easier."

  Daen rubbed his chin and thought about Rhea's request. He hadn't been in Luxatra for quite some time, but from the looks of things, fashion hadn't changed much for women. He knew that some women, realm warriors and those associated with families that hunt game and sell it, would wear the same leather or wool trousers the men would wear, but it was frowned upon by the social elite.

  His first inclination was to say she needed to dress in a skirt or dress to blend in but reconsidered. She might need to fight or run and she would need that extra mobility. It was decided, "We will get you trousers."

  Randell nodded. "I forgot to ask, do we have any money to buy clothes?"

  Daen placed his hand on a pouch hanging from his belt and tucked into his pants. "I have enough." He looked around. "Any more questions?"

  "Nope." Rhea was satisfied.

  They reentered the street and headed towards what looked like a general store, stepping onto the walkway a few building before their destination. Randell and Rhea tripped a couple times, not expecting the surface of the walkway to change so often.

  The path they followed was a mix of dirt and wood planks, with the occasional cobblestone in between. The materials used seemed to depend on the building, the nicer the establishment, the nicer the walkway in front.

  The general store was one of the upscale places; it stood out from the others with its large wood-framed glass doors. One door was propped open, allowing a stream of people to come and go.

  As they stepped inside, Rhea was surprised at what she saw. The place was huge compared to what it looked like from the outside. Although it wasn't Wal-Mart, it seemed to have almost everything one might need, except fresh food. She assumed there was a farmers' market someplace nearby with various vendors selling fresh produce and other wares.

  They stepped to the side after they entered and stopped, scanning the space for what they needed. Against the far wall, Daen could see small stacks of fabric and leather and motioned for Randell and Rhea to follow.

  As they crossed the store, Rhea came close to being bumped several times by patrons, thinking the path in front of them was clear. She had to pay close attention to everyone around them ... try to anticipate where they were going to step. After a couple close calls, they reached the far wall that housed shelves and a few racks of clothing.

  Daen pulled a pair of leather pants from a shelf and held them up. "Do you think they'll fit?"

  Rhea stepped up close to them and pulled Daen's hands close to her hips. It was hard to tell how they would fit, the cut was so simple.

  Randell took a belt from a hook and wrapped it around his waist to demonstrate the size. "With a belt, do you think they'll work?"

  Rhea tapped Randell's shoulder once, and he gave Daen confirmation.

  "Good. Let's get a shirt."

  The process of shopping for Rhea's new clothes repeated itself for each garment. In the end, Daen carried leather pants, a linen shirt, a leather coat, and soft leather boots to the counter where a clerk was waiting. On his way, he picked up a canvas sack as well, thinking she would need some way to carry her old clothes.

  Once they had completed their shopping, they headed out of town. When it looked like no one was watching, they walked into the woods.

  Daen handed Rhea the sack. "We'll stand over there while you change."

  Maintaining her veil, Rhea stripped and changed, placing the clothes she had been wearing into the canvas sack. Once dressed, she dropped her veil.

  Daen saw Rhea appear from the corner of his eye and turned towards her. "Well? Did we do okay on fit?"

  Rhea adjusted the belt and cuffed the legs of the leather trousers so they wouldn't drag. "Pretty good, given we were guessing." She held her hands out to afford a better view of her attire. "How do I look?"

  Randell folded his arms over his chest, looked her up and down and winked. "You'll pass."

  Rhea rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

  Daen picked up her backpack and asked, "Do you think we can shuffle some things around so that all your belongings are in the sack? I'll carry your blanket with my things."

  They unloaded the backpack and the canvas sack, reloading the sack with the items least likely to be needed first. Rhea kept her food and personal items near the top.

  The sack had a strap that allowed Rhea to hang it across her shoulders. It wasn't light, but she'd carried a heavier pack when loaded down with books. Once she had her sword belt wrapped around her waist, they returned to the road and continued towards their rendezvous point.

  ~~~

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