by CK Dawn
The large group of guardians created a half circle around Temple and Louie at the water’s edge. Luke had even persuaded Mum B to join the event.
Guardians parted as Trista approached, followed by an army of hunters protecting a massive gold ornate chest. The vivid blue moon was piercing the horizon. The hour of Old Faithful’s appearance was drawing near. They would be taking no chances with the Sword of Twelve or their Vicereine’s life on this night. Her Elite Guards were stoic as the ceremony began. The hunters placed the chest upon a white marble slab of equal size, resting before Louie and Temple.
“Abigail Thorne, will you do the honors?” Trista said handing Abbey the key to the chest.
The young hunter’s eyes widened in surprise, “Yes, of course.” Abbey proudly took the key and unlocked the four sides of the chest.
Two hunters removed the top and the air began to hum with power, like the charged atmosphere of a storm’s edge.
The newly anointed hunter placed the key back in her Vicereine’s hand. Trista nodded towards the chest for Abbey to continue.
Abbey placed both hands in the chest and gently raised the sword and scabbard in her palms. Her body hummed with power where the magnificent weapon touched her skin and her breath caught in her throat. The sensation was amazing, awe inspiring, and wild-- pure, raw power in solid form. She walked towards Temple at the lake’s frozen edge, pulled the sword to her side and slightly bowed.
Temple reached past the huge amethyst encrusted pommel and closed his hand around the silver and leather grip. The knight swiftly pulled the Sword of Twelve from its sheath and a metallic ringing echoed around the lake. A soft lavender ethereal glow emanated from the blade’s Vaelosh a’Rue symbols as he walked towards Louie. The supernatural etchings fluoresced, became brighter, and pulsed with anticipation.
Abbey joined her fellow guardians, never taking their eyes from the sword. She smiled assuredly at Louie. The pre-gloamer took a knee and bowed his head as the knight approached.
Temple slowly touched the blade’s tip to Louie’s shoulders as they recited the gloaming vow together. Tendrils of translucent violet, yellow smoke, and light emanated from the blade. They swirled around Louie as the sword’s otherworldly power listened to the song in the heart of the burgeoning guardian. Gentle wind whipped around them picking up snowflakes that sparkled like the glitter in a snow globe.
Louie became breathless as he repeated the vow alone. The bond was taking hold. Every guardian in the half circle felt the very moment when they gained a brother through the bond. They began repeating the vow with him, lending their strength and support. Louie placed his hands on the ground, gripping the snow as a vortex of power swirled around him. The tendrils of light and power moved seamlessly in and out of his body. They shared with him glimpses of knowledge and history, all while enhancing his natural abilities for his chosen path. The Vaelosh a’Rue’s gift attuned itself to the new guardian. Molten rings of metal appeared on his middle fingers and instantly cooled to a brushed silver finish.
The vortex of power slowly dissipated as Temple touched the sword’s tip to Louie’s shoulders once more. The residual energy flowed back into the Sword of Twelve as it had thousands of times before.
“Arise, Louis Templeton. Apprentice hunter of the King’s Court!” Temple stated proudly.
Guardians cheered and family members cried happily as Louie stood looking at his fellow brothers and sisters through newly opened eyes. The gloaming bond all guardians shared had to be experienced to be fully understood.
Lourdie’s father had the best description she had ever heard. ‘Lourdiebug, the bond is like an invisible suit of armor. Forged from our ancestors’ knowledge, honor, and conviction. Strengthened by all guardians’ faith. It’s like a parent's love for their child. It can’t be contained, it never falters, and it can never be broken.’
Louie appeared a little taller, a little stronger, and a little wiser as guardians took turns shaking his hand and congratulating him on choosing the path of a hunter. He seemed to be waiting for Abbey to finish her duty of replacing the Sword of Twelve back in its gilded chest. Once done, he fearlessly grabbed her hand and pulled her off to the side as the army of hunters marched the sword back to its vault inside the castle walls. Many more guardians followed the main group back to the castle, as well. They would finally eat Louie’s delicious cake then visit Old Faithful at midnight.
Lourdie saw a new confident Louie emerge from the column of people. He had found the courage to share a private moment with the object of his affection. The boy did not blush and he didn’t look down at his feet. He looked intently into Abbey’s eyes.
Abbey was the one blushing this time as Louie held her hands between them. She actually had to look up slightly at Louie for the very first time. He said something that made the blush in her cheeks darken as he leaned in and softly kissed her lips. The innocent kiss lasted only seconds, but it was the sweetest thing Lourdie had ever witnessed. The couple smiled at each other and held hands as they walked towards the rest of their fellow guardians.
Lourdie smiled as the young couple approached, “Congratulations, guardian.”
“Thank you, Lourdie,” Louie smiled proudly. He kissed Abbey’s hand, brushing his thumb over her relic, “May I escort you to Old Faithful tonight?”
“Uh—yeah,” Abbey stumbled over her words. “Yes.”
“Good!” Louie resolutely stated before running ahead and joining his brother and cousin.
Abbey mockingly fainted into Lourdie as they walked back to the castle. “There must be something in the water here. I swear those Templeton boys...Whoa!” she fanned her face. “Damn!” she whispered.
Lourdie bumped into Abbey in the easy playful way they still had with each other, “You can say that again.”
“Damn.”
If you plan to continue with this series, there’s a tantalizing epilogue…but I suggest you stop here if you don’t like cliffhangers and don’t plan to continue onto the next book in the series just yet.
Thanks for reading!
Epilogue
“I want a piece of cake in my mouth, right now!” Abbey exclaimed as she took a seat in the great hall next to Lourdie.
A woman from the Japanese court continued her conversation with Lourdie about the hunters’ inability to create dual orbs, “Perhaps it is your word. Your Rhan’Delvin word--”
Abbey gasped, “Don’t say it!”
Another hunter interrupted as well, “Our words are personal, they are only for us to know. You know that, mates.”
“This is true,” Pavel agreed, “My papa told me stories of his dedushka’s hunting partner. This man was not too bright and enjoyed his vodka and women more than his senses. He once told a woman he was courting his word as a display of devotion. She laughed in his face and told all her girlfriends his silly word. The closest translation in English would be ‘tree fart’.” He then added almost dismissively, “Also, he lost the ability to make his delvirs and died during a krim attack. Or, so the story goes.”
Lourdie had to laugh, “Aha, so I will definitely not tell you my word. And, I can assure you my word is not ‘tree fart’.”
After cheerfully stuffing themselves with cake, the hunters set out into the lush forest outside which was unfortunately hidden by luminous white snow until spring. Their destination was Old Faithful.
Louie explained what to expect to Abbey, “The fracture always appears at 12:11am. More often than not there will be just one desperate krim coming through, probably aligned with a low ranking Nevra-Hsi.” He shrugged, “Temple or Luke will let a newbie like me practice on the poor fellow. Too bad other Chiarshadrins don’t have such predictable fractures. Our lives would be quite different if that were the case.”
Lourdie sensed a tiny guardian’s presence.
“Your shadow’s back,” Lourdie heard Louie whisper sweetly in Abbey’s ear.
“Enjoying your heightened senses I see,” Abbey teased him.
“Immensely!” Louie beamed down at her. “And, I can’t wait to see what illusions a real krimvigar will try to show me,” he snickered, “A vampire with blingy bits perhaps?”
“Totally a Twilight reference?” Abbey giggled.
“Totally.”
Under the bright full moon, Lourdie turned and saw Scarlett ducking and hiding behind other hunters as the small group made their way to Old Faithful. The young girl snuck past Mum B and was now walking behind Temple and Bishop who were immersed in a private conversation.
Abbey turned to Luke, “Do you think it’s okay if she stays?”
“I don’t see why not. We never get more than two or three shadowskins coming through.”
“Still, keep her close,” Lourdie replied.
Abbey smiled at her friends, stopped, held out her hand, and waved the girl forward.
Scarlett skipped with glee as she ran ahead and took Abbey’s hand.
The newly official hunter smiled down at her shadow, “Still want to be a hunter I see.”
Scarlett nodded happily.
“Stay close, okay?” Abbey said to the shy girl.
Scarlett nodded obediently and swung her idol’s hand as they made their way down to the site of Old Faithful.
“Luke’s letting me join in this year,” Louie said proudly.
“Is that what was up with all the feverish late night practice?” Abbey asked.
“Busted,” Louie mimicked his brother’s ‘aw shucks’ mannerisms. “I couldn’t really tell you, now could I? Considering you thought this would be your last trial and all.”
“True.” Abbey looked at Louie, “Be careful, okay?”
“I will,” he took her other hand and kissed her relic. “I had an excellent teacher.”
Lourdie smiled at the young couple’s budding romance. Her treacherous mind instantly turned to Temple. She couldn’t help but wonder what he and Bishop were talking about after she overheard something about their ranks never being too full. She wasn’t sure, but it sounded like he was debating whether or not to ask her to stay on at the Cloak. Tiny wings fluttered under Lourdie’s rib cage at the possibility. Temple’s internal battle was written all over his face as he struggled with his conscience. He had said something else about not wanting to overstep his bounds with another knight. Lourdie was conflicted as well. She didn’t really know where she belonged anymore. She was entertaining the possibility of staying at Castle Clogyn when Louie interrupted her reverie.
“Luke!” Louie looked down at his watch. “The fracture, it’s early.”
They all rushed towards the golden ribbon of light.
“Ten minutes early in fact. So much for being faithful,” Luke stood in front of the emerging fracture. Its light rimmed him in an aura of golden sunshine. Proudly looking at his younger sibling and new hunter apprentice, he nodded, “Ready, brother?”
“Ready, brother,” Louie said confidently taking his place at Luke’s side.
“Remember, just concentrate on stunning. No orbs yet, don’t even try.”
“Understood.”
“Quintin, you take point,” Luke stated.
“Copy that.”
“Louie, don’t shoot Quintin,” Luke chuckled.
“Aw. Give your brother a break, mate. If he shoots me I’ll just shoot him back, is all.” Quintin winked at Luke, “Twice, for good measure.”
“Guys, you know I can hear you right?” Louie laughed nervously.
“Happy hunting, gentlemen!” Temple gave Lourdie a devilish grin. “You too, Sinclair.”
“Ha!” Quintin guffawed. “Tosser.”
Lourdie sensed a massive presence moments before Temple’s expression turned from a light hearted smile to an intense scowl.
Temple unexpectedly began giving orders, “Royal Guards to the Vicereine. Everyone fall back!” he said with a true knight’s booming voice.
Eight distinct shadows slithered through the fracture, immediately transforming into krimvigars and krimvigos ready for a fight. Their black fire opal skin glowed under the moon’s brilliance.
“Louie, step back. Join the line, now!” Temple spotted three other shadows slithering through, “Luke?”
“I see them,” Luke answered as he and Quintin readied their own orbs as four more shadows appeared.
Lourdie followed Temple’s lead as they readied their weapons. They nodded to each other as the battle broke out with Quintin firing the first shot.
“Scarlett, stay with Lady Gilroy!” Abbey said worriedly as she pushed the tiny young thing towards their leader. The first shot from Quintin’s rifle had stunned a beast barreling down on Scarlett.
Trista gathered Mum B and Scarlett to her side before the four guardians solely responsible for the Vicereine’s safety quickly surrounded her and her wards.
Louie and Abbey joined the main wall of hunters who were shooting down and stunning countless netherwalkers all while holding their line. The second line of defense used their orbs to banish the swell of beasts. The army appeared to have no end in sight. As one monster fell to the frozen earth, stunned, four more would make their way through the fracture. Lourdie and Temple led the hand to hand combat that kept the encroaching beasts at bay. Luke and Quintin led the hunters, banishing as quickly as they could, but even with the extra orbs Lourdie was able to toss them, they couldn’t keep up.
North, Trista’s lead guard, rallied his fellow guards with his call. “Glory! May it be,” he yelled.
The gold cuffs on each of the four royal guards’ wrists began to rotate out counterclockwise from their left arms.
“A good day to…” North’s booming voice continued.
Beautifully mirrored shields as tall as the men carrying them, encased Trista, Scarlett, and Mum B in a golden glow of protection.
As all four men slammed their shields into the ground through the snow, they finished North’s call in unison. “Die!”
The shields and men were magnificent. The gold shimmered under the moon’s light and their muscles tensed as they readied their weapons. Their positions formed an impenetrable barricade.
Lourdie had heard about the royal guard’s battle cry and knew that it was never said lightly. They truly expected to die tonight. “Tell me this is normal?” she yelled across to Temple as she jumped out of reach of two krims. She quickly spun around and hurled three orbs, encasing a trio of netherwalkers nearest the wall of hunters.
“No! This is not normal,” the knight answered, banishing his own creature while fighting off others. “Bishop! Call the Cloak. We need reinforcements now!”
“On it!” the archivist replied, already on his phone.
The guardians were severely outnumbered. As four netherwalkers were banished ten more would emerge from the fracture.
Like their stun weapons, a hunter’s powers were not limitless. They too would have to recharge soon, ready or not.
Lourdie had stunned and banished dozens of skins as they tried to reach the barricade of guardians protecting the Vicereine. Their leader was surrounded. The attack that began as random chaos, quickly became organized and calculating. All the krims started working together, trying to weaken the wall. Suddenly the hairs on the back of Lourdie’s neck stood on end and time slowed down. She turned towards Old Faithful as the ribbon of light trembled and quivered. A sonic boom sounded amidst the cacophonous battle. Lourdie watched the real horror step through the veil. Some of the krims broke away from their fights and cowered at the fracture’s edge as black fluidic armor began to emerge.
“Hsi!” Lourdie yelled, warning the others. “Incoming! A Nevra-Hsi!”
The guardians had little time to be shocked as they were bombarded with yet another wave of shadowskins barreling through the fracture on their master’s heels.
The deadly intruder slowly entered the earth’s realm as dozens of his shadowskins and krims huddled around him. He was the Grim Reaper incarnate with long glossy black robes billowing in the wind, emaciated flesh clinging to bone, and
long taloned fingers crusted with grime and blood. His head was hooded and masked with a horrific helmet of bone and otherworldly metals. The Nevra-Hsi sniffed the air, tilting his head back and forth like a giant bird of prey as his pawns sacrificed themselves all around him. He appeared to be testing his limitations with each frosty breath. With every movement he learned and adapted to his new environment. A low raspy chuckle came from deep in his belly. Krims scratched at the edges of the Hsi’s black shredded robes as their master focused in on a target. Cautiously, lethargically he moved towards the wall of hunters.
Ultimately calculating Abbey and Louie as the easiest prey, he appeared to stare them down. The Hsi slowly raised a talon and pointed it directly at Abbey.
“No!” Lourdie let out a blood curdling scream that echoed around the lake.
The Nevra-Hsi twitched his head and looked at Lourdie. All that was visible under his hooded mask was his frosty death rattle breath. The Hsi waved his hand dismissively and the hunter next to Abbey fell to the ground dead.
Louie!! Lourdie’s head screamed.
Remnants of his blonde hair and lifeless body lay on the snow wrinkled and shriveled as though all the moisture had been sucked out. The fallen guardian’s ashen skin started to blow away like dust. Grey ash coated the crisp white snow around the hunter’s powdery remains. Abbey’s face contorted into anger as she and the surrounding hunters focused all their fire on the Hsi with no effect.
Still in slow motion, battles raged around Lourdie as the Nevra-Hsi honed in on her, his new prey. Her rage welcomed the Hsi’s approach. Eagerly, with her heartbeat pounding in her ears, she took a deep breath and readied the most powerful orb she had ever conjured.
With the dead guardian’s entire life essence swelling in the Hsi’s decrepit veins, the creature appeared stronger, his ancient armor less tattered, glossier. Under the blue moon’s glow the Hsi seemed reborn anew. Cocking his head from side to side, he studied Lourdie intently and laughed. The Nevra-Hsi raised a talon towards her and flicked his wrist.
