by Carol Oates
I’ll go when you come with me. He reached for my arm again.
I’m getting married, I blurted, exasperated. I pushed the sleeve of my waterproof jacket back over my hand to reveal the blue stone on my left hand. I knew it would hurt him, but it was a small price to pay to get him to leave before time ran out. His eyes widened and he said nothing for a long time, time I couldn’t afford to spare. His face tensed, and his brow furrowed as he carefully considered his next option.
I’ll go, he stated calmly, when you tell me exactly what is going on here. I looked over my shoulder again to see all the faces watching us and growing more troubled by the moment. What could I do? What difference would it make now? There were three outcomes I could think of. We would either defeat Zeal and Lucien, in which case John’s knowledge of us wouldn’t matter, or we would all die and it still wouldn’t matter. Of course, there was a third outcome I could think of that had a slim chance of becoming reality, but it meant telling John the truth now, before anything was resolved. I didn’t know what the implications of that would be
Look at me, I sighed. I took a step closer to him. Look at me closely.
You were close to me every day for months. Look at me now.
John’s eyes gazed over my features, and I didn’t move when his hand lifted to stroke the length of my long gossamer hair before he ran his thumb over the luminous golden skin on my cheekbone.
I heard Annice shush Caleb behind us, allowing me time to deal with my mess. John’s eyes widened slightly, starting to take in what he didn’t want to admit to himself: that I was different. I could see in his expression the reality starting to break through, but I had to push it harder. We needed to hurry.
Look at the people behind me, John. See us, not just what you want to see. I coaxed him gently, keeping my eyes on the blood orange light beginning to streak over the hills behind him.
John examined the golden creatures standing behind me. Standing with the small delicate Amanda made them seem all the more otherworldly.
John. I brought his attention back to my face. While he watched me, I moved behind him, so fast I would have been a blur to him, glad that for once that my gifts worked on request. He spun rapidly, fear and shock on his face, and staggered back. I repeated the movement, disappearing again, and again John staggered, trying to focus on my blurred form.
I steadied him but took my hands away quickly and stepped back, aware he may no longer want me to touch him. The thought of him being afraid of me made me sad. John, after all, had been there for me when Caleb wasn’t.
What are you? he yelled bitterly. What has he done to you? I took another step backward to give John more space, but he stepped forward. He wasn’t afraid of me, but still, maybe it would be better for him if he was scared enough to run away. His large brown eyes watched me as well as the group behind me, and all the time the pinks, blues, and oranges continued to expand across the sky. The wet grass began to gleam in the early light. I had to do this faster.
I’m not human, John.
Wha-what? he stammered, shaking his head. No, no.
I’m not human, I said again, gently. You are in danger here. You have to leave now. There are people coming
What are you? he cut in, scrutinizing my face.
I looked over my shoulder again; despite Annice’s calming words, Caleb was getting more and more agitated. I turned back to John.
I haven’t got time to explain it all to you now. Just trust me that we I motioned with my hand behind me, are not the ones you should be afraid of. Now please go.
I could see he was resigning himself, but he pushed another question anyway. His fingers brushed my cheek. Tell me what you are. I groaned; there was just no getting around this anymore. We are called Guardians. Our race watched over humans at the dawn of time. I — am a direct descendant of the people that once ruled Atlantis. His breath caught, and I could hear his heart race. A distinct line of white now followed the horizon, the sky turning blue behind the colors.
The first view of the sun appeared over the hills.
Just then, just as John was about to give in and leave, the sky darkened again as heavy clouds suddenly began rolling in. I looked up and felt the burning sensation of impending rain hitting the back of my throat. The wind rose in gusts, whipping my hair across my face.
It’s too late, Caleb roared, his voice shattering the quiet and sounding as loud as thunder.
A black cloud burst from the trees in the churchyard behind us with an ear-splitting screeching and cackling. It spread out to reveal an enormous murder of crows rising into the air and scattering across the sky, a fitting announcement of Zeal and Lucien’s arrival. Chills ran down my spine.
Caleb was beside me instantly, throwing his arm around me. His body shielded me from whatever it was that he saw coming. I turned to look in the same direction his wide and fearful eyes were staring. An unnatural, black mist floated in the distant horizon to the southeast, swirling and lashing across the sky. I understood now what Caleb meant about their method of traveling; it was just like in the story of the Guardians when they first returned from Greece to Atlantis, except it wasn’t love for the people or the land that had this black mist drifting toward us through the dawning sky.
I shrugged Caleb’s arm away from me roughly and pushed the hair from my face, gripping John’s arm firmly.
We have to hurry, I shouted over the building din of the wind and the rain.
The mist was still galloping in our direction. I dragged John, ignoring his feeble protests. The others were already leaping over the wall. Ben had Amanda cradled in his arms, her arms locked around his neck. Caleb grabbed John’s other arm and lifted him from the ground. The icy rain was pelting against my face, feeling like sandpaper rubbing over my skin. As we neared the wall, I copied Caleb, springing from the ground, my foot grazing the wall as I landed gently on the grass behind it. John struggled and fought against us. I could sense his terror at our inhuman speed as we bounded up the hill around the wall of the churchyard, following the others. The mist moved faster than we could while we carried John between us, and the dark gray, fluffy clouds completely blocked even the smallest rays of light from the sky. The swirling mist was nearing fast.
The ground beneath us shook, knocking me off balance, and I fought to steady myself. John shouted, but I couldn’t hear his words as I concentrated on just staying upright.
A violent shudder rocked the ground under us. What’s that? I screamed to Caleb.
It’s the land, he shouted. It recognizes you. I could barely hear him over the wind, the rain, and John’s strained cries of protest. We moved over a rise and stopped at a huge green mound in the earth, about forty feet in diameter and ten feet high, rounded with steep sloping sides. Samuel tore a barred metal door from a small entrance into a tomb hollowed out of the mound and nodded his head in the direction of the opening, looking directly at Amanda and then John. Ben kissed Amanda on the lips swiftly and passionately, his hands holding her face, unwilling to move. I looked and saw that the mist was only a few hundred feet away.
Grabbing John’s shoulders, I turned him forcefully so he was facing me. He was dazed and appeared unable to focus, so I placed my hands on either side of his face to ensure I had his attention.
Look at me, I demanded urgently.
His eyes found mine. Beside us Samuel was holding the gate, waiting impatiently.
I — I — what — he stuttered.
There’s no time, John! I shouted, my fingers pressing into his skin
Promise me you’ll stay here with Amanda until it’s safe.
But what — I — what? he continued protesting.
Please, just do it, I roared, already shoving him through the small entrance into the stone cell.
Amanda’s eyes were red, and tears streaked down her face. She grabbed John’s arm with both her small hands and pulled him further back while Samuel replaced the door. Then we were away again. Caleb held onto me, guiding me.
&
nbsp; We moved further south toward another two larger mounds. I held back for a fraction of a second; I suddenly felt like we were going the wrong way, but Caleb’s grip on my hand was solid, and I reluctantly followed after him.
The rain grew even fiercer, and it was getting hard to see much through my squinting eyes. I could just about make out Joshua and Eila ahead of us as they scrambled over an embankment. Ben, Samuel, and Annice kept pace with us, and we were next up over the same embankment. It must have dropped at least nine feet down on the other side, and I almost lost my footing as I slipped on the wet grass and sheep manure I hadn’t noticed all the sheep on the land surrounding the mounds, huddled together for protection from the gathering storm. The mist was over us but seemed at closer view to be more a cloud of dust than a mist. I scrambled forward up the second embankment, taking my hand from Caleb so I could use both hands to steady myself. Coming over the other side, I slipped downward again, only to be caught by both Ben and Caleb, but in that instant at the top I had seen it, standing firm in the blackness.
The rain pelted, and the wind lashed wet hair across my face, but I saw the Stone of Destiny. It wasn’t where it was meant to be, I was certain of it, but it was there in front of me for that moment, nonetheless. Just a few more feet and this would all be over. I threw myself forward against the steep mound set in the center of the two circular trenches, again scrambling up the treacherous slopes with the wind burning my cheeks. Eila reached down her hand to pull me up, and Caleb’s hands at my waist lifted me.
Adrenaline blocked out everything else: the shaking ground, the wind and the rain, the blackness all around us. I stretched out my arm to take Eila’s hand and allowed her to heave me upward. Caleb, Ben, Samuel, and Annice were close behind.
I saw it again, sitting next to what looked like an old gravestone. A few small, broken stones were embedded into the clay at the base of the Stone.
The pale gray Stone of Destiny seemed to call to me. My heart skipped a beat. Without taking the time to look at the people around me, I hurtled myself in its direction, springing from the ground on instinct the way I had over the wall to cross the distance. A crushing pain exploded across my back, spreading through to my chest, and suddenly I had overshot the Stone, missing it altogether.
I landed heavily, splayed out against the first bank of the mound, flipped onto my back, and found my body from the waist down pinned to the ground by a substantial weight. Like the night with Caleb, it was instinctive. I knew how to move; I knew how to slash at the golden creature that had pinned me to the ground and was sitting astride me. His long dark hair was wet and stuck to his face. His deep pink lips were pulled back in a hideous smile, sneering over his brilliant white teeth. He swiped at my chest with razor sharp nails, but I managed to knock his hand out of the way before it made contact with my chest. Instead, his sharp talons sliced through my jacket, my sweatshirt, and finally the skin on my shoulder like razor blades. I didn’t feel it initially until I moved and the skin split, sending searing pain in waves through my body. I reached with my uninjured arm and grabbed the hair on the opposite side of his head. Gripping tightly to his hair, I pushed him over, shoving him off me.
His body somersaulted, and he landed upright. He seemed to be dazed, and I sprang to my feet, crouched and ready pounce at him before he could make another move. I could feel the heat at my shoulder where the skin was already knitting. He looked shocked for a moment; obviously he hadn’t been expecting much of a fight. Then he laughed. The sound was loud and strangely enticing. It must be Lucien; it had to be if I could throw him off me, since Zeal was said to be the strongest. His brilliant silver eyes beamed at me as he ran his fingers through his long blue-black hair. He looked older than the other Guardians I knew, late middle-age maybe, but extremely handsome just like all the others. I listened carefully, and over the rain I could hear the sounds of a man roaring in rage. Caleb. I knew if he wasn’t here with me, he was fighting.
A low grumbling noise came from between my clenched teeth, the beginning of a growl. I had to get back to Ben and Caleb. The smile vanished from Lucien’s face when he realized I wasn’t about to lie down and give up so easy. I dived forward, aiming for his lower legs, hoping to knock him off balance. Catching my target at his ankles, I slid forward as he crashed face first into the muddy grass. I spun and jumped on Lucien’s back, entwining my fingers through his hair as I pulled his head back and then rammed it into the hard ground. The fury didn’t consume me like the last time my temper had erupted; instead I felt completely in control. I could feel the power in my limbs, the strength of my muscles. My heart rushed the oxygen through me, keeping up with the demands of my new body. I caught sight of my long, oval, pink nails, longer than they had been just minutes ago, as I slammed Lucien’s head into the dirt again. My transformation was almost complete.
This time he managed to get his arms underneath his chest, and I saw that he was about to push off from the ground. I clung to his shoulders, digging my razor-like nails into his skin, tearing at the sinew and muscle.
Lucien was on his feet with me still on his back, my legs wrapped around his hips. A deafening roar came from his lips when I dug my nails in further, and he slammed me backward against the far bank. A rock that was embedded in the grass dug into one of my kidneys. Excruciating pain rocketed through my entire body, making me scream so loudly it seemed to echo everywhere around me.
My grip released, and I slid limply down Lucien’s back onto the wet grass. He swung around to catch me by the throat, lifting me and holding me one-handed, cutting off my air supply. His nails grazed my skin, yet he didn’t cut me. I couldn’t breathe; my lungs were on fire. I struggled in vain against his long fingers as they strangled my neck. His free hand rose. My eyes widened, and I thought, this is it. I’ve failed. I had actually thought we had a chance, and we had gotten so close. The pressure in my head made my eyes throb.
But his hand didn’t come down on me. Instead, he lifted it high into the air. A moment of triumph, perhaps? I lost focus for an instant. Everywhere I looked I saw white twinkling lights. The pain at my back was gone, replaced by the agony concentrated in my neck, making my face feel numb.
The clouds swirled above our heads; the looming storm upon us. The sheep bleated and cried. Lucien was calling the weather again, trying to make an already impossible fight harder for my family. I struggled against his fingers again and felt his grip intensify. I kicked out at his legs impotently.
Lucien! A roar came from behind him. A white-haired angel was standing at the top of the mound surrounded by stars.
Lucien turned, startled to see Eila sliding down the slope on her side, her leg bolted out straight. She caught his ankle, and we all came crashing down in a tangled heap. I twisted out of Lucien’s grip, feeling his nails ripping at my back and my legs, but Eila had a hold on him. She tore at his face and back, crawling over him and holding him there.
I clawed my way up the hill, not allowing myself a chance to heal, trying to ignore the pain, and not knowing what was waiting for me. I needed to help my family. I had to get to the Stone. Thunder crashed overhead, and lightning strikes hit the ground with explosions of dirt and smoke.
I saw Caleb; he was battling a woman. She had the appearance of a rabid dog snarling at him; his jacket was soaked with rain and blood, and he had rips through his jeans. I looked around quickly, but I couldn’t see Ben. Annice and Samuel were in the distance, crouched over what at first looked like a man, but at second glance I saw it was actually a mangled pile of flesh and bones. I tried hard to stay calm and not call out to anyone, realizing distracting them could do more harm. Joshua was on his back near another mound, his feet pushing at the man that was trying to get at his torso with long sharp nails. The blond man was young and slighter in stature than Joshua; he looked no more than a teenager from where I stood.
He viciously attacked Joshua, but his swipes never seemed to make contact before he was flung backward, landing with a splash at least te
n feet away on the sodden grass.
Again I rushed toward the Stone only to be caught in a headlock two feet away from it by Lucien’s arm around my neck. His hot, sweet breath was at my ear and on my face. I heard him groan with pleasure, constricting my airway further. His powerful chest pressed against my back. He kissed my face softly as if we were in an intimate embrace; my hands caught his arm, but it tightened once more. He groaned again, enjoying my struggle.
Terror rocked me when I heard Caleb’s voice.
Triona, he screamed.
The thing he was most afraid of during the fight was happening: I was distracting him from his opponent. A lightning fork hit the ground nearby, blinding me for a moment. I had to think fast; I had to do something. With all my strength, I bent forward, pulling Lucien with me. He instinctively pulled back a fatal error. Using the leverage he created, my legs whipped into the air, landing on the shaft of the Stone. Foot over foot, I ran up it and then used the Stone to springboard into the air backward over Lucien’s head. The astonishment at his own mistake made his grip slacken, but he didn’t let go.
A loud roar echoed around us, shaking the ground like before, only this time it seemed to come from somewhere deep within the earth’s core.
A shattering sound ruptured the air around us, louder than the thunder and piercing the noise of the storm. It was originating from the Stone but sounded as if it was coming from inside my body instead of outside. My blood boiled again as it had on the journey here; every inch of my body was on fire with the power surging through it. I landed in a split stance on the ground behind Lucien, facing his back.
In the fraction of time before he could react, or before I could consider what I was about to do, I thrust my hand forward with such force it cut through his clothes and skin. It was as easy as putting my arm into a bath of warm water; his rib cage crunched with the pressure, shattering into shards, giving way to my hand as I found my target. Still acting on nothing but instinct, I retracted my arm, pulling with it the pulsating mass of Lucien’s heart. He didn’t move or make a sound, just staggered on the spot as I stood there with the pounding rain washing the blood from my hand like a red waterfall.
