Guardian

by Jack Porter

  Every second that ticked by sped up the swirling water’s alarming rate. And with each second, the path toward the bottom began to change and morph—stretching out and coiling like a noodle. I took twists and turns as if this were the world’s best—and most terrifying—waterslide.

  What kind of Alice In Wonderland shit is this?

  The pressure being put on my body during each turn was enough to color wash my vision. I knew if I kept on at this velocity, I was a goner. Already everything in my vision was faded to a dull white and gray around me. My mind went fuzzy and I was hard pressed not to take an involuntary breath.

  How long had I been going like this, in this vortex of water? A minute? Three minutes? It could have been twenty for all I knew. After all, why not? Nothing else here seemed to make sense—why should time?

  Finally, the world came to a sudden, dizzying halt just before I was sure I was going to black out from both lack of air and sustained intense pressure. There was no stopping the gasp of shock as the world of color came slamming down on me.

  I expected the water to rush into my mouth and lungs involuntarily. To die right then and there, abandoning the girls only three days into our ordeal.

  The water was gone completely though. Apparently, the slide spit me out unceremoniously right inside the heart of an air bubble.

  It was much bigger than I’d anticipated. More like a domed room than a bubble. And the power source wasn’t evident. Whatever caused the light seemed to be coming from the bubble itself.

  The inside was lit brilliantly with blue light. At its center was a large tapestry torn to shreds at the bottom. It hung suspended in the air as if by magic—and for all I knew, that’s exactly what it was. The finely woven tapestry was covered in writings that I couldn’t quite make out, in a language I didn’t know, along with images.

  Beneath the tapestry were two solid chests, about four feet square. One white. One black. The black one was surrounded by a fine, black powder that was occasionally pushed about as if the wind had caught it. The air in the bubble, however, remained still.

  The white chest drew my eye. My hand stretched out to touch its smooth surface, and then, without thinking, I unsnapped the latch keeping it shut.

  A gust of wind burst from the chest in all directions, nearly blowing me back. Inside, I found a completely clear crystal at its center.

  There was no other way to describe it. This crystal drew me in, as if this had been calling me to it all along, ever since landing on the island. I picked it up, and it felt good in my hand. Making a decision, I slipped it into my pocket, glad that I had worn my slacks. This crystal was made for me, I just knew it, so why not keep it?

  Glancing up to decipher the images on the tapestry, I found that they weren’t as difficult to see as I’d first thought. One section was set in a temple much like this one. No, exactly like this one, I thought, before it had been destroyed.

  Around its frame sat some sort of large snake-like monster that wrapped around the temple as if to guard it. Skipping the symbols of language that made no sense to me, I predictably found the two chests that were pictured at the very center of tapestry.

  But then something changed. My gaze drifted back up to the language, and I found that although it hadn’t changed, I could now read it. The crystal warmed in my pocket, and suddenly the torn part of the tapestry at the bottom looked repaired, and it included more writing—the rest of the story.

  I sank down on the stone floor of the bubble room and began to read. Each line was important, as was each image. It was almost like reading a comic, with a caption explaining what each picture was about.

  The images spoke of a power infusing the person who held the crystal. One crystal-bearer was filled with a white-blue light, much like the bubble I was standing inside. The other crystal-bearer’s body was overcome with chaotic, powdered darkness.

  They were gods, caught in a battle for control of the universe. The next scene depicted a fierce battle between the two bearers of each crystal. I continued reading, entranced by the story, the knowledge pouring into me as if I had always known it. There was no outcome to the battle, however, as if the story was yet to happen. Was it a prophecy, or was the story simply incomplete?

  The scenes changed. The god who held the white-blue crystal was named a guardian, and he began a quest to find his goddesses.

  Several panels depicted other temples. Each contained a crystal of their own. These crystals were solid white, missing the blue tint this crystal had. Next to each crystal sat a single image—a feather, a question mark, fire, and a few others. These were the symbols of the goddesses, the very ones that had statues in the chamber in which we were sleeping. In each scene, the god held the crystal in his hand in order to fight off the guardian.

  So there was a temple to each goddess, each one with a guardian to protect it. And this temple we had found was a temple to the god with the white-blue crystal, the one in my pocket. The tapestry didn’t tell me about the other god, the one surrounded by darkness. Did his absence mean he had been defeated? It was difficult to tell.

  A final temple sat in the shape of a pyramid, but it didn’t have a monster or creature next to it. I didn’t know which god or goddess it was associated with, or if it had a guardian at all.

  Frowning and unsatisfied with only pieces of the story, I unlatched the black box.

  There was no gust of wind this time, and when I glanced inside, no crystal sat at its void-like center.

  I looked back at the tapestry, and the final images caused the most surprise. They depicted the crystal I held joining with the other crystals. A man and a woman lay together, her legs wrapped around his hips in what was very obviously the throes of passion. After that, the next image showed her transformed into a goddess.

  Of note was that both of the people had crystals—the man’s was the same one I had found. Nothing told of the black box, or what had been inside it.

  Did the act of sex cause the transformation? It seemed to. According to the tapestry, the crystals held the power of the gods and goddesses. I wondered where those divine beings were now, and what had happened to them. But I had reached the end of the story on the tapestry.

  Magic. The story hadn’t told as much, but it was the only way to explain what I had read. There were still gaps in my knowledge, but I sat there long after I had finished reading, to think about everything.

  As far-fetched as it sounded, the island seemed to have been leading us here all along. Even now, in my pocket, the crystal called to me. Perhaps—and here was the strangest thing—perhaps the island had caused my confusion and lust, and the desire to walk down that ancient road through the forest. It hadn’t been a concussion after all.

  This last part was guesswork, but it made sense, if anything about this place was to be called sensible.

  Well then. I guess that is as much as I am going to learn today.

  It frustrated me that I now had as many questions or more than what I’d entered with. But I had more pressing problems, like how to get back to the girls. I stood, my hand going to my pocket almost of its own accord, to feel the crystal. I was surprised to find that my pants were completely dry. How long had I been down here? The girls would be worried.

  Turning around to survey the light bubble I was trapped in, I was shocked to find that there was now a clear exit where there hadn’t been one before.

  If I looked dead ahead, I could see the top of the hot spring, and the bubbles calmly making their way to the surface. Like I had entered the chamber at an odd angle and was now standing on the wall instead of the floor.

  Does nothing here work like it should? I shook off my annoyance and tried to be grateful that I had a way back. Walking to the very edge of the bubble, I placed my hands tentatively through the bubble’s wall.

  It was warm with the spring’s hot water. I knew I would have to swim back up to the top, but it was better than trying to fight my way through the swirling whirlpool that had brought me do
wn.

  Taking one giant deep breath, I kicked off the floor in a weird side dive and burst through the bubble’s wall.

  The way back to the top was a decent swim that had my heart pounding and my lungs aching by the time I broke the surface. However, there were no weird effects. Straight up, kicking with all my strength, just like it should have been.

  The girls, I noticed, were huddling around one another near the butane fire with the leftovers of fish stew from the night before. Their eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying.

  Just how long had I been gone?

  Realizing they must have thought something happened to me, I pushed myself out of the pool. “Girls,” I said, greeting and apologizing all in one word.

  They gasped and jumped to their feet. Within seconds, they swarmed me with hugs and quick pecking kisses, and a few well-placed curse words for good measure.

  “I take it I made it home in time for supper?” I joked.

  “Not funny, Captain,” Layla growled. “You’ve been missing for nearly seven hours.”

  My jaw dropped open. “Seven—what the hell?”

  “I searched and searched, but you were just gone!” wailed Megan.

  “We thought you were hurt,” added Piper, who was now checking me over for any injuries.

  “We thought you were dead,” whispered Hannah.

  I glanced at her. She was pale, but more lucid than before. “I’m not dead or hurt,” I answered in a calm tone. “I’m here and well.”

  “What happened to you?” asked Layla, who offered me a towel to dry off with, which I graciously accepted.

  “I—” My words cut off. How could I explain what just happened to me without sounding bat-shit crazy? “I’m pretty hungry. How about we have some dinner and I’ll explain the best I can.”

  A steaming bowl of mostly broth fish-stew and a quick, odd tale followed. I didn’t need to have Hannah’s storytelling skills to make this one vivid enough to keep their attention.

  When I was done, I pulled the crystal out of my still-damp pants pocket to show them.

  Apparently, the crystal didn’t resonate with them as it had with me, because there was little interest as they passed it around in a circle. Layla looked at it like it was a deadly serpent, ready to strike. But when she took it, she held it between two fingers as if it were a dead rodent before tossing it back to me. “You should get rid of that thing.”

  “Why? I kinda like it. It could be just the good luck charm we need.”

  “Whatever,” she mumbled, and turned to stare into the flames.

  Shrugging, I reached behind me and grabbed some nylon rope out of the supply bag and fastened the crystal into a necklace for myself. I slipped it over my head. The crystal rested perfectly on the hard muscles of my chest.

  “Captain,” Piper said, “do you really believe in all that stuff you read about? About gods and goddesses and magic?”

  I looked around the underground chamber, at the statues placed around the wall. They did look exactly like the tapestry had described them, and I couldn’t explain the pull the crystal or the island had on me. But I shook my head. “I don’t really know, Pipes. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Everyone went silent, thinking about what my experience could possibly mean. Eventually Piper stood and sighed, “Well, since the excitement is done, I think I’m going to get some R and R. I have a headache from all the tears I shed over you.” Her tone was somehow both light and accusatory.

  Hannah and Megan chorused their agreement and left for the blue tent as well, until only Layla and I remained.

  Layla and I. Alone. My heart picked up its pace. Finally, it was time to show her how I really felt about her.

  Suddenly full of energy, I eagerly stood and held my hand out to her. “Care to join me in the tent, Number Two? I have something important to tell you.”

  Twelve

  “Um, p-pardon?” Layla asked.

  “I said I love you, Layla.” My sure tone carried over the stark quiet of the green tent, bringing a little more warmth to it.

  “Is that why you’re completely naked?” she asked.

  I grinned, though she couldn’t see me do it with the shadows falling on my body. I could see every inch of her though, lit up in the spring’s brilliant blue light shining through the tent fabric. “That’s most of the reason why. The other is that I can only go so long without washing those boxers.”

  “Okay. Let's skip back to the first reason for a moment. You’re naked because you love me?” I could hear the disbelief in her lyrical voice. “Then why have you avoided my very obvious signals for the past year?”

  I sighed. “I thought I was doing the right thing by trying to keep a professional distance. What would happen if we were to get in a fight or even break up? How would that affect our work together?”

  “I guess I see what you mean. So, why now? Are you done working professionally with me?”

  “No. I’m just done worrying about something that matters so extraordinarily little. You’ll always be my Number Two, and I know that no matter what happens between us, you will always have my back. Just like I’ll always have yours.”

  “What led you to this startling revelation?”

  I hesitated but decided to trust her with the truth. “Layla, I am not sure we are going to be rescued from this island.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “I know. The other girls do too. I hear them talking about it sometimes.”

  “And?”

  “The only thing we can do is make the best of what we can while we can,” Layla answered astutely. “I assume you came to the same conclusion, which is why—”

  Her words cut off in the darkness. I heard her breathing pick up.

  “Which is why?” I prompted.

  “You’re, er, say Captain?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Are you, by chance, seducing me?”

  “Perhaps. Is it working?”

  Her breath caught, and I had my answer. “Yes.”

  That was all I could take. I rolled on top of her. My lips crashed down like a tidal wave on land. Her delicate lips parted immediately, allowing me access to her dancing tongue.

  A thrill zinged through me straight to my already hard member when she clutched my muscled back with her tiny fingernails and dragged me impossibly closer. Hip to hip. Through the thin fabric of her gray blue shorts, I felt how instantly wet and ready she was for me.

  I pulled away only to yank her black tank top over her head, revealing high, shapely breasts. I fell upon them, kissing and teasing their soft warmth in my mouth until her nipples were hard and she was panting with need.

  Desire matching desire, Layla slid quickly out of her shorts until there was not a thread of fabric between us.

  Rubbing my dick against her was like heaven and hell. I longed to be in her already. And moments later, I took what I wanted. I slid into her tight hole in one smooth motion.

  I hissed my pleasure. And she gasped hers.

  Layla felt amazing around me. Her pussy was hot and wet and I settled there a moment, waiting for her tight walls to adjust, before I began a slow, intimate rhythm.

  “Oh god, that feels so good, Captain,” Layla squeaked, her hand clutching at the blanket below us as if she couldn’t get enough of my hard cock in her.

  I bent close to the hot shell of her ear, picking up my speed but keeping it gentle. “I’m fucking you now, Layla. You can call me by my name.”

  A blush spread prettily across her face. Heat pooled in her hickory brown eyes and her voice went low and erotic as she said, “You feel amazing, Dexter.”

  “Good girl,” I replied and then there was no more time for idle talking as I slammed into her, causing her to roll her eyes back in her head with pleasure.

  Around my neck, the crystal began to glow a faint blue. But I was too aroused to care about it. With one hand gripping the thickest part of her ass and the other caressing and teasing one of her bouncing breas
ts, I tilted myself forward to get a deeper angle.

  “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” she moaned. “I’m going to come! Please Dexter, don’t stop.”

  God, I loved hearing the filthy words spilling off her tongue. “I won’t,” I grunted. “I’ll fuck you until you’ve given me every ounce of yourself.”

  That sent her over the edge. And when she was done shuddering around me, she asked if we could change positions so she could ride me.

  More than happy to oblige, I changed our position, careful to stay connected with her the whole time.

  “Your turn,” she giggled naughtily.

  I assisted her in bouncing her hips up and down on my hard cock. She bent down to twist her tongue around mine again, and I picked up the pace. She was so gorgeous. I couldn’t hold myself back anymore.

  I found my own release, intense and mind consuming. All the while, my crystal glowed a faint blue.

  And when we had finished going a second and third time, Layla fell against me, decorating my torso with her naked body. I marveled at how amazing her breasts felt against my chest, and stroked the silky strands of her hair.

  “That was hot,” she said, grinning.

  “More than,” I agreed. “I guess you win the contest.”

  “You know about that?”

  “Piper told me.”

  She paused, thinking. “You really like the others too, don’t you?” she asked. “I see the way you look at them. It’s the same intense way you look at me.”

  Her voice sounded so accepting. I was kind of shocked, but I answered truthfully. “I do. Does that bother you?”

  “Not at all. In the short time we’ve been here, the girls and I have all gotten really close. We did discuss the possibility of sharing you. That’s how the contest got started in the first place.”

  “Oh, I see. That’s amazing!” My eyebrows rose nearly into my hairline. Then I frowned slightly.

  “You’re wondering how you could get so lucky?” Layla giggled and poked my chest with her finger.