Guardians of the Akasha

by Celia Stander

  He set a fast pace during the day and she vowed silently to herself to keep up, ignoring her exhaustion and aching feet. “Are you sure we can stop?” she asked. “What about Daemon’s people?”

  “They have to stop and rest as well. Besides, they expect us to go to the border,” he answered.

  “Oh,” she mumbled, wishing for the umpteenth time they really were headed in that direction.

  “We won’t be able to make a fire, but at least we have the tent and sleeping bags. Check your backpack, there’s some dried fruit and energy bars in there. That will have to be dinner,” Marco said as he set about clearing the gully of twigs.

  Keira opened her pack and found a few waterproof bags filled with trail food. She brushed off a flat rock nearby and arranged their dinner on it. It didn’t look very appetizing, but she knew she needed the energy. While nibbling on a handful of nuts, Keira took in their surroundings. The forest was dark, hushed and foreign, different from the one at home that was filled with small animal sounds and happy twitters from the birds. She was glad she was not alone in this place.

  “Can I help?” she asked, unnerved by the silence. She felt like she should be doing something to keep busy.

  “No, it’s okay.” He had taken his jacket off. A black t-shirt did nothing to hide the subtle flex of his muscles as he worked. His strong hands deftly assembled flexible rods to erect the small heap of fabric at his feet.

  As she watched him work, the photographer in her couldn’t help but admire the lines and angular planes of his body. The way his wide shoulders tapered off to slim hips and into muscled legs.

  I wish I had my camera, she thought; then looked down in shy confusion when he turned and walked back to her.

  He sat down on the leaf-covered ground and stretched his long legs out with a sigh of satisfaction.

  “Energy bar?” she asked and held one out to him.

  “Thanks.”

  They ate in a silence that stretched on and on. Keira thought desperately of something to talk about. During the hike there was no time for conversation; now, she felt a sudden unease in the company of this brooding man reclining next to her in apparent comfort. She wanted to ask him about his life, about his magick, and about his family. There were a million things she wanted to know. What was it like to go to school at the castle, to be a Draaken? She felt that she had only scratched the surface with Chloe and Justin. There was so much more, a whole world she had never known existed.

  She sneaked a glance at him and saw him frown. “What’s the matter?”

  “The matter?”

  “Oh…yes. Except the obvious, of course.”

  He gave a short laugh. “Yes, except for the obvious,” he agreed. “Well, there is also the fact that I’m looking for a place I’m not sure exists, and even if I find it, I’m not sure we’ll be welcome.”

  “What do you mean? Don’t you know where we’re going?”

  “I don’t want to concern you with this.”

  “Stop it right there,” she said. “I thought I asked you to trust me—that we agreed there would be no more secrets.”

  “Yes,” he said. “I know where we are and I know where we are going. What I don’t know is whether the person we’re supposed to meet will make him or herself known to us.” His voice was tight with frustration.

  “I think you have to start at the beginning, please,” Keira said.

  He took a while to answer her.

  “Victoria gave me instructions,” he began.

  “I know that already. She expected people to protect my life with their own.” Anger and frustration at the thought crept into her voice yet again.

  “Yes, there is that. But she also said that I have to take you to the person who would train you, if she couldn’t. She said to keep walking east from the castle, until we were found.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, who is supposed to meet us? Do you know?”

  “No, but there are legends,” Marco hesitated.

  “Come on! Legends?” Keira was incredulous. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, after all that’s happened. The next thing you’re going to tell me is that we’ll be transported on the back of unicorns off to Oz!”

  “You can’t ride unicorns, they don’t allow it,” he answered with a poker face.

  “You can’t be serious,” she whispered.

  Marco burst out laughing. “No, I’m not,” he admitted, still chuckling. “But there are stories. The old books say there is a place in these woods where the magick currents of the Earth meet. Also that it can’t be found. It finds you.”

  “And you think that this is the place Victoria was speaking of?” Keira asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said and threw a twig away from him in frustration. “Victoria was like a mother to us all, yet she had so many secrets.”

  “I wish I had more time with her,” Keira said, her voice soft with emotion. “I didn’t know what she was. I didn’t know what I was.” She shook her shoulders as if to get rid of unwanted memories and asked, “Did you always know you were—you know—magickal?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Rafael, Adriana, and I always knew. Our parents were very active in the Guardians’ community. My father was Leader of the Santana Family.”

  “Adriana was your sister?” Keira asked.

  He was silent for a long time.

  “I’m sorry,” Keira said. “I didn’t mean to pry. Justin told me.”

  “It’s okay,” he said. “Yes, she was our sister and Justin’s mother. Adriana and her husband were travelling home after a mission in Spain. They were killed in a car crash.”

  Keira cursed herself for even mentioning the subject. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “My mother wasn’t well and the shock…she died soon after,” Marco continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “A few months later, my father was found in one of our horse paddocks, trampled to death.”

  Keira sat in shocked silence. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to reach out and touch him, put her arms around him, but she was scared, uncertain how to reach through the isolation surrounding him.

  “The police wrote it all off as a series of accidents. But Rafael and I did our own investigations. Adriana’s car had been tampered with. And my father—there is no way in hell those horses would have trampled him. He raised them by hand from birth.”

  “Please, we don’t have to talk about it,” Keira tried to stop him.

  His eyes were bleak when he looked at her. “I wish we knew about you then,” he said. “We could have asked you talk to the horses; find out what really happened. We would have had proof that Daemon killed my family.”

  “Daemon? You think that he…?”

  “I know he did,” Marco growled. “He was in love with Adriana; followed her around like a love-sick puppy all through Initiation School. She never wanted anything to do with him. After graduation, we all got accepted into the Draaken. He made it his mission to become the next Commander, as if that would prove to her that he was good enough,” Marco made a disparaging noise.

  “Well, he wasn’t. I was chosen and he vowed revenge. He disappeared and we carried on with our lives. Adriana married Guido; they had Justin. We heard rumours of what he was up to, dabbling in black magick, trying covertly to convince Council members to change the Guardians’ mission; to change its focus from guarding the Akasha to exploring and manipulating it. Then, Daemon’s family Council member went missing, and Daemon took his place. Well, he revelled in his new position and openly declared his intentions. My father, Victoria, and a couple of older Council members fought him at each meeting, but Daemon managed to convert a few Families with his promises of glory. Those who continued to resist suffered inexplicable ‘accidents.’ He pushed for having the Draaken disbanded and formed the Watchers…. And here we are.”

  “I am so sorry,” was all that Keira could say again.

  “Yeah, me too,” he said. “But this w
ar is not over. It has only just started.”

  “I am beginning to understand that. I know it is useless to wish things were different, but if only Victoria had told me sooner.”

  “She regretted her decision, Keira. But at the time, it was the only option.” Marco reached out and took her hand in his. His strong brown fingers entwined with hers and she could feel hard calluses at the base of his fingers.

  A heat was growing between their palms. A tingling sensation travelled up her wrist and arm. It moved into her chest and she was glad she was sitting down; her body felt as if it had liquefied.

  Keira came back to reality with a startled gasp as Marco wrenched his hand out of hers. He was suddenly six feet away from her, shoulders hunched, hands clenched in fists at his sides. Even from the distance she could hear his ragged breathing as he struggled for control.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing happened,” he answered. He shook his shoulders and walked closer, but still stopped a couple of feet away from her.

  Nothing? That was not ‘nothing,’ Keira thought. Even that first time he held her in his arms in front of Harrods, she felt something. She had managed to dismiss it, though. After all, what did she know about men? Apparently, not enough. The boys from St. Vincent’s, her own school’s neighbour, didn’t hold much appeal, even though her friends found them entertaining. There was a summer holiday at Sammy’s parents’ house in the Caribbean, when she’d fallen madly in love with a hunky lifeguard. But even that fizzled out as soon as she got home. Besides, her lukewarm response to his fumbling kisses was nothing compared to her body’s reaction when Marco touched her.

  She was about to insist on an answer when a cawing sound erupted above their heads. A black raven sat on a branch, looking at them curiously.

  “It can’t be,” Keira whispered and the raven answered her with another loud caw. “Nagwa!” she cried and ran to stand underneath the tree. She stretched out her arms and the raven glided down to perch on her shoulder. He sat and preened his feathers, as if he had all the right in the world to be there.

  “I assume you know each other?” Marco asked and strolled closer, hands in his pockets.

  “Yes, he is my oldest friend,” Keira answered and crooned soft words of endearment to the bird. “He was my only friend for a very long time. I don’t understand, how could this be possible? The last time I saw him was at my home, back in England, many years ago. He taught me about the wind and the trees, the animals that lived in the forests surrounding our estate,” Keira smiled. “He also told me never to show anyone what I could do, but I had to learn that the hard way. He came with me to school for a while, but I had to ask him to leave,” her voice caught at those unhappy memories.

  “I was so angry at Aunt Vic when she told me there were other people like me. When she told me there was a school…I lost it. Doesn’t make sense, does it? I should have been happy. She must have thought I was acting like a complete brat.”

  “She’d never have thought that,” Marco reassured her. “She told me how she regretted not being able to bring you to the school. She admired your guts and determination.”

  Keira gave a small laugh. “What guts? Here I am, running away from the man who killed her.”

  And I refused when she asked me to join the Guardians, to help them against their enemy, Keira thought. She didn’t say that to Marco, though. It was bad enough to remember the disappointment in Aunt Vic’s eyes; she didn’t want to see it in Marco’s as well.

  “Sometimes it takes more courage to turn away from a fight than to start one,” Marco said.

  Keira silently stroked Nagwa’s glossy black feathers. She didn’t feel like getting into a discussion about her past. There was no need to rehash it. The time for hiding in closets and feeling sorry for herself has passed.

  She encouraged the raven to hop onto her wrist, then held him out in front of her and stared at the one black eye that was turned in her direction. “I have some questions for you, mister,” she said, mock stern.

  The only answer she got was a soft caw and the raven continued to groom his feathers.

  “There has to be a reason he showed up here,” Marco said.

  “Well, when I was a child, he helped me in many ways. He used to spy on the maids and nannies for me. He would tell me when they were coming, so I could find places to hide.”

  Marco looked at the raven. “Could you ask him to do that for us now?”

  A loud caw erupted from the raven and he softly pecked at Keira’s hand.

  “I think he already has,” Keira said. She looked around, then walked to the tent and sat down in front of it. “I will need a few minutes,” she said.

  Marco nodded. “Do what you need to do, I’ll keep watch,” he said and walked a short distance off to a nearby tree trunk where he made himself comfortable.

  Nagwa hopped onto Keira’s knee and cocked his head in her direction, staring his unblinking stare.

  “Okay my friend, let’s see if we can still do this,” Keira whispered. Almost immediately she could feel that old, familiar stillness spread through her body. She allowed her gaze to soften as it rested on the raven, then she reached out with her thoughts, letting them wander at will.

  At first, the images were blurred, hazy as if seen from a great distance. Then they sharpened and, as if floating above the scene, Keira watched Nagwa’s vision unfold.

  A group of black cloaked figures crossed a river on small boats. Each figure accompanied by a snarling dog, monstrous in size and viciousness. The boats touched the opposite bank, people and dogs jumped out. As soon as their feet touched ground, howling erupted from all sides. Grey fur flashed past as the wolf pack attacked. Screams and growls mixed, and then it was quiet. Four figures ran back to a boat on the bank, chased by the powerful wolves. But the figures made it and rowed back across the river.

  The scene shifted.

  The groups they took leave of at the cave crossed the border into Germany at different places. Justin, holding Chloe and Rafael’s hands, walked into a hamlet.

  Shift.

  Somewhere else, Simone slipped into the passenger seat of a yellow sports car waiting in a layby near the woods and raced off in the direction of Frankfurt.

  Shift.

  Adam and Yoshi climbing down a rock face, walking into a Herberg and being welcomed by a friendly proprietor.

  Shift.

  Glimpses of Chetan’s shadow moving through the forest, at home in his surroundings, then getting into a small motorboat and drifting down a wide river.

  Nagwa blinked and the connection between them was broken. Keira sank back, exhausted by the effort it took to maintain the link with the raven. She called out to Marco and waved him over.

  “I saw Rafael, they are all right. Everyone crossed the border; they are on their way to Frankfurt.”

  Marco’s shoulders slumped in relief. He wiped his hand over his face and Keira realised how concerned he must have been for his brother—his friends.

  “There is more,” she continued. “He confirmed what Chloe saw. The first group that followed us had those monster dogs; they crossed the river at the same place we did, but the wolves were waiting. I don’t think any of the dogs survived, but four people made it back to a boat. They returned to the castle.”

  “I could kiss that bird!” Marco grinned at Keira.

  As if in answer, Nagwa flapped his wings and flew off to a tree out of reach. Marco and Keira burst out laughing, sharing the relief and joy of knowing their friends were safe.

  “A glass of champagne would be nice right now,” Keira smiled.

  “I’ll buy you a case of the best there is when this is over,” Marco promised.

  “Add a box of chocolate éclairs to that and you’re on!” Keira accepted.

  “I’ll hold you to that,” Marco said, an unreadable expression in his eyes. “But now, we have to get some rest. We have another long walk ahead of us tomorrow.”

  Keira stood up and stre
tched her arms out above her head. Her muscles were stiff and she realised just how tired she was.

  Marco crawled into the tent and lay down on one of the sleeping bags he had thrown open on the ground. Keira peeked in through the flap, hesitant to enter. Marco’s body filled the small space of the two-man tent and she had a sudden flash of memory of the glowing feeling between their palms.

  “Come on,” he said, holding the flap open wider for her to enter.

  She pretended to struggle with her boots’ laces, needing the time to calm her mind, then crawled into the tent. She couldn’t help but notice the subtle shift of his body away from her as she laid down on her sleeping bag.

  It doesn’t matter. I don’t care.

  She was annoyed at her confused feelings and his apparent need to put distance between them.

  “Sleep well,” Marco said over his shoulder as he turned his back to her. Moments later she could hear his deep, even breathing.

  Keira stared at the green waterproof nylon of the tent’s roof. How can he just fall asleep like that? Did she imagine the electricity between them when he touched her? Why did he then act as if she was a bee that had stung him? And it wasn’t the only time. At her mother’s party, in the closet, there was definitely something there. Or was there? And what was that ‘I’ll hold you to that’ comment all about?

  Damn it Keira, she silently scolded herself. Get a grip!

  Chapter 19

  Deep in a misty valley in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, the drums were speaking. The old shaman sat cross-legged, lost in dreams. He didn’t feel the rough hair of the zebra skin underneath his naked buttocks, didn’t smell the smoke filling the hut, enveloping his body, and entering his nose.

  The young boy who looked after the Dreamer put more leaves on red-hot coals in a fire pit at the centre of the hut.

  “Modjadji…my queen…Modjadji.”

  The boy concentrated on the Dreamer intensely. His small black face glistened with sweat from the heat inside the hut. He carefully put another bunch of leaves on the coals and crouched next to the old man.