Personal Guardians

by Rachel A. Collett

  I snorted my disagreement but didn’t argue. Instead I set off toward my room. All I wanted at the moment was a hot shower and a clean pair of clothes.

  “Wait up,” Laith called after me, and I slowed for him and Elisa to catch up. “We have a surprise for you. Would you please follow me?”

  I hesitated. “Is it better than your last one? Because this morning’s surprise sucked.” I flashed him a sharp look.

  He grinned, unfazed. “But you did so well.”

  Did I? I had fought unfairly and had barely won at all. It was a good thing Darius decided to change sparring partners, because I wasn’t sure if I would win the next little duel against Charlotte.

  “Can I at least have a bath or something to eat?” My stomach felt as hollow as my victory.

  “It shouldn’t take long,” he said, physically turning me in a different direction.

  Despite my darkened mood, my spirits lifted. After all, who didn’t like surprises? I stepped into the main entryway of the compound and my boots crunched against clean, hardwood floors. I tried tiptoeing, but it didn’t lessen the noise or the mess. I sighed, crouching down to strip off the offensive mud-caked shoes, and as I did, movement caught my attention from the windows that overlooked the courtyard.

  Darius was helping Charlotte clear mud from the back of her shirt and pants. I observed the softened lines of his face as he took care of his sweetheart, the warm way he treated her, the nonjudgmental way in which he spoke to his defeated champion—and my cheeks blazed fire-hot. What was it about her that caused him to smile, and what was it about me that made him so cross?

  Shaking my head, I pinched the tops of my boots between two fingers and picked them up. What did I care? Darius was nothing to me. I padded behind Laith and Elisa in my black socks, down a long hallway lined with doors. Five on one side of the hall and three on the other, the center room offering a set of double doors.

  “As I’m sure you already know, these are some of the living quarters.” Laith hinted toward the doors, but we didn’t enter any rooms.

  The hallway emptied into a large space with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace that drew immediate attention. A rustic mantle rested above the hearth, adorned with a vast arrangement of picture frames and bobbles. Painted in soft, calming colors, the room was big enough to hold two oversized leather couches that sat opposite of each other. A coffee table was placed in the middle, covered in random books and magazines, giving the space a comfortably used look. A beautiful crystal chandelier drew light from large windows opening to the courtyard.

  “Compound.” I pished under my breath and tapped the back of a paisley accent chair.

  Elisa shrugged. “I may have had a little to do with the design and decor. The compound is only one of the many places we call home, but this is one of my favorites. As The Three, we go where we are needed, but every once in a while, even the immortal need respite. It can be a weary calling.” Melancholy shadowed her attempt at a smile.

  Immortal. It was the first time I had heard Elisa refer to herself as such. But what did that even mean? And if I was now the Defender, was I immortal as well? My aching ribs might disagree.

  “Making this place comfortable is a great way to feel—normal,” she finished. “This is the great room. In this direction you’ll find more living quarters.” She motioned me to follow and together we walked down a second hallway with an equal amount of rooms as the first. “This building is shaped like a rectangle, circling the courtyard in the center.” She paused at a set of double doors. “This is mine and Laith’s.” She swung them wide, allowing me a peek into the living space of my best friends.

  “So, no more pretending you two are just boyfriend-girlfriend?” I asked, glimpsing inside. It looked clean and very like Elisa’s bedroom in Ray’s home.

  “No,” Elisa answered with a partial smile. “No more pretenses needed. We are eternally bound.”

  I nodded, relieved. The walkway flowed into a large reception area with attached dining room. Two tables big enough to seat roughly twenty each sat beneath a vaulted, paneled ceiling. Unfamiliar faces glanced up from their breakfast upon our entrance. My stomach growled when the aroma of bacon and eggs filled my senses.

  “Good morning.” Laith and Elisa addressed the diners with a smile then continued through an attached room and into a sprawling kitchen.

  A man and woman were amid a powdery battle of flour, only stopping when Laith cleared his throat. Humor twinkled in his eyes.

  Wicker baskets of deep purple blueberries, multi-stacked cartons of eggs, and freshly gathered potatoes littered the countertops that surrounded the stove. Bacon sizzled in a large skillet. Its scent added to the intoxicating smell of muffins in a warm oven, nearly overpowered me.

  The woman’s cheeks reddened as she recognized her visitors. “Good morning Sir and my Lady Herald.”

  My head twitched, shocked by this new title. Not “Elisa”?

  Elisa grasped the woman by the arm. She looked to be only a few years older than me. “Madelyn, how well you look today. Pregnancy suits you.”

  I glanced to where Madelyn’s apron draped almost concealing, but not completely, the baby bump forming at her waist. “Thank you, my lady. I just moved into my third trimester, but Gerald is getting mighty impatient.”

  Laith laughed as he patted the man on the back. “You can’t cook that turkey any faster, my man. You have to be patient.”

  “Yes, sir.” Gerald smiled, his teeth a purple tint.

  Laith laughed even harder when Gerald’s wife handed him a towel to wipe his mouth. Gerald thanked her, dusting the flour from his shirt instead.

  “And who do we have here? A new resident?” Madelyn asked.

  “It’s good to know the rumor mill hasn’t gotten a hold of this one yet,” Laith whispered to Elisa, who only nodded. “Yes, and you must help us make her feel at home,” he added in a louder voice.

  “Of course.” Madelyn stepped away. She placed something on a small dish, and held it out to me. A warm, fat blueberry muffin sat on top of the saucer and my mouth immediately began to salivate at the offering. “It’s wonderful to meet you, miss…”

  “Sa… Ava. My name is Ava,” I said, reaching out to take the offered pastry, but the plate slipped from Madelyn’s fingers and fell crashing to the floor.

  2

  The defender returns

  I froze, heat rising to my cheeks as Madelyn stepped back into her husband’s arms. She glanced to Laith, and then to Elisa, who nodded her understanding. Gerald stood with consoling hands around his wife, but his smile was kind as he regarded me.

  “Why don’t I just clean up this mess,” Laith offered, grabbing a broom and dust pan from a nearby corner.

  “I’m so sorry,” Madelyn began, but he immediately hushed her.

  “I’ve got it. It’s our fault. We came in here and disrupted your morning routine. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Madi! Gerald! You’ll never guess what’s happened!” A head of fiery red hair on top a skinny little body careened into the kitchen, the girl’s tennis shoes squealing to a halt on the travertine tile. “The Defender has returned!”

  “And the rumor mill arrives in the form of Miss Yvette,” Laith said, concealing a smile.

  The girl’s eyes grew large as she surveyed the broken plate on the floor and the occupants of the room. Again, my appearance went under inspection. Laith laughed, reaching out to ruffle the curly locks of red, but the little girl ducked from under his touch. Swiping a muffin from the counter, she hightailed it out of the kitchen faster than she had arrived.

  Madelyn, who didn’t seem the least fazed by the girl’s sudden arrival and immediate departure, extended a hand toward Elisa, but only halfway. She hesitated, shifting a glance to me. “If Yvette knows, the rest of them know of her return as well.”

  Elisa nodded. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear of it sooner.”

  “Excuse me, but my return?” I asked with barely concealed frustrati
on. Would people ever stop talking about me like I wasn’t in the room?

  “I’m sorry, my Defender.” Madelyn’s gaze roamed my muddied appearance, from my braided hair to the black padded socks on my feet. “But you have been missing for years. There are some who thought you were lost to them forever.”

  “I see.” I turned to Laith, my brow pitched high. “And I guess I was lost.”

  “You were hidden,” Laith corrected.

  Madelyn inhaled a sharp breath. “Hidden? Surely not.”

  Laith finished cleaning the broken shards from the floor and heaved a vocal sigh. “We will discuss everything once the council has gathered. In the meantime, please be on the lookout for the Healers to arrive. They will be tired and hungry.”

  After a nod of understanding, Laith escorted me out of the kitchen, past a roomful of more unfamiliar faces. Could I be mistaken, or had the occupants of the room tripled?

  I tried to smile, but it felt forced and awkward, so I looked away, quickening my steps to catch up to my friends. My vision glazed over, my mind occupied with more pressing thoughts than the growing crowd of gawking residents.

  I had been hidden. Tucked away by my father to what? Protect me? Keep me from fulfilling my calling? But why?

  Even though she remained silent by my side, I could sense Elisa watching me, even worrying over me. How much did she know?

  I nearly ran into the back of Laith, not noticing when he stopped in front of another set of double doors. I looked up, waiting for further instruction or information, but he hesitated, nervously shifting from one foot to the other.

  “It’s not a big surprise, I guess. Elisa and I decided it was time to show you your new room. Your permanent residence in your new home.” His lips pulled into a half smile. “This was your parents’ room.”

  “Oh.” My breath left in an audible whoosh and I froze outside the threshold.

  A deep heaviness settled over my chest. As my friends waited for my response to their intended surprise, two separate emotions fought to gain advantage over me. A grim part of me felt simply angry. After all, why would I want to have a room that once belonged to my dead parents—a woman I had never known and a man that had kept me in the dark my entire life? Why would I want the constant reminder of what could have been, or what life should have held? Why would I want that pain?

  But even though the hurt and betrayal cut deep, an even bigger emotion tugged at my mind, almost negating all other prior feelings. Curiosity. Curiosity won the battle from within, a growing anticipation of seeing what secrets lay inside, waiting for me to find them. My friends stayed behind as I pushed open the double doors and entered my parents’ room.

  The smell of cleaning agents and fresh flora filled my senses. Bright sunlight streamed in through large open windows, highlighting dust particles as they floated throughout the space. Several yards of white linens draped from the ceiling and flowed to each corner of a four-poster bed, creating a romantic canopy over a white comforter. Simple nightstands on either side lacked any décor except for a single candle on each one, as did the additional dresser on the opposite side of the chamber. The tall bookshelf in the corner was oddly empty as well, but what caught my attention more than any piece of furniture in the room were the walls.

  Sprawling gray vines painted with flowers of lavender, white, and soft pink covered the lengths of every space in the apartment. A garden of hypnotic hues soothed, filling me with a warm sense of calm, and as I moved closer to the palette of color, I could see in even greater detail the artistic skill of each remarkable brushstroke.

  “She loved to paint,” Elisa stated simply from behind. I hadn’t heard them enter.

  My mother had painted this? My mother?

  I blinked away the raw emotion building and cleared my throat. “Apparently, she was talented,” I said, turning to the window and the bay seat that lay beneath. “But unfortunately, nothing in this room is familiar to me.”

  Elisa’s voice was soothing as she placed a hand on my shoulder. “And it wouldn’t be. You were only an infant while here. But that’s not the only reason you wouldn’t recognize it. When your mother died, most of this room and its contents were destroyed. Only the painting on the wall was left unharmed.”

  “Destroyed? How?” But I knew the answer the moment the question slipped from my lips. “My dad,” I whispered sadly. She only nodded.

  “Elisa took you into her care,” Laith said, drawing my attention. “She watched over you while others tried to help Alexander, but your father’s grief consumed him. He locked himself in this room for almost a week straight, denying anyone access, rejecting both food and water. No one saw him exit these quarters once.”

  “And no one saw when he left,” Elisa interrupted, her voice hardly more than a ghostly whisper. “He took you straight from my room.”

  It was quiet for several moments before Laith continued. “Maybe we should have done more, but we thought—we thought if we gave him space, let him grieve the way he needed to grieve, he would come out of it soon enough on his own. But we were wrong. Early one morning, Elisa woke to feed you, but you were gone, as was Alexander.”

  Elisa cleared her throat, her voice thick with emotion. “Your mother had very few possessions. Being immortal, we don’t put much stock into owning things. Time rots them away, making them useless or worthless anyways. But I want to give you something.” She walked over to the nightstand, pulling a small white frame from the drawer. “I wish it could be more.”

  She rotated the frame, revealing the detailed sketch of a woman. At first I thought it was a drawing of myself. Long hair flowed past her chest, thick lashes framing light-colored eyes. But the modification of soft freckles on a more delicate nose momentarily confused me until I finally realized what I was looking at.

  “This is my mother?”

  “You look like her, don’t you think?” Elisa asked, but I couldn’t answer.

  “Your mother was not the only artist in the family.” Laith smiled appreciatively at the sketch I held in my hands. “She was a beautiful woman. This is a fine likeness of her, even down to my favorite speckles on her nose.”

  “It’s wonderful.” I walked to the bed and set the frame on the nightstand. “It’s the most amazing gift anyone has ever given me.” I sighed, staring at the face I had longed to see my entire life. “But please,” I whispered, barely audible. “Will someone please tell me, what happened to her?”

  “Your mother became ill,” answered a raspy voice from the doorway. An elderly man, appearing to be in his late seventies, leaned against the jamb, looking worn and tired. Darius stood directly behind.

  The old man dabbed his brow and balding head with a handkerchief, his white hair shabby and unkempt, the ends curling and fraying at the nape of his neck. He cleaned his glasses with the same handkerchief used to remove his sweat, then pushed them onto the bridge of his nose.

  “The sickness spread quickly through her body. The Healers were summoned but until they could arrive, I was asked to attend to my Defender’s needs. I have never had to see to the sickness of one of The Three. It simply doesn’t happen; nevertheless, there was no other way to explain the lethargy, the memory loss, and the sharp pains in her head. But if you ask me, it all appears directly correlated to the attacks.”

  “What attacks?” I asked, eyeing the newcomer. “And who are you?”

  Laith answered for him. “Ava, this is the compound’s doctor, Doctor Maynes. And what you need to understand is that during this time, there was an onslaught of activity outside the compound walls. Refugees from the realm of humanity were, in a sense, pounding on our unseen doors, begging for sanctuary. Regrettably, we weren’t able to get to them all in time and some were killed before we could save them.”

  “And I pray we are not about to repeat that dreadful time,” the doctor, muttering, interjected.

  “What do you mean?” Laith’s brows pinched together.

  “Well, sir, a body has been found, a
nd—”

  “Excuse me, Doctor,” Darius interrupted, pushing past the man and into my new room. My mental shields rose. I wondered if anyone would mind if I were to physically remove the head of security from my chambers. “This should not be discussed here,” he said. “Elisa, Laith, the two of you can come with us. We’ll leave Ava to get acquainted with her new room and to rest.”

  Just as they were about to follow Darius from the room, I grabbed him by the shoulder. “No,” I growled. His body tensed under my touch. “I am tired of being kept in the dark. No more secrets, no more keeping me safe through ignorance. Whatever this is, I want to be part of it.”

  Darius brushed my hand away. “It’s for your protection—”

  “I do not need to be protected, and if you cannot stop treating me as a victim, I will leave this instant and you can all find yourself a new Defender.”

  “She is the Defender, Darius. She has a right to be there, just as much as you do,” Elisa added.

  After a moment, he inclined his head. “Very well, my Lady Herald.”

  We followed his strong lead, walking out of the room. Laith matched my pace at my side, Elisa on the other. He cleared his throat. “Before we take you there, I feel I need to explain more about the sanctuary.”

  “Alright,” I said, confused at why he suddenly seemed so nervous.

  “It’s a lot to take in, so just stop me if you have questions.” When I agreed, he rubbed his palms together as he walked. “The sanctuary is middle ground. It’s not of earth or of heaven. It is dissolvable by God if he commands it to be, and it is movable if we choose it to be.”

  “Okay, but what do you mean by movable? Does the complex move? Do we move locations completely?”

  Laith held his hands as if they wrapped around a large, imaginary ball “The entire sanctuary is a world in itself and when we become a solid unit once more, the whole thing will be able to transport itself—this land as a whole—to anywhere we direct it to go. It is invisible and untouchable to the outside world unless you are permitted to enter.”