The Guardian Chronicles 2: Dark Horizon

by Matthew Burkey

  “I agree,” Tony said.

  “This is insane,” Jonathan said, shaking his head. “The council members will have my head for this. Guardians are chosen, they aren’t made simply out of convenience.”

  “The council should see the benefit in saving an innocent life,” Aadesh remarked.

  “And what if Gabriel doesn’t like his newfound position in life?” Jonathan asked.

  “I think he’d like that position in life better than the alternative,” Ryan snapped. “Aadesh, can you arrange it.”

  “Yes,” Aadesh nodded. “We must act quickly.”

  With the exception of Jonathan, everyone sprinted from the room.

  CHAPTER 3

  Gabriel had never had major surgery. Still, he imagined that the lingering haze and generally heavy feeling that seemed to permeate his body had to be akin to waking up after a major operation. His brain felt fuzzy, like someone had dialed down his ability to process complicated thought. His body felt like it was weighted down with stones and his senses seemed dulled and slow to return to him.

  When Gabriel first awoke he was aware of two things. The first being that he had no idea where he was, the second being that the entire right side of his chest and shoulder ached with pain…a whole lot of pain. He tried to force his mind to focus but he was having trouble doing that as well. He blew out a long breath, finally taking in the surroundings around him.

  He was in a bedroom, a very well furnished and expensive one by the looks of it. Two large windows framed the bed on either side, a large LCD TV hung over a fireplace, the whole room was paneled in rich dark wood. He had never seen a room like this before, except maybe in movies. The bed he was lying in was comfortable, wrapping in him softness and warmth.

  But where the hell was he? And how the hell did he get here?

  Slowly he started to piece together the events that had occurred last night; well he assumed that it was last night. The light streaming in through the windows made it clear that it was the day, although he had no idea what time it was. He was at a concert in a park…they were attacked by something or someone.

  Suddenly, he panicked, not for his safety but for Sean and Tim who he knew had been there with him. He looked around the more fervently, trying to find any sign of either Sean or Tim. Sweat broke out across his forehead and he started to panic, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.

  “Hey.”

  Gabriel looked over to see Ryan standing beside his bed. He was dressed in dark jeans and a tight fitting long sleeve tee-shirt that showed off his athletic build rather well.

  “Ryan?”

  “Yeah, how you feeling?”

  “Where am I?” Gabriel groaned. “What happened last night…I was at the park…there was this thing; I think that I got attacked…”

  “You need to relax,” Ryan said, putting a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. Gabriel shied away from the contact, moving his shoulder ever so slightly so that Ryan wasn’t touching him anymore. “Sean and Tim are fine.”

  “What happened last night?” Gabriel asked again, this time more forcefully. “Where am I?”

  “You’re at my parent’s house in Elmwood,” Ryan answered. “Recovering from a pretty nasty attack, do you remember what bit you last night?”

  The events of last night were still pretty fuzzy to him. What he remembered seeing was some sort of overgrown and possibly mutated centipede but there was no way that was the truth. He knew that he had to be mistaken and searched his mind for a more logical explanation. Sadly none sprang forth leaving him lying in bed speechless.

  Ryan took the look of confusion on his face as a sign to continue talking. “Why don’t you get dressed, then we can talk more.”

  “Where are Sean and Tim?” Gabriel demanded. He was starting to feel better now, the last vestiges of cobwebs falling away from his brain, his limbs felt better too, as if they could actually support his body now.

  “They are safe,” Ryan said, again. “I promise.”

  Gabriel stared at Ryan a long time, locking eyes with his classmate. There was something behind those dark brown orbs that told him that he should trust him, at least for now. If no other reason than Ryan had taken an active role in stopping David and his goons for probably causing him considerable harm the day before.

  “Dressed?”

  “Yeah,” Ryan nodded again. “Look, there are some things that we need to talk about and you’ve been lying in that bed for the past fourteen hours, a little movement would do you good…and a shower. There’s a bathroom right over there,” Ryan said, pointing to one of the doors that Gabriel had identified earlier.

  “Ok,” Gabriel nodded, suddenly feeling very weak again. It appeared that all his bravado had vanished just as abruptly has it had appeared.

  “I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.”

  Gabriel waited until he was gone before swinging his legs out of bed and stretching. He was still confused and Ryan wasn’t really giving him any straight answers. He knew that Elmwood was an exclusive gated community outside town but that was about it. He took another look around the room before padding to the attached bathroom.

  It was a large bathroom with dark wood floors, beige granite counter top, and a separate shower and bathtub. The shower was one of the fancy looking glass enclosure ones with what looked like multiple shower heads.

  Clothes were laid out inside for him, jeans, a plain colored blue tee-shirt, and gray hoodie. Toiletries were set out as well and he even found his wallet and cross lying on the counter top. Gabriel shook his head, he had no idea what was going on but Ryan was right, a shower couldn’t hurt.

  He turned on the water, letting it heat up. Moments later the bathroom was filled with steam. Gabriel got undressed and was just about to step into the hot spray when he caught a glimpse of something faintly glowing…it was him.

  “What the hell!”

  He had a tattoo.

  Gabriel was deathly afraid of needles so the appearance of a tattoo on the right side of his chest was cause for concern, of course so was the fact that tattoo was faintly glowing red. Gabriel got closer to the mirror, inspecting it more thoroughly.

  The tattoo showed a phoenix in flight right over where his heart was. Flowing out from the phoenix were a number of swirls and lines, running up over his shoulder and down his arm, ending at mid bicep. The more maddening thing was the faint red glow the tattoos gave off. Gabriel had no idea where it had come from.

  What the hell is going on?

  He turned to get back into the shower when he took notice of the other side of his chest. Small white scars that looked like tooth marks formed a pattern that looked very much like a large animal’s jaw. It covered the upper part of his chest, from mid-collar bone all the way around to the top of his left arm and when he turned around, saw that it covered his shoulder blade as well. Something about all this was not sitting well with him; he hoped that when he saw Ryan again he would get some answers.

  The water felt good on his skin and helped loosen up his sore muscles. It also helped to chase way the lingering fogginess that still clouded over his brain. He kept looking down at both the tattoo and the bite marks, wondering what the hell happened. He actually hoped that he was having some sort of dream, although he knew that wasn’t the case. This was way too vivid to be any sort of a dream. He stood underneath the spray for another five minutes before getting out and getting dressed.

  He stepped back out into the bedroom to find Ryan waiting for him.

  “Feel better?”

  Gabriel nodded silently.

  “Good, look we need to talk about a few things.”

  “Ryan, why do I have a tattoo?”

  “You noticed that, huh?” Ryan asked.

  “My chest is glowing, yes I noticed it…and what about those bite marks?”

  “Like I said, we have a lot to talk about,” Ryan started again, gesturing toward the door. “Why don’t we take a walk, get the blood flowing again.”

  Gabriel
wanted to resist and tell him no but he had a feeling that wasn’t going to get him any answers. Instead he settled for an exasperated sigh and followed Ryan out of the room.

  “About last night,” Ryan said, as they emerged into a large hallway. It too was made up of rich dark woods and lined with paintings and a few pieces of art on pedestals.

  “I’m about to tell you some things that you probably aren’t going to believe at first but they are the truth, I just need you to keep an open mind.”

  Gabriel nodded again as they started down the hall.

  “You were attacked by a demon last night, a lesser demon we call a Sintipede.”

  That statement caused Gabriel to stop in his tracks. Although no one in his family was overly religious he had always been taught that demons, at least described in the biblical sense, were nothing more than explaining away the evil that men could do to one another. To hear that they were real flesh and blood creatures lent a whole new level of disbelief to what Ryan had said.

  “You there?” Ryan asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

  “Demons?” Gabriel asked again. “You mean demons, as in from hell demons?”

  “Typically speaking, yeah,” Ryan shrugged.

  “I was attacked by a demon?”

  “Yes,” Ryan said, patiently. Ryan had to remember that although all this was common for those that were brought up in Guardian homes the public was largely unaware that the supernatural did exist. To them it was all fiction; a way to escape what they thought was reality. Explaining it all to an outsider like Gabriel would take time.

  “Demons aren’t real,” Gabriel said, as they came to the end of the hallway and turned a corner.

  “Demons do exist,” Ryan repeated. “And a lot of the stuff that you think is just fiction, that’s real too.”

  “Wait, you’re about to tell me that magic is real?”

  “Magic is very well,” Ryan nodded.

  They were now walking down another hallway, this one lined with tall windows that looked out onto a large lake.

  Gabriel was having a hard time believing what it was that Ryan was telling him, mostly because the logical part of his brain was screaming at him that this sounded like something that a crazy person would say. But the way confident way that Ryan spoke to him told Gabriel that he really believed what he was telling him.

  “Wait…so why were demons after me?” Gabriel asked, after they walked several feet in silence.

  “He wasn’t after you per say,” Ryan shrugged. “You just happened to be a meal.”

  Gabriel nodded as though that made perfect sense. Suddenly, he thought of Sean and Tim.

  “My brother and his friend…”

  “Are fine,” Ryan said, as they approached a large foyer. “They are actually back at Tim’s house right now, probably blowing each other away on Call of Duty or something.”

  “How did I get here? How did you convince Sean and Tim not to tell my parents…wait, do my parents even know where I am?”

  “Yes and no,” Ryan spoke, as they entered the foyer. He gestured to a side door that lead out to what looked like a lush and well maintained garden. Not sure what else to say, Gabriel followed Ryan out to the garden where they started walking down a well-worn path.

  “Your parents think that you are still with Sean and Tim, who, by the way, think that you are there with them too,” Ryan explained.

  “How?”

  “Magic, it’s a simple suggestion spell, it won’t cause them any harm but we had to make sure that they didn’t realize you were gone while we treated you.”

  Gabriel sighed heavily, again what Ryan was saying was crazy but he was saying it with such conviction that he wanted to believe him. They passed a bench along the path and continued down toward the lake.

  “So, you put a spell on them?”

  “Not me,” Ryan shook his head. “I don’t have any talent for the magical arts but someone from the Guardians did yeah. They’ll be fine.”

  “Why bring me here?” Gabriel asked. “I mean why not just drop me off at the hospital and why give me a tattoo?”

  “First off, demon venom is very specific. We couldn’t just drop you off at the hospital and also your wound was different than just putting flesh back together. You needed specialized help.”

  “You keep saying we, who are you talking about?”

  “The Guardians,” Ryan said.

  “And what are the Guardians?”

  They continued down the path, Ryan gestured to another one that lead down to what looked like a fire pit by the water’s edge. Gabriel followed after him as he started down toward it.

  “The Guardians are the world’s best defense against all things that the public thinks are nothing more than myths and stories,” Ryan explained.

  “You mean like demons?” Gabriel asked.

  “And vampires, and werewolves, and rogue mages, and even more conventional bad guys like terrorists, and other threats. We were founded thousands of years ago, dedicated to protect the world from dark forces, in time we evolved to tackle things that no one government could or would.”

  “Like terrorists?” Gabriel asked when they reached the fire pit.

  “Among other things,” Ryan nodded. “The Guardians can’t be used as a political tool; in fact there are very few people outside our ranks that even know we exist. Some do and they know how to contact us. Mostly we develop our own intelligence and carry out our own missions.”

  “Just here in the US?” Gabriel asked.

  “All over the world,” Ryan said, gesturing to a stone bench.

  Gabriel sat down, shoving his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie. The more that Ryan talked, the more that his story didn’t sound entirely too farfetched. Gabriel had always believed in things that he couldn’t see and couldn’t understand. It was entirely possible that Ryan was telling the truth, although he could have just as easily been lying. Gabriel shook his head, Ryan hadn’t given any indication that he was misleading Gabriel; he seemed genuine and upfront ever since they left the bedroom where he woke up.

  “Ok, say I believe you…that still doesn’t explain the tattoo.”

  “Guardians are more than mere humans,” Ryan went on. “We go through a magical ritual called the Rite, it cleanses us and rebuilds our bodies…”

  “Rebuilds your bodies into what? Do you have super powers?” Gabriel interrupted.

  “No,” Ryan smiled. “Think of us as enhanced humans, we are faster, stronger, more agile, and heal faster than normal people.”

  “How much stronger?” Gabriel asked.

  “I’m not sure of the exact figures,” Ryan responded with a shrug. “But I think if you were to ask Everett or Cody, they would tell you three times stronger than your typical human.”

  “Wow,” Gabriel said. “So, how did I get the tattoo?”

  “That’s a little more complicated,” Ryan admitted.

  “We appear to have time,” Gabriel said, looking around. The sun seemed a little lower on the horizon and a slight chill had worked its way into the air.

  “Yeah, tell the guy a story.”

  Gabriel nearly jumped out of his skin at the newcomer’s voice, mostly because he didn’t hear him approaching the fire pit. He turned around to see Tony and Cody standing there, although it was clear that Tony was the one that actually had spoken. Both were carrying firewood.

  “Wait, you two are both…Guardians?” Gabriel asked.

  “You got that right, mate,” Cody grinned.

  “So, you were never in any danger at all in school?” Gabriel asked, feeling now a combination of annoyance and embarrassment that he had tried to help Cody out the other day.

  “Not from that git,” Cody shrugged.

  “Now I feel like an idiot,” Gabriel moaned.

  “No worries,” Cody smiled.

  Cody and Tony knelt down and started to arrange the firewood.

  “You still haven’t explained about my tattoo,” Gabriel said. “A
nd why are we building a fire?”

  “Would you prefer to go back in the house?” Ryan asked. “I just thought that it might be a nice change of scenery.”

  “Tattoos,” Tony repeated, squatting down to start the fire. “Finish your story man.”

  “Right,” Ryan nodded. “Well the Guardians are made up of clans, four to be exact,” Ryan went on.

  Tony now had the fire lit and took a seat next to Ryan on his bench. Cody moved to sit next to Gabriel, who unintentionally scooted over when Cody sat down.

  “Lion, Wolf, Owl, and Phoenix. Lion and Phoenix are the warrior clans, Wolf are the hunters, scouts, probably the best shots on the planet, and Owl are the magic users. Anyone that undergoes the Rite has to have a sponsor from a clan. I sponsored you into Phoenix.”

  “Hence the Phoenix tattoo?” Gabriel asked.

  “Yup,” Ryan nodded. He stood up and pulled up his tee-shirt, revealing a tattoo that looked exactly like his, minus the fact that Ryan’s tattoo was located on a well-defined and muscular chest.

  “So, you’re Phoenix?”

  “So am I,” Tony said, although he didn’t stand up and show his tattoo.

  “And you are?” Gabriel asked, looking at Cody.

  “Wolf,” Cody smiled. He pulled up the sleeve on his left arm, all the way to the shoulder. A wolf’s head covered his bicep and the same intricate lines flowed out from it and wrapped his way down the rest of his arm. Cody’s tattoo gave off an emerald glow unlike his own.

  “Cody here likes to play with bows and arrows,” Tony smiled. “And he’s totally a badass with them, like Hawk-Eye good.”

  Cody turned red at both those comments.

  “And now…I’m a Phoenix?” Gabriel asked.

  “Yeah,” Ryan nodded. “You’re one of us now.”

  “Like hell I am,” Gabriel sighed. “Sounds like you guys have a ton of training! I can barely walk down the hallway without bumping into anything.”

  “You’ll get the same training,” Ryan pointed out. “The Rite also helps us learn faster, it gives us enhanced muscle memory so you’ll pick up on stuff pretty quick.”