The surgeon arrived promptly with his bag of steel tools. Alexander sat down on a small wooden stool placed on the Gathering Stone for his use, and removed his shirt. Enough time had passed that the bullet wound was almost completely closed. This wasn’t a surprise, especially since Alexander had entered the Guardian Realm without first removing the bullet.
“Alexander, I didn’t expect such neglect from you.” The surgeon gave him a disappointed look. “You know better than to leave objects within your human form.”
The surgeon removed what looked like thin flat pliers from his bag and slowly inserted them into the small hole in Alexander’s shoulder. In one quick motion he cranked the handles open, causing the wound to spread. Alexander scowled, but did not make a sound.
The surgeon locked the device in place so that the tension was strong against Alexander’s skin. He then removed a much smaller pair of tongs from his bag that came to sharp points at the end. He inserted the tool deep into the cavity, twisting and turning it as he searched for the metal bullet. It was obvious that Alexander was uncomfortable, but he remained silent throughout the procedure. Soon the surgeon found what he was hunting and pulled the bullet from Alexander’s shoulder.
“There we are. All finished,” he said as he released the small clamp holding the wound open.
From his bag, he pulled out a small wooden box covered in carvings of the sun and delicately placed the bullet inside. Closing the box he placed it back in his bag with his tools and departed.
Alexander put on his shirt without even examining the surgeon’s work. He stood up and impatiently began to pace around the Gathering Stone while three pairs of green eyes silently followed him.
Alexander was trying to make sense of everything. He was determined to figure why the enemy would focus on Emily. He was rehearsing different scenarios in his mind when Damarus and Aldara finally appeared.
“Damarus!” Alexander exclaimed, taking a few steps to be by his elder’s side. “What’s going on?”
“Peace, Alexander,” Damarus responded smoothly.
Alexander could now see the slightly confused look on the elder’s face. He then looked to Aldara to see if she, too, was out of sorts. But, her face was a pillar of strength, in no way showing any sign of distress.
“We have counseled with The Seer and he has given us the knowledge we sought,” Aldara explained, as if it were not an urgent matter.
“What did he say? Did he tell you why the Opposition is attacking Emily?” Alexander asked impatiently.
“We received some answers Alexander, but I am afraid we do not have all of them.” Damarus sat down in his chair, deep contemplation masking his features. “It is now known to us that the Opposition is truly combining efforts as we first thought.” Damarus now looked up to meet Alexander’s gaze. “Your relationship with Emily has sparked fear in them. Though they are not preparing for a battle against the human race, they have one purpose, and it is to destroy Emily …or you…. The pair of you are their target,” Damarus said, slightly breathless, as though he could not believe the words he spoke.
“It still does not make any sense. Why would my relationship with Emily cause them alarm?”
“The Seer did not reveal why, specifically. He only said that it was of the utmost importance that we prevented the Opposition in succeeding. He said that each of our fates is tied to whether Emily and you live or die.” Damarus looked to Aldara for support, but she stood still as stone just watching the proceedings with a sense of peace that could only come from knowing something more.
“Did The Seer reveal what their plan of attack will be? I believe we just experienced their first wave. When is to be their second?” Alexander went into military mode, wanting to know everything he could about his enemy and their strategy for battle.
“Yes, tonight was the Opposition’s first attempt. They wanted to assess how strong you were, if they could take care of things with a small force. But, now they have witnessed your power, and are making preparations for a second attack.”
“How many does The Seer estimate will take part on their side?” Alexander asked.
“He said their number will range between fifty and one hundred and fifty, we are not certain of that detail.”
“When is all of this to occur?” Alexander was making mental notes of all the facts so that he could thoroughly plan his defense.
“We do not have a specific time. It will be anywhere from two to three weeks, at the maximum. But The Seer assured us that you would receive a vision and know a more precise time as it approaches,” Damarus said.
Alexander inhaled deeply. “I think it important that you know something. I received a vision tonight, but it was in no way clear. It lacked a time line and a firm picture of the environment in which it was to occur. That has never happened before. How am I to rely on my visions if they are not precise?”
Aldara finally spoke. “Alexander,” she said softly. “Your visions will not fail you when such high stakes rest upon your success. You must have more faith in yourself.”
“But because my vision was not clear tonight, I made a decision that led us directly into the Opposition’s hands. I cannot risk Emily’s life because I think I should do something, I must know for certain. Why would my visions not be clear earlier? Her life is at risk, is that not important enough?” Alexander seemed more confused than ever.
Aldara smiled as though what Alexander had said was somehow amusing. “My son, when you made the choice to give your heart to Emily, you entwined your fates. You now see visions for Emily that will only include you. And, because a Guardian cannot receive visions for themselves, it will blur what you view from now on. You must rely on your judgment, and the feelings within you to be your guiding star now.”
The uncertain visions now made sense to Alexander. This new conclusion was indeed fact. But, he still couldn’t comprehend what was so threatening about his relationship with Emily.
As if Aldara were reading his mind, she spoke again. “You and Emily have a very important mission together, one that will bring about a new dawn. It is a fate that the Opposition fears greatly. They will exhaust all efforts to see that this mission is not accomplished. All Guardians as a combined force must protect this treasured fate.”
Alexander now knew why Aldara had asked him such strange questions the other day. She had known then what their relationship was meant for. He made a mental note to speak with her in private as soon as possible.
“Aldara speaks the truth. The Seer said that this was now imperative to us all. We must see to it that we protect Emily and you, my son, at all costs. This of course will be complicated because we will not have a mass of humans involved; therefore we will not have large numbers of Guardians available. Emily is the only human who concerns the Opposition and so that would only provide for you to be present. However we will find a way to bring other Guardians to your aid… we must.”
“Don’t assign them to protect me, just worry about Emily. I can take care of myself,” Alexander responded with confidence. “If this is all you know, then I need to be getting back to Emily.” Alexander looked directly at Aldara, searching her face.
“There is one more thing… The Seer said that those from the past will manifest themselves,” Damarus said, clearly bewildered by this caution.
“What does he mean by that?” Alexander asked.
“I am not sure, but he delivered those words as a warning. So proceed with supreme watchfulness in all your doings, and in all your decisions. Hopefully his warning will become clearer as the time for battle approaches,” Damarus concluded.
“I am grateful for your wisdom. I will begin to make preparations immediately and wait for further instruction and aid from you, as the time nears.” Alexander bowed to each of the Five.
“Go in peace, Son of Eden, with faith that all will be made well,” Aldara said with tranquility in her voice.
It brought a small amount of comfort to Alexander to witness how calm
and collected Aldara was. But there was no way to suppress all his fears concerning the insurmountable task that had just been placed upon his shoulders.
Chapter 13
* * *
The Ripple
Sitting silently on her bed Emily picked at her fingernails nervously. It had only been forty-five minutes since Alexander left, but it felt like much longer than that. Xavier had made himself comfortable and was resting in her oversized chair by the window. He busied himself reading a book.
Deciding that she had to distract herself, Emily went to her dresser and removed a pair of pajamas. She went to the bathroom and closed the door. Fumbling with her hair she attempted to remove the bobby pins but her hands were still shaky. Once she had her hair fully down and brushed, she changed into her pajamas. As she brushed her teeth, she let her mind wander.
“Why is this happening? I thought I was going to have some happiness in my life again. That sure was short lived. I don’t understand any of this.”
When Emily came out of the bathroom she was relieved to see Alexander talking with Xavier. Both of them stopped their conversation and looked in her direction.
She ran to Alexander throwing her arms around his neck. “You’re back, oh you’re back,” she breathed as she moved her hands down to squeeze him tightly around the waist. Then, remembering he was stabbed exactly where she was placing pressure, she jerked back. “Sorry, I forgot,” she added sheepishly as she gazed down to where the bloodstain had been.
“It’s okay. I’m fine, all healed up,” Alexander reassured her as he rubbed her back.
Emily wasn’t surprised that he was now in new clothes. She figured that he wouldn’t appear in the same bloody ones that he had left in. However, she could not fathom how he could be completely healed and her curiosity got the better of her.
Gently raising the side of his soft cotton shirt, Emily couldn’t help but gasp. “Where’s the wound? There isn’t even a scar or a mark. How did you heal that quickly?”
His skin flowed smoothly over each abdominal muscle, showcasing the incredible build of his body. If Emily hadn’t been so concerned about his wound, she might have grown weak in the knees from seeing his ripped stomach for the first time.
“I told you we heal quickly. It happens even faster when we’re in the Guardian Realm. A small amount of time there goes a long way.” Alexander was slightly amused with her awe.
“Is the bullet wound healed too?” Emily asked.
“Yep, good as new.” Alexander slapped his upper chest where the bullet had entered.
“I trust you removed the bullet then, my friend?” Xavier asked.
“Yeah, I hadn’t given it much thought until Cyrenna reminded me. Which is a good thing because it could have proven to be quite difficult getting back here,” Alexander boomed in a lighthearted tone.
“What do you mean?” Emily let the confusion freely show on her face.
Alexander and Xavier were pulled from their exchange of words, realizing that Emily wouldn’t know what they were talking about.
“We have to remove any objects that penetrate our human form before we heal over them. If we don’t get it out before that, we can’t shift our forms. If I heal and have not removed something like a bullet and it’s still inside, I’m stuck in human form, where I am vulnerable, until I fish it out,” Alexander explained.
“Yeah, and it definitely isn’t pleasant trying to dig something out after you’ve healed over it. We don’t scar, which means we’ve no reference mark. It can be like digging for a diamond in a tub of sand,” Xavier added while rubbing his left arm.
Alexander gave a loud laugh, punching his friend in the same arm he coddled. “Xavier here would know. During the Civil War he was shot in the arm but there was so much going on that by the time we had a moment, he had healed. We had no idea where the bullet was. He told us to look in his left arm.” Alexander paused to chuckle again. “So after we searched for hours and had his arm split open from top to bottom he remembered that he was shot in his right arm.”
“You make me sound like some sort of moron,” Xavier said defensively. He turned toward Emily. “I had blood all over me and my shirt was torn in multiple places, so it wasn’t like I had any indication where a bullet would have gone in. Plus, it’s not like I’m keeping track of my wounds while I’m in the heat of battle. My mind is a little occupied with other things, you know,” Xavier griped.
Emily stared at both of them in disbelief. “I can’t believe you guys are laughing about bullet wounds… this is just all too crazy for me.” She sighed as she sat down on her bed.
Both Alexander and Xavier grew completely serious. The time for being humorous was over. There were much more crucial matters at hand.
“Sorry, I guess we got a little carried away,” Alexander apologized.
“No, it’s fine. I’m just having an anxiety attack, something I’m sure you’ve never experienced,” Emily responded.
“No, I haven’t,” Alexander agreed, ignoring her sarcasm as he sat down on the bed next to her.
“Did you find out what’s going on?” Emily struggled to fight back her tears.
“Yes, I counseled with the Five and got some much-needed answers. But, I want you to know that everything is going to work out.” Alexander tried to prepare her for the information he was about to share.
“Just tell me, Alexander. Don’t try to sugar coat it,” Emily said more sharply than she intended. But, she couldn’t help it. She wanted the complete truth.
Alexander looked a bit surprised to see Emily voice her wishes so strongly. He knew he couldn’t deny her what she wanted; she needed to know all the details.
Alexander took a deep cleansing breath. “When I got to Eden, Damarus and Aldara were meeting with The Seer. Cyrenna saw everything that went on in the parking garage as it happened, and had informed the others immediately. I didn’t wait long until Damarus and Aldara came back and relayed all that The Seer had said.” He briefly glanced at Xavier to see whether his friend was following the story, and then turned back to Emily.
“They said The Seer told them the Opposition was indeed after you, or actually after us both. We are their targets.” Alexander paused to let Emily speak. She remained silent, so he continued. “Something about our relationship has the Opposition scared. They want to kill one of us to stop whatever is coming.”
Emily spoke up now, as she tried to grasp everything Alexander was saying. “Our relationship started all of this? What could possibly be threatening about us being together?”
“The Seer did not say. However, Aldara seemed to know more than the others. There is something she is not saying, I’m sure of it.” Alexander reflected back to her conversation with his elders. “She said that we had a mission to accomplish and that is what has the Opposition worried. They will stop at nothing to make sure whatever it is we are to do, doesn’t happen. That was all the information she gave me.”
It was obvious that Alexander was rolling over each word that Aldara had spoken in the last few days.
“How does the Opposition know about something that we don’t even know about ourselves?” Emily was quite frustrated.
Xavier offered an explanation. “They have their sources, but mostly, the prophecies. Maybe since the relationship between the two of you is so unique, it fits in with one of their prophecies.”
“Yes, that would make sense. That thought had not occurred to me at all. That just might be the answer.” Alexander nodded his head in contemplation.
“But you said they’ll stop at nothing. Tonight was just the beginning then,” Emily breathed wearily.
“Yes, tonight was their initial attack. They wanted to assess my strength and how well I could protect you.”
“That means they’re coming after us again.” Emily was beginning to feel defeated.
“I’m afraid so,” Alexander said softly. He could tell this was all too much for Emily to handle. “The Seer said a second attack would be coming
in a matter of weeks…this next one will be bigger.” Alexander’s words trailed off toward the end. He hated being so blunt with Emily but it wouldn’t help right now to hold back.
Emily gave a slight sniffle. “How big?”
“Anywhere from fifty to one-hundred and fifty.”
“You can’t be serious! How can they get that many people?” Emily could feel the hot stinging tears begin to form in her eyes as complete terror washed over her. She couldn’t picture how Alexander would be able to fight off that many people.
“Unfortunately, when you live in a big place like New York City, there are hundreds of thousands of minds the Opposition can influence. There are enough muggers and murderers out there on the streets that only need one slight prompting, and they will be completely under the enemy’s influence. Bad people like that will do whatever the Opposition suggests; it doesn’t even have to make sense. They will be like mindless sheep, committed to doing whatever crime or act the Opposition has planted within their mind,” Alexander explained, feeling a bit gloomy himself. But he knew he needed to stay confident for Emily’s sake, pessimism had never done him any good and he tried to stay as far from that perspective as he could.
Son of Eden, a Paranormal Romance (Tales of the Guardian) Page 21
