by Oxford, Rain
“Huh? What about me?”
“You’re very special, Dylan. Every Guardian was born or created to protect the books. You were born a Guardian because of your power. This is also why you have such foul luck; it is the universe’s attempt to balance you. Now that you have bonded with Earth’s power, your luck should improve with your development.”
“But what is so special about my power?”
“Let’s call it evolution. You are something the gods did not intend on, and they don’t like it. You can be a great asset or a terrible threat. Even more concerning to the gods is that several people across the different worlds have predicted your powers, as well as entities outside the worlds.”
I had to stop him at this point. “What the hell... That is about the weirdest thing I have ever heard. I think this trumps everything about the Guardians and gods and Duran... Shit. What the hell am I supposed to do in these prophesies?”
“Different tales are told. They call you the servant of power. The Guardians are created by power, but you were created of power. Some believe you will unite the powers of the worlds and create war amongst the gods. Some believe you will unite the worlds themselves and command the powers of the living and dead under rule of the gods. I have even heard some say that you will join with Vretial and give him power. All that is common with these stories is that you will have the power to do great or terrible things... Whether you do great things, terrible things, or nothing at all is left to be seen. It will be your choice.”
“How do you know it’s me?”
“Your father told me. He wanted all of the Guardians to protect you, but the gods wouldn’t allow it.”
“You knew my father?”
“I did. He was very powerful. Your father knew you were special, but he could not stay with you.”
“You must be pretty fricken popular on Facebook. Why the hell didn’t Edward tell me this?”
“Who?” he asked.
I was about to explain that Edward was the Guardian of Duran when it occurred to me that he didn’t realize I who I meant. “Kiro. He has a new nickname now, like Divina’s. Please help me spread it around.”
“Sure. And as far as I know, he doesn’t know. I think your father hid you from several of the Guardians.”
“How am I supposed to know what to do now?”
“You aren’t supposed to. That’s why you have friends. We keep you in line, so choose your friends carefully. Trust your instincts.”
“You Guardians are way too into the Jedi Way.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Eat.”
I realized I hadn’t touched any food. How am I supposed to eat after hearing something like that? I thought as I started eating. The meat with the sticky brown sauce had a smoky taste with a bitter aftertaste, but I tried the dark red one and it was sweet. The dark brown sauce on the next one was similar to spicy, salty teriyaki.
Shinobu was watching me eat, so I broke off a piece of meat and held it out to her. She opened her mouth wide and her little teeth glittered, not-quite-harmlessly.
“I would be careful if I were you,” Nano warned.
I looked at him to tell him Shinobu wouldn’t hurt me when her mouth clamped down around my outstretched fingers. I felt her toothless gums and with shock, realized she had retractable teeth. Her tiny sandpaper-like tongue harmlessly pulled the meat into her mouth. She hopped into my lap and seemed to be rolling the meat around in her mouth.
“It’s not too hot, is it?” I asked. She continued to roll it around for another minute before swallowing. She looked up at me with sad eyes. “We’ll find you something you like. Have you ever had crow?”
“How long have you had her?” Nano asked.
I stroked her ears and she nudged her head against my hand for more. “I met her just before you found me.” She curled into a ball in my lap and flicked my wrist with her tail.
“Do you know what she is?”
“Not a clue. I found her, so I assume she’s an incredibly dangerous creature, and she might possibly be rabid, but she seems to like me, and that’s enough for me,” I said, trying more meat kabobs.
“Kiro will have something to say about that, but it’s not my place. Do you believe what I’m telling you?” he asked.
I shrugged. “That you heard stories of someone doing great or terrible things, sure. Earth’s had plenty of those. Do I believe I will do these things? That I will be a ruler of worlds? That I will be a threat to the gods? Not a tiny bit. I’m too lazy to feed my damn cat, why would I become that powerful?”
Shinobu looked up at me as if she understood my comment and was worried for her own diet, whatever that consisted of.
“Don’t worry, if I’m too lazy to feed you, you can eat me,” I told her. She accepted this and put her head back down. “I really should stop talking too much.”
“You can decide what you will do with your power, but only if you do not let it decide for you. I understand this may be hard for you to hear and even harder to grasp, but you need to know what you’re capable of, so you don’t make the wrong decisions in life.”
“I don’t deny it, I just don’t believe it. There’s a difference. I don’t care about destiny; I care that I run my own life. There’s nothing wrong with people trying to help me, it becomes a problem when people try to manipulate me to their own values or profit. People can’t tell me what I’m going to do with my life. Right now, I’m going to help Edward and Divina destroy Vretial and then I’m going to be Edward’s apprentice. After that, no one knows, because I haven’t decided yet. Do you understand?”
“I understand that either you are still very young, or you have an optimistic view on life, much like Divina’s. I think you may someday, with more experience, be wiser than us all. I hope you are so wise before you choose how everyone else’s lives will play out. The more powerful you are, the less others can control you, but the more control you have over them. You can choose how your own life plays out, but remember that you will affect others significantly.”
“I don’t want to affect others.”
“You don’t want to help others?”
“You don’t know where I was before I met Edward. I was working at the worst job possible, trying to get a degree in a field that didn’t have a great job market. I had a cat who made a worse roommate than a river rat, an abusive mother who expected to move in with me when she got older, and a girlfriend I was able to let go with a phone call goodbye. I don’t even miss her, and I know I should. I wasn’t really that successful at my own life, but at least it was my own. How in the world am I supposed to help other people? What gives me the right to make choices for others?”
“If you see a man attacking a child, would you help the child?”
“Of course. The child can’t defend himself. That’s different.”
“What if you saw the man beating the child in an alley, but the child was his son. What gives you the right to stop the man? It’s his son; it has nothing to do with you.”
“I see your point, but I don’t agree it’s the same thing. And this has nothing to do with destiny.”
“It has everything to do with destiny. Do you know someone with an abusive father?” he asked me.
Now, my first instinct was to answer, but since I had food in my mouth, I had to think instead. “How did you know about Mordon?”
“You have not seen the last of him. You will meet many people in your life that will teach and guide you, and even more that will need your help. His family is very influential and he will have some difficult choices in the future that determine the fate of Duran,” he said. He closed the box of bare sticks. “I’ll be going soon, but first, I would like you to sign my book.”
“Why?” I asked, not bothering to hide my suspicion.
He laughed. “That’s not quite the usual reaction, but I would expect nothing less from you. When a person signs a book, they bond with it. Any magic they ever use is affected by the world the book belon
gs to. When you sign a book, you bond with the world differently. The world doesn’t affect your magic, it affects you. It’s almost like you are the Guardian of all the books you sign.”
“Why would I want to sign more books then?”
“Because the more you bond with the universe, the less you act against the balance. If you sign my book, I will feel when you’re in trouble just as I can feel when Dios is, the magic of Dios can help you, and you can also feel when Dios or I need you.”
“But I signed Edward’s book, and I don’t feel Duran is in danger.”
“Duran isn’t in danger; Earth is. Duran is too powerful to fall just yet. Earth’s Guardian was recently killed; she’s vulnerable. Will you sign my book?”
“I suppose I should. But wouldn’t that make me a bigger target? If I bond with more worlds, and the enemy can use my magic, wouldn’t they in turn have the magic of the worlds I bond with?”
“Now you’re getting it. That is exactly what could happen if you were incompetent. In which case, I would not let you near my book,” he said, holding his book out to me. I hadn’t seen where he drew it from.
I took it hesitantly, as if Vretial would suddenly find me and appear beside me. Opening the cover and flipping through the pages, I could see that his had fewer names than Edward’s. It took me a moment to realize what was so creepy and familiar about the language used most commonly in the book.
“This is Futhork! There’s Bobileth in here, too.”
“How do you know this?” he asked.
“Before I decided on psychology as my major, I was considering something involving ancient scripture and languages.”
“Perhaps at another time, you would like to visit Dios. Our technology is no better than Earth’s, but our magic is great and our cultures are mystical. Consider this an open invitation.” He handed me a quill, and like the pencil Edward used had no lead, the quill had no ink.
I found a page with several signatures and signed my name. Dark red ink appeared out of the white paper into my loopy, not-feminine script. I handed him the book and he examined the signature. As he did, it started to change into a dark blue.
He frowned. “Well, that’s interesting.”
“What?”
Suddenly, just like when I signed my own book, pain erupted in my chest. This time, my back arched and body convulsed as my head throbbed and light flooded my vision.
It was much worse than when I signed Edward’s book. I couldn’t breathe, and I didn’t want to. My body felt too tight, my blood too hot, and my head pounded like nothing I had ever felt. I could feel my pulse throughout my entire body, but I could only hear a ringing in my ear, like when I turn the television on a channel I don’t have. My mind wasn’t frantic. I didn’t panic and fear death. I’m not sure I was able to think at all.
I felt Nano pull me into a sitting position. My body was sluggish, as if I had slept for days, but the pain was gone. The blinding white light faded into the blue sky, only to be blocked by Nano’s worried expression. A part of the skin on my arm was stinging, close to where Duran’s mark was left.
“I’m not sure that was supposed happen. Are you okay now?” he asked.
“I think so. I can’t tell. Everything is working. My heartbeat is slow and my breathing is normal. My whole body is tingling from blood flow. I feel weird. Slow. And gross.” I realized I was covered in sweat. “I’m gonna…”
Chapter 10
Kiro
In my many years, desolation and fear were rare emotions for me to experience. With knowledge and power comes control, and I was comfortable being in control. Having a child is, in a way, giving up control when I needed it more than ever.
Dylan was missing. How foolish was I to let him out of my sight, but as a fully grown man; he should have been capable of following me. Had someone taken him? Dylan was no child, and he had no enemies on Duran as of yet, but Anoshii was not the safest land for a wizard. Terrible situations ran through my head, each more horrible than the last, followed by few solutions. Divina, lazy as she was, focused her attentions on calming me rather than finding my apprentice, only succeeding in irritating me further.
“He’ll be fine. You would feel it if he were in danger.”
“I would feel when it is too late to help him. You may continue with your more pressing matters, Divina, while I look for him.”
She glared at me, but the chill in her eyes was useless against the adrenaline coursing through me. “Don’t act like I don’t care about him, because I do. I just don’t feel the need to freak out the moment he goes missing. He probably got caught up watching the sights and is now sitting in an alley somewhere, waiting for us to find him. I’m sure if you just calm down and feel for his mind, you can find him.”
So I did, thankful to feel him close. While I could feel that he was worried, I also knew he wasn’t panicking. Surely that meant he was safe, just as Divina had said. I focused my mind into his, which was more difficult by far than the average person. Pushing away his emotions, I focused on his thoughts.
“Dylan. Divina and I will find you soon, so stay where you are,” I told him, using English once again. I waited for surprise, relief, and the jumbled questions I had come to expect from his thoughts. I got nothing. “Dylan? Can you hear me?” Again, he gave no sign of hearing me. Now my relief was draining away.
“Well?” Divina asked.
“Something’s wrong.” In the next instant, I was in emptiness. I couldn’t contain my growl of frustration.
“Are you growling at me, servant?” Erono’s voiceless ire sounded in my head. If my senses were not blind, I would probably have been shivering.
“No, of course not, but I must beg your understanding that I be returned to Duran at once. My apprentice is missing.”
“The boy is not missing; he is being taken care of. You will go to Earth.”
“But Dylan---”
“I will not repeat myself. As his master, you now must take care of Earth as he should be doing, as well as Duran. I do not care what happens to him, but Tiamat is insistent that her world have an able Guardian. Vretial’s servants are wreaking havoc on Earth, trying to draw the boy out. Destroy them.”
“They know me as his master now! If they find out that I am the Guardian of Duran, they will look there for Dylan!”
“Your growing concern for the Guardian of Earth is not welcome. Your duty is only to train him, not to bond with him. If this becomes a problem for me, I will turn him over to another Guardian to train.”
“That is wrong!” I yelled. It was far from wise to yell at a god, but I knew that he wouldn’t hold it against me. I was back on Duran before I could finish my outrage. At this point, I started yelling angry words that should not have been uttered in public. “I have to go to Earth,” I said, finally reining my words to an appropriate volume.
“I will find him. Right now. You go, and don’t worry. You know you can trust me.”
I sighed and nodded. She hugged me quickly and walked away. I checked on Dylan one more time to find that his worry was now joined by wonder and curiosity. He had discovered something he enjoyed.
Hiding myself between two buildings, I closed my eyes and concentrated. I could see clearly in my mind my symbol; the seal of my world. My mind narrowed and the touch of power greater than my own body could register wrapped around me. Erono was sending me where he wanted me. Just before he pulled me under, I could feel Dylan’s sudden shock.
Krael
I never wanted a sister, but no one cared what I wanted. My mother was a Tumordii Purist. The Reformation was a war between change and tradition. Everybody had a side. She believed that the farming life was the only right way to live. My parents had an arranged marriage and lived peacefully on the farm. My father would teach me to read late at night when my mother had gone to bed; she herself couldn’t read and believed I only needed to read what was required for farming. I was taught to do as she believed men should do, even when I couldn’t stand farmin
g. My father told me it was an acquired taste. Secretly, he wanted change, but he loved his wife and her stubborn mind.
It wasn’t until I was about twelve that I started to notice things happen. When I wanted something to grow fast, I would ask it to, and then it would grow at an abnormal pace. My parents loved this, and said I had talent. I did have a talent, it just wasn’t farming.
My powers were fully developed when my parents announced that my mother was pregnant. I was surprised at my own fury. I told them we barely had enough for ourselves, and that we didn’t need a bigger family. Truthfully, I was worried about how things would change. I didn’t want to share my parents, and moreover, I feared that the child would have the same power as me. Even more than my parents, I cared about my power, and the thought of anyone else having it was outrageous. It was mine. I was special, important.
And then Tomie was born. There were some complications with the pregnancy. Mother became very sick and almost died during childbirth. I took Tomie in my arms and cleaned her. Mother and Father were too busy with their own concerns, so I took care of Tomie while Mother recovered. Tomie didn’t cry, so I became concerned, and even pinched her leg. Her healthy baby wails were a shocking relief. I fed her formula and put her to bed in her crib. She watched me as if I were the most interesting thing in the world. Not long later, I was awoken by her screaming. All night, I rocked her and held her until we were both asleep.
This occurred every night for longer than I could count. Mother never recovered. She held out long enough to hear Tomie’s first words. When Mother died, Father started drinking. The farm was in ruins and we were starving, but just like when she was a baby, Tomie never cried except at night. She would sleep in my bed now, and only there would she sleep soundly.
It was at night that I discovered her powers. She would get upset in her sleep and things would shake. While awake, when something upset her, her powers were far more focused, and random objects would easily explode. Father never noticed; he was too drunk and consumed by his misery.
Tomie and I were starving. Winter was soon to arrive and then we would be cold as well. I took Tomie and only what else I could carry. We left for sea and easily used my powers to sneak onto a ship. After arriving on Anoshii, I found a wizard who took us both in. He taught me magic and fed us and in return, I did everything he asked of me. Things were very good at first… but Tomie didn’t like the wizard. His magic irritated her, and she couldn’t control her magic like I could.
