The Wardens Boxed Set

by Heather D Glidewell

  Melissa took off at a sprint the moment she saw my face, wrapping her arms around my neck. The now thirteen year-old was taller, thinner, and far lovelier than before. It felt like years since I had seen her, though it had only been a few months.

  “Look at you,” I said, pulling her away long enough to get a good look at her.

  “Look at you,” she repeated, touching my hair. “You are different.”

  “Is that a good thing?” I teased her and she laughed.

  “Yes, that is a good thing.” She tucked her hands in her pockets. “My dad said that your mother called us out here to celebrate your birthday. You know it’s Wesley’s birthday as well?”

  She hung her head and glanced at her father who was standing only a few feet away, engaged in a conversation with my mother.

  “Dawn, I’m going to take Melissa and Greg inside and show them to their rooms. Be a dear and check on what we were talking about.” She winked at me.

  This present wasn’t just for Wesley, it was also for Greg. Just yesterday my mother had told me that she wasn’t sure how to tell Greg his son was not human anymore. Well, in fact, that he was never all human to begin with. I suppose she had found her way. Either that, or she had managed to create a loophole, causing things to be understood in a way without actually saying what that way was.

  “Of course.” I looked at the girl and touched her cheek. “We have so much to talk about.”

  She nodded at me and, smiling, ran off to join her father and my mother. I watched them enter the house and then hastened through the trees to Wesley. He was holding the woman’s hands, talking away, when I showed up. He gave me a warm smile and motioned for me to join them.

  “Mom.” I saw the smile spread across his face. The woman looked at me and smiled herself. It was identical. “This is Dawn.”

  “Son, I know who she is. I have been seeing her face far longer than you have.” She didn’t put out her hand, just instantly grabbed me and crushed me to her chest in a hug strong enough to break Hercules’ back.

  “Mrs. Jensen.” I gasped for air. Her strength was impeccable. She let me go and looked from me to him and back again.

  “I will admit she is far more beautiful in person than on paper.” She gave me another smile.

  “She’s a warden,” Wesley said sheepishly. I think he was starting to feel overwhelmed by the fact that his mother was here.

  “I know, love. Wes, I know her mother.” Greta laughed and squeezed his hand in hers.

  “So sorry about that, I didn’t mean to rush off.” My mother walked up and grasped Greta by the shoulders before hugging her affectionately.

  “No, I understand. You are a busy woman.” Greta glanced at the trees and I saw her face contort slightly. She appeared sad, but only for a moment.

  “Please come inside. The party has just begun but I wanted to spend some time with you before the excitement of the day gets to the children.” My mother patted me on the back and winked at Wesley.

  He was elated. There was a light in his eyes when he looked at his mother. The last time he had seen her she was being haunted by his girlfriend at the time. The first victim of many associated with Wesley.

  “Of course.” She took a step and smiled. “I forgot what it’s like to walk on the earth.”

  “Let me help you, Mom,” Wesley said, looping her arm through his and helping her across the grass and towards the house.

  We entered through the back of the house. My mother led the way along the corridors to the living area where she paused. I could hear Melissa at the top of the stairs.

  “This place is huge!” she exclaimed to her father, unaware that we were standing at the bottom just out of sight. “It must have cost them millions.”

  “I forget, you wouldn’t know this house. We used to take care of it before your mother passed.” They reached the bottom of the stairs and both of them stopped. The air thinned as faces were recognized.

  “WESLEY!” Melissa’s voice echoed through the room as she took off in a sprint towards her brother. The reunion brought tears to my eyes, but that wasn’t what I was staring at any more.

  First his eyes got misty than his lip quivered. He glanced at my mother and then back at me, then at his son. He was unsure what to do. He didn’t know if he should hug his son first or grab his wife.

  “Greta?” His voice shook as he stepped slowly towards her.

  “Greg,” she said, twisting her hands together. This was the reunion she had been anticipating.

  Seconds passed before she took off, running, throwing herself into his arms, their lips clashing together, tears streaming down both their faces. I shifted my eyes to brother and sister, still embracing, their mouths moving silently.

  “I think this is where we should bow out,” my mother said, taking my hand. We turned to leave, but not before Greg spoke.

  “I don’t know how you did it, Angie. I don’t know how you managed to bring them both back to me. Even if this is only for today.” I felt the tears fill my eyes again and I had to fight to keep them at bay. It was bad enough that I had sobbed on Wesley’s chest this morning.

  “We are going to go out to celebrate. You guys just take your time.” She smiled at them and then winked at me. “I convinced your father to do the dunking game. How’s your arm feeling?”

  I looked over my shoulder. “How did you manage that?”

  “Which part? The reunion or the games?” My mother asked.

  “Both really.” I laughed as the sun hit our faces. I felt the familiar tingle but decided that it wasn’t going to hurt me to spend some time in the fresh air. It’s not like it was going to cause me to burst into flames.

  “I have mad skills, honey. You should already know this.” She looped her arm into mine and we walked towards the crowd of people. Creatures that the world never knew existed. I was one proud girl. I got to spend my birthday with each and every one of them.

  ***

  We ran into Wesley and his family again outside by the food tables just as my mother took a step up onto the makeshift stand that the band was playing on.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen,” she began, her voice louder than if she was using a microphone. “It is time!”

  She turned to the band and whispered in the conductor’s ear. He smiled back at her. The sound of Happy Birthday started to come out of the instruments and I blushed as the crowd started to sing along.

  Wesley’s arms circled around me and held me close as we watched in wonder. A cake floated through the air and came to rest on a large table in front of the stage. Everything felt at ease. I felt that there was nothing that could go wrong, until the sky darkened and an internal alarm sounded. I clasped my hands to my ears.

  “Get your family into the house,” I yelled as he let me go and ran towards his mother and father, grabbing them by the hands and leading them into the house, Melissa hot on their tails. I looked at my mother. Her eyes were white.

  “What is it?” I asked, my hands trembling.

  “I don’t know,” she growled, her hand flickering. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

  “DAWN!” Edmund screamed, running towards me. I turned to look at him as he pointed. “Harrisville. It’s under attack.”

  “How many?” I asked, my heart pounding.

  “Maybe a thousand. Not a full army but enough for a regiment,” he said, looking around him.

  “What kind of power?” I asked, glancing at the other wardens as they stopped in front of me.

  “Mostly magic-related.” His pale face looked at me hopefully as I looked at the girls.

  “I have this,” Helen said, smiling. She looked at me and slowly grinned. “My troops have this,” she corrected.

  “OK Helen, you take your group and go into town. Rose, follow close behind. Try to flank them,” I said and Rose smiled at me. She probably thought I was feeding her to the wolves. “Krista, take to the front of the manor, just in case somet
hing shows. I will take the back of the property. Mom, who do we have that can take the sides?”

  “I can take half the purebloods and take one side. Your father can take the other,” my mother said as my father came running.

  “We need portals,” My father said, grabbing my mother’s hands. “We need strong portals. If they walk they won’t make it in time.”

  “Angie.” Edmund’s voice was strong but my mother just stared.

  “I don’t know who has that power,” she said, frowning. “I wasn’t prepared for this.”

  “I have this, Angie,” Max said as he ran off to gather his coven.

  “Send the shifters, the vampires, the weres, anyone who can move at incredible speed. Send the others, they can fly,” I yelled as the groups started to form. I watched as more than half of our compound took off in sprints in the directions that I had dictated to their leaders. The earth to the front, water to the back.

  “If you are with me, grab weapons and meet in the front.” Krista pulled her whip out from behind her. She gave me a warm smile and ran off. Helen and Rose were nowhere to be seen. I assumed that they had already taken to the skies.

  “Mom, get some of these people to safety.” I touched her shoulder and ran off to gather my sword. I felt a hand grab my arm and stop me.

  “I am your protector, where are you going?” Adam said, his eyes steely. His hand clutched around his own sword so hard I could see the whites of his knuckles.

  “Back of the property where we found the boy,” I shouted as I raced away.

  “Where’s Krista?” Wesley yelled as I entered the house. I took a straight jump up to the top of the stairs and turned to look, pointing towards the front.

  I heard the front door slam. I grabbed my sword and leapt over the side of the railing, landing on my feet at the bottom. I looked at Greg and Melissa, their hands tightly holding Greta’s.

  “Stay here,” I demanded, and all three of them nodded at me. “If you need to there is a panic room in the back of my father’s office.”

  I took off out the back door, my feet hitting the ground hard as I ran. My legs lifted from the ground as I felt my body take to the air. I looked up and into Shawn’s eyes.

  “Figured you could use a lift.” We soared through the air, coming to a landing at the edge of the oasis. Everyone, battle ready, was standing facing different directions. If Miranda was going to attack we would not be taken by surprise.

  “Where’s Adam?” I demanded when I couldn’t find his face.

  “Up here,” he said from above me. I looked up and saw him sitting on a high branch looking out over the field. “I can hear them in the distance.”

  I started to climb up the tree myself to see over the grounds as well. Adam helped me the last bit of the way, pulling me up next to him and pointing.

  “Over there is Helen. I can tell by the dirt in the air.” He smiled. “Over there is Rose. See the storm clouds.”

  I looked around us at the land and I saw nothing. The manor for now was safe. They were just testing us. I sighed and looked towards the ground. Minerva and Shawn were standing there back to back, their mouths moving in unison as the others did as instructed.

  “This doesn’t make sense,” I said, glancing at Adam.

  “Why doesn’t it make sense?” he asked. “To me it makes perfect sense.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Think about it. The stories are spreading. We already know that the threat is out there. The calling is being heard as well. We are going to need a bigger place or more camps.” He smiled. “Every person who comes in says that they were told about a small town in the Midwest where they would be greeted freely by the wardens.”

  “So,” I glanced back towards the town.

  “I bet you they have tested every small town in the Midwest. They already know you aren’t in Midvale and the surrounding towns. So they are testing things. This just confirmed that we must be here. When she’s ready, Wesley’s girlfriend will attack.” Adam was probably right, or at least partially. I nodded at him.

  “Makes sense,” I said accepting it as plausible truth.

  “Dawn,” he said quickly and I looked at him. His brown eyes flared and he pointed. “Who’s that?”

  A blonde woman stood between us and Krista’s group, looking around. I jumped out of the tree and walked towards her, unsure if she could see me due to the protection spells on the property. I could very well be invisible to her. If that was the case, I should send the others to help in town.

  I paced around her as her head turned left and right. I knew her face. She was the demon who had crawled into the ambulance with the dying farmer. The one that Krista swore was with her when she was taken. I yelled in her face but she did not flinch.

  “Shawn,” I called over my shoulder, not taking my eyes off of the girl. “Take half the troops into town. Assist Helen in any way that you can. Minerva, you take the other half to Rose.”

  “What about you?” Shawn asked, his eyes flaring as he unfolded his wings.

  “I’m going to play a little game,” I said, not taking my eyes off the girl for one second. “She cannot see me.”

  “I’m staying with you,” Adam said as he climbed out of the tree.

  “If you must,” I answered, my voice dropping as I watched the girl look around. Her red eyes were flickering here and there.

  “I can smell you, fire girl,” she hissed. I jumped back but her eyes were not on me, they were facing in the opposite direction.

  Chapter Thirteen: Nothing

  “That’s right, I can smell you,” she repeated, turning her head in every direction but mine.

  “How?” Adam asked, looking at me as he crossed his arms. I felt like we were playing a sick game with an unwilling pawn.

  “I don’t know. Do I smell to you?” I asked, smelling the sleeve of my t-shirt.

  “Nothing different than the normal,” he shrugged.

  “What’s the normal?” I asked, wondering if I needed to change my body wash.

  “There is a slight char smell to you at times,” Adam said and I nearly fell over.

  “Char and what?” I stepped back from the girl, not letting her out of my sight.

  “Lilacs,” he said softly. “Sometimes vanilla. Just totally depends on your mood. Noticed your mother has the same scents.”

  “You spend way too much time with my mother,” I said and he grinned at me.

  “She’s my instructor. I don’t really have an option.” He swung his sword at the grass and some of it fell. The girl’s head shot to the side and a smile spread across her face.

  “Apparently she can’t see us but she can see what we do.” I grabbed him by the arm and yanked him away from her as she jabbed her spear in the direction of the cut grass.

  “Why are we even standing here? She can’t do anything to us and we can’t do anything to her,” Adam said, looking bored by the whole incident.

  “I’m curious,” I said, reaching out and pulling the girl’s long hair. Her head jerked backwards and she span around. For once she was facing me.

  “Tricky tricky, fire girl,” she said, her eyes momentarily locking with mine. She showed no recognition, meaning she still could not see me.

  “You took something of my leader’s,” she said, swinging the spear. I jumped back just in time. “The harbinger. And you slew the priestess? My leader does not believe that she is dead. She merely believes that she is hidden, trapped somewhere, bound by magic to keep her from emerging victorious.”

  “They think she’s still alive,” Adam stated as a smile spread across my face.

  “They didn’t buy it. None of it. They don’t think I’m dead,” I laughed.

  “Why are you so excited about this?” He raised an eyebrow and yanked me out of the way of another slash.

  “Prudence isn’t dead,” I smiled.

  I lit my hand aflame and shot a ball into the gras
s, causing a fire to grow. The girl’s eyes were wide and she looked scared as she started to back up. I threw a few more in different directions to make it appear as if she was surrounded.

  “She will be coming. This was just the calm before the storm,” the girl said, her eyes flaring.

  “Should we kill her?” Adam asked, his voice shaking. He was well trained but the thought of taking a life, no matter where their allegiance lay, made him nervous.

  “I don’t know,” I said, just as flustered.

  “You should know. How many have you killed?” he asked as the girl slowly walked away, looking around the field. I watched her until she disappeared and the smell of sulfur hit my nose.

  “Well she’s gone anyway,” I said, feeling relief.

  “She’s going to tell Miranda, you know,” Adam said as we started walking back towards the house.

  “I count on it,” I smiled.

  “I’m still mad at you,” he blurted out.

  “I don’t blame you. I shouldn’t have done what I did.” I felt his hand on my arm as he turned me around to face him.

  “No you shouldn’t.” He stepped closer to me. His eyes were fiery.

  “I’m sorry,” I said softly as he pulled the sword from my hand and dropped it to the ground, his own sword falling on top of it.

  “I know.” His voice softened and he grabbed my other arm, pulling me closer to him.

  His eyes were reading my face. I’m sure the expression of confusion was giving him some hint of excitement. Adam’s lips crashed with mine. My body melted into his as I wrapped my arms around his neck. The moment passed blissfully as he pulled away and looked at me.

  “I had to one last time,” he said, letting me go.

  “Do what?” I felt like I was floating. I never thought I would feel his lips again.

  “Kiss you.” He looked at me but still refused to smile.

  “Oh,” I murmured, confused. “Why?”

  “I wanted to see if there was anything there.” He reached down and grabbed our swords, handing mine back to me before putting his in the holster behind his back.