by G. K. DeRosa
“Are you coming with us to Astor?” Celeste asked. “It’s almost time. We have to get ready to go.”
“I’m not going,” she said and turned to shut the door.
“Wait!” said Celeste, planting her foot in the doorway. “Please come, I need your help.”
“I’m sorry, Celeste. I can’t,” she said as she slammed the door in her face.
Celeste was crushed. She hadn’t even realized until now how much she was looking forward to sharing this experience with her aunt. Somehow being with her made her feel closer to her dad. She couldn’t understand her aunt’s strange behavior. Did I do something wrong?
Before she could think too much about it, her cell phone chimed. She pulled it out of her pocket, and her heart clenched when she saw Roman’s name.
Good luck today, and please be careful.
She dismissed the message and tucked her phone back into her jeans. She couldn’t afford to get distracted. She had to focus or else all of their lives could be at risk.
In her room, she packed a large duffel bag with her sword and several of the Wilder family weapons she had taken out of storage. She hid a sharp stake inside her boot and a smaller dagger in her back pocket. She touched her neck to make sure the key was still there, and her ring grazed the metal finish, sending a tiny electric shock through her hand. She jumped. That was odd. She examined the ring closely, turning it around on her finger, but felt nothing unusual.
It must have been some sort of static electricity.
As she finished packing, she felt a powerful gust of wind blow into her room. She looked over and the bright blue glow of a portal appeared in front of her closet. Stellan leapt out, managing to land with dignity before her. Celeste’s mouth dropped open at the sight of him. She had never seen him so formally dressed. His normally scraggly silver hair was tied back neatly, and in place of the big black horn-rimmed glasses he generally wore was a dainty pair of gold spectacles. He wore a royal blue, flowing robe embellished with gold trim and matching shimmering golden booties.
“I feel seriously under-dressed,” said Celeste. She was wearing her tattered patrolling jeans, which were covered in stains from all kinds of strange creature guts and an old St. Alice High t-shirt.
“Well, you are bringing something else to wear for the ceremony, are you not?” he asked.
“No, I hadn’t planned on it,” she responded with a scowl.
“Didn’t you see the invitation my dear? It’s black tie optional. Everyone will be wearing their finest,” he finished, as if it was the most commonly known thing.
“Ugh. I’m going to need a few more minutes then,” she said. “Can you go downstairs and get the door when Marie gets here?”
“Marie the fairy?”
“Yes. She’s coming with us.” Stellan furrowed his eyebrows ready to object, but Celeste cut him off. “And don’t give me that look, Stellan. If you knew what kind of day I’ve had, you wouldn’t even ask.”
Stellan diverted his gaze uncomfortably and headed down the stairs as instructed.
Celeste was beyond relieved when she opened her eyes and found that they were in front of the Council building in the colorful main square of Astor. She was very pleased with herself for having the foresight to practice the day before. She would have been mortified if she had appeared in the Council’s chambers today of all days. Marie and Stellan stood on either side of her getting their bearings, and then released her hands.
“Well done, my dear,” said Stellan. Celeste gave him an appreciative smile. “Now, we must go check in. I’m sure that there will be work for you to do. As you can see it is still early morning here – twelve hours earlier than in Oak Bluffs.”
“Celeste, why don’t you go ahead? There’s something I have to do first. I’ll catch up with you soon,” said Marie as she hurried off.
Celeste waited for Stellan to reprimand her for bringing Marie along, but to her surprise, he didn’t say a word. Instead he just took her by the arm and ushered her into the Council building. Celeste’s mouth gaped when they entered the main atrium. Hundreds of guardians of different shapes, sizes, ages, and races littered the immense lobby. Some stood together in groups and chatted animatedly, while others lingered alone wearing serious expressions. And yet there was something similar about all of them. Celeste could tell by their posture, by the way they held their swords, that they were like her. She was overwhelmed with a wonderful sense of belonging, of being among family.
As she and Stellan made their way through the crowd, a pair of dark eyes from across the room caught her attention. A tall young man with chin-length dark brown hair was staring at her. His dark lively eyes scanned over her from head to toe. She looked away, embarrassed and unable to hold his penetrating gaze. Suddenly, the crowd parted and Dante appeared in front of Celeste.
“I am very pleased to see you, Celeste,” he said. “Come with me, there are some very important matters that need to be discussed.” With a nod to Stellan, he whisked Celeste out of the crowd and into a long hallway. Just before reaching the end, a door appeared and Dante quickly entered a code in the keypad next to it. The heavy metal door opened automatically, and Dante led her inside the private room. Upon entering, she recognized Sierra, Seraphina, and Balthazar – the remaining members of the Council, along with at least a dozen other faces she had never seen before. She did, however, recognize a pair of dark eyes staring back at her.
“Celeste, please sit down,” said Sierra. “We must get started.” Dante joined Sierra and the others at the podium and Celeste scrambled to a seat.
“I am sure many of you are wondering why we have asked you here today. You were each chosen to be here in this room because you are the best. Look around and you will see the finest guardians from around the world. Some of you may know each other as seasoned colleagues, but there are also a few promising younger additions to our group. As you all know, Celeste Wilder had a premonition that there would be an attack at the Induction Ceremony today,” Dante said as he motioned toward Celeste. Everyone turned to look at her as he pointed. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.
Dante continued, “As such, we have taken every precaution to protect Astor. There are over two hundred guardians here today, and everyone is to be on high alert. This group gathered today will head our efforts and be our primary line of defense. If anyone does not wish to be given this responsibility, please speak now.” He paused for a moment, and an uneasy silence settled throughout the room. “Good. Now Sierra will come to you individually to discuss tactics. Feel free to take a moment and get to know each other. The next twelve hours will be of the utmost importance to the future of Astor and the Guardian race.”
“Well, that was a total waste of time,” said Nico with a sidelong glance at Roman. The top was down in the Porsche, and Nico’s perfectly gelled hair was blowing in every direction.
Roman snorted. “I’m sorry if threats on Celeste’s life took you away from Natalie for a few hours.”
Nico looked offended. “It’s not that. I just knew that Augustin wouldn’t be stupid enough to cross us. He’s been around for centuries now, and there’s a reason why. And that upper level demon Cyrus looked at us like we were the ones with two heads. Neither of them would have summoned that Bacillus demon to hunt down Celeste.”
“You may be right,” said Roman, shaking his head. “But I can’t just sit around doing nothing. And at least we can cross them off the list now.”
“Right, so that leaves the Queen of the Fey, the Black Devils – what a predictable name for a werewolf pack by the way – or our dear friend Alek who has disappeared off the face of the earth,” said Nico.
Roman revved the engine as he took the curve. He was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles had gone white.
“Hey, easy there brother,” said Nico putting a hand on his tense shoulder. “Crashing the Porsche isn’t going to make things any better.”
“I just hate this. I feel so utterly usel
ess; I want to rip someone’s throat out,” he shouted as he pummeled the steering wheel with his fists. “Who knows what Celeste is facing in Astor by herself? And all we can do is sit around and wait?” He slammed on the brakes and the car came to a screeching halt.
“Why don’t I drive?” asked Nico, clutching the door handle at the unexpected stop.
Roman shot out of the car and slammed the door shut. He ran his hands through his windblown hair and let out an exasperated growl. “What am I going to do without her?”
“You haven’t lost her yet,” said Nico, walking toward him on the desolate country road. “She’s strong. She can handle whatever happens in Astor.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” admitted Roman. “What if she can’t forgive me? What if she can’t get past what I did?” He slumped down on the frost- covered grass next to the asphalt and buried his head in his hands. “What if I lose her, and things get bad again…”
“You won’t lose her and you won’t lose control. I won’t let you,” said Nico sitting down next to him. “You are not the same person you were before. You are so much stronger.”
“Only because of her,” he said sadly.
“No, not just her. It’s you too. You won’t become that monster again because you promised our mother you wouldn’t.”
“And look how well that’s turned out so far.”
“All that matters is that you keep trying and you never give up. I’ve seen you Roman, you are different now.”
It was true that Roman had endured many ups and downs in his long life, but he had never been filled with such purpose since the last few months. Meeting Celeste had changed him in an undeniable way.
Roman looked up at his brother and a hint of a grin crossed his face. “When did you get so wise, little brother?”
Nico shrugged and with a smirk said, “It must be all the time I’m spending in college.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Come on let’s go home.”
Alek paced the length of the room nervously. He paused in front of the grand fireplace and stared at the burning embers; entranced by the flickering flames, his mind began to wander.
“I hate you, and I hate it here!” said a young Alek.
“Well, that really is of no concern to me, boy. You belong to me and you will do as I say,” said Fabian with a cruel smile. “You will be my apprentice and learn to master the dark arts for one day, you will become even more powerful than I.”
“I don’t want to be a sorcerer. I don’t want to be anything like you. Where is my real family?”
Fabian looked at the insolent boy with disdain but also an ounce of pride. Underneath it all perhaps he did show some potential. “You know very well that you have no family. The fairies raised you for as long as they could, but now you are mine. Never forget it.”
The steady vibration of his cell phone drew Alek back into the present. He shook his head wearily and pulled the device from his pocket.
“Everything’s set to go,” said Brazen’s gruff voice.
“Good. Come to me immediately when it’s over,” he responded and hung up the phone without so much as a goodbye.
Alek pulled out an old bronze key as he walked down the smooth stone steps to the underground passageway. He approached the massive oak door, inserted the key in the lock, and gave it a twist. With a great heave, the bulky door swung open. He took the torch that hung in the hallway and used it to light up the cavernous room. In the middle of the space, was a large marble altar with a lifeless body lying on top of it. Alek loomed over the figure covered with a spotless white sheet, the kind one would find in a modern hospital. He lifted the cover and a mass of curly golden hair spilled over the face of a beautiful woman. He reached out and brushed a wayward curl aside, caressing her pale cheek.
“We will be together soon, I promise you mother.”
Chapter 7
Celeste remained silent during the entire briefing, listening attentively, her hands folded in her lap as Sierra spoke. She hoped to not be called out again. Every so often Celeste felt a look from one of her peers, never really a glare but rather a glint of curiosity. When Sierra dismissed the group, Celeste stood quickly, eager to find Stellan before the start of her assignment. As she made her way to the door, a meaty hand grabbed her by the shoulder. She turned to see Dante standing next to the guy with the piercing dark eyes that had been staring at her. Now able to get a better look at him, Celeste guessed he was about her age, tall and well-built with very broad shoulders.
“Celeste, before you go to your post I wanted you to meet Marco,” said Dante with a nod to the young man at his side. Celeste smiled cordially. The attractive guy leaned forward and surprised her with a swift kiss to both cheeks.
“Ciao, I am Marco Caccia.”
“Oh, hi. I’m Celeste Wilder,” she responded, hoping her face wasn’t turning the same bright red of his polo shirt.
“Of course. Everyone knows who you are,” he said with a smile and a faint accent. “You are almost as famous as my family.”
“The Caccia family is one of the oldest guardian families, much like the Wilders. In fact, if you go far enough back in history, you’ll find many common ancestors,” explained Dante.
“You mean that she and I could be related?” asked Marco, the disbelief heavy in his voice.
“No, that would have been countless generations ago. Most of the modern Caccia family is in Italy, while the Wilders stayed in Germany or immigrated to the United States,” he said, placing a hand on Marco’s back. “But I would like you two to work together. You are two of our youngest guardians and show the most potential. Go see Balthazar for your designated territory and begin patrolling right away.”
Celeste hadn’t spent more than five minutes with this guy, but she already didn’t like the idea of working with him. There was a certain smugness about him that rubbed her the wrong way, not to mention the fact that during the introductions, Marco’s ever-wandering eyes never left her body. It was incredibly unnerving. Plus there was Marie: how was she going to explain a fairy to a know-it-all guardian like Marco?
When Dante walked away, Celeste looked up at her partner and sure enough, his dark eyes locked onto hers. Stop that!
“Shall we go to Balthazar?” he asked.
“Lead the way,” responded Celeste, purposely lagging a few feet behind him as they walked. As they approached the long table where the Council members sat, Celeste couldn’t help but notice all the curious glances she was getting from the other guardians. She must have made a face because Marco quickly said, “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the staring.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
“Everyone has heard so much about the impressive new guardian, Celeste Wilder, that you are quite the topic of conversation in the guardian world,” he said with a shrug. “And I mean no offense, but you do not look that intimidating.”
“Intimidating? Well no, I mean, I’m not.” She couldn’t decide whether she should be insulted or flattered by his comment.
“When I became the Guardian two years ago, everyone looked at me like that too because of my powers. Now that you came along, I’m not the novelty anymore.” He raised his perfectly annoying Roman nose at her and kept walking.
She decided to ignore the hint of jealousy in his voice and continue the conversation, speeding up to match his stride. “What special power do you have?”
“Well, besides the occasional premonition and the normal things, I’m very strong and fast.”
“So am I,” said Celeste.
“No, I mean vampire strong and vampire fast,” he said with a boastful grin. “If you like, I will show you one day.”
It was finally their turn in line, so Celeste ignored his comment and got down to business with Balthazar’s assignment for them. She listened carefully to his instructions as he delineated the area on the map that they were to patrol. It was the northeast quadrant of Astor, which included the main Counci
l building in the center of town.
“The two of you will rendezvous with Milena and Javier just outside the building. They are experienced guardians, and I trust you will heed their advice. Among the four of you, I expect this quadrant to be impenetrable,” finished Balthazar, his generally mild tone a bit elevated.
“Yes sir,” they responded in unison.
Turning toward the door to head out, Celeste caught sight of Stellan talking to Seraphina. “Go ahead without me. I’ll meet you outside in a second,” she said to Marco and quickly hurried off before he could argue.
Stellan and Seraphina were speaking urgently in hushed voices, and a sense of dread washed over Celeste as she approached them. They immediately stopped talking upon her arrival. Stellan’s gray eyes were clouded with worry, and the marked lines at the edges of his eyes were more pronounced than usual.
“Is everything okay?” she asked. They turned to look at her simultaneously, but neither answered. Celeste peered at Stellan, but his face was blank.
“Perhaps it is best that she know,” whispered Seraphina finally.
“We’ve picked up on some supernatural disturbances,” murmured Stellan. “It appears that a large number of demonic creatures are on the move.”
A picture of the scene in her premonition flashed before her eyes again – the terror, the widespread destruction, the gruesome deaths. “No…” she muttered. Looking at the clock on the wall, she noticed that it was only a few more hours until the ceremony began. “We have to tell the others.”
“No,” said Seraphina sharply. “Everyone is prepared; there is no reason to send them into a panic. Go to your post and do as you were instructed.”
Celeste looked at Stellan, who gave her a stern nod. Without looking back, she headed out the door to rendezvous with her team of guardians.
Celeste found Marco outside, standing with Milena and Javier. The preliminary introductions had already been made, and they were discussing strategy. Upon her approach, Milena and Javier paused their conversation and turned to her. Milena looked to be in her forties and from her distinct accent, she had to be Russian. A small scar slashed across her right cheek, and if not for that, she would have been quite stunning. Javier appeared to be around the same age, with tan, olive skin, slender, and on the shorter side. Only the silver flecks in his dark hair betrayed Javier’s age, his physique was that of a twenty year old. He immediately extended his hand to her and gave her a friendly smile.