The Protectors

by T. N. Simmons

  My heart raced. All I wanted was for him to get to safety. Relief washed over me as I watched him leave.

  I was thankful for the gift I was given of seeing the future. Hopefully I had manipulated the outcome. I stood there, holding the beautiful oval amulet. Its color glowed bright turquoise in my hand. I took in a deep breath and grabbed the chain that was linked through a hole in the top of the amulet. Once I let go of the amulet itself, it stopped glowing.

  “Do you think that’s a sign I harvest energy from it?” I asked Shaun.

  “I’m not sure, but considering it only does it when you touch it, I’d say it’s a pretty good indicator that it does. Once you touch that amulet, he is going to know. Unless you wear these.” He pulled out a pair of black leather gloves and handed them to me. “I don’t know if it will work, but it’s worth a try.”

  I put them on and grabbed the amulet. I gave Shaun a high five. “Success!”

  We saw headlights in the distance, indicating that they were almost here.

  “Let’s kick some demon butts and save our friends,” I shouted, trying to pump myself up. My stomach was full of butterflies, and my hands were trembling.

  “Shaun, if you get the chance, get that dagger from him, please.” I knew I would be too distracted and he was fast maybe he could get it.

  “I’m on it.”

  And we stood there, waiting and watching as the vehicles got closer and closer.

  Corbin’s mother, whom I’d yet to meet, his father, and the rest of the scouts were stationed around the perimeter of the park. Everyone was hidden ready to pounce if needed. Just knowing they were all out there gave me more courage as I waited for Troy.

  Chapter Ten

  The Exchange

  Itried to stay calm and keep my fidgeting to a minimum. My heart was in my throat, and a mantra played over and over in my head—I could do it, I could do it.

  I caught myself holding my breath when the vehicles came to a stop about a yard away from us. Troy got out of the car first and approached. Two tall, stocky men followed him, holding Krista by the arm.

  “Where are my parents and the other protectors?” I asked.

  “Caution, little wolf. It only takes one snap of my finger to crack your pretty little human’s neck.” He smirked.

  Anger boiled up inside me, and my cheeks started to burn. Shaun moved closer to me, reminding me to stay calm.

  “If you hurt my friend, you’ll never get the amulet. You see, it must be given to you. You can’t just take it from me. And right now, I don’t feel very generous. I will ask only one more time. Where are my parents and the other protectors?”

  I hoped he didn’t call my bluff about the whole giving thing. I totally pulled that out of my ass. He nodded his head at the two men. They shoved Krista at me. She had a black bag around her head.

  “Shaun, would you remove that awful bag from my friend's face and assure me she is unharmed.” I wouldn’t avert my gaze from Troy, wouldn’t let my guard down.

  “What’s going on?” Krista yelled and struggled as Shaun removed the bag.

  “It’s okay, Krista,” Shaun said. “I’m here with Jai. We are taking you home very soon.” He radioed some scouts to come retrieve her and ordered another set to wait for the arrival of the rest of our group.

  Troy brought three scouts at a time. Shaun inspected each of them from head to toe and led them away to safety. My eyes never left Troy. That amulet must be powerful for him to cooperate this fully with me.

  My parents were the last two brought to me. I finally averted my gaze from Troy. My heart skipped a beat as Shaun removed the bags, revealing them to me. They were both frighteningly pale, and their faces were covered in bruises. Their clothes were ripped and stained with dirt and blood. I hated to think what their bodies looked like underneath their rags.

  “Jaime, get out of here.” My mother cried out loud.” She attempted to turn around and face Troy.

  “Shaun, get them out of here quickly.” I growled as anger engulfed my body. He walked them to the scouts and returned to me.

  I took a breath, reminding myself to stay calm while the scouts escorted them to safety.

  Troy growled. “There, little wolf, you have all your useless friends. Now, give me the amulet.”

  “You mean this little thing?” I held it in front of my face.

  “Yes, now hand it over.”

  “We have a problem,” I said. “The deal was that my friends and family would be returned to me unharmed, and while many were, my parents were not. They are pale, emaciated, and banged up. What did you do to them?” I stalled as I worked up the nerve to crush the amulet. I knew I needed the strength of my inner werewolf to crush it, but I couldn’t let myself go too far wolf in the process.

  “It doesn’t matter what I’ve done, mutt. I’ve got men all over this park ready to rip you all to shreds if you don’t comply.” His eyes glowed red.

  “Mutt, huh? Let’s not resort to childish name calling, Troy.” I backed up and tried to stall. We needed more time for my grandparents to get everyone back to the compound safely.

  “I’m only going to ask one more time before I make you feel so much pain you will have no choice but to hand it over.” He sneered again.

  At least I knew my little white lie worked. “I don’t know… You see, it’s because of you that I was raised in the foster system. It’s because of you that I have never met my parents. Why should I just hand the amulet over to you?” I glared at him.

  “Because if you don’t, you and all your friends will add to my power bag. I’m not afraid of a little half-wit wolf. I’ll take what’s mine if I have to pry it out of your cold dead hands.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary.” I smiled and held up the amulet.

  He grinned and walked up to me, stood close enough for me to touch.

  I smelled his foul breath as he said, “I knew you were too afraid to try anything stupid.”

  His words had me seeing red. It was just the push I needed. I crushed the amulet in his face and blasted him away from me with a single movement of my hand.

  I’m not sure where the energy came from, but it was certainly welcomed.

  He stood up to charge at me, his eyes full of hatred.

  I jumped, just meaning to get out of the way, but my animal instincts kicked in and I landed on top of him. I wasn’t fully wolf yet, but I was close. I punched then jumped off him, wanting to get as far away as I could. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pull the dagger out.

  I shot another wave of wind in his direction, pushing him backward, causing him to drop the blade.

  He launched a ball of flames at me.

  I ducked and ran toward him. When I was close enough, I drop-kicked him, causing him to stumble to the ground.

  He managed to punch me hard across my cheek, causing spots in my vision.

  I fell to the ground, my jaw pulsing with pain, but I quickly forced myself up and attacked. I elbowed him in the neck.

  He rained down a fury of blows to my face.

  I reached up and raked my nails down his cheek, clawing for his eyes, then I jumped back just in time to catch a ball of fire. I threw it back at him, knocking him down again. My vision clouded, and I let my mind take over. A gush of energy soared throughout my body. It was exhilarating. The air around me began to spiral, pushing him further away from me. I held up my hand, causing him to levitate closer to the tornado that I had caused in the sky.

  “You will not harm my friends or family ever again.” My voice was an unrecognizable growl. I threw him into the tornado and fell to my knees, exhausted.

  No one had explained I would be so drained after the battle. The air died down around me, and I saw several overturned cars and some playground equipment that was once cemented into the ground. I gasped, stunned I had caused such destruction.

  Shaun stood beside me and helped me to my feet.

  “Where is he? Did I kill him?” My body shook from fatigue
.

  “No, Jai, you didn’t kill him. You did, however, manage to send him away from here. Which means he or his men will be back, and now they know you harvest energy from Aether.”

  “At least we managed to get everyone to safety before I lost control,” I whispered and stared at my feet.

  “Jai, don’t be disappointed. You were amazing. I’ve never seen someone have that kind of power.” Shaun walked me to the little white sedan. “The only thing is, now that they know, they will come for you. You’ll have to be prepared.”

  “At least I have my parents to help me train.” A yawn escaped me. I tried to rest on the journey back to the compound, but my thoughts were of Krista, my parents, and Corbin.

  Shaun pulled up in front of my house—my parents’ house. I didn’t even wait for him to turn the engine off before I opened the door and ran inside.

  Corbin met me at the entrance with open arms. “Jai, honey, you were amazing. How did you do that?” He wrapped me in his arms.

  “I have no idea. I felt angry, and I took a breath to calm myself. The next thing I remember is Shaun helping me up. I faintly remember hearing myself speak, only it wasn’t me. It was someone or something else speaking through me. Corbin, I’m frightened at what I am capable of when I lose control. I could have hurt someone.” I pressed my face into his chest and breathed in his scent.

  “It’s okay, baby. We’ll figure this out. But right now, I think there are a lot of happy people who want to see you. Brace yourself, though. Your parents are pretty weak and will require time to heal.”

  I got up and walked into the living room. My parents weren’t in there, but my friend was.

  Krista sat on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. Shaun had made her a cup of hot tea, but she pushed it aside when she saw me. She jumped to her feet and ran toward me, embracing me and nearly knocking me off my feet. “Jai, you found me!”

  Tears rolled down both our faces. I pulled her back to inspect her for injury. “Are you okay?”

  “Thanks to you. What was he?”

  “I’m not sure. All I know is he’s powerful and cruel. What did he do to you?” We sat on the couch and Shaun offered her the tea again.

  “He took me to this place. Underground, I think. He had a bag over my face, so I couldn’t tell where we went. It was damp and musty though. And I could hear someone crying in the distance.

  “It was a long walk before we reached the holding room. Once we got there, he took the bag off my head and untied my hands. Then he locked me in a small cage.

  “The floor was dirt and the metal bars were peeling with yellow paint. There were several cages down there. A man and a woman were tied to chairs with weird, glowing helmets on their heads. It looked like it was feeding off them or something. They appeared to be asleep the whole time.

  “It was freezing and smelled of dead animals. He left me alone for a while, then a few days later, he brought in more people and put most of them in the chairs, too. Others he threw in cages like mine.”

  “Oh, Krista. I’m so sorry.”

  She shook her head. “They brought in stale bread and water once a day. Sometimes they kicked us around, but that’s about it. I don’t know how the ones on the chairs ate. They never got any food or water that I saw. It was cold down there. I could hear what might have been a train in the distance. Oh, Jai, it was awful. They never spoke to us, but their creepy red eyes haunted my every dream. I can’t believe Troy was one of those things.”

  Shaun covered her up, placed his arm around her, and patted her back, allowing her time to just let her frustrations out.

  “I think a couple of people are eager to meet you.” Corbin reached for my hand to lead me into the bedroom.

  I stopped in the doorway and stared. Sitting on the bed were my parents.

  My heart leaped with joy. I’d waited my entire life for this moment, although I had envisioned it much differently. I found myself speechless as I entered.

  “Jai, you found us. I knew you would rescue us one day.” Mom opened her badly bruised arms for a hug. I knelt beside the bed and gently returned the gesture.

  “Are you okay? What did they do to you?”

  “They syphoned our energy,” Dad said, leaning over and joining in the embrace.

  “They believe if they harvest enough energy, they can open the Portal to the Dead, bringing back every demon we’ve ever killed,” Mom said.

  “And he needed the amulet to complete the ritual?” I asked.

  “Yes, that was the last item needed. And now that it’s destroyed, and you’ve revealed your powers, he will come for you.” Mom’s eyes shone with tears.

  “Well, I’m not going to let that happen,” Gramps said as he entered the room.

  “Neither am I,” Corbin chimed in.

  “Krista said you were connected to a chair that syphoned your energy. Do you know where that energy went?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Dad said. “There’s a device much like a battery that’s connected to the helmets. The energy is built up and stored in that container until the harvest ceremony.”

  “The harvest ceremony?”

  “It’s on All Hallows’ Eve,” Mom said. “It’s the day they plan to open the portal.”

  “Which also means we need to prepare ourselves for war, because the only way they can open that portal now is with you,” Gramps replied. “I’m going to let you guys catch up. Corbin can fill me in later.” He nodded at Corbin and walked out of the room.

  “Unless we could find that energy source and destroy or release it before then,” Corbin suggested.

  Dad sat up in the bed. “That might work, but we don’t know where it is.”

  “Well, let’s look at what we do know about its location. It’s at least within an hour from the park. Krista mentioned hearing a train and that it felt like she was underground. We could look at a map and draw out a sixty-mile radius around the park, focusing on all the areas near a railroad crossing.”

  “That’s a great idea, Jai. I knew you were going to inherit my brain,” Dad said, and we all laughed.

  “Speaking of inheriting things, you two are going to have to explain to me how all this stuff works, because I’m a hot mess, but full of pretty awesome powers that I have no idea how to control.” I waved my arms around my body as I spoke.

  “There will be plenty of time for that tomorrow,” Corbin said. “Tonight, let’s let these guys get some rest.”

  He was right. It had been a long time since they rested on their own bed. I gave them both a hug, closed their door, then turned to Corbin. “Where are all the others?”

  “Walter and Mary escorted them all to their homes prior to your arrival, as their families were eager for their safe return. All thanks to you, little wolf.” He tousled my hair.

  “Well, to be honest, they wouldn’t be in that mess if it weren’t for me.” I said.

  “Not true. That amulet would have been given to someone eventually. It just happened to be your parents. By the way, Walter and Mary are going to come back here to sit with your parents tonight. I’ll take you and Krista to my house. If that’s okay?”

  “Yes, that sounds great to me. Will it be okay for Krista to stay in the compound until this is all over? I know her parents are worried sick because I haven’t contacted them again, but I don’t know how to explain without sounding like a lunatic.”

  “Absolutely, she should stay here. They would all be at risk if she returned home now. It’s probably best that they think the two of you are missing or still having the time of your life at some beach somewhere. Once this is all over they will just be relieved you both are safe. Let’s just keep it from them a little longer. Anyway, I think Shaun is smitten with her.”

  We both looked in the living room and found Shaun and Krista sharing a laugh. It looked like Shaun was telling her jokes. I smiled, knowing whatever happened to me, she would be okay.

  “Hey, Shaun,” I called. “We’re getting ready to head back to Corbin’s
house. Would you like to come with us?” I waggled my eyebrows at Corbin.

  “Sure, that sounds like a plan to me.” Shaun took Krista’s hand and helped her up.

  We were all exhausted, and I was an emotional roller coaster. One minute I was gawking over my friends romance, then as those thoughts evaporated, I remembered that the monsters were still out there. It made my skin jump as the thought crossed my mind.

  I’d cross that bridge tomorrow. Tonight, I needed rest. We arrived at the house, and I walked Krista in while the guys talked outside. I took her to the room I stayed in and showed her where to find everything.

  “Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” I asked while I picked out a nightgown for her.

  “Yes, please. I don’t want to be alone,” she said quietly as she started running the bath water.

  “Then, I promise I won’t leave your side.” I stood at the bedroom door and called for Corbin.

  “I’m going to stay with Krista tonight. She doesn’t want to be alone. But would you please leave your door open in case we need you?” He was facing his bedroom door, so I stole a quick glance at his bottom before he turned to face me.

  “I would walk through fire for you, Jai. I will most certainly leave the door open.”

  I was pretty sure I’d fallen in love with him. My stomach turned to mush every time he looked at me.

  Shaun walked down the hall. “I’ll leave mine open too, little lady,” he said in a terrible attempt of a cowboy impersonation.

  I laughed and gave Corbin a quick nod and closed the door. I hated being away from him, but I knew my friend needed me. I went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet while Krista soaked in the tub.

  She had the curtain pulled so I couldn’t see her, but I could hear she was crying. I pulled the curtain back to talk to her, and I recoiled when I saw the many bruises that covered her body.

  “Oh, Krista, what did they do to you?” My heart ached for her. There were so many bruises.

  “Nothing I can’t handle. I’m just so thankful you found me. I don’t think I would have lasted much longer in that place.” She took my hand.