by S. A. Moss
I followed close behind Pearl as she led the way across. When we reached the door, she pulled it open and gestured inside.
“You may enter. No one else will be present when the Seer gives you your assignment. Afterward, I’ll take you back to the Council and you can tell them what you learned.”
I nodded and stepped through slowly. If my heart could still beat, it would’ve been pounding against my ribs. But even without a pulse, nervous energy vibrated through my body. What would the Seer be like? Would she send me off to Beijing to fight demons or banshees… or worse?
The thud of the door closing behind me almost made me jump. Just inside the doorway, a set of stairs began, leading up to the top of the tower. The space was dark, lit only by wall sconces.
The tower had looked massive from the outside, and it felt even more massive from the inside. If I’d still been alive, I would definitely have been out of breath by the time I finally hit the top step. Another door greeted me, and I pushed it open slowly.
The room was breathtaking. Vaulted ceilings soared high above, and three large windows on the far wall let in more light than I’d seen in this place yet. It was almost like they caught and concentrated the light, since outside, the sky was murky as twilight.
An ornate carpet led from the door, up a few stairs, to the altar just below the windows. A figure lay on the alter, swathed in cloth and looking so much like a dead body laid out for funeral rites that a shiver ran through me. I walked closer.
It was a woman. She was bathed in white light from the window, almost appearing to glow. Her features were harsh and blunt—her brow was heavy, and there was something almost inhuman about her appearance. It reminded me of drawings of early man I’d seen at the Field Museum. Her eyes were closed, and with no breath passing through her lips, she really did look dead.
Should I speak or just wait?
I cleared my throat. “Hello?”
“Hello, child.” Her lips moved, but her eyes didn’t open. “Come closer. Let the Mother of Guardians see you.” Her voice was rough, but the tone was soft.
I walked up the few steps until I was standing right next to the altar, looking down on her. Her eyes remained closed, but I could feel her focus on me like a heavy weight.
“A new Guardian joins our ranks,” she said, seeming to be talking to herself as much as me. “It’s been too long. The balance has been shifting. And I am powerless to stop it.”
I shifted uncomfortably. I knew I was supposed to be here, but this felt so awkward—like eavesdropping on an old woman.
“You have a strong will. You are well suited to protection. I see that you don’t give up easily.”
Oh shit. I clamped down on my thoughts, trying to close off my brain to intrusion. What exactly could she see? Could she read my mind? Did she know about my plan to keep looking for my parents?
“There is a man. He will be important, not just because of what he does, but because of who he is. He will need protection, though he is quite capable of caring for himself. He must stay alive. His name… is Alex Knight. He resides in Chicago. You must watch over him.”
The whole time she spoke, nothing but her mouth moved. It was eerie to watch.
I blinked. “Alex Knight? Who is he? Why does he need protection? And protection from what?”
She spoke evenly, ignoring my barrage of questions. “You must go soon. There is no time to waste. Find Alex Knight and keep him safe.”
I waited for several beats, my gaze focused on her mouth. No other words came. I turned to leave, but before I could step away, her hand shot out like lightning to grasp my wrist. I gasped.
Her eyes were still closed, her face a neutral mask, but her grip was so tight it stung.
“Camille Prentice.” Her eyes flew open and locked on mine. The irises were milky, almost white. “You will either save the world or destroy it.”
8
My eyes bugged. “I–”
The Seer’s face was primitive, but her gaze was so intelligent I felt like she could see right into my brain, past whatever weak facade of strength and confidence I wore to fool the rest of the world.
“I don’t want to destroy the world. I won’t do that,” I blurted.
“That is a promise you a cannot make, young one. No one can.” She released her grip on my wrist, and her eyes closed again. I stood there, staring stupidly at her, as she seemed to slip back into whatever trance she’d been in.
But for a moment, she’d been here with me. She’d opened her eyes and seen me. I twisted my hands together, resisting the urge to reach out and shake her. I wanted to demand that she explain what the hell she was talking about, and why she thought it was okay to drop a bombshell like that on me and then go back to freaking sleep. But even as new to this whole Guardian thing as I was, I wasn’t dumb enough to think disturbing the rest of a million-year-old supernatural was a good idea.
Wresting my eyes away from her oddly beautiful face, I retreated to the door and down the stairs. When I stepped outside onto the stone walkway, Pearl’s eager face met me.
“Well?” She was bouncing with excitement again. I felt a little bad that someone with so much zest for existence was stuck in the Haven all the time. Not that it seemed like a bad place, but by her own admission, life here got a little boring.
I nodded. “She told me what I have to do. I’m supposed to watch over someone, I guess.”
“Really? How exciting!” Her face clouded over for a moment. “I’m only a little disappointed that she didn’t tell you to stay here. It would’ve been lovely to have more company. Some less serious company anyway; the Council are always so grave. But then, they have a grave duty.”
As I followed her back into the castle proper, a thought occurred to me.
“Pearl? If humanity has you guys, or I guess, us, watching over them—why is the world still such a shitty place sometimes? I mean, you haven’t been there in a while, so maybe you don’t remember, but it’s not exactly all candy and rainbows.”
She glanced back at me. “Remember I told you there hasn’t been a new Guardian born in a hundred years? That’s why. It’s not like your tales of guardian angels on Earth. Not everyone has a winged person hovering over them at all times.” One corner of her mouth lifted slightly at that. “Only about a few thousand Guardians exist, and there are over seven billion people on Earth. We’re spread thin. The Seer does her best to send Guardians where they’re needed most. But it’s not a perfect system. Many, many good people die before their time, or suffer tragically. We aren’t sent to Earth to bless one individual human with a perfect life, but to protect humanity as a whole. From each other, when we can, and from supernatural dangers.”
“Oh. That makes sense, I guess.”
“No one but the Seer can glimpse the future, but I imagine that things on Earth would be much worse without our influence,” she said somberly.
Yikes.
“Alex Knight?” Arcadius asked.
I’d just reported to the Council what the Seer had told me. Well, everything except the part where she’d said I might destroy the world. I couldn’t bring myself to repeat that out loud. Her words, and the urgency in her voice, had scared the crap out of me.
I was afraid if I told the Council, they’d toss me out on my ass in the Wild, and I couldn’t let that happen. Not to mention, I had meant it when I told the Seer that I had no interest in world destruction. She could predict whatever she wanted, but as far as I was concerned, free will still existed.
And she had said I might save it, too. I was going to focus on that.
“Yep. She said I should go soon. He lives in Chicago, so that’s perfect. I lived there my whole life, so I know the city well.”
Not to mention, it was where any hope of finding my parents existed. I’d be right there. I could probably even get to Silver’s office in the next day or two if they let me go back to Earth.
“Soon?” Sada leaned forward, her eyes sharp with interest.
> “Yeah, she said I should go right away.”
Arcadius and Sada shared a look I couldn’t interpret. I was beginning to picture them as the head of this strange family, with Owen being the rambunctious kid, and Adele the slightly bitchy aunt from out of town.
“Normally, we would give you more time to acclimate and learn how to use your power before sending you out. But if the Seer believes you are needed now, then we must heed her words,” Arcadius told me.
“Pearl can bring you to the portal room and help you locate Mr. Knight. She’ll show you the ropes then leave you with him,” Sada added
“That’s it? You aren’t going to train me or anything?” I didn’t feel qualified to guard anybody yet.
Adele sniffed. “Pearl will teach you the basics, but beyond that, there’s little point. There are too many variables in what a Guardian may encounter. The best way to learn is by doing, and we have no time to waste giving you training that you may never use.”
Her words made some sense, but her tone of voice made it clear she thought I was too stupid to learn anything anyway.
Sada spoke calmly. “There are only three rules that you must abide by. First, do not allow humans to witness your power—as far as humanity is concerned, we do not exist. Second, you may not interfere with free will. You are there to serve as a Guardian, but you may not insert yourself into the life of your charge or change the course of his life. He must be allowed to determine his own path. And third, you must not do harm to other humans unless they pose a direct and immediate threat to your charge.”
“Okay. That makes sense. Don’t be noticed. Don’t interfere with free will. Do no harm to humans. Got it.” I nodded.
“Then Pearl will take you to Mr. Knight now. We will send someone in a few days to check on you,” Arcadius said.
“And Cam?” Owen smiled broadly at me. “Thank you, lass.”
The Council rose to their feet, and I followed Pearl out the door. She led me in a different direction, to a part of the castle I hadn’t been to yet. As she pushed open a large set of double doors, a gasp caught in my throat. I stared around in amazement.
The room had high, vaulted ceilings and was the size of a football field, at least. Probably bigger. All along the walls, spreading out from the huge door we’d just come through, were smaller doors spaced about a foot apart. They each had words written across them, and I squinted to read a few nearby. Los Angeles. Portland. Cedar City. Pearl marched purposefully across the giant room, and I trotted along behind her, still trying to take in the huge space around us. Across the room, I saw a Guardian step out of a door and start heading towards the main entrance of the massive room.
“What is this place?” My voice echoed in the large space, and I kept spinning in circles as we walked, trying to absorb the enormity of the room.
“It’s the portal room. Every major city in the world has at least one portal, some more. They’re a way for us to connect to the Earth. When Guardians come and go between the Haven and Earth, it’s through these portals. If they fade over to the Shroud from wherever they are on Earth, they’ll end up in the Wild somewhere—likely hundreds of miles from the Haven. It’s safer and easier to use portals to travel from the Shroud to Earth.” She stopped in front a door marked, Chicago, and turned to me. “Are you ready?”
“Yes?” It came out like a question.
Pearl grinned. “Good.”
She pulled open the door and walked through. I followed, stepping into the blackness beyond cautiously.
9
As soon as I crossed over the threshold, the darkness dissipated, and I was immediately assaulted by the smell of garbage and pee.
Yep, definitely Earth.
We were standing in an alley next to a dumpster. The door behind us was solid steel with chipped green paint and the words EMPLOYEES ONLY stamped across it. It looked like the back entrance to a restaurant.
“Woah. Is that a real door? What happens if a human walks through it?”
“Then they’ll end up inside the building. It only works as a portal for those who have a connection to the Shroud. Come on!”
Pearl grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the alley. I hadn’t noticed when she came to get me this morning, but she was dressed in pants today. Her floral blouse and elaborate updo still looked pretty old-timey to me, but with a pair of jeans on, she blended in more easily on the streets of Chicago than she would’ve in the dress she wore yesterday.
She tugged me down the street, gawping at the buildings and storefronts around us like a giddy tourist. She hadn’t been kidding about her obsession with all things earthly. I felt a twinge of pity for her that she was relegated to the Shroud all the time, just because the Seer had determined it was her duty.
There were a few things about this whole Guardian order that didn’t sit great with me—but then again, who was I to argue with beings that had been around for thousands, if not millions of years longer than me? They probably knew a few things I didn’t.
“Okay, so how do we find this Alex guy?” I asked, dragging Pearl’s attention away from a scrolling bus stop ad she was watching with rapt attention.
“Hmm.” She wrinkled her nose. “I suppose the easiest way is to use a computer, right?”
“I guess so. Yeah. I mean, before I died I probably would’ve looked him up on my phone. But I don’t have a phone anymore.”
“Well, that’s easy. Look!” Before I could object, she darted into a cellphone store as we passed by. By the time I caught up with her, she was already oohing and aahing over all the latest smartphones. A salesclerk hovered eagerly nearby, probably predicting an easy sale.
I suppressed a grin. If only he knew she had no money, or at least not currency from this century. While she peppered the clerk with questions about the latest technology, I grabbed a demo phone that was hooked up to the store’s wifi and did a quick Google search for “Alex Knight Chicago.”
Several names popped up, and I rolled my eyes. The Seer couldn’t make this easy, could she? What if I picked the wrong person and spent the next sixty years guarding over that guy for no reason?
I clicked on a few of the results, and found an Alex Knight who was a divorce attorney, one who was a dentist, and one who was a student at DePaul. The fourth name I clicked took me to the website of a martial arts studio in Ravenswood. In the section showcasing all of their employees, Alex Knight had a short bio that included a picture of him sparring with another instructor. I froze, peering closer at the image. I didn’t know how, because I could barely even see his face, but I was absolutely positive this was the man I was looking for.
I guess the Seer had known I’d have some kind of connection to the guy I was assigned to protect. No wonder she hadn’t felt the need to clarify which Alex Knight.
Shooting a quick look over at Pearl, I stifled a laugh. She had the salesclerk in the palm of her hand, looking up at him through her lashes in a way that had truly been perfected hundreds of years ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if she walked out of here with a free phone, for all the good it would do her in the Shroud.
“Got it!” I called to her and headed toward the door. She excused herself and followed, her gaze lingering longingly on the shiny phones she hadn’t had a chance to fondle yet.
As we walked out of the store, I filled her in on what I’d learned. “He works at a martial arts studio in Ravenswood. I couldn’t find a home address listed for him, so I guess we should just go to where he works and hang out until he shows up? Isn’t there an easier way to do this?”
She shrugged. “Unfortunately, no. The longer you watch over him, the stronger the connection between you two will grow. When the connection is fully developed, you’ll probably be able to find him anywhere in the city just by following the pull toward him. But right now the connection is weak—so we’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way.”
“Okay. We can take the train up to—” I stopped suddenly. “Shit! I don’t have any money. Or ID or anything
. We can’t take the train anywhere. Do we have to walk?”
Some supernatural I was. So far I was seriously underwhelmed with this Guardian thing. It’d take us over an hour to walk to Ravenswood from here.
“No, silly!” She giggled, her eyes gleaming. “It’s time for your first lesson. Come on!” She pulled quickly into another small alley. Apparently, I was going to have to get used to spending time in alleys if I wanted to get anywhere as a Guardian. “We’ll take the train. But first we have to fade out,” Pearl added.
“What?”
“Remember how I told you that on Earth, you didn’t have to stay solid? Technically, we’re fading out of this plane a bit. Just enough to become invisible and incorporeal.”
Oh. Right.
I grinned. Cool.
“Okay. So how do we do it?”
“Think back to what it felt like when you died. Remember that spreading-out feeling? Like you were evaporating into the universe? Let that feeling come back, but this time control it. Don’t let yourself go too far though.”
Closing my eyes, I tried to recall the feeling of dying. It was actually incredibly easy—that wasn’t a sensation I’d ever forget. As much as it hurt getting hit by the car, and as sad as I had been about dying, the feeling was almost comforting. It was what I figured yogis and gurus were all trying to achieve through meditation, though I doubted any of them actually experienced it quite like this.
“That’s good. Stop there!” Pearl’s sharp voice focused me, jerking my brain away from the pleasant drift.
I opened my eyes and looked down. Disappointment flooded me. “I can still see myself.”
“Of course you can. Wherever you go, there you are,” she said reassuringly.
Great. Now she’s speaking in bumper stickers.
At my confused look, she elaborated. “You just faded to a plane midway between Earth and the Shroud, but your consciousness is still attached to your body. So even though no one on the earthly plane can see or touch you, you’re still physically real to yourself. I faded out too, when you did. That’s why we can see each other.”