Dentelle #3 Guardian series

by Bowhay, Heather

  “What? Did a little branchy-poo hurt Miss Almighty Dentelle?”

  “Of course not,” I replied testily.

  “Need a kiss to make it better?” He laughed.

  “Very funny,” I responded. Coming up fast behind him, I leaped and used his shoulders as a springboard. Flying high, I landed a good twenty feet in front of him, right behind Laci, Madison, Hannah, and Sienna. I glanced back at him. His shoulder-length hair flowed behind him, and I thought maybe he was shaking his head. I smiled. While I definitely wasn’t in love with him, I did love him. He’d become one of my best friends, and secretly, I think we both enjoyed the mental sparring. I guess if I couldn’t be linked with Jason, Ash was my next choice. “Need some tips on how to keep up with the ladies?” I teased.

  “You better stop checkin’ me out and watch where you’re going, or a bigger, more brutal branch is gonna knock you right onto your cute little…” The last of his words were interrupted by loud booms reverberating throughout the forest. Even the ground began shaking under our feet, bringing our small group to an abrupt halt. Quickly, we gathered around Laci.

  In a quiet voice, she said, “Okay. This is it. Max says they are ready for some help. There are at least seven Ray-pacs blocking the path between us and Izzy.”

  Sienna jumped in. “Yes, Michael just told me he overheard a Ray-pac conversation. He’s trying to gather Intel while teleporting, unnoticed, between the Ray-pacs. They plan on keeping us busy while giving the other three guys time to escape with Izzy. Even as we speak, they are moving Izzy down the other side of the mountain.”

  Laci tucked an unruly curl behind her ear and said, “Okay, good information. Just a sec.” She was silent for a moment, relaying that information to Max. Finally, she nodded and said, “Max wants Madison, Ash, and Sienna to join them. He doesn’t realize you’re with us, Hannah. You were supposed to stay behind.”

  I knew Max didn’t want Hannah in harm’s way now that she was a mom.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Hannah interjected.

  “Your call,” Laci said with a shrug. “Lexi, you and I will go after Izzy. Any questions?”

  “Nada,” Ash said impatiently. Nudging me, he said, “Good plan. We don’t want the Ray-pacs figuring out you’re an Amethyst, and they easily could if they got close enough. This way no one has to worry about you.” Glancing at the group, he spoke aloud, “Laci, you and Lexi shouldn’t have any trouble clobbering three unlinked idiots. But keep your eye on this one, anyway.” He smacked me lightly on the side of the head.

  “I can handle myself,” I said arrogantly. Secretly, I was bummed I’d miss out on the big action. Then again, my Flair was defensive, so I wasn’t much help in a real fight. And rescuing Izzy was our top priority. “But you guys be careful.”

  “Let’s go already,” Madison said, rubbing her hands together. “I’m so in the mood to slay Ray-pacs.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Ash said with the same eagerness.

  Madison shook her head. Under her breath, she said to me, “And Jason says no unnecessary risks.” I nodded and opened my mouth to speak, but she continued, “And no,” she whispered furiously, “I will not be passing on any more messages, so don’t bother.”

  We had a hate-hate relationship for sure. She hated that Jason and I were in love, and I hated that she was linked to him and could talk to him telepathically whenever she chose. I touched her arm and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t.” She might have thought I touched her arm so I could send her a nice little blast of Essence before the big battle, but I’d done it for purely selfish reasons. I smiled when I was rewarded with Jason’s voice saying to Madison, “Tell Alex I love her.”

  “I most certainly will not,” she snapped. A passing cloud unveiled the moon, and a luminescent light exposed her smug expression. I just smiled and let go of her. No one except Jason knew that I could hear linked Guardian conversations if I was touching one of them. Actually, it was an inside joke between us. Oftentimes, he passed me messages through Madison, and she had no clue it was happening.

  Loud cracking noises alerted us to branches snapping high above. Before anyone had a chance to move, Laci declared loudly, “I got this.” We all gazed upwards and watched as several large treetops plowed into her invisible shield, not six feet above our heads. The kinetic energy must have been colossal, because the limbs shot away from us like projectiles, even clipping maple trees in the process.

  Once we recovered from momentary shock, our small group separated. Laci motioned for me to follow her. Our plan was to circle around to the other side, bypass all the chaos, and reach Izzy undetected. But before I made a move to follow, I noticed movement up the hill and realized the Ray-pacs were descending. I watched in appreciation as Madison performed a counterattack. With her arms outstretched, she lifted sticks, stones, and broken branches off the ground, unleashing them back up the hill. Not about to be upstaged, Ash went to work. A shimmering blue orb formed at his fingertips, growing larger and larger until it was twice the size of a normal Frisbee. Once he launched the first sphere, another immediately formed in its place. Shortly after, he had a series of bright, hot energy discs weaving through the trees and up the mountain.

  Impressed, I turned and hurried after Laci. “Have fun, Ash. But don’t go getting yourself killed,” I told him.

  “You know I will…have fun that is.”

  Laci might be small and petite, but the girl could really move, and she moved with precision, which was more than I could say for myself. Over the last several months, I’d been adapting to the extra speed and strength I’d gained from linking, but I was still a novice. My friends assured me I’d be all expert like them in time. Fast cars and adrenaline-packed movies had always captivated me, but they were nothing compared to the thrill of running a mile in minutes, leaping great distances into the air, or lifting obscenely heavy objects. Granted, I was fast, but I certainly wasn’t grace in motion. Gnarled roots and pot holes still had me losing my footing occasionally. Practice would never make me perfect, but it should eliminate some of my inadequacies.

  A mass of clouds hid the moon again, casting dark shadows throughout the timber. Twigs snapped loudly underfoot, and my heart pounded with excitement as we whizzed through the ever-changing terrain. I worried about the safety of my friends. There was always a chance one of them wouldn’t survive this Ray-pac fight. And even though my Essence was a force to be reckoned with, and I could heal any injuries, I was powerless once someone died.

  Just as I was wondering about our game plan for rescuing Izzy, several bolts of lightning lit up the sky and assaulted Cadillac Mountain. Strong, gusty winds accompanied the multi-colored flashes, and the surrounding trees whipped wildly. Dry lightning storm? A brilliant flash of light whizzed not ten feet away and ripped through a tree, generating a spray of bark and splinters. Taken by surprise, and not realizing Laci had stopped moving, I cruised right past her at full speed. Before I could apply my own brakes, I skidded into a clearing where three guys, all built like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, were escaping with Izzy. Sliding my way across a rather large, flat granite surface, my grand entrance was neither quiet nor controlled.

  “What the hell?” one of the voices rumbled, and they all turned around at once. The moon appeared, giving me a clear view of the three menacing dudes. Normally, I didn’t judge a book by its cover, but the three ratty faces looking back at me were definitely those of hard-core criminals. Death penalty candidates, for sure. And if I had to guess, I’d say the guy with the squashed nose and closely-set eyes delighted in his profession.

  My thoughts, running wild, conjured grisly images – ones with Mr. Squashy Nose pleasurably dismembering a body with blunt instruments. I slapped my cheek and told myself to snap out of it. “No more Dexter episodes,” I mumbled under my breath. Drawing quick short breaths, I bounced on the balls of my feet as if preparing for one of my Tae Kwon Do sparring matches. I’d re-enrolled in martial arts and loved the sparring techniques. In
class I always held back, though. Didn’t want to hurt an Innocent. Not today. These guys were far from innocent. I was ready to kick bad guys all over this granite mountain. And a defensive Flair that allowed me to anticipate my opponent’s moves was going to help me do just that.

  But my biggest advantage was Laci. Speaking of that girl, where was she? As if reading my thoughts, she waved from behind some bushes. The guys couldn’t see her because their backs were to her.

  The tallest guy, who had a comatose Izzy swung over his shoulder, shook his head in annoyance and directed the other two, “Take care of this nuisance and then meet me at the van.”

  “Do you want her dead or alive?” the one with the fat face and protruding ears asked.

  “Neo said no witnesses. So take care of her and get rid of her body. Throw it over the cliff or something. But be quick about it.” After he finished talking about me as if I was nothing more than a thorn in the side, he turned and walked away. Straight toward Laci’s hiding spot.

  Good, I thought. She’ll shut him up soon enough. Laci might be dealing with the ringleader, but I’d be fighting in a two against one battle. While that hardly seemed fair, I knew I could take them both with my eyes closed. A satisfied smile spread across my face; I was pumped up and in rare form. As Ash would say, “It’s ninja time.” If he’d taught me anything, it was that a little arrogance went a long way. And he would know.

  Loud rumblings intensified from the mountain top, but I paid no attention, because my two opponents were advancing from both sides – ready to attack. My Flair kicked in, and with sudden clarity I knew Mr. Fat Face was going to dive for my feet in hopes of knocking me to the ground. Leaving my fighting stance behind, I shot through the air, pivoted, and executed a side-kick. My speed, combined with the force of my kick, sent Mr. Fat Face sprawling backwards onto his butt. With his obscene amount of body weight, he crashed-landed into a large blob. He looked stunned. I could almost see the dizzy symbols rotating around his head like in cartoons.

  “Why you little…” Mr. Squashy Nose yelled and then continued with a stream of expletives as he stalked toward me.

  Knowing he was coming in with a left hook, I ducked and then just for fun – rolled across the ground. Bouncing to my feet, I stood tall and smiled at him. He grunted in frustration and came at me tight-fisted with both arms swinging. I side-stepped, jumped over a mossy log, and laughed when he sliced nothing but the night air. Angrily, he turned on me.

  “You’re gonna have to do better than that,” I said.

  His shock, when I leaped several feet straight up, was clearly evident when his eyes grew large as saucers and his mouth fell open. Unfortunately for him, I came down with a hammer fist and all but obliterated his already squashed nose. Upon impact there was a horrific fracturing sound, and then blood sprayed every which way. Falling forward, he crumpled to the ground and moaned. He clawed at the dirt, creating a large dust plume around himself. After his initial outburst ended, he crept to his knees and clenched his nose, howling the whole time.

  My insight alerted me that Mr. Fat Face was back in action and about to clobber me from behind.

  “I’ll take care of you…you little wench,” he barked.

  I spun around. “Good luck with that.” Grabbing his leg mid-air, I surprised myself when I lifted him off the ground. Spinning his body around in a circle several times, I waited until I had plenty of momentum, and then I sent him spiraling into a bushy spruce tree.

  About that time, and much to my surprise, Mr. Squashy Nose, who was now Mr. No Nose, staggered to his feet. His face and shirt were covered in blood, and one hand was still pressed against his face. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?” he said warily. “You’re just like Neo.”

  “No,” I said calmly, rubbing my hands together. “I am nothing like Neo.” Even though I wasn’t sure who Neo was, I had a feeling he was the mastermind behind the kidnapping attempt. Hoping to gain some information, I said, “If you tell me why this Neo wants my friend, I won’t obliterate what’s left of your face.”

  He glared at me with his beady eyes and shook his head. “I’m not sayin’ nothing. But you should be scared little girl. Neo is gonna rip you apart.”

  “If that’s how you want to play,” I said calmly, “then so be it.” I was ready to destroy him. The violent inclinations scared me, because normally I was a peaceful person. And as a member of the Guardian Network, I’d vowed to help people – dedicated my life to it – but the Ray-pacs triggered a darker side. I became a short-fused stick of dynamite – ready to blow without any thought to whom or what might be destroyed during the explosion.

  Both Jason and Ash had assured me such feelings were normal, healthy even. In order to save the right people, there would be times we’d have to eliminate the wrong people. One time Jason had been really angry with me. He’d accused me of not caring about my own self-preservation. He’d said that was dangerous and stupid. I’d never forgotten the words from his lecture that day. “Alex, there are going to be times when you are in a do or die situation. If you’re going to take the stance of a feline when you’re surrounded by a bunch of rapacious canines – and yes, I mean that word literally – then you better choose to be a cougar, not a kitten. I love you, and I will not lose you again.”

  He was right. But what I didn’t like, were the feelings of anticipation and satisfaction that accompanied the violent tendencies toward the Ray-pacs.

  Clenching my hands into fists, I realized my morals could be pondered on a different day. Mr. No Nose, who wasn’t about to give up, launched himself at me. I blocked left, side-stepped, blocked right, and then brought my hand up in a blur and grabbed his wrist. When he splayed his fingers, my other hand shot out, and I yanked his fingers, twisting them until I heard several snaps. Appalled, I let go and backpedaled a few feet, almost tripping over a rock.

  “You…b-broke my fingers!” he screeched, pulling his arm into his body. His faced scrunched in rage. For a moment, nothing happened. Then his one good hand shot inside his jacket pocket.

  Not feeling one bit sorry for him, and outraged at the part he’d played in Izzy’s kidnapping, I spun around and with a reverse side kick, pretty much destroyed his mouth and whatever was left of his nose. His head flopped back, his hand fell from his pocket, and he dropped to the ground.

  I shuddered; with a ripped off nose, twisted fingers, and bloodied body, his zombiesque qualities were daunting. At least he was no longer moving.

  Hurrying to his side, I reached in his pocket and pulled out a gun. The overwhelming stench of blood, smoke, and body odor kicked my gag reflexes into full gear. Choking, I shuffled away from him and removed the magazine from the semiautomatic pistol. After pulling the slide back, a cartridge ejected itself from the chamber. While I still didn’t like guns, I had a basic understanding of how they worked and knew how to shoot one. Jason had given me private lessons, which had been rather fun. Our last practice had been during a full moon when he could touch me without getting burned, and the memory of the rewards I’d received for hitting the target brought heat to my cheeks. Bulls-eye for a kiss. Let’s just say that by the end of the lesson, my lips were bruised – in a good way, of course.

  With Mr. No Nose down and out, I glanced over at Mr. Fat Face. Stock-still against the tree, he didn’t look like he’d be moving anytime soon, either. He deserved to die. I hoped he would because I didn’t have it in me to walk over there and finish him off. I shook my head and exhaled loudly. My Guardian friends would not have been so lenient; they would have sent him to the afterlife without a second thought. Grumbling, I slipped the pistol into my waistband, turned on my heel, and sprinted into the trees. Time to find Laci and Izzy.

  CHAPTER 2 – NATION’S FIRST SUNRISE

  A few hours later, the battle was over, Izzy was safe with us, and everyone in my group was alive. That’s not to say everybody looked great. Michael, Jason, and Max bore some nasty abrasions and had acquired a few deep injuries. Then again, being i
n the vanguard always meant taking the brunt of the battle wounds. Two of the Ray-pacs had been shifters and that had ignited something equivalent to a wild- animal-rip-each-other-apart battle. Izzy and I had revitalized all the Guardians, but Jason and Max needed a little extra attention for those broken bones and internal injuries. Essence still had no effect on physical appearance, so while the guys might feel great, they’d look pretty banged up for a few days. After I’d officially joined the Bellingham Circle of Guardians, it hadn’t taken long before I understood why daily martial arts training was an unwritten requirement for all members of the Network.

  Just to liven the mood, I’d given them each one final, massive blast, which had been described by Ash as “a dizzying rush” and by Michael as “a mind-blowing blitz.” The result was an amusingly chatty group of Guardians all sharing personal narratives from our midnight adventures.

  Sitting atop an outcropping of granite boulders on Cadillac Mountain, we awaited the much anticipated sunrise. That’s why Michael had taken us all to Acadia National Park in the first place. Apparently, because of the height of the mountain and its eastern Maine location, it was supposed to be one of the first places in the U.S. to witness the sunrise. Michael and Sienna, who lived only 50 miles away in Bangor, made it here on a regular basis, and said the sunrises were always spectacular. Currently, the moon and stars functioned as soft-glowing night-lights, but I wondered what landforms might be revealed when the sun crested the horizon.

  Settled between Jason and Ash, I rested my hand discreetly on Jason’s leg. Discretion where Jason was concerned was still necessary. Especially since not everyone in our group knew we were together. With the exception of our tight-knit Bellingham Circle, our relationship was a secret from the rest of the world. As Jason’s woodsy scent cut through the salty, humid air, my heart rate spiked. I wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss him. Instead, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to contemplate a life where he and I were linked. How amazing it would feel to be all alone up here on the mountain, snuggling in one sleeping bag. I always felt safe in his arms. In that perfect moment, mingled Essence and skin to skin contact could easily lead to a night of passion and…