by G. K. DeRosa
“Of course I love him. He’s my best friend. I’ve known him since we were three years old! He’s like a brother to me.”
“And you’re sure that’s it? You only love him like a friend, a brother?” he asked desperately. “Because if it’s more than that, it’s okay Celeste. I want you to be honest with me, and be honest with yourself.”
Celeste stood there speechless.
“You could have a normal life with him. You can be the Guardian and still go to college, get married, have a family. I can’t give you those things. I wish I could, I would want nothing more in this world than to be able to.”
“Roman…” she said with tears running down her face.
“You need to think about it Celeste,” he said taking a step toward her and wiping a tear from her cheek affectionately. “I love you, but your future and your happiness is more important to me than mine is.”
“Roman, no--” she said.
He put a finger to her lips quieting her sobs and kissed her sweetly on the forehead. “Just promise me that you’ll think about it.” And he walked out the door.
“What do you think Fabian is really doing here?” asked Nico.
“I wish I knew,” answered Stellan.
“It’s odd right? He could have come after us ages ago. It’s been decades since he killed our parents, and why come after us now?”
Stellan shook his head, gazing into the crackling fireplace, deep in thought. He was trying to decide whether or not to share what he had learned. Decision made, he took a deep breath and said, “I’ve heard some rumblings from the underground. I can’t confirm their accuracy, but they say he is attempting a spell of some sort.”
“A spell that he needs us for?” Nico asked, leaning forward intently.
“Yes apparently. It’s very dark magic from the sounds of it.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“As I said, nothing has been confirmed, and I didn’t want to worry you for nothing. I was hoping I’d be able to discover his purpose, but I haven’t as of yet.”
Suddenly there was a loud burst of thunder and a brilliant flash of lightning darted across the dark sky. They heard the rush of feet on the stairs and Celeste appeared in front of them, eyes wide with panic.
“Something very bad is here,” she said as Roman came running behind her.
The front door flung open and landed in the living room with a crash as its hinges went flying through the air. Roman ran to Celeste and placed himself as a barrier between her and the open doorway, while Nico appeared at her flank seconds later. Outside two dark figures slowly approached.
“Get back,” said Stellan as he muttered a few words and a glimmering force field appeared where the door used to be.
“Oh Stellan, don’t make me laugh,” boomed Fabian’s voice from outside. He held up his hand and swiped it to the side and with a flash the force field was gone.
“What do you want?” asked Roman stepping forward.
“Roman Constantin, my, my how confident you’ve become – or is that just stupidity?” asked Fabian. “You’ve come a long way from that sniveling little brat I met over a century ago.”
Roman’s fangs dropped and a terrifying growl emanated from the depths of his core. Celeste had never seen that vicious look in his eyes before; an icy chill swept through her.
“You are not welcome here Fabian. Leave now or there will be consequences,” warned Stellan.
“I believe he has threatened you, my liege,” said Alek, his small frame overshadowed by Fabian’s impressive one.
Fabian let out a wicked chuckle and continued, “I don’t want to hurt you Stellan or that human girl. Get out of the way. This is not your fight. This is between me and the Constantins.” Fabian and Alek moved inexorably closer, two dark ominous shadows, as the wind and rain whipped around them, bending to their will.
“We are right here,” said Roman. “Again I ask, what do you want from us?”
“That is something you will find out in due time. But for now, I need you both to come with me without a fight.”
Roman looked at Nico, who gave him a faint nod. “Fine. As long as you don’t hurt them.”
“No!” said Celeste. She hurled herself in front of the brothers and unsheathed her sword, thrusting it into the air.
Roman lunged after her trying to hold her back, but as she pointed her sword at Fabian a blinding white light shot out of it that sent both Fabian and Alek flying back onto the wet lawn. Stunned, Fabian and Alek remained on the ground for a few seconds scrambling to get back to their feet.
“Stellan, get her out of here!” roared Roman.
“No, I’m not leaving you,” she said, reaching for his hand.
“Celeste go now, please!” he begged.
Fabian and Alek were back on their feet and they were racing towards the open door. Nico stood in front of it, fangs bared, poised to attack. The wind was picking up and Celeste had to dig her heels into the ground to keep from getting swept away by it. She clung desperately to Roman’s hand, as he pulled her towards Stellan.
“Stellan, now!” Roman yelled.
Stellan waved his hand and a swirling blue portal opened before them. Celeste squeezed Roman’s hand and released it with one last look at his frantic face. Alek had reached Nico, and the two were grappling on the ground. Celeste prepared to jump into the blue abyss, Stellan right behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fabian lunging toward her, but Roman threw himself on top of him. Fabian dodged the assault and sent Roman sprawling through the air with a flick of his finger.
“No!” cried Celeste, pausing to look back as Stellan attempted to force her through the portal.
Fabian sprung up, faster than human or supernatural eyes could follow. He shoved Stellan out of the way and grabbing Celeste, they jumped through the portal, leaving everyone else behind.
Chapter 18
“No!” growled Roman as the portal disappeared before his eyes, and he crashed onto the cold tile floor. As he pushed himself up, he felt something familiar on the ground. Picking it up, he saw it was Celeste’s key which must have come off in the struggle. “Stellan, quick—open the portal. We have to go after them!”
“I can’t Roman. Fabian hijacked control of it. I have no idea where they went,” said Stellan.
“Where’s Alek?” asked Nico.
They looked around but it was no use, Alek had disappeared into thin air.
“This can’t be happening,” said Roman throwing a chair across the room and smashing it to bits. “How could we lose Celeste?”
“Roman, you must calm down. Destroying my house isn’t going to help her,” he said, placing a wrinkled hand on his shoulder.
“Then what can we do?”
“Give me a moment. We must think rationally. Up until a few moments ago, Fabian had no idea who Celeste was. Assuming he will soon figure it out, he will then realize how valuable she is. He dare not kill her and incur the wrath of the Council.”
“We need to tell the Council what happened,” said Nico.
“Yes, that is exactly what we have to do. And remember, Fabian doesn’t really want her; it’s the two of you that he needs. He has to know that without her he would lose his leverage.”
“So you think she is safe for now?” asked Roman, a glimmer of hope in his weary eyes.
“Yes, I truly do.”
“Well, since no one else brought it up, what in the world was that burst of light that came out of Celeste’s sword?”
“I am not sure to be honest,” said Stellan. “I have never seen a guardian do anything like that.”
“So it wasn’t the Wilder sword?” asked Roman.
“No, Celeste’s father Kristof never wielded that power.”
“So you’re saying it came from Celeste?”
“Yes, it would appear so. We will have to take a look back in the guardian journals to see if anything like it was ever recorded in the past.”
“Whoa, what in the w
orld happened in here?” asked Dani coming up from the basement.
“Fabian happened,” said Nico. “Where have you been?”
“I was hiding in the basement. I heard all the commotion up here and I got scared.” She looked down feeling embarrassed.
“They took Celeste,” said Roman.
“Oh no! What are we going to do?”
“We are working on it.”
“Actually Dani, if you’d like to help, you could do a little research for me,” said Stellan.
“Sure, I’ll do anything.”
“Very good, and I am going to contact the Council right now, and then work on a tracking spell to find where Celeste has been taken. Roman, find me an article of her clothing to use for the spell.”
“I have something better than that – I have the Wilder key.”
***
Celeste opened her eyes and looked around groggily. She was surrounded by impenetrable rocks and towering mineral formations. Due to the damp, chilly air, she reasoned she was in a subterranean cave. But exactly where, she had no clue.
Are those stalactites or stalagmites? I should have paid more attention in geology class.
Celeste stood up and searched frantically for a way out, but the only exit was blocked by an enormous boulder. She pushed against the cold, rough surface with all her strength, summoning her newfound powers, but it was no use; it wouldn’t budge. She suddenly remembered the flash that had emanated from her sword before Fabian had forced her through the portal, and began searching wildly for it. It was gone. Celeste had no idea what caused the flash of light, but whatever it was, it was powerful enough to have stunned both Fabian and Alek.
Too bad it ended up backfiring on me and getting me captured. But it was worth it if Roman and Nico are safe.
As she searched around the cave she found nothing but a few rocks and a torch to provide some light. Not finding anything she could use as a weapon, like Roman had taught her, she slumped down on the ground hopelessness setting in.
“Oh wonderful, Fabian will be so happy to see that you are awake,” said Alek, appearing where the boulder had been just seconds ago. Looking at him closely for the first time, Celeste noticed how young he appeared. And had he not been the apprentice of an insane wizard, he might have even been attractive. His platinum hair contrasted his dark sparkling eyes and his mischievous grin was quite appealing – in a frightening way.
“What does he want with me?” asked Celeste, quickly getting back on her feet. She stared at the young man contemptuously; his platinum hair slicked back perfectly not a single hair out of place.
“Originally, you were simply a means to an end. But after that light show that your sword produced, he has some questions for you.”
“I have no idea what that was,” she said truthfully.
“Right. Come this way, then, we don’t want to keep Fabian waiting.”
Celeste could hear the echo of her footsteps as she followed Alek through a dark passageway, which opened up, into another cavernous chamber similar to the one where she had woken up. Seated before her on an impressive throne carved out of the rock was Fabian. A smug smile crossed his face at her approach.
“Please excuse our humble abode. I would have taken you to our motel but I couldn’t risk you being tracked there, not that it was any better than this honestly.”
“They’ll find me wherever I am,” said Celeste defiantly. She surveyed the cave, determined to find a way out or at least a weapon of some sort.
“She’s got spunk,” said Alek amused.
“I am counting on them to do just that. I only needed to buy some time to figure out what it is that you are.”
“She is something special, it’s clear,” said Alek. He caressed her cheek, making Celeste’s skin crawl. She whipped her head out of his grasp before he could continue.
Looking at Fabian in disgust, she asked, “What do you want with me?”
“My initial purpose for you was simply to lure out the Constantins, as our mutual friend Patrick discovered their fondness for you from the beginning. I always found it quite curious, and it wasn’t until seeing you in action today that I am beginning to understand it,” said Fabian.
“Yes, no wonder they were protecting her,” said Alek, his dark eyes filled with excitement.
“You must be the one, the new Guardian,” said Fabian almost reverently.
Celeste considered denying it, but figured it would be pointless; so instead she stood resolutely glaring at Fabian.
“Why are you with the Constantins?” asked Alek. “Aren’t you supposed to kill their kind?”
“Yes and why are they protecting you? It seems that there must be more to this story, don’t you think Alek?” echoed Fabian.
He nodded and looked questioningly at Celeste.
“I’m not telling you anything,” she said stubbornly.
***
“What did the Council say?” asked Roman as he stopped his anxious pacing when Stellan finally appeared at the top of the steps. Celeste had only been gone for an hour, but it felt like a lifetime to Roman.
“They are using their considerable resources to track Fabian down. Making an act of aggression like this against the newly chosen Guardian will surely unleash a furious retribution on them,” said Stellan.
“Fabian had to know that this would happen. What could he be up to that he would be willing to risk all of that for?” asked Nico.
“That question is precisely what worries me.”
“So what are we supposed to do in the meantime, just sit around and wait?” asked Roman, who had resumed pacing.
“Technically yes, that is exactly what we are supposed to do. Now that the Council is involved, they will want us to stay out of it – especially the two of you.”
“Well, I certainly can’t sit around here doing nothing.”
“I agree. That is why I started a tracking spell, and we should have some results shortly,” said Stellan. “Fabian has been blocking my magic, but I think I’ve found a way around it.”
“Please hurry Stellan. If anything happens to Celeste--”
“Nothing is going to happen to her Roman,” he interrupted.
“We need a plan,” said Nico. “When Stellan finds her, we can’t just go in there blind.”
“I want to help,” said Dani coming down the stairs. “I read through some of those journals, but they’re so long and there are so many of them. I couldn’t find anything about a sword that shoots light out of it. Isn’t there anything else I can do?”
“We could take her with us,” said Nico. “At the very least, she could be a distraction.”
“Sure, why not,” said Roman. “But Nico I want you to understand something – I won’t hesitate to give up my life for Celeste’s. It is us that Fabian wants after all, but I don’t expect you to do the same.”
“I would do it for her anyway,” said Nico, his dark eyes unwavering.
“You know there are ways we can make you talk,” said Alek as he stroked the dagger on his hip.
“Don’t threaten her. I will handle this,” said Fabian, shoving Alek aside.
“You are no fun at all,” he whined like a spoiled child.
“Celeste, I apologize for how we’ve been treating you,” he whispered soothingly as he took a few steps toward her. “Perhaps I have gone about this the wrong way. You know, I too was once part of the Council.”
“You were?” she asked.
“Yes, I was head of the Council for many years in fact. I oversaw the wellbeing of all the guardians in the world at one time.”
“And what happened?”
“My colleagues and I had a difference in philosophy. I believed that guardians were no longer needed in this world, and that supernatural beings should no longer have to hide in the shadows. I wanted humans, guardians and all supernaturals to co-exist and share the world.”
“But wouldn’t they just kill each other?”
“Maybe at first, but I beli
eved that over the long term we could have reached a balance of power.”
“Meaning all the humans would have been dead and the supernaturals would have taken over?”
“Obviously you are just as closed minded as my colleagues at the time were. As a result of this disagreement, they banned me from the Council and sought to strip me of my powers. But I was too strong for them, and I escaped with my powers intact, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
“I’m pretty sure the Council won’t be happy when they find out you’ve kidnapped me.”
“Of that I’m certain you are correct. But the Council rarely intervenes and even if they would, they have become old and weak; while I have only grown in strength, they will be no match for me.”
“We’ll see about that,” she said.
“I see that trying to rationalize with you is getting me nowhere so I will have to try a more invasive approach,” said Fabian. He stretched out his long gangly arms and grabbed hold of her head.
Celeste struggled to break free of his grasp, but he was surprisingly strong. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see red light surging from his hands as he squeezed her head with an iron grip. It felt like thousands of volts of electricity were shooting through her skull. She bit her lower lip to suppress a scream, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. When he finally let go, the cave spun before her and she collapsed to the hard rocky ground.
“What did you see?” asked Alek.
“Nothing. It cannot be. No one can close their mind off to my influence,” said Fabian stunned.
“She is a Guardian: doesn’t that make her immune?”
“Maybe to you or some vampire, but not to me.”
“And yet, here we are…” he said with a sarcastic smirk.
Celeste’s head had stopped throbbing and she had managed to pick herself off the ground along with a jagged rock that she clenched tightly in her fist.
“No matter. Whatever the reason is that the Constantins are protecting you, they should be here soon, and it will mean their imminent demise.”