The Guardian's Keeper (The Guardian Trilogy, Book 1)

by Raven, T. R.

  Renka clucked at Garridan. “No harm will come to her by his hand,” she told Garridan. “He may stay if he wishes. You are not the only one enchanted by her charms, Vampir,” she told Nikoli.

  Claire sank down on the bed. The last thing she wanted was Garridan prowling outside the caravan all night. At least Nikoli would be there to keep him in line. She closed up the window and curled into a ball on the bed. Anya came in again.

  “Claire?” she verified Claire was still awake. “Nikoli wants me to go get something for him from Garridan’s caravan. Then I be right back.”

  “Ok.” Claire searched her mind to remember what Nikoli might need from his bag and then it struck her- the syringes. He needed to do his injection so he could be out in the sun again tomorrow. Claire didn’t know how many injections Joyce had sent with them. What if he ran out before they were back home?

  Someone rapped softly on the caravan door.

  “Come in,” Claire called, praying it wasn’t Garridan.

  It was Nikoli. He opened the door part way and stuck his head in. Claire flew off the bed and covered his face in kisses. He gently pushed her away.

  “The warden’s around,” he joked.

  Claire saw Renka with her hands on her hips a few feet away. She was watching Nikoli like a hawk.

  “You all right in there, lovely?”

  “Nikoli, I….” Tears welled up again. She was so grateful to this man, this vampire who had saved her yet again.

  “Ssshh, it’s okay. I told you- I’ve got this.” He grinned as his eyes flash red and his fangs began to elongate. He snapped back to his human appearance.

  Claire couldn’t help but giggle through her tears at his bad joke. “I love you, my Guardian,” she said.

  Nikoli’s smile threatened to split his face in two. “I love you too, my Keeper.”

  “Claire? Are you all right?” Garridan pushed his head through the open door as well, shoving Nikoli out of the way in the process. Nikoli rolled his eyes at Claire and backed away, giving Garridan some space as Renka was watching them still.

  “Just ducky,” Claire replied as she scrambled back onto the bed, desperate to keep as much distance between her and Garridan as possible.

  “It got pretty scary out here but I made them leave,” he boasted.

  Claire laughed out loud. “So it was you, not Nikoli, who showed their vampire face and made the mob go home?” she asked meanly.

  Garridan frowned. “No, he did that, but….but if I wasn’t there they would have torn him to pieces,” he fumbled.

  “Go home Garridan, you’re not needed here.”

  Garridan narrowed his eyes and sneered. “You need me more than you know. Any day now he’ll kill you. You may not see it yet, but you’re lucky to have a man like me watching out for you.”

  Claire laughed again at his ridiculous statement and Garridan ducked out, slamming the caravan door behind him.

  Chapter 24

  Someone shook her shoulder gently. Claire pried her eyes open and found Anya trying to wake her up. She didn’t know when she had finally fallen asleep.

  “Wake up now, we go soon,” Anya explained. Claire stretched sleepily and looked out the little caravan window. It was still dark outside but she could see the sky lightening to the east. Dawn would be breaking soon.

  She stepped out of the caravan. Nikoli jumped up off his stool to meet her. Garridan sat to the other side of the door. He slept leaning against the caravan, snoring loudly. Nikoli hugged her close and kissed her.

  “Well, now I’m awake,” Claire teased. “Did you sleep at all?”

  Nikoli shook his head. “I don’t need much sleep anyways and my back up was less than reliable,” he joked, referring to Garridan.

  Anya came out to join them in the pre-dawn gloom. “We go see Renka then get our horses and go. I have food and water packed for all of us.” She patted the big sack slung over her shoulder. She kicked at Garridan’s stool to jolt him out of his slumber. He awoke with a start and berated Anya in their native tongue before turning to Claire.

  “We’ll be leaving soon. Can you ride a horse by yourself, or do you want to ride with me?” he asked hopefully.

  Claire’s skin crawled at the thought of sharing a mount with Garridan. Nikoli spoke for her. “She’s a very proficient riser, she rides alone.”

  Garridan bristled. “I think she would be safer riding with me.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Claire cut in curtly. She turned to Anya. “To Renka now?” she asked.

  Anya nodded and the four of them headed to Renka’s caravan. The found her sitting outside her caravan. Smoke rose from an ornately carved pipe as she smoked. She saw them coming and put it down to greet them.

  “The Myrmidons left a little while ago. Day is coming so they had to retreat. You will go soon. Garridan has the map to the grove. You stay with him you will be okay.” She lapsed into her own language and addressed Anya and Garridan.

  “We will stay in an old hunting cottage tonight. We should have time to get the grove, get the flower and reach the cottage before nightfall. In the morning we’ll head back here,” Nikoli translated for Claire.

  They parted ways with Renka as she muttered spells of protection after them. Four horses stood saddled up and ready to go at the edge of the Camp circle. They divided up the provisions Anya had brought and filled up their saddle bags. The first weak rays of daylight streamed in through the pine boughs.

  Nikoli gave Claire a hand getting up into the saddle. Garridan looked on, thin lipped but quiet. He took the lead down the trail with Anya on her mount behind him followed by Claire and then Nikoli bringing up the rear. They rode in silence at first, each lost in their own thoughts. Claire was nervous to leave the safety of the Camp but she had confidence Nikoli would keep her safe. She just wanted to get Renka her ingredients so she could destroy the Fang.

  As they rode on signs of the Myrmidons’ presence in the area the night before were everywhere. Rabbits with their throats torn out hung from tree branches, a decapitated fox’s body lay in their path. Blood splatters littered the trail where the Myrmidons mercilessly ripped into their prey. Claire shuddered as they rode through the carnage.

  “This is what his kind does,” Garridan called back to Claire, referring to Nikoli. “Someday he might do this to you.”

  Nikoli replied in the Gypsy language so Claire didn’t understand what he said but she caught his biting tone. Garridan visibly stiffened in his saddle but said no more. Anya looked over her shoulder and gave Claire a small shrug.

  They traveled onward. As the miles passed the trails became less worn. It was obvious they were headed into an increasingly desolate area. A few times Garridan and Nikoli had to dismount to move dead trees that had fallen and blocked the path. The tension between the two men was palpable but to both their credits they worked quickly and tried to keep their interactions as brief as possible.

  The afternoon wore on. They stopped at a riverbank to rest the horses and have something to eat. Nikoli stayed right by Claire’s side. Claire couldn’t tell if it was because of their run in with the bandits the day before or to ward off Garridan. He was frequently moving too close to Claire and breeching her personal space. She constantly had to move away from him in an attempt to keep a reasonable amount of distance between them. She was relieved when it was time to ride out again.

  Eventually the path widened out so that two riders could ride side by side. Anya pulled up alongside Garridan and Nikoli rode parallel to Claire. “We should be there shortly,” he informed her.

  At the sound of his voice Garridan spun around to glare at him over them over his shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak but Anya asked him something. He turned and replied to her and she drew him into a conversation. Anya shot Claire a quick grin over her shoulder as Garridan animatedly spoke to her.

  Claire laughed. “Sneaky thing, she’s keeping him busy so we can have a moment.”

  Nikoli smiled. “It’s about time,
I can’t look at you without him trying to run interference. He’s quite taken with you, lovely. Can’t say I blame him.”

  Claire blushed at the compliment. Nikoli knew how to make her feel special.

  “So what happens next? After the Fang is destroyed?” she asked Nikoli.

  He shrugged. “We take what comes next as it comes.” He hesitated. “This isn’t over yet, Claire. We still have to get to the grove for the flower and then make it back to Camp in one piece, and we’re going to spend a night without Renka’s protection in between.”

  Claire felt a bit hurt Nikoli was treating her question so nonchalantly. Nikoli caught her injured look.

  “Hey,” he soothed. “Please don’t be upset. I just can’t wrap my head around anything right now but getting rid of that Fang.” He pointed to Claire’s pendant. “When the time is right, we’ll make our plans- together. Don’t forget Claire, no matter what happens- I love you, my Keeper.”

  “I love you too, my Guardian.” Nikoli was right- it was not the time to look towards their future just yet. There would be time for that once the Fang was destroyed.

  They rode on in the afternoon light until the path turned to a narrow footpath and twisted off up a sharp incline. Garridan slid off his horse.

  “We walk from here,” he announced as he tied his horse to a tree. The rest of the group followed suit.

  “Last leg of the journey to the grove, Claire,” Nikoli reassured her. She nodded and grasped the small suede bag Renka had given her to collect the flowers in.

  The group hiked up the incline in single file. Garridan led the way again, insisting since he had the map he should go first. Claire walked behind him with Anya trailing behind her and Nikoli fell last in line. Claire felt lost without Nikoli beside her but took some comfort in Anya’s close presence.

  The trail became increasingly difficult as the forest thickened up around them. Fat roots jutted up through the path and caused Claire to stumble frequently. Tree branches stretched over into the path, forcing the group to carefully hold the larger branches for the person behind them so they wouldn’t get slapped in the face when they passed by. The undergrowth made it impossible to see more than a few feet into the tangled mess on the sides of the trail.

  Garridan came to a sudden halt and held up his hand. “This is it,” he called to the others behind him. He stepped aside to let the others off the path.

  Claire gasped aloud in wonder. The thick forest had given way to a beautiful grove of tall trees. Leaves fluttered gently as the branches swayed in the breeze. The dense undergrowth of the forest gave way to a mossy floor with a stunning kind of flower sprouting up from it. Huge upturned bell shaped blooms grew in a spiral on thin, graceful stalks. The shape of the petals reminded Claire of a Lily-of-the-valley but the similarity ended there. Instead of being white or cream colored, these bells were vibrant yellow with deep red centers. Claire had never seen any plant like it.

  “Here is the Zeita flower we need.” Nikoli slung his arm around Claire as they took in the grove’s beauty together.

  Garridan shot Nikoli a nasty look and moved away from the group into the grove. Claire gasped as he began ripping the beautiful flowers out of the ground, roots and all, by the handful.

  “Stop it!” she called to him as she broke away from Nikoli to join Garridan in the grove.

  “Here.” Garridan tried to give her a handful of ripped up plants. “Put them in the sack Renka gave you.” He looked so earnest and Claire knew he was only trying to help her. The thought gave her the tiniest bit of patience towards him.

  She closed her hand around his offering. “Thank you, but I’m supposed to gather it myself, I think. Besides, you’re ripping up the whole plant. I don’t want to destroy the flowers, just pick the one I need.” Her soft tone surprised Garridan.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled as he dropped the plants he had ripped up and joined the others back by the path’s entrance.

  “Claire,” Anya called to her, “Pick the best one. You will know it. It will have the most power, Renka said so to me.”

  Claire nodded thoughtfully and began weaving her way carefully through the grove. Pick the best one? Which one was ‘best’? She inspected each flower carefully as she passed it but nothing struck her as any different from the others. Then she spied it, a few feet away. This Zeita flower was slightly larger than all the others, with larger blooms. The colors were so bright it almost hurt to look at it. Claire reached down to its base and gingerly snapped off the stalk. She carefully deposited it in her suede bag for Renka.

  “Got it!” she called cheerfully to her companions as she came back to them.

  “Now we ride for the cabin,” Garridan announced. He pulled the beaten map out of his pocket and inspected it then looked up at the sky to judge the time. “If we make good time we can arrive an hour or so before sunset.”

  Nikoli frowned. “That doesn’t give us much time. Let’s get going.” He set off down the trail with Claire behind him. The group made their way back to the horses and mounted up with Garridan in the lead again.

  Chapter 25

  As soon as the trail allowed it the group made good time, urging their horses onward at a trot as they tried to beat the descending sun. They arrived at the rustic one room cabin shortly before the sunset as Garridan predicted.

  With little time to spare before the sun went down the group got to work preparing the cabin for the night. Nikoli collected firewood while Garridan set to work getting a blaze going in the fireplace. Anya and Claire settled the horses in a small shack behind the cabin. They unpacked the saddle bags and brought the remaining food back to the cabin for dinner.

  Anya wrinkled her nose in distaste when she entered the cabin. ‘Is dirty in here.’ She complained.

  Garridan glanced up from the burn pile he was building from twigs and leaves. “Almost no one ever uses this place, it’s been empty for years. You girls could put yourself to good use and make it bearable for the night.” He looked to Claire expectantly.

  Claire sighed. She had no intention of taking orders from Garridan but he was right. The cabin was dirty after such a long time of neglect. Since they were going to stay the night they might as well tidy up as best they could. She poked around the cabin until she found a small straw broom behind the open front door. She swept as Anya dusted off the table and chairs. She could feel Garridan watching her intently but she refused to acknowledge him. Nikoli popped in and out with firewood. Anya found some old blankets in a chest and took them outside to shake them out.

  Nikoli came in with one last armload of wood. “C’mon Anya,” he called to her. ‘The sun is setting, you need to get in here.” He dropped his load of wood and grabbed a bucket full of water by the front door. “Wash water.” He grinned at Claire. ‘I found a stream nearby.’

  Garridan snorted and got up from the fireplace. A small blaze grew there and gave off enough light to negate the fading sunlight outside.

  Anya came back in with her armloads of blankets. “We need to cover windows,” she told Claire and tossed her a worn old towel.

  Claire and Anya busied themselves covering up the small windows of the cabin. Nikoli found some spare nails and helped them tack the old towels up. Claire felt better knowing no Myrmidons could watch them while they slept.

  “They really can’t get in here?” she asked Nikoli.

  He kissed her brow and smoothed her hair. “No, lovely, they haven’t been invited in, and they probably won’t even know where to find us.”

  Claire sighed with relief. “You really think so?”

  “They will probably visit the Camp again, but Renka can protect her people. Even if they did figure out where we are, we’ll be in the cabin, they can’t reach you tonight.” He kissed her softly on the lips. Claire melted inside. Why did Anya and Garridan have to accompany them on this trip? She’d give anything for another night in front of the fire like the night they spent at Akos and Firenze’s cottage, just the two of them.

>   Garridan cleared his throat noisily. “So who’s going to make us dinner?” He raised an eyebrow at Claire.

  “I will.’ Anya volunteered. Garridan sulked. He clearly felt Claire should be taking care of him, not his cousin.

  A bit later the four of them sat down at the table to eat the canned meat and beans Anya had heated up over the fire. Claire felt unsettled and on edge with the night’s arrival. She suspected her companions felt the same way as everyone said little and seemed preoccupied during dinner.

  Once they had finished eating Claire set about working to heat up the wash water Nikoli had brought in. Nikoli slid up behind her and hugged her close as she stood waiting for the water to heat over the fire. Claire smiled and brought her hand up to caress his face.

  “That’s disgusting,” Garridan commented from his chair. “He’s not even human, and you touch him like that. He is a dead thing, you know.”

  Anya spoke to him sharply in their language but Garridan ignored her and continued to stare at Nikoli with unconcealed hate. Nikoli looked at him calmly and kept his arms around Claire.

  Claire scowled at Garridan. “He may not be human, but he’s more of a man than you’ll ever be. I’ll never be with you, get that through your thick skull.” She turned back to face the fire.

  Garridan’s chair scraped against the wood floor as he rose slowly and marched over to the fireplace. “You would be wise to show respect when you speak to me,” he hissed at Claire.

  Claire threw her head back and laughed. “Respect? You call how you treat Nikoli and I respectful? You are an empty man with a small mind and I will speak to you however I wish to as long as you continue to disrespect us. Who I am with is none of your concern as it will never be you. Even if I was not with Nikoli, I had never even met Nikoli, I would never be with a man like you.”

  Garridan moved to strike Claire across the face but Nikoli was too fast. Before Claire could even register what was happening Nikoli let go of her and pinned Garridan against the cabin wall. He lifted Garridan clear off the floor with one hand. Nikoli’s eyes gleamed dangerously red. Garridan choked and sputtered and tried to kick loose from Nikoli’s grasp to no avail.