by G. K. DeRosa
As she and Stellan made their way through the crowd, a pair of dark eyes from across the room caught her attention. A tall young man with chin-length dark brown hair was staring at her. His dark lively eyes scanned over her from head to toe. She looked away, embarrassed and unable to hold his penetrating gaze. Suddenly, the crowd parted and Dante appeared in front of Celeste.
“I am very pleased to see you, Celeste,” he said. “Come with me, there are some very important matters that need to be discussed.” With a nod to Stellan, he whisked Celeste out of the crowd and into a long hallway. Just before reaching the end, a door appeared and Dante quickly entered a code in the keypad next to it. The heavy metal door opened automatically, and Dante led her inside the private room. Upon entering, she recognized Sierra, Seraphina, and Balthazar – the remaining members of the Council, along with at least a dozen other faces she had never seen before. She did, however, recognize a pair of dark eyes staring back at her.
“Celeste, please sit down,” said Sierra. “We must get started.” Dante joined Sierra and the others at the podium and Celeste scrambled to a seat.
“I am sure many of you are wondering why we have asked you here today. You were each chosen to be here in this room because you are the best. Look around and you will see the finest guardians from around the world. Some of you may know each other as seasoned colleagues, but there are also a few promising younger additions to our group. As you all know, Celeste Wilder had a premonition that there would be an attack at the Induction Ceremony today,” Dante said as he motioned toward Celeste. Everyone turned to look at her as he pointed. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.
Dante continued, “As such, we have taken every precaution to protect Astor. There are over two hundred guardians here today, and everyone is to be on high alert. This group gathered today will head our efforts and be our primary line of defense. If anyone does not wish to be given this responsibility, please speak now.” He paused for a moment, and an uneasy silence settled throughout the room. “Good. Now Sierra will come to you individually to discuss tactics. Feel free to take a moment and get to know each other. The next twelve hours will be of the utmost importance to the future of Astor and the Guardian race.”
***
“Well, that was a total waste of time,” said Nico with a sidelong glance at Roman. The top was down in the Porsche, and Nico’s perfectly gelled hair was blowing in every direction.
Roman snorted. “I’m sorry if threats on Celeste’s life took you away from Natalie for a few hours.”
Nico looked offended. “It’s not that. I just knew that Augustin wouldn’t be stupid enough to cross us. He’s been around for centuries now, and there’s a reason why. And that upper level demon Cyrus looked at us like we were the ones with two heads. Neither of them would have summoned that Bacillus demon to hunt down Celeste.”
“You may be right,” said Roman, shaking his head. “But I can’t just sit around doing nothing. And at least we can cross them off the list now.”
“Right, so that leaves the Queen of the Fey, the Black Devils – what a predictable name for a werewolf pack by the way – or our dear friend Alek who has disappeared off the face of the earth,” said Nico.
Roman revved the engine as he took the curve. He was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles had gone white.
“Hey, easy there brother,” said Nico putting a hand on his tense shoulder. “Crashing the Porsche isn’t going to make things any better.”
“I just hate this. I feel so utterly useless; I want to rip someone’s throat out,” he shouted as he pummeled the steering wheel with his fists. “Who knows what Celeste is facing in Astor by herself? And all we can do is sit around and wait?” He slammed on the brakes and the car came to a screeching halt.
“Why don’t I drive?” asked Nico, clutching the door handle at the unexpected stop.
Roman shot out of the car and slammed the door shut. He ran his hands through his windblown hair and let out an exasperated growl. “What am I going to do without her?”
“You haven’t lost her yet,” said Nico, walking toward him on the desolate country road. “She’s strong. She can handle whatever happens in Astor.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” admitted Roman. “What if she can’t forgive me? What if she can’t get past what I did?” He slumped down on the frost- covered grass next to the asphalt and buried his head in his hands. “What if I lose her, and things get bad again…”
“You won’t lose her and you won’t lose control. I won’t let you,” said Nico sitting down next to him. “You are not the same person you were before. You are so much stronger.”
“Only because of her,” he said sadly.
“No, not just her. It’s you too. You won’t become that monster again because you promised our mother you wouldn’t.”
“And look how well that’s turned out so far.”
“All that matters is that you keep trying and you never give up. I’ve seen you Roman, you are different now.”
It was true that Roman had endured many ups and downs in his long life, but he had never been filled with such purpose since the last few months. Meeting Celeste had changed him in an undeniable way.
Roman looked up at his brother and a hint of a grin crossed his face. “When did you get so wise, little brother?”
Nico shrugged and with a smirk said, “It must be all the time I’m spending in college.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Come on let’s go home.”
***
Alek paced the length of the room nervously. He paused in front of the grand fireplace and stared at the burning embers; entranced by the flickering flames, his mind began to wander.
“I hate you, and I hate it here!” said a young Alek.
“Well, that really is of no concern to me, boy. You belong to me and you will do as I say,” said Fabian with a cruel smile. “You will be my apprentice and learn to master the dark arts for one day, you will become even more powerful than I.”
“I don’t want to be a sorcerer. I don’t want to be anything like you. Where is my real family?”
Fabian looked at the insolent boy with disdain but also an ounce of pride. Underneath it all perhaps he did show some potential. “You know very well that you have no family. The fairies raised you for as long as they could, but now you are mine. Never forget it.”
The steady vibration of his cell phone drew Alek back into the present. He shook his head wearily and pulled the device from his pocket.
“Everything’s set to go,” said Brazen’s gruff voice.
“Good. Come to me immediately when it’s over,” he responded and hung up the phone without so much as a goodbye.
Alek pulled out an old bronze key as he walked down the smooth stone steps to the underground passageway. He approached the massive oak door, inserted the key in the lock, and gave it a twist. With a great heave, the bulky door swung open. He took the torch that hung in the hallway and used it to light up the cavernous room. In the middle of the space, was a large marble altar with a lifeless body lying on top of it. Alek loomed over the figure covered with a spotless white sheet, the kind one would find in a modern hospital. He lifted the cover and a mass of curly golden hair spilled over the face of a beautiful woman. He reached out and brushed a wayward curl aside, caressing her pale cheek.
“We will be together soon, I promise you mother.”
Celeste remained silent during the entire briefing, listening attentively, her hands folded in her lap as Sierra spoke. She hoped to not be called out again. Every so often Celeste felt a look from one of her peers, never really a glare but rather a glint of curiosity. When Sierra dismissed the group, Celeste stood quickly, eager to find Stellan before the start of her assignment. As she made her way to the door, a meaty hand grabbed her by the shoulder. She turned to see Dante standing next to the guy with the piercing dark eyes that had been staring at her. Now able to get a better look at him, Celeste guessed he was
about her age, tall and well-built with very broad shoulders.
“Celeste, before you go to your post I wanted you to meet Marco,” said Dante with a nod to the young man at his side. Celeste smiled cordially. The attractive guy leaned forward and surprised her with a swift kiss to both cheeks.
“Ciao, I am Marco Caccia.”
“Oh, hi. I’m Celeste Wilder,” she responded, hoping her face wasn’t turning the same bright red of his polo shirt.
“Of course. Everyone knows who you are,” he said with a smile and a faint accent. “You are almost as famous as my family.”
“The Caccia family is one of the oldest guardian families, much like the Wilders. In fact, if you go far enough back in history, you’ll find many common ancestors,” explained Dante.
“You mean that she and I could be related?” asked Marco, the disbelief heavy in his voice.
“No, that would have been countless generations ago. Most of the modern Caccia family is in Italy, while the Wilders stayed in Germany or immigrated to the United States,” he said, placing a hand on Marco’s back. “But I would like you two to work together. You are two of our youngest guardians and show the most potential. Go see Balthazar for your designated territory and begin patrolling right away.”
Celeste hadn’t spent more than five minutes with this guy, but she already didn’t like the idea of working with him. There was a certain smugness about him that rubbed her the wrong way, not to mention the fact that during the introductions, Marco’s ever-wandering eyes never left her body. It was incredibly unnerving. Plus there was Marie: how was she going to explain a fairy to a know-it-all guardian like Marco?
When Dante walked away, Celeste looked up at her partner and sure enough, his dark eyes locked onto hers. Stop that!
“Shall we go to Balthazar?” he asked.
“Lead the way,” responded Celeste, purposely lagging a few feet behind him as they walked. As they approached the long table where the Council members sat, Celeste couldn’t help but notice all the curious glances she was getting from the other guardians. She must have made a face because Marco quickly said, “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the staring.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
“Everyone has heard so much about the impressive new guardian, Celeste Wilder, that you are quite the topic of conversation in the guardian world,” he said with a shrug. “And I mean no offense, but you do not look that intimidating.”
“Intimidating? Well no, I mean, I’m not.” She couldn’t decide whether she should be insulted or flattered by his comment.
“When I became the Guardian two years ago, everyone looked at me like that too because of my powers. Now that you came along, I’m not the novelty anymore.” He raised his perfectly annoying Roman nose at her and kept walking.
She decided to ignore the hint of jealousy in his voice and continue the conversation, speeding up to match his stride. “What special power do you have?”
“Well, besides the occasional premonition and the normal things, I’m very strong and fast.”
“So am I,” said Celeste.
“No, I mean vampire strong and vampire fast,” he said with a boastful grin. “If you like, I will show you one day.”
It was finally their turn in line, so Celeste ignored his comment and got down to business with Balthazar’s assignment for them. She listened carefully to his instructions as he delineated the area on the map that they were to patrol. It was the northeast quadrant of Astor, which included the main Council building in the center of town.
“The two of you will rendezvous with Milena and Javier just outside the building. They are experienced guardians, and I trust you will heed their advice. Among the four of you, I expect this quadrant to be impenetrable,” finished Balthazar, his generally mild tone a bit elevated.
“Yes sir,” they responded in unison.
Turning toward the door to head out, Celeste caught sight of Stellan talking to Seraphina. “Go ahead without me. I’ll meet you outside in a second,” she said to Marco and quickly hurried off before he could argue.
Stellan and Seraphina were speaking urgently in hushed voices, and a sense of dread washed over Celeste as she approached them. They immediately stopped talking upon her arrival. Stellan’s gray eyes were clouded with worry, and the marked lines at the edges of his eyes were more pronounced than usual.
“Is everything okay?” she asked. They turned to look at her simultaneously, but neither answered. Celeste peered at Stellan, but his face was blank.
“Perhaps it is best that she know,” whispered Seraphina finally.
“We’ve picked up on some supernatural disturbances,” murmured Stellan. “It appears that a large number of demonic creatures are on the move.”
A picture of the scene in her premonition flashed before her eyes again – the terror, the widespread destruction, the gruesome deaths. “No…” she muttered. Looking at the clock on the wall, she noticed that it was only a few more hours until the ceremony began. “We have to tell the others.”
“No,” said Seraphina sharply. “Everyone is prepared; there is no reason to send them into a panic. Go to your post and do as you were instructed.”
Celeste looked at Stellan, who gave her a stern nod. Without looking back, she headed out the door to rendezvous with her team of guardians.
Celeste found Marco outside, standing with Milena and Javier. The preliminary introductions had already been made, and they were discussing strategy. Upon her approach, Milena and Javier paused their conversation and turned to her. Milena looked to be in her forties and from her distinct accent, she had to be Russian. A small scar slashed across her right cheek, and if not for that, she would have been quite stunning. Javier appeared to be around the same age, with tan, olive skin, slender, and on the shorter side. Only the silver flecks in his dark hair betrayed Javier’s age, his physique was that of a twenty year old. He immediately extended his hand to her and gave her a friendly smile.
“I am Javier and this is my partner Milena. It is a pleasure to meet you, Celeste. We have heard many good things about you.”
Celeste blushed at the compliment. She was beginning to worry that she would not measure up to the reputation that preceded her. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.”
“Very well, now let’s get to work,” said Milena as she resumed the discussion of strategy.
As they walked around the perimeter, Celeste caught a glimpse of fire red hair. Behind a bush, Marie’s lithe form appeared, and she beckoned to Celeste with her finger. Startled, Celeste turned back to the others and was relieved to see they hadn’t noticed her.
“I think I dropped my ring back there,” said Celeste, slipping the sapphire into her pocket. “You guys go ahead, I’ll be right behind you.” She turned around and started backtracking until they were out of sight, and then headed toward Marie.
“What are you doing out here?” Celeste asked. “You’re going to get me in so much trouble. And where have you been anyway?”
“I’m sorry, but I told you I had some things I needed to take care of. And don’t worry, you’re not going to get into any trouble because of me,” she insisted. Celeste found that hard to believe.
“And why is that? How come you can get in and out of here and no other supernatural can?” asked Celeste. Marie stared at her, apparently debating her options. “Look, if you want me to trust you, you have to be straight up with me. I have enough to worry about today, and I can’t be freaking out about you too.”
Marie sighed. “I guess it’s not a big deal really. It’s just that not many of the Fey know, and I want to keep it that way.”
“Know what?” asked Celeste.
“I’m only part Fey. My mother is a fairy, but my dad is a guardian.”
Celeste had to focus on not passing out from shock. She leaned on the tree trunk next to her for support. She tried to skip the obvious questions and made an intuitive leap
. “So your dad lives here?” she finally managed.
“Yeah, he’s retired and I’m allowed to come visit. Having guardian blood allows me access, and my fairy blood makes it possible for me to travel through the realms,” she explained as though it were perfectly normal.
“Why didn’t you just tell me that from the start?”
“Like I said, not many fairies know. They wouldn’t exactly embrace the fact that I’m a half-breed. So you can’t tell anyone once we leave here,” she said, looking sternly at Celeste.
“Okay, I won’t. I promise.”
“Good. So how can I help?” she asked with a smile.
Marie was met with some skeptical glances from the guardians, but after her unique situation was explained, they mostly just ignored her. The team split up, with Milena and Javier taking the outer perimeter and Celeste, Marco, and Marie guarding the area closest to town. The hours dragged on as the threesome marched the designated route in circles. They started at the Council building, cut across to the police station, circled the lake behind the town hall, passed the elementary school, then worked back to the center of town to the main square fountain. It was only an hour before the start of the ceremony, and the streets were pretty quiet with the exception of the other fifty or so guardians on duty. The rest of Astor’s inhabitants were busy getting ready for the main event.
“I wish my aunt had come,” said Celeste out of the blue. “She would have been a great addition to our team.”
“Who’s your aunt?” asked Marco.
“She’s a guardian too. Her name is Matilda Wilder. I thought you knew everything about guardian families,” she responded sarcastically.
“I do know everything, and Matilda Wilder hasn’t been a guardian for years,” he said, raising an eyebrow quizzically.
“What are you talking about?” asked Celeste, stopping abruptly and turning to face Marco. Marie looked on without saying a word.