by I. T. Lucas
“First, I’m going to introduce you to William, our computer guy, so you’ll know who to turn to in case you run into programming problems. In fact, we can stop by his lab on our way to the gym.”
“I hope he wouldn’t mind dealing with someone as technologically challenged as I am.”
“Don’t worry about it, William is a sweetheart, you’re going to like him, you’ll see.”
And she did. Later, when they reached his cluttered domain, Syssi was surprised to find William looking nothing like the rest of his hunky cousins. He was chubby and bespectacled, and boy did he love to talk…
“Will—” was all Amanda managed to say before he interrupted.
“Hi, you must be Syssi, I’m William.” Leaving Amanda with her mouth half opened, he took Syssi’s hand and shook it vigorously. “Don’t ask me how I know. I know everything that’s going on around here, and not because anyone bothers to tell me anything.” He cast Amanda an accusing glance. “Sorry, I tend to blabber. Which might explain why no one comes to visit me…”
The poor guy was out of breath, either from excitement over the unexpected visit, or talking at the speed of a firing machine gun. With an awkward glance at Syssi, he took off his glasses and wiped them on his billowy Hawaiian shirt.
“And now you know why we nicknamed him Uzi, after the machine gun.” Amanda chuckled. “William, darling, you know we all love you.” She patted his shoulder. “I brought Syssi over so she’ll know you’re the go-to guy with everything concerning tech stuff.”
Syssi offered him a bright smile. “It’s really nice to meet you, William. My programming skills are nonexistent. I would be grateful for any help you’d be willing to offer.”
“Whenever you need me, I’m at your service. And if you want, I would be more than happy to teach you all you need to know. Amanda’s research might be complicated as far as the tests she runs, but it requires only basic programming skills.”
“That would be wonderful. Are you sure you can spare the time?”
“Of course I have the time. And when you come,” he whispered conspiringly, “I’ll show you the underbelly of this monster. Even for a non-techie, the technology I’ve implemented in this building is fascinating. I showed some of it to Ingrid the other day when she came for help with her interior design software. She was very impressed. Did you meet Ingrid? Everything that looks nice was designed by her, and—” William stopped mid-sentence as Amanda raised her palm.
“I’m sure Syssi would love to hear all about it later, but we need to go.”
“Yeah, sure, see you later, Syssi.” William’s shoulders sagged.
“Wow, he certainly talks fast,” Syssi said once they were out of his earshot. “I like him, though. Is he working all by himself down here? The way he is hungry for someone to talk to, I guess he must be lonely.”
“Yeah, I guess he must be. Though on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he teaches programming to a group of our kids.”
Walking the rest of the way in silence, Syssi observed that the belly of the beast, as William had called the underground levels, had more of a utilitarian look to it than the public areas above. Wide, well-illuminated corridors, with plain office style carpeting and unadorned white walls, lacked even the motivational posters or reproductions of famous art one would find in most office buildings.
Evidently, Ingrid the interior designer hadn’t gotten to wield her magic here. Syssi wondered if it was intentional, or if the designer just didn’t get to it yet because she was busy elsewhere; the building looked to be relatively new.
“I would like to meet Ingrid,” she told Amanda as they stopped in front of the bank of elevators. “I love the way she furnished your place and Kian’s and I’m curious to see some of her other work.”
With a ping, the elevator doors opened, the opulent interior a sharp contrast to the drab corridor they were leaving.
“Ingrid has her hands full at the moment. She is helping settle the evacuees from the Bay Area and needs to prepare apartments for clan members trickling in from all over Southern California. It’ll be a while until she has any free time.”
Exiting the elevator at the gym’s level, Syssi noted it was just as plain as the one they’d left.
“Did you say, evacuees?”
“Yeah. Tragically, a few days ago, the Doomers murdered one of our top programmers in that area. Kian ordered everybody out of there. Having a small force of Guardians, we can only protect our people in here. They are not happy about it. It’s hard to just get up and go, and Ingrid’s job is to make them as comfortable here as we can.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss… I don’t know what to say.” Syssi dropped her eyes. Amanda looked so pained it was clear she knew the victim and mourned his loss.
“There is nothing to say. Marc was one more casualty in this endless war of good versus evil. He wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last. That’s just the way it is.” Amanda’s strides got faster and longer, betraying her anger and determination.
It was a sad reality. No matter how strongly you wished for a peaceful existence, if your enemies were the kind that would not rest until they killed each and every one of you, you had to go on fighting, and make damn sure you were smart enough and strong enough to prevail.
Syssi sighed and followed Amanda into the gym.
The woman had been right; this was the mother of all gyms, with rows of top-notch equipment of every imaginable kind lining the walls of the cavernous room.
At its center, standing on top an arena of blue matting, Michael and a stunning dark man were embracing in a brotherly hug. Surrounding its parameter stood a group of who she now knew were the Guardians.
Syssi recognized most of them; the brothers—Anandur and Brundar, Kri, Onegus, and Bhathian. The only new faces belonged to the tall guy on the mat with Michael, and a pleasant looking blond standing next to Kian.
For some reason, there was a palpable air of excitement in the gym. And even though it looked like nothing more than two guys in simple gym clothes about to engage in a training exercise, she had a strong feeling that a monumental event was about to take place.
“What’s going on?” she whispered in Amanda’s ear.
“Michael is about to fight Yamanu, who, I assume, was chosen to be the one to initiate him. By accepting this role, Yamanu promises to be Michael’s guide and protector, becoming his surrogate big brother. Embracing before they begin the fight symbolizes their new bond of friendship.”
Nice way to give a caring twist to a brutal coming-of-age ritual, Syssi reflected. “The sentiment is beautiful, but that guy is huge. He’s going to pulverize the poor kid.” The man looked formidable. Yamanu had several inches on Michael, and although slim, he was all sinewy muscle.
“If you don’t have the stomach for it, maybe you shouldn’t be here. Even a friendly match may seem rough to someone that didn’t see one before. We could go and come later when it’s over and done with.” Amanda grasped Syssi’s elbow with the intent of turning her around.
Syssi crossed her arms over her chest and planted her feet firmly on the concrete floor. Someone had to look out for Michael, and as the only other mortal around, she felt it was up to her. “No, I want to stay and make sure he’s okay. I know he is strong, but compared to these guys he looks like the little kid who got caught in the big boys’ playground.”
Amanda sent her a measuring look. “As you wish. And anyway, if I pull you out, you’re probably going to imagine things being way worse than they actually are.” She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest as well. “Just promise not to scream or faint on me.”
Syssi slanted her an affronted look. “Don’t hold your breath…”
“Are you ready for some ass whooping, little brother?” Yamanu smiled, flashing a gorgeous set of gleaming white teeth.
Michael grinned, his eyes sweeping over the faces of his witnesses as he crouched in a fighting stance. “Bring it on, big brother.”
Watching the
Guardians’ expressions as they stood around the blue mat, Syssi was moved by the unexpected fondness and encouragement they showed Michael. It dawned on her then that taking part in this ritual, this coming of age ceremony, symbolized more than Michael’s transition from one state to another.
These people were welcoming him into their club—into their family.
Someone sounded a whistle and the match began. Trading kicks and punches, Michael used his bulk to topple the taller man to the mat and even managed to get out of Yamanu’s choke-hold-grips a few times. But he was seriously outclassed, and a minute into the fight the poor kid was sporting a bruised eye and a bleeding lip.
On the sidelines, Kri was making a fool of herself shouting and cheering Michael on. “Yeah! Go Michael go!” She jumped up and down excitedly, ignoring her fellow Guardians’ amused expressions.
At first, it was obvious that Yamanu was going easy on Michael, but as it became evident he was not as easy to subdue as Yamanu had expected him to be, the guy got serious and in short order had the boy pinned face down on the mat.
With a knee between Michael’s shoulder blades, Yamanu twisted the boy’s arms painfully behind him, keeping Michael’s struggling body immobilized as he bared his venom-dripping fangs. With a loud hiss, Yamanu sank them deep into Michael’s neck.
Michael’s body tensed and arched slightly off the mat before going lax as the venom hit his system. Slowly, as his grimace morphed into a euphoric smile, his eyelids slid shut and he passed out.
“Is he all right? Should we call for help?” Syssi made a move to run for the mat.
Amanda caught her arm. “Easy, girl, everything is all right. He’ll shake it off in a few moments.”
“Are you sure? Is this normal?”
“Yes, darling, this is a perfectly normal reaction for males. You have nothing to worry about. I’ve seen my thirteen-year-old nephews and grandnephews go through this ceremony. The boys get knocked out, black out and shake it off in no time. Our big guy is in no danger.”
Coming back from the adjacent facilities with several wet washcloths in her hands, Kri knelt beside Michael’s prone body. “I’ll take care of him,” she said, and turning him a little, began wiping away the blood from his busted lip and bruised knuckles.
With a wicked smirk curling the side of her mouth, Amanda leaned into Syssi and pretended to whisper. “It’s usually the mother that does the aftercare, and although technically, Kri could be his mother, I don’t think she’s acting from a motherly place right now.”
Kri flipped Amanda the bird and sat down on the mat. Cradling Michael’s head in her lap, she wiped his sweaty forehead with a clean washcloth. “Jealous?” she taunted.
“Already fighting over the prize, ladies?” Anandur teased them over the catty exchange, then looking to his comrades for support, chuckled as the guys attempted nonchalance.
Evidently, fearing Amanda’s wrath, they tried to hide their amused faces and pretended like they heard nothing. Standing at the edge of the mat and huddling close, they did their best to avoid looking at either Amanda or Kri.
Instead, they began discussing the match.
“The kid did well,” Brundar stated, his austere face showing the slightest nuance of pride.
“He’s a natural fighter,” Anandur agreed with a quick glance at Kri, making sure she had heard him, apparently trying to get back in her good graces.
“Yeah, Yamanu, you didn’t expect him to get away that first time, did you?”
Arwel’s comment had Yamanu grimace. “He surprised me, that’s all. I didn’t know he had any wrestling training, I would have held on properly otherwise.” Yamanu crossed his arms over his chest with an affronted expression on his handsome face. “Didn’t want to hurt him unnecessarily, you know.”
“Yeah, suddenly you’re a fucking Mother Teresa… Give the kid some credit, you arrogant ass.” Arwel punched Yamanu’s shoulder. “Like we don’t know you’re a merciless bastard.”
“Alright, I have no problem admitting he has potential, but today he just got lucky. Maybe if I spent some time training him, he could become a decent fighter. At least against mortals.”
“He’ll do better with my weapons training. Until he turns, he’ll need the advantage they provide,” Brundar said.
With an amused grin, Kian interjected, “No need to fight over the bone, boys, you could both train him. Think how well he’ll do, getting two great teachers instead of one.” He glanced at Syssi, and with a slight nod, smiled.
Syssi smiled back before averting her eyes. Kian wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with acknowledging the thing that was going on between them. Except, right now she wasn’t sure there was even anything to acknowledge.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him look at her for a brief moment before turning to Onegus. “That’s actually not a bad idea. The men are on to something.”
“What do you mean?”
“The two fighting over who should train Michael gave me an idea. We could bring more young men to be trained by the Guardians. And young women…” Kian seemed to remind himself that times had changed. “With this new threat looming, the clan needs more Guardians, and the men seem hungry for some new blood in their ranks. I never gave it much thought before, but it makes sense that they would like to impart the knowledge and skills they’ve accumulated throughout the centuries to a new generation. With no sons or daughters of their own, I can understand their need to validate the importance of what they know how to do best.”
“You’re awfully philosophical today.” Onegus chuckled. “You have a point, though. And I think something along the lines of a basic self-defense course for all members of the clan would be even better. It wouldn’t hurt if everyone had some skill at defending themselves. And from the ranks of trainees, we could choose the best for more advanced training and eventually the Guardian force. What do you think?”
“I like it. We should do it, and the sooner, the better,” Kian said, then glanced at Michael. “I think our boy is coming around.”
Michael’s eyes fluttered open, a huge grin spreading across his battered face as he saw Kri smiling down at him. Though, with his head and shoulders cradled in her lap, her heavy breasts were hovering barely an inch away from his nose, and it seemed he was having a hard time focusing on her pretty face.
Noticing his tongue dart to his lips, Syssi smirked, imagining what must’ve been going through his head. And if she needed additional proof, the loose gym pants he was wearing were not much in the way of hiding what was going on down below.
Face gone red, Michael sneaked a quick glance at his audience. Realizing they were all watching him, he jerked up to a sitting position and bent at the waist in an attempt to hide the evidence. “That wasn’t so bad… Ouch!” He winced in pain as he tried to get up.
Kri offered her arm. “Take it easy, big boy. Slow down… I’m going to help you up.”
“I’m good, thanks.” Michael made another go at standing on his own, but swayed, having to hold on to Kri’s shoulder to regain his balance.
“Hey, Yamanu! Next time I wouldn’t go so easy on you!” Michael attempted some bravado.
Yamanu grinned. “Yeah, I want to see you try… Come here.” He pulled Michael into a hug and clapped his back. “Not bad. Not bad at all, kid.”
“Let’s go, Tiger. I’ll take you to your room.” Kri wrapped her arm around Michael and helped him limp out of the gym.
Heading for the row of treadmills, Amanda winked at Syssi. “Aren’t you glad the process is so much more pleasurable for females?”
“Yeah, I don’t think I could’ve gotten Yamanu even slightly worked up with my fighting skills.”
“Oh, I’m sure you could get him worked up all right.” Amanda chuckled. “Just not with your fists… Well, maybe you could do something with them…” She laughed a deep throaty laugh.
“Amanda!”
“What? I’m just saying… It’s true!”
“You’re bad-to-
the-bone, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s me. Bad-to-the-bone-Amanda.”
“By the way, I was wondering about how different it is for the girls. Kian said that being around your mother was enough to facilitate the change in them. What about the boys? Why doesn’t it work the same for them? Was it tested?”
“Of course it was tested. It doesn’t work for the boys. My guess is that it’s easier to turn the girls because they are the ones that can actually transmit our specific traits to their offspring; they might have a stronger predisposition. But I can’t say for sure that’s the reason. It just works this way.
“Our children are born and raised at my mother’s place, with the expectant mothers traveling to be with her as their time grows near. It’s beneficial for the boys as well as the girls to spend their early years with Annani. And besides, she loves having them there. It’s not like there are that many, and sometimes decades pass with no children at all, even centuries. So when they arrive, her greatest joy is spending time with the little ones, hugging and kissing the babies, taking care of the mothers.
“Her place is amazing, a real heaven—like a miniature Hawaii. The same perfect temperature year round. Pools and streams of warm water, waterfalls with slides… It’s beautiful. The kids have a wonderful time with her and they are safe, protected.” Amanda paused, a sad shadow crossing her beautiful face.
“The boys are mortal until they reach puberty and are able to put up a decent fight against a transitioned boy. Until they are turned, they’re just as vulnerable to injury and disease as any other mortal. In order to keep them safe, most mothers choose to stay at Annani’s place until their sons are old enough to transition. We did lose several of our precious little boys to accidents and illness over the generations. It’s always tragic to lose a child, and we have so few.” Amanda whispered the last sentence, struggling to breathe as tears glistened in her eyes.
Oh, God! No! The anguish in her friend’s eyes could’ve meant only one thing. Syssi felt her chest tighten, Amanda’s pain cutting straight to her soul. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.