The Guardian

by Quinn Arthurs

  "I will not apologize to a servant." He spat the last word out, glaring at River with a look that promised later retribution.

  "I never understood people who talked down to their servants." I tried to keep the tone of my voice conversational when I really just wanted to punch this asshole in the face. "They're the ones who can spit in your food, short sheet your beds, hide your favorite possessions, ruin your best shirt..." He looked at me in horror and disgust, and I shrugged. "Just pointing it out."

  "You will pay for this."

  "Ugh, please. Why can't jerks ever get a new line?" I grumbled. "About that apology?"

  Birch staggered to his feet, standing well back of a swinging foot or flying hand. "The Ancients will remove you. If there's anything left of you that is." The last was offered with a sneer as waves of orange light flowing around him. River squeaked, tensing behind me as she watched the streams of light.

  "Oh, this looks like fun." The hair on my arm rose, my body tensing as I tried to judge what he was doing with the streamers. Obviously, he could use them to cause injury, River's face was evidence of that. I debated a moment, wondering if I could dodge them quickly enough to kick him in the balls again, though I also relished the idea of punching him straight in the nose. If I was going to bleed, you could believe he was as well.

  I clenched my hands against my thighs, angling myself to cover more of River's body with my own. The jerk was most definitely not going to injure her again, not if I had anything to say about it. Warmth against my hand distracted me for a moment, and I glanced at my leg. The gemstones! I slid my hand into my pocket, trying to remember what I had slipped in there. An edge nipped at my fingertip and I breathed out. I was in the Fae Realm, about to have a wave of magic thrown into my face. I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

  "Wall," I commanded, pushing my energy behind my voice as I held tight to the rugged piece of black tourmaline between my fingers. Heat flared in a surge and light rocketed up in a flare of colors as Birch's magic crashed into mine. I winced as the sensation of being punched in the stomach rocketed through me, leaving me nearly breathless. I clung tightly to the bit of stone in my pocket, refusing to let my concentration waver.

  "Impossible." Birch stood in awe in front of me, his eyes riveted to the wall of air that had stopped his attack. "I won't be beaten by a witch." The word sounded like a curse on his lips and he threw his arm out, another strike of the orange light flaring against the protective wall I had created.

  I rolled the tourmaline, refusing to let it slip from my hand as I searched through the other stones. Tourmaline I knew by heart, it was my namesake after all. Simply keeping him at a distance wasn't a long-term option though. I could feel the tug inside of me, the subtle burn of a muscle being used. I had no idea how long this wall would last, and I wasn't about to test my new endurance against his.

  A stone's slender crevice caught against my fingernail, snagging my attention. I'd had a piece of amethyst like that, hadn't I? My time spent with my mother had been about learning spells for protection, healing, calming. While I had learned the negative aspects of several crystals, it was to use in fighting against them, not fighting with them.

  River's hands clenched around my arm, drawing my focus to her face. The red mark there was brilliant and blistered, a blight on such fair skin. Screw him, this guy needed to learn a lesson, and I was going to be the one to try and teach it to him. I squeezed the amethyst tightly in my hand, focusing on its color and the sensation of it against my skin.

  The orange light Birch was producing brightened, hissing and spitting with electricity now as it lashed and twitched, looking for a way in.

  "Stop him," I commanded, the only words to come to my head. The amethyst heated, growing so warm I nearly dropped it. I pushed the heat from my hand out towards him, unsure of what would happen. Strands of yellow and purple light collided with his orange, brightening and enlarging the orange glow.

  "Imbecile," he crowed, amused. "You're simply feeding me your energy — weakening yourself while you strengthen my attack. You witches know nothing. Your magic should be stripped from you." River whimpered behind me, and I pushed harder, throwing drop after drop of energy into the stone.

  Birch began to sweat, the drops clear even against his fae skin. "What?" he murmured, as he tugged at his hands, apparently attempting to break the orange strands and pull them back into himself. The strands wouldn't disappear, however, as they continued to feed off of my energy. They grew bloated, overfull, and he twitched madly, trying to break my control. I was breathing hard, the stress of pouring my energy into him feeling as though I was running a marathon. River's cool hands kept me centered as I focused, pushing as hard as I could, ignoring my own labored breathing.

  "No!" Birch cried the word in dismay as his banners of light exploded around him, blowing back into his face and across his arms. He screamed as burns appeared. Larger and darker than the one he had inflicted on River's face, they streaked across any exposed skin. His shirt smoked lightly, though it remained intact as he crumpled to the floor.

  I staggered slightly, River's hold the only thing keeping me upright. "You should have just apologized," I gasped out. "Way easier on the both of us."

  "What did you do to me?" Birch whispered from the floor. "You're no Guardian, how do you have this power?"

  I attempted a shrug, wincing when every muscle in my body protested. "Probably better make sure you're stronger than people before picking on them. Otherwise you're just going to end up with your butt kicked again. Now, apologize to River. Or I'll do it again." Not that I could. I was nearly on the floor myself, though at least I didn't have the spectacular amount of burns covering me.

  "I apologize," he gritted out.

  "Um, no. How about we try that again." I strode forward, tugging River with me. "Try actually looking at her, for once." I shook my head in mock pity, pretending the room didn't spin prettily when I did that. "You Guardians are taught nothing here, apparently."

  He looked up, his blue eyes dark against the deep red of the burns that marred him. "I'm sorry, River." The words didn't sound the most sincere, but I wasn't exactly surprised. From my personal experience, once an entitled asshole, always an entitled asshole.

  "Good. River, I assume you've got a healer here?" She could only nod, shaking like a willow leaf in my hand. "Have him fix your face, then send him here for our friend. Unless you think you can walk?" I didn't really want to heal him of those burns, but I hadn't intended to injure him that severely either. A broken nose and some bruises were one thing, melted skin was another.

  "I can walk." Birch pushed heavily to his feet, his limbs trembling.

  "Fine. Then walk. If I hear about you hurting River, or any of the servants for that matter, again, you'll wish I'd just left the burns on you." I left the threat hanging in the air as I returned to my plate, shoving another cake into my mouth as I listened to him stumble out behind me. Once I heard the door close, I slumped forward, laying my head on the table. "Well, fuck me."

  "How did you..." River trailed off. I cracked open an eye to see her staring at me with open awe.

  "I was serious about you seeing the healer, you know," I murmured, my voice thicker now as the exhaustion weighed on me. "You know, this table's not so bad." The hard, carved oak was surprisingly comfortable for my aching head.

  "Why didn't you call Terran?" River asked, fluttering over to the sideboard to pour me a glass of water. I hadn't realized I was parched until she set it in front of me.

  "Terran?" I asked in confusion, gulping down the water in great heaves, letting it cool the fire the still burned inside of me. That had been the workout from hell. I didn't even like running. The room exploded in colored light, and I swore as I dropped the goblet, sweeping River behind me again. Apparently, it was time for round two.

  7

  "What is going on?" Terran's booming voice echoed across the high ceilings, and I slumped back onto the chair with a yawn and a wave of
my hand.

  "Blah, blah, blah. Stop with the roaring. My head hurts." I grabbed another cake, tossed it into my mouth and let the sweetness ease some of the pounding in my head.

  "Why do you have a headache?" Reed piped up, coming forward to study me intently. "I told you not to call us again unless you were in danger. The Ancients don't appreciate interruptions, though thankfully we were done for the moment." Reed's tone held a reprimand as he reached out to try and snag a cake off of my plate. I slapped his hands away, glaring and pulling the plate against me.

  "I earned these, bucko. Get your own." I kept my arm wrapped protectively around the plate to prevent his thievery.

  "I'll get you more." River dashed to the counter and sighed, standing with my plate and walking towards her.

  "River, you don't need to wait on me. We've been through that. You should go be checked out though. I've got these obnoxious ones hanging around." I jerked my thumb over my shoulder to indicate the men. "I doubt there will be any more trouble."

  "What trouble?" Terran ground out through his clenched teeth, apparently furious by my nonchalance.

  "Why is River injured?" Reed came close to grasp her chin and study the wound still marring her cheek.

  "Some dickhead got an attitude." I shrugged it off, as though I hadn't just gotten into the coolest, and scariest, fight of my life. "We handled it."

  "You handled it." The way Terran stressed the word, in slow measured tones, had my hackles rising. I took a bite of my sandwich, glaring at him as Reed continued to study River's cheek.

  "Yes, we handled it." I cocked my hip, tapping my foot in irritation, a posture my mother had commonly used when I'd driven her crazy.

  Terran tugged at his hair, looking beseechingly at River. "Riv —"

  "A moment," Reed said softly. He reached for the carafe of water off the table as Terran fell silent. A wave of his hand had the water flowing up in a ribbon, twirling in the bright light before laying across the wound on River's cheek.

  "Pretty," I murmured, watching her closely to make sure what Reed was doing didn't hurt her. The tension at the corners of her mouth lessened and she sent me a smile.

  "Reed is a good healer, don't worry." She had noticed my tense posture, apparently, and my focus on Reed's motions. Reed pulled away, the remainder of the water evaporating with a wave of his hand. Neat trick. I wondered if he could teach me. I shook my head, trying to push past the fog that was filling it. I wasn't sure I wanted to learn his trick, though knowing how to heal would be cool.

  "Now will someone explain things to me." Terran's words sounded patient, but from the irritation radiating from him, I knew that patience wouldn't hold very long.

  "Well, you see, when a mommy and daddy —" I trailed off with a chuckle as he glared at me, his eyes a little wild.

  "River?" The word was desperate as he tossed it to her.

  "Tori and I were hungry." River came up next to me, wrapping an arm around my waist in support. I resisted the urge to pat her head, she was so fragile I had an innate desire to protect her and comfort her. "She didn't want to eat in your rooms, so I brought her down here rather than bringing her food back. We were just eating and talking when Birch came in." She swallowed hard. "No one mentioned she wasn't allowed in the Hold." The last words were quiet, nearly a censure as she glanced at Terran and Reed who shuffled their feet guiltily.

  "What makes you think I'm not allowed?" I asked, going for innocent.

  She shook her head, smiling. "I may have been fooled before, but you're no witch. I don't know what you are, but I owe you." She looked back to Reed and Terran, her voice quiet again. "Do you need me to hide her? There are servant areas the other Guardians wouldn't think to look." My heart warmed and I hugged her, enjoying her small squeak of surprise before she hugged me back. This girl barely knew me and yet was offering to hide me if I needed it, rather than turn me in.

  "She doesn't need to be hidden." Terran's tone was weary as he pressed his fingers against his eyes. "She's our charge."

  "Oh. Oh!" The second word was full of awe as her large, blue eyes met mine. "A true charge?" she asked hesitantly, and I assumed she knew about the soulmate portion.

  "We're still trying to figure things out," I supplied, rather than giving her a full answer. I didn't have the energy to go into any of it at the moment.

  "You still haven't explained how you came by your wound," Reed pointed out, grabbing cakes for himself as he leaned back against the wall.

  "Birch grabbed her when she wouldn't explain herself. Started ranting about witches and her not having a right to be here." Terran and Reed growled. I gaped in surprise at seeing the slender man look ready to draw blood. Terran's large frame radiated anger, and he reached up to tie back his long, dark hair as though it was second-nature before a battle.

  I snorted. "Yeah, he was a real winner."

  "He struck me with a spell when I objected to his handling of her," River added shakily.

  "Why didn't you call us?" Terran snapped at me.

  I rolled my eyes. Why were men always so dramatic? "Let's see, I had an injured girl on my hands, a guy threatening me with bright orange strands of light, and a healthy fury for a bully. I've spent my life on my own, taking care of my mother. I handle things myself. It's how I am."

  "How did you get rid of him?" Reed turned his attention to River, his voice eager. "Have your powers quickened?"

  "I'm still mostly dormant, I'm afraid," River admitted with a disdainful shake of her head. "It was her." She inclined her head toward me, and Reed and Terran froze, gaping at me in utter shock.

  "You? You got a Guardian to back off?" If I hadn't been as shocked as they were at what I'd managed, I probably would have been offended.

  "A little finger wave, a little of my famous quick wit." I grinned at them. Reed cocked his head to study me while Terran resorted to rubbing his eyes again. I definitely gave that man a chronic migraine.

  "Did she use her powers?" he asked River, studying me intently. He raised his hands, sending a wave of air rushing over me. I nearly purred at the cool breeze over my heated skin.

  "You know, I'm standing right here. You could try directing questions at me, rather than around me," I pointed out. I liked the blue shade of his powers and I reached a hand out, trying to stroke over the strands of air, giggling when my hand slipped right through.

  "You're tapped out," Terran grumbled. "Drunk on the use of the power."

  I shrugged, not really caring. I was feeling pretty good, despite being exhausted. "Hey, I'll take being drunk over the pain."

  "You were sore afterwards?" Reed's ever-curious voice broke through the haze, and I grinned at him.

  "Like I had just run a marathon and then been rolled down a hill in a box of rocks," I admitted with a smile. "Does using magic always feel like that?"

  "It can, depending on how much you use and what kind of spells you use." Reed stepped forward, his hands raised. I assumed he was mimicking the human motion meaning he was no threat, though after seeing the weapons that could be created by a magic worker's bare hands, the motion held a lot less meaning. "I can help a little if you'd like?"

  "She may be injured, too." River piped up, her tinkling voice cheerful now that she was healed. "He had a terrible grip on her arm."

  "Show me," Terran ordered, his voice sharp and short.

  "I don't feel like stripping now, thanks though," I spat back at him. I had never taken orders well.

  "Where, River?" Terran demanded, his hard eyes never leaving mine as we stared each other down. River indicated the area of my arm that Birch had grabbed, and I resisted the urge to glare at her. It wasn't her fault for snitching, but solidarity, sister! Terran lifted a hand, making a sharp slicing motion as he muttered rapidly. The sleeve on my right arm disintegrated into nothing.

  "Huh." My ability to be shocked by much at this point had disappeared. "I'm not sure if that's really inconvenient or really convenient." My bare arms held the clear marks of a lar
ge hand and fingers, the bruises already darkening against my skin. Now that I could see them, the ache thrummed up some, singing against the bones of my arm. Reed's green eyes were electric, his mouth set into a grim line and color high in his cheeks as he approached.

  "May I?" His tone was cold, though it seemed his anger was for Birch, not for me. I nodded, deciding it was silly to allow the bruise to linger if he could heal me without much effort.

  "I'll kill him," Terran murmured, his hands opening and closing, his fingers twitching as though he was writing subconsciously in the air with the tips.

  "She already half-way did." River's voice was between horrified and gleeful as she remembered the state I had left Birch in. "That healing's going to hurt." Both men looked at me sharply, Reed continuing his work with the water. "She burned him, blew his electric whips right back at him. He never had a chance."

  "Is that what I did?" I supposed I shouldn't be surprised that she was able to tell what I'd done, but I definitely hadn't known.

  "You don't even know what you did to him?" Terran's exasperated voice was back to a roar.

  "Easy, tiger. Thanks." I directed the last to Reed as he pulled away, the bruise on my arm now completely gone.

  "The mark was deep," he grumbled. "Let me know if you have any residual stiffness, but I think I got it all."

  "I don't know how I did what I did. It was just like before, when you tested me. I had to protect River, and myself."

  "She blocked his whips with an air wall, then supercharged it. I don't know how she did it either, since she never invoked a spell. It was as though she simply asked the magic and it responded to her request." The near reverence had me shifting from side to side, uncomfortable with the attention.

  "It was the stones." I turned their focus to the stones I pulled from my pocket. The small handful included the tourmaline and amethyst I had used during the altercation. I could only stare at them in shock as the tourmaline crumbled in my hands, breaking apart in fragile chunks. "But, how?" I had never seen stones act that way before, except for the time I had left an opal soaking in water and it had shattered when it dried. This seemed different though. The amethyst appeared almost lavender now, rather than the richly dark violet that had saturated it before.