by Lynn Landes
"It is a working guest ranch; they are closed for the holidays because of the cold weather," Jake replies. “I believe it’s just Heathers family and the few hands that stay on the property to handle the animals. The employees live on the property in their own homes."
"That is a relief. What we need to discuss is best done in private. Jake we are on borrowed time, I feel like every second passed is another second wasted," frustrated she looks out the window oblivious to the beautiful sunset.
"Our turn is just ahead," Jake says driving he turns down a paved road that is lined by large snow covered trees. A large wooden signs reads Crystal Creek Ranch. Driving down a winding road toward the main house Jake says "Elina, just remember that you are not alone in this. I will help you in any way I can."
"Thank you Jake,” she replies.
Jake parks in front of an enormous log cabin, with triple balconies. Two enormous beams flank the front entrance and a wraparound porch is decorated with eucalyptus leaves, and holly berries. A large Christmas wreath is hanging on a stunning craftsman style door. The light glowing from the windows seems to say welcome. Stepping from the jeep, Elina watches as a young woman comes outside with a man following behind her.
Seth smiles as he watches Jake hug Heather, careful of her cast on her arm. "You’re looking better." Jake says. "He has been taking good care of me." She replies stepping back so Jake can greet Seth. Elina watches as the three greet each other like old friends. Smiling she walks forward and greets Heather.
"We have dinner ready, and my grandfather is desperate to meet you" Heather tells Elina.
"It's nice of your family to welcome us." Elina says as they walk inside. Heather smiles responding, "It's what we do."
Jake and Elina step into a grand entrance and stop. They find themselves standing inside a great room with twenty foot ceilings. A large seating area with leather couches faces an enormous grey stone fireplace. The warmth emanating from roaring fire draws them in, and they are welcomed by Heathers parents, Scott and Sophia.
Heathers Father shakes Jakes hand saying "Our daughter tells us you are the reason she is alive."
Jake shakes his head and says "No sir, it was the team that saved her life."
"Seth tells it differently," Heathers mother responds stepping up and hugging him tight. "Regardless we thank you for bringing our daughter back to us."
Jake looks over at Seth knowing he is enjoying this. "It's okay Cap, you will get used to being called a hero" Seth tells his friend.
Heather laughs and grabs Seth's hand. "Like you did? You run every time you have to meet someone new." Seth kisses her hard on the mouth, knowing it’s the only way to silence her. Elina smiles as she watches the interaction between the friends.
"You have a lovely home. Thank you for letting us visit on such short notice" Elina says talking to Sophia.
Scott walks up behind his wife and places his hands on her shoulders saying "You are welcome."
"Why don't we go eat, and you all can catch up." Sophia suggests moving away. "My father is resting he will join us in the library later."Jake watches as Heather moves to Seth and he wraps his arms around her from behind. It is clear they are happy together.
After dinner they are invited to the library to meet Heather's Grandfather. He is waiting with Heather's parents. They walk into an exquisite two story library filled with rich mahogany shelving and leather sofas. A large stone fireplace is flanked by more shelves, with a beautiful stained glass picture hanging over top. A separate seating area with two wing back leather chairs and a coffee table is off to one side. Sitting near the fireplace in a wheelchair is Heather's grandfather.
He looks up when they walk in and smiles.
"Hi Grampy" Heather says walking to his side, taking his hand. “This is Jake and Elina."
Removing his glasses, he shakes Jakes hand saying "I've heard all about you, son. Thank you for saving my girl."
"You’re welcome," Jake says stepping back so Elina can move forward.
"I've have been waiting a long time to meet you. You may call me Daniel. It is an honor to meet you Elina. We have heard stories of keepers but our family has only watchers."
"The honor is mine Daniel." Elina says taking his hand in hers. Elina looks into the faded green eyes of the old man and smiles. He is tall and lean, with a full head of white hair.
"Thank you. Let’s all go over to the sofa’s and get comfortable so we can talk about why your here. You didn't come all this way to meet an old man."
"Jake told me about Heather and the stones, and of Seth. I was curious, and hoping to find some answers,” Elina replies.
Glancing away for a moment, Elina's eyes are drawn to the fireplace once more. Above it hangs a beautiful stained glass tree with branches reaching up to the sky. The branches have new growth and beautiful jewel colored leaves. The trunk is thick brown and the roots leading down are strong and healthy. The vision comes fast; the leaves move and tremble from an unseen wind and begin to shrivel up and fall off. The roots of the tree start to wither and curl up, and the trunk splits in two! Elina is used to the visions and takes it as a warning sending a prayer of thanks.
"My family is also watchers, I am the first keeper. We did not mix with other watchers because my gifts were volatile at first," Elina tells them with a small laugh. Looking at Seth and Heather with curiosity Elina asks, “I have never heard of a keeper being created, can you tell me about that?"
Heather sits on the arm of the chair where Seth is seated. "I did not know at first that anything had happened to him. During the rescue Seth was holding me in his arms, carrying me out when they attacked. He could not see what Jake and I could see, I only prayed for help."
Seth reaches up and takes her hand "When she held my face in her hands and whispered the prayer, almost immediately I could see them crawling along the ceiling." Jake leans in to Seth saying "Welcome to the club cowboy! I've been seeing things my whole life."
Elina smiles at the obvious friendship and asks Seth "Why does he call you cowboy?"
"We'll now Darlin' maybe when I have known you longer I'll tell you about it," Seth replies with a smile and a country drawl. Heather laughs and shoves at him saying "don't fall for the accent Elina, it’s all an illusion."
"Never heard you complain, angel," he responds with a laugh. "Alright you two let her ask her questions" Daniel says smiling.
"Seth, what were you gifted with?" Elina asks him.
His smile fades as he leans forward and says "I see demons, shadows or shapes. I have the ability to manipulate elements, but not for very long."
"Jake has similar gifts" Elina tells him. "You will gain more control, with training and time. This is amazing," she says excitedly.
Everyone is settled around the fireplace as Sophia brings in coffee. "If you have never had a keeper in your family how do you protect yourselves while you are watching?" Elina asks Daniel.
Scott walks over to the bookcase and grabs a large leather bound book off the shelf. Inside is a map of the property. He hands Elina the map telling her, “This property is littered with caves. One in particular is sacred,” Scott looks at Daniel and waits unsure how much to say. ‘We found that the crystal lining caves provide protection.”
"The caves were used for our watching; it was a safe place away from family and visitors to practice,” Daniel interjects. “We are a working ranch; we have hundreds of visitors every year. I thought it best not to watch where we work." He pauses for a moment looking at his daughter. "It's okay Dad," Sophia assures him. "Tell them the rest."
"As a boy I used to play in the crystal caves that circle this property. It was there, I found it Elina, the paintings that told of the war to come; the final war to end all wars. These paintings were prophetic paintings along the walls of one crystal cave. My father and grandfather studied them and wrote them down in this book," resting his withered hand on the aged book Scott placed in his lap.
"On Sophia's eighth birthday, I planned
to take her with me to the caves, but we were delayed," he says. Anna the nurse comes in and gives Daniel some medicine, and a glass of water, returning to the kitchen.
"What stopped you?" Jake asks after the nurse leaves. "A man lost on our property. We were riding our horses when we heard his calls for help. It looked like his leg was broken, so I jumped from my horse to help him but just before I touched him, he changed."
"Changed how?" Seth responds.
"He shifted, his skin rippled and he became....Me."
Elina leans in to listen as he continues. "He grabbed me, and we struggled. Sophia began screaming and the noise spooked her horse throwing her to the ground, knocking the wind from her. I tried to run towards her but he still held me." His milky eyes are filled with anxiety as he looks at his daughter.
"I tried to get to you Angel." He whispers looking at her. Rushing to her father’s side Sophia grabs his hand, kneeling down “its okay Dad, you don't have to...."
Yes I do" he says firmly. "It is important." Patting her hand he continues speaking.
"He picked me up and threw me into a group of large trees. The force of the impact broke my back and I found I could not move my legs. I watched my Sophia run towards me crying and,” pausing for a moment he takes a deep breath before continuing “then I watched her begin to scream and fight when he picked her up. She fought like a tiger, kicking and scratching, biting, so enraged he had to drop her. He told her to do what he said or he would make her watch as he killed me," voice trembling he stops.
Sophia continues for him saying "He told me if I fought him he would kill my Father and then we would go back to the ranch. He didn’t have to say anymore, his eyes said it all. He would kill everyone I loved and make me watch." Sophia says quietly, "I wiped my eyes and stopped crying. This time when he reached for my hand I took it."
"What did he want from you? Elina asks.
"He wanted me to take him to the crystal caves to see the paintings. I knew it was my fault he found us, and I had to try to make it right. I had been secretly practicing my watching in my room. I led them to us."
"How is that possible?" Jake asks.
"They followed my thread," Sophia replies looking at her daughter. "You mean they can follow us by our thread?!" Heather asks shocked.
"Yes," her grandfather replies. "That is why we only practiced in the caves. They shield us."
"After the attack I swore I would never put my family at risk again. That is why I would not allow you all to practice" Sophia responds ashamed of her fear.
"Sophia, how did you escape him?" Elina asks.
"I led him to the cave, and as soon as we crossed the threshold he dropped the image of my father. He was so pale I could see the veins running beneath his skin. His eyes were completely black with no pupils. I tried not to look at him as he dragged me through the opening. He had small burn marks on his skin, scars, and scabs. It looked like he was rotting. He was so focused on the walls that he did not notice me backing away.
"You see the walls of the caves are lined completely in clear crystal. They glisten and gleam like ice with the images frozen, protected beneath a layer of smooth crystal" Sophia tells them.
"The pictographs show a scene of a great battle between good and evil. The demon moved closer to the walls trying to see better and when he put his filthy hand on the transparent wall, it began to glow. He tried to pull away but his hand was stuck." She says holding her hand up in the air in front of her. “That's when I noticed all the walls glowing bright white. A being of white light in the image of a man, stepped from the wall holding a sword of red flame he advanced upon the demon. The demon began to panic and I closed my eyes against the screams. I saw a flash of light, and when I opened my eyes all that remained of him was a pile of ash."
"Mom! What did you do then?" Heather asks.
"I ran of course. I found my horse and went for help," she says looking at her father.
"The reason were telling you Elina is that we are watchers and we have only heard through stories of keepers. Our cave kept us safe, so when we heard of you we wanted to meet you" Daniel explains to them.
"Heather, you recognized me as a keeper when we rescued you. How is it that you knew that?" Jake asks.
Blushing, she looks at her parents saying "I have been practicing with Gramps since I was young. Reading the lore of our family, they talk of watchers and keepers."
"What!?" her parents say in unison. "I wanted to learn, to keep our heritage alive. I had no idea what I was getting into, and I believe now more than ever that it was the right thing to do," she tells them stubbornly.
Elina stands and walks over to the fireplace staring up at the stained glass picture. It is a beautiful tree with all the colorful leaves that fill its rich branches. Below the trunk, the roots stream out from beneath and are as long as the branches which reach towards heaven.
They all listen quietly as Elina begins to speak. "You are indeed a blessed family. You were chosen not only as watchers but protectors of the history. Turning to Daniel she smiles at him, "Daniel for your faith our maker blessed you with many branches on your family tree. Some of your branches are strong, but you also have new growth on your tree; which means news gifts. Heather you were gifted with the ability to not only watch but create new keepers.
"A war is coming, and he is massing his army. To build that army, we need to find more watchers and create new keepers. It is not a task that will be easy. Heather what can you tell me about the stones?" She asks the shocked faces before her.
"What do you mean a war?” Sophia responds panicked. “Look what happened last time and that was only one demon!! I won’t have my family put in any more danger." Sophia yells
“Mom, do you think you can stop this? They are attacking all over the world, look at what happened to me! You can pretend this isn’t happening, but I know what held me captive in that cave was evil!” Shaking she advances on her Mother. “I was attacked because of what we are; we cannot hide any longer!”
“I can’t do this, Heather. I won’t lose you!” she cries fleeing from the room with Scott following her.
Watching her mother leaver, Heather turns and asks the question they are all thinking, “Who are you Elina?"
"I am the keeper of the light." She says simply, "the first keeper ever created. I was told to reunite the watchers and prepare them for war. I need to see the stones; will you show them to me?"
"Some say knowledge is power, but it is also a magnet for trouble. Are you prepared for the consequences of this knowledge?" Daniel asks them.
"It looks like we have no choice." Seth responds. "I will help you Elina."
Heather goes to the bookcase and removes a false group of books revealing a bag. She removes the bag and replaces the book, bringing it to her grandfather. Reaching inside he lays each stone in a vertical direction, three per row on the coffee table in front of him. Daniel says "These are the stones of war. They tell of the final battle against the sons of darkness." Roughly the size of a cell phone, each clay stone is intricately carved with Aramaic designs. Vertical lines chiseled in stone separate the ancient text.
"I have spent some time translating the writing but it is difficult. You will notice the dark coloring of the stones,” Heather continues pointing “that is thought to be from a fire. It is the reason the stones survived, they were baked and hardened in the heat.”
Daniel says "Our people were being persecuted because of their beliefs. All of our scrolls were being destroyed including the tablets, so the stones were hidden." Elina moves forward to examine the stones. Kneeling down she looks closely, she notices a pattern emerge. "May I?" She asks Daniel gesturing to the stones. "Of course," he replies.
Elina reaches out to pull the stones close and begins to twist and shift them. She continues moving the stones around like pieces of a puzzle. She moves them picking three stones, she turns them horizontally one on top of another. Biting her lip she concentrates as she picks another stone and turns
it vertically, placing it at the top right corner. Next she chooses another and lays it beside the vertical stone. The final stone she places horizontally at the bottom of the two vertical stones. Then she waits. Nothing happens.
It occurs to Elina that sometimes the obvious choice is not the correct choice. Again she reaches her hand out and taking the first stone flips it over. Smiling now, she flips the second horizontal stone from the top left over. Next the only vertical stone that touches two horizontal stones is flipped over. Immediately the stones begin to vibrate and one by one they magnetize pulling together with a snap.
A murmur fills the room as everyone begins talking at once. Elina raises her hands and points them away from her freezing everyone in time. She reaches out touching the stone in the top right corner, with the tip of her finger. The Aramaic letters begins to ripple, shift, twist and spin. A bright light fills the room and an image fills the space above the stones. Elina now knows where the first part of the book is; the crystal cave!
Closing her eyes Elina pictures the cave shown to her in her mind and feels her body moving towards it. Opening her eyes she finds herself outside the mouth of the cave. Trepidation fills her mind for she knows she is being hunted. Elina draws her power close to the surface and steps deeper into the cave. Walking through the rocky entrance she feels the presence of the protectors, and notices a light coming from the tunnel ahead. Stooping through a small opening she finds that the cave opens into a larger cavern which is lit from within.
The walls themselves are illuminated and the pictographs show a group of people holding clay jars. Walking towards the wall she is careful not to touch the crystal overlay. Leaning close she sees the people running, holding the jars. They are being attacked by demon looking creatures. The next scene shows five people separating from the group, each holding a clay jar. Following the pictographs around the room she sees the five running with angels flying over them, their wings are spread protecting them from flying spears.
Fascinated Elina stares at the images before her when a flash of light catches her attention. She watches as a glowing warrior steps from the wall to her right, holding a flaming red sword.