The Lost Years (The Guardians Book 4)

by Wendy Owens

  “I’ll try, but I doubt he’s going to listen,” Uri shrugged as he replied.

  “Damn it!” Michael shouted. “Will you quit feeling sorry for yourself? You think this is where I want to be right now? You know more than anyone what this council stole from me. Now, I’m supposed to smile and serve how they dictate. If they had their way, Gabe would have never come to Rampart. They’ve never hidden that they don’t think he is the one in the prophecy. Don’t you think they will use this opportunity, now that I’m gone, to have Bishop try to bully Gabe? They think he just brings problems.”

  “I don’t understand, haven’t you proven them wrong?”

  “It’s not that easy, Uri. They don’t think he’s the chosen one and they feel that Gabe was too old when he learned the truth to ever truly accept his place as a Guardian. Just because he passed the tests and made it into the school does not mean he has incorporated himself into our environment.” Michael turned, throwing his arms out to his side, the heavy fabric swooshing as he did.

  “He’s one of us; he’s shown that.”

  “I believe that, you believe that, but it doesn’t mean the rest of the council ever will. Sophie was a mistake; they should have never fallen in love,” Michael whispered, his eyes closed and a solemnness overtaking him.

  “What? How can you even say that? Sophie was never as happy as she was with Gabe. They were great for each other,” Uri argued, surprised by his master’s words.

  Michael turned back, looking into Uri’s questioning eyes. “Love isn’t always enough, I’m afraid I know that too well. Sometimes, even though you love a person deeply, they serve as nothing more than a distraction, or worse, something for the evil in this world to use against you.”

  “Are you saying Sophie is simply a distraction for Gabe? I think you’re wrong, he really loves her. If you had seen him tonight when Sophie and I kissed, you would understand. He was devastated.”

  “Exactly! Gabe can’t afford to have these sort of emotions clouding his mind right now. He is so much more important to the future than he realizes.”

  “So, he should just be alone, never find happiness because the great cause needs him? This sounds exactly like the stuff Anthony used to accuse the Guardians of.”

  Michael hung his head, the silence lingering in the air between them a moment longer. “I understand how you feel and you’re right, it’s not fair. Nobody should have to give up everything, but sometimes there is a cause that is bigger than you or me. If there ever was a cause that was worthy of such sacrifice, wouldn’t you say it’s the salvation of humanity?”

  Uri didn’t answer; he had no words to say in response. Michael had given up so much himself, he had sacrificed his chance at true love to serve the Guardians. Uri knew Michael wasn’t asking Gabe to do anything that he wasn’t willing to do or hadn’t already done himself. Even still, it didn’t seem fair to ask so much of one person.

  “I’ll talk to him,” Uri said at last.

  Dina gasped, the pounding at the door startling her.

  “Dina, let me in.”

  “Is that you, Uri?”

  “Yes, my hand is killing me. Will you let me in already?”

  Dina cocked her head, curious, but still expressionless as she did so. Unsure why her friend was in pain, she rushed to the door, releasing the lock from its latch. Before she could pull the heavy door open, Uri pushed his way in, barely looking at her as he did.

  “Umm, excuse you,” Dina snarled, disgusted by his brutish and inconsiderate behavior.

  Uri took a moment to consider his actions, a very brief moment. “Yeah, sorry. Have you seen Gabe?”

  “What? Why would I have seen Gabe? Do you know what time it is? It’s after curfew and some of us actually like to get some sleep at night.”

  In a huff, Uri began to pace the length of the room as Dina spoke.

  “I banged on his door for at least an hour and he wouldn’t answer,” Uri barked.

  “Calm down,” Dina urged, realizing just how agitated he was.

  “I’m calm!”

  As Uri slowed, she saw the back of his hand glow a bright red. “Uri, what have you done to yourself?” Dina moaned, reaching out and taking hold of his injured palm, pulling it closer for further inspection.

  “I told you, I was beating on Gabe’s door for at least an hour, I know he had to have heard me. Stupid childish behavior, that’s what it is. I mean, come on, to not even answer me, how irrational can you be?”

  “I don’t know,” Dina began. “How irrational do you have to be to beat on a door for so long that the side of your hand is blistered?”

  “But—”

  “But nothing, you’re both a couple of childish boys. I don’t know what you’re fighting about, but I do know you need to let me get this cleaned up.” Dina said with a glare from under her furrowed brows, guiding Uri over to where he could sit on the end of her bed.

  After he took a seat, she turned, released her grasp, and went into the bathroom to retrieve instruments she would need to administer medical attention.

  “So, tell me what happened,” Dina called out as she collected the equipment into the fold she had created with her gown. “What has you and Gabe so riled up?”

  “I’m not riled up!” Uri snapped defensively.

  “Of course not,” Dina answered with a chuckle, placing the gathered items on the bed next to Uri.

  “It’s stupid,” Uri continued.

  “I’m sure it is,” Dina answered.

  “No, it’s really stupid, just a misunderstanding and he won’t even listen to me, so I can explain.”

  “How about you start with explaining it to me,” Dina added, lifting Uri’s injured hand up close to her eyes and dabbing it carefully with the dampened gauze. Uri winced in pain.

  “It’s not that bad, you big baby.”

  “Hey, that hurt.”

  “Yeah—Yeah. Now get on with your story,” Dina dismissed.

  “There’s really no story to tell. Gabe saw something that he didn’t understand and just jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

  Dina rolled her eyes, annoyed that getting the truth out of Uri was like an intense dental procedure. “And what did Gabe see that he misunderstood?”

  Uri hesitated.

  “What did Gabe see?” Dina repeated, her hand hovering over the nearby dry gauze, waiting for his response before she continued.

  “Sophie and I kissing.”

  “Uri!” Dina shouted, smacking his blistered red hand.

  “Ouch!”

  “You’re lucky that’s all I did.”

  “What?” Uri cried, trying to pull away.

  Dina stepped back. Intensely staring at him, she asked, “How could you?”

  “It’s not what you think. See, you’re doing the same thing as Gabe and just jumping to conclusions.”

  “Really? It’s not what I think? Well, geez, what a relief,” Dina snarled. “Because what I thought, was maybe you were spending too much time with a girl who has a head trauma. What I thought, was maybe you let her get too close; grow attached to one of the few people she does remember. I’m so glad it’s not what I thought. That means that you didn’t allow your best friend’s girlfriend to get enamored with you, and you didn’t find yourself in a position where she could even kiss you.”

  “Wait, slow down,” Uri pleaded, suddenly terrified of Dina and her tiny frothing body.

  “How could you let this happen?” Dina commanded.

  “It’s not my fault. Sophie asked me to go for a walk with her. I thought maybe I could help jog her memory about Gabe, so I agreed.”

  “Yeah, I bet!”

  “No, really.”

  “You knew she had a crush on you. You knew she couldn’t help it, her mind is so scrambled from this mess.”

  “I promise I only had honorable intentions.”

  “So, then she just kissed you, right? You didn’t kiss her back?”

  “Oh, come on,” Uri groaned. “That�
�s not fair.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “I’m still a guy, I’m not dead you know. It didn’t mean anything. And I sure as hell would not have kissed her back if I knew that Gabe was standing there.”

  “That’s just it, you idiot. That’s what you did wrong. Gabe is losing the one person in life who has loved him back in the same way. Now, on top of that, he feels betrayed by one of the few friends he thought he had in the world.”

  “Well, what am I supposed to do? He won’t even talk to me.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You have to know, he has to forgive me.”

  “Let me think about it for a few minutes,” Dina replied, stepping forward and taking hold of the bandage in her hand. Carefully, she began wrapping the injury.

  “It really is a waste, I mean, all this energy over nothing.”

  “This isn’t nothing, Uri. Maybe you need to realize that for a start.”

  “No, I know, I just meant because Sophie ended up being such a terrible kisser-- Ouch!” Uri shrieked, pulling his hand away from Dina’s tightening grasp. “That really hurt!”

  “Good, I meant it to,” Dina growled. “You’re done, now get out and let me think about this.”

  “Wait,” Uri said as he stumbled towards the door. “When you talked to Michael earlier, did he tell you what was going on?”

  “Just that Bishop would be in charge for the time being and that he needed to speak with you right away. You see, unlike some people, I respect my leader. When he tells me to do something, I don’t ask questions. I just do what I’m told.”

  “Hey, I am trying to do what Michael told me to. He wants me to make nice with Gabe and that’s what I’m trying to do,” Uri protested.

  “Whatever you say, now get out.”

  “Will you quit trying to push me out,” Uri stated flatly to Dina. “I need to talk to you about Michael.”

  “What about him?”

  “The move is not temporary.”

  “What are you talking about?” Dina stopped and stared, confused by what he was saying.

  “He’s a member of the council now.”

  Dina’s jaw dropped as she struggled to process the information she had just been given. There has to be some sort of mistake, she thought. Michael would never just leave us like that, I’m sure of it.

  “You had to have misunderstood,” she insisted.

  “He told me himself, there was no misunderstanding. He said he didn’t want to, but he didn’t have a choice.”

  “Michael would never let them bully him into becoming a council member.”

  “Well, he did.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Dina argued.

  Uri hesitated for a moment, looking around the room as if he expected to find someone listening in on their conversation. “Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but I think they are blackmailing him.”

  “What on earth would they have to blackmail Michael with? He is the most squeaky-clean person I know.”

  “It’s not what, but who they are blackmailing him with.”

  “Wait, I don’t understand,” she replied, her brow furrowing as she stared at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “I can’t really say much more, Michael wouldn’t want me to,” Uri said, backpedaling as he realized he had already said too much.

  “Oh, no you don’t!” Dina exclaimed. “You’re crazy if you think you can just walk in here, drop a bomb about blackmail and Michael’s past, and not explain.” Pressing her finger deep into Uri’s shoulder muscle repeatedly, Dina demanded, “Spill it! Now!”

  Though she was small in stature, her presence was commanding. Uri decided it was best not to mess with her. He had seen her angry in the past, and that was not a fury he wished upon himself.

  “It’s a woman, her name is Mirada,” Uri began. Reaching up, he began to vigorously rub the back of his neck, looking down at the ground as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

  Dina quickly grew impatient, “And?”

  “She’s—” Uri hesitated for a moment longer. “Well, she was the woman Michael wanted to marry.”

  “Now, I know you’re crazy. Michael has never had a relationship like that with someone.”

  “I’m serious! I know he has because I pass messages for him now.”

  “What? What do you mean?” Dina gasped, her voice dripping with disbelief.

  “Whenever Michael wanted to speak with her or warn her about a search party, he would send me to talk to her.”

  “Did something happen to her?”

  “Not exactly,” Uri answered, taking a step back and falling silent.

  “Come on, Uri, are you going to make me pull all of the details out of you, piece by painful piece?” Dina inquired, her expression displaying her discontent.

  “I just don’t think Michael would like me telling you about this,” Uri argued.

  “Then he should be here to tell me himself. He can’t just abandon us like this.”

  “I promise it’s not like that,” Uri insisted.

  “Then tell me, what does the council have on Michael that would cause him to leave us like this?”

  “Mirada is an oracle,” Uri said, finally relenting and caving to the small girl’s will.

  “You’re not seriously trying to tell me that Michael is in love with an oracle.”

  “That is exactly what I’m trying to tell you. When Michael met her, he never intended on falling in love with her. She was incredibly powerful and adamant that she would not get involved with either side of the fight. She was a true believer in neutrality; I think her conviction was one of the things that drew Michael to her.”

  “So, why didn’t they marry?” Dina asked, still only half believing her friend’s tale about their mentor.

  “Michael was going to ask the council for permission to marry her. When he went to them, before he had a chance to ask permission, they revealed a very different plan. They told him about how they had decided her abilities were too much of a risk to the Guardians and how if she were to fall into the hands of the dark army, it could prove quite devastating. They commanded Michael to take her into custody. For her own protection, she would live out her life under the watchful eye of the Guardians, whether she liked it or not.”

  Dina sat silently listening, her mouth hanging slightly open in anticipation.

  “Michael knew Mirada wouldn’t hear of it, but he told her of the council’s plan. He tried to convince her that they could be happy, that he could make sure she was brought to live wherever he was stationed, but she wanted them to run away together instead. Michael tried to explain that if they ran away, the council wouldn’t stop; they would send trackers to find them. Instead, he hatched a plan where he would return with a story that she had been killed by demonic creatures while he was attempting to bring her in.”

  “Are you telling me that Michael wanted to lie to the council? He’s like— Mr. Perfect.”

  “I know, but it’s true. Mirada resisted, she didn’t think he should allow the council to dictate their lives. I think it’s why he is such a hard-ass about choices and the Guardians not removing the ability of choice from a person. They fought about it for a while, but she saw she was not going to change his mind and at last relented to his suggestion.”

  “Did they believe him?”

  “At first. Over the years though, there have been sightings and rumors that Mirada lives. Michael does the best he can to feed Mirada information so she can stay two steps ahead of the council, often sending me as the messenger. I think they might know where she is now; he wouldn’t say, but I think they’re using her to threaten him into obedience.”

  “But— the council wouldn’t do that.”

  “Dina, are you that ignorant?”

  “Excuse me?” Dina growled, her posture shifting into one of a wild animal, ready to pounce at any moment.

  Raising his hands defensively, Uri quickly attempted to correct his careless st
atement. “All I meant is that the council isn’t all knowing. They make mistakes. They mean well, but sometimes in their zealous attempt to protect the way of the guardians, they seem to violate everything we stand for.”

  “There has to be some sort of mistake. Michael has to be coming back,” Dina moaned, slumping into a defeated position.

  “I don’t think he is, at least not if the council has their way.”

  “This is going to destroy Gabe,” Dina said.

  “Damn it, I forgot about Gabe. I have to figure out a way to get him to let me explain. If he would just listen, I could tell him it wasn’t what it looked like.”

  “You need to give him some space, Uri. Let me think on it, alright? I’m sure I can come up with something.”

  Uri leapt forward in excitement, a grin beaming from ear to ear. After planting a kiss firmly on Dina’s forehead, Uri exclaimed, “Thanks, I knew you would figure this out. You’re the best!”

  And in the next moment, in a split second, as soon as the words left his lips, he was gone, leaving Dina standing there and wondering how she got herself into the middle of this mess.

  The hours passed as Dina paced the floors of her room, the recent conversation with Uri consuming her thoughts. Her pink pillows and lush rugs that often gave her comfort from the hard world she lived in did nothing for her now. It did not seem fair that the council could take Michael from them all so abruptly. She could not process the idea that the Guardian elders didn’t understand that they needed him; Gabe needed him. Gabe was supposed to be a savior, the great Guardian protector who would deliver them the prophet safely, yet they didn’t seem to care about what happened to him. It didn’t make sense. The harder Dina thought about it, the less it made sense to her.

  She realized she was no longer pacing, instead she was standing at her door, her slender hand on the door knob. She knew what she had to do; she had known for some time, the difference now was that her body was forcing her to listen. She knew she had to go out and seek the answers elsewhere. Dina reached out with her free hand and grabbed her gray cloak. Stepping outside, she pulled the door shut behind her. She wrapped herself tightly in the heavy wool fabric, making sure to secure the hood. She hid her face away in the darkness, careful not to draw unwanted attention.