Lost Protector (Midworlder Trilogy Book 3)

by Maggie Mundy

  Soren closed his eyes again and this time he saw Anne climbing up a mountain. He assumed it was in the outback. She peered down and waved to her aunt who stood below by the camper van. Anne smiled, and he understood why she would have gone to this place again. The scenery in front of him could only be described as majestic and serene. If a greater force existed, it would have wanted to be there.

  Anne sat down and stared out at the horizon. She started to talk, and Soren tried to make out the words.

  “I wish you could see this, Mum. Aunt Elise says you always loved the big open spaces and not being around people. I understand. I don’t like most people. Everyone wants me to fit in, or they feel awkward. I soon figured out most people don’t have magical pixies watching over them. We come here every year for a couple of weeks. Aunt Elise says it reenergizes her. Reckon she’s a battery or something. It’s called The Bluff. It’s funny, but I always think the world can’t touch me here. Stupid, I know. Just wanted to say, love you and hope you’re happy wherever you are.”

  Soren opened his eyes and allowed himself to smile. Now he knew where to find Anne. He needed to get out of this place for good. He couldn’t afford to wait until dark, and he would not make the mistake of taking one of the cars again. There was an old dirt bike no one used apart from him. He would take it and ride as fast as he could.

  The door to the room would be guarded, so there was no point trying to get out using it. Midworlders could transport themselves short distances, but he didn’t possess the skill. Virgil and the others could disappear and turn up in the next room a second later. He didn’t have wings or any of their powers. He searched his dresser for his stash of money. Female visitors would give him cash when he satisfied them over the years. He plucked a backpack from the cupboard and shoved some clothes inside.

  Soren opened the window and gripped the nearest bar. His muscles still ached from the beating, but he would do this. He gripped the two bars in the middle. Neither of them moved much. Then the metal started to crack. Soren kept yanking and finally the bar snapped at the bottom and he bent it outward. Thirty minutes later, two more bars were broken. It would be a tight fit, but he could squeeze through. He threw his bag out. It was about an eight-foot drop and he went feet first. Soren managed to land and roll on his side without breaking anything.

  Soren peered around and couldn’t see anyone. He ran across to the garage then glanced back at the house, waiting to see if the alarm had been raised. So far, so good. He slid past the cars to the dirt bike at the back of the garage. For once, luck was on his side as the key was left in the ignition. He would still need to get some gas along the way. He snatched a helmet and pushed the bike to the back of the property and the rear gate. He didn’t want to risk the noise of turning it on near the house. Once on the road, he turned the ignition on and headed north. Soren just hoped he got there before Virgil and Cameron worked things out.

  It was night by the time he reached the turnoff for the Bluff. Apart from stopping to grab some food and gas along the way, he fought his tiredness and kept going. He passed a camp on the side of the road with lots of people. Soren drove on. He headed down a dirt track to the small campsite at the base of the mountain. He could see a light up ahead and hoped it was Anne’s camper. Bingo. There she was, sitting outside her van eating. She wore a T-shirt with a big sunflower on it and just looked like a camper enjoying the peace of the outback. He was about to destroy that.

  She jumped up as he drew up on the bike. She grabbed a knife off the table beside her and held it up toward him.

  Soren undid his full-face helmet and took it off.

  “It’s me, Anne.” He placed his crash helmet on the handlebars of the bike and put his hands in the air. He wanted her to trust him. Her hand shook as she held the knife in front of her. This was her safe place, and he was invading it.

  “How the hell did you find me?”

  There was no point in lying. He needed her trust.

  “I saw this place in your mind when you showed me how to get to your home.”

  “What the hell. Why are you here? Did you manage to contact the Angelic guys? Are they coming or did you bring your friends with you?”

  “Virgil and the rest of them have never been my friends. I sent a message to the Angelics after I left you. I honestly don’t know if it got through. Virgil went to your home and found an old album. There’s a picture of this place. I came to warn you that you need to leave before he comes.”

  Anne put down the knife and dropped into the chair. She placed her hands over her face and her shoulders started to tremble. Soren didn’t know what to do. She rocked back and forth and he understood her desperation. He’d fought a losing battle all his life and he didn’t have anything to offer now. So many times in his life he wanted someone to care and hold him. Would she want him to touch her and comfort her?

  He moved closer and knelt before her chair. Anne leaned forward and rested her head against his shoulder. Soren encircled her body with his arms and held her close while she shook. He sensed her strength at coping with what life threw at her, but she couldn’t cope anymore.

  Neither of them spoke. The two of them just held on to each other like the lost souls they were. When the shakes stopped, she moved away and wiped the tears from her face.

  “Sorry. So what do we do next? Do you have a plan? Because my brain is too befuddled to think right now.”

  “We need to leave.”

  “That’s your plan? Where are you going to go so those weirdos won’t find me?”

  What did he have to offer her? He knew little about the real world everyone lived in. He would try and find an Angelic Midworlder for her. Once she was safe, he would go.

  “We need to find an Angelic for you. They’ll protect you where I can’t. I don’t want my Enclave to hurt you.”

  A smile came to her face as if he had given her a glimmer of hope. He just prayed it wasn’t a false one.

  “We should pack up now and head to Sydney. I read one of their minds before I left and his memories contained mention of an Angelic called Edric Carrington. We have to try to find someone who knows him.”

  Soren heard the rumble of thunder overhead and then the rain came. Anne rushed into the van. The rain came down so heavy he was already drenched to the skin. The van was so small and he didn’t want to intrude.

  “What are you waiting for? Get in,” Anne yelled, though he could hardly hear her over the roar of the thunder. He jumped inside the van and she yanked the door shut.

  “Well, we aren’t going anywhere until the storm passes. Plus the road will be mud. Take off your wet jacket and dry your hair. There’s a towel over there.”

  Soren did as he was told. He knew how to obey orders if nothing else.

  “As we’re stuck here for a bit, and I don’t have a clue what’s happening, we should talk. I’ll tell you what I know, and you reciprocate.”

  Soren knew she would be disappointed with his lack of knowledge. He sat there, not knowing what to say.

  Anne shook her head at him. “I’ll start then. I reckon you and I have realized we’re not normal as far as the rest of the world goes. Correct?”

  “Yes.”

  The rain pelted the roof of the van as they sat at either ends of the narrow bed.

  “My mum was a bit crazy,” Anne said. “That’s an understatement. She was lots crazy. Said she loved an angel. Said he came to her one night and then left. Thought she had the second Immaculate Conception. She smoked a lot of weed and did drugs so no one believed her.”

  Anne laughed, but Soren knew the sound of fear. It was ingrained into him.

  “When I was six months old, she tried to kill me. Set the nursery on fire. My aunt saved me, but Mum died.” Anne paused, then said, “This rain is good. I love the rain.” Anne touched the roof of the van as if
she was trying to feel the water on her fingertips. “Put a bushfire around me and I still freak out to this day.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Anne shook her head at him. “I was a baby. I don’t remember anything. You ever lost anyone?”

  His strange existence seemed more normal sitting near Anne. Her life had been different to his, but neither of them belonged to anyone or anything. Her aunt had tried to help, so Anne still believed people could be good. Soren was more skeptical.

  “I’ve no one to lose. I’ve no family and don’t know who my parents are.”

  Anne frowned and raised an eyebrow as if she didn’t believe him. Hell, he wished it wasn’t true.

  “No brothers or sisters? You have to have a mother. Mine was shit, but she was there for a bit.”

  “I remember nothing, and Cameron, who’s in charge of the Enclave, hasn’t been forthcoming with any information. Surprise, surprise.” Soren suddenly found the van closing in on him as she asked questions there were no answers for. He didn’t want to be flippant, but the alternative was despair.

  “So what are you, if you’re not like them? Can you give me a reason why you’re helping me?”

  He would tell her what he knew.

  “I can only remember the last seven years of my life while I lived at the Enclave. Whatever came before has been wiped.” Would she believe him? Saying the words out loud sounded ludicrous, even to him.

  “Explain these Midworlders to me. You said they’re aliens. The whole scenario is messing with my head. It’s like something from a Hollywood movie, not my real life.”

  “It may seem hard to accept, but it’s true. They are aliens and so am I to a certain extent.”

  Anne bit her bottom lip and stared at the floor. Then she opened a small cupboard and brought out a bottle of red wine. “If you really are an alien, I need this. Even if it is the last glass of red I drink.”

  She filled up two tumblers for them.

  Soren took a gulp of the red liquid. It tasted of blackberries and lavender and he imagined a quaint vineyard. She raised her glass to him, and he replied in a salute.

  “Full-blood aliens live on Homeworld. They can’t come to Earth in their real form. They come as Guardian angels attached to people. When the aliens have enough energy, they advance to become a higher lifeform, known as an Elevated. The original planet these races came from died and now the two groups unwillingly share a world. The Elevated of both races gaze into the void of space to find a new home.”

  Anne laughed. “I’ve never understood why people look for happiness when they have everything they need at their own front door. If Mum had wanted me, I’d have followed her anywhere.” Anne gulped down the wine and poured another.

  Soren wished he could remove the sadness of Anne’s past, but he didn’t have much to offer except an ear to listen.

  “Midworlders are half breeds. They have to live on Earth because they can read minds back on Homeworld. We come here or go back there to die. Not really much of a choice for most. Unlike the others, I don’t remember much of my time growing up on Homeworld.”

  “So, say I believe you, then why are the Demonics interested in me? Apart from me being weird and all.”

  “Cameron said you don’t have a Guardian. Midworlders can sense the attachment on people.”

  “You can’t tell, though, can you?”

  “No.” Soren wondered how she knew.

  “I used to see the angels and demons on people when I was a kid. Aunt Elise taught me meditation. She believed it could guard you. Mum believed it too, but she was attracted to the angels. My aunt said they were like a drug to Mum.”

  “It explains why the people from the Enclave couldn’t find you.”

  “I could cope with everything until Aunt Elise died. I saw a guy at the funeral who I didn't know. He creeped me out with the way he kept staring at me. I knew something was up big time when he turned up with Virgil at my house. I reckon my aunt protected me more than she realized. Tell me more about the people at the Enclave. If they’re after me, I need some dirt on them.”

  “They have tattoos of wings on their backs. When they want, the wings appear and they can fly. The Midworlders only do it at night so the human population won’t notice. When they fight, they expel energy through their hands. It’s another talent I don’t possess. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be if they attack. You must also promise me something, Anne. If I tell you I’m going dark, you must get as far away as possible.”

  “I promise, but I don’t think you appreciate my level of understanding dark. By the way, I had a vision of you on a train track. Virgil came with wings and stopped you from killing yourself.”

  Soren’s heart beat so fast he was surprised she wasn’t staring at his chest. How were they sharing their minds? He wished he knew what was happening so he could protect her.

  “Cameron. The Enclave leader stopped me.”

  “I know you said you could go into a rage, but when I saw you on the track, you smiled, like you wanted to die? I suppose I’m overstepping the mark here, but we’re up shit creek without a paddle. I’m going to call it as it is.”

  He liked her analogy. “Some of the Elevated want to come to Earth. The only way is through the body of someone here. It’s not possible if the person has a Guardian attached. Homeworld would pick up on it. There is an Elevated called Liliath who would use either of us to get here. She would cause death and destruction. I’d rather die than give her my body or let her touch you.”

  Anne poured them both another glass of wine.

  “So what other special powers do they have?”

  “The Midworlders heal quickly and age slowly. Most are strong and fast and can mind read like me. They can teleport over short distances in the blink of an eye.”

  “So what can you do?” She raised an eyebrow as she smirked at him.

  “I can heal, and I’m strong. I wish I had more to offer you. To be honest, I don’t know what I am, but I know I’m not human. Cameron and Liliath have been giving me treatments to keep me alive. I’ll not lie to you. I don’t know how long I’ll survive away from them.”

  Anne took his hand in hers and squeezed.

  As always, her touch calmed the furor within his body. He stared at her hand and then her face. He didn’t see pity, only understanding, in her grin and shrug of the shoulders.

  “No one is going anywhere in this weather. Let’s hope it keeps Cameron and that huge prick, excuse my language, Virgil, away as well. I’ll chuck one of the mattresses on the floor for you.”

  “I’ll watch over you while you sleep.” It was all he could offer.

  “To be honest, I think we’re both dead anyway if your ex-friends catch up with us.”

  Anne settled down for the night, and Soren lay on the mattress. He could hear her breathing slowly as she fell asleep. He didn’t know Anne, but he would help her. She was like him: at the mercy of people who knew more about them than they did about themselves. For once, his life had meaning. He didn’t know her, but he cared about her and she needed him. He would rather die than let her down.

  Soren woke to the sound of cockatoos screeching as they flew overhead. For a second, he wasn’t sure where he was, then he glanced up to see Anne. She was awake and staring at his chest. He had been hot in the night and had taken off his T-shirt. He was naked to the waist. She blushed and smiled. Women had admired and used his body back at the Enclave, but this woman staring at him now had a profound effect upon him. There was such innocence in the way he’d caught her peeping.

  He found he liked having a woman smile at him and for it to have nothing to do with money. No one had ever shown him affection. He had been used for sex, but no emotion came with the act, just money at the end of the session. The connection with women ended with
their orgasm. He fulfilled a contract, and the sex filled a temporary need for him.

  “Let’s try to get out of here. Hopefully the road won’t be too bad,” Anne said as she threw back her blanket.

  Soren put his T-shirt back on. He grabbed the door handle when it was yanked back with force from outside.

  Virgil stood there with a smirk on his face.

  Heart sinking, Soren realized he had failed again, but he would go down fighting.

  “Thought I’d find you here,” Virgil said. “Have you been screwing an unprotected female? Didn’t think you had it in you. Once she has a Guardian, I might have a go myself.”

  “Over my dead body,” Anne cried from behind Soren.

  Soren mentally prepared himself. This fight would hurt, as they always did. He needed to get Anne away before the others turned up. He’d suffered in the past, and at least now he had something to fight for.

  Soren didn’t wait for the attack. He charged out of the van and hit Virgil in the abdomen. Virgil fell backward onto the ground. Soren pounded the big oaf with his fists. He used the memory of the bashings of the past to motivate him.

  Virgil threw him off and aimed a kick at his back. Soren had watched the Midworlders training at the Enclave over the years. He knew the strike to his lower spine would paralyze him temporarily. He rounded on Virgil again and managed to get a blow to the big oaf's jaw. Virgil jumped and flipped over Soren’s head and grabbed him from behind. Soren heard Anne gasp and realized Virgil’s wings may have materialized.

  “Cameron and the others are on their way,” Virgil said. “Why don’t you be a good little freak and stop fighting? A woman like her is not for you. She needs a decent Midworlder between her thighs. One who can satisfy her.”

  Blind rage pumped through Soren at the thought Virgil would be near Anne in an intimate way. He would never let the one person who showed him affection to be touched by the likes of Virgil.