The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘So Nathaniel isn’t just a demon, he’s an Immortal,’ Olivia frowned, ‘how the hell do you kill an Immortal? I’m guessing we’re going to need something a hell of a lot stronger than an exorcism.’

  ‘There is only one way for you to destroy him,’ Calypso told her, ‘God fire.’

  Olivia’s face paled.

  ‘What the hell is God fire?’ Charles interrupted.

  Olivia drew in a shaky breath and rising restlessly from the couch she paced the room slowly, all eyes on her. They all faded away and she found her mind returning to Tartarus, the deepest pit of the Underworld and to what Prometheus had told her.

  ‘I stole into Zeus and Hera’s palace, to the great fireplace in their bed chamber. In the hearth burned the fire of the Gods, in all its many colours. I took one single flame of each color, one of the deepest ocean blue, one as silver as the most precious metal, one as red as the finest wine, one as purple as the heavens as the sun begins its descent and one as green as the endless grassy fields of Elysium. I took these flames and twisted them together fashioning a single flame of the five ancient fires.’

  ‘What happened?’ she had whispered entranced.

  ‘I snuck away under the cover of night and fled to the mortal world. There I found a young girl sleeping in her bed, so young, so sweet, with pale skin and dark tresses, barely more than a child. I came to her in a dream, I gave her the flame and told her to keep it safe, knowing that when she woke with the dawn she would have no memory of our conversation, nor any memory of the flame that lived inside her, lying dormant…waiting.’

  ‘Why her?’ Olivia had asked.

  ‘Because of you...you are of her blood, the fire has awoken and you are the one destined to wield it.’

  ‘But why?’ her eyes widened in disbelief, ‘why me?’

  ‘Because it was always you, granddaughter,’ he looked at her, his expression was tender and filled with affection, ‘you will shake the very worlds to their foundations.’

  ‘No,’ she shook her head in denial.

  ‘You know it is true,’ he told her softly, ‘it all begins with you.’

  ‘What begins?’

  ‘The dawn of a new age, everything will change and you will arise, a living banner and the whole universe will tremble.’

  She hadn’t wanted it, the weight of responsibility and she’d told him as much.

  ‘Why do you fear the darkness granddaughter?’ Prometheus had asked her curiously.

  ‘Because it is too easy to lose yourself to it.’

  ‘Child, do you not yet understand?’ he’d replied with a puzzled expression. ‘There is no such thing as darkness, only an absence of light and you…you are a living flame.’

  ‘Olivia?’ her father’s voice broke through the memory and brought her sharply back into the present.

  ‘God fire,’ she replied quietly, ‘is all five of the ancient fires combined. I can conjure four of them, Earth fire, Spirit fire, Hell fire and Witch fire.’

  ‘What’s the fifth one?’ Roni asked curiously.

  ‘Demon fire,’ Olivia whispered.

  ‘No!’ Theo stood abruptly, ‘absolutely not, no way. Olivia is not conjuring Demon fire,’ his blazing gaze locked on Calypso accusingly. ‘You were there last time, when she saved Sam, it almost killed her. Sam said it himself; no human has ever summoned Demon fire and survived.’

  ‘She’s not like everyone else though, is she?’ Calypso told him pointedly before her penetrating gaze turned on Olivia, who was standing quietly, watching her. ‘You haven’t told him, have you?’

  ‘Told me what?’ he whirled toward Olivia.

  ‘Tell him,’ Calypso said softly, ‘he needs to know, he needs to understand.’

  Olivia looked across to Theo and lifted her hand. The tiny green flames appeared, flickering and dancing over the palm and round her fingers.

  ‘No,’ he shook his head.

  ‘I couldn’t purge it completely, when I pulled it from Sam.’

  ‘It’s been inside you all this time, ever since Salem?’ his eyes darkened.

  ‘It wouldn’t let me go,’ she whispered.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ he asked painfully.

  ‘Because I was afraid of what it meant,’ she admitted softly.

  Theo stepped to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close.

  ‘You don’t have a choice Olivia,’ Calypso told her, ‘it has to be you…because it can be no other.’

  The gathering had pretty much broken up after that bombshell; there wasn’t really much more to be said and Olivia wasn’t in the mood to hear it anyway. She’d disappeared into her bedroom as soon as she could, leaving Theo to deal with all their departing friends. She knew she shouldn’t have abandoned him but she just needed some space to process everything. It always came back to her, and her God damned destiny. She wanted to scream, she wanted to rage at the unfairness of it all, but at the same time she wanted to lie down and pull the covers over her head and pretend it wasn’t happening. She lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as Beau snuggled into her side. When had her life become so complicated? When had her life become a never ending circus of Gods, Goddesses and Demons?

  Now Calypso was telling her she needed to conjure Demon fire, the most powerful and unstable of all the ancient elemental fires? She was having enough trouble just keeping it under control now that it seemed to be permanently trapped in her body. There was no way she could purposefully call it; the vastness of it would overwhelm her. The truth was, she didn’t trust herself. She’d felt the edges of the power she’d summoned, she knew how easy it would be to allow herself to become lost to it. She was pretty sure there was a good reason why the ancient fires were the domain of Gods and not mortals.

  And yet…if it was the only way to stop Nathaniel, her hand drifted down to her belly, but how could she risk her children? She had no idea how it would affect them to be exposed to such an unstable power. She felt sick, knowing that she had to make a choice. She needed to stop Nathaniel but in doing so, could she really risk the lives of her unborn children?

  Closing her eyes she let out a deep breath feeling truly weary, right down to her soul.

  Theo scooped up another beer bottle and empty pizza box, glancing around the empty room. Calypso was gone, Charles had left with his half siblings, and Louisa and Tommy had taken their beautiful little boy and headed home too. That left Mac, who was waiting in the car with Jake and Roni, and Tammy who’d needed to use the bathroom before she left.

  ‘Do you need a hand cleaning up?’ Tammy asked as she stepped back into the room.

  ‘No,’ Theo gave her a small smile. Giving up, he tossed the empty pizza boxes back on the table, ‘how about I walk you out though?’

  ‘I’d like that,’ she smiled.

  They turned back to the doorway, looking up as Roni walked back into the room.

  ‘Oh hey,’ she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, ‘I’m glad I caught you Theo. I almost forgot, I found the symbol you were asking me about.’

  ‘What symbol is that?’ Tammy asked.

  ‘This one,’ Roni handed her the piece of paper with the sketch Theo had made of the Ankh with a serpent wrapped around it.

  ‘I saw it in a vision,’ Theo told her.

  ‘It’s an Ankh?’ she handed the paper back to Roni, ‘isn’t that Egyptian?’

  ‘Yes,’ Roni replied, ‘but it’s more than that. This particular design I found in a book on conspiracy theories.’

  ‘Conspiracy theories?’ she replied dubiously.

  ‘It’s supposed to represent a secret organization called the Veritas,’ Roni replied.

  ‘The Veritas?’ Theo answered sharply.

  ‘You recognize it?’ Roni asked curiously.

  ‘The Veritas is real,’ he replied, ‘or rather was,’ he frowned. ‘It was founded by my brother Logan and a man named Justin Gilbert back in Salem. When Lo
gan was killed, our father James Wilkins took his place. It was supposed to be a secret society, created to protect witches and people of magical descent.’

  ‘Justin Gilbert you say?’ Roni mused, ‘I wonder if that’s an ancestor of Jake and Louisa’s?’

  ‘Well I met him,’ Theo replied, ‘and I can tell you, he looked just like Jake. I’d be very surprised if there’s not a familial connection.’

  ‘I might look into that,’ Roni smiled, ‘it’s piqued my curiosity.’

  ‘That doesn’t surprise me,’ Theo smiled back at her.

  ‘Listen Theo,’ Roni told him seriously, ‘I don’t know why you’ve been dreaming of that symbol, but you should know that whatever the Veritas was originally intended as, that is probably not what it now is.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ he frowned.

  ‘Everything that I’ve read about the Veritas does not make for happy reading. It’s the Holy Grail for all the most hard core conspiracy theorists. They believe that the Veritas are a very powerful, clandestine organization, which is obsessed with gaining magical knowledge. They believe the Veritas have stolen or have in their possession many of the most powerful objects in history.’

  ‘That can’t be right,’ Theo frowned, ‘they were supposed to protect and educate.’

  ‘Look I can’t tell you what the truth is Theo,’ Roni shrugged, ‘all I can tell you is what the rumor mill is spinning about them. But trust me when I say, this is a whole can of worms you do not want to be opening, especially now. If you want my advice, if this organization is real and still in operation today, stay away from them. No good can come of it. If they are obsessed with magic, it risks exposing Olivia and Jake and all the others like them.’

  ‘Thanks Roni,’ Theo took the paper back and shoved it in his pocket.

  ‘No problem,’ she nodded, ‘I’ll wait in the car for you Tammy.’

  ‘Okay,’ Tammy replied, hooking her arm through Theo’s.

  Roni disappeared back through the door leaving Theo and Tammy to make their own way out.

  ‘So you had a dream about them?’ Tammy asked, ‘a premonition?’

  ‘Kind of,’ Theo shook his head, ‘I was dreaming about James and he had that mark on his wrist.’

  ‘Was that the dream where I died?’ she asked bluntly, as they headed for the front door.

  Theo looked at her sharply.

  ‘You seem to forget I have dreams of my own,’ she stepped back out onto the porch. ‘I’ve seen the same things you have Theo. I’ve seen Olivia in the clearing; I’ve seen what happens to me.’

  They walked down the steps from the porch, arm in arm as Theo tried to find the right words.

  ‘Tempy,’ he stopped and turned toward her, ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be sorry Theo,’ she held his face gently, ‘don’t ever be sorry. You must protect Olivia at all costs; I’m expendable, she’s not.’

  ‘Is that how you see yourself?’ he frowned, ‘because you’re not expendable, not to me.’

  ‘Theo I’ve had an extra few decades that I shouldn’t have had. I’m living on stolen time,’ she shook her head. ‘Look I don’t want to die, but no matter what happens from this point on I’ve had a good life, I have very few regrets.’

  ‘I’m not going to let anything happen to you,’ he replied stubbornly.

  ‘Theo,’ she smiled, ‘you sweet stubborn man, you have to protect Olivia now, I’m not your responsibility anymore. You have to protect her and your children.’

  ‘Temperance Beckett,’ he replied sternly, ‘you are my sister and I love you. I don’t ever want to hear you say you’re not my responsibility. I will always do whatever is in my power to make sure you are safe.’

  A car horn suddenly blared, breaking the moment.

  ‘I don’t think you need to worry too much,’ Tammy turned back to the car where Mac and the others were waiting for her. ‘I seem to have my own guard dog these days and he’s just as stubborn as you are.’

  ‘I’m glad Mac’s watching over you.’

  ‘Like I had any kind of choice,’ she laughed, ‘he moved in and won’t leave. He’s been sleeping on the couch. Who knows we may just survive this after all.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Theo wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug.

  ‘I hope so too,’ she smiled stepping back as the horn blared again.

  ‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ Theo chuckled, stepping back and watching as his sister climbed into the car and they backed out of the driveway, unaware that another pair of eyes had watched the whole exchange.

  Nathaniel looked up at the pounding on the door of his motel room. Curious, he rose from the small squat chair where he’d been sitting and approached the door, opening it slowly. Recognizing the man on the other side, he stepped aside and allowed him to enter, closing the door firmly behind them both.

  Cameron Walker glanced around the small motel room, barely taking in any of the details. His mouth was dry and his head hurt like hell. He hadn’t had a drink since the night before and his hands were already beginning to tremble slightly.

  ‘Deputy Walker,’ Nathaniel smiled slowly, ‘what brings you to my door this evening?’

  ‘Agent Boothe,’ he nodded, ‘I’ve got some information for you.’

  ‘Have you now,’ he poured a glass of whiskey, watching in amusement as the other man’s gaze followed his movements.

  Cam swallowed hard, his throat aching.

  ‘Drink?’ Nathaniel smiled smoothly, holding out the glass.

  Cam accepted the glass with trembling fingers, before knocking back the entire contents in one go.

  ‘Another?’

  Cam nodded, holding out the glass and watching as Nathaniel refilled it. He knocked that one back too, barely even tasting the strong liquor. After a few moments the worst of the tremors had subsided.

  ‘So what exactly is this information you have for me?’ he asked smoothly.

  ‘Proof…’ he wiped his mouth shakily with the back of his hand, ‘of a conspiracy. I told you, I told you it was a cover up.’

  ‘Why don’t you start at the beginning?’

  ‘I was in the woods by the West place,’ he sucked in a breath, ‘there was obviously some kind of meeting going on. The new Chief was there and the Curator of the museum, also Jake, with his sister and her husband, who’s ex-military, and the Mayor herself was there. Not only that I swear I saw Charles Connell. He’s on the run and wanted for murder, but he was with Helga, one of the other deputies and another man who looked just like her. I got as close as I could to the house and saw a black woman arrive, but I don’t know who she was. When people started leaving, I saw Olivia’s husband Theo walking out arm in arm with the Mayor.’

  ‘Go on,’ Nathaniel urged him, his eyes filled with interest.

  ‘The weird thing is he called her by a different name.’

  ‘What name?’

  ‘He called her Temperance Beckett, said she was his sister.’

  ‘You’re absolutely sure that’s what you heard?’ Nathaniel asked.

  ‘I could hear them clear as day,’ Cam nodded.

  ‘Well…well…well,’ Nathaniel smiled slowly, ‘Temperance Beckett. It seems her brother is not the only one with a proclivity for jumping through time.’

  ‘What?’ Cam replied in confusion.

  ‘Nothing,’ Nathaniel shook his head, ‘is that all?’

  ‘It’s enough, isn’t it?’ Cam answered his eyes now bright and eager. ‘There’s a definite connection there, Olivia is harboring a dangerous criminal and I know she’s a murderer herself. Theo and Mayor Burnett are keeping the fact that they’re related a secret, the Chief and half of the police department are in on it. We need to call in the rest of the Feds, start up a proper investigation, and figure out what’s going on.’

  ‘Well I have to thank you,’ Nathaniel stared at Cam appraisingly, ‘you’ve been more useful than I expected.’

 
; Nathaniel circled Cam slowly.

  ‘So are you going to contact the bureau now?’

  ‘I don’t think we’ll bother them with this,’ he smiled.

  ‘But…’

  The protest died on Cameron Walker’s lips as his head snapped to the side in a sickening crunch of cracking vertebrae and he slumped lifelessly to the floor.

  ‘Thank you very much for you service Deputy Walker,’ Nathaniel stepped callously over his body, ‘but I’ll be taking it from here.’

  He poured himself a glass of whiskey, tipping the glass up and allowing it to side down his throat slowly. When he’d drained the glass he smiled. So Mayor Tammy Burnett was in actual fact Temperance Beckett. Now that was a useful piece of information. Theodore had obviously gone to great pains to make sure her identity remained a secret.

  Nathaniel refilled his glass and raising it to his lips he glanced down to the corpse at his feet, his devious mind turning over the new information.

  ‘Well thank you Deputy, you’ve just handed me an ace,’ he mockingly toasted the dead man; ‘now I think it’s time I paid the Mayor of Mercy a personal visit.’

  22.

  Olivia padded barefoot across the kitchen, flipping the coffee machine on as she went. Opening the cupboard she reached for the cereal only to find the box empty. Frowning to herself she discarded the empty box and reached in for a new one. It felt suspiciously light as she lifted it down; a quick peek revealed that it too was empty. Reaching back into the cupboard she pulled down a box of pop tarts…empty…

  Throwing away the boxes she pulled out a loaf of bread and dropping a couple of slices in the toaster, she pulled out the butter and reached for a jar of Liddy Mayberry’s Cherry preserve, only to find the jar almost empty. She frowned again, she was sure that jar had been almost brand new. Not even Theo with his sweet tooth could have gone through it that quickly.