Personal Guardians

by Rachel A. Collett

  “But—are we done?”

  “Yes.”

  I crossed my arms, trying to keep my disappointed feelings from taking over my better judgment. “Why?”

  “Ava, so far, I’ve seen you use this power twice, and both times you were angry.”

  “What made you think I was angry?”

  One eyebrow pitched high. “You scream when you’re feeling peaceful?”

  The muscles in my shoulders slumped. “I will try to control it better next time.”

  Darius sighed. “If you’re that powerful when you’re angry, I don’t know how much more powerful you’ll become when you’re truly set free.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Set free of the anger and hurt that you’ve built up all these years. And believe me, I understand why, but I’m afraid that this lesson is not one I should teach you after all.”

  “But you said—”

  “That I would teach you, yes, but if I’m right, Ava…” He paused, looking out over the trees to the sky above. “If I’m right, you will be even more powerful than I originally thought.”

  “I’m not powerful, Darius,” I mumbled, feeling ashamed. Ashamed I had hurt him, ashamed I wasn’t able to control my feelings.

  He picked up the blanket with one arm and set it on the back of the quad. “Could you put the quilt into the bag and tie it off for me?”

  I did as I was asked. Darius remained silent. When I had finished strapping the bag to the back of the quad, a curious expression pulled at his features. His eyes narrowed. I took a step away, but his hand caught me by the arm. Despite my struggles, he easily pulled me toward him.

  “You are powerful, Ava, and it’s not a bad thing.”

  “Apparently it is,” I said, shrugging him off.

  “It is good, and I’m impressed. Truly. We just need to get it under control, right?”

  I almost growled at the use of the word. He was right and I knew it, but my father had tried to control me all my life and this is where it had led me. Anger pricked at my face, but I kept it contained. I would need to practice more if I were to master this new talent, and I had just the person I wanted to practice on. I was sure Jonathan would relish the idea of being my sparring partner. He wouldn’t be afraid.

  “Can you drive for me?” Darius asked, interrupting my train of thought. He lifted his injured wrist.

  “You’ll have to teach me.”

  I climbed onto the quad. He took the seat behind me and proceeded to instruct. I didn’t even mind when he gripped my waist with his good arm.

  “We need to check the northern perimeter first before heading back.”

  “But your wrist—”

  “It’s just a sprain, Ava. It’ll be back to normal in no time.”

  I shifted nervously in my seat, wondering how my friends would react to his injury. An injury I had caused. I started the engine, then placed the quad into first gear. Following his directions, we were soon speeding away from the creek, heading toward the orchards. Exhilaration filled my senses and left no room for any other annoying thought processes. The stone archway came into view, a warning that we would soon pass beyond the sanctuary’s protective barrier.

  Darius called for me to slow. Stopping yards before the edifice, we climbed off the quad. He walked beneath the structure, the reinforcing walls stretching out only a few yards before they collapsed into heaps of broken debris.

  As he searched the grounds around the border, I peered up at the aging stones in awe of the craft. Although they looked ancient, they were still strong, their keystone proudly locking together two sides of compressed rock. I caught sight of familiar markings etched across the foundation.

  “What does it say?” I asked, pointing at the arch.

  Darius glanced over, but only briefly. “It’s a Chord. God be with you.”

  But could God save those that passed through to the demons waiting for them on the outside? I walked beneath the archway, past the protective barrier. A surge pulsed and peeled away from my body as I stepped free of my sanctuary’s shield. I gripped my arms, feeling somehow colder.

  Ava, look…

  A whisper of a voice sighed to me against the breeze. The hairs on the back of my neck crawled against my spine, and I shivered.

  I glanced over at Darius. Oblivious to the voice, he continued his trek north through the fields. Pulling my blade, I followed the direction the voice had called and headed west. The sun was high above and I stayed away from the shade, seeking warmth as I made my way through the orchards. I could still hear the crunch and shuffle of Darius’s boots, but Jonathan’s warning to not exit the sanctuary alone made me nervous. Just as I was about to turn back, my gaze caught upon a pair of bare feet, then a flowing black dress speckled in dirt and fallen leaves.

  “Darius,” I tried to call, but it only came out as a pathetic whimper.

  Her skin was sunken and ghostly white. Gray hair fell in clumps over her face and around her head. Arms crossed over her heart, her gnarled fingers clasped the fabric at her chest as if she herself had purposefully done so before lying down in the dirt. A piece of white paper was stuffed into her grip.

  “Ava, what are you doing?” Darius asked, coming closer, but I remained frozen where I stood, unable to get any nearer my nightmare reincarnate.

  “Are you listening to—?” Halting his steps, he swore before pulling his cell phone from his back pocket. “We’ve found another body. Alert The Three and bring security and the doctor to the northern perimeter, fifty yards west of the arch. Hurry.”

  He shoved his phone away and ran his fingers through his hair.

  “They will be here in less than five minutes,” he said, studying the prone form. He maneuvered around her, searching the area for others, but it was only her. I could only feel her—

  Satisfied we were alone, Darius crouched down and inspected the old demon.

  “I don’t see any signs of violence, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t attacked.”

  I gripped my knife even tighter as he moved the strands of hair from her face.

  “She’s very old. If she were really frightened—”

  “Are you sure she’s dead?” I blurted. Terror twisted my stomach into knots.

  He looked at me queerly. “Yes, Ava.” His eyes narrowed, his expression worried. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded once, but he didn’t seem convinced. After a moment of hesitation, he stood and made his way towards me.

  His removal of the hair from her face allowed me to see skin pulled tight across sharp bones. With her mouth gaping open, her jaw dropped down and back, exposing a graying gum line and elongated teeth. I shivered again, finally looking at Darius.

  He placed his good hand on my shoulder and examined me. “I forget that you’re unused to seeing dead people. Why don’t you go back inside the sanctuary and wait by the quad?”

  But I wasn’t going anywhere without him. Not now.

  The shake of my head was the only answer I gave.

  He sighed and walked back to the body. He stooped to pull the stuffed piece of paper from the demon’s hand. And then he froze.

  “Ava. You need to see this.”

  I growled. “Move, you coward,” I said to myself, cursing my fear.

  My body creaked when I forced my legs forward. Arriving at Darius’s side, I refused to look at my mother’s demon as I gingerly took the slip of paper from his outstretched hand.

  A gift for Ava.

  My breath caught within my throat. My pulse thudded in my chest.

  A gift for Ava.

  I began to shake. Swallowing hard, I shoved the paper back into his hand.

  He seized my fingers before I could pull away.

  “What does that mean?” he asked, but before I could answer that I had absolutely no clue, two white trucks raced through the archway and in our direction.

  Darius released me and motioned them over, his eyes nervously shifting to me and away again.

&
nbsp; Unable to withstand any more of his scrutiny or the sight of the crooked old woman’s face, I left him to meet with those already exiting the trucks.

  Laith rushed to me. “She’s over there.” I pointed, trying to avoid any questions he would have.

  As I approached the nearest truck, Elisa slid from the passenger seat, worry etched into her expression. “Are you alright, Ava?”

  I only nodded. “Fiona.” I reached out to the Healer before she could pass with her husband. She looked me up and down curiously, her wild hair blowing in the breeze.

  “Yes?”

  “Darius’s wrist is sprained.”

  “Oh?” Cedric asked from just behind, but Fiona kept my attention, her knowing eyes searching mine.

  After a moment, she nodded. “He will be tended to.” She took Cedric by the arm, and they walked away with Elisa.

  Noah, Zane, and others jumped from the back of the truck and began securing the grounds. Charlotte emerged with them, eyeing me curiously.

  She sauntered towards me, stopping at my side. “Death seems to follow you, my Defender.”

  I hummed at her pointed remark, feigning indifference. “It would appear so. Which makes you think, doesn’t it?”

  “About?”

  “If what you say is true—” I glared at her, my blood pressure rising. “Do you really think you should stand next to me?”

  Her eyes flashed. A grin lifted one side of her mouth. “It must be so frustrating for you. To realize that all this time you were meant for something great, but forced to be mediocre.”

  My vision clouded over, but I remained calm. “You would know, wouldn’t you?”

  Her voice lowered, dark and surly. “I was meant for something great.”

  I spat. “Enlighten me,” I said, but she ignored me, her focus on the others as they gathered together around the body. Just as I was about to walk away, she spoke.

  “It’s interesting to view The Three this way. You’re just like everyone else. Trying to learn your potential, relying on others to guide you—not all that special. It makes me wonder what the rest of them were like when they first… started on their journey.”

  “Your point?”

  “It’s just interesting, that’s all,” she said with an irritating shrug. I sighed in relief when she finally strolled away, her hands stuffed into her pockets. I allowed for a good distance of separation before joining the others.

  From behind came a commotion of voices.

  “You there!” The doctor popped his head from one of the trucks and called to a random member of the compound security. “I want you next to Hector. I need one more. Where’s Noah?”

  Fiona tsked. “Come Benito,” she called to him. “We will keep you safe.”

  When he still didn’t budge, Hector took the doctor by the arm, nearly dragging him. Dr. Maynes yanked his arm free from Hector’s grasp and adjusted his glasses that had gone askew.

  “This isn’t right. Lug an old man out in the middle of nowhere, unprotected. I don’t have powers, you know.”

  Fiona stepped forward, her arms raised. “Benito…”

  But he waved off her advance, marching the rest of the distance to the scene. “I don’t see why the body can’t be brought to my office.” He continued to gripe as he inspected the demon.

  “This is what we found in her hands.” Darius offered the piece of paper to Laith with his good hand, keeping his swelling wrist concealed. I wondered if he hid it to not look weak, or to save me the trouble of explaining. Either way, I was grateful.

  “I see no injury, no signs of a struggle,” the doctor said. “Could it be so hard to imagine that this little old lady died of natural causes?”

  “She’s not human,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

  “What did you say, Ava?” Laith asked.

  “She’s not human. That’s the demon that visited me the night before last. My mother’s demon.”

  “You’re kidding.” Charlotte scoffed, looking around at the others for further explanation.

  Fiona crouched next to her grandson to peer closely at the face of the demon. “So, this was Violet’s human,” she said, gently brushing the woman’s hair to the side.

  Violet. Like the flower on my wall. Had my mother painted that for her demon?

  The doctor grimaced at his grandmother’s actions. He wiped his hands down the legs of his pants and arose. “I do not examine demons.”

  “I’ll do that.” Cedric went to his knees. Placing one hand atop her head, he closed his eyes.

  My insides swirled. “Should you be doing that?” I said, wanting to drag him away.

  He peered at me curiously. “Ava, I sense no evil here. Look.” He gently pulled the skin of one eyelid back, exposing a light blue iris. Not black.

  Cedric centered his focus again and took a deep breath. A moment later he released her head. “The demon took great care of this body. I feel no damage, only normal wear and tear to the mortal frame. A bit underfed perhaps, but I have a feeling that was self-induced.” He stood, pulled a white handkerchief from his back pocket, and wiped his hands on the linen.

  “Anything else to be learned from the body?” Laith asked.

  “No. This is just a shell,” Cedric confirmed.

  “Good. Burn it.”

  “What?” Caught off guard, I stared at my friend in shock.

  “Ava, this is one of the Fallen,” Laith said. “We do not bury them, we burn them. Believe me, the demon wouldn’t mind, and our residents would feel uncomfortable having a burial plot for a demon.”

  I glanced at the old lady. Now that I was certain nothing lived inside I felt a little sad for what they were suggesting we do. “But wasn’t this body mortal once? What about the family it belonged to?”

  Charlotte pished beneath her breath and walked away. The others looked at each other awkwardly.

  Elisa placed a soothing hand on my shoulder. “There is a reason why we burn the bodies of the Fallen, but first we must teach you the difference between the kinds of demons that you will experience—”

  “But now is not the time nor the place,” Dr. Maynes interrupted. “And so, if you will excuse me, I will take my guards and head back to my room. I suggest this conversation be had at a safer location, not here where something might be watching or listening.”

  “I do not sense—”

  “Hector! Hector!” The doctor bellowed, interrupting Cedric.

  Hector grimaced, standing just behind the old man.

  “Oh, there you are. Come, come, my lad. No time to lose.” The doctor called to a few more men, and together he and his entourage went back to the truck.

  “Benito is correct,” Fiona said. “This discussion needs to happen back at home.”

  Darius turned to Elisa. “May I suggest taking Ava back to the sanctuary? We’ll meet up with you when we’re done here.”

  Members of the compound gathered material for a fire. Laith and Cedric helped. Elisa and Fiona awaited my decision. I nodded, unwilling to be anywhere near the blaze when my mother’s demon was put to rest.

  “We will go,” Fiona said, “but first—”

  She took Darius by the arm. She slid her hand down to his wrist. Gently she lifted it, admiring the discoloration, and pressed her fingers against the swollen flesh. Closing her eyes, she mumbled a simple Chord before placing her lips to his skin.

  My face flushed red, but for what reason, I was unsure.

  Fiona backed away and presented his healed wrist. “Good as new, my Darius.”

  11

  Dark differences

  I gazed around the lush garden kept from discovery by a ten-foot fence. Ivy grew in thick layers, covering block walls, creating a peaceful fortress. A haven inside a haven.

  Flowers climbed trellises, poured from beds, and crawled between paved pathways. Strings of lights draped across the sky; lanterns hung from tree branches. A familiar sound beckoned and, looking toward the soft babble, I saw an elegant water
fountain, a door just behind it.

  “Your grandson’s office?” I asked, tilting my head toward the doctor’s door where I had first spied the beginnings of the garden.

  And where he had stabbed me.

  “Yes.” Fiona smiled. “That was our nursery at one time, and now it is Benito’s office and suite. My room is just there,” she said, pointing to a door painted the same color as the ivy surrounding it, camouflaging it from immediate view.

  Elisa paced the grounds, plucking a daisy from its stem.

  Fiona spread her arms above her and closed her eyes. “This is a place of refuge for me and for anyone needing peace.” She lowered her arms and looked at me. “That includes you, my niece. This garden stretches down the entire southern side of the compound. It is where I come to think and to learn. It is a safe place for me to teach you about the type of dark demons you will face in your calling.”

  Movement caught my attention as a man slowly stepped into view, a wary expression on his face. I recognized him as the man who had asked me to sit next to him at breakfast the previous morning. He glanced at me, acknowledging my presence with a nod.

  “And here is the miracle worker that keeps this place so beautiful.” Fiona smiled upon the newcomer.

  “I am glad my lady is pleased with her garden.” Payton stepped closer, his hands gripping the edge of a wide-brimmed hat.

  “The garden is for everyone,” she said.

  “Yes, but it is for you that it was made.”

  She gathered him in an embrace. “This man is a genius,” Fiona said, clutching his face and giving it a gentle squeeze. I almost laughed out loud, but he put up with her attentions with only a puckered smile. “And where is my Yvette? Why hasn’t she come to see me?” She released his cheeks.

  “Her absence is my fault, my lady,” he said, rubbing his chin. “I told her you would be busy with important matters and to leave you alone for a few days.”

  She inhaled a shocked breath. “No, Payton. Never stop my little one from coming to me.”

  “It won’t happen again.”

  “Ava,” Elisa said. “Payton is not only a garden genius; he’s also an incredible scientist. His ideas and inventions have received world-wide recognition—”