by Lee Morgan
Sarah wore her black sleeveless shirt, which had a diamond shape cutout below the collar of the shirt, which revealed a classy amount of cleavage. With her new bust size, it made the cleavage in the diamond stand more pronounced. Her thin waist flared, when they met her swaying hips. She wore short black shorts, which exposed her luscious and toned legs. Her figure is one to fawn over, but that showed nothing compared to her countenance. Her heart shaped features was the first thing to hold his attention. Sarah’s expression was calm and pleased on a creamy complexion. Her lips were full and the most beautiful and natural shade of a pinkish red. Her waist length hair was the color of healthy earth. Then there is the most captivating part of her entire ethereal beauty, her eyes. They are the color of living emeralds and evergreen. They are the color of life, his life in particular. Besides the physical attractiveness that will always allure him, her amazing mind surpasses all that.
Her lips parted as she spoke in her rich velvety voice. “How did you sleep last night? Comfortably I hope.” Then she smiled shyly.
His grin couldn’t stop itself from coming to life. “I’m not sure.” Sarah’s green eyes locked with his with worry. “I’m not sure if I did. Maybe you can try to help me to sleep again like we did last night.”
She looked away as her face flushed deep red. She bit her bottom lip for a moment before saying “Maybe I wasn’t sure if I had any sleep either. Maybe we should try it a little later. Maybe multiple times, until we get it right.”
Then they looked at each other again and smiled lovingly.
As he finished cooking, Shannon finally came back with clean hands. She and Sarah sat across the table from him as they began consuming the meal. It took a few minutes until he could see them over the mounds of food. By the time his meal was finished he had gained another three percent of his energy.
Shannon asked to help clear and clean the dishes while Sarah went into the other room to wake Darrel and Pearl and give them their bottles.
As the young Keeper handed him a plate, one at a time, she asked “Connor, what are we going to be doing today?” She wasn’t really asking that question, she wanted to know what needed to be done for the imminent arrival of the guests.
Apparently Shannon spoke to everyone right now because Sarah brought out the two car seats that were being used as rockers. Sarah sat down in one of the dining room chairs, silently, while waiting for his answer.
He spoke to everyone while hand washing the dishes in the sink. “There are many things that are going to be needed done. When your older brother and sister arrive, along with Xaon, I’ll have them do something important. I truly don’t want to do this, but some things are unavoidable. After something else is accomplished, I’ll need to work with everyone and build large shelters for many guests.”
Shannon went silent, but Pearl stopped suckling on her bottle to ask “Daddy, How many people are coming here?”
He looked into her brown, blue and green eyes and smiled. “There will be more people than you’ve ever seen. If you are good, I’ll take you and your brother to see everyone.”
Darrel also stopped drinking to say “I know I’ll be on my best behavior.” Then he shifted his eyes to his side. “Pearl, don’t do anything to jeopardize this for me. I want to see all these different…”
“Bite me.” Pearl harrumphed and stopped transmitting. Then she took her bottle back and slowly finished it off.
Sarah looked at Connor while smiling and shaking her head.
Around ten in the morning Connor felt the approach of someone.
Shannon sat between Sarah and himself, on the sofa. He was holding his daughter while his son rested contently in his car seat. Jenny called earlier and said she couldn’t miss another day’s work. She said she needed to keep up appearances. Jillian contacted them by telepathy and said if something comes up to contact her so that she and Jack could come over then. Mark, Kara and his grandparents were all sitting around the dining room table, playing poker with no stakes. That didn’t make it any less fun. Actually Rhoda was in the lead.
Connor stood up slowly and caught everyone’s attention. He spoke evenly “Someone is on their way. Come with me to see who arrived first.”
Kara was the first to the door and grinned. She was out first and the rest of them followed her outside. “Brother, where are they coming from?”
His feet crunched the grass as his stride walked right past her. She and everyone followed all the way to the center of the yard. He spun around and looked north, above his home. Sarah came by his side as she now held Darrel in her arms. She smiled as he projected his mind to the south, established connection and said “Jillian, our first guest is on the way.”
Her mind went immediately on alert. “We’ll be right there.”
Less than a minute later he sensed their approach. Soon the in-laws arrived and stood beside Sarah. What was surprising was that Jillian wore her dagger on her hip and Jack carried his metal club, Haunt. Connor didn’t have the time to ask as he felt an active energy coming in their direction. Looking to the side, Sarah sensed it too and was looking directly towards the source.
Sarah then stated. “I only feel one person heading our way. It must be Xaon.”
Two minutes later, a large shadow arrived. Connor’s instinct told him it was a benevolent creature. It was a large male Keeper with long and well muscled arms. He swooped down and landed before their stationary line. His large, black scaled head was glossy as it reflected the sunlight. He had something large strapped to his back because rope crossed over his sea blue robe. Then Connor looked into a pair of large, reddish orange eyes.
Then a familiar mind reached for theirs when the eyes connected with Connor’s. “It is very good to see you again, Connor. The Head Elder requested that I search you out for further orders. Apparently this is an emergency situation. Before we greet each other, may I ask what is going on? I do not need all the details, just a simple overview of the situation.”
David stood to his right and was looking at the Keeper before him, but his look said he didn’t hear a word. “Granddaddy, please hold Pearl for a minute.” He blinked and took over the care of his granddaughter.
Connor took a few steps forward. “It is good to see you too, old friend. If you want a simple answer, we are preparing for war!” Xaon stepped closer in wonder. He then knelt to look more closely at him. “We have approximately three months to prepare. Is that enough of a simplification?”
“Will this be a worthy fight?”
“That it will. There will be many lives lost, but maybe you might survive.”
Xaon’s lips drew back into a barred and excited smile. “Then this will be the challenge of a lifetime. Will it be more exciting than our last match?” Connor grinned back. “Then I’m in. I haven’t had a decent life or death battle in over millennia.” Xaon looked behind him and then back. “So what will you have me do?”
“First we wait until our other guests arrive. I’ll explain what to do after that. In the mean time, I’d like to introduce you to my grandparents, who are human so don’t forcibly enter their minds, and my children.” Connor then raised a hand to him. “Before you meet them, how have you been, Xaon?” He only smiled happily.
He offered his clawed finger and they greeted one another. He then greeted everyone in the line. He was deeply fascinated with meeting Shannon and both of his children. Xaon seemed only mildly surprised to hear that Connor had a son. While he did the rest of his greetings, Connor witnessed that Xaon had a Japanese katana strapped to his back. The sword was the longest he’d seen and also made from Dark Steel. He remembered Xaon once saying he spent time studying Japanese baseball, but he also must like their trademark weaponry.
About an hour later Xaon, Sarah and Connor sensed two strong energies coming this way. They all lined up again as the two figures appeared and landed approximately where Xaon first did.
As they landed, Shannon broke from the group shouting “Big Brother! Clarein!” The two ta
ll keepers dropped to their knees and allowed Shannon to visit them. After their short reunion, they looked up at the others.
Firon’s large eyes were a lighter shade of gold than his mother’s and his sister’s. Even as he knelt, he radiated strength and absolute pride. Around his throat hung his necklace with a pendant made of gold, designed with a shield with crossed swords. It is the crest of the Immortal Guard. Hung around his left shoulder was a large bag that clang with metal when it moved. His mate Clarein looked at all of them with a calm pride. Her amethyst eyes swept over the group and returned them to Shannon who just climbed into her lap.
Xaon and Connor walked closer to them for a greeting. Firon met his eyes and stated “Connor, it is heartening to see that you are well. My mother has explained the situation and ordered me to listen to your command until the Head Elders arrive. What is your first order?”
He looked at the three Keepers and sighed. After bolstering himself, he managed to speak with complete authority. “Since time is a major factor, I’ll need you three to help me. We need to summon every immortal to this location. The only way to do this is to initiate an emergency Keeper’s Call.” Everyone went silent as he continued. “As all Keeper’s know in their laws, when three Keeper’s send out this message, it is an emergency gathering of all immortals. The three of you have the strength to accomplish this task. The sooner everyone gathers, the better chance we will have of survival.”
Xaon was the first to speak. “Connor, there has only been one emergency meeting even in my lifetime. Are things truly this serious?”
Firon answered for him with the upmost seriousness. “From what my mother has explained, this isn’t some game. You know she is the mate to Head Elder Sorono. If he is doing what I think he is, this situation is more than dire. We must to this immediately.”
Xaon took those words to heart as he realized the gravity of the situation. But it took only a few seconds to see a challenging fire light in his eyes.
“Little one,” Clarein said to Shannon. “I must stand alone to do this. Please hop off and stand back … thank you.”
Connor held out a hand and Shannon took it. They moved away as her brother and Clarein stood up in perfect synchronicity. Firon dropped the large bag on the ground and he stood between Xaon and his mate.
The three sleek looking Keepers stood almost shoulder to shoulder as the rest watched on quietly. Each one of them closed their eyes as an enormous amount of power was being summoned. Wherever their skin and claws showed, it began to brighten. Xaon gathered his power much more quickly than Firon and he did so faster than Clarein. Soon their bodies glowed a bright white. Then when Xaon reached his peak, a mild shockwave released from his body. It felt like a single blast of wind.
The first Call was sent out. And every immortal present heard a sound that was similar to a grand iron bell being struck and then felt an immediate attraction to Xaon. They each received a temporary bond from his call. Sarah and Connor prepared the twin’s for what to expect last night and they didn’t cry out in fright thanks to the forewarning. It still scared them a bit, though.
Xaon dropped heavily to his knees as his body ceased to glow. Then Firon released his Call and he too dropped to his knees. Finally Clarein released hers and stopped glowing.
As all three calls were sent, there was no turning back whatsoever.
The three Keepers were all on their hands and knees while panting heavily. Each one of them had almost completely drained their energy levels. Sending out a Keeper’s Call drained the caller of almost all their inner strength, but it gives an attraction to every immortal in the world, directly to them.
Rhoda broke the silence. “Are all of you ok!? Why did you collapse!?”
Kara looked at her and asked “Grandma, did you hear or feel anything?”
“Nothing except for the three large gusts of wind.”
Kara crossed her arms. “Huh, so humans really cannot feel the bond. Don’t worry, they will regain their strength soon enough. Soon this place is going to be crawling with other immortals. If you or Granddaddy come around here, stick close to me for protection.”
David still cradled Pearl as he asked “Why do we need a babysitter?”
Kara’s seriously dark expression silenced their ignorant grandparents. “Listen, Many Keepers and Balancers are accepting of humans, but if Changers sense weakness they won’t think twice about sinking their fangs in your throat. Remember me explaining how some of my kind live only by natural instinct. Some of us lack the compassion we once had as frail humans. Don’t ever forget to have either Mark or myself close by if you want to come over. You must promise me Granddaddy. Otherwise you cannot even stop by for a visit. I won’t be happy if you kill yourself.”
Everyone becme silent at hearing Kara’s sincerity. David nodded.
Connor walked up to Xaon when the mood lightened. He was still weak. “Go ahead and remove my bond to you.”
He nodded and placed a clawed hand over his head. Soon the bond rose and disappeared, and had returned a portion of the energy back to Xaon. Connor then moved to Firon and Clarein to have them remove their temporary bond. Soon only one bond remained and it belonged to his mate.
As Sarah moved to remove hers and Darrel’s bond, Connor retrieved Pearl from David. Soon every immortal lined up and had their temporary bonds removed. The Keepers even removed the bonds from each other. By the time everyone finished unbinding themselves, the three were able to stand up while still looking mildly fatigued. It was a burden they all shared.
Sarah walked to his side and placed a hand on his forearm. “Connor, since that is finished, I think that we should get ready to go.” Everyone quietly looked over at them. He smiled at her which made her do it too.
He looked at everyone to announce “Since we are going to have so many comrades coming here, I think it best to let an old friend in on the secret. In case something happens it would be good to have some extra support.”
“Who are you thinking about, Brother?” Kara asked while looking knowingly and slightly confused as to why he’s doing this.
Sarah spoke instead. “We decided to tell Sheriff Burrow and Mrs. Burrow about us. We honestly trust them to keep a cool head in a difficult situation and this one will be the toughest. Mark,” he perked up to look at her in a confused way. “may I ask that you and Father show Xaon and Firon to the field and help them in the building process?” Connor’s best friend and father-in-law looked at each other and they both shrugged indifferently. “Thank you ever so much.” Then she looked up and smiled. “Clarein, may I ask that you represent the Keepers for us, please?”
Clarein smiled. “I’d say yes, even if the Honored Mother didn’t tell me to listen to you as well. I do owe you a debt of gratitude?”
Sarah looked confused, but then shook her head. “Thank you, but I’d like to hear about this debt later. You and Shannon can go and play together behind my house or in the woods. These humans will meet you last because we need to see how they handle us first.” Clarein nodded with a knowing smile.
His mate’s entrancing eyes met his while looking slightly happy. “Ready to go, Connor?”
Sarah’s personal Greek God smiled proudly at her and her heart began sprinting. He was proud for some reason and guessed that it was from her giving those simple orders. It didn’t feel all that important to her, but his smile was of complete pride. His smile is for her. It made her insides warm and her chest felt like it was beating an audible drum solo. His rugged and chiseled features changed shape as he spoke.
“Sure thing, Princess.” Then he shifted his smile down to her cradled arms and then to his. “Darrel, your mom and I need to go and get our friends. I’ll need you and your sister to stay here with everyone until we get back.”
Darrel shuffled a little bit until he could look effortlessly between Connor and herself. “But Daddy, I want to go with you too!”
“Don’t forget about me, Daddy!” Pearl chimed in from her father’s arms.
>
Double teaming usually worked.
Sarah gained both of their attentions by saying “We wish we could bring you, but your dad’s right. This is going to be a very stressful situation for them as it is. But there is something that you can do for us.” Now that quelled them and gained their attention. Four small eyes were intent on hers. “When we come back with the Burrow’s, I would like for you two to speak with them when either your father or I tell you that it will be alright. You may speak as you normally would with any of us, but be considerate. They might have a hard time understanding how different the world actually is. Can you do that for me?”
The twin’s looked at each other and then Pearl said “We can do that, Mommy. If we’re good, may we get a treat?” Then she looked up at Connor. “Just not the same kind Daddy gave us last night… yuck!”
A short giggle escaped Sarah’s lips and her free hand clamped over her own mouth. Connor fought a deep belly laugh himself. She pulled her hand away from her mouth and said “Of course. I’ll give you each a popsicle for a reward.”
Darrel let out a small giggle and said “Good job, Pearl. I didn’t even think about asking for a reward. Way to go!”
Pearl only smiled happily.
Jillian appeared out of nowhere and said genuinely “Even if you are a little mischievous, I’ll make sure you get that popsicle. We’ll just keep it a secret from your parents now won’t we?” Both of her grandchildren grinned with only gums.
She lightly warned “Mother, now don’t start corrupting my children while I’m still around to hear it.”
Jillian placed a palm on her shoulder and grinned. “That one of the perks of being a grandmother. I can do whatever I’d like and get away with it. Since they aren’t strictly mine, I can hand them back over whenever. When they are with me, they will have the time of their little lives.”
Connor walked forward and leaned closer. His piercing eyes were focused on Sarah’s mother, but he was smiling. “Well then Grandmama,” He cradled Pearl away from his chest. “have as much fun as you’d like, without burning my home down. We’ll be back shortly.”