Son of Eden, a Paranormal Romance (Tales of the Guardian)

by Brianna Merrill

  Xavier sensed the moment of weakness and in a flash had reversed his body and was now slamming Alexander’s shoulder blades to the ground. But Alexander gave no resistance whatsoever.

  “Oh, don’t pull that trick on me, I’m the master of the vision trick,” Xavier said. But when Alexander did not respond he knew it was no trick.

  “Alexander!” Emily jumped from her chair to be at his side.

  Xavier held his arm out to stop her. “Let him be, he’s fine. He’ll snap out of it in a sec.”

  As if on cue Alexander blinked his eyes, signaling his return to reality. Before anyone had a chance to react he was on his feet, looking completely normal again except for the serious expression that now tensed every feature on his face.

  “They’re coming,” he said in a low tone.

  “Now?” Emily glanced around her, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable.

  “No, with the rain. They will get here when the rain first starts falling,” Alexander responded, still lost in the memory of his vision.

  With that comment they all glanced at the sky to determine the forecast, but there was not a cloud in sight. Relief washed over Emily. At least it wasn’t going to be in the next few hours.

  “Weren’t you given a specific day?” Xavier was clearly frustrated.

  “No, I’m afraid it is as Aldara warned. Because I have intertwined my fate with Emily, my visions are no longer as precise as they could be. But the time felt close, like tomorrow night,” Alexander explained.

  James darted inside, giving no explanation for his actions, which left everyone wondering what he was up to. Within a minute he emerged onto the deck with a laptop in his hands, already open and on.

  Sitting down in the chair beside his daughter, his fingers flew over the keys. He waited only a moment as everyone kept their eyes on him.

  “It says here that the forecast for tomorrow has a 30 percent chance of light showers.” He glanced up to meet everyone’s stares. “That’s not a very high chance of rain, but the day after that has a seventy percent chance of precipitation. Maybe it’s not tomorrow, but the day after.”

  “No, its tomorrow I am sure of it. I can feel it,” Alexander replied as he shook his head. “And it’s not going to be light showers, it is going to pour, trust me. But it won’t start until after sunset.”

  “Did you get a clear picture of the number?” Xavier questioned.

  “Not as clear as I would have liked, but it looked like our enemy will bring fifty or sixty,” Alexander replied calmly, but there was obvious concern on his face.

  “Isn’t that good? That’s the lower number we were hoping for, right?” Emily was confused.

  The expression on Alexander’s face was not what she had expected.

  “The number is low, but it’s just strange.” Alexander closed his eyes again in an effort to recall the vision more clearly.

  “What’s strange?” Xavier asked.

  Alexander opened his eyes. “I just imagined the attack would come in waves, as in ten to fifteen at a time. I did not believe the Opposition could muster enough criminals to work together as one solid team. We all know those type of humans with susceptible minds don’t work well with others. I figured the Opposition would influence small bands of men and gangs that would attack sporadically.”

  “So they’re coming as one force.” Xavier revealed that it wasn’t what he expected either.

  “It is a well-coordinated attack, almost like a small army. There is even a leader that is controlling everything. But I couldn’t get a clear picture of him. He was fuzzy, like he was out of focus.” Alexander furrowed his brows in contemplation, trying to make sense of the unusual circumstances.

  Emily had a hard time controlling the sense of panic that was rising within her. She felt sick to her stomach.

  Alexander looked up again. “We only have a short amount of time. I need to get back to speak with the Governing Five. Cyrenna must be aware of what I have just seen. I am sure she has told the others about my vision, but we need to discuss how we can coordinate our defense. The problem will be that our fighters will continually change, since some may need to leave for their own Travelers. This will be tricky. The best thing to do is to have Athos call and inform as many Guardians as possible. He can let them know how things are to happen and then hope that enough of them can be ready.”

  “Yeah, that’s the best we can do at this point,” Xavier agreed.

  “I can help Xavier finish the windows while you’re gone. It will only take another hour or so,” Emily’s father offered.

  “I won’t be gone long. Thankfully these windows are about the last preparations needed. Xavier, as soon as I return you will need to go place the bundles of staves in the spots we designated, understood?” Alexander commanded.

  As though a switch were flipped, Alexander had gone from his fun, playful side into his driven and firm war general.

  Emily figured that hard part of his personality was what she would see until it was all over. That was, of course, if they both survived.

  Two hours later Emily began to pace alongside the piano as anxiety grew inside her. Alexander had never been gone this long and she assumed that he would be bringing bad news. Her father helped Xavier finish covering the windows and decided to start dinner. Even though it was a little early for a typical evening meal, it was a good distraction for her father and Xavier.

  After a few more minutes of Emily’s pacing, she heard her father excuse himself from the kitchen and walk the few steps down into the sunken living room.

  “Hey, sweetie, come sit with me a minute.” He motioned for her to join him on the leather couch.

  Emily looked up to meet her father’s loving smile. She hadn’t noticed he was in the room until he spoke up for the second time. Her thoughts had been the only things she could hear, they were consuming her.

  Emily cuddled in close to her father, tucking her legs beneath her and leaning into him, just as she had done as a small child. They had a close relationship all her life but had grown even closer after her mother’s death. He placed his arm around her to offer the warmth and security only a father could give.

  “I know you’re worried but we all need you to believe that everything is going to work out,” he said soothingly.

  “How can you say you know everything’s going to be fine? None of us have a crystal ball; we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Emily argued.

  “Knowing everything’s going to be fine doesn’t come from knowing what the future holds. It comes from believing that all things have a purpose—that all things happen for a reason. No matter the outcome, good or bad, that is the way it was intended. There is peace in knowing that much.”

  “I don’t know how you’ve developed that perspective Dad, because I can’t seem to accept some things, no matter how hard I try.” Emily fought the sting she felt in her eyes.

  “You mean like your mother.”

  “Yeah like Mom,” Emily whispered.

  “I want to share something with you that I don’t think I have before.” He paused briefly to take a deep breath and then continued. “A few days before your mother passed away I was reading to her from one of her favorite books, Gone with the Wind. Your mother lay listening quietly and then faintly laughed at something. I asked her what she thought was funny. She responded by saying, ‘Poor Scarlet. She’s so caught up in the toil and trouble of life that she misses all the joy that’s in the journey.’ Your mother’s words struck my core. Here was my wife, dying from a brutal fight with cancer and she was in no way bitter or caught up in her plight or the pitiful cards she was dealt.”

  “You know your mother always had health issues her entire life, and yet you never heard her complain. We tried for years and years to have a baby, and in the end, after all the doctors and treatments, we were told it was hopeless. I remember how hard it was for me to accept, how crushed I felt. I was denied something I knew I deserved. But your mother…your mother never grew
bitter or sad. She simply said that she would accept whatever was given her and that everything would be all right, and I knew she wanted children even more than I did.

  “She believed that we are all given certain trials in life, no one is exempt. If she just endured hers with a thankful and loving heart, she would be rewarded eventually and all of her losses would be made up for in the end. So instead of lying there on her death bed complaining about all the pain she went through, and all the things she knew she was going to miss, she talked about how wonderful life was, and how everything was so perfect.”

  Emily’s father paused to wipe the tear from his eye and regain his composure.

  “I asked her how she could say that life was perfect. How was perfection possible when she had endured such hard things? Her answer was simple. She told me that her life was perfect because she knew that everything that had happened to her, everything she had gone through, served a purpose and that made it perfect. I learned a lot from your mother. She was wise beyond her years and carried an inner peace that could not be replicated or devoured by dismal circumstances.

  “The peace she had came from believing that everything had purpose, even the bad things. Even though she didn’t know why some things happened and others did not, it didn’t matter. What mattered to her was that they happened. She knew how to recognize the joy in her journey, because it all meant something.”

  Emily let the tears freely stream down her face. She was blessed to have such an amazing mother and father. Many people were not so fortunate. The idea of being gracious and accepting things as they happened suddenly seemed simpler, more rewarding.

  Emily’s father squeezed her tightly. “So no, I can’t say that nothing bad is going to happen. But, I can say that what is supposed to happen, will happen, and that makes everything okay. I gained that perspective from your mother.” He kissed her on the cheek and then held her for a few moments in silence.

  After Emily dried her tears, she raised her head to look into her father’s eyes. “Thanks, Daddy. You always seem to know what to say. I’m so glad to have you here with me.”

  “I’m glad I’m here, too. I haven’t taken a vacation this long in years,” he said enthusiastically.

  “I’m not sure if this qualifies as a vacation.” Emily groaned.

  “Why not? I’m not working; I’ve spent the last two weeks with my daughter in our cozy vacation home on the lake. We’re keeping the best company we could ask for. And you can’t argue about the cooking, you only eat food like we’ve had every day when you’re on vacation!”

  A genuine smile spread across Emily’s face. The two men in her life were the ultimate idealists, and if she didn’t love them so much she might find the trait annoying.

  “That’s better, keep a smile on your face and enjoy the time away. I guarantee you’d rather deal with a fierce mob than all the catch-up work you’re going to have at school when we get back.”

  Emily’s smile gave way to a small giggle. Little did her father know, any time she wasn’t with him or Alexander, she had distracted herself with homework. But, that distraction wasn’t currently available. Right now, all she could do was sit and wait.

  Chapter 16

  * * *

  Tribulation

  The first crack of thunder rumbled above and sent chills down Emily’s spine.

  It was still light out and there hadn’t even been a sprinkle all day, but the familiar smell of rain was now in the air and Emily knew that within the hour it would be nightfall and the rain would come.

  Looking out over the deck was a sight that, just about a month ago, Emily would have never believed. Spread across the back lawn of her home in Cooperstown, was close to fifty athletically-built men and women that all had one similar trait: green eyes. They all stood silently looking at the two of them.

  Alexander wasted no time in addressing his fellow comrades.

  “Brothers and sisters, the time is nearing for the battle to begin. With the first onset of rain will come the attack of our enemy.” The boom in Alexander’s voice matched that of the thunder above. “I will remind you that the Opposition will use modern weaponry to their advantage. It is one of the only ways to defeat us. You will prove successful if you remember to disarm your attacker immediately, and if possible disassemble the weapon in the process. We have trained for this and I know you are all competent when it comes to disabling most types of guns.” Alexander scanned the crowd letting his eyes make contact with as many Guardians as possible.

  “Staves have been strategically placed alongside each tree within a hundred yard radius of this house; use them wisely. If you are impaled with an object I advise you to shift forms and seek safety to remove the object before it heals within you. I do not wish to see any of you defeated and we all know that once we cannot shift forms we lose an advantage.” Alexander paused, letting his words of warning penetrate.

  He had given many speeches to Guardians before battle, but this time more was riding on the outcome than ever before.

  “I know that many of you may question why this battle concerns you, why you should be here to defend what could be perceived as only one Guardian’s problem, my problem. Let me remind you of the words spoken by our Governing Five. Though we may not know the exact reasons, Emily’s fate is tied to our own. There is a purpose in her survival. May you be present to greet the first rays of light from the new dawn that approaches us all, to bask in the warmth that you will earn by your efforts on this dark night.”

  Alexander’s words stirred Emily’s heart. She felt inspired and knew the Guardians must have felt the same. It was no wonder Alexander was a general for his kind. He was not only skilled in fighting, but he inspired and uplifted those that followed him.

  It was also the first time Emily felt empowered by the concept that, for some reason, her fate was tied to the Guardians. She still had no idea as to how she could do anything for them or why she was now linked to their future.

  “There must be purpose in all of this. I must be important in some way… possibly….”

  Emily looked over the crowd of Guardians that had come to ensure her safety.

  Words could not express her gratitude, and she wished that time had permitted her to thank each one of them individually. She cringed at the thought that some might not be around for her to do so afterward. Some of them could die, and there was no question whether she would feel responsible.

  Emily pushed the thought from her mind; she was trying to be more positive, like her father. Her attention was drawn back to Alexander’s words that echoed though her ears.

  “There is no human on earth that can match your skill in combat. You are the elite; you were created for this. Let your motions be swift, your strikes powerful and set your eyes upon your goal. Let no Guardian feel the coldness of this night. Allow your fires to burn within you, to fuel your every move, your every thought. This night let us only know victory, now carry it out!”

  All the Guardians erupted in a loud cheer. It was like watching a herd of wild mustangs, ready to stampede out of a corral they were penned in.

  The Guardians quickly dispersed throughout the trees surrounding the home. Emily watched as they each went to a previously designated spot. She was so amazed to see how swiftly and stealthily they all moved. It reminded her of watching some movie with ninja warriors who always seemed to move so gracefully and fast. It was beyond human capability.

  Alexander wrapped his arm around Emily’s shoulders, his familiar warmth seeping through her clothes and onto her skin.

  Pulling her tight, he whispered in her ear, “Let’s get you inside.”

  As they turned to walk inside Emily gave one last glance over her shoulder to the few Guardians that were still visible from the deck.

  “Please let all of them survive.”

  “Don’t worry, they are trained for this, this is their purpose.” Alexander had a knack for knowing her thoughts.

  Once inside the house, Alexander and
Xavier made a thorough sweep checking all the windows and doors. Emily felt like she just might suffocate from the darkness that surrounded her. Not a hint of natural light penetrated the house and it was depressing. She felt like some animal trapped in a cage. She knew Alexander had closed her in to protect her, however, if someone did break through the fortifications, Emily was certain the house would be a death trap, with no way to escape.

  Standing silently in the living room, Emily concentrated on breathing. The air felt heavy and stuffy, like every breath of air she took in added a pound of weight to her body. Her father stood by her side with his arm around her, methodically rubbing her shoulder. Alexander and Xavier returned as the first raindrops thudded down upon the roof. Everyone held their breath in anticipation. It was only a moment until the rain got louder and heavier. The sky unleashed its fury, as though it too wanted to join in the fight.