Awakened Guardians

by Logan Byrne

  “Where are we going first?” she asked through her veil.

  “I know of a shop, I used to go there every now and then. It’s a little seedy, so keep close to me and don’t touch anything when we get inside. Everything there has a price, whether you intend to pay or not,” I said.

  “That’s not ominous at all,” she mumbled as we walked off.

  We came to a street crossing, where I noticed a tattered, weatherworn poster with my picture on it clinging to a lamppost. I glanced at it, a recent photo of me, boasting a reward up to five thousand gold coins for my capture. I almost contemplated turning myself in when I saw the amount they were offering.

  It made me even more conscious of our surroundings, keeping my head down and not making eye contact with anyone. I saw two more posters of my face before we walked up to the shop, a small antiquities shop with a black storefront.

  A little bell jingled overhead as we walked into the dimly lit shop. The room was quiet, enough to hear a pin drop across the street, and when Rosie closed the door behind us the creepiness factor immediately set in. I never liked coming in here, even when I had something to sell, and I knew safety was going to be more important than ever dealing with the man who owned the shop.

  I used to sell my wares to him, and I knew the type of man he was. He would sell his own mother out for a single bronze coin, so a bounty of five thousand gold on my head would have me bound and gagged before I could even get a spell off to defend myself. Even though the danger level was high, I knew he would know about the wand, if only the legends about it. He was my only option.

  I walked up to the shelves, looking at a myriad of mystical delights laid out in an orderly fashion, some with genuine cobwebs stuck to them. They looked as if they hadn’t been touched or moved in years. I heard murmurs from the back, the man’s voice faint yet recognizable, before he floated outwards, a creepy grin on his face as he greeted us.

  He was about five-foot-five, his skin pale white, with eyes as dark as night. He wore a black sweater and gray pants, and his hair was puffed up and thinning. He was the type of man you’d have nightmares about. “How are we this fine afternoon?”

  “I hear you’re the one to speak to if one is seeking a treasure,” I said.

  “Ah yes, I am the one those searching for secrets seek to speak to,” he said, likely giddy about being able to use his riddles.

  “I seek something I cannot find, and neither can others. Can you help me find it?” I asked.

  “What is it you seek, young traveler?” he asked, moving closer, the stench of rotting garlic on his breath. I winced, the smell penetrating my scarf, before I cleared my throat and continued.

  “I seek a wand made of crystal, for which one must be worthy,” I said.

  “Oh my, that is quite the feat indeed,” he said, floating back over towards his front counter. He pulled out a book, a huge tome, blowing off the caked-on dust before opening it up and quickly flipping through the pages. “Come, my child, and witness for yourself.”

  I walked over cautiously, never knowing what he was going to try, before looking at the book and seeing a page about the wand. The book was old, maybe from the early thirteenth century, with yellowed parchment and fading ink that talked about a white wand with veins of gold. It was the wand to end all wands, the owner being thrust upon evil to vanquish whatever darkness lay in its path.

  “So it’s real?” I asked, looking back up at him.

  “Many would say it is, while many more would say it is not. How do you know what’s real, if such a thing has never been found?” he asked.

  “You rely on faith,” I said.

  “Frivolous faith will not get you far, but a certain ambition for greatness will,” he said.

  “Where would one go if one wanted to find such a wand?” I asked.

  “Where the wind is cold and the temperature harsh. A place so barren life itself can barely survive. A tundra so vast that only the bravest dare to speak its name,” he said, giggling, as he rubbed his hands together.

  A shiver ran down my spine, and with a peculiar sense of intrigue, I dared to ask. “Where?”

  “Ilulissat, of course,” he cackled.

  “Where is that?” I asked.

  “It lies where the name is green but the land is not, young one. Like lighthouses in a sea of white, the houses stick out, their colors so bright,” he said, before closing the book and sending up a mushroom cloud of dust.

  “Thank you for your help, I know where to start,” I said, nodding.

  “It was my pleasure. Please, come back if you find the wand, I’d love to see it,” he said.

  “I’m sure you would,” I said. He cackled as we walked to the door, escaping his store and feeling the creeps wash off me as I shook my head and realized why I was more than happy never to have to deal with men like that again. I liked the honest way of surviving and earning a living a whole lot more.

  “So where is it?” Rosie asked, as we walked back down the street.

  “His clue makes me think Greenland, a town called Ilulissat. It would make sense that it was hidden in the tundra. That land is going to be very inhospitable,” I said.

  “Are you going to be able to do it, then? That’s a tall order, isn’t it?” Rosie asked.

  “Africa was the same, and I did that. A little snow never hurt anybody,” I said.

  “I think it’s more than just a little,” she said, before I stopped at a corner, putting my back against the brick building beside us.

  “There it is,” I whispered, as I gazed at the precinct. I didn’t know why I did this to myself whenever I came near, staring at the precinct as if I were reminiscing over an old lover. I was sure it wasn’t healthy, but it made me feel some kind of connection to the job I loved but couldn’t do.

  “It really is amazing, isn’t it?” she asked, looking up at the majesty of the tall building.

  “It still feels weird seeing it but not being able to go inside. I wonder what would happen if I did,” I said, teasing the idea, even though I knew I would never even try it.

  “I don’t think you’d like the outcome,” she said.

  “Yeah, I doubt it,” I said, as a van drove up and stopped quickly in front of me.

  “What’s that?” Rosie asked, stopping short.

  A team piled out of the back of the van, dressed in S.W.A.T. gear, and I felt myself close to throwing up. They were here, the man in the shop gave me up. He knew who I was the entire time and turned me in to Kiren for the money. That dirty pig! I knew I couldn’t trust him, even with my disguise on!

  They ran, but not towards me. They went towards M.A.G.I.C., running inside. They must have been there to do a raid, but why? It made no sense—this was the precinct, not some random drug or casino bust like I’d run a few times. I squinted, a million thoughts running through my head, before a S.W.A.T. officer came out towing a man.

  My stomach dropped, my heart breaking, as I realized what was happening. They were going after the undercover agents. They knew. And that meant Kiren knew. The only people being brought out were resistance members, and I knew what that meant. Charlie, Blake, Britta, Faus, and Mirian were all inside, even Xelia and Shira, and they were going to be next.

  Kiren wasn’t going to be kind to people he perceived as traitors, especially ones who were undercover in M.A.G.I.C. He would punish them, kill them, and leave their dangling bodies for the realm to see. He would instill his fear, showing what would happen to those who joined the resistance, as he tried to cut us off at every avenue he could.

  “Rosie, we need to get out of here,” I whispered.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “They’re raiding the precinct. The people they’ve pulled out are part of the resistance. We need to get to safety,” I said.

  “We ask all citizens to remain calm and keep still. We are going to be checking identification. You are not permitted to leave until you’ve been verified by an officer,” a man in tactical gear s
aid, waving, as everybody around filed up and got ready for verification.

  “What do we do?” Rosie asked, panicked, as I heard her start to breathe heavily.

  “We’ll get out, I promise,” I said.

  We were near the end of the line. Two officers were going to opposite ends to check identification. As they came down the line, I nudged Rosie, and the two of us stayed along the wall as we walked away. We just needed to get to an alleyway, a place where they wouldn’t see us teleport out.

  We moved along, ten feet from an opening, before I heard an officer behind us call, “You two, stop right there. You have not been cleared.” I froze and my eyes jolted open as I tried to stay calm.

  “I’m sorry, officer,” I said, turning around.

  “Take off your hood and scarf, please. I need identification,” he said.

  “I do not have that, sir. I am poor,” I said.

  “Take off your coverings, please. I will not ask again,” he said, a stern look on his face.

  “I am ill, my face is covered in sores. I do not want to spread it. Please understand, sir,” I said, hoping for a miracle.

  “I need help with this one, she’s resisting,” he called, motioning for two other officers, who immediately came over. He reached for my hood and scarf, pulling them off. As my disguise fell their faces turned to pure shock and they pulled out their wands.

  “Get down on the ground,” a woman officer said, her hands trembling on her wand.

  “You don’t understand,” I said calmly.

  “I said get on the ground!” she screamed, and I looked up to see the crowd gasping and whispering as they recognized me.

  I knew this was my make-or-break moment, my life and Rosie’s in the balance, as three wands were pointed directly at my head. I slyly reached down into my jacket, putting my hand firmly on my wand, before I flung it out, casting a spell in one fluid motion.

  “Arma Maximus!” I yelled, the bubble forming. “Run!”

  Rosie and I ran towards the alleyway, the mages behind us breaking down my shield, before Rosie stopped dead in her tracks, stepping backwards slowly. A werewolf growled and licked his teeth as he walked slowly out of the alley we so desperately needed to get into.

  “Lexa,” she whispered. “Do something.”

  “Get down on the ground, before I make you,” the werewolf said, his voice deep. I noticed his fur had a small beaded braid in the front, near his left ear.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” I said, peeking back and seeing the mages were about to break my shield.

  “Now!” the werewolf roared, and I pointed my wand at his face.

  “Glacio!” I yelled, the bright white spell hitting him before ice encompassed him, his claws shooting out as he tried to scratch it away.

  I ran past him, kicking the back of his leg and knocking him over, as he howled and tried to free himself from my icy spell. Rosie grabbed onto me, the two us teleporting out as quickly as I could, before spiraling into the camp as full-on panic mode ensued.

  “She’s over here!” Celerius yelled, before Pote and her guards ran over.

  “Are you okay?” she asked frantically.

  “Yes, but they found us. Officers tried to arrest us, but we got away,” I said.

  “M.A.G.I.C. has fallen, we’ve been found out and our officers are all either being arrested or fleeing here. They’ll execute anybody they catch,” Pote said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

  “What about my friends? What about Mirian?” I asked, in a panic.

  “I haven’t heard from them, and they haven’t been seen. I don’t know,” she said, her head dropping a little.

  A million thoughts ran through my head as I tried to process everything that had just happened. They were fighters, all of them, and they wouldn’t let themselves be captured. They would fight their way out if they had to, or die trying.

  Twenty-three minutes and thirteen seconds passed before I jumped up, tears filling my eyes, as they fell out of the sky and into the camp. I ran over, screaming for joy, before sliding on my knees in the mud and piling on top of them. “I was so scared,” I cried.

  “Blake is injured,” Faus said, motioning for Paola to come over.

  “What happened?” I asked, with a panicked tone.

  “They tried to take us, but we fought back. A wizard got the best of Blake, and he suffered a nasty injury. Faus and I were able to try to stabilize it before Mirian could get us out of there,” Britta said.

  “Rosie and I fought off four officers outside the precinct. I saw it happen, I saw them rush in. I was terrified,” I said.

  “At least they didn’t get you, that’s all that matters,” Charlie said, before two men with a stretcher came and put Blake on it.

  “I’ll get him fixed up,” Paola said, and they all rushed off towards the infirmary tent.

  “What’s the status?” Pote asked Mirian.

  “It isn’t good, Heta. Nobody is left, not inside M.A.G.I.C., at least. How did he know? How did he know all our names?” Mirian asked, furious.

  “Did anybody leak any information? I don’t understand either. We’ve always been so careful,” Pote said, wracking her brain.

  “We’ll figure it out, I know we will,” Britta said, standing up. “Until then, we need to gather our forces and lie low. The time is growing near to strike Kiren where it hurts.”

  “Without us in there, the streets will panic. He won’t let this go, and he’ll lock down the precinct and turn our realm into a martial state,” Mirian said.

  “Then that’s what he’ll do, and the people will grow to hate it. He’ll be his own worst monster,” Charlie said.

  “At least you’re all safe. I just worry about the others,” Pote said.

  “Come, Heta, let’s talk,” Mirian said, resting his hand on her back, and the two of them walked off.

  •••

  “So tell me what happened exactly,” I said, as all of us, except Blake, sat around in the mess tent later that evening.

  “We were just sitting there, doing our work as usual, when sirens started to go off,” Britta said.

  “They just came in guns blazing, taking anybody they could. We didn’t know what was going on at first, but Mirian quickly found us and told us they knew who we were,” Charlie said.

  “I almost lost control. One of them came for me, into my lab,” Faus said, shaking his head.

  “What happened? How did you get away?” I asked.

  “That man was attacked by one of ours, so his attention was drawn away. I was able to grab some of my things, my work, and run out of there and find the others,” Faus said.

  “What did you take?” I asked.

  “All of my work, especially pertaining to Kiren and what we found that night at the gala. I wasn’t going to let any of that go to waste, it’s too important,” Faus said.

  “We all really should just be in there thanking Blake. He took them on as if it were his last stand before Mirian was able to teleport us out. I just still don’t understand how they found us, all of us. Maybe one member, sure, even two would be normal, but all of us?” Britta asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

  Charlie rubbed her back, and she leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder. I was still in shock. Nobody had been able to find out who gave them up. I knew that the resistance’s work was going to suffer; the infiltration of M.A.G.I.C. was a key component of our success. We were able to keep our own safe and prevent the realm from being turned into a militaristic state.

  “What are the next steps?” I asked.

  “I guess we just stay here. We’re all fugitives now,” Charlie said.

  “Joining the club, huh?” I asked, with a tired smile.

  They all chuckled a little, a splash of humor definitely what we needed after this more than trying day. “What were you doing outside the precinct in the first place?” Faus asked.

  “I was with Rosie, we were in town talking to a man about a thing,” I said evasiv
ely.

  “Oh, really? Talking to a man about a thing? Lexa, we’re your best friends, you know you aren’t getting away with being vague,” Britta said.

  “Yeah, spit it out,” Charlie quipped.

  “I was looking for information on the crystal wand,” I said.

  “That?” Charlie asked. “Lexa, it’s just a story.”

  “I don’t know, maybe it’s not,” Britta said.

  “Thank you,” I said to Britta. “I went to a man who owns an antiquities shop. I used to sell to him whenever I had things somebody like him would be interested in. He’s very creepy, and seldom do you leave there feeling okay, but I knew if anybody had any leads, it would be him.”

  “What did he say?” Faus asked.

  “He showed us an old book with writings from hundreds of years ago. They talked about the wand and what it was capable of. I think it’s what we need to take Kiren down. There’s no way he could beat me, or Mirian, or any mage, if they wielded this wand,” I said.

  “That’s all fine and well, but what about the actual location of such a thing? If that were plastered all over, somebody would have it by now,” Faus said.

  “It’s supposed to be in Greenland, a town called Ilulissat on the western shore, pretty high up. It’s in the tundra, with ice cliffs as big as skyscrapers,” I said.

  “He told you this?” Faus asked.

  “He seemed pretty sure of it, but that’s all he could tell me. I don’t think it’s in that town, but close to it, maybe? All I know is that it’s a lead,” I said.

  “So what, you’re just going to go try to find it?” Charlie asked.

  “What else do I have to do? Besides, it’s not like I have a job or anything to do around here, and if it is real like he says, then I need to at least try, just like we did with the Oxinora. This would change everything,” I said.

  “I can’t imagine having that sort of power. I guess a wand is only a conductor of a good mage, but still, the spells I could pull off with a legendary wand of that caliber would melt my brain,” Britta said, grinning. “Maybe you should have some company along the way.”