The Guardian's Grimoire

by Oxford, Rain

  “Have a seat and we will be right with you,” one of the waitresses said.

  “No need. I am looking for Suki.” As I said that, I was very glad Dylan wasn’t there, for he would have snickered.

  A woman drying dishes entered the room. “Who is looking for me?” she asked.

  She was a pretty young woman about Dylan’s age. Light burgundy, shoulder-length hair framed her soft features and the pale skin of her face. Her light violet eyes glittered in the light as she met my gaze. She smiled, set her dish and towel down, and approached me. She wore a tight, dark blue shirt with long sleeves bunched up above her elbow, tight black pants, and high-heeled black boots. Her frame was small but certainly not delicate or skinny.

  “Are you Suki?” I asked.

  “That depends. Why do you ask?”

  “I need assistance with something. I was told that you were the one to contact about a marine ship.”

  “You were told right. Where do you need to go?”

  “That is where it becomes complicated. I need to get to the Setchna Caves, and I may or may not need a ride back.”

  “Are you making a summer home? Or maybe getting away from your wife?” she asked.

  I laughed. “More like I need to pick up someone who should not be there.”

  “My father’s port is the only one on Mijii that can get someone there, and he has never done so. It will be expensive,” she warned.

  “That is understandable.”

  “Then I will send for my father. Would you like a drink while you wait? My shift is over soon. I could keep you company, if you would like.”

  “That is very tempting, but I am still working. Maybe if I came by Mijii again.”

  “I am only here temporarily to assist my sisters. I live on Shomodii.”

  “So do I; I am on my way to Anoshii. If you give me your coordinates, I will try to stop by sometime.” Honestly, it would have been more appropriate to give her mine, but for fear of her arriving and hearing Dylan and I speak English, I couldn’t risk the unexpected guest.

  She wasn’t fazed, though, and pulled out a notepad, wrote her coordinates, and handed it to me with a teasing smile.

  Just then the door opened and a man entered. His copper eyes perfectly matched his copper hair. He had the dark tan and muscle structure of a man who worked hard in the sun, most likely in farming. The loose, white sand uniform looked out of place on Mijii. Sand moccasins wouldn’t survive the solid ground that was customary indoors, but they were the only shoes that would hold up in the deserts.

  “Hello, Father,” Suki said as he joined us. He hardly resembled her; her aura suggested that she was talented in magic and his was of a man who would unlikely manage childish tricks. While he was tall and rough, she was small but sturdy. “Perfect timing; I was just about to send for you. This man wants to go to the Setchna Cave.”

  The man now turned his attention to me. “Well, now, I have not had a request like this before that was not a suicide trip. May I ask why?”

  “I need to prevent someone from doing something there. I can pay you in advance and I would, of course, expect you to save yourself and leave me if necessary.”

  “It sounds like you are suicidal.”

  I couldn’t help the smirk. “No, sir, I am simply very difficult to kill.”

  He nodded and looked at his daughter. “What do you think?” he asked her.

  She gave me a promising grin. “I think you should bring him home to have dinner with us after you get back.”

  As flattering as her invitation was, I had no intention of joining her and her father for dinner when Dylan was left alone with Divina. Furthermore, I had a strict time slot to fill. However, knowing that I would be interrupted and likely not return with her father, I felt no need to tell her so.

  “I will be ready to leave at shoka. Straight down the road is the marine port. The price is two jue. Is that acceptable?” he asked me. It was an obscenely rich price, but the probability of his ship receiving damage was certain.

  Shoka was when the sun was directly above, high noon, as Dylan would call it, which would leave me adequate time before sunrise the next morning to arrive at the forest. “Entirely. I will then see you at shoka,” I answered. With a nod, he left. I turned back to Suki. “Any chance I could get something to eat before I leave?”

  She smiled brightly. “Of course.”

  * * *

  I arrived at the port on time. By then, I was thoroughly interested in meeting up with Suki after Dylan and I got home. Unfortunately, graver obligations took priority and I faced her father instead. I paid the fare with a substantial bonus in case of damage dealt to his ship.

  The sea ship was a horrible shade of yellow that gave it an artificial appearance; fortunately, the beasts would be equally repelled by its paint. It was shaped like an arrowhead with a collapsed back end, giving it two sharp points on the rear. Across the nose was a transparent shield, while two defense cannons rested beneath it.

  A small rectangle on the side opened upwards and another man stepped out, who deeply resembled Suki, though was visibly several years older. “This is Yahn, my son and co-pilot. If you are ready,” the captain said, using an inviting gesture towards the doorway.

  I entered the small ship to see four leather seats, two in front and two behind them. Buttons, levers, and knobs littered the dashboard before the large transparent shield. I quickly sat in the far back seat while the captain and Yahn took their seats. We buckled our straps.

  The captain turned a switch, followed by a quiet growl from the engines, which quickly became a purr. Yahn gently thrust a lever forward and the ship followed suit. After several minutes, when the captain was satisfied with our space from dock and sea floor, he pulled upon another lever, causing us to slowly submerge as Yahn pushed his lever further to increase our speed.

  Once we leveled out and took a constant speed, I sat back and let my mind wander. We couldn’t proceed in a swifter manner due to the creatures surrounding Mijii; there were many beasts of the sea that would devour the ship without thought.

  Unfortunately, dark thoughts attract dark fortunes, and after a short time, a growing agitation in the back of my mind became too great to dismiss. We were being hunted. As if the beast knew he was discovered, the ship suddenly trembled with the water’s displacement.

  “What was that?!” Yahn cried.

  “The snapping jaws of a beast that just barely missed dinner.” Before my words fully escaped my lips, the ship swung violently. “And that was the beast getting slightly closer to achieving his goal. I must encourage you to speed up.”

  Yahn did as instructed, but I realized as we thrust forward that our sudden jolt was the beast slamming into us from behind. Unfortunately, not one of us foresaw the captain’s head slamming into the dash board, incidentally tugging upon the lever that sent us into diving nose-first to the sea floor.

  Without thinking, I pulled the captain back against his seat while Yahn tried to right our ship. Suddenly we were spinning out of control, testing the protection of our straps while Yahn tried futilely to gain control. As we slowed ever slightly, I caught a glimpse of sleek black hide and cold, entirely white eyes, and then I knew what we faced. The creature was twice as large as the ship and slender with four short legs and a large, flat tail.

  “There are no sukina in this ocean!” Yahn cried, shock playing across his face until it faded into fear.

  “They are rare here, but not inexistent, and certainly not the most dangerous creature in this ocean.” I leaned forward and adjusted the controls. The ship was righted and took off away from the sukina.

  Yahn tried to regain his composer. “Please, sir, do not panic, this ship has seen worse situations than this,” he said, his voice shaking with fear.

  “Then I will contain my panic and provide my assistance. Please remove the captain from his seat.” The man gave me a questioning look but his body obeyed me and he dragged his unconscious superior into the seat i
n the back. I sat in the newly empty seat and took controls. I turned the lights upward into the startled beast’s eyes. Plunging the ship beneath the beast caused it to turn instinctively, which counteracted its shock. “What scent cartridge does this ship boast?”

  “Sukina.”

  “That would not work, merely anger it. Are there any forbidden areas around here?” I asked.

  “There is a jisk colony just north,” he said.

  “That will do.” The feeble ship charged forward with great speed as if it comprehended the danger it was in. Luckily, the sukina was a comparatively slow swimmer, though it was relentless, had great senses, and could crush the ship in its jaws. Just ahead of me, the light became obstructed with the flashing silver of the huge jisk. “I recommend you sit down and strap up,” I told the trembling man.

  He fell heavily into his seat next to his unconscious captain and secured the straps. I released the scent cartridge and plummeted down as the wall of bodies dispersed. I flipped off the lights and we were immersed in darkness. Soon after, we landed gently on the sand bed to wait for the jisk to relieve us of our assailant. The ship quivered violently as jisk passed above it absentmindedly.

  “Sir, we cannot take this. This ship is not prepared for this depth and we only have a limited supply of oxygen to get to the destination and return to Miji.”

  “I will keep that in mind. If it would make you feel better, you should close your eyes now,” I said. I pressed the emergency power switch and the life support system converted to manual controls.

  “What are you doing?!” the man cried. His panic was understandable but very irritating.

  “Playing an inanimate object. We cannot sit at the bottom of the sea until the jisk leave and we are not leaving alive if we look like food.” The manual control stick was stiff as I pulled it back and the speed stick slightly forward. The ship immediately started to rise, and then slowed as I pulled the speed lever back.

  We drifted slowly in the darkness as jisk passed us carelessly. I could sense the jisk all around us, slowly returning to serenity as the scent of food cleared. At one point, the ship was prodded by one or two jisk. We had no choice but to let it play out and, after a few minutes, they decided we weren’t food.

  The moment I was confident we had enough range, I switched on the power and lights. With every morsel of speed the obsolete ship could assemble, it plunged towards safety. Once we were in friendly waters, I slowed and the man sprung from his seat.

  “We could have died!” he cried. His excessive fear was very annoying.

  “I am aware of that; however, we did not. Now, please adjust the oxygen levels to account for your captain. We will be arriving shortly.” As I promised, we arrived a few minutes later and I gently raised the ship until it finally broke surface. When I settled the ship into the stone bed, the man opened the door and scuttled out, letting in a diminutive amount of water. “I would advise you to wait near the ship.”

  “Are you joking, sir? Of course I would not leave the ship! It will get eaten, and you, sir, are a very reckless and dangerous man!” he yelled. His anger was less frustrating than his panic and as soon as he had finished, he was feeling much better. He regained his composure but couldn’t manage to apologize.

  I departed the ship and studied the cave around me. The headlights shined through the water and lit the cave in a dim, green glow. Sinister stalactites and stalagmites made the cave appear smaller. I wasted no time before selecting a tunnel on instincts and pursuing its darkness.

  I walked quite a ways before coming upon an artificial circular clearing that was well lit with a large ring of five white candles, set deep into the stone. Sitting motionless in the center was a young man, no older than Dylan. He sat cross-legged with a book open upon his lap and energy swirling around him. In front of him was a bowl of smoldering components.

  I purposely scuffed my foot against stone to draw his attention and he looked up, startled. He resembled Dylan in several ways. His dark brown hair was cut cleanly while his dark green eyes suggested the aspiration for adventure. His skin was pale, contrasting to his black garments. While his attire was insignificant, the golden dragon crest on his chest held that he was part of royal family of Zendii.

  “How did you get passed my barrier?” he asked.

  There was a barrier? “I am here to prevent you from making a perilous mistake,” I said.

  “I am not making a mistake. I am following very precise instructions on a discovery mission. This is my great grandfather’s diary,” he argued, holding up his book.

  “Did you bother to read ahead to discover how your great grandfather died?”

  He looked confused for a second before turning to the last few pages. This was the problem with many young wizards, as well as one of the reasons why I liked my new apprentice; Dylan would have never done anything so dangerous without knowing the consequences.

  He shook his head. “It does not say.” He kept reading. “It is not finished.”

  I sighed. Foolish child. “Give me the grimoire.”

  “I will not. It is mine!” he exclaimed.

  With little patience, I drew my energy and reached for the book, which came obediently to my power.

  “No!” he yelled like a child whose toy was seized. I slipped the book into my bag.

  His objection was interrupted by a rumbling of the ground and a tired, irritated roar far deeper into the cave. He stood and ran to my side, whether looking for protection or a decoy, I didn’t know. “How far into the ritual have you completed?” I asked.

  “I mostly completed it. All I have to do is call its name, to get its attention. You do not need to fear; it will obey me,” he said with confidence.

  “How do you come to that conclusion?” I asked.

  “It says if you speak the language of the gods, as only the demons can, then the demon’s dragon will obey you. I have demon ancestry, and my family knows an old dialect of Sudo called Dagyo. He will obey me.”

  My frustration with the impulsive child was too much. “Dagyo is not the language of the gods!” I yelled. He collapsed to the ground with a look of utmost fear on his face. “Go towards the entrance until you see a ship and a man. Tell the man to take off without me. Get out of here, now.” He had no chance to consider my command before climbing halfway to his feet and running away into the darkness.

  Blood began to seep through the stone walls and pool onto the floor. There was no time to draw a triangle and fix the mistakes in the ritual the boy had created, so I had to improvise. I entered the circle, fixed the line of rock salt, and drew energy around me like a thick shield to the consistency that it suffocated me.

  The roar that was slowly growing louder suddenly fell silent and the only sound was the dripping blood. With a new sound, the liquid lit with fire as red as the blood itself. Blood and fire surrounded the circle, but my energy protected me from the majority of the heat. In front of me, high above the flames was a face I had wished never to glimpse again.

  “Abaddon,” I growled. Hatred as hot as the fire around me boiled deep. My energy flexed and flickered with anticipation, itching to justify my anger. The beast’s laugh, very similar to a growl, was a horrible sound that made the fire cool. Abaddon was a creature so evil his very presence could corrupt the strongest men. He was imprisoned many years before my time and his resulting destruction will likely be imprinted upon Duran until long after my death.

  The beast’s face resembled a gargoyle’s with reptilian eyes. His skin was like liquid, black stone. His eyes were bright white that drew fear and darkness from one’s soul. White, sharp teeth glinted between black, dripping lips, unleashing a foul odor of rotting death. He was a creature who refused and opposed the gods to his deepest depths, and for it he was rejected from both life and death. He was not meant to exist.

  His face shrunk into the darkness and the flames suddenly parted, revealing Abaddon in the shape of a man, standing on the small pool of blood. Black hair, which appear
ed to be made of strands of darkness, blended into his black robes. His skin was a powdery white, and could be seen through his robes, almost as if they were merely thick, black smoke. The yellow, cold eyes were the most distinguishing features, and his thin, pale face emphasized them. His eyes were still reptilian, but the solid yellow color in the face of a man was so unnatural it was chilling even to me.

  He slowly began to approach me until he stopped close enough to smell his stench of rotting blood. I had confidence in my circle’s power, because if I didn’t, it would be too weak to protect me.

  “Zalaznius,” he said with a deep, quiet voice. He sneered and I saw that his teeth were as sharp as before his transformation.

  “Zalaznius” was the forbidden name of the Guardians. Ironically, the true name for the Guardians; Noquodi, was as much hated by us as the disgraced.

  “I have not been called that in a very long time,” I said in the best Enochian I could manage. Every instinct in me warned me to avoid his gaze but, as a Guardian, I couldn’t bring myself to do so. I had the obligation to face him, so I would face him with power and confidence.

  “You are still a slave of the gods; you do not deserve another name.”

  “As the chosen representative of God, I command you to return to your slumber in peace,” I said, hoping my Enochian was sufficient.

  His laugh was enough to tell me it was. “‘Representative’? That is a mighty command for a being held to this world by life. Tell me, slave, why I should obey you?”

  There was no reasoning with him by way of threats; he was much older than me and held a power no being alive could possibly yield. The only chance I had was to trap him, and I had little idea how it was done in the first place.

  Out of habit I reached into my bag and felt for my book. Startled at what I felt, I remembered that I was protecting Dylan’s book as well as my own. As I started to pull my hand out, I felt something else and removed the grimoire. Taking my eyes from those of Abaddon, I opened the book to the ritual that released him.