The Guardian's Grimoire

by Oxford, Rain

  “The High King,” Nano said. “Assassination of the city kings would accomplish very little; they are chosen by blood. It’s an inherited title, which one no one wants. The High King is about to sign over a lot of money to rush the growth of vegetation and forests on the top world. We have been slowly getting our oceans back. When the land is flourishing, many will move there and will essentially divide the world into two groups. The problem is that those who live above land will have food and water while those who live below will suffer.”

  “Why doesn’t everyone go above land?”

  “The High King is trying to make it so that everyone can, but there are those who are afraid war will return with the land, and those who will use the under-cities to control those in their family and service.”

  “Like slaves?”

  “We have laws against slavery now, but with the return of land, most of the law will go above ground and many servants who can’t get out in time will become slaves. That’s why I will be mostly living underground, trying to keep things like that from happening. We are depleting the under-cities, and we need the land back,” Nano said.

  The woman and guard were waiting patiently and confused, not risking interrupting Nano.

  “It sounds like a lose-lose situation. How can we stop the king from getting assassinated if his own guards are the ones behind it?” I asked.

  “Oh, our king can protect himself. We just need to inform him of the danger he’s in, not from the assassins, but from the guards. What’s more, I am fairly certain that the Kingdom guards are not the ones behind this. A small number of guards from other cities will be going to the Kingdom in order to share news, so some of them must be the guards in question.”

  “And we can’t trust the guards to tell him because we don’t know which guards are against him.”

  Nano nodded. “This woman should be taken personally to the king of Kor, which is this city. Then it looks like a trek to the High King is in order.” He turned to the woman and said something, to which she nodded hesitantly. He turned back to me. “Well, what say you? Want to see what being a Guardian is all about?”

  “You solve civil problems?”

  “We solve all problems. We work for the Gods, the kings, the people, the peace, and the good of all mankind. We are essentially problem solvers. The Gods say jump, we say ‘yes, master,’ the people say help, we say, ‘what do I get for helping?’” he said.

  “What?”

  “Just kidding. We help all those who need our assistance. Do you want to do this? I can drop you back off on Duran if you’d prefer.”

  “What about Edward? Won’t he worry about me?”

  “He has his own mission to do, and I’m sure Divina knows you’re safe.”

  I really did want to see more of Dios. If Nano said Edward was on a mission, I believed him. Surely I would be safer with Nano than on my own on Duran. “All right. I’ll go with you.”

  “Great. The journey to the king’s home will be a dangerous one, but certainly an experience to be remembered.”

  “It’s okay. I know you won’t let me get eaten,” I said.

  He got a weird frown on his face, then walked away without confirming or denying anything. The woman looked at me expectantly. I sighed and followed him down the halls, which grew increasingly dim. The woman followed me.

  We walked in silence for about ten minutes. “My name is Dylan. What is your name?” I asked the woman.

  “Vet hyaxt yuben?” Nano asked.

  “Dyeba,” the woman said. “Hyaxt hon?” she asked me.

  I didn’t know if I could pronounce it, but Dyeba was probably her name, and so I bet she was asking mine in return. “Dylan.”

  “Didyan?” she asked, completely mispronouncing my name.

  Nano burst out laughing. I’d been called worst. “Close enough, yes.”

  “Yes is suko, no is swiyo,” he said when he could stop laughing enough to speak. He said something to Dyeba and I heard him intentionally mispronounce my name the way she had. “Now, we’re about to go into Kor’s biggest town. The Dios people are aware of foreigners, as in people from other worlds, but in some city’s, they’re uncomfortable. They may give you odd looks or stare at you. Some are scared of diseases that they believe foreigners carry. If they find out you’re human, you may be treated like you have small pox, because we’ve heard how you use diseases in war.”

  I scrutinized Dyeba, who looked perfectly human to me. “How can they tell that I’m a foreigner?” I asked.

  His eyes widened as if I asked the stupidest question ever. We arrived at a dark stairway, which Nano started up without hesitation. Dyeba waited patiently for me and I made a motion for her to go ahead, but she smiled and grabbed my arm, pulling me along with her. “Kokioset.” So, once again, a woman led me confused and unresisting into the darkness.

  The stairs were steep and stone, and finally opened to a city. A dim one, but well populated. The city reminded me of an old kingdom, with a cobblestone ground and very tall stone walls. It almost seemed to open into the night sky without stars. The kingdom was lit with torches against the walls and on long poles throughout the room. There were hallways, stairs leading to higher decks, and doors. As they opened and closed I could see many of the doors were to shops. Of the ones I could see into, one was an armory, another was a pub, and another had old books. The sound of people, animals, and running water gave the city an old, medieval atmosphere.

  The people all looked human. Most men wore drab, brown robes with hoods, making them look like shady travelers, or light body armor, like guards who were on and off duty so often they dressed for somewhere in the middle. Most women, on the other hand, wore long dresses of silks and colorful cotton. Little girls seemed to mimic the women’s clothes, while the boys wore what I would call Amish play-clothes, and none of the children were spotless.

  Dyeba slid her hand down my arm and into my hand. Nano acknowledged our clasped hands suspiciously. “I don’t think Divina would like you hanging all over Dyeba while she’s gone.”

  Dyeba had an unsure, worried expression and loosened her grip, not quite letting go. I squeezed her hand gently. “We’re not hanging all over each other. She feels safe with me. Besides, it’s not like Divina will ever look twice at me. I’m like a kid to her.”

  “Everyone is like a child to her. At the same time, she’s a child herself. It’s how her mind works. You can’t compare it to ours; she’s a woman. Don’t take offence. Divina needs a connection, and believe it or not, the last time I met with her, she wouldn’t shut up about you. You should give it a chance. And be careful who you kiss, because she will know.”

  “Don’t women always?”

  Dyeba said something, looking around with a worried expression.

  “Skete,” Nano said. “Let’s go, we have a long trip ahead of us.”

  Nano led us up a set of wide steps. Most of this area was more of the same, except that at one wall was a huge doorway with a crest. Behind the metal crest were majestic, engraved wings.

  Guards flanked the door, two on each side. I expected them to come investigate us and Nano to convince them to let us in. Instead, the door burst open and a little boy, about eight or nine, came running out. The guards’ shock turned to uncertainty as the boy hugged Nano like a long-lost-father and then spoke excitedly for several minutes before Nano could get a word in edgewise.

  Nano turned to me. “This is my grandson, Ket. His parents work a lot, so I’ve taken him traveling a few times.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Ket said, in perfect English. He held out his hand.

  My eyes were wide as I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

  “I’ve been teaching him the languages and cultures of other worlds, including English.”

  A woman walked through the doors and the guards followed her as she approached until they surrounded us. She talked quietly with Nano. Unlike Ket, this woman had an elegant, refined nature. Both Ket and the woman ignored th
e guards, but Dyeba was clinging to my side and had my arm in a death grip.

  “It’s okay. If Nano trusts them, they have to be good people. He’s afraid of Edward, and Edward would eat him if he gets me killed after everything Edward went through to keep me safe.”

  “I’m not afraid of your master’s wrath. I’m afraid of Divina’s,” Nano said, as if Divina was so much more frightening. “And she doesn’t know what you’re saying. She doesn’t speak English.”

  “I know that, but she understands my calming tone.”

  “You know, if you pick up a pet or friend everywhere you go, Kiro will lock you in his cabin and never let you out. He’s going to have a fit when he finds you with a naowen. Divina will have a fit if you try to bring back a woman.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not collecting women or pets. And Shinobu’s harmless, like a little kitten.”

  Nano started laughing so hard the woman backed up in alarm while Ket looked like he didn’t know what to do. “Harmless! That’s hilarious! You should say that to Kiro!”

  “Edward.”

  “Whatever. Mai, Ket, this is Dylan. Dylan, this is my daughter Mai. We don’t have caste titles like sago do.”

  “Didyan?” Mai asked, just like Dyeba had.

  “It takes a long time for us to learn the ‘l’ sound. Ket?”

  “Dallen.”

  “That’s pretty good,” I said. Ket beamed.

  “There are many sounds in the English language we have trouble with,” Nano said.

  “I get the feeling you all are better with ancient Hebrew. But Hebrew has an ‘l’ sound.”

  “We learn the languages of other worlds, but we have sounds you don’t know, and your mind is probably trying to form it into something you do know. It’s a trait of a Guardian, and it’ll help you learn other languages.”

  Dyeba asked him something, but it was Mai who took her arm. Dyeba held me tighter, but Mai was insisting.

  “What’s happening?” I asked Nano.

  “Dyeba was asking what was happening, and Mai is taking her in to see the king. I explained to Mai a little about the situation and she wants me to wait until Dyeba can tell the king what she heard. Dyeba doesn’t think he’ll believe her.”

  Mai gave up and let go of Dyeba. “But he’ll believe her if you say so, right?”

  “I wasn’t the one she told. I believe both of you fine, but you were the one she showed the memory to, and she’s not allowed to touch the king. As the Guardian of Earth, your statement is the one he’ll either believe or not. You’re not trying to get him to help you, only to protect her until we can inform the High King.”

  “Why not take her with us?”

  “Tis not going to be an easy trip.”

  “She’s not a delicate little flower.”

  Nano and Mai led the way through the door into what looked like a medieval castle. The inside was open with a high ceiling and surprisingly extravagant glass chandeliers, but it was illuminated with candles, not lightbulbs. While the ceiling and walls were stone, the floor was dark wood.

  We were greeted by what I suppose were servants who led us into a larger room with a huge wooden table. The hefty table was covered with crudely painted stone and metal dinnerware that would make a housewife cringe. Numerous plates with silver dome lids caused my stomach to growl, for I hadn’t eaten since the meat kabobs on Duran. Traveling must be harsh on the stomach.

  “We’re being invited to dinner,” Nano said.

  “What does dinner consist of?”

  “Mostly bread, vegetables, fruits, and grilled fish.”

  “Sounds healthy, but I’m hungry so I’ll eat it,” I said. I was suspicious as to how produce could be grown underground, but I assumed it was accomplished with magic.

  We sat down, Nano on one side of me and Dyeba on the other. She finally let go of my arm, apparently assured she wasn’t about to be arrested. There were about a dozen men and women at the table as well as a few children, but nobody touched the bounty before them. While the plates weren’t exactly extravagant, I was hungry enough to eat whatever extraterrestrial concoction that was placed in front of me.

  A man walked in with Mai and they both joined Ket, who was eagerly chatting away to a bored looking woman. The woman gave Mai a false smile, to which Mai returned an equally cold and calculating grin. When they sat down, Mai pointed me and Dyeba out to the man, who waved her to silence and stared at me.

  “Nano. That guy looks like he wants to cut my head off,” I whispered.

  “Yes, that’s Kun, the king, and he looks like that all the time.”

  “He has a naturally fierce expression?”

  “No, he wants to cut everyone’s head off.”

  “And he is a good guy why? Why do you trust him to bring Dyeba here? Or to leave him with your family?”

  “He is Mai’s husband. Of course that means he’s a good guy; my daughter would never have married an unsuitable man.”

  Most fathers couldn’t say that about their daughters with a straight face and a shot gun in their hand. Maybe in this culture, young women are super wise and responsible and have no interest in bad boys… Now who can’t keep a straight face?

  Everyone waited while the king loaded first his, then his wife’s plate. That he was taking his dear sweet time seemed to be the norm, for the adults watched with patience and the children followed his every move as if afraid he would take it all and leave them hungry. Everyone finally started helping themselves. Mai loaded up Ket’s plate, making sure to give him enough veggies to make his face turn green. Most of the parents were filling their child’s plate, so when Nano started to reach for my plate, I quickly picked it up and helped myself.

  Nano had to stop me from getting what I thought was blueberries, saying that Divina told him I was allergic to it. Instead, he highly recommended something I could only describe as plant jerky. I stuck with what looked safe; noodles, bread, and fish.

  The fish was really dry, so I dipped it in the red sauce my noodles were in. The half dozen adults who saw this started laughing while the children squealed in delight and started dipping their own fish. Nano looked to see what all the fuss was about and groaned.

  “What did I do now?” I huffed.

  “What is a very fancy, proper food on your world?” he asked.

  “Caviar, sword fish, Kobe beef…”

  “What would you think if you saw someone dipping one of those in ketchup?” At this point, the parents had lost their mirth and were trying to stop their children from dipping. “I bring you into a king’s home and you unravel the order and obedience in the family structure.”

  “At home, I make food that children scream at their parents to have.” I wasn’t bragging about it; I felt guilty working at a fast-food place. “Most kids will eat bugs if they were dipped in ketchup.”

  “Ronez told me often of cultures on Earth that ate bugs.”

  “Well, Scottish cuisine was based on a dare, like ‘I dare you to eat that.’ I had a friend from China who said that the only thing Chinese people didn’t eat with legs were chairs.”

  “I don’t see a problem with either statement. Obviously, both cultures understand the value of utilizing their resources. You wouldn’t believe what we had to survive on when we first migrated underground.”

  I pushed my plate away… then I gave in and finished my food.

  Before long, we were both done and ready to leave. Nano went to talk to the king about Dyeba staying. I could tell that Mai was not happy about it, but her husband approached me. He spoke in his language, his voice deep enough and his poster rigid enough that I understood he was trying to intimidate me.

  “Tell him what you saw and I will translate. My son-in-law is not smart enough or wise enough to learn any foreign languages,” Nano said.

  I gave the king my kindest smile and spoke to Nano. “It’s lovely to know that the people with power are idiots here. Makes me feel homesick.

  “Dyeba was wandering in the hallw
ays until she ran into two huge mountains. Said mountains were discussing something quietly, and the bigger one was saying the smaller one ruined their plans. Dyeba crouched behind the door to hide, but continued listening. They started talking about a hidden passage to the king’s chambers and something to do with assassins. The smaller mountain said something about a horrible beast, but the other one said the beasts were a myth. Then Dyeba got caught.”

  Nano finished translating and the king tried to stare me down. I glared right back; I wasn’t cowering to a stranger even if he was a king here, when I did nothing wrong.

  Finally, the king snarled out an answer and walked away. Dyeba smiled, hugged me, and kissed me on the cheek. She was pretty, but not my type, so it was easy to say goodbye to her. Nano led us out.

  We walked through town for a few minutes before coming to two large, wooden gates. Matching guards stood on either side. With a nod to Nano, they both pulled the gates open to reveal the mouth of a cave. One pedestrian rushed forward to bow and hand me a torch, speaking reverently before dashing off to help the other women transport fabric.

  “I don’t understand,” I said.

  “They have figured out you’re the Guardian of Earth. I’m not really surprised.” Nano took the torch from me and entered the cave, leaving me to hurry after him. It was another ten minutes before he slowed down, and that was only because the terrain was getting difficult.

  “Can I ask you about your childhood?” I asked.

  Nano shrugged. “Sure.”

  “Did your parents know you were to be a Guardian?”

  Nano gave me a confused frown. “I wouldn’t know. All of the Guardians are taken from their parents at birth. Kiro… Edward and Ronez were the exception; they were born sago and were made Guardians when their parents were killed. They’ve actually become examples for the rest of us. All Guardians are born with the power from the gods. You, on the other hand, were created a Guardian without the will of the gods, because of your power.”