Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key (40 page)

After hearing a
loud, guttural moan, the room fell silent. Was it Levi who had ended the
struggle? She couldn’t tell, and could not trust whoever was left in the room
with her. She moved as quietly as she could, breathing slowly and shallowly,
away from where she heard the scuffle.

“Reece?” It was
Levi.

Relief flooded
through her. “Levi!” She reached into the darkness, and found him standing in
front of her. His hands found hers, and he pulled her into his chest, holding
her tightly for a brief moment. “We must leave at once. Come with me now.” He
said as he marched them briskly out of the room.

When two men
advanced them in the hallway, Levi reacted without hesitation. In one fluid
motion, he lunged forward and struck the first man in his throat with a
powerful blow; he planted his foot solidly on the ground, and whipped his other
leg around until it connected with the second man’s knee with a loud,
resonating crack. Before the man’s body buckled to the ground, Levi followed up
with his fist, and struck him in the jaw. Both men seemed to hit the ground at
the same time, unconscious. Reece was shocked by how quickly the entire exchange
had taken place. Levi was back at her side in an instant, clutching her around
the waist, as they charged past the attackers.

They turned a
corner, and walked down a short hallway, before stopping at a doorway. Levi
shoved the heavy wooden doors open, and they stepped into a large room. Navarre
and six other Pemdai men were waiting inside.

“Levi! Son, whose
blood is on your shirt? The Ciatron do not bleed…are you injured?”

Levi responded,
“It’s Michael Visor’s blood; he was part of their plan to intercept Reece.”

Navarre’s face
became fierce. He reached his arm up around his son’s neck, and drew him in to
meet his eyes. “Let us finish this, now! I will abide this no longer!”

The fury in Levi’s
face mirrored his father’s when he nodded in response.

Navarre looked to
his guards. “As soon as we enter the council chambers, go retrieve Michael.
Take him directly to Pemdas.” He looked at Levi. Father and son’s eyes glowed
fiercely.

 Levi took Reece
into his arms one last time. “Remember our conversation on the airplane this
morning.” He reached into his inner coat pocket, and pulled out two tiny, gold
ovals with arrows engraved on them. He placed one on each side of her forehead,
and they adhered to her skin.

She looked at him
quizzically. “What are these?”

“There will be many
different languages spoken in this council chamber today; these will interpret
the languages so that you can understand what is being said. I want you to be
able to hear it first hand, instead of waiting for me to interpret it for you.”

“Oh, okay.” Her
heart was pounding again.

He stared
confidently into her eyes, and then gave her hand to his waiting father.
Navarre escorted her toward two large doors, as Levi walked protectively at her
other side. Their faces bore the gravest expressions she had ever seen.

 The doors opened
slowly, and Reece gasped at the scene before her.

Chapter
29

The
faces that stared at her were not all human-like.
Aliens.
She had never
considered the possibility that all of the stories—myths, legends, conspiracy
theories—that she had heard about could actually be true. She supposed there
was life out there, but the visual realization of it was shocking. Until now,
her understanding of Aliens went no further than the Pemdai, who were much like
the people of Earth. The room was filled with over a hundred different, strange
entities; and it took Reece a moment to be able to comprehend the reality of
the sight before her eyes.

There were beings
in the crowd that resembled unfathomable creatures. Creatures that, despite
Hollywood’s best imaginations, were more frightening to look at than anything
she’d ever seen; real or imaginary. One had a dragon-like face, with bone-like
spikes throughout it. It had scales covering his body, claws for hands, and a
serpent-like tongue slipped in and out from between its slender lips. Another
had a shiny brown, elongated head. It’s large, round eyes glowed red, and
appeared to highlight its razor sharp teeth. These monsters looked like evil
incarnate. As she looked away, she recalled the first time Navarre explained to
her about the other dimensions and worlds apart from her own. He couldn’t
understand why Earth’s leaders kept it all a secret from their people. At this
moment, she understood why, and was grateful that they did keep it a secret
from everyone. Even as she stood between the two fearless men who protected
Earth from these things, she wondered; if she were to survive this, would she
have nightmares for the rest of her life? She pulled her eyes away from the
horrifying beings, and hoped she would easily forget what they looked like.

  There were others
that were more fascinating than they were frightening. One individual looked as
though he, if it was a ‘he’, was transparent. His neighbor had an enormous
sized head atop his tiny body. Another being’s skin was colored such a bright
red that it made her eyes water just by glancing at it.

  Her heart almost
stopped when her eyes fell upon a group of well-known men that she recognized
from Earth. From the faces she recognized, she could easily discern that all of
the major leaders from Earth were in attendance. They stared intently and
somberly in her direction. They sat close to the front, where long wooden
tables stretched the entire length of the enormous, open room. Three long
tables were arranged in horseshoe shape, with the opening facing the door.
Behind the closed end of the horseshoe, another table stood on an elevated
platform. At this table sat six individuals; two of them human-looking, the
other four were not. Two of them spoke to each other quietly, yet stared darkly
at Reece.

Whether or not she
felt safe with Levi and Navarre, she wanted out of this room. She hoped that
Harrison and Samuel would arrive with their men quickly, and this would all be
over.

A voice spoke as if
it was coming through loudspeakers, and the oddness of it startled her as the
sound resonated through the dimly lit room. “Thank you for honoring our
request, Navarre. Now, release the Key, and let her come forward.”

Reece clenched
Navarre’s arm tightly, and her other hand, of its own accord, reached for
Levi’s rigid arm. He brought his arm up to accept her gesture. She stood
gripping the arms of the two tall men, staring into the crowd as a large,
skinny creature stood up from his seat behind the table. His entire body was
opaque gray, with long slender arms and legs. His head was elongated with a
narrow face, and large black, oval eyes.

Navarre answered.
“The woman will remain with us until this issue has been resolved. Then, she
will leave with us.” He turned his commanding face to those who sat around the
tables staring at them. “We are not here to honor anyone’s requests! We are
simply here to demonstrate that the accusations against our kind are untrue. We
also come to insist that all of our men, who you have unjustly imprisoned, be
released immediately. We stand before you for no other reasons.”

The gray creature
walked out from behind the table on the platform. He stepped down to the floor,
and made his way through the center of the tables before he stopped. “Emperor
Navarre, I see that you have come here today, believing, in ignorance, that you
hold a superior position to the rest of us. Could the child clinging to your
arm be the source of that delusion?”

“Do not fool
yourself into believing that I will stand here and tolerate your frivolous
accusations, Movac,” Navarre said sternly. “I demand an explanation for the
imprisonment of my men.”

Movac laughed and
shook his head. “Emperor, you and your men are no longer to be trusted.
Therefore, we took the necessary precautions.” He stretched forth his long arm
toward Reece. “Allow her to come forward, away from you, so that we may regain
the trust we all once had. We need from answers from her, as well.”

Navarre growled
back, “She is not here for the Council; I am! I suggest you find another way to
regain your trust in us. Provoking me and dismissing my demands will not help
this situation.”

 Movac stopped, and
turned his back to Navarre. “Interesting, isn’t it, Navarre?” He turned back
around with a hostile look on his face. His tone changed entirely. “You forget
who you are speaking to, Guardian! Do you not understand what you face? All the
dimensions demand answers, and until they receive them, you stand here as an
enemy!” His wicked mouth turned up into a sneer. “I suggest you choose your
words carefully, Emperor.”

Navarre inhaled
deeply, and Reece could feel him controlling his rage. “Very well, then. If
there are questions of me, let them be asked. The woman will remain at my
side.”

A strange voice
spoke, causing Reece to search the faces in the room to see who it came from.
She could not place it, until the transparent being stood. “Navarre, we have
been close throughout all of our years serving as our lands’ trusted leaders.
These words are not so easily spoken by me, but unfortunately, I cannot
apologize for my concerns.” He paused before continuing. “Since ancient times,
we have always trusted the Guardians to protect Earth. Unfortunately, how can
we trust anyone who holds the one thing in their possession that can give them
supremacy over all of our worlds? I cannot believe that you would not be
tempted in the least to unlock the information in this woman’s mind; therefore,
I am forced to question your motives.”

Navarre turned a
bit to face his accuser. “Before questioning my integrity, Misqualis, question
your perspective. We. Are. Pemdai. ‘Guardian’ was not a self-imposed title; it
was granted us by this very council, for our service of protecting all of you.
Now you stand here and question those who have protected you? You fear being
ruled by outside forces, and yet you are being ruled by fear itself. It is not
now, nor has it ever been, the desire of the Pemdai to rule over other worlds;
but simply to allow each its own autonomy, and to live in peace ourselves.”

He gently removed
Reece’s arm from his, leaving her in Levi’s care. He walked a couple of paces
in front of them. “I will not stand here and be told that the Pemdai can’t be
trusted, after all our kind has done for every one of you. Have you all so
quickly forgotten the battle that was fought many years ago, which necessitated
the creation of this stone?” He waited for a response from the crowd.

The Ciatron leader
stared at him fiercely. “Of course we have not forgotten what your ancient Guardians
helped to create, Navarre! How could we? However, you speak of the past. Why
must the Guardians believe that our kind still seek to control the Earth?”

 “Movac, your kind
has always sought power to rule over everything in its entirety. It is why the
stone is hidden away, never to be found.”

Movac smiled
widely. “Is it hidden, Navarre? I believe you have the answer in the Earthling,
and you will soon take your place over us all; using the powers of the stone to
manipulate the Earth, and therein, the junctions by which we all travel.”

 Navarre spoke
gravely in return. “Even if I sought such things, the map cannot be retrieved
to locate the stone. It may be in her mind, but it is absolutely inaccessible.”

Another voice
echoed in the room. “So you admit to having tried to access the information,
Emperor? What would be the reason for such an act? If you have taken the Key
into your dimension for her protection alone, as you so claim, why would you
have that knowledge?”

Before Navarre
could answer, Movac spoke. “The reason is power. That’s what the Pemdai are
after. They say they serve all of us by keeping Earth unharmed—but from whom?
From us—all of us—the other worlds that only seek to learn from the peculiar
planet. We do not need anyone to police us!” He snapped. “I do not remember any
world, asking for the Guardians to protect Earth. We all rightfully have access
to it.”

Navarre faced him
squarely. “We do not require anyone’s approval to do what is necessary to
protect the Earth. Your kind is not to be trusted.”

He looked around,
catching the eye of each being in the room. “I ask everyone here to remember
the last confrontation with the Ciatron. They used their knowledge to
manipulate the people of Earth into believing that they were their gods and
creators. If it were not for the creation of the stone by this woman’s
ancestor, we would all have been enslaved or destroyed by this enemy who stands
before us now. If you believe Movac would not attempt this again, you are
greatly deceived.”

Movac snarled
viciously. “Those days are gone!” He stepped aggressively toward Navarre. “You
stand there and resurrect the days that almost destroyed our entire world. You
treat me as if I were a fool! Of course I remember the Battle of the Ancient Guardians;
our world will never forget it.”

Levi brought his
arm up and embraced Reece, bringing her closer to him. Movac turned to look at
them. He walked over and stood towering over Reece and Levi.