Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key (6 page)

She quickly turned
to leave, and headed out to the sitting area where the men waited.

Both
men were conversing when Reece entered the room.
They consider this to be a
small sitting room?
She thought when she entered the room, only to find
another large room, adorned with even more fashionable furniture arranged
around a large stone-like fireplace. She did not have long to study the room
before both men stood in unison, and proceeded to make their way over to her.

Again, Levi offered
his arm, and she accepted. They followed Harrison out of the room and back into
the hall, which brought them to a grand staircase. As they climbed the
staircase, Reece was in awe of its beauty. This majestic feature, with its
imposing proportions, was surrounded by pale walls and columns. The white
marble of the staircase was complemented by an iridescent, ruby-colored
banister. With everything that Reece had viewed so far, she found its colors
and rich design flowed together so well, it gave the impression of perfect
harmony.

Once they reached
the top, they walked a short distance before turning toward two large doors,
which opened immediately upon their arrival.

They walked through
the stylish entry, and followed steps down into its lower level. At the front
of the room, white square pilasters framed a bank of tall, multi-pane windows.
Dark green sofas and chairs were arranged for conversation in front of the windows,
giving anyone who sat in them a perfect view of the gardens that surrounded the
back of the Palace. Beyond the neatly groomed and manicured gardens, rolling
hills and pastures disappeared into a thick forest of tall trees.

A tall man stood up
from one of the sofas, and turned to meet his guests. He had black hair with
hints of gray. His blue eyes were as penetrating in their gaze as Levi’s were.
As he approached, his smile widened, and his eyes sparkled; even so, Reece
found him to be an intimidating authority figure. It was the way he held
himself, she thought; a picture of complete and absolute confidence.

Without a doubt,
she knew this was the Emperor of Pemdas. He wore clothes as extravagant as the
Palace they were in. It was the attire anyone would expect a man of such
importance to wear.
Well, maybe in 1800’s England, anyways,
she thought.
He was smartly dressed in a rich velvet cutaway coat that perfectly outlined
his lustrous black silk waistcoat. His neck was concealed by a black silk
cravat, which had been tied in an intricate knot, and embellished with a ruby
stone in the center. She had to resist the urge to curtsey at the sight of him.

The noble man
approached and extended his arm out to her. Levi gently took her hand and
loosened the tight grip she hadn’t realized she had on his arm. He placed her
hand in his father’s outstretched hand. “Father, this is Reece Bryant. Miss
Bryant, allow me to introduce my father; the Emperor of Pemdas, Lord Navarre
Oxley.” Levi looked down at her, smiling. “Reece has many questions, and
unfortunately, various circumstances thus far have delayed explanations.”

Navarre
smiled at Reece, gently brought her hand up, and kissed the air over it. “Miss
Bryant, it is a great honor to have you here safe with us in Pemdas.”

He led her towards
the luxurious sofas, never dropping her hand as he guided her to a seat.
Harrison and Levi both found empty chairs to sit on.

“Allow me to offer
you some tea, as I understand this has been a very trying morning for you.” At
that moment, a servant girl carried a tray in. Her flaxen hair was twisted up
in a bun, and she wore a long white gown, confined at the waist by a braided
silver band. She smiled and gently set the tray on a glass table in front of
the windows. She poured hot tea into steel mugs, and carried them around,
providing one to each of them.

As Reece brought
the mug to her lips, she inhaled its fragrance, a mixture of spices—cinnamon?
ginger? bergamot? Peppermint? She wasn’t sure, but it was almost intoxicating.
Before she took a sip of the tea, Navarre politely asked, “Would you care for
something to eat? I can arrange for food to be brought in if you are hungry; it
will be a few more hours until we have dinner.

Even though she
hadn’t eaten a bite all day, she had no appetite. Food was the last thing on
her mind at this moment. Reece set the mug on a side table. “Dinner? Will I be
staying here that long?”

Navarre nodded,
stood up, and walked over to gaze out the windows. “Miss Bryant, I’m afraid you
will not be returning to Earth any time soon. Please allow me to explain, and
try not to be too alarmed. This is for your safety, and for the safety of your
friends, and all those on Earth.”

He turned from the
windows to face the room. His expression was serene, yet grave.

She was at the end
of her tolerance of all of this. Now she couldn’t go home? She looked straight
at Navarre and spoke very sternly. “Please explain to me what is going on,
immediately.” She demanded. “I feel that I’ve been extremely patient so far,
and before I try to find a way out of this place on my own, I want answers.”

She looked directly
at Levi and Harrison. Levi was leaning back in his chair, looking concerned.
Harrison leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and spoke earnestly, “Reece,
under today’s circumstances, we couldn’t break any of this to you gently. It
wasn’t our intention to shock, upset, or frighten you in this manner. We could
have—perhaps we should have—tried a bit harder to explain things, but our first
priority was getting you here safely.” He smiled at her. “I, for one, did not
want to take any risks that might have resulted in your jumping out of the car,
or off the back of the horse, for that matter. Please allow Navarre to explain
what is happening, and why we feel you should not return home so hastily. Have
no fear, Reece; you will be able to go home once we’re sure it’s safe.”

Reece sat rigidly,
staring at Harrison.

“Yes,
Harrison,” said Navarre. “You both should have taken a few additional moments
with Miss Bryant to prepare her as best you could. But what is done, is done.
Miss Bryant, I ask that you forgive us. I plan to explain as much now as you
are able to tolerate. I understand that this will be a lot for you to attempt
to comprehend, and that is perfectly reasonable. At the very least, I should
like explain to you why you should feel safe among us.” He smiled and then sat
in an empty chair by Harrison.

  “Let me start by
saying, you were in grave danger this morning before these two young men
intervened. There was no time for them to elucidate the situation. By the time
Levi reported to us how swiftly the situation had become dangerous, we had
little time to react to ensure your safety.”

“We were rapidly
losing our control over the situation, and we had to decide quickly how best to
protect you,” said Levi.

Navarre watched
Reece carefully before going further. “I can, however, completely understand
why they felt the need to wait for more detailed explanations. I believe you’ll
appreciate their motives as well, when the whole sequence is laid before you.”

Reece sat back,
eyeing him with some skepticism. She thought he probably meant well, but well
for him might not be well for her.

A tiny smile drew
up the corner of Navarre’s mouth and he went on. “First of all, it’s natural
for you to be completely overwhelmed with the realization that there are worlds
and dimensions outside your own. Some of your people have chosen to keep
secrets from others of their own kind. It is something I have never understood
about Earth.”

He relaxed back
into his chair. “You seem to be the type of person who appreciates being fully
informed, be it good or bad news; is that so?” He waited for her reply.

Reece sat up,
giving him her complete attention. “Yes, and the sooner, the better.”

Navarre nodded.
“For all of its existence, Earth has had countless visitors from different
worlds and dimensions. You see, the planet Earth is a conduit, a gateway.”

“Like an airport? A
hub?”

“Yes!” Said
Harrison.

“Only, sort of,”
said Levi.

Navarre leaned
forward. “Our kind, the Pemdai, have sworn to protect your kind, and your
world, for as long as we have existed. Our whole way of life depends upon it.
To understand this, you must be aware of why Earth is so important, not only to
us, but to all other realms outside of it.”

Reece swallowed
hard.

“I know it isn’t
easy to believe, Miss Bryant, for someone in your position, with your lack of
background in this area. I do hope the experiences you have faced by coming
into Pemdas have helped you accept that you are truly in another dimension. If
you can accept this, everything else I tell you will be easier to believe.”

She had accepted
it. Somewhere between the park in Philadelphia, and this palace, she had come
to believe the impossible.

“Earth
serves as a center point to all other worlds and dimensions. Most dimensions
exist only because of the unique way Earth spins on its axis. If this is
altered, it could either imprison the inhabitants inside their own dimension,
or make the dimension itself nonexistent. If Earth were manipulated in a
particular way, our dimension would suffer the latter. It would destroy our
world entirely.” He narrowed his eyes, as if trying not to imagine what he
spoke of.

Reece looked at
him, confused. “So this world…I mean dimension...only exists because of Earth?”

He nodded. “Not
only because of Earth, but because of the position of Earth as it spins on its
axis. Unfortunately, there are ways to manipulate, or shift, that position. If
the Earth’s position is changed, then it will destroy all of the vortices, or
portals, of other dimensions. This would imprison the people in their own
world. Because of Earth, vortices are opened and inter-dimensional travel is
possible.”

“But you said your
dimension would be destroyed?” Reece asked, still doubtful of what he was
informing her about.

“Yes, that is
correct. You see, while there are many other dimensions out there, Pemdas is
the only dimension that is
on
Earth. That is why it would destroy us;
instead of imprison us to our land. You will find, and may have already
noticed, that even though there are differences between Pemdas and Earth, there
are many similar qualities as well.”

Reece’s lips
twisted as she tried to understand what he was telling her, “This doesn’t make
sense to me. So, I’m still on Earth…but in a completely different world…I mean,
dimension? How is this possible?”

  Navarre looked
toward Levi and Harrison, who both sat listening as intently as if they’d never
heard the explanation before. “Miss Bryant, I can explain all of the properties
of dimensions and how they exist, but that is not what I want you troubled
about right now. Allow me to address your initial concern. The reason you are
with us, is because, many years ago, Earth faced the danger of being altered.
The individuals who sought to manipulate Earth are our greatest enemy. They are
the Ciatron; they come from a dimension known as Ciatris. These beings are
extremely intelligent. They have many mind-altering powers, and they can shift
into any form they wish. Your father, in your room that night, was not your
father; it was a shape-shifting Ciatron, there to gather information about you.
Of course, as soon as Harrison and Levi became aware of his presence, they
intercepted him and removed him from Earth.”

Reece’s mind was
beginning to hurt. “Something from another world was in my room?” She
remembered the day of her aborted plane trip. “It wasn’t the first time though.
My father—or whatever that thing was—came to see me before, right?”

Navarre confirmed.
“Yes, Miss Bryant, we know. That threat was removed as well. These two young
men here have been pretty busy watching out for you in the last week or so.”

“But,
what do they want? Why do they want anything to do with me? I can’t give them
anything; they have no reason to be concerned with me!”

Navarre exhaled
softly. “Oh, but they do. They believe they know who you are.”

“Oh? Who am I,
then?”

  “You are the
descendant of a very important man, and within your mind, you have a vital
piece of information that they Ciatron need. They will stop at nothing to
obtain this information. You are the one that all worlds and dimensions refer
to as, ‘the Key.’”

“What? My ancestor?
This doesn’t make sense! I’m a Key? Key to what?” Reece’s heart was pounding
again. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear any more.

Navarre nodded. “I
know this is a lot of information to take in. You must understand; the
knowledge I have about your ancestor, and your current importance, was not
learned in one night. I can’t explain it all in one night, either. But I can
tell you what you need to know to be able to trust us, and the decisions we’ve
made on your behalf. I understand your fears and concerns, and I will not have
you ignorant while you remain in Pemdas. I need you to be comfortable living
amongst us, and to understand why you are safer inside our borders.”

Reece closed her
eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to bring her thoughts under control. This was
too much. She was still having difficulty believing she was no longer on Earth.
She did not feel threatened by the Emperor, nor by Harrison or Levi, but what
she was learning, was more than her mind could bear. She felt a tear run down
her cheek, and quickly wiped it away.