Ancient Guardians: The Uninvited (42 page)

“Levi?” Harrison called out.

Levi turned, startled. How long had he been standing and staring out of his office window.

“Yes, Harrison. Is my mother ready?”

Harrison nodded somberly. “She is with Reece, Lizzy, and my parents. We are waiting on you.”

“Give me a moment,” Levi replied.

“Very well,” Harrison responded, and turned to leave.

Levi brought his attention back to the view outside of his window. He needed to pull himself together. His duty commanded him to guide the grieving residents of Pemdas past the death of their fallen emperor.

He would perform his father’s final farewell this night, and he would use every ounce of energy he had to repress his emotions.

With superior command, Levi spun on his heel and turned to leave the room to go honor his father and all who depended on him…just as his duty commanded him.

Sneak Peak into
Ancient Guardians: Book III

V
oices, like musical instruments, spoke in unison and perfect harmony. It was the oddest, yet soothing sound. “He will become conscious again,” the voices said in unison, “and
they
will come.” The female voices finished.

The room became silent.

Unexpectedly, Navarre opened his eyes. He tried to move, but a strong force restrained him to the hard surface he was lying on. He tried to speak, but no words came out.
Where am I
? He thought, confused.

“His eyes have opened,” The voices said in astonishment, “Our plans have methodically worked! Let us give him some time to recover his strength, and then we will proceed to question the emperor.”

Navarre struggled to comprehend what was going on, and who was speaking.
What happened? How did I get here?
As quick as a memory flashed into his mind, it vanished; until finally, his mind started to become clearer. He remembered staring into his wife’s confident eyes as he said his farewells before his departure for Armedias, knowing he may never see her again.

Then he remembered addressing his warriors, preparing them for a battle in which they were greatly outnumbered. His command to the men echoed in his mind.
Brave men of Pemdas, it is a great honor for me to fight alongside each one of you. Now, let us fulfill our duties as Guardians, and recover the Key!”

Everything started to come into focus, as if it had just taken place. He led the charge, and their plans were being executed flawlessly. When the Armedite army invaded with horses, and broke their line, the battle became a more of a challenge. As soon as the line broke, Navarre kept close to Levi, knowing he was separated from Areion. His son fought fiercely, but he was overtaken.

“Levi!” Navarre’s voice boomed, his voice echoing loudly in the room he was restrained in.

He exhaled when he recalled the last and final memory he had. His lungs weren’t taking in air, and he knew his life was ending. He stared up into the intense eyes of his son. Levi remained stern, gazing down at him, and then he was on Areion.

Directly after, everything faded to black. He remembered nothing else until he woke up in this eerie room, paralyzed and staring up at nothing. The atmosphere of the room was filled with absolute void and desolation.

I’ve got to get out of here.
he thought as he tried to move unsuccessfully.

The harmonized voices laughed, startling him. “Emperor, you will leave, but now is not the time.”

Being in such a vulnerable state was highly agitating. He was stunned when he tried to sit up again, his body responded. He tried to swing his legs off of the table, but they were still restrained by the strange energy force. He looked straight ahead and noticed four transparent women. They each had long, flowing, golden hair, and wore long, pale robes. All four women were identical in their appearance, and looked exactly like the priestess that was held captive in Pemdas. He recalled Levi ended that Priestess’s life, and therein, all of her sisters.
Why are they still alive? How am I still alive?

“You are Lucas’s Priestesses—where am I? Why am I here? I should be dead!” He demanded.

The four smiled in unison. “You were, for a brief moment; that was the only way we could capture you, and transport you into our galaxy.”

“Galaxy? What are you talking about? You reside in Armedias—you are from Armedias.” Navarre answered, still struggling to gather his memories.

Their eyes became fierce, and changed from a turquoise color, to a bright crimson.

“We are NOT from Armedias!” They collectively shouted. “We are not from the galaxy that the planet Earth is a part of either. We only used Armedias to set out to find what we were instructed to find—and that is the stone that controls all of the existing realms of Earth.”

Navarre’s brow furrowed, “That is impossible. No one can travel out of their own galaxy, never has such a thing been attempted.”

Wicked smiles pulled up on all of their faces, “Oh, but
we
can. We can generate ourselves in a particular way to do so. Nevertheless, you are correct, Emperor; no one can travel through different galaxies. Unless, of course, a particular stone was fashioned, by a particular man, and the powers within it could be used. This stone does not only to protect the planet Earth, but it will also open portals to new galaxies.”

Navarre was disillusioned by what he was hearing. “You used the stone’s powers to open a portal to bring me here? What do I have that you need?”

They laughed, “You see, that is why you are here. We don’t have the stone’s powers. We have played numerous games with those in your galaxy, trying to locate the one who carries the map to the stone. It was when Movac uncovered the identity of the one who carries the map in her mind that we took over Armedias their ruler, Lucas.”

He recalled Galleta informing him about the length of time the Priestesses where with Lucas. His lips tightened in frustration, “Impossible, all of you took up residence in Armedias years ago.”

The women laughed in unison, “I see our sister was successful in manipulating your advisors, Emperor. She is supreme with her skill.”

“What!” Navarre’s voice boomed in agitation.

“Yes, we have only resided since the Key, as you call her, was revealed to the Council of Worlds.” Their eyes narrowed, “We needed a weak leader, one whose mind could be manipulated for our cause. Lucas was perfect, and therefore we used him and his people to give us what we needed. Imagine our utter amazement when we learned that your son was able to see the location. Unfortunately, his mind will not reveal the stone’s location, nor will that human child’s. After learning this, we needed a new way of opening the portal for our master. The only way to do this was to get the one person who is able to find and use the stone’s power to open the portal for us. This, emperor, is why you are here. Your brave warriors will come for you.”

“They believe me to be dead!” Navarre shouted angrily.

“Indeed, one last enjoyable torment for your people. You were replaced with a clone the moment we used the energy of the vortex to capture you.” The voices laughed, “Our plans were executed so flawlessly that your talented horse could not detect the transfer.”

“A clone?” Navarre thought aloud.

“Yes, an exact replica of what you were when you were dead, passing through the vortex. We used our powers to take your body, and at the same time, the clone was transferred onto the horse.”

“None of this makes sense.” he said as he tried to comprehend what these women where telling him.

“It doesn’t have too. All that matters now is that we will have finally achieved what we need,” They smiled down at him, “the portal to Earth’s galaxy to be opened.”

Navarre gazed sternly at the women, “My son will never attempt such a thing. The Council of World’s would never—”

They collectively smiled, “Oh, but your son will. He will come for you, and he will bring the stone with him. That, bold emperor, is when our kind will rule over all galaxies.”

“There is no way—”

“YES!” Their eyes glowed red, “Yes, Emperor, there is a way!” Their eyes returned to turquoise again and they smiled, “Once your son realizes you are alive, and that there is a way he can open up the portal to a new galaxy, then, Emperor, he will come for you, and we will have our power.”

Navarre shook his head, “Your plans will never come to fruition. If what you are saying is true about Levi finding a way to open a portal for inter-galactic travel, he would never attempt it. The Council of Worlds will never allow it!”

They smiled, “See for yourself, Emperor, we will have him soon enough.”

At that moment, the dreary walls all around them displayed a snowy mountain range. The air in the room became bitterly cold, as if he were inside the images he was staring at.

His sudden chill was instantly replaced with fear and dread. Aggressively fighting their way through the harsh terrain was a line of fierce Guardian horses with Pemdai warriors upon their backs. There had to of been at least a hundred of them. They wore their guardian regalia and rode their horses in two’s. The long trail of horses followed one bold horse and its rider. Navarre studied the rider intently; something was different about the Guardian on this horse.

No! It can’t be…
he thought in disbelief. Navarre inhaled deeply and swallowed hard, “Reece?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S.L. Morgan was born and raised in California. After 29 years of living in the Sierra Nevada Mountains there, she and her husband began their journeys of moving throughout the United States. She currently lives in Texas, where she and her husband are raising their three children.

In October of 2011, S.L. Morgan became inspired to write her new novel series, “Ancient Guardians.” With her passion and love for Jane Austen and other classic romance novels, she was motivated to write a novel series of her own.

S.L. Morgan is currently anticipating five books in the Ancient Guardians series, and is very excited to bring her readers on more adventures and journeys with Levi, Reece and Harrison.

You can also find S.L. Morgan here:

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www.slmorganauthor.com

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