Daughter of Earth (Tales of the Guardian) (14 page)

     She made her way over to the bed, slipping down onto the soft velvet pad. She attempted to sort through her thoughts, but it was like snatching at pesky flies zipping in and out of her head. No one emotion was dominant; instead there was a flood of mixed feelings. It was all too much and the tears began to spill freely over her cheeks. A few sobs escaped her throat, allowing her airways to expand again.

     The event was more than a mere seductive moment. It was more evidence Alexander was changing. Something inside him was different. The cause was unknown to her; she speculated it had to do with the meeting in the Great Hall over a week ago. That was the first she’d seen of Alexander’s irrational behavior. Yet the change in him went deeper. The Alexander she knew would not be so affected by a simple disagreement with his Elders. No, his very will was changing and it frightened her. She needed to talk to someone and it needed to be as soon as she could gather her wits and emotions.

     Xavier might be able to help her. She decided to search him out first thing in the morning. She needed to get to the bottom of everything before things got any worse.

Chapter 11

     Emily asked Olivia to make her excuses to Damarus for the day. She wasn’t sure how long she would be and didn’t want him to wait for her. Training would have to be postponed until tomorrow. Besides, there was no way she could have dedicated the attention needed to her exercises, not after last night.

     Making her way past the Gathering Stone she tried to appear calm and collected. She smiled and acknowledged every Guardian she passed, not wanting any of them to sense her distress. Olivia told her she believed Xavier could be found in the west gardens near the men’s quarters. He and a few of the other Guardians often playfully sparred there in the morning for exercise.

     As soon as Emily found herself alone on the cobblestone path she picked up her pace. She’d agreed to wear a long dress instead of her training tunic and now she wished she hadn’t. It was hard for her to grow accustomed to the clothing choices in Eden. They resembled garments worn in ancient Roman or Greek times and though she had to admit there was a little girl inside her that still delighted in playing dress up, the fact was the more formal clothing could sometimes get in the way. Just like it did now as she tried to move quicker and the reams of material thwarted her hasty steps.

     Coming around a long wall of shrubs, Emily halted her jog when she saw a cluster of twenty or so male Guardians. Loud laughter and shouts rang sporadically through the group.

     It was hard to discern exactly what was going on because the men had formed a tight circle. Most of them stood tall, but a few were crouched down on one knee, slapping the ground and yelling excitedly.

     Emily approached the group, jumping and ducking to get a peek at what was going on inside the circle and to see if she could spot Xavier. When she eventually found a small gap in the crowd to squeeze through it was no surprise to find him in the center of the circle, wrestling.

     Xavier circled his opponent in a crouched manner with his arms stretched forward. The other man had a similar posture although he kept one leg far back, as if anchoring his stance. Xavier shot in low, successfully locking his arms around the other man’s upper thighs, immediately driving his momentum forward, causing them both to crash to the ground. It was a scramble from there and Emily was having a hard time keeping up with their movements. Both men were quick and agile and she wondered if it was possible for either of them to overpower the other. It seemed an equal match.

     None of the spectators noticed her at first as they all cheered and coached the two Guardians. Soon a few eyes fell upon her and the shouts began to die down. Both wrestling Guardians looked up when the crowd finally fell silent.

     She felt quite out of place as every green eye fixated on her. Xavier immediately released his grasp on the other man.

     “Hey, Em. How’s it going?” Xavier threw his hand out to the side catching the shirt another Guardian tossed him. The cotton cloth covered his deeply tanned skin as he pulled it over his head. His blonde hair was tied back but now after his wrestling match, numerous loose locks escaped the leather band. He certainly fit the stereotype of a California surfer. Even his relaxed and goofy personality matched.

     “This is what you all do for fun?” Emily teased. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. I should expect this by now.” She was trying not to immediately assault him with her numerous questions. They needed to talk in private and right now everyone’s attention was still on her, it was important to appear relaxed despite the pressing sense of urgency she felt.

     “Yeah, well, boys will be boys, right?” he shrugged.

     There was a lot of truth in Xavier’s statement whether he meant it to be profound or not.

     “
Was that what last night was? Alexander was just being a boy?”
Emily knew desires coursed through men and women. She was not entirely naïve nor did she think it was wrong for people to be attracted to one another in such a way. What was wrong about the situation was for the first time he had failed to exert self-control over those natural desires, something she never expected from him.

     Emily snapped back to the present. “Uh, I was wondering if you could escort me to the Library. I have some questions and Olivia is busy for the moment, as is Alexander.”  Speaking his name only fueled the fire burning inside her. Where was he? It felt so weird to not know and to have no idea what state of mind he might be in.

     Everyone knew she was supposed to be training with Damarus and Alexander rarely, if ever, left her side, although the tally marks for him disappearing on her were growing rapidly. She dropped her head not wanting to meet questioning stares from any of the Guardian who still lingered.

     “Yep, sounds good. Alexander told me he would be busy today and wanted me to look after you. I would have come earlier but I got distracted. Lexington challenged me to a match.” Xavier pointed to a Guardian who was readjusting his own shirt after pulling it on. “I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to beat on him a bit,” he winked.

     “Sorry about that, Emily. If I had known you needed Xavier I wouldn’t have detained him,” Lexington spoke up.

     She noticed his hair was a similar color to Xavier’s, yet not as light. He wore his much shorter, practically shaved to the skin. His eyes were the usual green but she caught a glimmer of blue in them just like in Damarus’. It amazed her how many shades of green existed where Guardians eyes were concerned.

     “That’s okay, there’s no rush,” Emily lied as she acknowledged Lexington’s apology.

     “Well, shall we?” Xavier gestured at a path to their left indicating the two of them could take their leave. “I’d be happy to take you to the Library.”

     Emily was relieved. She could tell he knew something was up. Hopefully this would save her an uncomfortable and, long explanation.

     They walked about fifty yards until they found themselves on a secluded garden path. Emily didn’t know how to begin the conversation and now Xavier seemed less approachable than when she’d first decided upon the idea. This was Alexander’s best friend, not hers. She needed Candice for this stuff, or rather her father.

     “So I take it you want to talk about last night?” Xavier broke the silence.

     Thank goodness she didn’t have to bring it up. He had easily thrown out the thorny hairball Emily was struggling to cough up. Leave it to him to be blunt and straightforward. It was a quality she’d come to admire in him.

     “Yes, I’d like to talk about it. I figured you knew why I came as soon as you accepted my ridiculous lie about why I was alone,” she snickered a little with the thought of her silly excuse, but it was also due to her nerves. This was bound to be somewhat embarrassing for them both. But, she mustered up the courage.

     “Well I can tell ya right now Alexander is pretty torn up about the whole thing,”

     “Really? And did he tell you exactly what … happened?”

     Emily tried to calm her churning stomach. Xavier was a friend, for Pete’s sake. There was no need for her to be so tense.

     “If you’re referring to him making a pass at you, then yeah, he told me all about it. And, like I said, he is hurting badly about the whole thing.”

     “Well, I guess it’s a good thing he was thinking about it.” Emily tried to sound confident, but the truth was she hated knowing Alexander felt ashamed; it just wasn’t him. But, that was the purpose for this whole conversation, she quickly reminded herself. To find out why he wasn’t acting like himself. “So did he come to you this morning then?”

     “No, he found me last night. He pulled me away from the bathhouse in a fury, telling me he needed to talk. He barely gave me time to get dressed before dragging me over to the field by the Arena. He paced back and forth for at least five minutes before he even said anything. He seemed angry at first, like he might start shouting, but I knew I just needed to give him some time. That’s all Alexander ever needs, time,” he stopped short in his words as two Guardians passed them, silently.

     Emily and Xavier were coming close to Eden’s center where they were bound to encounter continual traffic. He grabbed her elbow and they cut sharply to their left. Leaving the path, they forged their own way over the lush green grass. They walked until they found a tree, which wasn’t difficult because there seemed to be one every fifty paces or so. He glanced around, checking to make sure they were alone and then sat down, indicating she should do the same.

     She waited a moment, smoothing the folds of the dress and pulled her knees into her chest. But Xavier didn’t continue.

     “You said he seemed angry. Was he angry with me?” she held her breath waiting for the answer.

     “Of course not!” he huffed, as if what Emily asked was an insult. “He was angry with himself. As he explained what had happened he kept shaking his head, a look of utter disappointment on his face. A look I only see when one of his hundred makes an extremely foolish mistake in training,” he smirked. “And he never stopped pacing.  He probably walked a whole mile just going five steps back and forth.”

     “Where is he now? Why hasn’t he come to see me?”

      If Alexander was truly as regretful, as Xavier indicated, then why had he not made amends? The question haunted Emily. It just proved he was becoming unpredictable.

     “He left, Em.” Xavier let his words sink in before he continued.

     Emily felt every inch of her face simultaneously go tense. Her shoulders first and then her entire body became as knotted as a balled muscle.

     “What do you mean, he left? Left, as in he went off to be alone somewhere, or as in he left Eden?”

     “Left, as in, he took off and I have no idea where he went. But, I can tell ya he’s not here in Eden. I can sense when he’s here, it’s just a brotherly bond, I guess. All of us can sense each other’s proximity but the ability is stronger between those of us who are close, like Alexander and me.”

     He placed his hand on her shoulder. It was obvious she was fighting back tears.

     “Look, Emily, he didn’t leave because he’s mad at you. This doesn’t have to do with you. It’s all him, trust me.”

     “I just don’t understand. He hasn’t been himself lately. Ever since the council with the five when he learned the truth about the Guardians creation and my purpose here, he hasn’t been the same. What changed?”

     She fought the sting she felt in her eyes. She refused to cry. She was tired of letting her emotions rule her behavior. They clouded her thoughts, never helping her reason things out.

     “That’s just it.
He’s
not even sure what’s going on. He said he feels like there is some internal battle waging a war inside him and he’s trying to figure things out. He needs to think and he said he can’t do it here and he certainly didn’t want to be around you for fear he would hurt your feelings again.”