Daughter of Earth (Tales of the Guardian) (17 page)

     A small bounce in her knees gave away how excited she really was.

     Being prideful was never a trait she liked seeing in other people, but there was nothing wrong with feeling satisfied about her hard work. The time, patience and sweat she’d put in added to today’s results and filled her with a sense of accomplishment.

     “Well, it appears you have learned to access your core…and there he is,” Alexander blurted in a huff.

     At first Emily didn’t understand what Alexander’s mixed sentence meant, but when she glanced over her shoulder she saw Xavier approaching.

     “I think I will take my leave. No doubt the other Elders will be anxious to hear about Emily’s progress. I will see you tomorrow.” Damarus bowed slightly at both of them and then turned to leave just as Xavier arrived.

     “Long time no see, brother. Glad you’re back!” he exclaimed.

     Alexander released his grasp on Emily to give his friend a few pats on the back. “It’s good to be back.”

     “I was in New York with James and literally just got back. But, as soon as I came through those gates I knew you were here. And it had nothing to do with sensing ya. I could smell your stench a mile away. Where you been hiding out, bro, some stale seaweed infested cave? Sheesh!”

     Alexander’s hair did smell, but it hadn’t bothered Emily. Playful banter went on all the time between the two men and she knew an insult was never a true insult among these two.

     “Yes, well, I’ll go to the bathhouse later tonight, but right now I’d like to be with Emily. I’m sure she’s exhausted but I am going to squeeze whatever time I can out of her before she falls asleep.” He turned to her, looking for approval.

     “I may not let you go see Xavier ‘til midnight,” Emily leaned over  squinting her face at Xavier jokingly.

     “Ha! Well, take your time then. I’m just glad to see you two lovebirds are back together and all twitter-pated again. Just catch me when you’re ready to use those hot baths, brother.” He turned to leave.

     “Wait , Xavier! You said you were with my dad. How is he?” she asked even though she knew the answer.

     Xavier had been back and forth quite a bit since she’d come to Eden to keep her connected to her father.

     “He’s good. Still pluggin’ away. He misses you and of course sends his love. He says he just keeps telling himself you’re in college and it seems to help him accept you’re gone. But, he’s hoping you might be able to come visit for your birthday.”

     “I’d completely forgotten my birthday was coming up. I guess I’ve just lost track of stuff like that. Tell him I’ll make sure I’m there to celebrate turning 19 with him.” Emily had wanted to visit her father often. Now she was finally making progress with things she didn’t want to interrupt her momentum. But, her birthday was still a few weeks away and a visit to her father would be in order for both of them.

     She’d missed her father intensely at first, but each day she grew a little more accustomed to spreading her wings. In a way, it really was no different than her being away at college. She would have flown the nest this year anyway. She just flew to an unknown location without telephones or email. Other than that, there wasn’t much difference.

     Xavier promised to deliver her message and left the way he came while Alexander and Emily made their way through the opposite archway.

     “Will you take me to the Library? I haven’t been there yet. Even though I know I can go on my own I’ve wanted you there to explain all the treasures. Just like you did on our first date at the Morgan Library and Museum.”

     “You don’t want to save that for another day when you’re not so tired?’ he questioned, knowing she must have felt wiped out. Considering her physical needs, he still wanted to spend time with her; he had greatly missed her companionship.

     “If I don’t go tonight, who knows when I’ll get there? I could see the spark in Damarus’ eyes this evening. I have a feeling now that I’m progressing with his training he is going to have me out there from sun up to sun down,” she laughed but she feared it was true.

     “You’re probably right. Damarus can be relentless. We should go tonight.”

     They made a quick course correction to catch the path leading them straight to the Library. They arrived when the first stars began appearing overhead.

“After you,” Alexander held the huge wooden door open as Emily passed through into the giant stone room.

The building was massive, stretching the length of a football field. There were no separate rooms, just one with shelves completely covering the walls and hundreds of tables laid out in neatly organized rows.

Torch fire flickered against the draft sweeping through the open doors. She found it amazing that simple torches would provide enough light to actually illuminate this massive hall, but then her gaze was drawn upward. Numerous oil chandeliers hung from the rib-vaulted ceiling. It reminded her of a cathedral or church.

The aroma of aged leather and oil hung in the air, the very smell indicting there were numerous ancient artifacts and treasures tucked away within these walls.

Emily could hardly contain her bubbling excitement. There was so much here, too much actually. There was no way to view even a twentieth of it tonight.

“There must be something here from every era,” she exclaimed, as she spun around not knowing where to start.

“Yes, in fact there is. There is at least one thing in here from every decade since Guardians were created. It isn’t really organized chronologically,” Alexander chuckled, scanning the room. “There actually isn’t much rhyme or reason to any of its placement. I’m not sure why. This has got to be the most disorganized place in Eden.”

It might not have been arranged by time era but it certainly didn’t appear disorganized to Emily. It all seemed to flow to her. It appeared there was an area for scrolls, another held plenty of bronze pots and urns and across from it a place overrun with giant marble statues. No, things seemed to be grouped by likeness rather than age.

“This is by far the most amazing museum. Can you imagine what some archeologists and scientists would do if they were permitted to view and inspect these things?” Emily walked over to examine the statues that seemed to meet her gaze with their stone eyes.

“Well, that’s just it. Some of these things are so precious they could no longer be entrusted to the human race, either because of their own doing or natural disasters or war. Some things need to remain protected and this is the Library’s purpose, to house and shield these priceless pieces of time,” he motioned to the walls around him that, if not made from stone, would have surely buckled under the weight of the thousands of shelves anchored to them.

“I guess it makes sense. Guardians protect humans, so why not artifacts? I just don’t understand how you got all this here.” She tore her eyes away from the statues to look at Alexander. “I thought you couldn’t travel with a physical object. How did Guardians get all of this here to Eden?”

It was a good question. One he knew she was bound to ask. “Guardians don’t bring these things here. Keepers do.”

He slowly grinned. It had been a while since he had sprung some fresh news on her. He always enjoyed her driving curiosity. It was positively entertaining.

“Keepers? What are Keepers?”

“Do you remember Carl from the Morgan Library and Museum?”

“He’s a Keeper?”

“Well, I guess I could tell you he’s human. But then I would be lying,” Alexander winked.

“Ha,” a burst of surprise escaped her lips. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Alexander; it was that she couldn’t believe the seemingly never ending discovery of unknown beings. How many more unseen and undiscovered beings were out there? Was there no end?

“Do Keepers have powers like Guardians? Carl unquestionably looked much older than you.”

“Keepers have some powers, but they aren’t the same because their purpose is not the same as ours. Guardians are here to protect humans. Keepers exist to protect time. They watch over objects, they preserve history.” There was absolute respect in Alexander’s voice. “Keepers are able to travel much as we do, by disappearing into thin air. Their unique talent is that they can take things with them. However, they are not permitted inside Eden’s gates. They bring the objects to the doors and Guardians take them and move them here,” Alexander gestured with his hands to the tables in front of him.

“Are they immortal like Guardians?” Emily had not been this curious since she’d found out about Guardians and The Opposition.

“In a sense, yes. They cannot be wounded or killed. Their bodies aren’t governed by the same laws as humans or Guardians, but at some point time beckons them home and they disappear and are never seen again. When one Keeper is claimed another is created in their place. It is almost as if they are the essence of time incarnated into a physical form to protect itself. It is a weird concept but it makes sense.”

A quiet noise escaped her throat. It wouldn’t have been noticeable to anyone except Alexander. He knew her features and mannerisms better than she did. And he knew that little sound meant something was troubling her.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” he closed the distance between them, searching her eyes.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she shook her head. “It’s just that I am starting to feel outnumbered by immortals, which typically wouldn’t matter. But, since I find myself in love with one, I’m getting a little envious,” she paused, glancing down at her fingers, nervously picking her nails. She wasn’t sure if this was a good time to bring up immortality and the challenges they currently faced because of it. After all, they were still recovering from their first argument. Yet they couldn’t keep ignoring the issue and she couldn’t keep putting off the growing desire to somehow fix all of it, even if it only proved to be a mere bandage.

“I want to be with you for longer than a lifetime. Am I the only one here who won’t have the privilege?”

Emily’s confession pricked his heart because it was true. The one person he wanted to spend forever with was not immortal. She was bound for eternity in another part of this vast universe and though Guardians could die, Alexander was not certain their eternal resting place was the same.

“Emily,” he enveloped her delicate hands within his massive grip, “I don’t know how to solve the problem that immortality places before us, but I do know it won’t stop me from loving you while you’re here. Just being given the opportunity to love you is enough. I am willing to take whatever time I have with you.”

He was trying to stay strong. He could not show Emily his despair. On the inside he was sobbing with the grief that came with this reality, this problem that had no solution.

Emily looked into those gorgeous green eyes she’d grown so comfortable with. A new acceptance was growing in her, one that was okay with having whatever time should could with him, even if it meant she aged and he didn’t. As long as he never stopped looking at her the way he did now in this moment. They could find happiness, she was certain.

 “Then why haven’t you asked me to marry you yet?” her smile could not be contained.

Emily’s simple question practically knocked Alexander off his feet. His jaw dropped in amazement. He knew she was not making light of the subject. She was as serious as she’d ever been and the sparkle in her eye gave away her satisfaction in knowing she’d just cornered him.

Of course he had contemplated marriage to Emily. It was the thing he wanted most. He had wanted to marry her since the day he rescued her from the mugger. He’d been watching her for her entire lifetime, and was in love with her two years before their first encounter. It was natural for him to have at least thought about marrying her, secretly wishing for it to become part of his reality. He simply hadn’t brought it up because he knew how the customs and stigmas of the modern age had altered people’s belief in a timeframe for such an event. She was cautious and careful about each decision she made which made him uncertain of her expectations for courtship and marriage.