The Guardian Chronicles 2: Dark Horizon (10 page)

Aadesh merely smiled. “Although it wasn’t all me, has he seen the Phoenix Tanks yet?”

“Not yet,” Ryan said. “We were just about to show them to him.”

“Right this way.”

The trio followed Aadesh through a door at the far end of the room. They entered into a room that was smaller than the infirmary, although still bathed in the same soft blue light. Six horizontal cylinders were spread throughout the room; each cylinder had several monitors attached to it.

"What are those things?" Gabriel asked.

"Phoenix Tanks," Aadesh explained, waving his hand around the room. "They contain a powerful serum recently developed by Aegis that promotes cellular growth and rapid healing. They are what saved your life, well that and timely battlefield intervention by your friends there."

Gabriel turned to look at both Tony and Ryan. "Wait a minute, what?"

"It wasn't us actually," Tony admitted. "It was Cody, he's our medic. He started treating you right after the attack but Aadesh is too modest, he deserves some of the credit too."

Although he had never really thought anything bad about Cody, he was starting to see him in a whole new light. In fact, he was starting to see them all in a whole new light...and it wasn't just because of the physical abilities that they all possessed. They actually sounded like...heroes. The Guardians fought for those that couldn't fight for themselves, keeping the forces of darkness at bay and did it all in the shadows, knowing full well they would never receive credit for their deeds. Suddenly a whole new wave of anxiety washed over Gabriel and he started to think that this was a really bad idea.

"So, that stuff healed me?" Gabriel asked, trying to push away the thoughts in his head that were threatening to send him into a panic attack.

"Among other things, including Aadesh's skilled hands," Ryan said.

"If this stuff is so revolutionary why not share it with everyone?" Gabriel asked.

Aadesh sighed heavily. "The technology is still somewhat inefficient for mass production and we have only a limited supply of the solution. We are working on ways to correct that at the moment."

“Come on, we have a few more rooms left to see.”

“Geez, how many rooms are down here?” Gabriel asked.

“Just the portal and armory left,” Ryan explained.

"Portals?" Gabriel asked. "You guys can create portals?"

"Not us," Tony reminded him. "Mages can, although it takes a tremendous amount of concentration and power. It's not as easy as they make it look in the movies, which why we only have one and it’s permanently opened to the academy."

"It stays open all the time?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah," Ryan nodded. "They created it when this base was first established. Magical glyphs keep it open permanently. Only members of the Circle of Magi can close it down."

"Huh?" Gabriel asked, making a face. "Should I be taking notes?"

"The Circle of Magi," Ryan went on, they came back out through the main corridor and took a turn down toward one of two smaller ones. "The ruling body of the magical world, they generally spend most of their time at their home base in England.”

"How many mages are there in the world?" Gabriel asked.

"Last count was around three thousand," Tony shrugged. "A lot of them are Guardians or work with us. Some are rogues, running about and causing havoc and whatnot, and still others lead normal lives. There are some that don’t even know that they are mages and never learn to tap into magic at all.”

"That doesn't seem like a lot.”

"It isn't," Ryan said. "It's nature's way of ensuring that they don't drain all the magical energy off the planet."

"I take it that's not good?"

"Epic disasters would occur," Tony shrugged. "So, yeah not good."

Gabriel only nodded. They came to a room at the end of the corridor, again with a keypad attached. Ryan tapped in another code and the door slid open, revealing a softly lit room beyond.

“This is the armory,” Ryan smiled, as they walked inside.

There were row after row of glass cases, every one of them had a first initial and a last name stenciled on it. Ryan led them toward the second row and stopped by the case that had R. Cloud stenciled on the top. He put his hand on a section of the glass, it glowed blue for a moment before sliding up and out of the way, allowing them access to the weapons inside.

The first thing that Gabriel noticed was two daggers. Both had blades 12 inches long but what was the most incredible thing about the weapons was the vibrant silver/blue glow that seemed to emanate from the blades of the weapons. The handles were elegant as well, although entirely simplistic.

“Wow,” Gabriel said, looking at the weapons.

“
Daylighter,” Ryan said, grabbing the first dagger. “And Darklighter.”

“They have names?” Gabriel asked.

“When the weapon master makes your weapon she names it,” Ryan explained, twirling the blades around. He seemed to handle the weapons as if they were mere extensions of his own body. Along with the daggers, there were several other items in the case, including several parts of what looked like armor and a very futuristic looking shotgun.

“
Reaper,” Ryan smiled, hefting the shotgun after placing the daggers back in the case. “Designed it myself, it has increased range and even an increased ammo capacity.”

“Wow,” was all that Gabriel could say. “Why do they glow like that?”

“It’s blessed metal,” Ryan explained.

“Blessed metal?”

“Blessed metal,” Ryan went on, placing Reaper back in the case. “Is the only metal in the world that can permanently kill a demon.”

Gabriel just stood there, assuming that they would fill him in later on how important this blessed metal was and exactly how you killed a demon with it.

“Over here,” Tony motioned.

Gabriel walked over to another case, this one with T. Rawlins stenciled above it. Unlike the daggers that Ryan used, Tony’s case held a katana, which like the daggers gave off a silver/blue glow.

“Stormbringer,” Tony said, taking the katana from the case. He handed the weapon to Gabriel, who took it reluctantly. It felt odd in his hand, nothing like the toy swords that he handled when he was much younger. Tony directed his attention back to the case and a pair of futuristic looking handguns.

“I haven’t made many modifications to these,” he stated, taking them out. “But they are Aegis’s latest version the M9 Enforcer.”

Gabriel pretended to know what it was that Tony was talking about. His limited knowledge of firearms barely allowed him to know the difference between a handgun and a rifle. Tony placed the weapons back in the case before locking it back up as well. Looking down the rows he could see several other cases, each containing a variety of weapons.

“We learn to use every weapon,” Ryan explained, as they continued to move through the room. “But you do a lot of specialized training with your personal weapon.”

They stopped in front of Ethan’s case. Inside were two swords, he was about to ask what they were called when a voice rang out behind them.

“Avenger and Soulwolf.”

They all turned around to see Ethan standing there. It appeared as though he had showered and changed. He was wearing dark jeans, a dark tee-shirt that clung to his muscular frame, and what looked like a very well-worn leather jacket.

“They’re based off the Roman gladius,” Ethan explained, striding forward. “Found the fun room, did we?”

“We were just showing him around,” Ryan shrugged.

“Cool,” Ethan nodded. “And what do you think of it so far?”

“Seems…interesting,” Gabriel offered, hoping that he didn’t sound too lame.

“Interesting is good,” Ethan chuckled. “You take him to the weapons master yet?”

“That was our next stop,” Ryan responded.

“Maybe he can make you a nerf bat or something.”

“Stop being an ass,” Tony growled.

“Well, that is one of the finer parts of me…or so I am told,” Ethan said, winking at Tony. Tony rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“You do know that arrogant stuff is completely lost on us, right?” Ryan asked, folding his arms across his chest. “On account of the fact that none of us want to jump into bed with you.”

Well, that’s not entirely true of all of us, Gabriel thought.

“First off, you make pretty dumb decisions when you drink,” Ethan stated, pointing at Ryan. “Secondly, we both know that Gabriel here hasn’t been able to take his eyes off me.”

Gabriel felt himself blush instantly; he looked down at the ground, avoiding all eye contact with Ethan.

“Anyway, I need to get going people to see and hearts to break and all that.”

Ethan headed out of the room but not before tossing a wink over his shoulder toward Gabriel. Again, Gabriel blushed and Ryan sighed heavily.

“Don’t worry about him,” Tony said, shaking his head. “Come on; let’s get over to the portal room so that we can show you the academy.”

“We’re going there now?”

“Yeah,” Ryan answered. “Trust me, you’ll love it.”

Gabriel could hardly argue with him, although he was having a hard time figuring out a scene that was more amazing than what he had so far seen at Aegis. Ryan led them from the room and then took a right as soon as they were out in the corridor again. They made their way toward circular door, guarded by two impressive looking young men. The door hissed open and Gabriel stepped into what was the most amazing room at Aegis yet.

The room wasn’t overly large but looked like it had been made entirely of crystal. Pulses of multicolored light radiated out from where-ever their feet touched, fanning out in all directions and cascading down the whole crystal structure before finally racing off to the center of the room. And at the center of the room stood the portal, it looked like a ring of frosted glass; ribbons of gold energy would occasionally ripple across the calm surface.

“Wow,” Gabriel breathed.

“Come on Alice,” Ryan smiled. “It’s time to go down the rabbit hole.”

CHAPTER 5

Gabriel wasn’t sure what to expect when stepping through the portal. He watched Ryan go through first, the gold rippling energy across the surface collected around him and then he was gone.

“Go ahead,” Tony said. “It’s perfectly safe.”

Gabriel took a deep breath and stepped forward. His skin tingled for a brief moment, like there was too much of a static charge in the air, that sensation was followed briefly by a blast of cold and then an explosion of white light and then Gabriel found himself standing in a chamber that looked just like the one that he left.

“Not a bad way to travel, eh?” Ryan asked.

“That was…fast,” Gabriel said. “Where are we?”

“The academy,” Tony answered. “In France.”

“We’re really in France?” Gabriel asked, as Ryan gestured toward the door.

“Yep,” Ryan smiled. “Come on, we have to get you to the weapon master ASAP, after that Jonathan wanted to talk to you and then we can give you a quick tour.”

It seemed like his whole day was going to be filled with tours. Then again, they did have a lot of ground to cover. He followed Ryan out of the chamber, surprised to find that they stepped out into what appeared to be a very pleasant fall day. He was also surprised to find himself standing what appeared to the courtyard of a massive castle.

“Welcome to the academy,” Ryan spoke, gesturing around them. “Technically, it’s called Castle Veritas, the Guardians moved in about 500 years ago. We’ve been expanding it and using it for our academy ever since.”

“Doesn’t that draw attention?” Gabriel asked. Looking around, he estimated that just by what he could see it was easily as large as whole area of Aegis and he had a feeling there was a lot more that he wasn’t seeing.

The courtyard was surrounded by massive walls, at least thirty feet high. Several towers were spaced around the wall, although none of them appeared to be manned. At the far east end of courtyard sat a massive structure that appeared to be the main keep. A colossal tower jutted out from the center of the structure with two smaller towers to each side.

“Not really,” Ryan offered, as they started across the stone courtyard. “Gylphs protect the place and hide us from pretty much everyone and everything. The only ways into the academy are heavily guarded. Come on, we need to hurry it up, it’s not a good idea to keep a weapon master waiting.”

Gabriel could have figured that it wasn’t a good idea to keep anyone in the Guardians waiting. He quickened his pace to catch up with both Ryan and Tony as they made their way up the main steps and into the keep. They took a quick right and ended up going down a long corridor, lined with softly glowing yellow torches. They reached a large iron door. Ryan knocked on it twice with his fist. It groaned ominously open a few heartbeats later.

“You’ll have to do this part alone,” Ryan said. “The creation of your weapon is a very personal thing. We’ll be waiting for you when you are done.”

Gabriel peered into the dark room before stepping inside. The door shut silently behind him; he stood still for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light. There was a forge in the center of the room and a fireplace nestled in the back corner that currently held a few flickering logs. He couldn’t see anyone else in the room but he could feel a presence; an overwhelming sensation that he wasn’t alone.

“You are clan Phoenix?”

The voice was soft and feminine. He made out the outline of a figure, emerging from the darkness to stand by the fire. She was old, her face lined with creases and wrinkles. She wore robes of tan and black and had white hair tied back in a bun. But what was the most striking thing about here were her eyes. Her irises seemed to be gold colored, with flecks of green mixed in. She had a smile on her face and despite her rather advanced age she still radiated power.

“I guess,” Gabriel stammered.

She chuckled at that comment.

“How did you know I was a Phoenix?”

“I can hear it in your heartbeat,” she said, pointing to his chest. His tattoos seemed to glow more brightly in the dim light of the room. “I am Imogene, creator of weapons for the Guardians; you have come here seeking one, yes?”

Gabriel swallowed hard. “Um, yeah, I guess I have.”

Imogene smiled, although there seemed to be something slightly sinister about it. She moved forward so that she could see him more clearly by the firelight.

“Give me your arm.”

Gabriel did as he was told, holding his right arm out toward her.

She closed her eyes took her hands, which were not as smooth as they appeared but instead laced with rough calluses that attested to her vocation, and started to run them all over his hands. She slowly turned his hand over and started to glide them across his wrists, right over the two small scars there. As soon as she hit the scars she stopped, opening her eyes and staring right at him.

“You bear a wound young warrior,” she stated, her voice sounded sad when she said it.

“They told me that they fixed that,” Gabriel said, trying to keep the anxiety he was feeling from showing through.

“No,” Imogene said, shaking her head. “This wound is from the past, before you were given the Rite, made during a time of great turmoil and great sadness. You still have not forgiven yourself for this or realized how strong you are.”

Gabriel began to notice an odd warming sensation where Imogene had touched, stretching out through his body and toward his core. It wasn’t remotely uncomfortable; on the contrary it felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Gabriel could feel himself starting to relax and let his guard down. He wasn’t sure if that was a bad or a good thing.

Imogene closed her eyes again, slowly running her hands up his arm, over his shoulder until finally she rested one against his heart. She sat there for a moment, eyes closed on concentration before opening them again.

“You are different,” she frowned. “Although I can’t really ascertain why.”

“I am?” Gabriel asked.

“Indeed,” Imogene said, straightening up slightly. She walked over to the fireplace and grabbed the teapot that had been hanging over the fire. She poured herself a cup and motioned to a stool near the forge. Gabriel took a seat on the stool, unsure of what to do next.

“Normally, I would ask the Guardian seeking a weapon many questions, some of which would involve combat tactics…you however, you are different. You have had no training and you do not seek battle, yet there is something different about you. Something powerful and untapped, of that much I am sure.”

“I was made a Guardian by accident,” Gabriel shrugged.

That brought another short chuckle from Imogene. “My dear boy, nothing in this world ever truly happens by accident.”

“Except me, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time…”

“Says who?” Imogene asked.

That comment caught Gabriel off guard.

“Um…me, I guess.”

“And hesitant to accept the role he is destined to play,” Imogene smiled, taking a sip of her tea. “You are different, not like most that come through my door. You have as much self-doubt as you do doubting that you can trust others. But your heart, you hold so much room for more…it’s a shame that you haven’t embraced it.”

Now Gabriel was confused. As far as he knew he was supposed to come here simply to get a weapon and Imogene seemed intent on unraveling the mystery that as him. What was even more unnerving was the fact that so far she was right about everything that she had said. He didn’t trust people and more to the point he didn’t really trust in or believe in himself all the time. Maybe this was supposed to be some kind of test.

“I know,” Gabriel whispered.

“You have displayed more wisdom with those two words than others three times your age,” Imogene smiled. “Before I forge your weapon, I will leave you with a piece of advice. Your heart, your ability to protect those you love is both your greatest asset and your greatest weakness. Never let your heart turn dark, it may seem like doing so will grant you great power but in the end it will be your undoing.”

Gabriel nodded, although he didn’t really know what that meant.

Imogene set down her tea and stood up. She walked over to a shelf on the opposite side of the fireplace and grabbed a large, worn, leather bound book off it.

“Now, what should we make?” she muttered, flipping through the pages. From where Gabriel was sitting, he couldn’t make out what it was that she was looking at, although by the look on her face she didn’t appear to be really finding what it was that she was looking for.

“Perhaps a war hammer,” Imogene muttered. She then looked up at Gabriel and shook her head, diving back into the book. “No, a blade…I think that a blade would be best for you.”

Gabriel had no idea what it was that Imogene was talking about. She put that book back on the shelf and grabbed another one, which looked just as worn as the first. She continued flipping through pages, muttering to herself. Gabriel stayed where he was, afraid to interrupt her. She thumbed through the last few pages and finally stopped.

“That’s it!” she yelled.

And all of sudden, Imogene did not appear so frail. She was a whirlwind of activity, rushing about the small room gather supplies. Gabriel did his best to stay out of the way, moving back toward the door so that he didn’t inadvertently end up with a lap full of hot steel. The whole process was almost too fast for Gabriel to focus on; instead he took a seat by the door.

Gabriel wasn’t sure how long the process took. He didn’t know where the blessed metal came from but he could see her pounding away on it with a hammer, sending sparks bouncing along the ground. She worked over the forge for what seemed like forever, hammering away, molding, and quenching. She hummed softly to herself while she worked, leaving Gabriel standing there looking at his feet.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Imogene turned and smiled at Gabriel, bringing around the weapon that she had labored so hard to make.

Gabriel was speechless, taking the offered weapon from her and looking it over in awe. The blade glowed a vibrant silver/blue that seemed cast light about the entire dim room. It wasn’t an overly long blade and looked like it could fit comfortable on his back. A phoenix with its wings open was stamped on the leather grip.

“Your blade,” Imogene said, bowing. “Aequitas, it’s based off the Roman spatha, I believe that it will suit you well you Guardian.”

“It’s beautiful,” Gabriel sighed.

“As is all my work,” Imogene smiled. “Do you know what Aequitas means?”

“It’s Latin,” Gabriel said, still admiring the blade. “In the simplest of terms it means the concept of justice, equality, symmetry, and fairness. Why did you give it that name?”

“It was the name that came to me,” Imogene said.

“It’s mine?” Gabriel asked.

“The blade will only answer to you,” Imogene smiled. “Congratulations, Guardian.”

Gabriel didn’t really know what to say, no one had ever given him a sword, with good reason of course. But the more that he held onto the blade the more that it felt right, like it was an extension of his own arm. He swung it experimentally, feeling the weight of the blade and how it moved effortlessly through the air. Imogene regarded Gabriel with a smile, watching him intently.

“It’s amazing. Thank you,” Gabriel said, taking the offered scabbard. “I don’t know what to say.”

“If I may give you some advice young Guardian, watch yourself. Your path is going to be more difficult than you realize…than anyone realizes.”

Gabriel sheathed the sword, swallowing hard.

“Now go,” Imogene stated. “I have work to do and your friends are waiting outside.”

The tone of voice that Imogene used made it clear that it would not be a good idea to stick around or to ask any more questions about her cryptic advice. Gabriel took Aequitas and left, stepping back out into the corridor. Looking around, he couldn’t see either Ryan or Tony and wasn’t sure if he should go wandering about unescorted.

He walked down the hall, emerging on the front steps of the keep. Tony and Ryan where there, Tony listening to his headphones and Ryan working on his tablet. They both looked up when they saw him.

“How did it go?” Ryan asked.

Gabriel looked down at the scabbard in his hand. “She gave me a sword.”

“Yeah, we can see that,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. “Let us see.”

Gabriel pulled the sword from the scabbard and held it out so that Tony and Ryan could see it.

“This is Aequitas,” Gabriel said, swinging the sword through the air a few times.

“Looks great man,” Ryan smiled.

“I have no idea how to use it,” Gabriel said, sheathing the sword again.

“That’s where we come in,” Tony smiled.

Gabriel nodded. He felt awfully weird walking around the academy with a sword but he had a feeling that really wasn’t all that out of place. He followed Tony and Ryan down the steps and then took a right, heading toward a smaller building that was attached to the main keep. As they walked around, Gabriel noticed that none appeared concerned about him being there; either they had new faces all the time or they figured that he had to have been ok wandering around with Ryan and Tony.