The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1) (26 page)

Each time he
’d thought he was close to cutting through the ropes, he had tried to rush the process by pulling his hands apart to break the rope. But his efforts had only caused him to reposition the knife, nicking his hands and wrists in the process. After two attempts, however, he had managed to break free.

Bestian, during this time, had managed to
maneuver himself onto his knees, thinking he could move more efficiently and seek his knife. He had scanned the area but he couldn't see. The clouds had closed again, blocking the moon's light, leaving them in total darkness.

"What are you waiting for?" Bestian barked at his useless partner. It was his fault the Luxatran had gotten away.

"I have to cut the ropes on my ankles," Gauvin replied. And he was taking his time, too. No way did he want to free Bestian. It was his arrogance that had gotten them into this situation in the first place, but he knew Bestian wouldn't think that way.

After freeing his ankles,
Gauvin freed his partner and quickly backed away from him.

"That's right. You better stay clear of me. It's your fault we lost them. If you'd tied our hostage as you were supposed to, he never would have gotten free. And because you got yourself knocked out, I had to try and subdue two of them."

Gauvin's jaw dropped open. He so wanted to cast the knife in his hand into the chest of the wretch standing across the camp from him. But the one thing he'd learned over the last four months was patience. There was a time and place for everything. "What are your plans now? Can you still sense them?"

Bestian stood silently, eyes closed. He reached as far as he could
, but got nothing. He opened his eyes to Gauvin's expectant face. "I found them once, I'll find them again." Not wanting to defend his talents, Bestian ignored Gauvin and started to break camp in the dark, fumbling about as he did.

"Why not wait until first light?" Gauvin couldn't see Bestian but he knew what he was doing.

Bestian stopped moving. Gauvin heard a growl and then a slight thud as Bestian hit the ground. "I'll grant you this favor, seeing as how you are incapable of moving without the light. But don't expect another one."

Gauvin rolled his eyes
as he sat down and leaned against the tree behind which he was hiding. He might have slept most of the day away but it had been anything but restful. In minutes, he was asleep.

Bestian drifted off while thinking about the man who'd attacked him. That made two Luxatrans
who needed to be taught a lesson.

41
Hunted

The crunch of dried leaves echoed against the trees, the sound more intense than it should have been. The darkness started to lighten as she moved between the trees, dodging branches and stepping over decaying logs. She was alone in this unknown forest with its unusual plant life.

As she walked, she glimpsed something sparkling for an instant and then it would be gone behind one of the many trees that blocked her path. She picked up her pace, constantly moving forward, trying to reach it, whatever it was.

She stepped out into a small clearing; at the center stood her prize. Mesmerized by the strangeness of the object that floated in the middle of the clearing, she stepped forward. As she got closer, she saw a tiny silver line floating in the center of the sparkling object. The silver line became larger and larger the closer she got, until the silver line seem to separate from the object.

Time slowed. The silver line wasn't a sliver line. It was a knife, flipping end over end, flying straight for her. As soon as she could see what it was, time returned to normal and the knife raced for her.

Panicked, frozen in place, she instinctively raised her hands to block the knife and screamed.

A rumble sounded around her, the sound of a door rattling in its frame, a chair scooting across the hardwood floor, a dresser being slammed against a wall. Rhea opened her eyes to see the guest room in which she'd fallen asleep.

Within seconds, the door flew open; Daen filled the opening as he looked around the room. He saw her in the middle of the bed, her breath ragged, her eyes expressing her fear. Randell's face appeared next, watching her over Daen's shoulder, wondering if everything was okay.

Rhea calmed herself as she looked around the room. Nothing looked out of place
, but then, there wasn't anything to throw.

"Get out of ..." Pam shoved
Randell "... the way." She shoved again, creating an opening between the two large men blocking her from the room. She turned and faced them once inside the room. "Go back to bed. Leave her be."

Without a word, Daen and Randell stepped away from the door. They knew what had happened. Daen had felt it. But since Rhea seemed okay, they yielded to Pam's orders.

Pam closed the door. "I assume we just experienced one of your dreams." She picked up the chair that had ended its trip across the floor by tipping over.

Rhea lay back against the headboard. "I'm sorry I woke you. Are you okay?"

Pam sat on the edge of the bed. "We're just fine. Can I get you anything?"

Rhea shook her head, glancing around the room, looking for her backpack. She slipped from the bed to retrieve her journal and turned on the lamp mounted on the wall. "I need to write it down before I forget. Randell and Daen think my dreams might be visions
, and if that's the case, this is one vision I need to be ready for."

Pam was curious as to what could have been so frightening. "Are your dreams always frightening?"

Rhea shrugged, "This one wasn't that bad. I'm getting used to them, actually. It's just, when I get a new dream and it surprises me, I tend to ... um ... cause a mess."

Pam sat quietly after hearing her explanation. She was amazed at how
well the young woman dealt with this phenomenon. She watched Rhea quickly write down what she'd experienced. Then Rhea flipped the page and started drawing a picture. It took only a moment and she was done.

Rhea handed Pam her journal. "Go ahead. I can tell you're curious. You have a right to know what's going on
, since you're helping me." Rhea lay back on her pillow and tried to calm her still-racing heart.

Pam flipped through the pages, scanning Rhea's notes and images. Some of her encounters were quite terrifying. She laid the journal on the nightstand and stood to leave. "Thank you for sharing that with me." She glanced at her watch. "Breakfast will be ready in about an hour. Ander is taking the day off
, so I'm preparing a weekend breakfast."

Rhea sensed tension in Pam's voice when she mentioned Ander taking the day off. "He told you, didn't he?"

Pam nodded, her hand gripping the doorknob.

"I didn't ask him to go. I don't want to be responsible for anything that might happen."

Pam chortled under her breath. "It's his choice." She shook her head. "He's always had a mind of his own. Ander and I have learned, when Randell wants something, he gets it. And we know he wants this. Besides, he's a grown man. We ... you, couldn't prevent him from going even if we tried." She pulled the door open and glanced over her shoulder. "We don't blame you." And with that she stepped out and closed the door.

~~~

Bestian's eyes popped open to a view of the underside of the trees that towered over his head. His mind locked onto the sensation that had thumped him awake. "Gauvin, get up. We have to go."

Gauvin squinted through the sun's rays as they pierced his eyes. "You sensed something?"

"Yes! Now get up." Bestian was already breaking camp.

Within minutes, they were plowing through the woods, heading for the road that led into town.

"Where are we going?"

"South." Bestian had a dazed look in his eyes
, as if he were seeing and following something that wasn't there.

Gauvin practically
had to run to keep up.

An hour later, they reached town and headed south on the main road. A half hour later, a truck pulled up next to them. "Can I offer you a ride?" The driver of the truck pointed to the empty bed of his pickup.

Although Bestian and Gauvin had been in the world of shadows for a few months, they still hadn’t picked up enough of the language to understand what the man said. They did, however, understand his gesture. Bestian climbed in first, follow by Gauvin.

"Just tap the window when you want to be left off." The driver of the truck tapped the back window before pulling back onto the road.

Bestian continued to focus on the sensation of the gift as it lingered in the air in front of him. About ten minutes later, the sensation started to fade. Bestian tapped on the window and the driver pulled over.

Gauvin gave the driver a bow of his head in thanks and took off after Bestian, who was now running down the side road abutted to the main road.

"Have a nice day!" The driver waved and pulled away.

Gauvin caught up with Bestian only because Bestian had stopped. "Are we here? Have you found them?"

"No. I lost the trail. But we're closer. They'll reveal themselves again and then I'll have them."

Have them, right
. Gauvin couldn't help wonder who would have whom. They were two Luxatrans with active powers who didn't want to be found. He had no idea how they were going to catch them.

42
Swords

Randell stepped into the kitchen. "Weekend breakfast. What's the occasion?" 

Pam gave him a glare as if he should know.

"What?"

"Your father is taking today and tomorrow off so we can spend time with you before you go. I thought it would be nice to have as many family meals as we can before ..." Pam gasped for air.

"Ah, Mom." Randell pulled Pam into his arms. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

Pam wiped
away her tears and tipped her head back to look up at her boy. "Does that mean you'll stay?"

"No
, Mom." He dropped his hug and stepped back. "It's more than just wanting to go. I told you, I feel I need to go. It's like something is telling me I need to do this. Every time I think about staying, I get a pang of guilt in my chest that I can't ignore."

"I suppose I'm not the only mother to have to say goodbye to her child."

"It's not goodbye forever. I'll be back."

Pushing her fears down, out of sight, Pam swatted him with her hand towel. "You'd better. Now go wake the others. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes."

~~~

Rhea's lessons continued in the backyard
after breakfast. After a swordless warm-up, Daen and Randell took her through drills with the dowels and a sawed-off broom handle. In unison they danced through the moves of battle, teaching Rhea blocks and strikes.

When
it looked like the moves were coming easy for her, Daen turned and faced her. "Now it's time to put your skills to use." In slow motion Daen stepped in to strike and stopped where her block should have met his blade. "Block my strike."

Rhea executed a block and met his wooden blade.

Daen stepped back. "I am going to attack and you are going to block. Then Randell will join in and we'll pick up the pace a little."

Rhea's eyes went wide.

Before she could comment, Daen added, "I wouldn't push you this hard, this fast, if it wasn't important. I don't know what we’ll face when we step through to Luxatra, and you need to be ready ... or at least as ready as possible."

"What about making energy balls
? Shouldn't I practice making and throwing them?"

"There's more to your gift than energy balls. Sometimes revealing an active gift is the last thing you want to do."

Rhea looked confused. "Um ... why?"

Daen considered her question, thinking back to the same question he'd asked his mentor when he was a boy. He shared with her what he'd been taught. "Sometimes your best defense is surprise. If your enem
ies don't know what you can do, you can draw them in with their guards lowered, making it easier to subdue them with your gift."

Rhea thought about what he
’d said. "Ah, like yesterday. The tracker felt your attack and stepped away."

Daen cringed
with embarrassment. "Right. I'm out of practice. I should have remembered. And let that be a lesson. You need to be able to use a sword, because your gift can fail you."

"Why a sword? Why not a gun?"

Boy was she full of questions. Daen reminded himself that she'd never lived in Luxatra, so her questions were going to be many and possibly unusual. "We don't have guns in Luxatra, or at least we didn't, the last time I was there. So if you're attacked, it's highly probable your attacker will be wielding a sword. That's just the way of our world. So, let's get back to your lessons."

Rhea's training continued
for the rest of the morning. Pam brought snacks and water during their breaks.

After their second break, Daen retrieved his swords, and Randell's, from the porch. He handed Rhea the smaller of his two swords. "Take this." It was the first sword he'd ever owned, gifted to him by his father. It had been made for him when he was a boy trying to prove he was a man. It had a wide blade and was almost a yard long from tip to hilt. The hilt was made for a larger hand
than hers, but it was the best he could offer her. It was sheathed in a hard leather scabbard made specifically for the blade.

Rhea said, "It's heavier than I thought it would be."

"Part of the weight you feel is the scabbard." Daen unsheathed the sword that he'd earned when completing his Guardian training. He motioned for Rhea to do the same.

Rhea held the sword like she
'd held the dowel. Her muscles protested, and she lowered the tip of the sword to the ground. "It still feels heavy. My arms are killing me."

Randell explained, "It's not heavy. You're just tired."

"Yeah, well, then I need to rest." Rhea started to drag herself to the porch steps.

Daen stepped closer to stop her. "Until you have enough upper body strength and stamina, you will use the energy around you to help you lift the sword, make it feel lighter."

Rhea raised a brow, not sure she understood what he meant.

Daen thought about how to explain. "Have you ever bench-pressed weights?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever had someone help you lift the bar when you were tired?"

"Yeah, it's amazing how just a light touch under the bar can make the bar feel lighter."

"Good. Although it's not exactly the same, imagine that the energy around you is someone lifting the sword with you, making it feel lighter."

Rhea wasn't sure if he was pulling her leg or not, but she went along with it. She closed her eyes and imagined millions of tiny little energy hands touching the sword, helping her lift it. The imagery in her mind looked pretty silly, but after a moment, the sword felt lighter and her arms ached less. With two hands, she moved the sword back and forth, parallel to the ground. Then she used one hand. Feeling pleased with herself, she looked past her sword to Daen for his approval, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw.

Rhea stopped moving and gasped.

Randell stepped closer. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Rhea gazed at Daen, or actually around Daen. "He's glowing."

Daen lowered his sword. "What does it look like?"

"Green, a rich, vibrant green." It was so beautiful, Rhea didn't want stop looking at it.

Daen sought confirmation. "Randell?"

"Yep. You're glowing green." Randell smiled at Rhea. "So, another gift emerges."

Pam and Ander had stepped out onto the porch during their discussion and Ander asked, "What's happening?"

Daen explained, "I've been working with her, coaching her on finding, touching, and using the energy around her. She was using it to help her lift and move her sword when she saw me in a new light." He looked proud of her.

Ander stepped forward and focused on Rhea with new interest. "Her aura has changed."

"How has it changed?" Rhea glanced between Ander and Randell.

Randell studied Rhea for a moment. "Interesting. I see what you mean, Dad. In addition to the new gold flecks I saw yesterday, your aura is now shimmering between blue and green and has a purple swirl running through it." Randell nodded. "Very nice."

She looked down at her hands. "Why can't I see it? Can you see yours?"

Randell answered, "I can see it in the mirror if I concentrate hard enough."

Ander nodded his head towards the house. "There's a mirror by the front door."

Rhea ran into the house, followed by everyone else. She stood in front of the mirror but didn't see anything.

Randell could read the disappointment on her face. "Concentrate. Focus on you and only you."

Randell held back his laughter as she narrowed her eyes and got a very serious look on her face. Should he tell her she didn't have to make a face to concentrate?

"I see it! But I don't see the silver thread."

"I can't see mine either. But then I couldn't see Dad's very well until yours appeared to me. Turn around and look at me and Dad. Do you see our threads?"

This time Rhea relaxed her eyes and focused on Randell's and Ander's aura
s and nothing else. Slowly, little glints of silver started to show until she could see a thin web of silver. Rhea nodded, grinning ear to ear. "Very cool."

Pam looked at her watch. "Your parents should be here shortly. Why don't you get cleaned up? I put a towel and washcloth in the bathroom at the top of the stairs."

Rhea did a mental inventory of her body. "Yeah, I probably smell pretty bad by now." Rhea looked at Daen's and Randell's sweaty bodies.

Pam jumped in, "You boys need to clean up as well." She shooed them. "Get going."

~~~

Bestian and Gauvin had slipped into the woods to wait for the next sign from their targets. They didn't have long to wait
before Bestian started to feel a slight tingle in the air.

Gauvin noticed right away. "You feel something, don't you?"

Bestian just nodded and tilted his head back as if to sniff the air. "I can't tell the direction yet, but it will come."

Bestian sat tight and waited patiently while Gauvin kept a look out.

Gauvin suggested, "I think it's time to call Darren. We can't keep running on foot."

Bestian reached for the cell phone
. "You might be right."