The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1) (33 page)

Rhea squeezed Randell's hand, indicating she wanted to follow. They crept across the front yard to drop in behind Gauvin. They watched as he ducked behind the trash bins and whispered, "Where are you?"

When he didn't get a reply, he worked his way further into the yard, his back to Rhea and Randell as they watched from the side of the house to see if he would settle someplace or work his way back to the car.

Rhea handed Randell the knife and pointed back to the car, signaling that he should make sure the car wasn't going anyplace. He shook his head.

Rhea nodded, pointing two fingers at her eyes and then in Gauvin's direction. He looked again at the man, who was slowly creeping his way along the tree line to the bushes they had used earlier to hide in. Gauvin was making a trip around the yard and would probably be returning to the car soon. If he didn't find his partner, he might make a run for it. They needed both trackers. Randell sighed and took off, becoming exposed once he stepped away from Rhea.

Rhea walked, still invisible, towards Gauvin while he looked for his partner along the tree line. She didn't have any weapons except her energy balls
, and even then, she didn't know if she could consciously control them. She stuffed the ties, gag, and pillowcase in her back pockets and got ready for whatever came her way.

Gauvin left the tree line and worked his way to the shed, coming out
on the side closest to the house. Rhea ran across the yard to intercept him as he cleared the shed, but when he came into view he was already running towards the road, back to the car. Rhea quickly thought of Randell. Had Gauvin seen him?

She ran as fast as she could to catch
the tracker, how she didn't know. She only knew she couldn't let him see Randell. Suddenly Gauvin stopped and turned in her direction, scanning the area. She froze, trying not to breathe; she was only three feet from him. His focus went from scanning the tree line to examining the space in front of him.

She started to take a step back but he lunged at her, as if he could see her. Before she knew what was happening, his arms were wrapped around her and he was dragging her towards the car.

Gauvin's voice hissed in her ear. "You might as well show yourself. You aren't getting away."

He had her arms pinned to her side
. She kicked and wiggled, trying to break his grip, but couldn't. "Let me go!"

As they passed the bushes that framed the front garden, she heard a voice
: "Let her go."

Gauvin stopped but didn't release her.

Randell couldn't see Rhea but knew Gauvin held her in front of him. He was ready to take Gauvin on hand-to-hand. He wanted a chance to get some payback, but he couldn't risk Rhea. "Drop the veil, Rhea."

Rhea did as he asked and tried to wiggle free
, again.

Gauvin shifted his grip on her
, holding her with one hand while with the other he pressed a knife to her throat.

Randell commanded, "Drop
the knife!"

Gauvin hissed
, "Back off or she dies. I get paid either way. Dead or alive."

Without a sound, a hand grabbed Gauvin's knife arm. "I don't think so." Before Gauvin could object to being grabbed, his arms went still and fell from Rhea as
he dropped to the ground.

Daen stood over Gauvin.

Randell stepped closer. "That's a rather handy feature of your gift."

Rhea was shaking, trying to get a grip on what
had just happened. Suddenly another pair of arms was wrapped around her, causing her to jump and scream.

"It's just me, Rhea!" It was Brian
, and Christine was close behind.

She couldn't help it
. Tears came to her eyes, and she hugged both her parents.

"You're al
l right." Christine stroked her hair and held her.

Rhea pulled back and wiped her tears, feeling the need to push back her emotions. "I know. I don't know what came over me." She took the ties and gag from her pocket and bent to secure the man on the ground.

Daen tried to take the ties from her.

"I can do it." She needed to do this;
she needed to tie up the man who held a knife to her throat and threatened Randell. When she was done, she stood over him, trying to calm herself.

Randell and Daen gagged and blindfolded Gauvin before carrying him into the house.

~~~

When they got to the kitchen after depositing Gauvin in the living room with Bestian, no one mentioned the close call that
had just occurred. Rhea went to the fridge, took out a bottle of water, and downed it; she couldn't look at anyone in the room. She stared at the magnets in front of her, maintaining a death grip on the refrigerator handle, processing what had just happened.

She felt Daen standing close to her
. His voice was a whisper, "If that ever happens again, take his energy."

She turned her head and looked up into his eyes.

His expression was serious. "You don't have to kill him. Just take enough so your attacker lets go."

She took a breath and nodded.

When Daen stepped away from the fridge, she saw her parents watching her. Their eyes showed fear but they stayed quiet, clasping one another’s hands.

She looked them in the eyes. "I'm okay. Let's not talk about it."

Christine couldn't hold back. "I don't think you should go."

"Mom, we've been through this. I'm going."

Christine let go of Brian's hand and stepped close, her face serious. "It's too dangerous."

"And it's not dangerous here?" After she
’d said it, she knew she shouldn't have.

Christine's lower lip started to quiver.

Brian's arms wrapped around Christine's shoulders, "We love you."

"I know
, and I love you too. But this is something I have to do. I have to leave. I can't stay here and endanger you or anyone else." She looked around the room to see if they had an audience, but all of the others had found something else to look at.

Rhea looked at her parents. "Look at the bright side. I learned a lesson tonight. What happened out there
—that won't happen again." She hugged them, sandwiching Christine between her and Brian.

She turned to Daen and forced a smile. "What's next?"

All eyes were back on Daen. "Next, we interrogate them when they wake up. Until then, we pack."

Rhea could feel the tension leave the room. Christine poured herself some coffee and sat with Brian at the table.

Pam posed a question. "Assuming we can get them on the island, can they get off?"

"Why do you ask?" Daen pulled a cookie from the cookie jar.

"Could they starve? Or could they come back through the shadow into our living room?"

"The swim to shore is long but
manageable. I suspect they have friends in the area close to the lake. They'll figure something out." He took a bite of the cookie. "As for getting back in here, I would say no, even if the furniture cast a large enough shadow someday. The shadow we used is a few feet from the island’s shore and about five feet off the water's surface."

She nodded. "Once they're on the other side you're leaving, right?" She handed Daen a glass of milk to wash down his cookie.

"Thanks. Yes, that's the plan."

Randell was standing in front of the pantry
, looking at its shelves. "Mom, we'll need some food that won't spoil. Do you have anything we can take?"

Pam placed her hand on her son's back. "Why don't you go get your packs ready and Christine and I will find something for you to take with you."

51
Escape

Rhea returned to the kitchen after retrieving her things and shortly before Daen entered in clothes obviously not from this world. "Are those the clothes you were wearing when you arrived here?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's a miracle they fit after so long ... and Pam's cooking."

"What's that on your vest?" Rhea stepped closer to get a better look at the hard leather vest he wore over a linen, collarless shirt.

"The crest of the guardians."

She looked down at her jeans and then at Daen's dark leather pants. "I don't suppose you have jeans in Luxatra."

Daen laughed. "No. Don't worry; we'll get you some clothes when we get there."

Rhea laid her hand on his wool cloak, which was draped over a chair. It was heavy and soft, not the itchy kind of wool. Randell came into the kitchen looking like he was from Luxatra as well, and she found that odd.

Randell caught Rhea's look and shrugged. "I've always hoped I would be able to visit Luxatra with Daen, when the time came. I thought I should be ready to blend in." He hung his sword and a dagger on the back of a chair and started packing his canvas courier bag with food.

Ander picked up the dagger. "You're taking it with you?"

"Yeah, if that's okay."

Ander held Raisal's dagger in his hands and remembered the day he’d first seen the blade. He slid it from its scabbard and held it up. "May you never have to use it." He sheathed it again and hung it on the back of the chair.

Daen pointed to a pile of snack bars, fruit, and water bottles
. "See how much of that you can fit into your bag."

When Rhea was finished stuffing her bag, Daen handed her
one of the rolled wool Army blankets Pam had given them. "Can you strap this to the bottom of your pack?" He was pointing to the two straps on the underside of her backpack.

It didn't take long to get ready. When Daen saw that Rhea was packed, he handed her the sword she had been using.

"Let's see if you can draw this if we strap it around your waist." Rhea belted it on, allowing the sword to hang at her left hip. She reached across her body, took hold of the hilt, and pulled. The sword slid easily from its scabbard. Its smaller size was a perfect fit for Rhea's height and arm length.

Christine sat at the kitchen table, watching the three of them get ready
. She was trying to hide her pain, but Rhea could see it in her eyes, and it cut into her heart.

Rhea knelt in front of Christine and hugged her. "I'll come back, I promise."

Christine whispered in her ear, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Rhea pulled back and looked at her, memorizing every inch of Christine's face. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Christine kissed her daughter's cheek, pressing her lips against her skin as a mother would do to a newborn.

Daen turned to give them their privacy and saw Randell step back from Pam's embrace. A moment later, they were all in the living room.

~~~

Daen lifted the pillowcase just enough to wave some smelling salts under Bestian's nose and pull his gag free. Bestian came around quickly, struggling at first
, but it didn't take long for him to realize he wasn't going to succeed in breaking free. Daen repeated the process with Gauvin.

Daen spoke in Aduraun. "Do you want to live?"

Bestian growled, "You'll pay for this!"

"So
, is that a no?" Daen’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I'd prefer to live." Gauvin's voice wasn't whiny or pleading, it was simply matter-of-fact.

"Ah, the sensible one of the pair."

Bestian wasn't done with his threats. "You won't escape. He'll have her. He gets what he wants or else."

Daen found this bit of information interesting. "And who is this man who gets what he wants?"

Both men were silent.

Daen needed that name. "You'd die for him? You're that loyal?"

Gauvin snickered. "I wouldn't call it loyal."

"Shut up, you fool!" Bestian threw his body against Gauvin, knocking him over.

Gauvin struggled to right himself.

"Or what? You'll kill me? Ooh. I'm scared. You have no idea who you're dealing with. You're the fool."

Daen pulled Gauvin to a sitting position. "And who is he dealing with?"

"A guardian. A warrior guardian if I recognized your sword correctly." Again, Gauvin's voice revealed he was resolved to his situation. "I assume you're going to kill us."

Rhea gasped before she could control herself. She slapped her hand over her mouth and apologized with her eyes as Daen looked at her.

Daen shook his head and rolled his eyes before returning his attention to the trackers. "Who sent you? How did you know who to look for? Cooperate and I might let you live."

Bestian growled from under his pillowcase. "We don't know his name."

Gauvin added, "He told us to find the Luxatran, as if there was only one." Gauvin laughed. "He was wrong."

"What did he look like? Where did you meet him?"

There was a long pause, and neither man talked.

"Let me make it easy for you. You can die now by my hand or later by
the hand of your master, assuming he catches you. Which do you prefer, a sure death or the possibility for life?"

There was another pause before Gauvin answered
, "He was hooded. We never saw his face. We met him in Drunsaur and he asked us if we wanted to make some money. He gave us a location, and when we arrived, he gave us our orders. Then someone pushed us and we found ourselves here, in this world, looking back at Luxatra. The man on the other side said if we came back empty-handed, he would kill us."

Daen turned to Randell and Rhea and motioned for them to
accompany him into the kitchen.

Once inside, Daen switched back to English and whispered, "Randell, did you pick up on anything?"

"I didn't see any deception in their colors, but then they are already dark. I can't be 100 percent sure, but I think they're just hired thugs."

"I agree. We're not going to get any
more from them." He paused, "You ready to go?"

Rhea and Randell nodded.

"Well, then, let's break the news to our guests that they'll be getting wet." They went back into the living room.

Daen asked, "Can you swim?"

Both men nodded.

Ander stood ready with the piece of plywood, creating a shadow large enough
for them to pass through.

"If you venture close enough to your master, you can tell him we have returned to Luxatra to put an end to him. If you come after us again, you
will forfeit your life. Do I make myself clear?" Daen winked at Rhea.

"I'll get you for this!" Bestian
snarled, as he squirmed, struggling against his bindings.

Daen grabbed him by the shoulders, twisting him into position. "Well, you can try
, but I wasn't kidding. The next time we meet, I won't show any mercy." Just before Bestian was pushed head first into Luxatra, Daen cut his hand ties.

Bestian yelled, panic in his voice
, and then he was gone.

Daen took Gauvin by the shoulders and dragged him to the shadow. "You're going to land in the water
, but you'll be only a few feet from an island." Daen pushed him through, cutting his ties when he was halfway through.

“
And your desires are pure
,” whispered Rhea as she thought back to Raisal’s journal and what they had assumed was the key for returning to Luxatra. She looked between Daen and Randell. “Their desire to return, or maybe lack thereof, didn’t seem very ‘pure.’ How did they go through?”

Randell answered, “Their reason for staying might have been real for them, pure for them, but it wasn’t a good reason. It would seem that clause in the key is open to interpretation by the powers that control the veil.”

Rhea nodded as she considered Randell’s explanation. It didn’t matter at this point. They’d been able to push the trackers through the veil and that was all that mattered.

Ander rested the plywood against the wall and turned on a light. "Well, I'm glad that's over. Let's get you to a shadow far from the lake."

~~~

Ander pulled a map of the area from a kitchen drawer and laid it out on the table. "Do you want to be close to your rendezvous location?"

"Not too close. I want to come in from the south; Lanne will be coming in from the Northwest." Daen looked at the map. "Let's head east from here for about an hour. That should get us close enough."

Daen, Randell, and Rhea grabbed their gear. Rhea rode with her parents
, with Daen insisting that he ride with her. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight. Randell rode with his parents in their car.

Surprisingly, there was little discussion in the Canton car. Daen rode up front with Brian
, allowing Christine and Rhea to sit together.

About
thirty minutes into the trip, Christine took Rhea's hand and said, "We're sorry for having doubted you. All those years you kept this part of your life secret; it must have been so hard."

"It's okay
, Mom," Rhea replied, "I understand. To be honest, there were times I wasn't sure I shouldn't be checked into a hospital. If it wasn't for Lanne all these years, I don't know what I would have done."

"I'm glad you had her."

The occupants of the car were quiet for a while before Christine approached another sensitive topic. "I understand you’ve met your biological mother. Her name is Gaibel, right?"

"I saw her in the shadow in my dorm room but she didn't see me. She was told I was there."

Christine looked at Daen in the front seat. "Daen says she's a warrior for King Argeon." Her voice was soft and distant.

Rhea squeezed her hand and looked at her. "You'll always be my mother."

Christine turned back to Rhea. "But now that you know she gave you up to save your life, I assume you'll find it in your heart to see her as your mother."

Rhea thought about what she was saying; that her biological mother
hadn't given her up because she didn't want her. She had done the hardest thing a mother could do; she gave her up to save her. Rhea felt a special connection to Gaibel, more than she ever thought she would.

The tone of Christine's voice said she feared Rhea would forget she had raised her, loved her, kept her safe. That wasn't true
, but Rhea had to be honest with herself. "I think I have enough room in my heart for both of you, if that's okay with you."

Rhea could tell Christine forced her smile. "Of course."

Brian was looking at Rhea in the rearview mirror. "What's up, Dad?"

He shrugged. "I don't know ... I was just listening to you two." His eyes returned to the road. After a few minutes he said, "Did you ever find out who your father is?"

Rhea reached forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You are."

"Rhea, you know what I'm asking."

"No, no word on my biological father." She leaned back in her seat, not able to quiet the questions in her head. Who was her biological father? Where was he? Was he a good man? Did Gaibel love him? She hoped to have answers to her questions soon.

~~~

After an hour in the car, they started to look for a place to pull over. The moon was bright, and there was not a cloud in the sky. They needed to be in a secluded location to avoid being seen, but they also needed a shadow that showed them the other side.

They pulled over at a small rest stop and found a shadow that would suffice. Fortunately, the rest stop was abandoned but there was no way to know for how long
, so a long goodbye wouldn't be possible.

Pam
pulled Daen into a hug and whispered, "Thank you for coming into our lives. I'll miss you."

Daen kissed her on the ear. "I'll miss you too." He broke the hug and extended his hand to Ander.

Ander grabbed it and pulled him into a manly hug. "The door is always open to you."

Daen returned the hug. "I'll visit."

Ander pulled away and held Daen by the shoulders. "You are like a son to me."

"Thanks for taking care of me. I don't know how I would have managed all these years
without you." Daen stepped back and turned his head, his emotions starting to get the best of him. "I'll go first and check it out."

Randell and Rhea said
their goodbyes again as Daen stepped into the shadow. The rush, the sensation that coursed through him, added years to his life as he hung suspended in the veil, before it released him into his world.

Daen stood in the darkness of Luxatra
, overwhelmed by the fact he was finally home. A small part of him wanted to believe that nothing else mattered but he knew better. Pushing his feelings of joy aside, he focused on his surroundings, reaching out with his gift to discern if there was any human life nearby. He sensed no one.