The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1) (8 page)

13
Remembering

A light mist silently crawled up the side of the mountain, twisting and turning through the trees that carpeted the slopes, interrupted only by her body as she moved down the trail.

The silence was deafening. The eeriness of the forest pr
eyed on her senses, taunting her, calling her to seek the truth in the mist. Feelings of hopelessness and loss threatened her will to continue, to find out what was hidden.

The silence was broken by screams of terror and the sound of thunder growing louder, racing towards her. The ground started to vibrate and the sound of metal scraping against metal echoed through the air, surrounding her from all directions.

The glow of eyes, many pairs of eyes, shined through the mist before she saw the blasts of steam snorted from the nostrils of giant beasts. In an instant, she was staring down a thundering herd of horses with black-cloaked riders, the glint of their steel shining in her eyes as the riders pointed their swords in her direction.

Her feet frozen in place, unable to move, she closed her eyes, threw her hands out in front of her
, and screamed.

Rhea opened her eyes to
see her room and not the black riders bearing down on her. She sat in the middle of her bed, the blankets cast to the floor along with the other items she had left on her bed before falling asleep.

The door burst open as Christine and Brian came rushing to her aid. "Rhea! What happened? Are you al
l right?"

As she struggled
to remember her dream they found her repeating "Mist, horses, swords, riders, mist, horses, swords, riders, mist ..."

"What did you say?" Christine
asked as she sat on the bed and took Rhea's hands into her own. "We heard you scream."

"Bad dream. I'm fine." Rhea
tried desperately to hold the images in her head, just like she had done so many other times. She almost had it, but her parents were breaking her concentration.

Brian came around to the foot of her bed
. "What did you mean by mist, horses, swords, riders?" he asked. "You were repeating those words when we came in."

Rhea closed her eyes, reaching into the recesses of her mind. Flashes of her dream materialized. First the mist in the forest, then the thunder of horses followed by the fierce
-looking riders brandishing large, gleaming swords. She jerked as the memory of the horses trampling her flashed through her mind. She could remember. For the first time she could remember the dream that had been haunting her for over a month.

She opened her eyes to
see her parents' worried faces. "I'm sorry I scared you again. I'm fine." She reached for her journal and the pen that was on her nightstand. She hadn't written in it since she was a teenager, and now she'd reached for it twice in twenty-four hours. She needed to write down every detail she remembered.

"Have your bad dreams of creatures in your room returned?" Christine looked worried, fearing that the stress of school was causing a relapse of her childhood nightmares and imaginary creatures.

Rhea couldn't help but laugh. Little did they know those weren't dreams, but she couldn't tell them that for fear of a repeat discussion about seeing a doctor. "No. This is different, and until just now, I haven't been able to remember what I was dreaming." She opened her journal to the first blank page.

"You're dreaming about mist, horses, swords, and riders? What are you reading before you go to bed?" Brian laughed and turned towards the door
. "I'm going back to bed."

"I'll be right there." Christine patted Rhea's hand. "Try to get some sleep
, and no more reading in bed."

As
Christine closed the bedroom door behind her, shutting out the light from the hall and leaving Rhea in the dark, the scenes in Rhea's dream were becoming clearer in her mind. She flipped on her light and started writing.

~~~

Ander, Pam, Randell, and Daen were gathered around the television, watching a movie Ander had rented. It was a thriller who-done-it and the bad guy was just about to be revealed when Daen gasped for air and threw his head back. Eyes wide open, body rigid, he struggled for a few seconds to breathe, and then it was over.

"Daen!" Pam scrambled to his side. "Daen! What happened?"

Daen glanced at Randell, giving him an it-happened-again look. This was the second time that day he'd been hit with the crushing force that usually plagued him in his sleep. The first time had come as Randell and Daen were sparring in the back yard.

It could have been a bad scene for Daen if Randell hadn't been holding back a little ... as usual. Daen was supposed to block Randell's strike
, but halfway into the block he gasped and was thrown to the ground, as if something had shoved him in the chest. All the other times he'd felt the power hit him, Daen had been sitting or lying down. This new experience was a little unsettling for both Daen and Randell.

"Daen. Are you al
l right?" It was Ander this time who was trying to get his attention.

"Yes. I'm fine. It's just ... well, a little problem I've been having. If my hopes are right, I think the time
when I will find the woman I'm supposed to help is drawing close." Daen looked at Randell, hopeful that Randell would give him reinforcement.

Randell nodded, "We can only hope."

Ander paused the movie. "Tell us. What's been going on?"

Daen filled them in on the power hits he'd been having and the toll it was taking on him.

Pam asked, "And you think these episodes are coming from the woman you're to help?"

"I'm hoping. I know it's a stretch.
Realistically, the woman I'm to help could be anyone, and these episodes could be coming from her or from someone attacking her. But either way, somehow I'm connected to her, and until I find out what's going on, I fear I'll be at the mercy of this ... force."

Ander asked, "How are you going to find her?"
Then he shook his head, not believing he'd just said that. "Sorry. That's been the question since you arrived."

Daen nodded. "Nothing has changed. I just have to wait and see."

Randell jumped in, "But I'm going to start looking more closely at the people I meet ... or as much as I can. We're hoping I'll be able to see a difference between her and others in this world. Of course, this assumes she's from Luxatra and she's on campus. The odds aren't in our favor."

Pam leaned back on the sofa and took a deep breath. "Well. Short of putting a personal ad in the newspaper ...," Pam swept her hands
through the air as if reading a banner, "... 'Seeking Luxatran female in need of help' ... I supposed there isn't anything else you can do. For your benefit, I hope this is her. But ... that means you'll be going home, right?"

"I hope so
, but ... it'll be a lot harder to go now. I'm going to miss you all. But maybe I'll be able to come back for a visit."

The room
became quiet with sadness.

Not wanting to deal with the sadness that was killing the fun they were having, Daen tried to cheer things up. "Hey! I'm still here. You're here. And we have a movie to finish watching. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
He waved at the television to get Ander's attention.

Ander clicked
the play button on the remote and the subject was dropped ... but not forgotten.

14
Grennal

It was Rhea's turn to clean the dishes after dinner. She stood at the kitchen sink, looking out the window, waiting for the moon to rise high enough to cast a shadow. She'd been waiting more than three weeks for the moon to return, and tonight was the night, she hoped.

Rhea hadn't seen Grennal since mid-November
, when she’d made the trek to her dorm room. It had always been a little tricky talking to her without being discovered, both at school and at home. But shortly after Grennal started visiting her at school, she learned that faking a phone call was a great way to hide her conversations. She'd speak Aduraun when she was alone and English when others might hear.

Rhea was so lost in her thoughts about everything she wanted to tell Grennal that she hadn't heard her mother come into the kitchen.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us? I thought you liked adventure films."

Rhea jumped, causing the water in the sink to splash onto the counter. "Geez. You startled me. You go on. I'll be okay. I'm going to read in my room." Rhea wanted to go
, but she had waited so long to talk to Grennal she’d decided to stay home.

Christine kissed Rhea's cheek. "Okay. We'll be home in a few hours." And they were gone.

Rhea had the house to herself. She headed to her room and waited, watching each corner of the room where a shadow could start to form.

To pass the time, Rhea sat on her bed
, reading by flashlight, not wanting the light to block the moon shadow from forming. After about an hour and half, she heard the familiar language of her friend. "It's been so long. Are you well?"

"Grennal!" Rhea tossed her book and flashlight to the side and sat on the floor in front of the shadow that contained her friend. "We have a lot to talk about and not a lot of time."

"Slow down. Tell me what's happened."

Rhea reached into the box on the floor next to her and pulled out the basket containing the blanket, linen, and card. "This is what's happened." Rhea tried to contain her emotions. There had to be a reasonable explanation.

Grennal wasn't breathing or moving; she'd gone perfectly still.

Rhea pointed to the basket. "I was found in this basket, wrapped in this blanket." She grabbed the corner of the blanket and held it up. "The corner of the blanket has some embroidery. It's so tiny, I know you can't see it from there
, but it could be my family crest." She reached for the card. "And this card was found with me. Grennal, the writing on the card is Aduraun. It says Terrwyn. That’s a name, right? Unless that's some Aduraun word I don't know yet." She held up the card so Grennal could see, watching, waiting for her to respond.

Grennal didn't say anything. Panic gripped her. This wasn't supposed to
have happened. How had it happened? She knew how; mistakes. Grennal's first mistake had been leaving the card in the basket. Her second had been allowing herself to be seen. Next, she had befriended Rhea when she should have kept her distance. And last, she had taught Rhea to speak and write Aduraun, having forgotten the card with her name and how it would link Rhea to Luxatra.

Memories of giving Rhea lessons in Aduraun
flashed in Grennal’s mind. She remembered spending a lot of time preparing written text to show Rhea when they met. She’d wanted to her to learn how to speak and read Aduraun, but Rhea was special. She’d also learned to write in Aduraun.

Grennal looked at the confused and anxious face in front of her. She knew what she needed to do. Sh
e needed to come clean about everything she hadn’t shared, and she feared what Rhea would say or do.

Rhea was oblivious to Grennal's panic.
She asked again, "Is Terrwyn a name? Grennal, what do you think this means?" Rhea had come up with multiple scenarios that explained the writing, each of which she'd played over and over in her head since seeing the card. "I've been thinking a lot about this. There are so many possibilities. For starters, someone in this world is like me. He or she learned Aduraun and had a hand in leaving me on the porch. Or, someone from Luxatra was here, in this world, and found me and decided to leave me on the porch." Rhea was rambling now, "Or, or ..." She was starting to hyperventilate.

"Rhea, calm down." Grennal's voice was calm but her mind was in turmoil.

"But wait, that's not possible. How can someone from your world be in mine? You know, I don't know who the person is, but I'm guessing they know who my biological parents are. I have to find him, her ... whoever. Grennal, what do you think?"

Grennal's tail swished and her ears twitched as she looked from side to side. She'd explained to Rhea a long time ago that it was dangerous at times for her to be out talking to Rhea
, but she hadn't explained why. Now she had to be extra careful not to be overheard.

Grennal faced Rhea again, wanting to do the right thing, finally; to stop hiding the truth. But was it her truth to tell? Would she do more damage than good by answering
Rhea's questions? No, the damage was done; she couldn't hide it anymore. "Um ... Actually, it is possible that someone from Luxatra is in the world of shadows. And yes, the writing on the card is a name."

There, she
had answered the questions, not volunteering more but providing enough information to calm Rhea down. But lying by omission was still lying. Grennal's guilt swirled in her stomach and pressed against her heart. She loved Rhea. Rhea was like a daughter to her. She hated the secrets.

Rhea could barely breathe. "People from your world can come to mine? Really? I've asked you this before. Why haven't you told me?"

Truth. Answer her questions but don't elaborate. "I wasn't supposed to tell you." Grennal stood and started to pace, scanning the area around her.

"What? What weren't you supposed to tell me
? That you can come to my world?"

Big question; there
were so many things she wasn't supposed to tell her. And so many things she couldn't tell her because she simply didn't know.

"Grennal?"

Rhea knew too much now. She was old enough to start putting things together. For her own good, she needed to know. "I suppose now is as good a time as any. I hope I don't do more damage than good, but here goes." Grennal swallowed hard. "Rhea, or I should say Terrwyn, there's a reason you can see me and this world; a reason you can hear me and speak Aduraun so easily." She stopped, waiting for Rhea to see the answer before she said it. She didn't want to say it out loud.

Rhea didn't understand
, or maybe she didn't want to understand. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Grennal glanced around her and whispered, "You're Luxatran."

Her final scenario: her parents were Luxatran. Although the possibility was something she'd considered, she hadn't given it much weight. The odds were against it. The enormity of what Grennal had just conveyed made the room spin. Rhea closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Grennal. Why haven't you told me this before now?"

"I wasn't supposed to tell you. My job was to watch you, make sure you were safe. When the time came for you to know, assuming that time ever came ... I thought I would have time to break it to you gently
, but ..."

Rhea interrupted, "So you know my biological parents. Where are they? How can I find them?"

"Rhea, I don't know who your parents are."

"I don't understand."

"There's a story I need to tell you." Her facial expressions were hard to read, given she was a dog-like creature, but her voice spoke volumes. She was serious.

Rhea's heart started to race faster than it already was. "You sound like you have bad news that I don't want to hear."

"I wouldn't say it's bad news. Let me tell you and we can talk about it."

"Okay." Rhea tried to calm herself. She leaned back against her bed and waited for Grennal to start.

"Do you remember me telling you about King Argeon, the ruler of Taulomi?"

"Sure. Taulomi, that's where you live."

"Right. And that's where you were born."