Guardian of the Sacred Fire

Elders

            Dawn pressed at the windows when the door finally opened.  Azrael came in and just stared at me.  “Get dressed; you are meeting the Elder Races.” He said and threw a dress at me.  I just nodded and went to the bathroom.  The dress was a deep red that made my skin look like alabaster.  It had a plunging neck line and it brought a blush to my cheeks.  A knock came to the door and a woman entered.  She had a bag in her hand and she smiled at me.

            “My name is Pancia; I’m here to help you get ready.” She said and closed the door behind her.  She made me sit on the toilet as she did my hair and makeup. She handed me a pair of high shoes and I just eyed her.

            “I will break my legs in those.” I said and looked at the size of the heel.

            “Not with Azrael there to catch you.” She said.  She had short black hair and green eyes the color of grass.  She smelled of blood and peppermint.

            “Were you one of Uriel’s coven?” I asked and reluctantly slipped on the high heels.

            “Yes, and now we are free thanks to you Vesta.” She said.  That was supposedly my real name.  Vesta, Guardian of the Sacred Flame. She helped me stand up and took me to the mirror.  My jaw dropped.  I looked otherworldly.  I closed my eyes and opened them again.  I was the type of girl, give me eyeliner and lip gloss and I was good to go.  She made me look like a girl. And honestly I hated it and loved it at the same time.

            Pancia helped me walk out of the bathroom.  Three more vampires were in there and stopped talking once I came out.  Azrael’s eyes widened just a little when he saw me.

            “So this is Vesta then?” one of the older looking males said. He was probably 40 when he was changed.

            “She looks like Ariella.” The other said. He was perhaps 25 when changed over. He looked pretty young.  Now that I looked at Azrael, and I mean truly looked I could tell his age.  His aura read 23 years old but there was an aura above that that said hundreds of years. Come to look at them all they all had two auras.

            Beast walked into the room and I couldn’t help but smile at him.  He was just that type of person.

            “Hey beautiful.” He said and came up and hugged me.  “We have to go, it’s a long trip.”  Beast wasn’t a vampire, but he was old like the others. He wasn’t human, but what made him live that long I didn’t know. My curiosity could wait.

            Pancia helped out the door.  I would be better with no shoes.  That’s how I preferred it. Shoes were my enemy.

            I gaped when I saw a limo waiting in front of the door.  How inconspicuous. A limo going through a small town.  Sure no one would notice us.  Beast opened the door for us and I climbed in as lady like as possible.  Pretty hard to do in a floor length dress that showed enough cleavage to make a nun blush.

            Once in only Pancia followed after me.  Azrael poked his head inside and gave me a peck on the cheek.

            “I will see you there.” He said as another limo pulled in.  He closed the door and walked away.

            “So girl talk!” Pancia said.

            I could tell this was going to be a very annoying ride already.

            “Have you and Azrael-you know?”

            “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” I said.

            “You have!  If you didn’t you would have said no!” she smiled.  “I’m not surprised honestly. You look somewhat like Ariella.  He was her Sentinel.  He has not been named your Sentinel but he acts like it.  The Elders will choose your Sentinel.” She said.

            The car ride lasted a little over an hour before we boarded a private jet. I had never flown before and was actually a little nervous.  I refused to answer any more of Pancia’s questions.  Hell I refused to talk at all.  She got the message after five minutes and left me alone.  I watched the sun rise higher in the sky as we took off from the ground.  Azrael held my hand as I had a death grip on the arm rest. I decided I didn’t like to fly.

            The flight lasted for a while. I fell asleep on Azrael’s shoulder after the fourteenth hour of flying. Somewhere in the middle of the flight we had landed for fuel.  Six hours later I was looking down at a large island in the middle of nowhere. From horizon to horizon all I could see was the vast ocean. I didn't know which ocean we had even crossed to get here.  I should have paid more attention.

            “Where are we?” I asked.

            “Welcome to Ailsa Island. We are in the middle of the Atlantic by the way.”

            Pancia touched up my makeup and hair before we landed.  It was a fairly large island as far as I could tell.  I stepped off the plane and the salty air was comforting.  Then again, the ground was more comforting.  A black jeep was waiting for us as soon as we got off the plane. I didn’t even get a chance to look around. The sun was just barely on the horizon as we reached a large stone mansion. It was too small to be considered a castle but it looked like one.

            I followed behind Beast and Azrael had taken my arm like an escort.  We walked down a long corridor and reached a large room that reminded me of a throne room, but instead of one throne there were five.

            Each man was as different as the man beside him.  From left to right was a man that looked like he was at least six feet tall if he were standing.  Everything about him was gold. From his hair to his skin and eyes.  All like they were spun from gold.  The next was a short stout man with a large belly and red hair with a red beard.  His feet didn’t touch the ground.  His skin was a pale cream color. The one in the center was beautiful.  So beautiful it made me want to drop to my knees and cry.  His hair was like the night, his eyes were like the silver moon and his skin was white as milk.  I had to tear my eyes away to look at the other two.  The next one had skin black like tar, and I don’t mean African black I mean black like his skin was created from a black void.  He was like the gold one.  Everything about him matched. His skin, his eyes, his hair.  I think the only reason he seemed so dark skinned to me was he was wearing a pure white suit.  Nicely drastic coloring.  The one after him looked human.  But power rolled off of him in waves.  He had chestnut hair and green eyes.  To my shock it was Adrian, the doctor. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

            “State your name.” The one in the center said.  His voice was deep and made things in my chest tighten.

            “Anastasia Hallow.” I said. My voice was shaking.  Damn it.

            “How old are you Anastasia?”

            “I am twenty-two years old.” I answered.

            “Do you know why you are here?” Adrian asked, his smile gone.

            “Honestly? No idea.” I told him truthfully.

            “You were told that Lucifel the Angel of Light is going to return. Who told you this? The short red haired said.

            “Ariella.”

            “But she has been dead for centuries, which is absurd!” Goldie said.

            “Not impossible, if Anastasia here is Ariella’s reincarnate, they would be able to speak.  It simply means Ariella is in her mind, just trapped.” Adrian said.

            I felt Azrael stiffen next to me.  I let go of his hand automatically and actually wanted to take a step away but didn’t.  I knew he still loved her, but I’m not her. I’m Anna. As far as I could tell Ariella hated his guts for killing her.  But I had to get this right.  I was a long dead warrior for God who had to stop the devil from rising.  Suddenly my future seemed really bleak and nonexistent.  How was I supposed to stop the devil?

            “So awaken Ariella.” The dark one said.

            “It would kill Anastasia, and the Lioness of God has already served her purpose and gave up her life for it.  It is Anna’s turn.” Adrian said and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

            “Do you accept being the Guardian of the Sacred Fire?” the beautiful one said.

            “Do I have a choice?” I asked.

            “You do.  You can deny what you are, the world as you know it come to an end, you watch as your family is brutally tortured by Lucifel’s minions. Or you can train and fight and at least try.” He answered.

            “Well as long as I have a choice.” I said sarcastically.

I guess sarcasm doesn’t travel through times but at least Adrian got it. He smiled and stood up from his throne and walked down to me.  He clasped my hands in his and kissed my cheek. It might have been just me but his lips lingered a little longer than necessary.  He looked into my eyes still smiling.  I could now see his aura unlike before.  I could see an animal there.  But not just one, many.  I could make out a wolf, bear, and lion but there were more that were jumbled all together.  Something in my head just clicked.  If I truly wanted to see auras I could. I could turn it on and off.  I wondered what an actual human aura looked like.  I haven’t tested it.  Unlike what regular humans believed they weren’t different colors, but levels of power.  Azrael had an aura that stretched out a few inches from his skin. While Adrian’s I damn near drowned in while he was this close.  I looked up at all the others on the thrones.  The golden one looked like he had faerie wings.  Was he an actual faerie?  The short one’s aura looked like it was holding something. And axe or a sword, I couldn’t make out which.  The middle one made me gasp.  Wings that spread out the length of all the chairs.  Angel was my first impression, but no-not angel. I didn’t know what.  The dark one also had wings but not as big and they didn’t look like feathers. They were bat-like. Also like the middle one, I thought demon, but he wasn’t.  So there were faeries, dwarves or trolls, two I couldn’t tell and lycanthropes.  No vampires?

            “So when do I start?” I asked when Adrian went back and took his seat.

            “Now.” The faerie said and lashed at me with energy.  I cried and hit my hands and knees as it hit me like a whip.  Blood hit the black marble floor from my chest.

            “She’s not ready!” Azrael yelled and stood in front of me.  Beast moved in front of me as well.

            “Lucifel will not care if she is ready or not.” The dark one said.  “She is weak. We will surely all die.”

            “How long do we have?” the dwarf asked.

            “Three years.” I muttered out.  I don’t know how I knew but the answer just came to me.  I could hear a whisper in the back of my mind.  And whatever it was extremely pissed off.

            “Bah! Not enough time. She won’t be ready.” The dwarf said.

            “So let me guess, when you came into your power, you were automatically powerful? You were the most powerful of your kind?” I said.

            “No I was not.” He answered.

            “You had to train, did you not?”

            “Yes-but.”

            “I think Permaz, she just shut you up.” Adrian said.

I looked up at him hoping the thanks showed in my eyes.  Beast helped me to my feet and took out a handkerchief and pressed it to my chest.  I swore revenge in my mind to the faerie.  What he did was just a b***h slap from his power but I swore right then, the asshole had one coming.