The Guardian King

Chapter Three

~ Phoenix

Another late night turned into an early morning. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep up with the mind-numbing monotony. The same duties which used to grant me a deeply rooted sense of purpose and meaning, now only offered aggravation. It had begun even before my impromptu visit to Florida.

*

Less than ten years into my reign, I’d become ill-tempered and short-fused. Frustration got the better of me more often than I cared to admit. Which is why I’d taken to hunting at night whenever I could get away. Only my inner circle knew of my nightly pastime. I couldn’t let the public, particularly my mother, become aware of my unstable and unpredictable behavior. The last thing I needed was a lecture from someone who simply did not understand. Spending my nights hunting down and eliminating the depraved had been the only remedy in tempering my mood swings. At least it was… until I discovered her.

*

Whenever I shut my eyes I became tormented by stunning blue irises and red-kissed blonde hair. Tormented by fear I would never them see again. After searching over two decades, the idea she might slip through my fingers set me on edge. My agitation grew with every passing day I didn’t know her location. My only relief came from knowing Phyneas had eyes on her. He gave me his word he would monitor her closely. I trusted no other with the task.

*

Under Phyneas’ recommendation, I chose to distance myself. Even he’d never seen me in such a rage than when I learned what put my angel in the hospital months prior. The delicacy of our unique situation required I proceed with utmost caution. I surrendered the file of information my seekers had compiled on her. Some knowledge was too powerful and could drastically alter the future. I had to let fate play out on it’s own. Passivity made my skin crawl. But when it came to my angel, I would endure anything.

***

The sun had fully risen. I’d officially been up all night, having tapped into my endurance ability to avoid sleep... again. I’d spent the better part of the past hour reviewing a variety of royal documents that awaited my signature. When I drew the tip of my pen across the surface of the page, not a drop of ink released. I scratched the tip back and forth to no avail. My frustrations spilled over and I hurled the cursed object as hard as I could. The soft clink from the impact was not nearly enough to satisfy my rage. I stood, reached for my empty water glass, and launched it across the room, achieving a more gratifying result when it shattered against the wall near the door.

*

Seconds later, the door opened, revealing my wide-eyed advisor. He eyed the shattered glass, before turning his gaze on me. “Do you feel better?” he asked. With a wave of my hand, the glass shards moved from the floor, crossed the room, and dropped into the trash can. “I’d feel better if you’d give me some good news for a change,” I said in irritation. “What the hell is taking so long, Phyn?” My best friend read me better than anyone, one of many reasons I made him my advisor. I didn’t need to be specific for him to understand exactly what was on my mind.

*

Phyneas ventured further into the room as he replied, “Nic, you know our abilities are not as effective on our own kind.”

“She is not a fully realized guardian!” I argued. “Her abilities are still dormant. She’s practically human! Your compulsion ability should be plenty strong enough to bring her here.”

“Maybe if you hadn’t insisted that I remove your meeting from her memory she would have already come.” I sent him a glare and replied, “I told you, it’s for the best.”

“And I told you I wouldn’t use compulsion to make her come here. If she ever found out I’d done so at your request, she would only resent you. Do you want that? I put the image in her mind. She’ll be unable to resist the pull of her true home. Be patient.”

*

Phyneas’ advice to practice patience triggered my ire, causing me to round on him. “Have you forgotten where we found her? Yet, you dare tell me to be patient?! She’s out there, oblivious to what she is, whilst subjected to the dangers of the world alone and unprotected!”

“She is not unprotected,” he calmly replied. Being no stranger to my outbursts, Phyneas was immune to my temper. “She’s been attacked once before,” I reminded him. “I cannot, I WILL NOT, allow that to happen again!” I clenched my fists in an effort to regain control, as I remembered the beaten image of her in the hospital.

*

Leaning over my desk, I planted my knuckles on the hard surface and drew deep breaths. Phyneas came to my side. With a hand on my shoulder, he said, “It won’t, Nic. You have my word. She’s safe.” I could only nod in acknowledgement. My short temper served as the primary example for why I left the situation in Phyn’s hands. Had I not relinquished control, nothing could have prevented me from hunting down her attackers. Scum of the earth they may have been, but they were also human. As king, I had a responsibility to set the highest example. One such example: doing no harm to humans.

*

“You ought to focus your attention on what you’ll say to her when she does arrive,” Phyneas suggested. “Or better yet, how you’ll explain to the court your plans to break the law by making her queen.”

“Those answers will come to me in time.” I rubbed my temples in a feeble attempt to ease the oncoming headache. “I cannot think clearly until she’s closer.”

*

The phone on my desk rang. Phyneas moved to answer, without need of instruction. After identifying the caller, he passed me the handset and said, “It’s Gemma. She says it’s important.” I put the phone up to my ear and said, “Gem, what is it?” My publicist’s voice came through annoyingly cheerful as she answered, “I just got a call from my Aunt Beth.”

“And?”

“And… it seems your queen has arrived.” If Phyneas was the one I trusted most in the world, Gemma would be the second.

*

At Gemma’s words, my entire body relaxed, for the first time since leaving my angel in that hospital. I let out the breath I’d been holding as I replied, “You know what to do.” I could practically hear her smile through the phone when she confidently answered, “I’m already on my way.”

*****

~ Ember

As a child I asked mom why I seemed so different from the kids at school. She merely smiled and claimed everyone felt that way at my age. All kids were different, she’d told me, that’s what makes them special. What a load of crap that was; at least where I was concerned. She knew exactly what set me apart from those around me. For reasons I may never understand, she preferred to pretend it didn’t exist. As I paced in front of the fish pond in Beth’s back garden, I attempted to work out what my next move would be.

*

Beth had given me space to work through the initial shock, for which I was grateful. After some time alone amongst the peaceful landscape, my brain began to catch up to my heart. The longer I contemplated the truth, the more certain aspects about my life began to make sense. My mom raised me to make safe choices. For that reason, I’d never sought a life of adventures, thrills, or passion. I’d believed I wanted a safe and normal existence. However, as I considered my life up to that point realization hit me; my mother had conditioned me to behave overly cautious. It was not an accurate reflection of my true self. I’d been obliviously living against my own nature all my life and that was the source of all my imbalance.

*

One thing was certain; Beth’s mere utterance of the word ‘guardian’ had unlocked a hidden part of myself. Awareness struck me and I wanted more. I wanted everything that came along with the life of a guardian; the life I should’ve had. After twenty-four years of uncertainty, I finally had clarity. What I didn’t have, however, was the first clue on where to begin.

*

Morning slipped away and I prepared myself to return inside. Before I could make a move, the click-clack of high-heels on the cobblestone path caught my attention. A beautiful dark-haired woman entered the backyard. Her sleek long ponytail swung behind her as she approached me. She wore odd but appealing clothing; a long dark-red tunic cinched at her tiny waist by a leather belt. Her brown tights disappeared into suede, knee-high stiletto boots.

*

When the unfamiliar woman reached me, I stood from the bench, but she waved at me to return to my seat. “Please, don’t get up on my account,” she said with a friendly smile. “You’re even more beautiful than I expected.” She sat beside me at the opposite end of the iron bench. Thrown by her sudden appearance, it took me a moment to gather my composure. “Um, thanks, but what do you mean expected?” I questioned. Her beautiful brown-green eyes sparkled as she replied, “I’m Gemma, your cousin.” She extended her hand for me to shake and continued, “Uncle Isaac is my mother’s brother. Aunt Beth called me in the hopes I could be of help.”

“Oh. It’s nice to meet you, but I’m not even sure what sort of help I need right now.”

*

Gemma stared at me with a curious smile, as she took in the sight of me from head to toe. She then shook her head vigorously and clenched her eyes shut, “Sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just… I can’t believe I’m related to an unknown. They’re exceedingly rare, you know.” Her eyes met mine as she continued, “In fact, I don’t think there’s been an unknown discovered in the past three centuries. Which makes you a bit of a fun mystery.”

“Erm, sorry, an unknown? I don’t know what that means.” Although ‘unknown’ was a very fitting way to describe myself.

*

“Let’s see, how to explain?” Gemma muttered to herself, looking toward the ground in thought. When she refocused on me, she began, “Guardians aren’t as numerous as humans. We live in close knit communities. Every one of us is accounted for at birth. When we turn sixteen, our abilities are awakened and registered.” She withdrew a card from her pocket to show me. “Even the rare guardians who choose to live amongst humans are still required by law to keep their registration current. But… according to our records, you don’t even exist. Therefore, you are an unknown.”

*

I flipped the card over and read aloud, “GRC?”

“That’s the reason Aunt Beth called me. I’m here to help you assimilate.”

“Assimilate?”

“I’m a member of the GRC; the Guardian Royal Court. The high court in fact, and as such, I’m in a position to help you navigate your introduction into our world. Your presence here will not go unnoticed for long. We need to get ahead of this situation, by getting you registered as soon as possible. The scarcity of unknowns make people fear them. Some even believe your unknown quality makes you dangerous. Personally, I think it’s what makes you interesting, but I’ve always been an excellent judge of character.” She smiled proudly.

“I can’t even begin to wrap my head around this,” I muttered in frustration as I passed back her registration card. With a somber expression, she returned it to the front pocket of her tunic.

*

With a sigh I admitted, “I’m still not convinced this isn’t a wild hallucination, brought on by great emotional stress.” She chuckled at my dramatics and said, “You’re not hallucinating, but I understand how your mind would land on that conclusion. It would make things easier. Your entire world has been flipped on it’s end. Everything you thought you knew about yourself has proven to be wrong. You should be spiraling right now, but you are oddly calm. Have you asked yourself why that is?”

“Because I know it’s the truth,” I admitted in a whisper.

“Precisely.”

*

“Among our own unique abilities, we have a good sense of ourselves,” Gemma said. To which I laughed sharply and argued, “I have never had a good sense of myself.”

“Now that you know the truth of what you are, that will change. You’ve been living as something you’re not. It’s no wonder you’ve been so lost.” I gave her a sideways glance and replied, “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to. Guardians recognize other guardians. It’s why you feel a connection to me. I’m guessing you’ve had trouble connecting with people all your life?” My mouth inadvertently fell open in surprise and I said, “How could you know that?”

*

Gemma, sensing my distress, put a comforting hand on my knee. “Human senses may be inferior to ours,” she explained, “but they are still able to sense that we are different. They’re stand-offish around us, yet they don’t know why. It’s for that reason we have our own private cities, separate from human civilizations. You should never have been put through growing up amongst humans. I can only imagine how difficult and isolating that must have been for you.” Her manicured hand took ahold of mine. She smiled brightly as she continued, “But you are home now, and we look out for our own.”

*

I anticipated the urge to pull away, but it never came. Instead, I absorbed the comfort she freely offered and said, “I know what you’re saying is true. I felt the truth the moment Beth said the words; I am a guardian. What I don’t know… is what to do with this information.”

“That’s why she called me, Ember. Your mother pulled you away from your God-given path, by raising you as a human. She had her reasons for thinking it was best for you, but she was wrong to do so. You have been detoured from your true purpose for a very long time. I would consider it an honor, if you would let me guide you into our world. A world you were meant to be a part of from the moment you drew your first breath. I know it must feel daunting to you now, but I promise, if you let me, I’ll be by your side every step of the way. You are not alone anymore.” If she only knew what those words meant to me.

*

Gemma got to her feet and held her hand out to me. “Are you ready to discover who you were meant to be?” I uttered no reply as I took her hand and let her pull me to my feet. Gemma stood eye to eye with me, though she would’ve been shorter, if not for her boots.

*

My cousin’s hand never let go of mine as she guided me around the side of the house towards the front. We made our way across the driveway, where a white luxurious car waited. A man who resembled a member of the secret service opened the back door at our approach. As I followed Gemma into the backseat, I whispered, “Who are you?” She giggled in amusement and replied, “We like to travel in style.”

“Who is we?”

“Members of the court.”

“Right, you mentioned that. What exactly is the court?”

“Everything will make sense in time. We’re on our way to Ilia. It’s my home, and could be yours too someday. It’s also known as, The King’s Realm.”

“Wait… guardians, I mean we… have a king?”

“Oh yes, and he is very interested in meeting you,” she told me with a wink.

*

I suddenly became very aware of my casual appearance. I’d thrown myself together thinking my goal for the day would only include apartment hunting. I wore my tattered skinny jeans and favorite ratty, ice-blue sweater that fell off my shoulder. My navy-blue canvas flats had seen better days. And my abundance of hair I’d haphazardly thrown into a bun made me look particularly disheveled.

*

“Please tell me we are not on our way to meet the king at this very moment!” I exclaimed in a panic. “I am not ready for that! Hell, I’m not even dressed for it.”

“See, you are self-aware,” she replied teasingly. “No, you won’t be meeting the king today. First on our list is what every guardian teen looks forward to on their sixteenth birthday.”

“Which is?”

“Discovering their own unique abilities. All guardians are born with at least two, and as many as five, abilities. I myself have four. Some are common, while others are rare.”

*

I rubbed my temples in frustration, as I tried to get a handle on new information. Something told me we were just scratching the surface. “Okay, what else do I need to know?” I asked. Gemma was exceedingly patient as she explained. “After you get your results, I’ll need to consult with the king on how he wants to proceed with your training. You may be offered a place in the academy with the other sixteen-year-olds…”

“That won’t be utterly embarrassing,” my tone heavy with sarcasm.

“Or… he may appoint you a private tutor. It’s not very common, but as I said, we haven’t discovered an unknown in ages. Yours is an unprecedented circumstance.”

*

I exhaled and attempted to mentally put one foot in front of the other. “What can I expect from training?” I wanted to know.

“For most guardians, training lasts between two to four years. You’ll be tested on each of your ability’s extent and power. Though guardians are gifted with multiple abilities, there’s usually one or two that are more dominant. For instance, my empath ability is strongest. I can feel you are very nervous, while at the same time excited. This is all new to you, and therefore somewhat scary, but there’s an eagerness within you as though you’ve been waiting for this your entire life.”

“Wow,” I breathed out in astonishment.

“Don’t be so impressed. You’re easy to read. Normally our abilities aren’t as effective on other guardians, but with your abilities still dormant, you are weak.” She didn’t say the words insultingly, but rather as a matter of fact, and I took no offense.

*

“So, our abilities only fully work on humans?” I asked for clarification.

“Yes,” Gemma answered, “well… and the depraved.”

“The depraved?”

“Oh, honey, you are not ready for that conversation. One thing at a time.”

***

A short drive later, we arrived at the base of the Colorado mountains. We continued around the winding road until the path spilt. The only sign pointed right and read: National Park Walking Trail. However, our vehicle veered left. Further up the mountain another mile, the car pulled up to a nondescript gatehouse. The driver didn’t need to roll down his window. The gatekeeper took one look at the license plate and lifted the barrier, allowing us entry into an underground parking garage.

*

“Where are we?” I wondered aloud while the car eased through the underground tunnel.

“South entrance to The King’s Realm,” Gemma answered. “It’s the largest guardian community in the world.”

“It’s not very impressive, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Oh ye of little faith. It wouldn’t be on this side. Come along.” After the car had stopped, the driver opened the back door on Gemma’s side. She was already swinging her legs out and I hurried after her.

*

Given the higher elevation, the air was considerably cooler than in Middlebrook. I gripped the cuffs on my sweater tighter as I followed Gemma through the dimly lit space and into an ornate golden elevator. The control panel only offered a single option. After Gemma pressed the lone button, the room unexpectedly lurched sideways. “Whoa,” I muttered, bracing myself on the hand rail.

“Yeah,” she said apologetically, “takes some getting used to.”

*

Moments later, the doors opened and revealed a gleaming hallway. Our footsteps on the polished marble echoed through the rich mahogany walls. Crystal sconces lit our path as we made our way down the long corridor. When we reached the end, and solid rock blocked our path, I realized we were looking at the side of the mountain itself. I eyed Gemma curiously. She’d stopped right in front of the stone, as though the dead end was our intended destination.

*

“What do you see?” Gemma asked. After a quick evaluation of the rocky surface, I gave the only possible reply, “I, um… I see mountain.”

“Anything else?” She wouldn’t have asked unless it were a serious question, so I looked closer. Then, as if the rock itself recognized my guardian blood, carvings began to appear within the stone. A doorway materialized right before my eyes. “I see a door,” I whispered in amazement, causing Gemma to smile with satisfaction. I gazed upon the entrance, noting that it appeared to be as old as time itself. Above the doorway, etched into the stone, were words in an unfamiliar language. “Benedictus tutores hominum?” I read in question. She clarified, “Blessed be the protectors of man.”

*

Gemma took my hand and pressed my palm against the cool surface of the rock. It warmed at my touch and a comforting energy pulsed. The carvings began to glow and the stone door opened inward. Blackness engulfed the light, causing my heart to race with fear. “Don’t be afraid,” my cousin assured, still holding my hand. “We’ll go together.” I took a steadying breath and we stepped forward at the same time. A blinding light overpowered my senses, but only for a moment. After a few blinks, my vision returned. I retained my grip on Gemma as I took in the sight. With her free hand, she gestured to the gleaming city bordered by the mountains, and said, “Welcome to Ilia.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~