Bound (The Guardians) (12 page)

I close the door.

Slowly I rest my head against the wood. He really was sticking his neck out to take me to Pekkin. But… I hate him… I’ve never been this conflicted, ever. One turn and then another… my life feels like the twisting balcony just outside my door.

I head back to my bed to rest.

***

When the evening comes, I’m visited by Demmi. When he sees the medical patch on my forehead, he demands to know the story. We sit at my small table and talk about the attack. After a while I find myself saying nothing, just staring into space. I guess I still can’t believe what happened with my parents is real.

Demmi reaches across the table, putting one index finger on the back of my hand. I stare at him. He says, ‘Listen to me. What you’ve said about your parents, it’s horrible. But remember that you’ve done nothing wrong. You wanted to see them. You risked being persecuted by the Guardians by leaving Poridos. You’re brave, really, really brave. They should give you a medal! And as for your parents… well they need a wakeup call.’

Demmi smacks his fist into his opposite palm. ‘I’m happy to do it for you, if you want?’

I shake my head. ‘No. But thank you.’ I look at the young man. I have questions that maybe he can answer. ‘Leo did the strangest thing out there today. He had some sort of lightning power going on… do you know about that?’

Demmi nods. ‘All the Guardians have powers. Well, not exactly the same…brides…and then…’ struggling to clarify his own point, Demmi says, ‘I’m sure someone will explain it to you when the time is right. But don’t worry, around here its normal.’

‘Yeah, normal,’ I say with a sarcastic tone.

Demmi’s eyes wander to the seat beside him. He picks up the paper bag sitting on the chair. He pulls out the container holding the music box. He opens it and smiles. ‘This is cute. Did you buy this today?’

I scrunch up my face. ‘No,
the liar
gave it to me. He was trying to win me over I think. Not that it matters now. Any hope of us being friends has been officially obliterated. He’s an evil, selfish rich boy who will never understand anything.’

Demmi smirks. ‘I hear that. But if he’s giving out gifts maybe you should ride the gravy train. Try and get stuff that’s super expensive. I would be. Now let’s see…hmm. Okay, I’m thinking to start off get some jewellery…and then...a flight board! Oh wait, how about a beach house? Mellea get the beach house! Get the beach house!’

‘I’m not on a game show.’ I laugh. ‘Besides that would require actually speaking to Leo, something I try and avoid doing at all times.’

Demmi puts the bag down and looks at me. He asks seriously, ‘Hey, Soren said that Leo told Neros the people who attacked you had weapons coming out of their bodies. Is that true…or has it been passed on so far it’s been warped?’

I nod. ‘No, it’s true. Leo got attacked by a man with a gun built into his arm. And I was chased through the woods by a girl with a knife coming out of her palm. At least, I’m pretty sure she was a child. It’s confusing and utterly insane.’

Demmi eyes are wide as he puts his hands on the table. ‘Sounds like things are going to get complicated around here. Which reminds me, I was told to make sure you know about the Summoning tomorrow morning.’

I frown. ‘What’s that?’

‘It’s when the six Elders of the Guardian’s Court, high ranking Sentry officers and the Montarus family members are called together for a meeting in the theatre. When they are, it’s a big deal and called the Summoning. It’s restricted. So as brides it’s lucky we’ve even been invited to attend… and blar, blar, blar.’ I make an unsure facial expression. Demmi smiles and says, ‘Don’t worry. We sit at the back in the darkness where no one can see us. We don’t participate.’

Demmi hangs around to chat for a while before he notices how late it’s gotten. On his way out he says he will come and get me before the meeting. I say goodnight and sit back in my chair with arms folded.

The Guardians were obviously concerned about these people with the mechanical parts built into their bodies. I don’t need to be a Guardian to know something bad is coming our way.

Chapter eighteen

The atmosphere in the theatre is thick. Demmi and I sit at the back of the dark tiered seating venue. All the chairs around us are empty. Only a few towards the bottom are filled by people deemed much more important than us. Because of the small attendance, the front of the room is the only part that is lit up. Being an underground room, it’s dark and quiet. When people aren’t talking, you could hear a pin drop. 

Below us on the floor area is a long semicircle table. At one end sits six white haired individuals, the Elders of the Guardian’s Court who assist in the decision making process of the Guardians. I had no idea that the Guardians had help outside their family making the rules by which we all live. But then again, that’s politics; an entire party and one person taking the credit, or the blame.

At the other end are the Successors, Arin, Leo and Soren. Sitting before them all in a gold elevated chair is Lord Neros. The matching chair next to him, obviously meant for Lady Lethia, is empty.

Come to think of it, never have I once seen her… and nobody really talks about her. How strange.

The meeting commences and I sit up straight. The first topics to be discussed are small and boring. I sit back, slowly losing interest. Demmi leans over to me and points out Anrella. He says that after her uniting she was invited to sit closer, behind Arin in the seats. I glance down at her. Next to Anrella is Elentia who is taking notes on her tablet. Behind them, two Sentry officers are also jotting points down on paper. I shift my gaze towards the Successor end of the table.

The three blond haired siblings remain interested in a dull topic, or five. I do commend them for their high level of attentiveness. Mine is fading fast. Demmi fiddles with his jacket. It appears his is long gone. To amuse myself, I hold my hand up, squint one eye and begin squishing Leo’s head between my fingers. Demmi sees what I’m doing and joins in on Lord Neros.

My attention is recaptured when the biggest item on the agenda is announced. A woman from the Elders reads from a clipboard. ‘Yesterday Successor Leo and his future bride were unexpectedly attacked by two unnamed assassins, a man and a female child. Even more concerning are reports that the two had advanced weaponry built into their bodies. They have escaped without any current leads on their location.’ The woman sits down and everyone’s eyes fall to Lord Neros. He leans back in his seat, clearly thinking deeply.

After a good few seconds pass, an Elder man speaks up. ‘Why does nobody comment? We all know who or
what
these people are.’

‘I agree,’ says another Elder man. ‘We cannot dance around this forever. Another seventy reports of missing people have come through to the Concords stationed in various regions of Selestia. Suspicious activity reports have also sky rocketed and the Guardian’s rule has begun to be questioned. We know who is behind this.’

‘What are you talking about?’ asks the first Elder woman.

The second man shouts, ‘The MECHs have returned.’

The room erupts in voices. Some people stand and yell that that it’s impossible. Others debate back fiercely. The tension in the room is too high, almost unbearable.

‘MECHs?’ I whisper to Demmi. ‘Hey, I read about those people recently. Now that I think about it, they fit the description of the people who attacked us. But that’s crazy. I mean I thought they were wiped out, Dorkarn’s father sacrificed himself to make sure of it.’

Lord Neros stands swiftly. He raises his hands and bellows out, ‘Silence!’

The room instantly falls still and a shiver shoots up my spine. He has a scarier voice than expected when he’s angry. Lord Neros sits back down, his face twisted. ‘Look at you all bickering like children. Is this how we discuss our matters now?’

The third Elder man questions, ‘I beg your pardon Lord Neros, but how would
you
know how we “discuss matters”? I cannot remember the last time you attended an important meeting.’

The second Elder woman adds, ‘I agree. Lord Neros, you have been far too distracted lately, missing meetings and diverting our resources to other areas… is that what the title of Lord Guardian means to you? If the MECHs have returned then it is clear that it is your fault for not keeping a closer eye on Selestia’s defence.’

‘Mind your mouth!’ Arin yells. ‘How dare you speak such words? You will not question my father’s ability to rule whilst I sit here.’

Soren stands up and shouts, ‘Such treasonous talk! I should have you strung up by your toes and hung from the top of the Tower.’

Demmi slaps his hand over his face in embarrassment. Leo reaches up, grabs the back of his sister’s shirt and pulls her back down into her seat.

‘Successors that is enough,’ says Lord Neros. ‘Elders, your personal opinions of me will have to wait. What we need right now is a plan. If these fighters are indeed connected to the MECHs from sixty years ago, action must be taken with haste. Now speak, what shall we do?’

The court members talk amongst themselves. None of them seem to be coming up with any good ideas and are afraid to speak out loud.

The sound of the upper doors opening makes everyone’s heads turn. A loud voice abruptly echoes through the room. ‘You question my son’s capability to rule and yet here you sit, useless and unhelpful. You’re all a bunch of simpletons clinging to your name as an Elder.’

Walking strongly down the tiered stairs is Sir Dorkarn. He passes Demmi and me, causing us both to jolt and sit up straight. He crosses the floor below us and stands before Lord Neros. The former Lord Guardian says, ‘The procedure for these occurrences is straightforward. First we find the location of the MECHs…’

‘But we are not sure they are MECHs,’ interrupts an Elder.

Dorkarn stops. He turns to them. ‘Elders, can you fold your arms back into guns? Can you get shot and instantly get back up? Do you have the ability to open metal doors with one finger?’

Silence falls over the group. ‘No,’ someone answers.

He asks, ‘Elders, have any of you actually seen a person fold back their arms into guns? Have you watched a man get shot and get straight back up? Have you witnessed a person slice through metal door with one finger?’ 

I raise my hand a little. Demmi smiles at me.

An Elder man answers, ‘No, Sir Dorkarn... none of us were court members when your father—’

Dorkarn shouts, ‘Well, I was. I was there on the island Laboran. I watched my own father perish so that Selestia could remain safe and harmonious for sixty-years. Therefore I suggest you all shut your wrinkled traps until I finish speaking or the retirement home around the corner will be getting six new residents by days end. Am I making myself clear?’

They all nod. Dorkarn continues, ‘First we find the location of MECHs. The scouts will return to us here in the Tower so we can formulate a plan. Second we gather Sentry and prep them on the details. Lastly we take action.’

Dorkarn turns to Lord Neros. He stands from his seat and says, ‘The dynamics of the world my Grandfather saved are going to change forever. Back then, battles were easily passed off as natural disasters or small conflicts. The world’s issues could be swept under our rug and people shielded from the harsh reality of war and suffering. Sixty-years ago the MECHs were isolated to one place. We knew of them and destroying them was simple. But for all this time they have been preparing and waiting for their chance to kill us.’ Neros stops and looks at his father. A dark silence falls over the room. Neros turns back. ‘I can only suggest that everyone in this room prepare for the worst.’

After he finishes speaking, the Elders and spectators file out of the room quickly. Demmi and I stand and make our way down to Anrella. We stop next to her and she sighs, relaxing her straightened shoulders. Anrella says to me, ‘It seems like you are going to get a serious initiation into being a Guardian, Mellea. I hope you’re ready.’

I hope I am too.

Turning my head back down to the floor, I watch Lord Neros step down to his father. Sir Dorkarn is older, but he isn’t exactly an “old man”, unlike the Elders. He has white hair, which was clearly once blond, but he’s still in good shape. I sure wouldn’t want to fight him. Unlike the other executive Tower members, I never see Dorkarn wear a suit or be overly dressed up. He’s always wearing some sort of a sleeveless black shirt and long pants, a modified Sentry uniform. I wonder if a MECH was the reason behind his damaged left eye after all. Either way it must have been a bad attack, the scar above and below the black eye patch a horrifying sign of what’s underneath.

I watch Lord Neros start speaking to his father. ‘I apologise for today. Perhaps the Elders are right. I have been too distracted lately. My mind wanders to other matters. I want to be focused but I cannot ignore my responsibilities.’

Dorkarn replies, ‘I do not blame or resent you for your dedication to those issues. But now is the time to step forward and earn back their respect by defeating this enemy.’ Surprisingly Dorkarn smacks Neros on the shoulder once, chuckles lightly and makes a quick exit out the doors.

Lord Neros turns in his spot, rather freakishly so, towards the seats. His arm rises up and he calls, ‘Mellea,’ flicking his finger. ‘Come here.’

Uh-oh…

Petrified, I sluggishly move down the steps and onto the flat courtroom floor. I stand near the tall man as he leers downwards. ‘Follow me,’ he says.

As I walked behind him, I glance over my shoulder at Demmi and Anrella. Their uncomfortable faces not making me any less nervous. 

Chapter Nineteen

I watch the numbers in the executive elevator go higher and higher. Lord Neros and I ascend further than I have ever been. The numbers run out at Level 49 and then a special button with a crown symbol lights up. The doors open, not onto a balcony like the others, into a room.

I follow Neros across the shiny black marble floor and tip my head to see out a nearby window. We really are at the peak of the Tower. The gardens below seem so small and I can see to the edge of Poridos. It makes me a little dizzy.