Daughter of Earth (Tales of the Guardian) (4 page)

     All that could be accomplished in the present was silent surveillance and information gathering. Anything else would alert the enemy. It did not annoy the Ancient One to take such a passive approach to the issue. After all, that’s how he was accustomed to working, by soundlessly slipping through the shadows, placing stumbling blocks along the way.

     He delighted in watching pathetic humans unwittingly assist in their own destruction. Deceits, betrayal, lawlessness, were but a few tools they used to gain their goal in creating misery. All Ancient Ones thrived on such weaknesses.

      His kind merely facilitated and encouraged people down their damaging paths. The choice was always within the human’s grasp. That was something the Ancient Ones were never able to take. It was the one thing that prevented The Opposition’s complete control. Choices, and the Guardians, were the enemies. And though one thing could not be entirely done away with or eliminated, the other could.

     The Ancient Ones always knew that to take better control of the human race they would have to rid this world of those who stood between them and the humans; those who often intervened just when a human lay ensnared and trapped within The Opposition’s grasp. Guardians had to be done away with if The Opposition was to rise to the status they deserved yet had been so wrongfully denied.

     They’d always known a war would ensue. They were willing to wait and let time accomplish the Guardians’ inevitable decline before ferociously attacking Eden’s gates to finish off whatever stragglers were left. A few hundred years to languish in the beauty of watching the Guardian race cease to exist would have been optimal.

     But now, they had no choice.

     Emily’s discovery loomed over their heads, threatening to destroy their best-laid plans. The prophecy could no longer be denied or pushed aside as being sometime in the future. The fulfillment was now and adjustments to their timeframe were needed immediately if they were to be victorious. Even with the short allowance of time, the Ancient One was confident enough groundwork now lay in place to facilitate their wishes and malicious plans.

     He had no doubt the plan would work. This time no one would escape his grasp and no one would stand in the way of him obtaining his ultimate goal.

Chapter 4

     Glancing around her room once more, Emily sighed. She couldn’t take anything with her. There were no bags to pack, no lists to check off for things to bring, like Candice had. No, nothing tangible could be taken besides the clothes she had on and the necklace hanging around her neck.

      It was difficult to believe the time had actually come. She still had mixed emotions about everything: excitement, fear, and uncertainty were but a few. Besides the typical feelings expected when leaving to go anywhere, she struggled with a lack of direction and firm understanding of what was to transpire. She had no idea how she was going to get there. When Aldara delivered the message she was to visit Eden, she’d also taken Emily’s emerald necklace and somehow made it into a key, without actually changing the appearance of the object. But Aldara had not given instructions on how to use this new “key.” It would have been so much easier if the thing had some sort of manual.

     The unknown always made her most nervous, and the lack of control in a situation proved to be more stressful than anything else. When her mother struggled with cancer Emily hated how no one knew if the treatments would work. No one knew if her mother would live or die. Those familiar thoughts and fears were happening again. She didn’t know how to get to Eden, even though Alexander assured her it wouldn’t be complicated. She didn’t know exactly what it meant that war was coming. She didn’t know what training she was to receive. The questions and uncertain outcomes were too much. If she entertained the thoughts long enough she would undoubtedly have a meltdown.

     “You just about ready?” Her father entered the room, interrupting her downward spiral just before the feelings were manifested in her face.

     “I guess so.” She threw her hands in the air and then let them come back down, thumping her upper thighs. “I’m going to be traveling pretty light, so there is nothing to pack,” she gave a nervous chuckle.

     “Pretty weird, huh?” Her father walked over to where Emily stood by her chair and bookshelf.

     They both gazed out the window at the sun rapidly disappearing behind the New York skyline.

     “I think ‘weird’ is an understatement,” she huffed.

     James laughed. “I suppose weird doesn’t adequately describe things, does it? This definitely wasn’t what I pictured this day to be like when you were little,” he took a deep breath.

     “Nope, I envisioned lots of boxes and suitcases…loading up the car and driving you across the state or even further to drop you off at some dorm. I can’t tell you how many speeches I had prepared for this day. I was going to caution you to look out for those college boys. How not to forget about your studies but to still make sure to experience the freedom, being your own person and making new friends. Yeah, I had lots of speeches prepared for this day,” he laughed to himself. “Good ones, too!”

     “I also thought your mother would be here,” It was a struggle to fight back the tears threatening his eyes. He glanced around the room, forlornly looking for his wife but the cold reality of her absence lingered leaving frost bitten chunks on each of their hearts.

     Emily couldn’t take it any longer. She burst into tears, throwing herself into her father’s arms. “I am so scared, so scared.” Her cries became muffled as she drove her face into his chest.

     Her father swallowed her up in a tight embrace and used his hand to stroke the top of her head. “Shshsh,” he hummed. His tough barrier cracked and tears began to streak down his face as well.

     “I know you’re scared sweetie. The unknown is certainly intimidating.” Her father continued to stroke her soft brown hair.

     She sniffled, attempting to dam up the river flowing from her tear ducts. “I think I’m most scared about failing. I don’t know what they expect but I know it’s a lot. Aldara spoke of prophecies that hinged completely on Alexander and me; and I don’t even know what I’m supposed to accomplish.”

     Her father pulled her out of his embrace so he could look her directly in the eyes. “I have no idea what they expect from you, either, but I do know this. You are special. I have always known that. From the time I first held you in my arms I had a very strong feeling you would do great things. Most parents have a similar feeling, but I knew, just as I knew I lived, you were unique and would do something extraordinary. Your mother thought so, too. Now this might not be what I originally envisioned. I was thinking more like winning the Nobel Peace Prize or something, I guess,” her father teased. “Certainly nothing that involved invisible beings and far off fantasy lands, but my feelings remain the same. You are destined for great things and you need to start believing in yourself.” He rubbed her back in a calming pattern.

     She was going to miss him. He had never wavered from being the most amazing man she knew. He had been her constant strength, a firm granite rock, supporting her weight with no signs of weakness. But he was right. She had to start believing in herself. She could only live off borrowed confidence for so long.

     “I’m going to miss you so much, Daddy.” She held back more tears. Emily was close with her father and always had been. He was a wonderful parent but also a friend. She felt like she could easily talk to him and he knew her better than she knew herself. His constant wisdom and compassion would be greatly missed while she was away.

     “I’ll miss you, too. But it’s not like we’re going to lose contact. I know you’re not going to have a cell phone or anything like that, but Xavier will play messenger. He’s agreed to visit me just about every day and give me updates on you. So, if you ever want to tell me something, just tell Xavier and he will get it to me.” He kissed the top of her head.

     Emily was feeling better; she always did after she spoke with him.

     “Okay, then,” she wiped her face one last time to clear any lingering moisture. “Where are the boys? I’m ready.”

     “I’m here,” Alexander spoke up softly as he entered through the doorway to her room. He had been waiting in the hallway, giving Emily and her father the time they needed to say goodbye.

     Xavier entered the room, following closely behind. “I’m here, too!” he announced.

     “You think you’re ready?” Alexander asked.

     Emily scanned the room once again, looking over every object lying on the shelves, and hanging from the walls. Each item in her room seemed to represent some memory and they each called out to her, pleading for her not to abandon them. But she had to, she could carry those memories in her heart and that would have to suffice.

     It was bittersweet for her. Leaving the comfort of all things familiar, and her father, was difficult. But getting to be with Alexander and experience his world was an exhilarating opportunity.

     She turned to look at Alexander. In that moment, her eyes became locked with his and she knew she was ready. This is what she wanted, even if it involved the unknown. What she wanted more was to be with Alexander. No amount of fear would ever deter her from being with him. A new era was beginning for her, a new stage of life and she wanted to embrace it wholeheartedly.

     “I am,” she breathed in deeply.

     Alexander knew she was nervous and even frightened. The admiration he had for her and her courage to go through with everything ran deep. She amazed him because she certainly didn’t have to agree to all of it. Saying ‘no’ to everything was a very real option. Being worried and fearful about what she was about to face was a natural reaction but, she’d risen to the occasion, just like all the other times in her life. Even when Emily was terrified of something, she always pressed on. Alexander had watched it time and time again.

     Being present for not only her life, but also her mother’s, wasn’t something he often discussed with Emily because it made her uncomfortable. He was aware of how it gave her an odd feeling, knowing he had witnessed her childhood. After all, it reminded them both that she aged and he didn’t.

     Although such conversation didn’t happen often, Alexander still couldn’t help but recall all the times he’d seen her overcome challenges. He loved her for it.

     “All right, then,” he exclaimed, pride beaming from his face. He was growing very excited. “Xavier already returned to Eden to announce we are coming, but he came back so he could give us a demonstration.”

     “That’s right, best to learn from a pro like me,” Xavier interrupted. He slapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously. “It goes a little something like this.”

     Xavier closed his eyes and paused for just a moment. He then clicked his heels together three times and began to say, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no…”

     “Okay Dorothy, knock it off and get serious,” Alexander shook his head, but he couldn’t help but grin.

     Xavier opened his eyes and laughed. “I was just trying to ease the tension.”

     Emily certainly loved his talent for comedic relief. He seemed to deliver a good laugh whenever it was needed to calm or ease the mood.

     “Alright, Em, for real this time. It is fairly simple, or at least for us it is, but Aldara told me you were to do as we did and it would work. The Dorothy thing really isn’t that far from the truth, there is no clicking the heels, but what we do is envision home, which is Eden. So…” Xavier took a cleansing breath. “Here goes nothing. Entering Eden is nothing fancy. I just close my eyes and think of Eden. I envision the smell of the flowers and the stream’s sound and…” In that instant Xavier was gone.