Guardians Inc.:Thundersword (Guardians Incorporated #2) (7 page)

      Babcor was a capybara faun who was in charge of maintaining the back gardens of the Mansion and also had a thing for cars. The first time Thomas had met him, the rodent faun was sitting in front of his car with a magazine, imagining just how the car looked under the soft tarp Grandpa always covered it with. Thankfully, Thomas had already grown used to seeing and expecting strange things as a member of Guardians Inc. or he would have laughed at the sight of the huge rodent, maybe four-and-a-half-feet tall, dressed in gardener overalls and with a red bandanna tied around his forehead. He had vivacious eyes and two huge frontal teeth that showed even when he wasn’t speaking. His voice was somewhat grave, but he was also very easygoing and joked a lot. After a brief introduction by Bolswaithe, Thomas had uncovered the car for Babcor and showed him the engine and interiors. The capybara had begged him turn the engine on “just to hear it purr,” and Thomas had even allowed him to sit in the driver’s seat and pump the gas a couple of times, but they couldn’t drive out, so Babcor had made Thomas promise that he would take him out for a ride when he had a chance.

      Elise’s wristpadd lit up with an incoming message. She stood up from her chair. “Let’s go.”

      He groaned. “Where?”

      “Come on,” she huffed. Bolswaithe opened the door to the Reading Room. He usually stood outside whatever room Thomas was in unless they were working together.

      “We have about an hour before session begins,” Bolswaithe told them.

      “What session?” Thomas was half-pulled by Bolswaithe and half-pushed by Elise through the Mansion's corridor.

      “Where are we going?” Tony asked from the other end of the corridor. He was dressed in a blue jumpsuit and wearing safety goggles. A faint smell of powder reached them as he approached.

      “To the League of Nations,” Bolswaithe told him.

      “What for?” Thomas walked reluctantly ahead of Elise.

      “We are meeting a friend of my family, a faun. There is a League session in about an hour, and he's agreed to meet with us before.”

      “A faun?” Tony walked backward in front of them. “Are we leaving the League of Nations building?”

      “You’ve been there?” Elise asked Tony.

      “Yeeeeah,” Tony bragged. “Right after getting Orange level. So, are we going out from the building?”

      “No,” Elise said.

      “Is it really necessary for me to go?” Tony asked. “I met these two guys in engineering that do the funniest and weirdest things. We were about to blow up about a thousand marbles to—”

      “You don't need to go,” Elise cut him off.

      “You sure?”

      “Positive. Go play with your friends.”

      Tony smiled. “Sorry, Thomas. I'll let you know how it turned out.”

      “Your experiment will be a bust,” Bolswaithe told him.

      “How can you possibly know that?” Tony asked. “You don't even know what we are doing!”

      “But I know who you're talking about,” Bolswaithe said. “I know what they do, their modus operandi, and I know the ‘myth’ they are trying to bust. And it will be busted. Unless, of course, the laws of physics have been warped too much by Magic.”

      Tony stopped in his tracks and let them continue through the corridor. “You're such a fun sponge, you know?” he yelled at Bolswaithe.

      “You've told me that already,” Bolswaithe answered without turning around. “I'm sorry.”

      They walked across the main hall of the Mansion and the statue of Prometheus and into the right hallway, where each of the doors was connected to a satellite building of the company. Some doors opened to rooms that had several doors. Techs and employees of Guardians Inc. traveled through the doors, sometimes crossing entire continents just by going a couple of feet through the hallway.

      “Come on, Elise!” Thomas groaned as they approached a door on the left. “I'll read whatever you want. I promise.”

      “Of course you will,” she said, “but you are still meeting him.”

      Bolswaithe grabbed the doorknob. “It is a great honor,” he told Thomas.

Thomas sighed. Ever since becoming the Cypher everything was either really important, a grand responsibility, or a great honor. To say the truth, he was getting sick and tired of the role fate had given him.

      “Okay,” Thomas said emphatically, knowing that he couldn't shake off this meeting.

      Elise grabbed his arm. “This is a friend of my family,” she told him. “You won't need to use all the diplomatic protocols with him today, because you're coming with me, but I want you to behave, and don't you dare embarrass me.”

      “Okay!” he said again.

      Elise nodded and Bolswaithe opened the door. They went through a small room and entered the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. As usual, their wristpadds adjusted to reflect the local time in that part of the world. It was just short of 8:00 a.m., the eight hours or so that Thomas had been looking forward to sleep had been lost just by crossing a door.

      The Palace of Nations had been built in 1920 as the headquarters of the League of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations that failed to stop the Second World War. Dissolved in 1946, it left many of the organizations and buildings it created to the United Nations. Today the building housed the office of the United Nations in Geneva. At least, to the world at large.

      It was a nice building, Thomas thought, full of bureaucrats, but it was also incredibly boring.

      A couple of guards approached them as they moved through the building, but they stopped when they saw the Guardians Inc. pin logo on Bolswaithe's clothing. To them, he was a man way above their pay grade, escorting two teenagers, and they knew better than to ask questions to anyone who wore that pin.

      They moved quickly through the building, going down the stairs into the lower levels until they reached a long corridor illuminated by bright lights. On the far end two guards stood on each side of a metal door. As they approached, the guards lowered their hands toward their holsters.

      “Stop,” one of the guards told them, but the door automatically opened as they approached, and the guards moved to either side of the corridor.

      “Thank you gentlemen,” Bolswaithe said as they went through. “Carry on.” The door immediately closed behind them.

The room lights were dimmer and yellowish, and they reached a large wooden door, ancient and heavy and carved with human and Faun figures.

      Thomas read the words inscribed above the door.

      
Through me you pass into a city of peace.

      Through me you pass into eternal unity.

      Through me you'll search a place among the people.

      All selfish thoughts abandon ye who enter here.

“Is that what it says?” Elise asked. “It's very fitting.”

      “It sounds familiar somehow,” Thomas said.

      “It should,” Bolswaithe commented. “It was written by Dante Alighieri. It’s very similar to the
Divine Comedy
, although the one inscribed above the gates of Hell read: ‘
Abandon all hope ye who enter here
,’” Bolswaithe recited.

      “That's really encouraging,” Thomas told him.

      “Will you stop being a wuss?” Elise said, knocking on the doors. “You're really becoming just like Tony.”

      There was a loud creaking sound as the doors opened. Two guards clad in steel armor were pulling on the doors. The guard on the right was human, and the one on the left was a mountain ram faun. His massive horns were curved and his muscular legs ended in hooves. Both guards were at least a foot taller than Thomas, and they each carried a short sword in addition to their side arms.

      Many Fauns of different species walked through the halls, chatting with each other. They were all dressed in black, flowing robes and had golden chains around their necks. Some walked with sticks or staffs in a very distinguished manner, and only a couple gave them a sideways glance.

      “Where are we?” Thomas asked as the guards closed the doors.

      “Under the Palace of Nations,” Bolswaithe answered. “The Guardians created this building as the host of the League of Nations. At some point between the wars, the Guardians wanted to open the lid of the existence of Fauns to the world at large. The League of Nations was to be the instrument for that transition, but the Warmaster and Hitler stopped it from happening. The United Nations then formed for humanity, while the League of Nations remained for Fauns and humans. One day we hope to unite them again.”

      “Human governments know about this place?”

      “Of course,” Bolswaithe said, “but only at the highest levels. Almost all nations of the world have a representative down here, and all Faun tribes are represented.”

      “And why are we here?”

      Elise pulled on Thomas again. “I've told you already! We are talking with a friend. Come on, today's session is about to begin and we don't have much time.”

      Thomas followed Elise down one hallway until she stopped in front of a door. “Now don't embarrass me okay?”

      “I got that,” Thomas answered through clenched teeth.

      Elise paused again before knocking, and then she turned toward Thomas. “And don't be afraid, okay?”

      “Afraid? Why should I be afraid?”

      Elise knocked on the door.

“It's open. Come in,” a deep, growling voice called from inside the room. A strong, musky odor struck Thomas as Elise opened the door.

He had to admit: he was becoming a little bit afraid.

Minister Idar

      The room was austere and the lights were dim, almost completely dark. They entered the room and closed the door behind them; the strong, musky odor permeated the room making Thomas twitch his nose. He had visited a meat factory once in Ohio, and the odor reminded him of that visit, like entering a butchery. Then he saw a plate with half-eaten raw meat on a table, and a form stirred on the far side of the room.

      The form grew large, wide and tall, but he couldn't make it out because of the dim lights. It was muscular though, and furry. Two large triangular ears rose up on the head, giving the silhouette a demonic appearance.

      “Princess Erisham!” the form half-yelled, half growled. A row of huge, white teeth and fangs reflected a sliver of light, and two large eyes shone red toward them. Thomas could feel each step the creature took through the floorboards.

      “I'll call you Minister if you don't stop that, Idar!” Elise playfully said as she ran toward the figure. A deep laugh resonated just as the creature kneeled and extended his arms to receive Elise. The arms ended in powerful hands with large, sharp claws. Thomas refrained from saying anything, but a chill ran down his spine as Elise nearly disappeared in the embrace.

      “But I win more from that transaction!” Idar laughed. “I'm just a poor bureaucrat while you're a princess!”

      “Isn't that why you became a politician in the first place?” Elise teased. “To win in transactions?”

      Idar laughed again. “Ah,” he said, releasing Elise. “I always thought you would make a great politician. Your place is in this assembly, Erisham. And there's still time, you know? I would certainly vouch for you.”

      “I'm fine where I am. I always wanted to be a Guardian.”

      “I know, I know,” Idar growled. “How's your family? Your parents and brother?”

      “They are great. Working at home.”

      “I hear that Ukiah is stirring. No news from Eidameran?” Idar asked, letting Thomas know that the Fauns were very much in contact with what was happening to the Pillars of Magic. Ukiah was a life elemental, one of the most powerful magical forces in the world. Like the other pillars, she was dormant, but the coming of the Oracle had begun to permeate the world with Magic and the Pillars were stirring. The Guardians had a room devoted to monitoring the known Pillars. The fire elemental, Mi Tze-a-da-zi, that slept under Yellowstone was of particular concern to the Guardians since a volcanic eruption could send the world into a new Ice Age. Ukiah resided on the Mendocino National Forest, and her power fueled the redwoods growth and many populations of Fauns and especially of the Elves. Eidameran, the seat of King’s Seryaan kingdom and home to Elise’s family, was very close to Ukiah.

      “Lush as always,” she said. “Nothing to report.”

      “Good,” Idar grunted. “Now pleasantries aside, what can I do for you?”

      “I brought a couple of friends to meet you.” She pointed toward the door where Thomas and Bolswaithe were waiting patiently for them to finish their meeting.

      “A human,” Idar said, sniffing the air, “and something else.” He approached them, growing larger with every step.

      As the faun approached, Thomas finally recognized his species.

      It was a wolf!

      Strong, muscular, and incredibly imposing. His dark fur was streaked with white, and his muscles rippled under its fur. It was like looking at a Hollywood movie monster coming to life, and Thomas could not refrain from taking a step back.

      “Don't be scared, little one.” Idar smiled at Thomas, his jaws full of glistening fangs. “I don't bite.” He extended a claw toward Bolswaithe. “I am Minister Idar of the Raksha clan.”

      “A pleasure, sir.” Bolswaithe shook his hand. “My name is Bolswaithe.”

      Idar approached Bolswaithe and sniffed twice. “And you're not human,” he said matter of fact. “You smell of oil and grease and metal and plastic. No offense intended. What are you, Bolswaithe?”

      “A robot, sir.”

      “A robot?” Idar glanced back at Elise. “Not mere toys and tools anymore, are you? Are you sentient?” he asked. “And are you an individual, or just an extension of some human sitting on a chair?”