Authors: Ashley Robertson
UnGuarded (20 page)
“Wait just a minute…,” he started to argue,
then just shrugged his shoulders.
“What?” I demanded.
“Nothing, it’s not worth it. When are we
leaving?”
“You’re not coming!” was my icy reply.
“Please, Angel! Don’t be stupid about this.
Who better to kill demons for you than me?” He came close, placing
his hands on my shoulders, the thunder reverberating once again.
“Don’t do this alone. I want you coming back in one piece.”
I gave a deep huff, rolling my eyes. “You
act like I can’t succeed without you. Well, I don’t have any deals
with any more demons. So, I don’t need you to cover my butt.”
“Yeah, we all saw how good you were against
those dark ones back on Charon! If I hadn’t been there—”
“Fine!” I interrupted. I knew that if Luke
hadn’t been there, I’d be in even worse shape than I was. Limos had
been kicking my butt pretty bad, and I had no guarantee that my
angel form would’ve proven me victorious. However, that was my
convenient excuse. So with all the reluctance one could feel, I
agreed to Luke tagging along just as the sky released the first
sprinkles of the approaching storm and lightning streaked through
the clouds.
Just great
, I thought. If Cole found
out, I’d never gain his forgiveness, not that I really thought I’d
ever get it in the first place.
RHEA WASN’T LIKE ANYTHING I’d imagined. I
walked along the beach, gazing ahead at the splendid view of a
raging ocean sweeping against the base of a rocky cliff. Clouds
scattered across the sky like cottage cheese, painted with swirls
of pink and purple as the sun descended, peeking over the horizon’s
edge so its flaming mass seemed to sink within the ocean’s depths.
There was warmth on my skin that made me feel wrapped in a blanket
taken straight out of the dryer, but with such low humidity it was
actually tolerable—comfortable even. Earth had come to mind
numerous times—the similarities of these two very different worlds
were amazingly close. The brisk air carried the scent of the sea,
musky and salty, and it filled my lungs as I took a deep breath.
Upon my release, Luke’s hand brushed against my arm, and I felt his
body tense.
Directly ahead of us were two soldier
demons. Their bodies were somewhere around six feet tall and they
stood on two long and cylindrical legs, the faint light creating
darkish green shadows across their scaly skin. Two massive horns
protruded from triangular heads, reminding me of a longhorn bull.
Fortunately, they didn’t seem to notice us yet.
“Do we have to fight them?” he asked with
faint astonishment.
“We won’t have a choice once they see us.
Let’s hope they’re not immune to my light.”
Since we were out in the open with no place
to take cover, it didn’t take long before they spotted us.
Instantly, light exploded from my body, causing both demons to
shrink to the ground, arms hovering over their eyes. While they
were down, Luke flashed straight to them, and moments later, both
soldier demons were lying on their sides, decapitated. Then their
bodies vanished inside a cloud of green smoke. Cutting off a
demon’s head is the only way to kill them, but it was only possible
to do that when they were in solid form. Their transparent state
was not penetrable. Lucky for us, these two were as solid as they
could be.
Luke brushed his hands together. “I guess
I’m already coming in handy.”
I shook my head. “Come on. We need to at
least be somewhere we can take cover, in case there are more of
them close by.”
“Why?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Can’t we
just rinse and repeat?”
“Honestly, I’d prefer no killing at all.
Hopefully, we’ll find the scrolls sooner rather than later.”
“This place is huge, though”—his voice full
of doubt. “Where do we even start?”
Thankfully, I’d learned the answer to his
question as soon as my amnesia had worn off. The essence of demons
and dark ones was stronger than I’d ever felt before. I could feel
their energy crackling around me like static electricity. This
place was crawling with them just as I’d feared. But there was
something else I sensed that didn’t belong here, and there was a
tinge of an angelic presence in it. Nothing I could think of would
explain why a weakened angel would be here. Certainly Beck hadn’t
known or surely he would’ve told me. At least it gave us a place to
start, since otherwise I’d have no idea what direction to go.
Luke and I moved with a renewed purpose
along the sand. There was a semi-big mountain ahead, jagged rocks
and crooked boulders lining the side that sloped into the ocean—and
somewhere on that mountain was where this angelic presence was
coming from.
Skirting the mountain, we followed a path
formed of rocks and sand, overgrown with thick trees and vine-like
bushes, which eventually opened to a field-like area with sparsely
placed trees and boulders to finally arrive at the mouth of a cave.
The soft light faded to blackness just a couple feet inside it.
We’d need to rely on my senses—and Luke’s vampire night vision—from
this point forward. After a brief hesitation, we plunged on in,
moving closer to the mysterious angelic presence.
The inside of the cave was exactly how I’d
expected it to be: Damp. Dark. Musky. And this particular cave was
narrow and cramped, making it feel extra claustrophobic. We walked
in a single file with Luke behind me, maneuvering swiftly around
stalagmites and stalactites. Water steadily dripped into shallow,
murky puddles, causing creepy reverberations all around us. The air
got denser and colder, but since Luke was immune to my light, I
allowed my body to glow, brightening and warming the walls and
floors around us as we moved deeper inside.
We approached some sort of opening that led
to what looked like a room. Luke and I hid off to the side, our
necks craning around the rocky doorway to get a good view of the
expansive area. At the furthest point away was a makeshift
fireplace with a mantle made of logs. Embers glowed bright orange
and red, smoke trailing off behind them as if a vent was sucking
the air that way. Along the entire right side were old,
rustic-looking shelves containing thousands of dusty and withered
books. In the center were a couple of antique wooden chairs, an
older man with long white hair and matching overgrown beard sitting
in one of them. Definitely where the angel presence was coming
from. “I know you’re there,” he called out with a hoarse voice, not
looking up from his book.
Shock penetrated through my body, leaving
pressure in my chest, cold fear along my back. Luke came to stand
beside me, nudging me in the side with his elbow. “How does he know
we’re here?” he whispered. “I thought you masked us?”
“I did,” I said through tight lips.
The old man shut the book, setting it on his
lap. He looked straight at us, his dark brown eyes piercing through
petite, round glasses. “Don’t be rude. Come on over here and let me
see you.” He motioned to the empty chair next to him. “It has been
quite some time since I had a visitor.”
When Luke and I didn’t move, the old man
cleared his throat, then spoke a little louder. “C’mon now. Hurry
it up.”
We both moved closer, with short, hesitant
steps, and I realized his eyes were a soft hazel instead of brown
as we came to a stop about six feet away. “How did you know we were
back there?” I asked.
His attempted laughter turned into a stream
of hacking coughs. Once settled, he replied, “There are protective
seals all over this chamber”—he raised his hands, a navy-colored
robe hanging down from them as he gestured around the
room—“preventing the use of any angelic or demonic magic.”
“What?” I asked, flabbergasted. “Why would
such seals be in place
here
?”
Luke straightened beside me, his eyes wide
with curiosity.
The old man stood and took a step toward us,
the oversized robe trailing behind him. “Because the only way I can
protect the scrolls,” his tone casual, his eyes flitting between me
and Luke, “is by having a magical advantage over those who try to
steal them.”
My breath caught in my throat, remembering
how Beck had overheard demons saying the scrolls were heavily
guarded, but since lies mostly came out of their mouths, I never
gave it a second thought—which had obviously been pretty stupid on
my part. But I was a little relieved since I wasn’t sensing
anything dark or negative coming from the old man, though the
magical seals might have had something to do with that.
“Who are you?” Luke asked, his eyes
narrowing.
The old man smiled, pushing his glasses up
his pudgy nose. “I’m the keeper of the scrolls, dear boy. Name’s
Ezariah.”
“Why are you here, uh, keeping the scrolls?”
I asked once I found my voice.
Ezariah let out a deep, long sigh. “Come sit
with me. As I said before, I rarely get any visitors.” He backed
up, then sat down, motioning toward the empty seat.
Luke nudged my arm and once I looked at him,
he arched a brow. I answered him with a slight shrug and nervous
smile, then we cautiously made our way to the unoccupied chair.
Luke directed me to sit. “Here, you take it. I’ll just stand.”
“Nonsense!” Ezariah exclaimed. “Both of you
can sit.” He snapped his fingers and a third wooden chair
materialized out of nowhere.
Luke gasped, then warily sat down as
instructed while I made a mental note of the old man’s use of
magic. Apparently he was immune to the protective wards.
“Now then.” Ezariah looked at me, his arched
brow a thin curve of white. “Why are you here with this
vampire?”
Luke leaned forward and spoke through
clenched teeth. “I’d never let her come here alone!”
I put my arm on Luke’s, gently rubbing until
his body relaxed some. Then, I focused on Ezariah. “I know this is
forbidden, but Luke is my friend. He offered to help me and I
thought it was for the best. We both know that me being here is
against all rules anyway.”
Ezariah gave a knowing smile. “Dear girl, it
is okay to break the rules as long as you do so with
integrity.”
Luke snarled, low and menacing. “What are
you talking about, old man?”
Ezariah pushed his glasses up his nose.
“Once, I was a guardian just as you are now.” He nodded toward me,
appearing to relive the memory as he spoke. “After twenty
successful years of keeping my charge alive and well, a dark one
appeared to me, offering a deal I simply could not refuse. You see,
I was smitten with another guardian and the thought of spending
some time with her, without our angelic responsibilities, had
become too strong a temptation.” He shifted in the chair, still
seemingly lost in his past. “The dark one promised a few hours of
time with my beloved, Aurora, in exchange for a few hours of
unguarded time with my charge.”
I felt my eyes widen with disbelief. My
chest tightened, making it harder to breathe. Now I had both
Ezariah and Luke’s full attentions, and realizing this washed heat
across my cheeks. After I stole another uncomfortable moment to
clear my throat, I said with astonishment, “I’m sorry for
interrupting you. It’s just that our stories seem so similar.”
Ezariah tilted his head slightly and studied
me for a bit; then at last he said, “I wasn’t the first angel who
was tempted, and I won’t be the last.” He leaned back in his chair,
adding, “We wouldn’t want to stop adding to the demon population,
now would we?”
Luke and I just sat there gaping at Ezariah
as he chuckled at his own dry humor.
“So what happened to Audra?” Luke asked.
“Did you end up meeting her?”
“Aurora,” I mumbled under my breath.
“I mean, Aurora.”
Ezariah stroked his smooth, white beard.
“Long story short, I took the deal, and spent the best two hours of
my existence with my beautiful Aurora. Everything had been perfect,
even better than perfect. I couldn’t have dreamt those moments any
better than they were.” His smile faltered and his expression
became empty as sorrow washed over his features. “When I returned,
I discovered my charge had been in an accident. He’d been hunting
elk with his friend and was attacked by a bear. The friend had been
demon-possessed the moment before coming upon the bear, and he left
my charge to fend for himself.”
Ezariah’s eyes glistened and he seemed
uncomfortable with his words. He shifted uneasily a few times, then
cleared his throat. “Sorry, this never gets any easier to talk
about.”
Giving Ezariah of few moments to pull
himself together, I glanced over at Luke, who was attentively
watching the old man with slanted eyes and arched brows. His dark
hair feathered back along the side, revealing the curve of his ear.
A pit formed in my stomach and I hurriedly looked away, returning
my attention to the former guardian. “Your charge, he died?” I
inquired.
Releasing a deep breath, Ezariah replied,
“Eventually they all die, dear girl. But he didn’t die from the
bear attack if that’s what you’re asking.” He leaned forward,
peering at me through those thin, round spectacles. “You see, I’d
heard about the ancient scrolls of Rhea, and I came here to
retrieve them and save my charge. The very reason you both are
here, correct?”
A small gasp escaped my lips and my hands
rushed up to cover them. Slowly lowering them, I said in
astonishment, “It’s you! You’re the angel I’ve heard of. You’re the
one that gave your breath to save your charge!”
Ezariah nodded with a smile. “All the
guardians speak of me? I thought I’d be forgotten once I was cast
here to be the keeper of the scrolls.”
“What do you mean, ‘cast here’?” I
asked.
“Whenever you’re doing something you
shouldn’t do, you always end up getting caught. That’s exactly what
happened to me. I came here for the scrolls against my archangel’s
wishes. There was no keeper at that time. Luckily, I found the
scrolls quickly and made it back to my charge undetected. I’d
masked my aura just as you attempted to do here. But my archangel
was able to penetrate it and he found me standing over my charge,
almost finished with the ritual of breath.” Ezariah began stroking
his beard again. “As I gave my charge my breath, I was ripped away
from him and cast here to become the keeper of the scrolls so that
no other guardian could attempt it again.”
Luke tossed a frustrated hand through his
hair. “You’re kidding me? We’ve come all this way and you won’t
even let Angel take a peek at what they say?”
“I’m afraid I can’t, dear boy. Not that I
don’t want to help you,” came Ezariah’s weary reply.
A wave of hopelessness settled inside me,
along with a penetrating fear for Caitlyn. My eyes welled up with
tears and I sniffled, fighting to contain them. Luke reached for my
hand, twined our fingers together, then gave a reassuring squeeze.
He glared at Ezariah, revealing a glimpse of his fangs. “Either you
give us those scrolls, or I will take them from you. Your
choice.”
“Luke, no! No violence! No more!” Tears
flooded my cheeks, racing toward the edge of my chin. I stood up in
a rush, tugging my hand free of Luke’s grasp, then wiped my fingers
across the moist trails. “My charge is dying, Ezariah, and these
scrolls are my only way to save her. There is no Plan B.”
“Keep your stupid scrolls!” Luke declared.
“Please just tell her what to do!”
“Nothing would work without the scrolls,”
Ezariah replied. “You must hold them in your hand as you speak the
words, then exhale your breath into the mouth of the one you’re
saving.”
“Did it work?” I asked. “Did your charge
live?”
Reluctantly Ezariah answered, “Yes.”
“Angel,” Luke said through gritted teeth,
“just let me get them for you!”
Ezariah half laughed, which transformed into
a slew of coughs. “Dear boy, the only way to obtain the scrolls is
if I give them to you. But I am forbidden to do such a thing.
Therefore, I cannot help you.”
Luke growled and jumped up, dashing toward
Ezariah in human speed. When he reached the old man he froze,
gaping at his outstretched hands. “What’s happening to me? My
strength is gone!” he exclaimed with a jolt.
“As I said, you are powerless here,” Ezariah
stated matter-of-factly. “I am also protected inside this room. You
cannot touch me.”
Luke lowered his hands until they were about
a foot away from Ezariah’s head. At that moment it appeared as if
he’d hit an invisible wall, unable to move another inch.
“Protective shield,” I breathed. Which was
odd since angels defended themselves by using the light inside
them, meaning there should be no reason to cast such a spell, but
then again, protecting the scrolls from other angels would be more
difficult since light didn’t hurt them the same way it did dark
ones. So maybe that meant the former guardian was given extra
abilities specifically engineered for his new task of guarding the
scrolls.
Ezariah ignored Luke and flashed me a small
smile. “Smart girl. Now call your vampire friend back before he
hurts himself.”
I gave the old man a slight nod. “Luke,
please leave him alone. You couldn’t get through that magical
barrier even if you had your strength.” Though a small part of me
wondered if I could, the desperate hope of saving Caitlyn pressing
on my mind. But violence was never the answer; I’d witnessed too
many humans through many millennia make the same mistake. Unless he
would willingly give me the scrolls, I’d be leaving here without
them—and without any hope of saving my charge.
Luke spat a few protests under his breath,
then backed away. Without taking his eyes off Ezariah, he said,
“Angel, come on, let’s get out of here.” He grabbed my hand and
jerked me after him.
I pulled free of his grasp. “No wait. We
can’t leave yet.” I peered around Luke’s body, meeting the former
guardian’s eyes. “Please help me. I must save my charge. It’s my
fault she’s dying. Please, Ezariah! You’re my only hope.”
His face crumbled as if he pitied me. “Girl,
if I could help you, I would. There have been dozens to come here
before you, with the exact same request.” He paused a moment to
release a breath. “I would be cast to the demons for assisting you.
I’m afraid I just can’t take that risk.”
“But you don’t know that for sure! Do you?”
I pushed Luke to the side, then attempted to walk around him, but
he grabbed me and held me back. Since he didn’t have his vampire
strength, it appeared we were on equal ground. I pushed forward
again, and Luke twisted around with me so both of us were facing
Ezariah. My fists clenched, and a burning chill crept up my spine.
“There is only one who can cause us to completely fall.
Him!
Obviously that wasn’t
His
will for you, or you’d be fallen
and not here!” I thought of the numerous times I’d been granted
grace from falling, though I knew without a doubt I deserved no
better, yet I’d been spared and offered a new charge, a fresh
angelic existence with the return of those powers that had been
stripped away. If only Ezariah would take a leap of faith and help
me, surely he’d be spared from falling, just like he had been when
he was brought here.