Guardians of the Akasha (31 page)
Read Guardians of the Akasha Online
Authors: Celia Stander
The Void took Keira in its embrace, wrapping her in a cocoon of silence and isolation, tempting her soul with its lure of everlasting peace.
In that moment before her complete surrender, a spark of defiance ignited. Keira could finally admit it to herself: she didn’t want to be alone. She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live and be happy and be a part of something bigger than herself, not because of duty, but because of her own free will. And because she believed in magick.
With that thought, came a flicker of calmness. Keira grabbed it and held onto it as if it was a newborn baby.
I will not die. I will get back.
She felt something in her arms. It was the baby, born out of her hope. The child looked up at her and the moment their eyes locked, Keira understood.
There is no Book… There is only Knowledge… And the Knowledge is now within me.
She couldn’t help but feel sad for Victoria who never reached this understanding.
Keira softly hugged the child to her neck and smiled. Overwhelming love and peace flowed through her in a river of emotion. Then she was left with empty arms as the illusion of the child shimmered and faded away.
Keira looked up into the smiling eyes of the Gatekeeper.
Welcome back.
Thank you. I understand now.
Good. You will need that knowledge in the future. Let it guide you and apply it well. And remember, others will covet that which you now carry inside of you.
Keira nodded. She had to go. She flew back through the white barrier separating her from Marco. Back in her body, Keira’s eyes snapped open. Marco crouched with his back to her, holding off a crush of Watchers who fought through the narrow opening, two at a time. A heap of bodies lay around him, evidence of his desperate battle to keep her safe. Long gashes ran down his arms and across his body; blood stained his white shirt. She could hear him gasping in exhaustion, but he didn’t stop fighting.
Her blast of power caught a Watcher in midair as he jumped over his comrades’ bodies, straight at Marco. The shockwave threw all the Watchers back like a string of connected dominoes.
“Keira!” Marco cried. “Your—” but she didn’t hear what he said as the next wave of attackers pressed into the room.
Keira and Marco fought their way back into the castle, their movements flowing together as if choreographed for an elaborate ballet. Their arms and bodies swayed with the rhythm of their combined power, creating an indestructible force that wiped Watchers out of their way as they advanced down the passage.
As they broke through the last line of attackers, Keira saw a black suited figure fleeing in the distance. The man glanced over his shoulder, his face contorted in a snarl.
“Daemon!” she cried and gave chase.
Keira and Marco ran side by side, following Daemon as he tried to escape. Watchers appeared from side passages but were no match for the couple in their pursuit of their enemy. As Daemon threw energy bolts at them, they ducked behind statues and furniture, which exploded into clouds of shards and splinters.
They were gaining on him, when he reached the front door, threw it open, and flew down the steps into the courtyard, into the midst of the raging battle. The Draaken had crossed the drawbridge and were exterminating the last of the Watchers who were desperately trying to regain lost territory.
“Daemon!” Keira’s voice reverberated over the courtyard. Everyone froze and looked up to where she stood at the top of the steps, flanked by Marco.
Daemon stopped as well, halfway to the drawbridge. He turned around and tried to smirk.
“Yes?” he asked, nonchalant, but his heels inched backwards towards the gate and his eyes slid from side to side, trying to find an escape.
“Going anywhere?” Adam asked from where Chetan, Yoshi and he had taken position behind Daemon.
“Watchers!” Keira called. “You have been misled. You were promised glory and riches…but there is a new Council in session. Drop your weapons, stop fighting and you will be pardoned! Go back to your Families and tell them what has happened here. I give them a choice: they can pledge their allegiance to us—to peace—or be banished!”
It didn’t take long for the majority of the Watchers to nod their acquiescence; those with weapons dropped them. A few were defiant, until they saw her eyes. The last weapons thudded to the cobblestones.
“Cowards!” Daemon screamed. “She is just a stupid girl! Attack! Fight!”
But the Watchers were backing away from him. One by one, they reached the gate and fled over the drawbridge, down the road beyond. Soon only the Draaken were left.
And Daemon.
Keira walked down the steps, her head held high and her stride assured. She stopped at the bottom. Where Victoria had died.
Daemon glared at her from a few feet away. “You think this is over—it will
never
be over! You think you know what it takes to lead…. You don’t have what it takes—you can’t do it!”
“Please don’t presume to know what I think. Or what I can and cannot do,” Keira said politely.
“Ha! I will get rid of you, the same way I did your beloved aunt,” Daemon spat and flung his arms out towards Keira. A ripple of power hit the invisible wall she had conjured in front of her. She stood looking at him as he tried, again and again, until he was panting with exhaustion.
Only then did she move closer. She lifted her hand and a bolt of white light knocked Daemon to his knees.
“Daemon, you are hereby charged with murder, treason against the Council and the attempt to use the Akasha for your own gain. How do you plead?”
“How…dare…you!” he grunted. “You are nothing!”
Marco stepped closer and took Keira’s hand. The Draaken joined them and together they formed a circle around the man kneeling on the ground, their hands linked. “We are the Council,” they intoned, “and we sit in judgment of your crimes.”
Keira looked at her friends. Their clothes were torn and a few of them were bleeding, but they were all there and looked at her with respect and trust.
“I am the High Priestess of the Guardians of the Akasha. I speak for the Council. We find you guilty as charged. You are hereby banished to the Void, never to return.”
A blinding flash of white light erupted from the circle, leaving only an echo of Daemon’s scream of rage, nothing else.
It was over.
The Draaken warriors were laughing, clapping each other on the back and rushing to congratulate Keira. But she had eyes only for Marco as he pulled her closer and enveloped her in his arms.
“I love you,” she said, her eyes closed as she leaned into his strength.
“I love you.” He stroked her dark hair, his fingers entwined in the long shock of silver-grey streaking down the left side of her face.
*****
Two days later the castle reverberated with the happy noises of laughter and renovation work being done in the Great Hall. A huge bonfire roared in the courtyard and children from the village danced as Daemon’s family crest went up in flames.
Keira stood by a car with Sammy and Alison.
“I am really sorry I can’t go back with you now,” Keira said. “There is just so much to be done here….”
“Don’t worry about it,” Alison said and hugged Keira goodbye.
“And you should probably expect a visit from my parents, too,” Keira apologized again.
“Hey, we’ll smooth things over in London. You take your time and come see us when you’re ready,” Sammy said and hugged Keira as well.
“It won’t be too long,” Keira promised. “There are lawyers…and stuff…that need to be sorted.”
“Well, we’ll keep your room in the apartment ready. You know, in case you get bored having this
huge
castle all to yourself,” Alison laughed.
The three women smiled and stood in silence for a while. They wanted to prolong the last goodbye.
“Keep an eye on Adam for me,” Sammy said and tried to wipe a tear away unseen.
“Oh?” Keira asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, he said he’ll come visit in London as soon as he’s taken care of his Family’s business. So make sure he doesn’t get distracted by any cute little magickal…thingies!”
“Okay, okay!” Keira laughed as her friends got into the car. She kept on waving until they had gone over the drawbridge and disappeared down the drive, on their way to the private plane—her private plane—that would whisk them back to London.
She walked past the fountain where Justin and Amber were helping her father clear dead leaves out of the fountainheads.
“Should have it going again in a few minutes, Miss Keira,” the old man called.
Keira gave him a friendly wave, smiled at the children, and skipped up the steps into the Great Hall. There she watched as the embroidered Wilde Family crest was rehung above the fireplace.
Strong arms caught her from behind and she jumped with fright. “All is as it should be,” Marco whispered in her ear and she relaxed with a laugh.
“Almost,” she agreed and then led him to the reception room just off the Great Hall where the Draaken waited for them.
The room fell silent as they entered. Eyes glistened with unshed emotion as everyone got ready to take their leave.
Keira had to clear the tightness in her throat before she could speak.
“I thank you all, with every cell in my body, for what you have done. I joined you as a complete stranger, and now you are my family. You have saved my life time and again, and never asked why.”
The tears were now freely flowing; Adam gave a sniff and pretended to blow his nose and even Yoshibumi stared down at the floor.
“You are no longer the Draaken, but full members of Council. I believe that each one of you will lead with honor, dignity, and truth. Before you all go back to your homes and settle your affairs, I ask one more thing of you. We have to elect a new Leader of Council and I would like to propose Marco.”
“Keira,” Marco protested.
“Please, Marco. I know the tradition—that Victoria expected us to do this together. But I don’t have the background and, for now, I have to concentrate on learning my duties as High Priestess. I will be better able to fulfil those duties if I know that you are there to lead the Council,” Keira said.
Marco bowed his head in acknowledgement.
“Agreed,” Rafael said. The word echoed around the room.
“Thank you,” Marco said. “I am honored and I accept. My first instruction to you would be to identify new initiates from your Families and send them here. We have to reopen the School as soon as possible; training for new Draaken members has to resume as well. I expect we’ll have a few issues from renegade Families, especially those aligned most closely to Daemon. It means that there are a busy few months ahead, and our resources will be spread thin.”
“Agreed,” Chetan said and everyone nodded.
Then, one by one, the friends took leave of each other and left the castle in a cavalcade of cars and motorbikes. Soon only Keira and Marco remained, standing by the front door, waving to the last of their friends driving down the road.
They stood for a long time, their arms around each other, until Justin called, “Come on, you two!”, and sent a swirling funnel of water in their direction.
“Oh, yeah? You’re on!” Keira cried and ran towards them, followed by a laughing Marco. She lifted her hands and all the water in the fountain rose ten feet into the air only to come pouring back down on Justin and Amber’s heads.
“Woohoo, that is so cool!” Amber laughed and winked out of sight.
“Wow,” Justin said, staring at Amber as she reappeared. “You are a Shadow Walker! No wonder I could never find you when we played hide-and-seek. No fair!”
*****
Far away, atop a hill, Julius trained his binoculars on the castle. He watched as the last car left; watched through the open gate as the figures splashed and played in the fountain.
“Have your fun,” he muttered. “My time will come.”
THE END
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my husband and children for their unending patience and support. Thanks for giving me the time I needed to finish this. Here’s to the next one!
Thanks to my parents, for feeding my reading addiction.
Every writer needs a beta reader. Thanks to Jennifer Smith for being mine, and sorry for making you read all those drafts.
Every writer also needs a group of friends who will drag her out of the house on a regular basis, ply her with copious amounts of alcohol and remind her there is a world outside of her own imagination. Thanks to my Beijing Wine and Whine
péngyou
’s for doing that and so much more.
To editor extraordinaire,
Shawn MacKenzie
, you are a dragon among mortals. Thanks for making me look better than I am.
To formatting genius,
Heather Adkins
. Thanks for doing your magic and rescuing me from the alien world of computer-speak.
To talented designer,
Stephanie Mooney
. Thanks for the beautiful cover (I am restraining myself from gushing…). I didn’t know what I wanted when I contacted you, and you got it right anyway.
About the Author
At the time of publishing, I lived with my family in Beijing, China. After getting over a slight case of culture shock, I decided to give in to the voices in my head and write what I like to read. Thanks for taking the time to read this novel; I would love to hear from you.
http://www.facebook.com/celia.stander
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7787319-celia-stander
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