Guardians of the Akasha (8 page)

“So, this is all about a book,” Keira said.

“War is never so simple that it can be shrunk down to one single factor, Keira. However, it is one of the major reasons. This book has been under the protection of each successive High Priestess and each one of us has added our knowledge and experience to it. It contains everything from rituals for protection and for destruction to names of Guardians who have held some of the highest offices in governments around the world. It is our collective memory.”

“It is a database,” Keira said.

Victoria gave a rueful laugh. “I suppose so. But it is not stored on any mainframe known to man.”

“And Daemon believes that if he could access this memory, he’d be able to manipulate time. Is the Book safe?”

“Yes. For now.”

“Aunt Vic, why are we really going to Europe?”

“We are going to the castle, as I told you. But I have called a full Council meeting there on Saturday. Members are arriving as I speak. At this meeting, I will introduce you as my immediate successor as Leader of the Wilde Family. It is also my wish that you will stay and receive training, and eventually become the next High Priestess,” Victoria answered, her tone crisp and business-like.

“What? You can’t do that!”

“Why exactly not?”

“You don’t—you can’t—I don’t know what you are thinking! It is one thing to tell me I am part of some worldwide group, but to tell me I have to lead these people—fight a war—it’s insane! You don’t even know me. You don’t know who I am. You can’t make all these people depend on me. People get hurt when I use this—this magick.”

“Calm down!” Victoria’s voice whiplashed through the plane. Keira’s face froze in shock, but she got a grip of her emotions and closed her mouth.

“Keira, I don’t have time to repeat myself. I have told you about the Akasha—the connectedness between all things. But there is also the Void—the unconnectedness. Where the Akasha is matter, the Void is antimatter, endless nothingness. In the beginning, the Akasha and Void were one entity, until they were split apart during the Creation. For a very long time, however, the veil between the two entities was thin and those with enough power could enter the Akasha, or the Void, and return. Unfortunately, there are things in the Void—” Victoria paled and wiped her hand over her face.

“Aunt Vic?”

“Some of those foolish travellers were followed and when they slipped back into the Akasha, and into our dimension, things from the Void slipped through as well. It took the combined power of all the Guardians alive during those times to banish the beings back into the Void. It was then that one of our ancestors, a High Priestess, managed to install a gate between the two entities. It is guarded by the Gatekeeper. This history is recorded in the Book of Knowledge. If Daemon gains possession of the Knowledge, he could banish his enemies into the Void, and invite other beings out. He would be unstoppable.”

Keira’s mouth had gone dry. “But surely that’s not possible?”

Victoria merely looked at her. “The Guardians will make sure it doesn’t happen, whether possible or not.”

“Aunt Vic, I mean no offence, but why wasn’t this book destroyed a long time ago? If it is so dangerous, why leave it lying around for Daemon to find?”

“First of all, it is not ‘lying around.’ It is in the most protected place I know of. Secondly, it contains our knowledge and our history. I think it is James Burke that said: ‘If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you are.’”

Victoria sighed in frustration. “If only I had more time with you—but I will give you what I can. Besides, the Draaken will be there as well. They will all help and protect you.”

Keira’s mind whirled with a million unanswered questions. Doomsday scenarios raced like movies on fast forward behind her eyes; faces of family, Alison and Sammy, appeared and disappeared. Images of Nagwa and the woods folk wavered and vanished.

He would change time
, she thought. How many times did she wish she’d never been born? Would she be born if Daemon changed time? The thought of non-existence suddenly seemed less appealing.

“This is too much,” she shook her head.

Victoria leaned forward and took Keira’s hand in her own. “The one thing that I will regret for the rest of my life is that I didn’t come for you sooner. Please forgive me—”

She was interrupted when the pilot announced, “Ladies, we will be landing in fifteen minutes. Please stow away any bags or loose items and fasten your seatbelts. Thank you.”

“Keira, there is one more thing,” Victoria said. “You couldn’t have known, but every time someone uses magick, it causes a ripple in the Akasha. We call this a signature. Each Guardian’s signature is unique. Some of us—especially trained magickae—can identify individuals by their signatures. The other night, when you defended yourself against attack, I sensed your signature, which means Daemon did as well.”

“So he knows who I am?” Keira asked.

“He didn’t at first. You haven’t used your magick in many years, so your signature is relatively new. But judging by the strength of it, you are the only one alive today who equals Daemon in raw ability. He wouldn’t have failed to notice that.”

Victoria hesitated. “The attack in front of Harrods—”

“What?”

“Yes, his Watchers tried to attack you. Marco intervened.”

“Marco was following me?”

“Yes, on my orders.”

“Isn’t that grand,” Keira cried. “A few days ago I was stressing about hiding what I am from my friends and whether or not to go to college. Now, the greatest known evil of the modern world views
me
as a threat. That is just fabulous!”

“Don’t sulk, dearest,” Victoria smiled. “We’ve got time to prepare you, yet.”

The plane landed with a soft bump on a small, private airstrip, taxied for a short distance and came to a stop in front of a large, corrugated-iron aeroplane hangar. A silver Audi Q7 awaited them with its doors open. Simone got in the front passenger seat, while Keira and Victoria sat in the back. The driver politely closed their doors and soon they were winding their way through miles of uninterrupted forest. Dark trees were the only witness to their passing.

Chapter 10

Keira stared unseeingly out of the window. As strange as her childhood had been, nothing could have prepared her for this. She felt equal measures of resentment and gratitude to Victoria. Resentment for her not telling her the truth much, much earlier, and gratitude for knowing that she was not alone anymore, that there were other people like her.

Then there was a small part of her, wishing she could creep back into her little bubble of ignorance and shut the world out. There is a terrible beauty to isolation. You don’t have to accept responsibility for others, or live up to their expectations. You could dip your toe into humanity’s maelstrom from time to time, or sit on the river bank and observe. Keira had convinced herself she wanted to be part of that maelstrom; that she wanted to be a part of something bigger. It must have been a lie, because here she was, thrown head first into the torrent and she felt like she was drowning.

“We are here,” her aunt announced.

For the first time, Keira took notice of her environment. The trees opened up to reveal a wide moat glistening like a silver snake, following the curvature of a medieval castle’s boundary wall which rose at least thirty feet into the air.

The driver slowed down as they drove over a lowered drawbridge held in place by chains, each of its links as thick as Keira’s waist. The chains lead up and disappeared into guard towers on top of the castle’s wall. The car continued on through massive wooden gates, reinforced with iron bars and bolts.

When she looked back through the rear window, the drawbridge was being pulled up with a rattle and groan from the chains, and the gates closed behind them with a solid thud. The surreal setting brought Victoria’s message home in a way her words couldn’t.

I am so far out of my league it’s not even funny
, Keira thought.

The car stopped in a big cobblestone courtyard. The driver opened Victoria’s door and Keira slid over the seat to join her aunt and Simone outside. She stood next to the car for a moment and turned in a slow circle, taking in the building surrounding her on all sides.

She couldn’t begin to guess how old the castle was, but it had that unmistakable weathered look of a fortress that had withstood many centuries. Saw-toothed battlements and evenly spaced guard towers topped the wall, bearing testament to the fact that this castle was built to withstand a war.

Even in her current state, Keira could admire and appreciate the work of the artists who created this medieval masterpiece.

The sound of Simone’s low laughter made her turn to the small group a few feet away from the car.

“You remember Marco?” her aunt asked.

“Yes, of course.” Keira tried to hide her chagrin at his presence. He was dressed, again, in Levi jeans that hung at just the right spot on his hips, a white shirt unbuttoned to show a hint of tanned skin at his throat and shirtsleeves rolled up to reveal smooth, strong forearms.

He stepped closer, his eyes flashing blue as he took the hand that she had automatically extended to him. Their skin barely touched when Keira jerked her fingers back and took a firmer grip on her shoulder bag.

“Well then, let’s go inside,” Victoria commanded.

Keira followed as Marco led them up the steps of the main castle keep. The tall front door swung open and she had to narrow her eyes as the sun glinted off the brass scales of a dragon set in a panel on the door. For a moment it seemed as if its sinuous form twisted and its huge jaws stretched even wider, then she stepped into the darker interior of the building and she had to blink her eyes a few times to adjust it to the change in light.

They walked into a great hall. A wide expanse of stone floor was partly covered by rugs woven in rich hues of amber, burgundy, and terracotta. Brown leather couches were arranged at the far side of the hall, in front of a fireplace that took up most of the wall. Thick logs burned and gave off enough heat to warm the cavernous space. All around them, embroidered family crests hung from the high ceiling criss-crossed by a web of black wooden support beams. Keira recognised the Wilde family crest, hanging prominently above the fireplace.

To their left, a wide staircase curved to the higher levels of the castle, and it was in this direction that Victoria steered her.

“The living quarters are this way, Keira,” Victoria explained. “Now where is that little—”

“Hallo, hallo, so you arrived then, sorry I’m a bit late. Been out playing with the pups,” a cheerful voice interrupted her.

A young boy had run up to their side, out of breath and grinning at Victoria’s frown. His brown eyes twinkled merrily in his freckled face and tousled black hair stood out in every direction.

“Well, better late than never!” Victoria pretended to scowl. “Keira, this is Justin. One of our younger initiates and general nuisance to all.”

“Aunt Vic!” he howled with a hurt expression.

“There, there, no need to make such a racket!” she shushed him. “Take Keira’s bag to her room, then you can come back and give me a full report on Ylva’s pups,” Victoria winked at the boy.

“Keira, why don’t you go freshen up. We’ll meet back here for dinner,” Victoria said and waved Keira and Justin off in the direction of the stairs. She made sure that they were out of earshot before she turned to Marco.

“Have any of the Council members arrived yet?” she asked.

“Only Mr Savelli. And the observer from Japan you invited, Mr Harigaya. The rest of the Council members will arrive tomorrow. That is, except the Moreaux representative. They’ve sent a message informing me that they withdraw from Council,” Marco replied.

“Ha! Those cowards. They didn’t even have the decency to come and tell us themselves.” Victoria gave an unladylike snort of derision. “Have they joined forces with Daemon?”

“Sebastian is in France and is investigating, but it would seem so,” Marco agreed. “I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they did. They’ve been sitting on the fence for a while now. Well, at least we know who our friends are—and who aren’t.” Victoria was lost in thought for a moment as she took count of the allies they had left. “Are the Draaken in place?”

“Yes, they are. Victoria—” Marco hesitated.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Chloe has reported an unusual lack of activity surrounding Daemon’s location in New York.”

“Don’t let that fool you. He is planning his next move,” Victoria said. “He will know that the Council is meeting here the day after tomorrow. If his intelligence sources are any good, and I suspect they are, he would know by now that Keira is the source of the power surge in London, also that I have brought her here, which clearly broadcasts my intensions.” Victoria frowned, “That can’t be helped though, the time for secrecy is over. War is upon us.”

“I have increased security around the perimeter,” Marco nodded.

“Good. Although Daemon would be a fool to attack us here,” Victoria said.

Chapter 11

Justin brought Keira to her room, all the while chattering about Ylva’s new litter and asking hundreds of questions, without waiting for the answers.

“You will love the pups, they are so cool. They’re just beginning to play—but you have to be careful, their teeth are super sharp. But don’t worry, Ylva keeps them in line, she won’t let them hurt a human, unless of course you try to harm them.”

The boy paused for a breath. “Did I tell you I’m an initiate here at the school? Well, I am,” and he puffed his chest with pride. “I’m training to be a healer and Marco and Rafael said I’m going to be the best one yet. I’ve been healing animals at the ranch since before I knew what I was doing—I’m a natural, they said. It’s a pity you won’t see the other students right now. Everyone is on holiday because of the Council meeting. They always send us home when the Council members are here, but my Uncle Marco said I can stay and then we’ll go back to the ranch later, but he doesn’t want me to call him Uncle, just Marco.”