The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1) (28 page)

Daen shared, "I've been connecting with energy for about 100 of your years. I haven't given it much thought." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I suppose my process is similar to Rhea's. I think about what I need. But my gift is limited
; there's only so much I can do with it. We're learning that Rhea has multiple gifts."

Brian didn't seem to be fully listening. "Did you say over 100 years?"

Daen nodded. "I'm 100 of my years or about a 125 of yours. Time is different in Luxatra."

Christine was still denying what she was hearing
, but she played along as if the conversation was an everyday occurrence. The death grip she’d on her napkin was what told Rhea she wasn't buying it, not yet. "You look so young. I would swear you weren't much older than Rhea, maybe ... late twenties?" She looked at Randell. "And you? You look like you might be ... mid-twenties?"

Randell shook his head. "
I'm 34."

Rhea could see the strain in her mother's eyes as she released a nervous
, quiet laugh. "Can I have a drink from your fountain of youth?"

Pam ignored the obvious discomfort Christine was displaying. "It's not fair, is it? Just look at my Ander. Before long I'll look old enough to be his mother."

Brian was studying Daen while his wife walked the edge of losing it. "How long will you live?"

"Assuming I die of natural causes, I suppose I could reach about 400 of your years, give or take."

Brian coughed and cleared his throat. "What about the rest of you?"

Ander answered, "Randell and I are only part Luxatran. We'll likely live to be over a hundred, maybe longer. My father, the first descendant of Raisal
, looks to be in his fifties but he's pushing eighty." He looked over at Pam with loving eyes. "But I don't know if it will be worth it." He reached for her hand, and Rhea realized he could be without her for a long time.

Rhea added, "I assume I'm full Luxatran
, so I could live as long as Daen."

"You assume?" Christine
's voice was strained but she was trying.

"We don't know yet who my biological father is. We're assuming he's Luxatran
, since that's where I was born."

Pam looked at the clock. "Oh. Look at the time. Why don't we continue this discussion over lunch?" She stood and started for the kitchen. "I'll call you when it's ready."

Christine stood to follow. "Let me help, please. I need to think about something normal for a little while." And they left the room.

44
Lunch

Pam kept Christine busy in the kitchen while she finished preparing the meal. Christine set the table and pulled the chicken away from the bones while Pam steamed the green beans.

"How do you believe so easily?"
Christine asked.

"To be honest, there wasn't much to believe for quite some time. Ander told me about his gift
, but he kept it to himself for the most part. When Daen arrived, well, that's when I needed to truly believe." She placed the silverware on the table. "That was the day we learned Randell had inherited the gift. Although he can't see into the shadows like Ander can, his gift for seeing people's emotions is much greater than Ander's."

"But you seem so calm about it."

"I've had a long to time to get used to it. You've had, what, thirty minutes?"

Christine lowered her eyes. "She tried to tell us when she was a little girl
, but we didn't listen."

Pam patted Christine's arm. "Don't beat yourself up. She was a child. And ... she's the exception. With any other child who can see imaginary friends and monsters in
her closet, a parent would do exactly what you did if it seemed to be getting out of hand. How were you to know?" Pam gave Christine the warmest smile she could, trying to comfort her.

"Huh. I suppose you're right. But I still feel bad for her
, not having anyone to believe her."

"She had Lanne to help her." Pam was trying to reassure Christine that Rhea was okay. "Could you please tell everyone lunch is ready?"

"Lanne?"

Pam nodded. "We'll fill you in over lunch."

Christine blinked a couple times as she processed what Pam had shared. She swallowed hard and decided to be more open and then called everyone in for lunch.

~~~

Everyone sat down at the kitchen table. As the food was passed, compliments were given to the chef, but the tension that had been in the air before lunch still lingered.

Brian started the second round of questions. "When you called, you mentioned you were planning a trip. Where are going?"

Glances danced around the table but no one wanted to be the first to answer.

Brian leaned back in his chair and placed his fork on his plate. "That bad
, is it?"

Daen was the brave one. "We're returning to Luxatra."

Christine's eye's widened. "We? You mean you. You are returning."

"No
, Mom, he means he and I are returning, and Randell is coming as well."

Christine couldn't take any
more. "NO! You are not going. Brian. Tell her she can't go."

Brian quietly studied their faces as he gently gripped Christine's hand. "Why are you returning?"

Daen answered, "I mentioned earlier that Rhea was sent here because she was in danger as an infant. Now someone knows she's here. We must return to find out what's going on and hopefully put an end to it."

Brian shook his head. "That's not what's driving you to go."

Rhea tried to explain. "There are trackers here in this world, hunting me. Somehow, after all these years, I've been found."

Christine looked confused. "And you're going to leave here, where a couple of ... trackers?
... are after you and go into a world where there could be countless trackers after you? No. That's not a good reason."

"Mom. The trackers ... they're willing to do anything to get to me." She paused and looked at Randell
, wondering if she could say any more, not knowing if he'd told his parents yet.

Ander watched the exchange between Randell and Rhea. "What happened?"

Randell started to fidget with his glass of tea. "Um ... the two trackers kidnapped me at knifepoint. The ransom was Rhea."

Pam gasped. "Randell, why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't want you to worry."

Rhea continued, "They apparently won't stop until they have me. I can't live here, constantly wondering if another note will be left for me, demanding that I turn myself over to them or risk losing someone else I care about." Rhea locked eyes with her mom and dad, hoping they would understand.

Brian was quickly becoming frustrated. "And you didn't call the police? Why not?"

Randell looked over the table at Rhea and smiled. "There would be too many questions we don't want answered." He turned back to Brian. "Besides, we seriously doubt they'll be able to find us. We left them tied up
, and if they get free, we're too far away for them to sense us ... we hope."

Christine squeezed Brian's hand. "You hope?"

Daen shrugged. "If they find us, we will deal with them. We just need to hide out long enough to get through to Luxatra."

Brian questioned, "And then what? How will the trackers know you've gone? What if they kidnap someone else? If you're not here, what will they do to that person if you don't show up?"

Rhea, Randell, and Daen froze, sending each other we-didn't-think-of-that looks.

Brian nodded. "I see you haven't thought of that."

Ander was already formulating a plan. "If they know you're not in this world anymore, do you think they'll follow you?"

Daen nodded. "It would make sense. We're their target. Given the effort they've gone t
o, I suspect the compensation is high enough that they wouldn't want to give it up."

Christine asked, "So you don't think they're working on their own?"

Randell shook his head. "No. They aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. Dangerous? Yes. Smart enough to know to come here on their own? No. I think they were sent by someone. That's who we need to be worried about most ... after we deal with these losers, of course."

Brian was tugging on his ear, something he did when he was trying to solve a puzzle. "We need a way to let the trackers know you aren't here
, but you need a head start."

Ander nodded. "We need to capture them. Hold them until Rhea, Randell, and Daen can get away."

Daen shook his head. "No. We can't leave them behind to exact their revenge on you. Trust me. Bestian, the leader of the pair, is not quite right in the head. I wouldn't trust him to leave you unharmed."

Randell asked, "Can we take them with us
, then tie them up in Luxatra and make our getaway?"

Daen slowly nodded. "That might work."

Rhea chimed in, "Great! Now all we need to do is capture them. How do we do that?"

Ander stated
, quickly and decisively, "We draw them here."

Pam's eyes went wide with concern. "Ander? Are you sure?"

Ander's lips curled slightly at the edges as he turned to Daen. "We throw them in the lake before you head out."

A devilish smile crossed over Daen's face. He knew exactly where they'd throw the trackers through. "I like the way you think."

Rhea was confused. "Lake?"

Ander explained, "There's a reason this
was Raisal Gaulette's home. This property sits in, or maybe I should say over, Hondau Lake in Luxatra. The water creates a natural barrier for anyone who would try to find Raisal in this world because they aren't able to get close enough to see through."

Christine was trying to keep up
, but finally gave up. "I don't follow."

Rhea explained, "Luxatra and this world basically sit on top of each other."

Brian nodded in understanding. "Like another dimension."

Daen responded, "I don't know if that's really the case
, but if it helps to understand ..."

Ander rubbed his hands together, liking the plan as it was coming together. "So. How is it they found you in the first place? Maybe we can use that to draw them here."

Rhea said, "I think they found me because of my fitful dreams."

Daen nodded. "Yeah, you pack quite a wallop. No doubt they felt it."

Pam tensed. "Rhea had a dream last night."

Randell stepped to the kitchen window and scanned the tree line. When he couldn't see anything, he went to the front of the house.

Ander stood. "What is it, Son?"

"I'm just checking to see if they've already found us
, but I don't see them right now."

Pam started to clear the table
, and Christine joined her.

"Well
, if they aren't here yet, we need to make sure they have a way to find us. With four Luxatrans in the house, we should be able to create enough sensations for them to find us." Daen stood and stretched his arms behind his back.

Rhea raised a brow. "Assuming they got free of the ropes."

Randell confirmed, "Oh, I have no doubt. Remember, there was a knife in the ground a few feet from where we left them. They're smart enough to use it."

Christine and Brian exchanged concerned looks.

Pam placed the apple pie on the table. "Pie anyone?"

Ander stood. "I'll make a fresh pot of coffee."

"Can I have my pie later? I'd like to continue Rhea's training." Daen gave Rhea a look suggesting she get up.

Brian asked, "But what about
the trackers?"

"Our training will draw them to us."

Christine and Brian looked at each other before looking again at Daen. "Training?"

Daen answered, "Yes. Would you like to watch?"

Christine said, "I'll watch from the window. I'm going to help Pam with dishes."

Brian stood. "I'll join you." He followed Rhea, Randell, and Daen out the kitchen door to the backyard.

Pam shouted, "Randell. See if your armor fits her. She's too new at fighting to go without."

Randell stopped and returned to the house. "Good idea
, Mom."

When he returned, they
discovered they could adjust the armor enough to give her some protection, but it wasn't going to be something she could wear on a regular basis.

For t
he next couple hours, Daen and Randell took Rhea through the basics of using a sword in defense. She started practice with both hands wrapped tightly around the hilt of Daen's smaller sword, but once she got the hang of using her gift to manage the weight of the sword, she switched to one hand. First Daen alone provided the attacks, but soon Randell joined in, coming at her with simultaneous strikes.

At first there was a rhythm to their attacks,
with the two of them repeating the same strikes over and over, causing her to use the same blocks. After a bit, though, Rhea found she was blocking without even thinking about it.

"You're catching on surprisingly fast
," Randell said. He started to pick up the pace of his strikes, changing the sequence to see if Rhea could adjust. And she did.

Daen gave her a warning. "I'm going to push you harder now. Randell
, let me have her for a moment."

Randell stepped back and Daen attacked. Daen's attack looked fierce
, as if he meant to do her harm.

Brian jumped from the porch steps, not knowing if he should intervene
, but quickly saw that Rhea was holding her own.

Daen continued his attack
, but then something happened. Rhea blocked and followed up with her own attack. Daen blocked and followed with an attack. Back and forth they went, with Rhea continuing to deliver as much as she was taking until she was out of breath and stepped back. "Enough."

Daen was breathing heavily as he pulled his last strike.

Rhea leaned over, her hands on her knees, shaking and gasping for air.

Randell stepped closer. "What just happened? Rhea. What came over you?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. It was as if the energy had a mind of its own."

Daen ran into the kitchen, knowing Rhea's sugar level would be low, and returned with a couple snack
-size candy bars. "I just remembered that Pam keeps these in the pantry for our workouts. They make great energy boosters." He tossed Rhea and Randell each a bar.

Rhea wasn't expecting him to throw the candy
, so her attempt to catch it was more in line with keeping the candy from striking her in the face. As it turned out, she didn't have anything to worry about; the candy didn't make it that far.

Rhea, Randell, Daen, and Brian
all froze, their attention fixed on the candy bar hanging in midair, a foot from Rhea's face. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. A couple seconds went by and then she heard gasps from the others standing at the screen door leading from the kitchen. She lowered her hands and the bar fell to the ground.

Daen stepped closer to Rhea. "What did you just do?"

"I don't know. Your toss caught me by surprise. I tried to catch it, or at the very least, keep it from hitting me in the face and ... it just happened. The candy froze in midair."

"What were you thinking about when it happened?" Daen was anxious to know what
had triggered the gift.