Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key (31 page)

Navarre kissed her
briefly on the head and exhaled, “We lost contact with the men we sent to Earth
today as well. We can no longer send any more men. Allestaine, only thirty Guardians
remain in Pemdas. All of our warriors have simply vanished. I must send word
out, and let all of Pemdas know I have failed them. I have never felt so lost.
I know I have a purpose and a duty as a father and Emperor to all who depend on
me. It is who I am, or so I thought. I am slowly being made aware that I am
only a helpless victim, as the ones who depend on me have become. Tell me who I
am now, my beautiful wife, for I can no longer answer this question.” He stared
out of the window.

Allestaine looked
up at her broken husband. “You are who you have always been, Navarre. A man who
places himself with his people, and never above them. It is why you are admired
greatly, and loved by all. You have not failed anyone, as I know you have not
slept in nearly a week trying to strategize with Samuel, and recover all of the
men who have disappeared. Right now, you are only finding your fear, my
darling. In this situation, you are as helpless as the rest of us. There is no
shame in that.”

He sighed. “I must
disagree. There is a profusion of shame when you cannot rise to meet your duty
for those who depend on you. My son, my nephew, and our loyal warriors, fell
into a trap; I know not where they are, what they are facing, or what they are
thinking. Do they wait for me to bring them out? If so, how do I achieve this,
when I have not a clue where to start? They depend on me, Allestaine, and I
must bring them home. I must bring all the men safely back to their families.
However, I have no way of doing so anymore. I have done all I can do.”

Allestaine pulled
back, bringing his focus down to her. “You will listen to me, Emperor Navarre.
I will not stand here and be reminded of the one dangerous trait our son
inherited from you—to believe there is no hope in situations you personally,
have no control over. At this point, there is nothing more that can be done. It
is now time that you trust everything our warriors have been trained to do.
They will find a way home, and we will get through this. We solve nothing by
worrying over things we cannot help.”

He did not answer,
only returned his gaze to the windows.

Reece was frozen.
The group of men she saw earlier that day had not returned. Now she understood
that they were Navarre’s last attempt to find the men. It was as if the life
had drained from her. She looked over at Elizabeth who was intently reading her
book.

“Lizzy—I think I’m
going to go to bed for the evening.”

Elizabeth nodded,
and stood with Reece, “I believe I will, too.”

After Reece
returned to her room, she collapsed onto her bed in tears. The same emotions of
losing her father ripped through her, and emptiness consumed her. She started
to take deep, calming breaths. She had to remain calm. She had to see Levi’s
face, to feel his closeness, to smell the fragrance of him. She had to believe
he would return to her. She curled up on her side, and brought her coat up to
her face. The fragrance of Levi’s cologne was no longer present. She closed her
eyes tightly, but no image of Levi came. It was as if everything of him had
disappeared. Panic, like poison, worked its way through her. She had to get out
of this room, out of this Palace.

She pulled her coat
on and quickly walked out to the spot where they had spent their last evening
alone together.

She sat there,
gazing up into the glowing nature all around her. She let the peaceful beauty
of the different colors illuminating in the trees calm her, and began to think
more clearly.

She had no idea
where Levi was, but she would not accept that he would never return. She
couldn’t give up hope. “Come back to me, Levi,” she murmured.

Chapter 22

The next afternoon, they all sat together in the room
that overlooked the valley below. Navarre was in a corner having a discussion
with Samuel. In the opposite corner, near the windows, Elizabeth played the
piano softly. Lady Allestaine and Reece sat together on a sofa, reading
quietly, as the other woman talked in low voices at a table across the room.

It was how every
day had passed since the disappearances, and no matter how many walks Reece had
taken with Elizabeth to help to clear her mind, she still felt empty inside.

She tried not to
look out the window, because it always disappointed her. It had snowed the
previous night, yet the beauty of new-fallen snow couldn’t make up for the
emptiness outside, and the lack of hope that Levi would ever ride up that hill
again.

Suddenly the piano
music stopped. Elizabeth stood up, and peered out the windows. “Father? Someone
rides to the house…it looks like...one of the Guardian horses.”

Navarre was at the
window in an instant, but everyone else froze, waiting. Reece’s stomach
tightened into a knot as she tried to force hope away.

 Navarre stood
watching as the black horse made its way closer to the house. He brought his
hand up over his mouth, concentrating deeply as the horse made its way into an
identifiable range. “It is Areion,” he said finally. “But who is his rider?” He
strained his eyes to see.

At that moment,
everyone in the room stood. Reece darted to the windows, followed by Lady
Allestaine, who clutched her husband’s arm while they watched the horse
approach. Reece’s heart was pounding in her chest as she watched the horse in
the distance thundering toward the Palace.

Elizabeth reached
for her father’s free hand and held it. “Father, Levi is the only one Areion
will allow upon his back; you know this. It must be Levi.”

Suddenly, the horse
lunged into full view—not on the usual road to the Palace, but on a direct line
to the front of the house, being ridden at an aggressive speed.

Levi!
Reece covered her mouth with her hands in disbelief.
She didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry at the great relief she felt
knowing he was alive. It was as if life returned to her again.

Areion cleared a
hedge, and she could see that Levi wore the same clothes as the day he left.
The expression on his face was dangerous, hostile. He bellowed for his groom,
and turned Areion over to him. “Slow his heart before it fails him…NOW!” He
called out violently before heading to the Palace entrance.

Before anyone had a
chance to move, everyone heard Levi’s enraged voice as he stormed in through
the front door.

“Simone! Where is
SHE….Where is Simone?” Hearing the fury in Levi’s voice, Reece almost felt
frightened for Simone.

Levi paused at the
door to the sitting room, found his target with his eyes, and strode straight
to her. Navarre moved closer to his wife, and everyone else waited for the
storm to break. Simone stood; her face reflected the fear from Levi’s fury.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
TO US?”

Simone stepped
back, and Levi pursued, paying no attention to the rest of the room. His shirt
was filthy and torn, his face was bruised, and his hair was tangled and dirty.
What had he been through? He looked as though he hadn’t slept the entire time
he was gone.

Samuel moved in front
of his daughter. “Levi…there is no need for hostility at this time.” He put his
arm out toward Levi’s chest.

Levi grabbed it,
and used it to lay Samuel out on the rug in front of him. Navarre stepped
swiftly to his son, and pulled him away. “Son, you are a better man than this.”
He waited.

Levi, his father
gripping his arm, turned toward the woman standing stunned against the wall.
“Simone—” He growled.

“Levi…we know,”
said Navarre as he turned his son to face him. Levi’s face was black with
anger, “Son, what happened? We need to know what you know.”

The fire in Levi’s
eyes faded slowly. His gaze roamed the room, from one shocked woman to another.
When he saw Reece, he exhaled, closed his eyes, and his posture softened.

Samuel lay
motionless on the rug. Levi looked down at him, and Samuel’s eyes widened.
Levi
stretched out his hand. “Commander, forgive me.”

 Samuel nodded, and
accepted Levi’s hand. “Levi, where are they keeping the rest of our men?” He
asked.

Levi’s eyes became
enraged again. “I will not speak of anything in front of that woman.” Simone
dropped her head into her hands, sobbing.

It was as if the
fire of rage had been reignited in Levi as his eyes narrowed dangerously, and
his face grew darker.

She flinched away
from him.

 “Look at me! Or
can you not face the consequence of your spite?” He spat the last word out.

Navarre placed a
hand on his son’s shoulder. “Son, can you tell us what’s become of Harrison?
Your uncle will arrive at any moment.”

Levi’s body went
rigid again, as his fists clenched white. “How am I to know Harrison’s
condition, Father? Because of this filthy object in front of me, I will not
know until Reece has been traded for him and the rest of our men!”

Navarre looked at
Lillian, “Take Simone to her room at once.”

As Lillian escorted
a sobbing Simone from the room, Navarre looked back at Levi. “We must get all
the information we can from you, but first let us get your wounds attended to.
Your return has restored the hope I almost lost. We will bring our men home,” he
stepped back and locked Levi’s gaze on his own, “and we will finish this
together.”

Levi nodded.

“As soon as you are
ready, we need to talk with Samuel to set our plans. Afterwards, we will have
quiet dinner—just family and Reece.”

At Reece’s name,
life appeared in Levi’s shadowy eyes. He turned toward her as a thirsty man
turns toward water, and all his muscles seemed to relax. She took a step toward
him, and the next minute, he was in her arms. “Forgive me, my love,” he
whispered.

Lady Allestaine and
Elizabeth approached Levi, hugged him, and told him how relieved they were that
he was home. As the energy in the room started to unwind, Levi took Reece’s
hand in his. “Allow me a few moments to make myself presentable, and then I
will return for you. When I speak with my father and Samuel, I want you to be
there.”

Reece nodded. She
wanted so badly to ask him what he had been through, but now was not the time.
Levi’s eyes brightened. “I love you,” he mouthed silently, before turning to
his father.

 “Father, I will
return shortly for Reece. There are some matters I wish to discuss with her
alone, before we meet with you and Samuel in your office to discuss the
situations we are to face. I would rather discuss these issues sooner than
later.”

Navarre nodded in
agreement. “As you wish. Samuel and I will await you in my study. An hour?”

“Fine. We’ll join
you in an hour.”

After Levi left,
Navarre embraced his wife, and followed Samuel out of the room. Allestaine and
Elizabeth approached Reece, embracing her with happiness and relief before
Reece made her way back to an empty couch to wait for Levi. Allestaine and
Elizabeth walked toward Simone’s sister, Catherine, who was sobbing and in
hysterics. As bad as Reece felt for the girl, she couldn’t bring herself to support
her at the moment.

Reece brought her
attention to the view outside of the windows. It was snowing again, and as she
watched the light flakes dance in the wind, she felt relief completely wash
over her. Reece watched the snowfall until Elizabeth came over to her. “Do you
mind if I sit with you?”

Reece smiled and
moved to one side. “Certainly not. How is Catherine doing?”

Elizabeth took the
offered seat. “A little better, I suppose. How are you feeling?”

Reece grinned. “A
lot better now that Levi’s back. Although, I’m still concerned about Harrison
and the others; and I am a little worried about what happens now.”

Elizabeth placed
her hand over Reece’s, and smiled brightly at her. “I am certain that with
Levi’s knowledge of the circumstances, they will be able to come to a swift
resolution. Please do not fear.”

Reece smiled back.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been myself lately. It’s like, nothing mattered but
whether or not the men would ever come back.”

“We’ve all been
distraught. I haven’t been myself either; no one has.”

“Ladies.” Levi
greeted them from behind. He had wasted no time in returning. His deep voice
made Reece’s heart leap, and she turned around.

The bruises and
scrapes on his face were still there, but he looked much more like himself.
“Elizabeth, I must steal your friend for a while.”

Elizabeth stood and
hugged her brother. Levi wrapped his arms tightly around her, and bestowed a
soft kiss on the top of her head.

“I am so happy to
see you again, Levi.”

“Likewise, sweet
one. It is good to be home.”

“I know you must go
see Father, so I will not detain you.”

Allestaine, still
in conversation with Catherine, gave him a reassuring nod, and he reached for
Reece’s hand to lead her from the room.