Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key (37 page)

Two men retrieved
Areion, and wished Levi and Reece well.

“So, this is where
you keep the horses while you’re on Earth?”

“For very short
visits, yes. They stay here and are attended by the stablemen.” He led her
through the gates. “Wait here. I’m going to bring out the car, and I must
change.” He grinned. “Camouflage,” he said, and headed for the cave that was
the garage.

Reece turned around
and looked back down the path; it didn’t feel like it was that long ago that
she’d seen it for the first time. She remembered the way she felt the last time
she was in this place as she looked at the majesty of this world through
astonished eyes. Her life changed forever on that day, in every way. And now,
coming full circle, she admitted to herself what had been weighing in her heart
for a long time; she didn’t want to go back to Earth. Ever. Pemdas was her home
now, and wherever Levi was, there was no other place she would rather be.

She turned when she
heard the deep purr of the black car pulling out of the garage. Levi stepped
out of the car, staring down at his communication device. He looked as much at
home in jeans and a t-shirt as he had in his regalia. The man complemented
everything he wore.

He looked up at her
inquisitively, but she only smiled in return. He shoved his device into his back
pocket with a casual ease that made Reece chuckle. It was as if his body and
mind, as well as his clothes, were on Earth time now.

He approached her
and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Harrison is waiting for us. Apparently,
my good cousin, who finds excitement in everything, has planned a little street
race as our distraction.”

“Nice clothes,”
said Reece.

He stood back and
held out his arms. “You like them? I have a nice leather jacket, to go with it,
and a matching one for you.”

Wow!
Was all Reece thought, as she took in the perfection
of the strong man standing in front of her. The simple black t-shirt he wore
left nothing to the imagination of the sculpted muscles underneath it. Yet,
Reece’s eyes were drawn to his solid, muscular arms, and the beautiful olive
tone of his skin.

 “Mmm, you may not
blend in as well as you think,” she said, with a meaningful sideways look. His
cheeks reddened, and she laughed. “Okay, what has Harrison planned?”

“We will be coming
in through the vortex as secretly as possible. Harrison has arranged to have as
many cars there as possible to distract the Ciatron. Our vortex will open up to
a wooded location, the same location we were at when we left from the park.
It’s on these secluded highways that Harrison has planned the distraction. The
forest in this location will help keep our entering and leaving concealed. He
has spent the last three days in your friend Jack’s company, and Jack has
offered to let us use his car. Harrison felt it best to put you in a car from
Earth as quickly as possible. If his plan succeeds, the Ciatron will follow the
Pemdai car, and not Jack’s.”

Reece answered him,
shocked. “Jack is with him? Will he be okay? Will anyone be hurt by the
Ciatron?”

“No one will be
harmed. The Ciatron, like us, need to blend in with the crowd. They will have
no interest in harming anyone, except us. Now, Reece, the events that are about
to transpire are going to be very intense, and it is vital that you follow my
instructions without hesitation. Currently, the Ciatron are more interested in
the street race than the vortex. Once our car comes through, that will change.
They will be immediately alerted, and will pursue us.”

“Then what do we
do?”

“When we come out
of the vortex, we will drive to where Harrison awaits us in Jack’s car. He will
then drive us down to the race, and return for the Pemdai vehicle. The Ciatron,
who are constantly scanning through people’s minds, will most likely sense your
presence by recognizing the barrier in your mind. Harrison will drive his car
next to ours in the race. We believe the Ciatron will assume you’re in the
Pemdai car, and not Jack’s. With the Pemdai car next to Jack’s, they shouldn’t
question it. But in any case, Jack’s car will not be fast enough for me to
outrun them.”

“Do they have
special cars too?”

“No, but once they
see the Pemdai car, they will take a car that they believe will be fast enough
to follow it. They will move very swiftly, and Harrison and I must stay ahead
of their changing plans. I’ll be reading their minds, and finding ways to keep
us ahead of them. Harrison and I will be coordinating with each other mentally
as well. I need you to know in advance that I will seem extremely distant,
mentally. I won’t be able to talk much, or answer questions, after we start.”

“I don’t understand
why we would go in Jack’s car, though, if you just said it may not be fast
enough? What happens if it’s not?”

“Our plan is that
Harrison will lead them away from us in the Pemdai vehicle. We have another
vehicle, which you and I will be leaving Philadelphia in while the Ciatron
chase Harrison. Harrison and I have to keep Jack’s car ahead of them long
enough to confuse them.”

Reece shook her
head. “I hope this works. Street racing…really? Will you be okay driving Jack’s
car?”

 “After this
afternoon, you will find that I can maneuver all sorts of vehicles quite
efficiently.” He kissed her softly, and stared intently into her eyes. “We must
leave now, sweetheart. Remember, I’ll be in a different frame of mind from
here. From this point on, I need you to follow my every move.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He smiled and
kissed her. “I love you. From here on, I’ll be focusing on getting you safely
on that plane.”

“I’ll be focused on
not panicking.”

“Good; then we each
have our task.” They turned toward the car, and she walked around to get in. He
opened the door and smiled down at her. “You look beautiful, by the way.” He
winked. That would be the last personal response he gave her until they were
out of harm’s way.

Chapter 27

When Levi got into the car, his appearance reminded
Reece of the day she met him in the park; extremely reserved. He drove them out
onto the black highway toward the vortex. The car raced down the tree covered
highway, and before she knew it, there was a blinding flash of light, and they
were on Earth.

Levi turned the car
sharply up a trail into a forest of trees, where they found Jack’s Camaro
waiting for them, with Harrison in the driver’s seat. Reece was shocked to see
how different Earth was to her now. The colors were extremely dull, leaving the
vivid blue in Levi’s eyes as the only reminder of Pemdas.

“Reece, move
quickly. We have attracted the Ciatron; they are making their way here.”

Hastily, they got
out of the Pemdai car, and into the Camaro. Harrison stepped out, and helped
her into the backseat. She was thankful he had the heater on; she had forgotten
how cold it was in Philadelphia this time of year. She felt like she was going
into shock with all the drastic changes. She could not understand how Levi,
Harrison, and the rest of the Pemdai Guardians did this all the time.

She sat back in the
seat, feeling the adrenaline rush through her body. She took deep breaths, but
the air of Earth felt heavy, and only made her anxiety worse. She closed her
eyes, trying not to panic, and was thankful when Harrison teased her.

 “Reece, it is nice
to see you again! I believe you will enjoy the little welcome-back-to-Earth
party I have arranged. We’ll be joining them in about five minutes.” He smiled
at her in the rear view mirror.

She looked up at
his playful eyes. “Nice to see you, too, Harrison. I should have known you
would come up with something like this. Street racing? Lovely.” She chuckled,
but could not conceal the nervousness in her voice.

Harrison laughed in
return.

“So after you drop
us off, how do you plan to get back to the other car?” She asked, trying to
figure it all out.

“Reece, I have my
connections. I have a ride waiting for me even as we speak.”

  It seemed to be
less than five minutes before they joined streets filled with hundreds of cars,
and crowds of people.

  Reece sighed.
“How did you manage to arrange this forbidden turbo-charged competition
anyways?”

He smiled back at
her. “Have no worries, Reece, we won’t be detained by law enforcement today.”
He looked over at Levi. “You know where to go from here, correct? We are only
behind a couple of cars. Jack is arranging our race right now.” Levi nodded as
Harrison pulled the car in, and parked it alongside others.

 Reece understood
now why this was the perfect distraction. There were so many people and cars
everywhere that it was confusing to know what everyone was doing. She was glad
Levi knew what to do, because everything seemed so chaotic. People stood around
everywhere in groups, staring at cars, and then more gathered, where the cars
were racing.

 Levi and Harrison
opened their doors, and Harrison turned to help Reece out of the back seat.
Like Levi, he wore jeans and a t-shirt.

 Harrison grinned
mischievously. “This is where it gets fun. If we are going to have to outrun an
enemy, we might as well do it right, eh?”

Reece laughed
nervously. “I guess so.”

 “Now, go get in
the front seat; we need to get you out of here.”

Reece quickly
walked around the car, where Levi stood, holding her door open. Stopping to
speak to Harrison for only a moment, he swiftly came around and got into the
driver’s seat. Reece could not help but to smile at how excited Harrison was.
She shook her head as a group of girls approached him, and watched as he
indulged himself in the attention for a few moments, before disappearing
through the crowds.

Levi revved the
engine loudly. He pulled out into a small, open stretch of road, and lined up
behind two cars that were waiting to race. Reece looked over at him, wondering
what the next move was, and wondering if now would be the time to hold on.

 He was extremely
serious, and his eyes seemed to see more than just the cars in front of them.
When those cars sped away like bullets, Levi pulled up to the front, where an
annoyed-looking man stopped him at a certain point.

Must be mad
because we have no one to race? Where is Harrison? This isn’t going to work,
Reece thought as she turned to see if he was anywhere
around. There was no sight of the car.

Then, as if out of
nowhere, the black Pemdai car slid into its place beside them. Levi’s lips
turned up into a tiny smile. The crowd around both cars enlarged quickly as
people noticed the lustrous Pemdai car. The man in front of them was preparing
to signal their start. Reece braced herself. Levi’s attention shifted to his
rear view mirror.

He spoke in a very
low voice, almost to himself. “They are behind us. We need to leave now!”

With that, the man
waved them on. Levi responded immediately, and Reece found her head pressed
back against her head rest. She held tightly onto the door handle, and closed
her eyes. That turned out to be a bad decision; all it did was heighten the
sounds of the roaring car, and as they took tight turns, almost threw her into
Levi. She opened them instead, and tried to focus on the road before them.
Harrison’s car paced the Camaro. Reece could tell he was holding his powerful
car back, and wished she was in the faster Pemdai car at the moment. Levi
gripped the wheel tightly with one hand, and the other manipulated the speed of
the car while shifting its gears. His eyes, brighter than ever, repetitively
scanned the rearview mirror.

It was not long
before he spoke—quiet and low. “They’re with you, and we still have one with
us. I’ll do my best to lose them, but without enough speed, I may have to find
another way.”

The Camaro now tore
through an empty highway. Reece felt her weight constantly shifting in the car
as she tried to keep her balance.
I’m gonna be sore after this.
She
hoped she would be able to walk when she got out of the car. They turned onto a
private road that went up a hill. A car still followed them, and when Reece
looked to Levi for reassurance, she found none reflected on his dark face.

He reached over,
bracing her tightly, and turned the wheel hard. The car instantly spun around
and stopped. They sat, unmoving, in the middle of the empty road, facing
downhill, the way they just had come.

“Stay here,” Levi
ordered. “Remember what we talked about.” He got out and locked the car doors.
The oncoming car stopped about ten feet in front of him.

Reece’s heart
raced. Was Levi giving up?
Not possible
. The two front doors of the
other car opened, and two very tall men got out and swiftly approached Levi.

In a matter of
seconds, Levi had the first man on the ground. Then there was a bright flash,
and that man disappeared. The other one leaped onto Levi, got his arm around
Levi’s neck, and held something against it.
What?
Reece sat on her hands
to stop herself from jumping out of the car. But what could she do? She was a
moment away from opening the car door to create a distraction when Levi freed
himself. He swept one leg behind his captor, spun around, and he held him down
until another bright flash came, and the man vanished.