Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key (41 page)

Reece felt
strangely calm. In fact, as she stared into Movac’s black, almond eyes, she
felt an odd desire to withdraw from Levi’s tightened embrace and walk to her
enemy. He smiled down at her as Levi’s arm tightened even more around Reece.

“Step away from
her, now!” Levi commanded.

Movac smiled. “You
love this human. Ah, this is all the more interesting.”

Navarre interjected
from behind him. “Movac! Leave the woman, and my son, now! If you are to be
trusted, then why, may I ask, are you trying to persuade her to go with you?”

Movac turned to
face Navarre, releasing the mental hold he had over Reece. As he did, she felt
her panic return, and clung closer to Levi. She shook her head, trying to
figure out what had happened to her.

 “You may ask
nothing of me!” He turned to face the rest of the room. “Members of the
Unification, may I ask what your final word is on Emperor Navarre, and the rest
of the Guardians who have controlled our well-being in their own way for all
these years?”

Navarre stepped
back to Levi and Reece. He exchanged a glance with his son. Reece felt as
though they were losing any hope of coming to a resolution. There was no sign
of Harrison and the rest of the men, and she stood ready for whatever Levi led
them to do.

A young man who was
seated at the elevated table, one of the few in the room that looked human,
stood. “I see no reason to trust the Pemdai any longer. All these years, we
have believed they were protecting us, when in reality, they were limiting us.
Emperor Navarre, I may speak only for myself and my land, but we do not need
the Pemdai to have any say over what we seek out of Earth. You have used the
power we have given the Guardians to break the treaty, and bring the Key to the
stone into your own world. I believe the woman should be taken from them and
kept on Earth, where she belongs.” He finished and resumed his seat.

Another stood. “I
agree with Lucas! I, too, have underestimated the control we have given to one
world, by allowing them to rule over a land that is not theirs. The woman must
be returned to Earth.”

The one with the
dragon-like face stood. “Let the Council know, and understand, that the removal
of the woman from her place on Earth is a direct violation of the Xylander
treaty, signed after the great battle. As such, this Council is justified in
whatever retribution they so choose.”

Others in the room
eventually stood and agreed, leaving Navarre helpless.

Movac turned around
and smiled. “I agree, as well. By breaking the treaty, these Pemdai have
overstepped their boundaries as Guardians. I will insist upon a punishment for
them, and for all of the inhabitants of Pemdas.”

Navarre remained
silent as the room proceeded to discuss the punishment. One stood. “There can
be no greater punishment than to require them to stay upon their own soil,
never to return to Earth.” The room agreed in unison.

Reece realized it
had all been decided before they even entered the room. She felt sick. Levi
stood as still as a statue, and Navarre stepped forward to say, “You all have
been gravely misled. I am sorry for your ignorance.”

 Movac looked back
toward where Levi and Reece stood, and nodded.

Instantly, Reece
was removed from Levi’s grip. Two beings held her, one on each side. They were
not the Ciatron, but very tall, slender, orange beings with elongated heads.
Levi had three dragon-faced beings attempting to restrain him as he fought
violently to free himself. It took another three combatants to finally
overpower and restrain him.

Tears welled up in
Reece’s eyes as she watched him in this vulnerable state. She turned to see
what had become of Navarre. She was surprised to see him standing there,
unrestrained. His eyes began to brighten as he stared at his son, who was being
held up against a wall. Levi’s enraged expression began to fade, and his eyes became
vivid as well.

Navarre turned and
addressed Movac. “Release my son, now!”

Movac laughed.
“Navarre, have you not been listening to anything? We will no longer live under
the Pemdai Guardians. Your son will be released when you both are returned to your
land for confinement.”

Navarre turned back
to Levi, and continued to stare deeply into his eyes. Levi’s eyes closed and he
exhaled. Were they defeated? Reece felt the room spinning around her. She could
not remember how to breathe. A black blur came over her vision; the voices of
the council members rang in her ears, and she began to lose consciousness. It
was over. She no longer felt her heart beating, and no longer felt her legs
beneath her, as she drifted off.

As she lost
consciousness, her mind began to display comforting images of Levi and the
safety he had provided for her…

All of her memories
of their time together flashed rapidly through her mind—every moment they had
shared, from her first sight of him in Philadelphia, to the present day.

She remembered his
words on the airplane from earlier that morning when he told her, “I have my
own plans, if theirs fail. I love you Reece. I will protect you. Do you trust
that I will?” The words echoed in her head. “Do you trust that I will?”

Reece slowly came
to, only to see Levi being dragged toward the front of the room, as the Ciatron
leader approached him. Navarre stood captive between two Ciatron beings.

She could not bear
to witness this, but she knew that neither Levi, nor Navarre, would let it end
like this. She knew they had the power and superior strength to free them
somehow.

Just then, the two
doors in the front, and the two doors in the back of the council chamber opened
simultaneously, and in charged countless Pemdai warriors.

The warriors parted
as Samuel and Harrison entered, followed by even more Guardians. For the first
time, Harrison looked fearsome and ready for war. When he looked at Reece, his
face was rigid and dark with fury. “It would be wise to release this
woman…now!” He demanded. He stepped forward, and in a seemingly effortless
array of movements, put one of her captors on the floor, and restrained the
other. Harrison moved so rapidly, that Reece couldn’t figure out what he had
done to send the second captor to the ground, writhing in pain. Harrison
offered Reece his left arm, and she took it.

Everyone in the
room appeared to be frozen, except for the Pemdai warriors who swiftly secured
the room. Levi and Navarre were released. The room was silent. Their accusers
were at a loss for words as they found themselves surrounded; their lives
subject to Navarre’s next command.

Navarre’s voice
broke the silence. “It is no mystery, now, that you all sit in this room at my
mercy.” He made his way to the center of the room. “If I were the untrustworthy
man you believe me to be, answer me now; why should I not take action against
all of you this instant?” He walked down through the tables. “Do I not have
every right? All of you insult me with your foolish accusations, and threaten
to exile me and enslave my people to our land?”

The Ciatron leader
stood silent as Navarre continued to question them. “I may forgive your
ignorance, but I will not forget your foolishness! Everyone in this room has
proven to me they can never be trusted!”

The same young
human-looking man that spoke earlier, stood. “Emperor Navarre, you must be
reasonable. Regardless of whether or not you allow us to live, or by your
authority, we perish; if you leave this room with anything less than an
agreement with this Council, you will have signed a declaration of war, and
subsequent extinction of your people.”

Navarre turned with
fury. “You speak of declarations of war, Lucas…after you enslaved thousands of
my men? You speak of agreements with the Council, after you lured me here by a
plan of entrapment? Know this! Pemdai are ruled by no council. The Pemdai are
ruled by honor and duty. We will defend our lives, the lives of those on Earth,
and the lives represented by every member of this Council. If you view this as
a declaration of war, then so be it! Let me remind you, the treaty was that the
stone was to remain on Earth. It mentioned nothing of the Key. We leave this
Council by the treaty, justified in our actions! I came here today only to
gather what is mine, and to return to my land with the Key, which was entrusted
to us by your ancestors. We will defend her with our lives. If you seek her, be
ready to exchange her life for your own, for that will be the cost. The Key
will reside in Pemdas; if you seek to pursue it, then you shall bleed on our
soil, as we have bled on yours for thousands of years while defending it. If
you decide to question this plan of action, then maybe you should question the
one who deceived you all to begin with.” He glanced darkly at Movac.

Navarre turned to
leave, when a voice of reason spoke out. “Emperor Navarre, if I may have one
last word before you leave us on these terms.”

Navarre stopped and
turned back to face the council.

 “Your Excellency,”
the voice continued. “You have reminded me of the legends told to me as a
child. Legends that spoke of the bravery and sacrifice your people have endured
for us all. It shames me greatly, that this Council, in its lack of wisdom, has
forgotten that history lesson. Trust is not given, trust is earned. And the
Pemdai have earned the trust of all worlds, time and time again. Never before
has this Council parted without a unified directive. Therefore, I ask that all
members present stand in support of Emperor Navarre’s declaration to return the
Key to the protection of Pemdas. I ask not that you blindly give your trust to
the Guardians, but that you simply remember who they are, and respect their
resolve.”

As the Council
stood in unison, Navarre acknowledged their concession with a nod, and a sent
silent command to Samuel. At Samuel’s word, the Guardians stood down, and fell
into formation behind him and their leader, as he exited the council chambers.

Chapter
30

As the Guardians followed Navarre and Samuel out
through the doors, Reece saw Levi quickly making his way over to them. Without
hesitation, she walked briskly toward him, and they collided into a powerful
embrace. Reece buried her face into Levi’s neck, and sighed with contentment.

Levi’s lips brushed
along the side of her cheek as he brought one hand up to tenderly caress the
back of her neck. “It is over, sweetheart.” He said softly.

She closed her
eyes, and relaxed further into his sturdy embrace. She tightened her arms
around his slender waist, grateful she was safely in his arms again. She felt
Levi rest his chin on the top of her head as his hands tenderly caressed up her
back.

He slowly withdrew,
and stared deeply into her eyes, “Let’s get you out of here.” He said as he
drew her arm up into his.

Levi escorted Reece
toward the doors where they met Harrison. As the three of them followed the
last of the warriors making their way out of the room, Levi reached over to
Reece and plucked the translators from her temples.

Reece glanced back
at the room. The council members were not speaking to one another, but were
making their ways out of front doors to the room. The entire atmosphere of the
room had changed; instead of the thick, condemning pressure from earlier,
humility reigned.

As they exited the
castle, the Guardians filed down the countless stone steps, while Levi led
Reece and Harrison to the edge of the balcony, where Navarre and Samuel stood.

Reece could not
believe her eyes when she saw what awaited them. The balcony overlooked acres
upon acres of flat, neatly trimmed grass, surrounded by a stone wall. She stood
in awe of all the space crafts, which were being boarded by the council
members, waiting to travel back to their own dimensions. Some of the crafts
glowed, and then quickly disappeared, without ever moving. Four triangular
ships rose simultaneously from the ground, and sped off sideways before they
vanished. One by one, she watched the different shaped vessels disappear.

She watched Movac,
who was trailed by about twenty of his men, as he walked up onto a platform,
and into a large, round spaceship.

 “Have we lost any
men?” Navarre asked while staring intently at Movac’s ship.

“We were fortunate
to not lose any of our men, Emperor. We have had only four wounded, and they
have already been taken back to Pemdas.” Samuel answered.

“I wonder,” said
Harrison, “is this the same triumphant feeling that the Ancient Guardians
experienced after they defeated the Ciatron? Because I must say, there is
nothing more enjoyable than watching Movac get up into that ridiculous craft
with the knowledge that all of his scheming was for nothing. Now, he must
return to his lands, and hope that the leaders in the Council today did not
recognize his true motive!” He laughed. “Once again, The Pemdai have sent the
Ciatron home wondering if all the worlds will choose to unite against them.”

Navarre continued
to stare straight ahead as he answered him. “Indeed, I believe that the
feelings of victory felt by our ancestors were the same as what we are feeling
at this moment.”