Guardians of Rhea

The Guardians of Rhea

Published by Jose Rodriguez Jr at
Smashwords

Copyright 2010 Jose Rodriguez Jr

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CHAPTER ONE

In the hands of expert warriors, two wooden
staffs cracked properly can make a sound like distant thunder. When
Sara and Arthur fought, it sounded like a bad storm. Each circled
the other in a grassy arena surrounded by pillars, throwing
torrents of strikes that would have stung if they had found their
mark.

Arthur feinted, catching Sara off-guard and
making her pay with a whack to the back of her leg.

Grunting in pain, Sara dropped to one knee,
but quickly regained her composure.

Arthur held his staff in front of him. “This
isn’t a game, Sara.” His gray hair and short, white beard told his
age, but he was no slouch. He stood ready to attack or defend.

Sweat glistened on Sara’s peach skin as she
circled around. Her raven hair didn’t get in the way much as it was
straight and only went down to her neck.

“How do you expect to defeat the Rheans when
you fight like that?” Arthur asked.

Both were in athletic condition and wore a
similar formfitting uniform, basically a gray shirt, pants and a
sash. Their boots as well as some small, lightweight padding on
their arms and legs were a darker shade. From the amount of dirt on
them, they obviously had been dueling for quite a while.

“I thought this was practice. I don’t want to
hit you too hard,” Sara said.

“What’s the matter? Afraid you’ll anger
me?”

“No, it’s your old bones I’m worried
about.”

Arthur chuckled, twirling his staff in
circles around his body. “If you think you can handle this, then
come get it.”

Sara lunged forward and swung.

Arthur ducked just in time to hear and feel
the whoosh sound over his head, and barely had enough time to
counter the next attack that smashed against his staff. He
scrambled for some distance, but even in his great condition he
couldn't dodge like Sara. The only things he could count on were
experience and muscle memory.

Sara knew that and it made her press on with
everything she had, forcing Arthur back, deflecting anything he
could throw at her.

Defending as best he could, Arthur slowly
retreated from the arena and around several pillars.

Sara could tell he was getting desperate.
With a quick strafing maneuver, she swung low and swept him off his
feet.

Landing hard on his back, Arthur looked up in
astonishment and let out a long groan. “I’m either getting too old
or I’ve taught you too well.”

Sara held out her hand to help her teacher
up. “Maybe it’s both?”

Arthur painfully straightened his back out
and dusted himself off. “You’re a better fighter than most, Sara.
I’ve often worried about letting you go too early, but I think you
might be ready for your first assignment.”

“When, today?” Sara asked.

“Right after you’re knighted by the Consular.
Let’s get cleaned up.”

Sara and Arthur stepped out of the garden and
onto the streets of the city. It was crowded, but not to the point
where they had to shove their way through. Several people greeted
Sara as she passed by, especially the men.

“Where are we going?”

“I have to pick up Old Trusty,” Arthur
said.

As they waited for several horse drawn
carriages to pass, Arthur asked. “What did you have in mind for
your first assignment?”

“What do you mean?” Sara responded
curiously.

“I know there is an assignment you want more
than the others. Every Guardian has one. Which one do you want?”
Arthur asked, continuing down the street.

“I thought that was up to the Marshal.”

Arthur shook his head. “Don’t make me spell
it out. The last thing I or any Marshal wants is to give you a
first assignment you’re not comfortable with. So speak up.”

The thought of being able to pick her first
assignment got Sara so excited that she accidentally bumped into
someone. “Oh, sorry,” she said, then looking to Arthur. “Um,
actually I had been hoping to be assigned here in New Haven, just
to start out…”

“Don’t get carried away. It’s a courtesy –
not a promise. Your assignment can be changed at any time and for
any reason. Understand?”

“Yeah,” Sara said, worried that she may have
asked for too much.

“Don't worry, though. Hardly anyone is moved
these days, but if for some reason a situation arises you can
expect to be reassigned every few days.”

“Arthur!” A blacksmith called. “It's
done!”

Arthur walked over and shook hands.

“Here you go,” the blacksmith said, handing
over the equinox. “All done!”

Arthur took the elaborately etched two-foot
long wooden staff and pressed a hidden button to extend its
two-foot long, razor sharp, doubled edged blades from both
sides.

“Nice!” Sara said. “Can I get a custom
equinox?”

“If you can afford it,” Arthur grinned.

They walked for a few moments, heading back
to the Guardians' headquarters, the Citadel, minding the people and
the animals until Sara spoke. “Arthur, I know you’re only allowed
one student your first year as a Preceptor, but I know I’m not the
only Guardian-in-training. So am I going to graduate by
myself?”

“It looks that way. There are others, but
they’re not ready yet,” Arthur answered. “I think you learned fast
because you’ve been my only student. Next year I get a full
class.”

“Still, I feel a little weird being by
myself. Can’t I just wait and graduate with the others?”

“Normally you would, but because we’re a
little short on recruits we have to put you in the field as soon as
you’re ready. Be thankful for that! When I joined, they threw us
into the field because of all the fighting and my assignment was
once changed twice in one day.”

As they continued Sara tried to keep quiet
until her curiosity began to stir. “I’ve always wanted to ask you
something.”

“Go ahead.”

“I heard you once encountered a Vesuvian.
What was it like?”

Arthur’s pace slowed. “When I joined the
Guardians, I was about your age. At that time, the fighting was
winding down. Like most new Guardians, I thought the inhabitants of
this land were evil incarnate and it was my duty to stand against
them. On my first day, I was assigned to a wealthy nobleman and his
family needing an escort along the road between here and Genoa.
Halfway through our journey, a Vesuvian came from out of nowhere…”
Arthur stopped as he was suddenly hit with bad feelings and
memories of that day.

“What happened?” Sara anxiously asked.

Arthur explained. “He did exactly the things
you’ve read about, heard about. You think you’re prepared but when
you’re face-to-face with it…It’s completely different. After
knocking us around, slicing the nobleman’s head off and tearing my
partner’s heart out, he came right at me. I was already on the
ground with my equinox inches from my hand.”

Arthur rubbed his hand against his forehead
in wonder. “I just grabbed Old Trusty and swung it around into his
heart. And, right before my eyes, he burst into embers. Hell of a
sight I tell you. Never forget your training, what you’ve learned.
That’s the best advice I can give you.”

“It’s hard to imagine you scared,” Sara said.
“What about a Fenrir? Seen any of those?”

Arthur shook his head. “No, but I hear
they’re worse than Vesuvians.”

“How? From what I’ve learned, it seems like
they’re a lot easier to kill. With a Vesuvian, you never really
know what you’re up against until the last second. You’re not being
very encouraging.”

“Which is easier to kill is a matter of
opinion. As for not being encouraging, I won’t make it sound as if
you can fight these creatures with both hands tied behind your
back, or even one. But, just to give you some assurance, they’re
not impossible to beat, either. As long as you keep your wits
about, you shouldn’t have much difficulty dealing with the
Rheans.”

“I guess I have to wait till I run into one,”
Sara said. “Arthur, a minute ago you said you thought the Rheans
were evil. Do you really think that?”

Arthur thought for a moment. “If you ask me
now, I think I would have to say they were here first.”

CHAPTER TWO

Arthur examined his equinox as he and Sara
walked towards the Citadel. “Are you nervous?” he asked.

“Nervous? No,” Sara answered. “Just anxious
to get this over with. I can’t believe this is happening.”

Arthur laughed. “Me neither!”

“Hey!” Sara said nudging him with her
elbow.

“Sorry, but I can remember your first day of
training as if it were yesterday,” Arthur said. “You were so bold
and confident when you first stepped foot in that Citadel. By the
end of the day you were bleeding and could barely walk.”

“You have to give me a little credit. I was
half decent considering I was just a beginner and you had
what…twenty years of experience. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do
believe that sparring on your first day of training is not
required.”

Arthur shrugged. “What can I say? I had to do
something about that attitude of yours. Within a few days you
changed from an arrogant bull to a scared girl. And I must admit I
would have bet good money that you would quit. Then one day it was
as if something inside of you snapped. You were just different. You
had a lot more respect for the rules, your peers, and your
teacher.”

“I’ve always respected you!” Sara said,
though she knew Arthur knew otherwise, and his wide-eyed look
confirmed it. “Okay, maybe I didn’t at first, but I do now.”

Arthur slightly arched backward, holding his
sides. “If that were true, you wouldn’t have been so rough with me
this morning.”

“Hey, you told me…”

Arthur waved his hand. “I’m just pulling your
leg.”

A little boy suddenly ran up by Sara’s side.
“Hey, are you a Guardian? You have to be! When I grow up I want to
be a Guardian, too!”

Sara stopped and smiled thinly at the boy.
“What makes you think I’m a Guardian?”

“Well, you’re here, and you’re talking to
Arthur. Hey, Arthur!”

“Hello, Robert,” Arthur said.

Robert looked shyly at Sara. “Can I ask you
something?”

Confident she could answer any question, Sara
said, “Sure.”

“What’s the difference between a Rhean and a
Vesuvian?”

The answer was so easy Sara didn’t have to
think about it. “Vesuvians are one of several races that live here
in Rhea. When we speak of two or more of those races we call them
Rheans.”

Embarrassed, Robert blushed and chuckled with
his teeth clinched. “Oh…so they’re the same. Vesuvians, Fenrir,
Khothu…they’re all Rheans.”

“Don’t forget the Hegirans,” Arthur
added.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” Sara asked.

“This is our field trip!” Robert said
excitedly.

“You shouldn’t stray from your classmates.
You might get lost or worse. Hurry up and go find them.”

“I’m not worried. I’m surrounded by
Guardians,” Robert said. He darted off towards a group of kids
playing around.

Arthur shook his head. “Sara, let me give you
another good piece of advice. Don’t take being a Guardian so
seriously. Lighten up a little.”

“What do you mean by that?” Sara asked.

“Being a Guardian isn't exactly a way of
life, and at best we’re just a paramilitary organization, not some
secret society.”

“Don't you think it’s necessary to protect
what few secrets we have? I’ve studied our texts on the Rheans. We
know very little of their abilities and fighting tactics, and even
less of their culture or society.”

Arthur sighed. “Even so, we can’t close our
doors to our own people. Granted, we have secrets, but it’s
important for our people to see us and know that we’re here for
them. If they can’t see that, we’ll begin to look like the
Rheans.”

A glance at all of the people who had come to
visit the Guardians told Sara that Arthur was right. “I guess I
can’t argue with that,” she said. “Still, I’m worried about our
security. Any one of these people could be a spy, or worse, they
could be tortured to tell what they know. I mean…a field trip
inside the Citadel.”

“I think you worry too much.”

Sara and Arthur reached the front, wide-open
doors of the Citadel and continued inside.

“Then let me ask you this,” Sara began.