Guardians of Rhea (8 page)

Denzso sighed. “Tomorrow we have Khothu and
Hegiran representatives meeting with us to discuss our options on
how to deal with the invasion.”

“Excuse me,” Sara interrupted. “I understand
the concern for your afterlife, but how does it affect you here,
now? Aren't your dead capable of fending for themselves? There must
be countless Rheans who've passed over. I'm sure if they joined
forces-”

“It's a little more complicated than that,”
Leon said.

Alexia spoke. “When we cross over, we become
immortal, however, we lose our inherent abilities. With the
invasion of the Pelasgians, many are being driven to portals that
lead back to Rhea. Our dead can only exist for several days here
before they completely decay, and reemerge in the Netherworld. It
is only a matter of time before the Pelasgians begin to overrun
them and we're stuck with a refugee crisis we can't handle.”

Sara asked. “Not to sound heartless, but if
push comes to shove, can't you close the portals?”

“No,” Alexia answered. “The ruler of the
Netherworld, Lilith, opened them. She is the only one who can close
them. Aside from that, it's very much in our best interests to help
Lilith.”

“Where do the humans stand?” Denzso
asked.

“My people need me to verify all of this and
for the time being have extended an offer of truce,” Sara said.

Denzso laughed. “I suppose it'll take nothing
less than seeing the Shadow Realm for yourself?”

“It'd certainly help.”

“You're tired, Sara,” Helen said. “Perhaps
after some rest, you can join us tomorrow with the Khothu and the
Hegiran. Maybe with some input from them you won't have to
undertake such a dangerous quest.”

Sara wasn't about to argue with a mind
reader. 'Tired' was an understatement. She couldn’t stop thinking
about a bed. “I can't wait to see my room.”

“Stay with Leon,” Jaren said. “Word of your
arrival has already spread throughout the city. You'll be safest
with him. As unfortunate as it is, there are certain individuals
who may find the smell of human blood irresistible.”

“Aye,” Gavin said. “They'll think twice
before messin’ with Leon.”

Denzso stood. “This meeting is adjourned,
then. Leon, we'll send for you and Sara tomorrow.”

“I've got a guest room you can use.” Leon
said to Sara.

“So where's your place at?” Sara asked, as
they exited the building.

“Just down the street, this way,” Leon said,
leading on.

There came a point during the short walk when
they came to a small clearing with a house sitting on a hill. It
was extremely odd because it seemed out of place with so many huge
buildings surrounding it.

“That's your house?” Sara asked.

“Sure is,” Leon said. “It's been a long time
since I've had any guests.”

When they entered, Leon placed his sword with
others just like it on a wall.

Among the swords, Sara noticed several dozen
small glaives with the blades retracted.

“The guest room is upstairs, down the hall,
on the left,” Leon said, lying down on a couch. “Have a good
night.”

Sara started up the stairs. “See you
tomorrow.” In the guest room, she placed her items on a dresser
before sliding into bed and falling into a deep sleep.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The next day, Sara woke thinking at first
she'd slept only a few hours. It took a second for her to remember
no sunlight touched the city. Light coming through the window was
much the same as the day before.

After a quick wash, Sara grabbed her stuff
and made haste down the stairs to find Leon filling a tiny
reservoir in a glaive with his blood, and speaking with a woman
dressed in clothes that almost revealed too much.

“I...hope I'm not interrupting,” Sara
said.

“Sara, this is my friend, Caycee.” Leon said,
attaching the blood glaive to the clothing on his torso.

“Hello.” Caycee waved.

“Let me guess, Kanara?” Sara asked.

“Siena,” Caycee corrected.

“Not bad,” Leon said. “The power of the Siena
and Kanara both come from the mind, but the Siena have a very
special gift. Call it intuition, or foresight.”

“If you ever lose anything, or want your
fortune read, just see me.” Caycee said.

“You can see the future?” Sara asked.

There was a short pause as Caycee tried to
think of a way to explain. Nervously interlocking her hands, she
said. “Well, not yet, but I can tell you how I feel.”

“She gives
very
good advice,” Leon
clarified.

“What did you get from them?” asked Sara.

“The Siena? You could call it a sixth sense.
It made me a little paranoid at first, but eventually I got use to
it. Now, it's more like what you would call a gut feeling.”

Sara then asked. “What about that woman with
the red dye in her hair?”

“Alexia,” Leon said. “All of the Doran are
born with streaks of red in their hair. It probably has something
to do with their power over blood.”

“And Marus?”

Caycee answered. “You can thank the Turin for
the perpetual cloud over the city. And if you think they overdress
then you should see their section of the city – completely covered
in fog so thick you can't see ten feet in front of you. They’re
insanely paranoid about the sun.”

Just then there was a knock at the door.

“It's open!” Leon said.

A Vesuvian stepped in. “The Council wants to
see you.”

Leon looked at Sara. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Sara answered.

At the Council's table, for the first time,
Sara saw a Khothu and Hegiran, two of each in fact. Both were just
as the descriptions she had read.

The Khothu were lizard people with skin
similar to humans, but with small scales on various parts of their
bodies. Both wore medieval-style clothing with some leather armor
and a mask pulled back over their heads. The blue male, Gillan, sat
as he casually spun a sai in one hand. Next to him was Kamala, a
female with green scales and two short battle-axes holstered to her
waist.

The Hegiran was in fact made of two races:
the Anubians and the Persians. Nedim, a tall, lanky Anubian male
had grayish skin. He was sparsely decorated in gold, light armor on
top of white tattered clothing wrapped around his body. His only
weapon, at his side was a long knife.

The female Persian was Janah, a sultry
humanoid feline with even skimpier clothing than Caycee. As far as
felines went, her 'pattern' was like that of a cheetah. She was
armed with two short swords holstered across her back.

“Kamala, have your people had any problems
with the invasion?” Alexia asked.

“Nothing too bad yet,” Kamala answered.
“We've had some of our undead seeking temporary shelter. With the
loss of their ability to control the elements, they don't have much
to fight against the Pelasgians.”

“The weapons we do carry are meant to be
secondary to our powers,” Gillan added.

“It's a similar story with us,” Nedim said.
“While we can equip those who've crossed over, a sword in the hands
of one who's only known the power of the cosmos isn't much
help.”

“That's speaking for the Anubians, of
course,” Janah said. “Aside from the Prometheans, the Fenrir and
your Turin, the Persians can hold their own.”

Alexia stood and began to walk around the
table. “I guess the most important question to ask is why would the
Pelasgians invade the Netherworld? We all know that many years ago
they threatened us directly, and we managed to stop them.”

“It makes no sense,” said Nedim. “A war with
the Netherworld seems pointless. Logic suggests the Pelasgians
would eventually lose by attrition.”

Kamala spoke. “But the number of Pelasgians
is enough to occupy the Netherworld for a long time. That kind of
pressure is going to cause a lot of refugees to keep pouring into
Rhea.”

Gillan crossed his arms. “I don't see the big
deal. If we beat them before, we should be able to stop them
again.”

Janah slammed her fists on the table and
stood. “Why does everyone say 'we stopped the Pelasgians'?”

“Janah, please,” Nedim pleaded.

“No! Everyone knows the Pelasgians stopped
because they stopped. Why? That's what worries me. And now, they're
coming at us again when we're even more helpless!”

The room fell silent. Sara felt the hairs on
the back of her neck sticking straight out.

“Janah speaks the truth,” Alexia said.

Gillan cleared his throat. “So who's the
human, if I may ask?”

“I'm Sara,” she answered.

Alexia stood by Sara. “The humans possess a
vast number of skilled warriors which may prove vital to our
survival. Like it or not, we need their help.”

Denzso slumped in his chair and sighed.
“Still want to see the Shadow Realm, Sara?”

With both hands flat on the table and eyes
darting back and forth, Sara explained. “Okay, look...it's not that
I don't believe you, but...I...there's no way I can just go back
and tell my leaders that I
think
you're telling the truth. I
have to go back completely sure.”

“Very well,” Denzso said. “There's a portal
in the ruins of the Promethean capital. That's the only way.”

“I'll take her,” Leon said.

“Do you require an escort?” Marus asked.

“No, an escort from you is like a legion.
Fewer people will have an easier time getting in and out
unnoticed.”

Kamala stood. “Leon. Gillan and I would like
to join you.”

“And we as well,” Nedim said.

Leon thought for a moment. “If you're
absolutely sure about this, pack your bags. We leave
immediately.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The group stepped out of a tower at the edge
of the city.

Leon gathered everyone's attention. “There's
an underground passage through the Southern Mountains. I'll lead
the way.”

Walking with Nedim, Sara asked. “So how did
the Persians and Anubians come together?”

“It was during the Ancient War,” Nedim began.
“Long before the Pelasgians ever stepped foot on Rhea. In that
time, the other races were more powerful than either of us. My
people and the Persians realized the only way to survive was to
join forces. That's how Hegira was formed.”

“Leon said Rhea united when the Pelasgians
invaded.”

“That was only temporary,” Nedim said. “It'll
probably be the same thing this time too.”

Several yards ahead, Leon and Janah led the
way.

“We both know the dangers involved,” Leon
said.

“That's why I volunteered,” Janah said. “You
always get the exciting stuff.”

“Janah, you've never even seen a Pelasgian,
and I'll tell you right now, there's nothing exciting about
them.”

Janah's grinned. “To be honest, as nervous as
I am, I've always wanted to kill one.”

Leon laughed. “You're a great fighter, Janah.
I'll give you that, but don't underestimate the Pelasgians.”

“Sara just needs to see the Shadow Realm,
right? Avoiding any Pelasgian should be no problem. One step in,
one step out.”

“Well, my friend let me tell you from
experience –it's never that easy. Plans never go according to
plan.”

“Then I have to ask. What kind of trouble do
you think we can expect?”

“I could ask you the same,” Leon said. “Go
ahead and try to think the worse and I bet you it'll be a lot
worse.

Kamala and Gillan were only a few feet behind
Sara and Nedim.

“So, Sara, you're a Guardian?” Gillan asked.
“I've heard stories of your fighting prowess.”

Sara cocked an eyebrow. “I see my reputation
precedes me.”

“I'm sure!” Gillan laughed.

“We've all heard of how cunning the Guardians
can be,” Kamala said. “There are stories of how a small group of
you once disguised yourselves and spied on us for several days.
That’s why no one is allowed to wear their mask in the city
anymore.”

Sara was stunned. “Really? I never heard of
any assignment like that. Did you catch them?”

“No, they escaped, or that’s what they say. I
don't know how we would survive without our ability to control the
elements.”

“Can I see that?” Sara asked.

Slowing her pace, Kamala looked to the
ground. With a wave of her hand, a melon-sized rock quickly floated
over and hovered in mid-air just in front of her. “My caste, the
Komodo, can control the earth.”

“I've heard.” Sara said. “The Typhon can
control fire. The Draco, air. And the Leviathan-”

“Water,” Gillan said, forming a perfect,
floating sphere of water in the palm of his hand.

Sara looked in awe. “Wait a minute. Where did
that water come from? I thought you had to be within a certain
distance.”

“Believe it or not, it's in the air all
around you,” Gillan said. “In small amounts, of course.”

“Well, good to know dehydration won't be a
problem,” Sara said, opening her canteen and holding it out for
Gillan to place the water in.

Kamala cast the rock aside. “Of course, we
have limits. Much like the Vesuvians, our level of control depends
on the amount of practice.”

“At least you don't need to drink blood,”
Sara said.

Kamala and Gillan cringed at the thought.

The group passed the boundary of the city.
Several yards away was an outcrop of boulders surrounding the
entrance to an underground tunnel.

“Oy!” A Vesuvian cried out, running towards
the group with Caycee right behind him.

“Darek?!” Leon said. “What are you
doing?”

“We're coming with, lad,” Darek answered.

Caycee was a little bit more dressed up,
armed with a bow and arrows, and a rapier.

“I never would have figured you for an
archer.” Sara said passively.

Caycee held her arms out and bowed. “In case
you haven't heard, the Siena are the greatest archers in the
world.”