The Gatekeeper's House (30 page)

THE END

Please check out the other
books in the Gatekeeper’s Saga,
The
Gatekeeper’s Secret
(April 2014),
and
The Gatekeeper’s Promise
(November 1, 2014). Details can be found at
http://www.evapohler.com.

Meanwhile,
if you enjoyed The Gatekeeper’s Saga, you may also
enjoy The Custodian Novels by Alison Pensy (an excerpt
follows).

To seventeen-year-old
Faedra, faeries were nothing more than the figurines she collected
and displayed in her curio cabinet. Or so she
thought...

Excerpt from The Amulet
(Custodian Novel #1) FREE at all good ebook retailers.

CHAPTER ONE

This is no ordinary fairy-tale but I
shall start it just the same…

Once upon a time, eleven
years ago to be precise. In a land, oh, just around the corner,
lived a young girl called Faedra. Her mother and father doted on
her and at the tender age of just six years old she considered
herself to be the luckiest little girl alive. That was until her
world, suddenly and without warning, came crashing down around
her…

University Hospital,
Norwich, England.

Faedra sat in the cushioned hospital
chair that was positioned in the hallway just outside the room her
mother occupied. She could hear the voices inside the room behind
the closed door. One of them she recognized. It was the voice of
her father sounding much more anxious than usual, talking with
growing concern to whom she assumed was the doctor. The other voice
sounded like it was trying to remain calm, but she could sense that
bewilderment was bubbling just below the surface.

Her father, Henry, had told her to sit
outside for a moment while he talked to the doctor. She was trying
hard to block out the voices by concentrating on her feet that were
swinging nonchalantly below her, but try as she might she could
still hear every word they said.

“
There must be something you
can do?” Henry pleaded.

“
I’m so terribly sorry, Mr.
Bennett, but we have never seen anything like this before,” replied
the doctor.

“
Is there a
cure?”

The doctor’s voice rung heavily with
disappointment.” I wish I could tell you there was, but we have
tried everything we know and her organs are still shutting
down.”

“
Well, try something else!”
Henry raised his voice in frustration. “I can’t lose my wife, I
just… can’t.” His voice cracked.

“
Henry?” Faedra’s mother,
Lillith whispered.

“
I woke you sweetheart, I’m
sorry. What do you need?”

“
Don’t be angry with the
doctors, Henry. It’s not their fault.”

“
But there has to be
something more they can do…” he broke off.

“
Henry,” she paused. “I need
to see Faedra.”

Faedra’s head snapped to attention at
the mention of her name and her feet grew still. She wanted to jump
off the chair and run to her mother’s side that instant, but knew
that she should not have been listening to them in the first place.
So she waited patiently until she was called. After what seemed
like an eternity in Faedra’s undeveloped mind, the door clicked
open and her father stood in front of her and forced a
smile.

She looked up at her father and
examined his features. The kind brown eyes that she loved so much
looked back at her in agony. She could read the pain on his face
even though she knew he was trying so very hard to hide it from
her. At that moment she realized, with much sadness, that her
mother was not going to be with them for very much
longer.

Her father was tall, standing before
her, and he looked tired, exhausted in fact. His dark blonde hair
looked unkempt, and his usually clean-shaven profile was half
covered in a dark fuzzy overgrowth where he had not shaved for the
last couple of days since her mother had unexpectedly fallen ill.
He held out his hand for her.

“
Mummy is asking for you,
Princess.”

Faedra took hold of her father’s
offered hand and slid herself down off the chair. His hand felt
shaky, something she had not experienced whilst holding her daddy’s
hand before. It was always so strong, so sure. A sinking feeling
grew in Faedra’s stomach, and her heart started to quicken. She
stuck closely to her father’s side as he walked her into her
mother’s hospital room.

Lillith lay motionless in the big
mechanical bed that was tilted up at the back enabling her to sit
up. Faedra glanced at all the different kinds of monitors, wires,
and tubes that were hooked up to her mother, and then focused on
her mother’s face to try and escape the fear those things were
instilling in her. As she reached the bed Lillith held out her
hand, and Faedra took it as her father simultaneously dropped the
hand he was holding.

“
Faedra, my darling girl,”
Lillith cooed. “Now you need to be strong for Mummy and Daddy,
okay?”

“
Okay, Mummy,” Faedra
whispered.

“
I have something for you,”
she looked up at her husband. “Henry, could you please pass me that
bag?” She pointed to a small gift bag sitting on the table across
the room.

“
Now, this is a very special
gift and you must promise me that you will treasure it always,” she
told Faedra as she handed her the bag.

Faedra’s little hands could not open
the box inside the bag quick enough, but after a few moments, she
had pulled the wrapper off, and lifted the gift from it’s box with
care. Her eyes grew wide with wonder as she stared at her
present.

It was a figurine, standing about eight
inches tall. A beautiful fairy was sitting atop a majestic black
horse. The fairy had long red hair and silver wings flecked with
emerald green that stretched proudly out behind her. She was
wearing a blue skirt from which tiny bells hung. The horse was
black as midnight and regal in stature with a long thick mane and
tail adorned with silver stars.

“
Oh, Mummy, she’s so pretty.
What is her name?”

“
Her name is Arianne. I know
how much you love horses and you know how much I love fairies so I
thought this gift was perfect, it will always remind you of me.
You’ll keep her safe for me won’t you?”

“
I promise, Mummy. I will
look after her always.”

Lillith bent forward to kiss her
daughter on the forehead. Tears welled up in her eyes, she looked
up at her husband and mouthed for him to take Faedra away. At that
moment Henry knew he was losing his wife, and he swallowed hard,
biting back the tears that were searing behind his eyes as he took
hold of his daughter’s hand once more.

“
Mummy needs to sleep now,
Darling,” Lillith whispered, knowing it would be the last time she
saw her daughter.

“
Okay, Mummy, I love
you.”

“
I love you too, Darling.
Forever and ever.”

Court of the Light Fae, The
Land of Azran

The Guardian strode with purpose
through the magnificent double oak doors that led him into the
Great Hall of the king who reigned over the Light Fae in the Land
of Azran. The sword that hung from his waist swung with grace from
side to side with the momentum of his footsteps. He ran a hand
through his sleek blonde hair and looked around.

This hall never ceases to
make me feel humble
, he thought.

The ceiling towered many stories above
him, held up on either side by imposing stone pillars. The pillars
were intricately carved with the figures of various royalty and
nobility that had ruled this land throughout the ages. Stained
glass windows that stretched from half way up the walls to high
above depicted many scenes of nature from several different realms,
including The World of Men. The reason for those scenes was because
the fae controlled nature. In fact, it was their responsibility to
make sure that nature in all realms continued to thrive and to
sustain the inhabitants within them.

His eyes were diverted to the floating
chandeliers that lit the hall from above. The chandeliers followed
the movements of whoever occupied the cavernous room, lighting the
way for that person or persons wherever they should be within its
walls. The candles flickering behind the crystals created dancing
sparkles along the walls and the floor.

The Guardian smiled at the fae magic of
the light that showered him from above and then brought his focus
back to the unpleasant task at hand. He stepped up his pace for the
remainder of the way down the long stone floor leading up to the
throne where the king was seated.

The king, usually so stoic in his
demeanor, sat fidgeting with his robes as he waited impatiently for
The Guardian to reach him. Coming to a halt at the foot of the
steps upon which the thrones sat, the Guardian got down on one knee
and bowed his head.

“
Is it true?” the king
questioned abruptly.

“
Yes, Your Majesty,” the
Guardian replied, rising when the king requested he do so with a
gesture of his hand. He watched as the king’s eyes filled with
sadness.

“
When?”

“
Not more than one hour
prior, Your Majesty.”

“
And the amulet?”

“
Lillith passed the amulet
to Faedra before she died, Your Majesty.”

“
The child is but six years
of age,” the king stated with concern.

The Guardian could see the king’s face
tense with worry and attempted to calm him.

“
Sire, she is the next
legitimate Custodian. Lillith hid it within the figurine of a
fairy.”

“
Did she indeed?” the king
smiled. “I did always admire her resourcefulness.”

“
Yes, Sire.”

“
Do you have any further
information regarding why Lillith was on her way to see me when she
was intercepted?”

The Guardian hung his head. He was
assigned as Lillith’s guardian, but she had sent him on an errand.
The next thing he knew was that Redcaps had attacked her on her way
to the portal, and he had reached her too late.

“
No, Your Majesty. Nothing
new has presented itself thus far.”

“
You know what you must do
now.” It was more of a statement than a question.

The Guardian’s eyes shone with
confusion as he looked at the king.

“
But, Your Majesty, I have
failed both you and Lillith.”

“
Guardian, you are young.
This was your first assignment in the World of Men, and I paired
you with Lillith because she had much to teach you, not the other
way round. I have confidence that you have learned from this
unfortunate turn of events and will not let it happen again. Make
sure you do not fail little Faedra, she has much to learn, but it
will be a while before we have to cross that bridge. Her mother
should have been the one to teach her. That task, young Guardian,
now lies in your hands. Do not let me down.”

“
No, Sire. Thank you, Sire.”
He bowed his head and the king nodded his
acknowledgment.

The Bennett cottage,
Spixworth, England

Faedra sat on the swing in the back
garden, watching everyone coming and going from her vantage point.
Friends and relatives she recognized, and others she didn’t. It
seemed like an endless stream to her. They were all dressed in
similar clothing. Everyone wore black, and they looked like flies
buzzing in and out of her home.

It was the afternoon, and her father
was holding a wake for everyone who had attended the funeral
earlier that day. She had watched in tears as her mother was buried
that very morning at the local village church. Then the procession
had made its way back to her house, and people had been milling
about ever since. Some of them were crying. Others looked saddened.
To Faedra the whole thing seemed like a blur. She couldn’t quite
understand why her mother wasn’t coming back. Her father had told
her she had gone up to heaven to be with the angels, but that
didn’t make sense to her either. Why would Mummy rather be in
heaven with the angels instead of here with the people she
loved?

She watched almost hypnotically as a
well-meaning relative wandered over to where she was sitting on her
swing. It was a warm summer’s day and the sun shone in a cloudless
blue sky. Birds were taking a bath in the little birdbath her
mother had lovingly erected at some point in the past. She stared
at the birds for a moment remembering all the times she had sat
with her mother, and watched as they splashed around in the water.
Her mother loved the birds. In fact, her mother loved all of
nature, and had passed that love down to Faedra.

“
Hi, Faedra,” Uncle Leo
announced as he approached the swing.

She turned her attention to him for a
moment. Uncle Leo was her father’s brother, and her favorite uncle.
He didn’t look that dissimilar from her father especially as they
were both wearing a black suit that day, although he was a couple
of years younger. He also had kind eyes, a warm hazel brown, and
tousled dark blonde hair. He was not quite as tall as her father,
but about the same build. He kneeled down in front of her and took
hold of her hands.