Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key (8 page)

Levi nodded,
“Unfortunately, yes.”

Reece drew her
knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “It’s all kind of stupid if you ask
me.”

Levi looked at
Reece in confusion. “I am not sure I follow you?”

Reece laughed.
“Finally! Now you know how I’ve been feeling for the last couple of hours.”

“Reece—” Levi
looked at her with remorse.

She
arched her brow, challenging him with a proud grin.
Got him!
Levi’s eyes
suddenly changed. They glistened with humor while his lips curved up slightly,
leaving Reece momentarily stunned by the beauty of his perfect face. Her breath
caught, and soon after, she felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, instantly
betraying her. She had no other option but to look away and regain control of her
emotions.
Perfect, Reece! Now you really look like an idiot.
She
demanded herself to pull it together. Strikingly handsome or not, she could not
allow herself to be captivated by the man.

When Reece brought
her attention back to him, she noticed he had returned his gaze out to the
water in front of them.
Nice job, Reece, way to make an unnecessarily
awkward moment for both of you.

It was up to her to
break the silence. “You may not agree with me, but if you think about it, it
was kind of stupid for Paul Xylander to create the map. I mean, why would he do
something like that? Why would he leave something so powerful, vulnerable? It
doesn’t make sense to me that he would hide it away, and then leave the
possibility of it being found again. From what you’ve told me about him, the
guy seemed smart, but I’d have to argue with his intelligence about creating
the map.” Reece stated confidently.

Levi looked at her
and answered her directly, “He was not sure if the stone’s powers would ever be
needed again. He and my ancestors feared that there might possibly be a day
when the Ciatron would return, and find some other way to do damage or control
the Earth. The map to the stone was fashioned to protect Earth, should another
Ciatron invasion would arise.”

“And if that day
should happen to come—you guys would have to kill me and scrape my mind, or
whatever, to get the information?” She stared at him suspiciously.

Levi’s expression
went quickly from appalled to saddened by her remark. “Reece, please
understand, the Pemdai would never attempt such a thing! Not for any reason
whatsoever. “There are other ways of retrieving the information without causing
you harm. However, your mind must let its defenses down in order for that to
happen.”

“Well, how do I do
that? Maybe if I can get you guys the information, you can take control, and I
can go home.”

Levi chuckled.
“Miss Bryant, I understand this is difficult for you; however, it is more
complicated than that. But with what I have told you, I do hope you have
developed a better understanding of who you are, and why you are here.”

Reece’s mouth
twisted. Oddly enough, it made sense to her. Part of her was starting to accept
what he said, although she still didn’t understand all of it. A thought came to
her. “Why are the Ciatron only now trying to get to me? I mean, I’ve been alive
for over 24 years now, and I’ve never been noticed by them before. Why did they
suddenly take an interest in me?”

“I must admit,
that’s partially our fault. We were watching you a little too closely. The
Ciatron were watching us, and...”

Reece
looked at him quizzically. “Exactly how close were you guys following me?”

“Never closely
enough to intrude upon your privacy; although, in the last week or so, we may
have seemed to do so. We were forced into the open when the Ciatron tried to
carry an entire aircraft into their dimension.”

  “That’s why you
guys were on the airplane, and everything was so…weird?”

“Yes. We were
keeping a closer watch on you then. We had just been informed that the Ciatron
were planning your abduction. If we’d not been alerted to that, we would have
simply made sure you got safely on the aircraft, and other Guardians would have
been waiting to watch over you in San Diego. With the threat of the Ciatron, we
could not allow you out of our sight for that amount of time, and definitely
not aboard a vessel that is so easily transported into other dimensions.”

Reece stared at him
in concentration. “What really happened on the plane? Why didn’t anyone else
notice it but me?”

“We have tools–devices
to alter what seems real to other minds. Due to the defensive barrier within
your mind, none of our devices work on you. That’s why you were aware of
everything, while those around you were not. If they had been, we would have
had the entire aircraft in disarray.”

“And the bright
flashes of lights?”

Levi nodded. “The
bright lights were a result of us removing the two Ciatron men–the ones dressed
as pilots– and sending them back to their dimension.”

  “And then
today…how did you know about the park? How did you find me there?”

Levi’s lips turned
up slightly. “We always know where you are, Reece. But to be aware of the
danger you were to possibly face? That information was revealed to us by the
presence of the Ciatron in your room the night before. They had many plans to
gain access to you while you were alone, one of which you discovered this
morning. They followed you to the park; they tried to throw us off by hiring
two human men to capture you, instead of doing it themselves. They used other
Ciatron invaders to distract us. Initially, their plan worked, and that was why
I was almost too late getting to you. They knew we were focused on one
particular threat, and that we were not considering any human danger. It was
when we realized they were being too obvious with their distractions that
something was not right.”

“Yeah, that was
pretty terrifying.” She shuddered at the memory.

 “We should have
never let it go that far; however, I’m grateful that you’re here now, safe.”

Levi studied her,
and this time, Reece didn’t let it affect her thought process. Instead, she
studied him as well. Something was very unique about the man’s deep set,
sapphire-blue eyes. Her eyes moved over his face. It was agonizingly perfect.
His olive-toned complexion was flawless; a feint shadow highlighted his high
cheekbones, and gave a perfect definition to his chiseled jaw line. The
stunning beauty of the man was overwhelming. For one who never really judged
people by their appearance, Reece found herself judging him. There was
something, not so entirely normal about his appearance. Something…not so human.
Her emotions had never once played victim to a man’s appearance before. It was
bothering her that this was happening with him, and happening at a time when
she needed to remain undistracted.

  “So,” She
continued studying his face, “the Ciatron are aliens? So what does that make
you?”

He smiled wryly.
“Given that we are not native to Earth, we, too, can be considered
extra-terrestrial beings.”

Reece shook her
head, and Levi laughed. “Reece, we are flesh and blood, just as you are. The
only difference between a human being and a Pemdai being is the way our minds
work. We have complete control over our minds, and we utilize it to our
advantage. For example, if faced with pain, I can shut of the pain receptors in
my body so I can no longer feel that pain. Our talents go far beyond that, but
for now, I think that is a fair enough explanation.” He looked at her
hopefully.

Reece smiled and
shrugged her shoulders with disbelief and amusement. “Oh, yes, fair enough. So–you’re
all just a race of super-humans. That’s no big deal.”

Levi tilted his
head, and grinned at her. “If that is what helps you to understand us, then
yes, super-humans.”

“And the telepathic
thing, part of the super-human stuff?”

“Yes.”

Reece bit her lip
in concentration, trying to think of more things he could be capable of, when
Levi stood abruptly and reached his arm out to her.

He smiled
sympathetically at her. “I’m sure I have probably given you more than enough
information for you to absorb for now. I know this has been quite a stressful
day for you, and I would be happy to answer any further questions you might
have; but for now, I believe it would benefit you more to relax and freshen up.
Allow me to escort you back to the house.”

Reece, reminded of
her appearance earlier in the bathroom, couldn’t agree more. For the first
time, since she met the man, she truly did appreciate his concern for her. She
placed her delicate hand in his sturdy palm, and rose up. They began slowly
toward the Palace.

“My mother has a
special room prepared for you,” said Levi. “She has already made plans to
escort you down to dinner tonight. I hope this will be agreeable?”

Reece looked up and
smiled back at him. She couldn’t help but find his old-fashioned manners
attractive. “I believe it will agree with me, and I thank you for your
concern.”

Levi smirked. “Then
please allow me to escort you to your room.”

Chapter 6

T
he room that was set aside for Reece was astounding. For one thing, it
was enormous! And it had doors that seemed to lead to other rooms—a suite of
rooms, probably, since this one was set up as a sitting room, not a bedroom.

Levi’s features
lightened with amusement at her surprise. He had guided her here himself,
rather than ask a servant to do so.
Maybe so he could watch the country
cousin’s reaction,
she thought. She hated to admit it, but she felt
intimidated. “Levi…um…”

“Reece, this room
has been arranged and prepared for you by my mother. It may be, perhaps, more
than one person requires. However, when accommodating guests, she spares no
detail or comfort, and any attempt to dissuade her from this extravagance will
fall upon deaf ears.”

Reece could not
help but smile back at his grin. She could tell he was restraining laughter.
“Are all the rooms this big?”

“Most are, yes.
Some are bigger. We have many close friends and relatives living throughout
Pemdas. We enjoy providing them all of the comforts of their own home while
they visit us, sometimes for months at a time.”

Reece nodded her
head. “Well…I suppose I can get used to this. Maybe too used to it. I mean,
staying here is probably going to make it difficult when I have to go back to
my two-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia.” She laughed.

“You will also have
one of my mother’s maidens to attend you. I suppose she will help you find your
way around your chambers as well,” he added. He pressed his lips together in a
fine line, preventing them from turning up into a smile.

Reece squinted at
him, feigning suspicion, and Levi laughed aloud.

She lifted her
chin. “This is all very amusing for you.”

Levi shook his
head. “Please, forgive me. I, in no way, intended to make light of your
situation amongst us. I believe my mother would punish me severely, if she knew
I had welcomed you to your room in this manner.” As hard as he tried to pull
all humor from his face, he did not succeed.

Reece laughed in
return. “Don’t worry about it; I’ll be fine.”

Levi became more
serious. “Once you are ready, my mother will be here to escort you to dinner. I
shall see you then. If there is anything extra that you require, the maiden
will be able to assist you, or to fetch one of us, if need be.” He nodded
respectfully to her and made his exit.

Reece watched him
leave. She was finding him more and more interesting.

She turned back to
the exceptional room that awaited her. Square columns framed the entry hall and
the living room area. A warm, honey-toned color filled the walls, giving the
room a more intimate feel. At first glance, Reece was truly overwhelmed by the
sight of the room before her.

The
furniture was lavish, as all the furniture she’d been witnessing in this palace
was. However, it was the way the room was arranged that allowed for a more
intimate feel, leaving Reece less intimidated to be in it. A long sofa with
matching chairs had been arranged in front of a fireplace. The sofa and
matching elegant chairs were upholstered with silk-like fabric, cream in color,
and outlined in a darkly-polished, ornately-carved wood. The furniture was so
rich and exquisite, she was afraid to touch it.

Rich ornaments of
vases and sculptures were subtly placed on free-standing marble topped tables
throughout. Four large arcaded windows were adorned with a rich silk fabric, and
pulled up on each side to give a subtle view of the Palace gardens and wooded
hills that were situated at the backside of the Palace.

Reece was
overwhelmed by the grandeur of the room and had forgotten she should be afraid
to sit on the fine, rich furniture. So it was when she had turned to sit on the
sofa, that she heard a shy voice. “You must be Miss Bryant?”

  A young maiden,
who, if Reece were to guess, was around the age of seventeen; approached her,
carrying a tea tray. She was a picture of flawless beauty; with soft, white
skin, and long, dark hair.