The Torn Guardian (9 page)

Grace wants to argue, so I quickly slam my hand against her mouth and hold it there. I hit her harder than anticipated, but I will apologize later if at all. I mean I did just save her life here.

We stay crouched down in the shop as the devilin searches for us outside. I hear him as he comes closer to the shop, but he stops before coming in. Instead he walks along the road some more. After several minutes of listening to nothing but the brute’s growls and our own beating hearts, the creature leaves.

I peek out the shop window to make sure he is gone before I start breathing normally again and remove my hand from Grace’s face. I turn to face the other two and a soaring pain sears across my face. My cheek is red and tingling, and Grace’s hand is also red. She states how we are even now, but I do not see it that way.

I cannot begin to put into words how taken aback I am by Grace’s behavior, so I show her how angry I am by tackling her to the ground. I’m about to punch her when Adira stops me and tells us both to calm down.

“Even?!” I shout. “Even? I just saved your ass!”

Grace glares at me, and Adira is still trying to pull me off, practically begging me to stop. I reluctantly let go and allow Grace to stand but not without giving her an earful. At least Grace isn’t arguing against any of it. She is taking it all silently, but if she were fighting back, we really would have a serious problem between us. After a few minutes, my anger simmers down a bit, and Adira brings up me passing out before the devilin arrived. I tell her I know where we should go as I pick the map up off the floor. The frame it was in shattered as Grace carelessly cast it aside when the devilin attacked.

“There,” I say as I point to the location of the map with a deer head drawn on it. “That’s where we need to go.”

“And, just like that you know where to go? You do realize that while the map is tee tiny this is in actuality a lot of ground to cover, right?” Grace speaks for the first time since I slammed her down, and of course, her words are coated in attitude.

“Then we better get started,” I say as I brush her off and walk the door to head out onto the streets of Saphira.

It is hot. The sun is dreadful and our current worst enemy. Sweat is pouring out from all over my body, and the cannonade of insects hitting my face have put me in a fouler mood as the day has gone on. Grace, Adira, and I have been searching this dense forest for days, and we have found positively nothing.

By the time we find a small stream to rest, all of our limits have been reached. We have not been talking recently, but I know the quiet will not last much longer. Our actions have certainly been passive aggressive enough to ensure a fight will eventually break out again, whether it be Grace’s murmuring, Adira’s constant extracting and retracting her hidden blade, or my own aggravated humphs.

If there is one thing I have learned thus far, it is Grace has a tendency to get bored very quickly. Thus she looks for new ways to amuse herself, which often comes at either Adira’s or my expense. I usually take it in stride because none of her antics have ever done any actual harm. Adira on the other hand does not, and consequently a massive fight broke out yesterday evening after Grace cracked a small egg on Adira’s head.

Within seconds of the fight escalating to loud shouting they both called on me to settle the argument, but for the first time since I’ve known them, I refused. True, Grace was being childish, and yes, Adira took things very seriously and wasn’t exactly a fun person to have around. If these two cannot see they are both being difficult for no reason, they are idiots, and I know for a fact they are not idiots. The truth is they both already know these things. They want me to pick a side. I refused, so now they are not only mad at each other, but both are mad at me.

I made a mistake and zoned out while resting, or maybe my mistake is coming back to reality. Regardless, Grace and Adira are bickering again, and I am exhausted of hearing it. I cannot imagine how much energy these two waste fighting each other for absolutely no reason. It is not like they accomplish anything from it. I’m sore. My body is covered in red marks from all the insect bites, and these two are engaging in another pointless dispute.

I don’t know if it’s the heat, the maddening shouting from those two, or a combination of them both, but I lose it. I start yelling every obscenity and curse I can think with little thought as to whether it make sense or not. It just feels so incredibly good to yell at them. By the time I’m done, Adira and Grace have eyes as wide as plates and mouths agape completely astonished that I tore them to shreds.

I want to continue. I want to let them know how much of a pain keeping them alive is, but I am stopped by Grace asking what something is behind me. I tell her to cut the crap with her pranks, but Adira also asks what is behind me. I take a quick look, and to my shock, there actually is something behind me. It is a sign.

“Was that here this whole time?” Adira asks.

“No way. It poofed here out of nowhere,” Grace comments.

Good because for a split second there I thought I had lost my mind. When we first arrived, this area had nothing but trees and the stream. Now a random sign is standing tall in between two of the massive forest trees. I walk up to read it, and I actually do think I’m losing my mind. This sign is specifically addressing us, the daughters of light, life, and death! I look at Grace and Adira to make sure I’m not the only one seeing this, and they are equally as shocked. If anyone were to walk by us right now, they would see three women with incredibly dumb expressions on our faces.

I turn back to the sign and read it aloud, “Please follow the signs’ arrows to find me. We have much to discuss. -Kenley. P.S. Don’t worry. This isn’t a trap.”

“Is this man serious?” Grace asks incredulously.

“How did he get the signs here?” Adira asks as she attempts to touch the sign. It fizzles and blurs in response. “It is not actually here. This is just an illusion,” she says it like it makes perfect sense and all is right with the world.

It’s not. I’m not too comfortable with following the signs because it screams trap. Grace voices her support for my stance, but Adira argues this is why we are out here in the first place. In the end, Grace and I cannot come up with a better plan, so we go along with Adira’s and follow the arrows on the signs. What we find as we exit the thick forest to a large landing surprises all three of us.

Beyond the tall grass is a great lake shimmering from the sunlight with magnificent mountains in the distance behind it. Small birds fly across the long body of water, occasionally ducking into it from above and reemerging with a tasty meal. A single tiny log cabin built with foundation lifting its floors a little above the grass is the only sign of human life here, and it is truly beautiful.

The serenity of our surroundings is affecting the three us. We are no longer tense nor determined to punch the others in the face. Instead, we calmly walk to the cabin sitting only a few paces away from the lake. Kenley is sitting on the front porch in a comfortable looking chair, drinking strong coffee by the smell of it, and there are three more chairs around the small table. After he greets us with a wave of his free hand, he offers for us to sit and drink with him.

Grace and I are highly skeptical, and it shows as we slowly inch closer to him. His navy robes may make him look like a priest, but we have no idea if he is as saintly as he appears. Adira does not have any reservations though and quickly accepts his offer of some coffee and lays back comfortably in her chair as she sips on her fresh, hot cup. But really, I’m the one that is too trusting? The way Adira is acting around Kenley one would think they had been best friends for ages; not two people who literally met ten seconds ago.

Grace and I cautiously take the other two seats across from him, but we do not touch the drinks and snacks offered. It takes all my willpower not to. My stomach is pleading with me to grab one of the various cookies and tiny hand-made sandwiches, but my mind warns me of poison.

When Kenley notices we are not going to accept his food or beverage, he wonders aloud if we do not like coffee to which Adira pipes in stating we are being a little rude by not accepting his offer or at the very least thanking him for it. It is a good thing I am the one sitting in front of her because if it were Grace, Adira would have been slapped right across her face.

“Ah my dear child of life it is quite all right,” Kenley says, and even Adira is little taken aback. Well, he has my attention. I will kill to know how he knew Adira is Jenesis’s daughter. “Though I admit,” he continues when neither of us say anything, “While I expected this skepticism from Death’s, I figured you light would be friendlier like Jo.”

“Why would Lux be more like Jo? She isn’t even from here,” Grace states while practically puffing out her chest, but her attitude is not what I’m concerned with. I have not told Adira or Grace about how we are all supposed to technically be one person, and I am the current anchor. Kenley’s statement leads me to believe he knows about this, and my suspicions are confirmed with his next few statements.

“You do not know? Do you know?” he asks turning to Adira. Adira and Grace are confused and ask what he is talking about. He then turns to me and tells me he is astounded and disappointed I have not informed my sisters of the situation in its entirety.

Grace scowls at me, and Adira is frowning. I desperately need this man to stop talking. Now. If he keeps going, if he tells them about me being an anchor, these two will only turn on me first and then each other. I try to interject, but Adira and Grace stop me saying they want to hear what he has to say. My eyes are pleading with him with all their might begging him to cease this from going any further. At least before they were only arguing. There is still a chance we can all work together if Kenley stops talking.

For a moment, it looks like it might work. He appears to really see and understand my distress, but alas, it does not stop him. When I say he tells them everything, I mean everything.

He explains to them I am currently the anchor for accumulating knowledge between all of six of the grand dragon’s daughters, but really it can be anyone of us as it is really the last one standing that will hold all the knowledge and power that comes with it. He informs them the dragons sent five of the daughters down to the world to gain experience and learn important lessons while they kept one daughter completely safe. But worst of all, he explains that the dark creatures in the world can only be vanquished if all of our powers are working cohesively, so they know the easiest way to solve the problems is to kill each other.

I want to punch him. I want to reach across this table, throw every single fancy snack and drink on the ground, and beat this old man senseless. He took what little I have been able to accomplish and annihilated it before Adira could finish the petite sandwich she grabbed earlier to go with the coffee.

Tears are coming down harder than when Jo died. I’m anxious because Grace and Adira have not made a sound since Kenley finished. I’m angry because Kenley just ruined everything and made murdering each other seem like the best option. But most of all, I’m despaired because I want so badly for this to still work. As much of a pain in my ass these two have been, my experience with having them around has actually been good. It has been nice to have company, people to talk to.

Did they argue more than they helped on our journey there? Of course they did, but that is within their natures. Both of them are used to being in charge with little questioning about what they are doing. Because of this, they frequently clashed. But both are also strong warriors, intelligent fighters, and honorable people. With the right amount of time, I’m sure I could have had all three of us working together, but not anymore. I’ll be lucky if they will spare each other and only kill me.

Grace reacts first, and my nervousness multiplies. She storms off without saying a word. She just hops out of her chair and takes off towards the forest. Adira also wants to be alone, but at least she excuses herself first. She heads to the forest as well but opposite of where Grace went. All of a sudden I find myself alone with a man I’m pretty sure I hate and honestly considering killing.

He tries to say something, but I do not give him the chance. I don’t care if it is an apology; I do not want to hear it. I hoist him in the air by his neck and tell him to give me a reason not to kill him. Incredibly, he does not appear the least bit concerned. He actually appears amused and notes that I have some of Jo’s fire, but like my other sister Elizabeth I am misplacing it.

“You just ruined everything!” I yell at him as I pull him away from the wall before slamming him back into it.

“I cannot possibly ruin something that was destined to fail to begin with,” Kenley replies coolly despite being held by someone enraged. I get ready to argue, but he continues before I can, “Do you really think those two trusted each other? That they trusted you? Set me down child, for if you have proven anything thus far, you are no murderer.”

I set him down because he is right. I may be vexed, but I am not a killer. So long as I can help it, I will not become one. I ask him how he knew all of this. Who is he or what is he?

Kenley instructs me to be patient for we have not finished our first conversation. My first lesson according to him. “They knew you were hiding secrets from them, Lux,” he says, “and they were also keeping their own. None of you trusted the others. This way the air is now clear. Everyone knows and understands what is happening. You may feel your heart was in the right place when you lied to them, but in actuality you were being selfish and just as mistrusting. Tell me. How could you expect them to have faith in you, when you did not have any in them?”

I am silent. I do not know what to say, so I take a seat back my chair and think about. My mind is analyzing everything and searching for another answer, a better answer, but there is none. I do not know why I thought I could make them trust me if I did not trust them. I was so concerned about what they would have done—No, what they could have done. I did not know for a fact they would behave a certain way; I merely assumed it.

I have been the problem the entire time. My lack of faith in Grace and Adira is simply being returned by them. Kenley takes a seat again, but this time he sits directly in front of me. I bury my face in my hands, so he reaches out and grasps one of them gently. This small, simple action is enough to stop the flood of tears from streaming down my face. I feel comfortable around him, and I know this feeling is Jo’s, not my own. A new disturbing thought suddenly appears out of nowhere into my mind, and I understand I have no idea who exactly I am. I don’t know when my feelings and actions start being my own and stop being my deceased sisters.

“Lux, it is fine,” Kenley says soothingly as he begins to massage my hand. I do not believe him. These are nothing but hollow words. Of course things are not fine. He cannot really believe that. Shame and guilt overcomes me. Grace and Adira no longer like me, and I have absolutely no idea who I really am!

Am I just a place holder for all of my sisters’ emotions and knowledge? Can I really ever truly be my own person? I cannot say for sure, but I do not feel like it. Right now, I feel like a puppet. This comfort around Kenley, not wanting to kill the captain back in Saphira that was Jo, not me.

“Lux,” Kenley speaks my name softly. He repeats a few more times in this soft manner until I snap out of it and look at him. He reminds me Adira and Grace will be back shortly, and we need to discuss things before that. Whatever he has to say, he better make it quick. Grace was positively livid when she discovered I had been lying to them, and I doubt Adira is feeling much better.