The Guardians of the Relic

The sound of the thunder roared through the clouds. The storm had been hovering over Elgin for weeks, brining rain, floods, and a pervading dreariness. The gloomy weather had kept everyone indoors; no one felt like going outside.

Emily walked home from the library. She was forced to walk because her car was at the mechanic. It hadn’t broken down in years. She figured it might be some sort of karma for lying to Jason about it giving her trouble.

Emily had on several layers of clothes and a raincoat to shield her from the freezing cold, but she still shivered. Suddenly the shivering came from her pocket as her cell phone buzzed. She stopped briefly to check it. It was a message from Ethan, and he wanted her to meet him urgently. He had something important to tell her. She hoped it was good news. They hadn’t had much luck so far, and it had been a month.

Suddenly she heard a sound behind her. She stopped and turned around, but there was no one there. In fact there wasn’t a soul on the street except her.

She continued walking. Again she heard a sound, but this time she recognized it. It was footsteps. She didn’t stop or turn around, but instead quickened her pace. She wasn’t sure who or what was behind her, but she felt vulnerable. As she approached an alley between two buildings she ducked into the darkness. It was behind a restaurant and she knew the owner. She hoped he was still in the kitchen rounding up for the day.

Small puddles of water splashed as she stepped through them. It was darker in the alley and she momentarily regretted going through it. Her imagination was running wild with paranoia. She neared the back of the alley, hoping she was near the door. The footsteps still sounded behind her; she hadn’t managed to lose whoever was following her. She turned to the back of the building, and her heart sank. There was no door.

Emily panicked. There was nowhere else to run. She stopped and slowly turned around. The rain started to fall heavier, and the thunder reverberated overhead. She could hardly see through the pouring rain, and her heart was racing. It was like a scene from the horror movies she watched. A sudden bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, and then she saw him.

He threw something from a small bag in the air and a small cloud of smoke formed in front of her. She inhaled it. Emily wanted to scream but the sound just didn’t come out. She began to feel dizzy and her legs felt like jelly. She struggled to keep her eyes open.

He grabbed her just before she hit the ground. “Sorry Emily,” he said.

* *

Emily slowly opened her eyes to see Alastair standing in front of her. Startled, she looked around at her surroundings. It was the antique shop. They kidnapped her. She struggled on the chair but couldn’t move. It was as if she was glued to the seat; there weren’t any ropes.

“What’s going on here?” she asked. Then she saw Izdel next to Alastair.

“You!”

“I apologize Emily. It was the only way,” said Izdel.

“You drugged me,” she said. Her hair was soaking wet and some strands stuck to her face. The raincoat she had been wearing was now on the floor.

“Well, not exactly,” said Izdel.

“What is the meaning of this?” She struggled again. Confused she looked at Alastair. “Why can’t I move? There is nothing holding me.”

“Please Emily. I will explain. We are not going to hurt you. We just want to talk to you. That’s all,” said Alastair. It pained him that this was the only way to bring her here safely.

“It’s true then. You’ve been the ones who have been following me.”

“No Emily. We have been the ones who have been trying to keep you safe,” said Alastair.

“Keep me safe from who?” she asked.

“Patience. I am going to talk now and you’re going to listen. You will not speak until I am finished. Do you understand?”

Emily looked around. The other three men stared at her. She was tied up and outnumbered. She didn’t really have a choice. “Yes, I understand.”

“Good.”

Alastair started from the very beginning. He explained everything to her. He paused shortly now and then to let her process all the information. He tried to figure out what she was thinking, but couldn’t. She seemed to be in shock. When he finished he said, “You may speak now.”

She simply stared at them blankly. Alastair wasn’t sure if his spell hadn’t worn off yet or if she just couldn’t find the words.

“So I was right all along.” She said it slowly, like she was trying to understand each word that was coming out of her own mouth.

“I knew you would figure it out eventually,” said Alastair.

“How? You don’t know me?”

“I don’t need to know you to pick up that you are very smart Emily. For example, how do you think you are glued to that chair without any ropes?”

She tried to move again. Still nothing. Fascinated, she said, “Magic.”

Just then the door chimed open. Ethan walked through. When Emily saw him she was surprised. Ethan didn’t even look at her. He simply stood at the door and stared at Alastair.

“This was not the plan,” he said eventually. He didn’t look impressed.

“What plan? Ethan, what’s going on?” she asked.

“Ethan, please come in,” said Alastair.

Ethan reluctantly walked to the counter where Alastair stood. Erhan got up and greeted him. Emily watched in shock.

“Ethan is a good friend of ours,” said Alastair. Ethan said nothing. The rain continued to hit against the window. The wind rattled the door and Emily shivered a little. Glohone moved towards her. Scared, she shifted her head back. He grabbed a blanket lying on the table and put it over her shoulders. She looked at Ethan, who still didn’t want to face her.

“Ethan, you knew this entire time, didn’t you? You lied to me.”

“Yes. I had no other choice,” said Ethan

She shook her head. “You could have told me the truth instead of stringing me along.”

“It’s not his fault, Emily. I made him do it. I didn’t want you putting yourself in danger,” said Alastair. “Not that it matters now. You’re still in danger.”

“You mean in danger from the dark wizard who is trying to take over the world?” She asked it like it was the craziest thing she ever heard. The idea of them being wizards was just one of her crazy theories. She had never expected it to be true. Alastair didn’t know how to respond.

“Emily,” said Ethan as he looked her in the eye for the first time. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I was going to tell you today.” His text message, she thought. He paused and looked like he was trying to find the right words in his head. “As crazy and absurd as all of this sounds, it’s the truth.”

“How do you know for sure?” she asked.

“Because I saw Alkron’s power with my own eyes,” said Ethan.

“When?” she asked

“When I first came back to live in Elgin a few years ago.”

Emily didn’t know what to say. He must be telling the truth. He had no reason to lie, but it still seemed too absurd to be the truth. “So why would he be after me? I really don’t know much.”

Ethan was about to answer when Glohone stepped in front of him “We don’t think he is the one following you.”

“Wait. I’m confused. Then who is following me?”

“Athena,” said Ethan almost inaudibly.

Glohone turned back instantly. “How do you know her name?”

“How do I know her? The woman gave me a damn concussion is how I know her,” he answered.

Emily finally started to piece it all together. Now it made sense why Ethan had been so secretive about what really happened to him.

“What happened, Ethan?” asked Alastair.

“Athena attacked me in my apartment. She thought I knew the location of the pendant, or that I had it in my possession.”

“What did you tell her?” Alastair caught the look in Glohone’s eye. This was really not looking good for Athena.

“The truth, of course. That I don’t know where it is,” said Ethan.

As if on cue a crack of thunder rolled through the clouds. Zugast and Erhan didn’t say a word. Izdel sat tapping his fingers on the table in a nervous gesture. To break the growing tension Emily said, “So why does she think that I have the pendant?”

“Because this fool must have told her,” said Zugast eyeing Ethan.

“No I didn’t. As I said, I didn’t tell her anything. And watch who you are calling a fool, old man.” Ethan clenched his fist tightly.

“You dare threaten me, boy?” Erhan put his hand in front of Zugast to stop him as soon as he moved. Annoyed, he stepped back. Ethan didn’t even bother to look at him.

Alastair was surprised that Ethan wasn’t afraid of Zugast. He was braver than he had thought. Finally he said, “Do not worry about Athena.” He kept his eyes on Zugast. “We will deal with her.”

“So what do you want me to do in the meantime?” Emily asked Alastair.

“Nothing. I have a place you can stay at until this is over.”

“What? Absolutely not! I can take care of myself,” she said.

Her head started to hurt. Izdel whispered something to Alastair. He nodded. She was growing impatient. She just wanted to go home.

“We cannot force you. It is not our way. But I strongly advise against you being alone,” cautioned Alastair.

Before she could speak, Ethan said, “She will not be alone. Now that she knows the truth it will be easier to keep her out of danger.”

“No offense, Richie Rich, but I doubt you can keep yourself safe let alone Emily,” said Izdel.

“Athena is already aware that I know nothing. She will not try anything again. Therefore, Emily will be safe with me.”

“Good point,” said Izdel.

Emily was annoyed. Everyone was talking about her like she was some fragile little girl. “Let me make this crystal clear. The only place I am going tonight is home,” she said.

She was stubborn. Defeated Alastair said, “Very well. But at least allow Izdel to watch over your apartment.”

Izdel gave her a big grin. For the first time in hours, Emily smiled.

“Okay, fine.”

As soon as Emily got home she took a hot shower. She let the water run on her face and her back a little longer. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she just learned. Wizards. They were really wizards. Despite her shock, it did explain a lot. Ethan’s behavior, for one. She didn’t like the fact that he had lied to her, but she couldn’t blame him either. It was one complicated situation. Damned if you do or damned if you don’t. Even if he had told her, how would that have gone down? She would have thought he was crazy.

Just as she got out of the shower the apartment phone rang. Strange, she thought. Hardly anyone ever called her on the apartment phone. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself, and went to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hey babe. Where have you been? I tried calling your cell so many times. I was starting to get worried,” said Jason.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”