The Guardians of the Relic

The air smelled damp. Green moss grew on the walls. The sound of water dripping could be heard in the distance. A rat ran past him, then stopped momentarily to chew on something, and then hurried away. It wasn’t the best place for a meeting, but then again, he hated every place in Elgin. It was never even his idea to move to this pathetic little town. But he had no choice.

He had to make sure he played along. It was pivotal to the plan. Now, he had been summoned by Alkron. He thought it was unnecessary. Things weren’t going exactly the way he wanted, thanks to Athena’s constant failure. But he had handled it and did what needed to be done.

Some light crept in through a small window. Alkron stood with his back facing him. He felt the energy in the room. Alkron’s presence alone was intimidating. Athena stood a short distance away from him. She had dark circles around her eyes, and she looked very pale. He knew she couldn’t handle the pressure. She was too weak.

“You have been careless,” said Alkron. His words lingered in the room after he had spoken.

“It had to be done my Lord” he said.

Alkron didn’t say a word but simply moved his head slowly from one side to the other. Athena shifted nervously next to him.

His eyes moved between Alkron and Athena. He really didn’t trust either of them, but it was a necessary partnership. The silence was unnerving. His mouth went dry. He held one hand to his throat and tried to swallow. Suddenly, he started to choke.

He fell to his knees facing the ground and grasped at his throat with both hands. He couldn’t breathe. His eyes felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets. He slowly lifted his head again, only to see Alkron hovering over him. Desperately he tried to grab onto his leg. Alkron kicked him and he fell back.

“There were other ways you could have dealt with the officer.” He leaned in closer. “But you drew attention to yourself, to us. Now you have put me in a very difficult position,” said Alkron.

“Please my Lord,” he choked out the words.

“Tell me why I should keep you alive,” said Alkron.

Now on the floor, he looked up at Athena. She smirked at him. She probably wanted Alkron to kill him. His blood started to boil. He mustered up some strength.

“I will bring you the one who possesses the pendant,” he said, struggling to get each word out. Athena’s smirk faded away instantly. He felt relieved as the pressure around his throat abated. He had definitely caught Alkron’s attention.

“When?” asked Alkron.

“I need more time,” he hesitated. He had to choose his words carefully now. “I have to wait for the right opportunity.”

Alkron was silent for a moment. “You have one week. Bring me this person, or you die.”

“Yes my Lord. Thank you,” he said. He looked at Athena. She should be the one on her knees, not him. “You have no use for her now, my Lord. She has failed you.”

Athena’s eyes shifted to Alkron. Alkron moved towards her. She froze. Slowly, he ran his long fingers across her cheek. She quivered and turned her face. He smiled. “You are a lovely creature, Athena. Exquisite beauty. You have so much potential.”

“You know the reason I am here,” she said. She refused to face him and folded her arms.

“Well yes, of course. But you have failed to accomplish your task. You know the rules. You first give me what I want, and then I will give you what you want.”

“Make no mistake about it, I will succeed,” said Athena. She shut her eyes for a moment and then opened them again. “I have to.”

“Determination. I admire your tenacity Athena. You see, this is exactly why I have faith in her” said Alkron as he turned his attention to the groveling man. He looked away in disgust. He couldn’t believe that she had wormed her way out of it again.

He rose and straightened his clothes. He watched them through the corner of his eyes. This was a necessary partnership, but it didn’t mean he needed to keep them alive once he had the pendant. Of course, his betrayal would come as a shock to many. He was sure of it.

* *

Emily ran as fast as she could. She didn’t know how far he was behind her. Fear consumed her whole body. She clenched her fist tightly. There was something in her hand. She couldn’t think clearly. It was dark and she stumbled a bit. Her heart was racing. She had to get away. He was going to kill her. Emily’s foot hit something and she tripped over. On the ground she tried to get up quickly, but couldn’t. She clenched her fist even tighter. Blood started to drip from her hand. She turned around slowly. All she saw was his eyes.

Emily woke up screaming. Her hair was soaked with sweat. She looked at her hands. Nothing. No blood. She put her hand on her chest and tried to steady her breathing. Her heart pounded. Jessica ran into the room almost instantly. She was wearing one of Emily’s thin strap night dresses. It was way too short for her; she was much taller than Emily. She was grasping one of her shoes with both her hands, the long heel facing forward. She looked ready to hit someone.

“Emily, are you okay? I heard you scream,” she said and scanned the room.

“Yeah. I just had a bad dream.”

Jessica dropped the shoe and sat on the bed next to her. “Thank God. I got so scared. You know, with that murderer on the loose now.” She squeezed Emily’s hand gently.

“I’m okay. No murderer here.” Emily glanced at the shoe on the floor. “Although I’m sure if he was, that would have done some damage.”

Jessica chuckled. After a moment she said “How do you know it’s a male?”

“Just a guess,” said Emily and sat up properly. She broke eye contact with her.

“So, do you want to talk about it?” asked Jessica.

Emily pulled her hair back from her face. She was still a bit rattled. “Talk about what?”

“Your nightmare.”

“Oh. No, I’d rather not.” Emily couldn’t tell her if she wanted to, even though she could tell she was worried. Jessica just stared at her.

“Jess, I’m fine, really.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” said Jessica.

Emily shook her head. “Why don’t I make us some breakfast?”

“Great. I’m starved.”

Emily now knew how Ethan must have felt while keeping his secret from her. She felt terrible for lying to Jess, but just like Ethan, she really had no choice.

They ate breakfast together before Emily had to leave for work. Jessica didn’t ask her any other questions about her dream, or about what was bothering her. She was glad. It meant she didn’t have to tell any more lies.

After Jessica left Emily was ready to head out. As she was getting ready, there was a knock on the door. She thought Jessica might have forgotten something. She was surprised when she opened the door and saw Ethan.

“Hi Emily.” He looked around her apartment to make sure she was alone. “Got a minute?”

“Hey, uh...sure. Come in.”

He walked in and scanned the place. It was small and cozy. Very feminine, but not too much. Just the right amount. “You weren’t kidding when you said your apartment is small.”

Emily stood with her arms folded. “What’s up Ethan?”

“Still angry with me I see.” He wanted to sit but decided against it.

Emily relaxed a bit. She realized he felt uncomfortable. “No, I got over it. I’m not mad anymore. I understand why you did it.”

“You do?” he asked, surprised.

Emily put her bag and keys down on the table. She knew this was not going to be a five minute conversation. “I was just forced to lie to my closest friend for the same reason. So yeah, I get it.”

“Jessica Ainsley is your friend, I’m guessing”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Figured it out. I saw her leaving on my way to your apartment. My parents and hers are well acquainted.” He stared momentarily at the stain on the carpet. She followed his eyes.

“Clumsy accident,” she said quickly. She had a sheepish grin on her face. He simply smiled. When he didn’t say anything she said, “So, what’s going on?” He put his hands in his pocket. He was wearing blue jeans with a red golf t-shirt. It was casual but somehow he still made it look sophisticated.

“We’ve got a problem.”

She walked over to the counter, opened her bottle of water, and gulped some down. She put the cap back on and looked at him. “At the moment, we have several problems. You need to be more specific.”

“I’m guessing you heard about the cop then,” said Ethan

“Heard about it? It was all over the news. Plus I was at the antique shop when it happened.” She looked at him and he seemed worried. “But that’s not the problem you’re referring to, is it?”

He sighed. “No. It’s Sheriff Archibald”

“What about him?” asked Emily.

“He called me today. I think he knows that there was no robbery at my apartment.”

That got Emily’s full attention. “What? How?”

“I have no idea,” said Ethan. Emily rubbed her eyes with one hand. The headache she’d had since she woke up this morning still hadn’t gone away. “That’s not all.” She looked up at him. “They have a suspect in the murder investigation,” he said.

Emily was confused. “But it only happened a day ago. They can’t possibly have a suspect already. There was nothing on the news.”

“Yeah well, let’s just say I have inside information regarding the case,” said Ethan. She was afraid to even ask how he got this so-called inside information.

“So who is it?” she asked.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to her. She opened it. It was a picture of a woman. “Who is she?”

“Athena Morelli.”