The Immortal Guardians: Book III

Chapter 2: Thomas' Summer POV

My summer break was quite eventful. I was able to visit the Shaman first, second the Druids and finally the Mer-people. I was mostly excited to visit King Egerton. He had an impact on me. There was something that I liked about him.

Visiting the Shaman had been something that I hadn't expected. It had been incredibly hot but I was glad to have seen him. Especially because I saw Melissa.

"Do they have air conditioning?" I whispered to Vino as we walked to the village. It was a small village composed of small huts. All the roads were made out of dirt. Arriving here had made me realize that I was a lot like Ezra. More than I had anticipated.

"No" Vino gave me a side-glance. "Don't be ridiculous. We are in a rural area. We will be lucky to have running water or bathrooms."

I lifted my lips in dislike.

"Fine" I sighed heavily. It was going to be three long weeks. Vino had me leave my cell phone behind and any other devices except for an iPod. I had brought one along to keep me busy. Vino was the only one communicating with Byron. The Leaders of each Tribe probably were in communication with Byron as well.

Shaman Taak met us outside a hut. He was dressed in light clothing. I noticed everybody else was wearing the same.

"Guardian" he bowed to me slightly. "Welcome to my home. We are glad to have you here"

"Thank you sir" I pressed my palms together and bowed to him. I averted my eyes. Vino had given me a quick lesson on addressing the Shaman. He was the most revered Healer in the Tribe and for that reason nobody was to meet his eyes or address him informally. "An honor to be invited into your tribe."

"An honor sir" Vino bowed to him as well.

"Let me introduce you both to my family. My eldest daughter is leaving in a matter of weeks to the states to continue her training" he beckoned for us to follow him. His family was seated having dinner. We had a little later than expected.

Sitting at the table was Melissa Taak. My heart sped up. I hadn't been expecting to see her. The Master Shaman introduced us to his wife and Melissa. He had us join him for dinner.

'Hi Thomas" Melissa smiled at me. "How are you?"

"Great, thanks" I blinked in surprise. I hadn't expected to find her here let alone that she was the Master Shaman's daughter. "I didn't know you were Shaman Taaks' daughter."

"I don't tell many people" Melissa laughed. She gave her father a quick glance.

"You should be proud of your family, Melissa" Shaman Taak responded but there was humor in his tone. "She wants to be a physician not a healer"

"Yeah! She is the first in our class. You got accepted to advanced programs right?" I turned to her. She adverted her eyes but smiled.

"I'm leaving for a Johns Hopkins internships in a couple of weeks" she smiled widely. I blinked at her smile. It was big and white. There were dimples on her cheeks that I hadn't noticed before. Her hair wasn't in long braids but it was sleeker and shinier. She was wearing light make up which was something I hadn't seen on her face.

She met my eyes once and she cleared her throat.

"So why are you here? I didn't know you were accepting students, father?" she briefly glanced up at her father.

"Yes, I am. I am taking three this summer. Thomas has excellent Healing capabilities and we want to expand them. Vino will be here to serve as his mentor and help us as an advisor."

"It is an excellent opportunity for me, sir." Vino replied. I turned back to Melissa. She had been watching me. She looked away from me.

I remembered when the necklace had turned blue in her hands. My heart sped up, I was going to spend some time with her.