City of Fire

Chapter Seven

"Ilona"

Ilona opened her eyes and stared at a pale blue ceiling...

She was in her room...

She closed her eyes and for a moment she thought it was all some crazy, lucid dream she'd had but then she sat up and something thumped against her chest. She looked down and froze.

The necklace lay cradled against her flesh and she swallowed, her body suddenly shaking and reaching down she placed it in her palm and lifted towards the faint light that came in from the window, for it was early morning.

A stone, clear and shining lay clasped between what appeared to be a dragon's claw. What was odd was that each talon was a different color. One was a fiery red, a deep emerald, a cool purple and the other a startling black. She frowned, turning it over and over and wondered what it was supposed to do.

"A gift from your mother, I presume?" Ilona looked up to see her uncle standing there, his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in typical jeans with a green, thick sweater and she nodded. He uncrossed his arms and strode quietly across the simple wood floor to her small bed. As his frame lowered down onto it, the mattress gave a slight squeak of protest before it was silent and a silence consumed them.

"You knew," Ilona murmured finally after what had felt like an eternity and she glanced up at his face. He nodded his dark eyes unreadable as he stared at the stone that still lay in her open palm.

"I did," he gave a soft chuckle; "I was the one who brought you here after all." He murmured and she blinked, staring at him and he grinned, though it was sad and slightly twisted on his face. "Don't look so surprised, flower," he murmured, the use of the familiar nickname surprisingly calming her while reaching up and tweaking her nose, "I was your mother's most trusted Guardian." His dark eyes watched her and Ilona stared at him, her stomach suddenly missing.

"You..." she couldn't find the words and he nodded. "But you're—"

"So old?" He finished and shrugged a shoulder, "Don't remind me." He sighed, his face suddenly aging before he continued. "The transition between Eden and Earth are controlled by Gates, which in turn are guarded by Sentinels. The Sentinels had closed the Gates, preventing anyone from using them. Your mother, knowing that in order for you to be safe, had to be sent to Earth so she ordered us to create a new Gate, but she didn't know what the consequences would be." He gestured to himself. "The strain nearly drained us of our powers, aging us considerably. That's why I look like your grandfather instead of your uncle." He murmured and she frowned.

"Then what's your real age?" She asked and he smirked at her.

"I'm forty," he replied and her brows lifted. He snorted and tweaked her nose once more.

"Ouch!" She yelped while rubbing the offended area and he grinned at her.

"Mind your manners, I still raised you, remember?" He teased and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, how could I not, Darius?" She threw back, knowing that the use of his name would get his attention but she glanced out the window before asking another question. "What did you mean by 'we'? What happened to the other Guardians?" She turned to look back at him and watched a number of emotions play across his face.

"We went our separate ways after learning of Eden's fate and that of Finyara's. Your mother was the only one that held us together but after she was gone..." he trailed off and the look that came over his face had Ilona reaching out and touching his shoulder, squeezing it for comfort and he glanced at her, as if he were coming out of a trance. He shook his head before continuing. "We were no longer Guardians. Each of us had our own race to look after, our own problems to look after. After the first few years we stayed in touch, but as Eden slowly began to regain its former strength the distance grew until we lost touch with each other altogether until the end." He murmured, his gaze growing distant.