Guarders: Playing With Fire

Chapter 1

Prologue:

"Are you sure that she is the one?" the Keeper of Fire questioned, absent-mindedly brushing his black hair out of his eyes.

"Yes." The Guardian of Elements replied. She stared down into the Seeing Pool, watching as the young girl in its reflection tossed a ball to her friend. The Guardian turned towards the Element Keepers. "She is the one. I am sure of it. She has power, though she does not know it yet. She will make a formidable Guarder."

"How do you know? She might be powerful, but that is not the main characteristic that we look for in potential Guarders." The speaker this time was a silver haired woman, the Keeper of Air.

"I just do." the Guardian insisted. She turned back to the Pool. "She will become the greatest of us all."

Chapter 1:

CLASH CLASH CLANG! The enemy Guarder sprang at her, but she was too quick. Slipping cat-like to the side, she stabbed quickly at the other Guarder's shoulder, as he stumbled past her. He whipped around with an angry snarl, and attacked her again. This time she stood fast, and countered each of his blows with contemptuous ease. Perspiration trickled down her back, and she decided to put an end to this fight. She hit the base of the Guarder's sword, then twisted, placing all her weight into the move. The sword clattered out of his hand, and she stabbed her own sword swiftly through his chest. The Guarder's cry of pain was abruptly cut off, and he slumped to the ground, dead.

"By my authority as the Guardian of Elements, I declare this man guilty of murder to his fellow Herdmates, and treason to the Unicorn Herd. I have carried out his sentence with my own hand." She announced. She turned around to the cheering Guarders, and...

"Kelly?" Kelly Patterson was jerked out of her daydream by the sound of her maths teacher's voice.

"I'm sorry?" She said guiltily.

"I said," Mrs. Davies barked crossly, "can you please tell us the answer to question two on page thirty-nine?"

Kelly stared numbly at her maths book. "3.28" she answered.

Mrs. Davies nodded approvingly. "Very good Kelly. 100 house points."

There was a muted snigger from the other side of the room. "Teacher's pet." Someone muttered.

Kelly glared at the girl who had spoken. Her name was Courtney Patterson and she was Kelly's foster sister. Kelly was an orphan. She had been found on the beach when she was three weeks old, with no clues to whom her real parents might be. The Pattersons adopted her, and their real daughter, Courtney, had made it her life's goal to make Kelly's life hell. So far, she was succeeding.

Mrs. Davies went on talking to the class about how exactly to answer that question. Kelly sighed inwardly. How stupid her daydream was. Like the Guarders were ever going to choose her to become a Guarder and a member of the Unicorn Herd. If Courtney ever found out that Kelly believed in magic, Kelly would be the laughing stock of Carmel College for the rest of her school life. As it was, she was already teased by other people as well as Courtney. She was just plain old Kelly Patterson, the horse-crazy nerd who had nothing better to do than study.

Kelly glanced across to where her best friend, well actually her only friend, Cayley was sitting. Cayley glanced up and gave Kelly an encouraging smile.

Ignore them, they're numnahs, Cayley mouthed at her.

Kelly giggled at the insult. A numnah was the blanket that you place underneath a horse's saddle. She came up with an extremely satisfying mental image of the posh, strawberry-blond haired Courtney squashed between a saddle and a horse's back.