The Ancient Guardians

The Ancient Guardians (Chapter 14)

THE ANCIENT GUARDIANS

Chapter 14

The four of us joined up around the table. "Are we just standing up?" I asked.

                "Let me check." Clint said. He faced the palm of his hand downward and four chairs of rock raised beside each of us. "I can use my power from inside, so sitting it is." We all sat down. It wasn't comfortable, but at least it let us sit. "Let's begin at my beginning." he started. "I was born around 1850 with a rapier in one hand and a pistol in the other, to a high general in the British army. My mother passed away in birthing. My father wanted me to join the army. Since I didn't like fighting, I went against my father's wish and became a blacksmith. Obviously, my father rejected me as his son. One day, the city was raided. The walls fell, the guard was defeated. A group of the raiders came to my workshop to pillage the weapons. I was unable to fend them off. When I had given up hope, my father came out of nowhere and finished off the raiders. Unfortunately, he had already suffered a fatal wound and he died shortly after. With that, both my parents had sacrificed their life for mine. I escaped the destroyed city, and after two days of continuous running I came upon a cave entrance, and I went in it for shelter. You can guess what happened next.”

                Marla had tears in her eyes from hearing this part of Clint’s story. Why do women have to be so emotional?

                “When I woke up after the ordeal,” Clint continued. “I was in a house made out of earth and stone, which belonged to Avry Jameson.”

                “The African that helped us?” Will asked.

                “Heavens, no. That was Carl Jameson. Avry was his great-grandfather, he’s long since passed on.”

                “Damn.” Marla said. “It’s hard to realize you’re that old. Yet you look like you’re 20.”

                “Anyway,” Clint started again. “Avry was the one who told me everything. He told me about my powers and my purpose. Why did he know that? You may have noticed we’re not the first ones to live down here. Avry told me of the first Ancient Guardians. Their knowledge and legacy have been passed down through the generations of Avry’s family, starting with the first African that got the knowledge directly from the first guardians: James. Which is why their family name has since been Jameson.”

                “That’s nice and everything, but why Africans?” I pointed out.

                “Avry told me it was because when the first guardians passed through Africa, they took pity on their poorness and with what was left of their limited time they gave them homes, water, food, fire and fresh soil. The Africans considered themselves forever indebted to their kindness, and in return some of them returned with the guardians to be their eternal servants.”

                “Hold on.” I interrupted. “Ancient Guardians are immortal, right? How come the first guardians aren’t still alive? And why are we taking over their legacy?”

                “Ah. Alex knows how to ask the right questions.” Clint responded. “The first guardians also existed because of a threat. Their campaign lasted for years. After a horrible defeat, they realized they would have to sacrifice their lives to subdue the threat. So they planned to have new guardians take over when it came back. They left their knowledge to James, the most trusted African that came with them, created the crystal caves and sealed their home for the next guardians. All that happened about 2000 years ago and what they left us is still intact; this home, Avry’s house which was originally created for James, Alex’s clothes and all these tomes.” He gestured at the bookshelves in the room.