Danny held on to Kevin for dear life, his eyes equally held shut. But he was somewhat surprised as their flight turned out to be a rather short one; Scarlet touched down on the meadow seconds later. Soon, all three unicorns were galloping past the scorched remains of the upturned Land Cruiser, and towards the distant trees at the edge of the forest. Some of those trees had been earlier set on fire by the dragon. Now they were left blackened, though no longer aflame. As they drew level with the trees, Danny couldn’t help but notice an ominous message scrawled upon the barks of a number of them.
BEWARE OF DAMNATION!
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Danny asked.
“There are many fanciful creatures and beings that call Eden home,” Damian said, patting Hyacinth on the side. “But not all of them are as benign as our steeds here.”
“There’s nothing to fear,” Kevin said firmly. “We are here to protect you.”
The unicorns galloped past the makeshift signposts and into the forest. They moved at a brisk pace, following a footpath which snaked gently between the towering trees. As they progressed further into the forest, there were a multitude of questions throbbing in Danny’s head. “Kevin?”
“Yes, Daniel?”
“I want to know more about the Guardians of Lost Souls.”
“What about the guardians?”
“Like how you became one for instance.”
“Actually,” Kevin began, “I volunteered for the job. After hearing about the guardians and what they do, I immediately knew I wanted to become a part of it. The guardians are but a small division in Heaven’s army. We are charged with monitoring the movement of souls between Heaven and Earth. We basically make sure that all souls are accounted for, and that all lost souls are safely returned to where they belong, be it Heaven or Earth.”
“How many of you are there?” Danny asked.
“Not much,” Kevin confessed. “I’ll say we number in the hundreds though. Like I said, we’re a small division. The majority of us are so actively involved in the war, only a few of us still get to do what we’re doing now. You see, Eden is more of a battleground than a middle ground. And what lies at stake is the future of everybody’s soul.
“People tend to think of Heaven and the afterlife as a peaceful place, where everybody lives in perfect harmony. But the fact is the afterlife isn’t anything like that. It isn’t all harps and hymns. No. It’s a never-ending war.”
“What kind of war?” Daniel wondered who or what would be waging wars in the afterlife.
“Why, the war of all wars, Danny.” Kevin’s eyes were suddenly filled with passion. “The battle between good and evil. Between light and darkness. Between the forces of Heaven and the seven princes of Hell.”
There was a fallen tree lying across the path before them, but the unicorns went over the obstruction effortlessly. They were deep within the forest now and Danny noticed that the path had indeed grown harder to follow. The sky appeared to be darkening as well.
“That fight,” Kevin continued, “has been going on since the dawn of Creation, and would continue so long as evil still has a place in the hearts of men. That’s why I joined the Guardians of Lost Souls, so I could help by playing a part in this fight against evil.”
“When I get to Heaven,” Daniel said, “I want to become a guardian too.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m sure you’ll make an exceptionally great one.”
YOU ARE READING
The Journey (Guardians, #1)
FantasyDaniel Graham is a rather unlikely hero. For starters, he is just a twelve-year-old boy, struggling to come to terms with the death of his older brother. Secondly, he has never wielded a sword and shield before, or fired a bow and arrow, or ridden u...
