copyright 2016 by @AuthorJMColes
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
NO part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without prior written authorization
A/N
Dedicated to Shared Hope International
The real heroes in the real world saving real women
To my husband, David, who never stopped believing in me,
And to all my faithful beta readers and now my Wattpad readers. May God bless you with the kindness you have shown me.
*****
Alex and the three humanoid draconic brothers, Gabe, Cale, and Rile, stood in her New Orleans carriage house apartment. They each gazed at the portal to another world, leading to their next mission as a team of Guardians.
Alex held her new Guardian sword at the ready.
"Cale, Rile, gear up," Gabe said. "Alex, stand down, as the humans say."
Rile, the youngest brother but also the most muscular, tossed Alex a staff, which she caught with her free hand. "Since you just received your Guardian sword from the PortalGuardian, take this staff as well."
Cale, the middle brother and the smallest, most fine-boned, was well-used to being the peacemaker. "I'll retrieve our packs." He dashed out the front door.
"You're too poorly trained," Gabe said to Alex. He towered over Alex, his six foot six inch height making him the tallest of the brothers, as well as the eldest and their leader. "You don't even own a dagger, much less know how to use one. We don't have gear for you either."
"You can't leave me off the team." Alex craned her neck so she could look up at him and said in a defiant voice, "The Portal Guardian said it when she assigned me to your team. You can only forbid vigilante activity."
Rile chuckled before saying, "I heard the Portal Guardian, too, and Alex is right, I'll grab spare staff and sword sheaths for her. "I'll grab spare staff and sword sheaths for her. Don't start your epic fight without me." He strolled out the door.
Alex looked at the sword and staff in her hands.Her fingernails were cracked and pockmarked but the sword and the staff fit comfortably in her grasp. "No fighting where Rile can't eavesdrop."
"You listen to me, Alex." Gabe shook a claw in her face. "Follow orders. No running off on your own."
"Yes sir." Alex saluted with the hand that held the staff. "Follow orders, sir."
Gabe hiss-growled deep in his chest.
"That's so cool," Alex teased. "How come your brothers never do that?"
"We're not a Clan Head or Heir," Cale said as he lugged in the packs, the smell of well-cleaned leather surrounding him.
"It's a Perfect Eldest Son thing," Rile said as he followed his brother in. "Here's your sword and staff sheaths, princess."
The sword and staff sheathes were of brown leather, the arms with hilts of silver wrapped in black leather and the ends covered in the same silver leather.
"Warrior princess," Alex replied as she accepted them. She ran her hands down the tough leather and smooth silver.
"Some warrior princess. You don't know how to use a sword, staff, or dagger," Rile said.
"I can fly and I can blast the leather off your hide," Alex replied too-sweetly. "Neuro-electric powers, remember? Or shall I remind you?"
You do know knife and sword fighting, the calm voice that occasionally popped into Alex's head said. Because you were trained in those for Third World missions. You can access that training.
Alex mentally snapped at it, "Shut up! You pop out of nowhere and irritate me to no end! You're my past and I want nothing to do with you!"
Remember to access the training when you need it.
Alex sighed in defeat and decided to be glad the voice was infrequent.
Gabe broke into her reverie. "Enough. Into the portal."
*****
Once through, they looked over a southwest desert terrain. Towering red rock formations dotted the landscape full of sand and scrub bushes. Tall columnar cacti stood watch over the valley below.
The cliffs showed grey-and-red bands along their faces. The sky above was a panorama of brilliant blue. The heat wasn't as unbearable as the Painted Desert and the sun was midway down the horizon. A desert breeze smelled like a garden of cactus, prickly gourd, and sage.
Alex was reminded of Cathedral Rock from Red Rock Crossing. She frowned at the thought that she had been in Arizona.
No thinking about the past. Ever. Who knew what horrors might have happened in Arizona?
They looked down upon the town in the shimmering heat. There was a small city with squat, red rock buildings no more than two stories tall, complete with dirt roads and carriages drawn by gleaming desert mustangs.
A small, turquoise-blue river snaked in a desultory manner on the edge of the town, while cultivated corn, squashes, and valerian grew on the other side.
"We'll learn ever so much standing out here." Rile started down the gentle slope for the town.
***
Gabe quickly took the lead while Alex gawked at the scenery and Cale and Rile scanned for trouble. A hot dry wind blew sand into Alex's teeth but it also carried a light, floral honey scent this time.
When Alex looked closer, the source was bright pink-purple flowers on scrub plants with oval, dark-green leaves.
As they skirted a building, they heard voices. They looked around the corner, saw who was talking, and stared at the three humanoid draconic figures.
"I hate staying here. I want to be with the others," one figure said.
"Just smile and wave." The figure swayed her hand gently back and forth high up in the air.
"They look like you," Alex whispered to the brothers. "We must be back on your home world."
The khaki-green creatures turned around. They sported impressive tails.
"Or not." Alex ducked back around the corner.
I'm the alien here.
"Why can I understand them? Surely they can't be speaking English," Alex whispered to Cale, her best shot at an answer without anger or scorn.
"Don't call me'Shirley '," Cale whispered back with a smile. "It's part of the Calling. We're given the language of wherever we're Called."
"Did you think we were hatched speaking English with an American accent?" Rile mocked.
Alex realized that Rile never missed anything. Whispering only alerted him to eavesdrop.
Jerk. I'll show him who's a Guardian.
"Alex, step back further into the alley and flatten against the wall," Gabe ordered.
She did, but not happily. At least, not until she heard voices from even farther down the alley. Now she could listen to a different conversation that the brothers couldn't.
"Are they in place?" one voice said.
"Yes, all four with crossbows. At least one will find its mark," another voice answered.
Alex looked down the street and saw a procession coming. She saw that while all stood on two feet and were dressed in robes, pants and tunics, or jumpsuits that clung tightly to their bodies, there were distinct differences in them, mainly their heads.
Some looked like Iguanas, some Chameleons, and many she didn't know.
The crowd of humanoid reptiles waved and cheered. Rile was closest, so Alex slid forward and tugged on his arm.
When he turned, she whispered to him, "I think there's an assassination planned. I heard mention of four crossbows and one hitting its mark."
When he looked down at her with skepticism, she added, "You're not the only one with good enough hearing to eavesdrop."
Rile scanned the area and pointed at an upper window. "There's one crossbow. Three more to go."
"I told you to step back," Gabe whispered fiercely as he pushed Alex against the wall, his body shielding her from the crowd's view.
"I overheard an assassination plot," she protested.
"Four crossbows to assassinate someone, probably a figurehead since we were Called here as Guardians." Rile yanked his brother forward. "I've found one. Now help me find the other three."
Gabe told Cale and they intensified their search. The procession drew closer. Alex saw Gabe point, and the three brothers vanished into the crowd.
"Three of them and four crossbows. Why didn't Gabe tell me to find one?" Alex muttered to the uncaring wall.
Although annoyed, Alex decided to stay put and keep an eye on the procession. A figure in the center of the parade smiled and nodded to his adoring audience.
His lavish, sunset-orange leather overcoat obscured the skintight one-pieceoutfit of many of the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the crossbow that Rile had pointed out disappear.
"One down, three to go." Alex didn't know where the other three were, so she watched the central figure closely.
Alex never questioned how she could see a crossbow bolt flying toward its target, she merely reacted. She speed-burst through the crowd, invisible, her slipstream harmlessly pushing the crowd away, then touched ground on the road.
She was now visible and used her regular flying ability to look as if she jumped into the carriage, instinct telling her to hide her flying ability.
She grabbed the waving figure, pushed him to the carriage floor, and covered him with her body.
She said, "Stay still, I'm protecting you. Bolts are flying, so let me take the hits."
He smelled both musky and pungent, but in an earthy, pleasant way
The screaming started. A large, muscular reptile resembling a Komodo dragon grabbed Alex and the reptile that she saved was taken from her. She was reluctant to blast such a large crowd, and the hands weren't hurting her, only restraining her.
Another muscular Komodo dragon type jogged up to her and yelled orders. Alex's rescue was surrounded by many large reptiles, mainly Komodo types. All were armed, on alert, and asking questions.
"Council President, are you all right?" One Komodo hunched over him protectively.
"Did this creature hurt you?" Another Komodo picked up each of the president's arms and examined them closely, even sniffing them. He removed the President's brilliant orange leather overcoat and patted the President's arms and chest.
"Of course I didn't hurt him. I rescued him from a crossbow bolt." Alex held up her hands in surrender.
"We saw no bolt or crossbow." One of Komodos sniffed her with suspicion, and then sniffed the president's head and chest. "What are you? You rubbed your scent on him."
"You were trying to abduct the Council President."The other Komodo brushed the president's chest, as if trying to remove Alex's smell. "Where would you take him, creature, after you marked him?"
""Uh, sorry about the body odor thing, but if I was trying to abduct him, why did I put him on the floor of the carriage and cover him?" Alex asked in a reasonable tone. "That's how my scent got on him. I was protecting him. I didn't mean anything else by it."
Alex wondered if it was a possessive gesture, like cats marking their humans by rubbing on them.
"Leave her be," the Council President said. "She was protecting me."
"Wait!" Gabe, Cale, and Rile ran up, each dragging an unconscious creature similar to the ones discussing assassination. "She's with us. We captured three of the assassins but she saved him from the fourth. Look." Gabe dropped a crossbow at the guard's feet and Rile and Cale followed suit.
"Sir." A green Iguana type guard joined them. "I found this." He held a bolt. "I think it would have hit the Council President."
"I agree." The Council President clapped his hands and the guards straightened into formation.
The other guards still maintained a protective circle around him, half watching the crowd and half glaring at Alex.
The President addressed Alex and the brothers. "You all have my thanks. But what manner of creature are you?" he asked Alex specifically. "How do you know our language?"
"I'm not from around here," Alex said. "I'm a quick study when it comes to language."
"President, this creature is unknown to our world and you were nearly assassinated. We must take you to safety immediately. Let the local law enforcement officers deal with her," one of the Komodo's said.
"Alex is under my protection," Gabe said sententiously and earned a sharp look from Alex. "She is a member of my Guardian team."
The President stroked his short, spiny 'beard' which reminded Alex of a bearded dragon. "No, the locals' fear of these guardians, especially this strange female, might lead them to mistreat her. Instead, we must hurry to the Institute for protection of our foreign allies." He clapped his hands sharply. "Guards, transport for us all immediately. To the Institute."
They were hustled into a larger, covered carriage, along with the Council President and several disapproving guards who crammed around Alex and glared at her. The President donned his sunset-orange overcoat again.
"I do thank you."The President pulled on his sleeves and straightened his collar. "But your strange appearance will cause much fear. What manner of creature are you?" He repeated the question politely to Alex.
Alex hunched her shoulders while Gabe glowered at her and Cale started clacking his claws.
"Mammal," Rile said when no one answered.
The President grew grave, again stroking his spiky beard, and his intelligent black eyes somber. "That explains your scent, warmth and hair. I was right to bring you along. There are those who think that mammals, no matter what the size, are good for nothing but being hunted and killed."
Gabe hissed but Rile and Alex studiously ignored him.
"Are you from the far south? There are rumors that large mammals live there."
"Has anyone ever been there?" Alex asked, hoping this would be an acceptable alibi and not fuel suspicions and fear about a Bigfoot creature.
"None." The President looked to his guards for confirmation, and they allnodded.
"Then I'm from there. We keep to ourselves."
The President waved that off with a clawed hand. "The truth, please. I must protect you all."
Alex turned her head to Gabe and raised her hands, palm up, in question.
"She is from another world. Does your kind know of this concept?" Gabe asked.
"Or your priests?" Cale added quickly.
The President nodded slowly. "Yes, the Greatest God has creatures on the different worlds that He has Created, but you will be the first we have ever met. I will contact the Council Head Priest as to your arrival and he can tell his priests to preach on the Greatest God's other worlds and its citizens. I pray this will help your introduction into our society. For now, you'll be safe at the Institute. Dr. Glick is the foremost authority on mammals."
"I hope not the sort that likes dissecting them," Alex said.
The President chuckled. "Have no fear. Dr. Glick is a most gentle and honorable genius. Now you three."
He turned to face Gabe, Rile, and Cale. "What species are you? You look like the Anolis lizards but you have no tails and are much larger. Their males are never seen outside their borders without their females."
"We're not from around here, either," Rile said.
Gabe elbowed Rile. "We are Guardians. We are Called to help in times of trouble. We also are from another world."
"I see." the President looked thoughtful and resumed stroking his beard. "I am grateful for the rescue. Is that why you are here?"
"It's part of it, but not all, or we would have been recalled home," Gabe said.
"There is much trouble brewing in the Anolis nation. I wonder..." The Council President lapsed into thought, one hand stroking his beard and one hand tapping his claws on his knee.
The carriage jolted to a stop and guards surrounded it. The guards inside poked their heads out and they conversed in short, terse phrases.
"This is your stop, Guardians. You'll be safe here. I'm sorry I cannot accompany you. This assassination attempt will cause much trouble politically and I must work. I will meet with you in the next few days and speak more of this Calling." The President waved goodbye as they exited the carriage. "Keep them safe," he told his guards. "All of them."
*****
The three creatures that had been whispering in the alley knelt on one knee before a throne.
"You say that they look like us but for the tails?" the female humanoid reptile on the throne asked. Her bronze crown of spikes flashed with her every movement.
"Yes, my Kuni," Cla answered, kneeling.
"Males? You are sure?" The Kuni stroked the head of a male Anolis who cowered, hunched over, on the ground by her side.
Without warning, her claws sunk into the back of his neck and she hauled him to his feet. The talons had a vicious grasp, each point soaking with blood, but the Kuni made it a casual movement, as if picking up a goblet. The male gasped and scrambled to stand, but offered no protest.
"Approximately what size compared to this one?" the Kuni asked.
"At least one-and-a-half times, perhaps more," Cla answered.
"Standard protocol for males. They will be ours. You take the one that appears to be the leader. " The Kuni threw the male aside and he lay curled on the floor, breathing hard.
"There was a female with them. Mammal, according to our sources. Somewhat larger than your male," Cla answered.
"Have fun with it," the Kuni answered. "Before you kill it."
***
Dedicated to
who inspires me to write detail, my least favorite thing. Thank you!
Her book The Silver Ones, is now published on Kindle Vella