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.”
Danny reveled in this thought for a moment. He tried to decide what color of unicorn he would prefer to ride, what he was going to call her, and how shiny his armor and weapons were going to be. His mind eventually returned to the remaining questions still waiting to be answered. “Tell me more about Heaven.”
“What can I say,” Kevin began, choosing his words carefully, “the City of Angels is basically everything I expected it to be, and a whole lot more. I can’t even begin to explain the sheer scale of it. Listen to me – the streets are made of…”
The unicorns suddenly halted in their tracks. The guardians looked forward intently, and Danny wondered what was going on. He leaned to one side of Kevin, straining his eyes to see through the shadow of the trees. Only then was he able to see what was causing the obstruction. A little distance ahead stood what resembled a large, grizzled dog. Its nose was pressed against the ground as it moved across the path.
The dog didn’t appear to have spotted them, but Danny guessed that it probably sensed their presence, and was now trying to sniff them out. The guardians and their unicorns remained rooted to the spot. They seemed to be waiting for something. The dog seemed to have picked up their scent, and it was now sniffing a direct line towards them. And as it drew nearer, a highly-unpleasant smell filled Daniel’s nostrils. Before he could control himself, he sneezed so loudly that it echoed all about the Great Forest.
The wild dog’s ears shot up immediately. It was staring directly at the guardians. Daniel watched it race towards them, cutting the distance down with each powerful stride. The guardians remained rooted to the spot, even as it came at them, its wild, animal eyes shining in the shadows. And as the dog neared another fallen tree, it leapt over it, landed on its two hind legs and broke into an all out sprint.
This was no dog, Danny thought, and he was surprised that the guardians appeared unimpressed by the beast’s human-like prowess. It drew back its right hand, revealing huge claws. By then it was close enough for Daniel to see that it was some sort of cross between man and beast. It stood almost as tall as Kevin, and it was about to strike when…
“Halt!” Kevin’s voice thundered so loudly that it startled Amber. Clarissa was forced to hold on tight as the unicorn kicked both forelimbs in the air.
The wilderbeast halted immediately, but it refused to lower its monstrous paw. It simply stood before them, breathing heavily.
“We are Guardians of Lost Souls,” Kevin said with his chest held out, “and we are looking for a lost soul.”
The wilderbeast surveyed all three guardians carefully. It seemed to be deciding what to do next before it finally said, “Follow me.”
The wilderbeast turned around and got down on all fours. It gave a blood-curdling howl before taking to its heels. The guardians gave the command and the unicorns took chase. The wilderbeast didn’t follow the path. Instead, it cut through the forest, weaving in-between the trees with surprising grace. The unicorns were working quite hard just to keep it in their sights.
Danny wanted to ask Kevin what was going on. But he knew it wasn’t the right time for questions, so he simply held on tight as Scarlet propelled them towards the blurry shape of the wilderbeast.
As the unicorns ran, Danny couldn’t help but notice some movement in the shadows. They were being trailed by other wilderbeasts. But the guardians seemed to be paying no attention to them, focusing their full attention on the one that darted in front of them. They continued after the wilderbeast in this manner until they finally emerged into a huge clearing.
There were at least a hundred wilderbeasts waiting for them in the clearing, and the one they’d been following easily disappeared into their midst. The unicorns moved forward uncertainly, coaxed by the guardians, and a number of wilderbeasts parted for them to pass. They stopped at the very center of the clearing, by which time they were totally surrounded. But the guardians didn’t seem to fear any imminent danger.
Several more wilderbeasts cleared a path, and from their midst emerged a ferocious looking wilderbeast. It stepped forward. “Guardians of Lost Souls, what brings you into our unfair woods?”
This was apparently the leader of the pack. He halted before the three unicorns.
“We’re here for the lost soul,” Kevin said.
The wilderbeast laughed, or at least that’s what Daniel assumed it had intended to do, for it uttered a cackling sound unlike anything he’d ever heard before. “I think you’ll have to be a lot more specific than that.”
“You know what I mean. I am talking about the one you’re holding prisoner.”
“What makes you think we’re holding anyone prisoner? Every member of this community is here of their own free will.”
“Be that as it may, the one in question does not belong here, and I demand to take him into protective custody this instant.”
“Hasty, aren’t we? Well, the one you seek isn’t amongst our ranks, at least not anymore. So I am afraid there is very little I can do for you, great guardian, unless…”
The old wilderbeast paused, but said nothing else.
“We don’t have time for this,” Damian said. Hyacinth carried him in circles as she paced around restlessly.
“State your terms, Cornelius,” Kevin said.
Cornelius smiled, revealing a set of sharp, crooked teeth. “Well, I can’t help but notice the young man you have with you there. Neither can my people. And they all know where your party’s destination must lie, and have become somewhat excited by the prospect. So here’s the thing: grant my people and I safe passage with you and your party, through to the Hall of Mirrors, and I promise we’ll help you find the soul you seek.”
“You know as well as I that I can do no such thing,” Kevin replied.
“Really?” Cornelius said with mock surprise. “Tell me then, guardian, aren’t you and the others responsible for the protection of all lost souls in Eden? And aren’t my people and I lost enough as it is?”
“Even if we could grant you safe passage,” Kevin said, “there is no longer a place for you and your people in the land of the living. Your souls would be just as lost as they are here. You’ll be nothing more than ghosts.”
“Those are minor details. At least we’ll be back home with family and loved ones.”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to say.” Kevin had become exasperated. “There are no homes, or families, or loved ones. Not anymore.”
“That isn’t true,” Cornelius spat. His people were soon in a state of anger.
“Well, it is,” Kevin said, raising his voice so he could be heard above the uproar. “Do you have any idea how many years have elapsed since your arrivals? Everything and everyone you hold so dear are all gone. It is time to move on. You should be looking forward, not back.”
“We don’t need you telling us where to look,” Cornelius said, turning his back on the guardians. He started to walk away.
“I’ll take it you’re not going to hand over the prisoner.”
“No.”
“Then I’m sorry,” Kevin said, unsheathing his broadsword, “but you leave us with no choice.”
The wilderbeast halted just before the others, but didn’t turn around to face the guardians. “Do you actually think the three of you can defeat my entire colony?”
Kevin gave no answer. Damian and Clarissa readied their bows.
“Personally,” Cornelius said just before disappearing into the crowd, “I’ll like to see you try.”