Page 19 of The Hidden Guardian
“Rardian,” he repeats, “Rolf.” He points to the symbol of Colton’s birthmark, then points to a spot on his bicep. Renall has the exact same birthmark as my brother. He flips another page to a circle with a smaller circle inside it and looks at me, testing me.
“Family,” I respond.
His green eyes glitter alive with pride and he hugs me excitedly. We are communicating. Not as much as we would like, but it’s something. Between our makeshift sign language and these written symbols, we just might get the hang of this.
I grab a pencil out of the zipper of the backpack and draw a symbol that just came to my mind, it’s a swirling line that looks like a shell. “Home.” I point to the room around us, “This is your home, right?”
He looks at the symbol and a shadow crosses his face. He offers me a smile that doesn’t meet his eyes as he nods.
“Rome,” he repeats.
Instinctively, he reaches out and places a stray strand of hair behind my ear. Turning to meet his eyes, I feel his warm hand linger on the back of my ear. His body heat warms me, and I suddenly realize that’s why they probably prefer the cool temperature of this rocky mountain. He turns away, releasing a growl with a sigh. I gasp, glancing away as well, because I know deep down that that growl meant something else.
ChapterThirteen
AUTUMN
Iawaken the next day in the softest bed I’ve ever felt. It’s not feathers like I’d expected, but cushiony like wool. The last thing I remember from last night, Renall and I were ‘talking’ until late in the evening, eating meat and drawing symbols for each other. I learned quite a few new ones, and astonishingly, I was able to identify far more than I ever thought possible. It’s like I had unlocked some latent knowledge.
He must have moved me to the bed after I passed out. Bed. I’m in Renall’s bed. My cheeks flush with heat. The only bed. Anticipation rises in my blood as I turn to my left. Only blankets meet my line of vision. I sit up abruptly. I’m alone in the bed. Renall glances over his shoulder at the sound of my movement. He’s seated on the couch a few feet away. I run my hand down my hair, attempting to smooth it out. I wish I knew how long I’d slept, but there are no windows in the cave. After those few nights on the road, I know that I slept like a rock and wouldn’t be surprised if it’s noon.
Renall rises to his feet and walks over to the raised step up to the bedroom. He pauses before it. “Rokay?”
I yawn. “Yeah, I think I’m okay today.” That late night Pictionary conversation seemed to ease my aching heart, a little.
He points to my backpack and motions for me to follow him. After scooping it onto my shoulder, I meet him at the curtain to the bathroom. He reaches for the pipes behind the toilet. There’s a series of pullies and levers along the wall and he pulls one of the levers to the side. A flap opens and water starts flowing into the geode tub. My eyes follow the pipes up and over and there’s another lever that supplies the basin and sink. The tub’s water begins to steam and mushrooms into the air.
“You have hot water?” I gasp, reaching my fingers down to touch it.
He shrugs, not understanding, and hands me a few sea glass bottles before backing out of the bath alcove and adjusting the curtain. Still more privacy than the lake. Renall doesn’t seem to have a modest bone in his body, so I’m grateful he understands my need for privacy at all.
* * *
Renall is pacing by the time I get out of the tub and dress in the last pair of clean underwear in my possession. His eyes have that wild look to them again, and his brows are furrowed in a way I’ve never seen before. He reaches his hand out for mine and holds my gaze. Slowly I place my hand in his when my sixth sense tingles with the emotion on his face. Worry. Renall is worried about what we are about to do. If he’s nervous, we’re in deep shit. He didn’t even have this look in his eye when we were getting shot at. Panic, yes, but this, this is a deep-seated fear I’m feeling in his tense expression.
With my hand tightly in his, he tucks me behind him and opens the door. With my other hand, I clutch the skeleton key that’s wrapped around my neck. All we have to do is get back here in one piece, I tell myself as we exit the room. Renall has a death grip on my arm as we trek back across the circumference of the cave and down the steps to the ground level. There’s a permanent growl emanating from his throat, as if daring someone to make a move on us. We are getting a lot of attention. Couples pause their humping to watch us pass. Others outright stare and send hushed growls to each other. The tension in the air is stifling. My hand grows sweaty in Renall’s grip and my heart beats wildly in my chest under all the gazes and whispers.
We make it to the ground floor and bypass all the onlookers eating at the rows and rows of tables when Renall takes me down a corridor to the right. It stretches on for a while, lit only with torches. The growling seems less intimidating the farther we get until it’s only a hum along the wall. The hall opens into a meeting room of sorts. One large table sits at the center with a dozen high-backed chairs along the sides. The chairs at the two ends are carved from solid emerald. Along the center of the table sits a giant bouquet of exotic flowers, and lining its sides are baskets of fruits and vegetables. The walls of the room are lined with vibrant roses and lush vines. This is how I picture the main cave used to look before things died off. On the far wall to the right, beside an open doorway, is a drapery of solid green with gold stitching, and in its center the Guardian symbol with a circle around it. It’s situated behind the chair at the head of the table. The opposite end hosts a matching chair and doorway, and above those there is another drapery on the wall behind it; its sigil is an M that ends in fangs like a wolf on a green cloth with red stitching.
It’s the only place that’s clean and clear of dried leaves. The crisp air reminds me of my garden with the scent of flowers and fruit lingering in the air. This place, whatever it is, must be sacred to them. It’s empty and quiet until two figures appear in the shadowy doorway to our left, the one with the sigil of the wolf beside it.
Renall stills, although I can feel his heartbeat stammering through our interlocked hands. This is what he is anticipating. A figure approaches and comes into the faint light of the torches. She has long dark hair braided over one shoulder that stretches over her shoulder and reaches to her thighs. Her face is hidden in shadow until she claps her hands, and a candelabra of fire ignites above the table. It casts her in an orange glow, making her tan skin and dark, almond eyes visible. Her hair is braided so that your attention is drawn to the bare side of her neck where two fresh bite marks can be found. I wince, reaching for my neck, wondering if it hurts to be bitten. Her arms have gold bands adorning them, and her eyes are lined with dark kohl. Flowers bloom behind her. She’s strikingly beautiful, and the flora cowers to her power. A deep part of me envies her. To command a room with a walk alone.
“You must be Renall’s new Guardian, I’m Lupe,” the woman states in perfect English as she holds out a hand for mine.
“My name is Autumn, you speak English?” I want to hug her. I haven’t held a real conversation with someone in weeks. Possibly a month if you count the days locked alone in the cabin.
She smiles without teeth, but not in a way that reaches her eyes. “Yes, all Guardians know English. Those who grow up in Luna Cavern are taught both languages from birth. Wolves, on the other hand, most were born before English was introduced to this land. They have been given the option to learn. I’ve been telling Renall here to learn it for years.” She gives him a playful smack on the shoulder, but again her playfulness doesn’t reach her eyes.
Renall growls something light and playful back and she laughs flatly. Until a tall male figure finally enters the room. He’s a few inches taller than Renall, but twice as big around. The muscles on his arms look like he could lift cars. His hair is chestnut, shaggy, and tousled like someone just ran their fingers through it.
“This is my mate and the pack Alpha, Zev,” Lupe tells me, waving him over.
How do you greet a wolf pack Alpha? Bow? Shake hands? Growl? I’m at a loss for pleasantries when I meekly state, “Hi, I’m Autumn.”
“Oh, Zev doesn’t speak English either, stubborn wolves, the whole lot of them.” Lupe shrugs.
Zev gives me a glance over before nodding once and motioning for Renall to follow him back through the dark doorway. Renall pauses talking with his Alpha in the corridor opening.
