《Remnants》


 Chapter 1: Forgotten Letter

    My dearest Anaya,


    I know you do not understand why I had to go, but my eyes have been opened to a world inside of our own. The shamans and witch doctors tell of the Veil between our world and the spirits of the dead, but there is so much more. All the tales we tell the children of the village, the ones Grandfather used to tell around the fire, I have found that these are true. The monsters and things that go bump in the night. They exist and they haunt not only our people, but the people of the world.


    But so to, the heroes from these tales exist. The slayers of monsters. I grew up admiring these heroes of the tales and striving to be just like them. When I became chieftain of the tribe, I was happy as a boar in mud. But I could not remain. My eyes see things that others do not. I see these monsters. Even the ones that hide amongst us. This is why I must go.


    I was approached by Anansi in a dream. He came to me as he would anyone, as a spider. He crawled into my ear, and he told me, Gideon, there is greatness in you. The world needs your greatness. I awoke with a start, but I knew the God of Spiders had spoken to me. When he finally appeared to me in person, he was in the form of a spider and led me to the jungle where I found my sword, Mmaagha Kamalu. Anansi told me, the sword will glow red when evil is near. I must defeat this evil.


    So he led me to the cities, away from you, away from my home. I followed Anansi all the way to the United States of America. It was here that I found evils hidden all over. Great creatures mixed in with greater structures. So many places to hide. Anansi guided me for quite some time and I fought these creatures.


    Eventually, I could find these creatures on my own, and Anansi left me. He said, Gideon, you are stronger than most men. You will thrive here. Kill the beasts and recover the treasures they hide. And so I did.


    I was an outcast here. Never able to stay in one place long. The white men were suspicious of me. The called me names and tried to fight me. But still, I protected them from these creatures.


    When Anansi came back, he told me of the Order of Vigilance. That he, among other Progenitors had formed a group that stretched the whole wide world, dedicated to protecting people and collecting powerful relics of the past. Anansi offered to make me a Master of this Order. So he and the Progenitors led me to Canada. It was here they gave me an old church, with a secret basement. Inside, were wonders I couldn¡¯t begin to imagine.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    They told me to teach students. Find gifted children, and teach them the ways of the Order. Give them Artifacts to defend themselves and others, like Anansi had given me Mmaagha Kamalu.


    Another man was sent and he offered to help me. He was kind and without hatred in his heart. He helped me find the gifted ones, these Chosen. He helped me make a space for them here, because like me, the world had no place for them. His name was Rook. He too had been Chosen and given an Artifact. But he had much more knowledge than I.


    It has been a long hard journey from Africa, to Canada, but my dear Anaya, I want you to know, I haven¡¯t forgotten about you. You are still the love of my life, just like when we met, many years ago. I hope this letter finds you well, and that you believe me, with your heart.


    Rook and I, we are doing good things for the world, and for these Chosen children. They are a pain in my backside sometimes, but I love each of them like they were my own.


    Anders, ever brave and stubborn. My prot¨¦g¨¦. He is powerful, and the true blooded descendant of the King Arthur from legends. I watch him grow stronger each day, and could not be more proud, then if he were my own son.


    Serena, a kind hearted Greek girl, finishing nursing school. She has a huge heart, just like you, and cares for her teammates. She is a tiny thing, but when she is angry, she intimidates even the biggest of the boys.


    Hector, who was a firefighter. He has the urge to protect and save lives. A sturdy man, but much more intelligent than he lets on. He would much rather have his nose in a book, then training, but you¡¯d never catch him admitting it.


    Anippe, or Andrea as she likes to be called. Her father is part of the Order in Egypt, but she has been sent here. She is feisty and is always challenging me. She runs her mouth, but she is quite the fighter. I enjoy her energy.


    Magnus, the biggest of them all. He is a brute of a man, of Nordic descent. His family has also been part of the Order for some time. He pushes the others around sometimes. A true warrior of his culture.


    And Griffin, the complete opposite of his peers. A ghost of a boy, tall and scrawny. With long blonde hair and vacant eyes. He keeps to himself mostly, but trains hard and often. Some times by himself. He is inquisitive and studies to train his mind when he is not training physically.


    I refer to them all as kids, but in truth they are grown, starting their lives in their twenties. Such a beautiful time, when the world is open to them. My special students.


    I know I will be here for quite some time, and hope that one day, when I come home to you, my love, that you understand why I am here, and what it is I have done for the world.


    Love Always,


    Gideon Solarin

 Chapter 2: Anders

    I had a hard time thinking straight when she was around. I knew it was illogical, but she always seemed to gather all of my attention. I hated getting paired with her in training because Gideon thought I was slacking. I just couldn''t bring myself to hurt her.


    But pain is the nature of this place. Muscles always hurt, food always sucks. I could¡¯ve joined the military and got better service. You learn early on as an orphan not to complain out loud. There is always someone to call you ungrateful and disrespectful. Always someone to tell you, you deserve this.


    She walked by me in the library, scouring the shelves for a particular tome, and I couldn¡¯t help but admire the way she moves. The way her hips sway that match her defiant attitude. The way her emerald eyes glittered in the low lamp light. The way she struggled to reach the top shelves. Now was my chance.


    ¡°Hey Serena, can I help you with that?¡± I walked over and dusted myself off, trying to play it cool. She turned around and looked me over.


    ¡°Yea sure.¡± She said cheerfully. As I got closer, I couldn''t help myself and looked her up and down too, which she noticed. Serena rolled her eyes at me, and I smirked, shrugging.


    ¡°Which one?¡± I asked and she pointed up to the top shelf. I looked up and she kicked me in the ankle, bringing me down to one knee. She climbed up onto my bent leg and used it to grab the book herself.


    ¡°Um, ow?¡± I complained. She walked away, fixing the bun in her hair, shaking her head at me. I hated to see her go, but loved to watch her leave.


    ¡°Smooth.¡± Hector called from across the library, barely looking up from under his glasses. He had his head buried in a book, as usual. I got back to my feet and dusted off my pants.


    ¡°She¡¯s quite resourceful.¡± I said with admiration. Hector just shook his head and moved back to his book. I¡¯d never met such a bookish firefighter before. He was built like a body builder. I figured he¡¯d be in the gym training with Magnus, but he was always here catching up on his studies. He kept his mass of dreadlocks up in his big colorful hat, which he would frequently reach up to adjust, absently.


    ¡°Nerd.¡± I huffed and made my way out of the library.


    The Cathedral was a large underground bunker underneath, you guessed it, an abandoned Cathedral in the heart of downtown Toronto. Everything was close by here too. Grocery, entertainment, you name it. All the tall buildings and busy people made me feel like I was someone while I was here. It was such a change from the dreary subdivisions, where foster homes and crappy childhoods lingered.


    As I left, I watched Serena walk down the hall. She flipped me off, barely turning around to look at me. I guess I¡¯d done enough damage there for one day. I couldn''t help but be obesessed.


    But like, not in a creepy way or anything...


    The Cathedral was probably the biggest place I¡¯d ever stayed in. I had foster parents, once upon a time, that had a big house, but it was nothing compared to this place. I imagined this is what staying at a college felt like. The dorms, all the facilities close together. Everyone up in everyone else¡¯s business. It was hard not to know everyone elses business.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I loved the feeling of freedom here. I could be anywhere here. There were no locks on the doors. I didn¡¯t have a set time for dinner, that if I missed, I''d go hungry. For once, I felt like a human being instead of a piece of furniture.


    I ran up the spiral stairs leading to the main part of the church, just to feel my heart race. I weaved and leapt over ancient unused pews and made my way to the bell tower. The old stained glass filtered moonlight into the empty church, and I was eager to get to the top. The climb was exhausting, but the view up here was always worth it.


    Looking out at the busy city streets of Toronto, I felt alive. Being part of the Order, I felt like part of something. I took in the night air and exhaled hard.


    ¡°What are you doing up here Anders?¡± The deep voice behind me, startled the crap out of me. I spun around to see Gideon standing with his arms crossed, looking out the other side of the bell tower. I would never know how he could tell it was me without looking.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d come up for some air. Gets cramped down there sometimes.¡± I smoothed back my mess of hair, but it popped forward despite my best efforts.


    Master Gideon was an imposing man. He stood well over six feet tall, with strong, corded muscles. You''d like he was a pro boxer or something.


    ¡°I too come here for air. And to think. My students have a way of getting under my skin.¡± Gideon said, still not turning to look at me. So I moved to stand beside him. His face was grim looking as usual. His hardened ebony face and dark eyes stared out, lost in thought. His hair had begun to grey since we¡¯d first met. He often told me it was our fault. All of us Chosen.


    ¡°I can leave if you want. I don¡¯t mean to be a pain in the ass.¡± I told him, feigning innocence. He rolled his eyes and turned his head slightly to look at me.


    ¡°If you were truly a pain in my ass, I would throw you from this tower.¡± He said plainly. There was no smile or laugh. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was being serious or not. ¡°There is enough room up here for both of us.¡± He said after a moment. I sighed in relief.


    ¡°How are you liking it here?¡± Gideon¡¯s voice lost some of its grim tone. I threw my hands behind my head and leaned against the stone tower.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad.¡± My arrogance didn¡¯t faze him the way it did the others. He simply looked back out at the world, busy lights reflecting off his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than most of the places I¡¯ve been. I know I haven¡¯t been around a long time, but my nineteen years feel like a lifetime. I¡¯m sick of bouncing from place to place.¡± I felt a lump form in my throat and I quickly choked it down.


    Gideon looked at me, but this time it was fatherly. He puts a firm hand on my shoulder. It was foreign feeling for me, but it felt right in this moment.


    ¡°This is your home now Anders. These people are your family. You don¡¯t need to feel alone or misplaced anymore.¡± Three simple sentences, said like statements of fact. Like no one could challenge him on it. Those words would stick with me, deep in the back of my mind. My concept of family was deeply skewed, but somehow this made sense to me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never really had a place to call home and family is such a bizarre concept to me.¡± I told him, more thinking out loud.


    ¡°When something feels right, in your heart, it will feel like warmth of a summer night. This is home. Home can be a place, a person, or a feeling. You decide what home means to you Anders. You fill your life with the people, places and feelings you want. Grab hold of your life and take control. The Order has given you this chance.¡± He crossed his arms again, and moved for the stairs.


    ¡°Perhaps, the bell tower is too small for two. I have had enough air. I will see you later.¡± And with that he departed leaving me with a heap of emotions and this damn lump in my throat. I smoothed back my hair, over and over, nervously.


    Once upon a time, from this height, I would have thought about jumping. Years of neglect and abuse and pain. But here, up in this bell tower, with the city below¡­


    With the Order, I felt alive. I felt refreshed. Like I could take on the world. I could earn the money I needed to forge the life I wanted. I was the master of my fate now.


    When Gideon found me, I was nothing, but I would become something great here.


    I felt like nothing could stop me.


    Up here, looking out at the city, I felt like a king.

 Chapter 3: Magnus

    46, 47, 48


    I felt the rush as I pumped as much weight as I could. My adrenaline was on high and I felt like I could run a marathon.


    53, 54, 55


    I looked over to watch Andrea running on the treadmill; admiring the fine little piece of ass that she was. I grunted in satisfaction as I finished my rep at 60. I set my 300 pound bar back on the rack.


    I toweled off my face and then the bench, flexing my burning muscles. I could see Andrea rolling her eyes at me but I knew she loved it.


    "Why don''t you come over here and let me throw you around a little?" I teased.


    She glared at me and increased the speed of her running. Her legs flicked up behind her in fractions of seconds, like a majestic gazelle. I was feeling particularly lion-like.


    "Come on hunny, we could go back and have some fun in the pool or steam up the sauna? I''m sure no one will bug us." I said, stepping up beside her treadmill.


    "Magnus, I don''t know what kind of woman would fall for your macho bullshit, but I am certainly not amused, nevermind aroused." Her voice was husky and labored from the running. Sweat glistened on her olive skin and I licked my lips instinctually.


    "Aww, Andrea, you''re breaking my heart. I promise I''ll make it worth your while." I growled, flexing my pecs.


    "I think she said no Magnus. Leave her alone." The voice grated on my nerves and I could feel my lip twitch.


    "If it isn''t our tiniest companion. Or should I say mascot. What brings you to the gym Griffin? You get lost on your way to the library?" I snarled.


    "None of your business Magnus." Griffin sounded like a snivelling child. I noticed Andrea slowed down her machine as I approached him. She was suddenly fully aware, because of him. My nostrils flared.


    "I don''t think you could lift the lightest weight in here. Why don''t you run along, and let the adults talk." I said, walking over and shoving his shoulder. Griffin doubled back, almost dramatically. What a feeble creature.


    "Magnus, leave him alone." Andrea''s voice drowned out as the blood rushed to my head and my heart pounded in my ears. Griffin was like a hyena, coming to pick at the scraps.


    But I was a lion.


    Griffin didn''t bother to come back at me as I shoved him again. He just turned and headed back for the door.


    "Coward. This is no place for you." I chuckled and turned back to face Andrea. She didn''t seem impressed, but she was always playing hard to get.


    Suddenly, I''m jarred forward and pain throbbed in the back of my head. A metal folding chair clattered to the floor after connecting with my head. I saw red.


    "I''m not a coward." Griffin''s voice was a whisper, but he looked up from under his brow with hatred in his ice colored eyes, almost completely white. They creeped me out.


    I bellowed and charged at him.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Guys, stop!" Andrea shouted, but I didn''t hear her. I swung left and right, but the lanky kid just shifted out of the way. I bullrushed him into a corner and grabbed his scrawny neck with my massive hand.


    "You little shit! I should crush you right here. You have no business in the Order!" I shouted in his face.


    His expression was vacant, except for the hatred in his eyes. He was obnoxiously tall and thin, like a weasel. His blonde hair was long and greasy, like an old mop. Such a disgusting excuse for a human.


    I felt something suddenly poking into my gut, and I looked down.


    The little bastard has his fucking sword sticking into my stomach, just enough to pierce if he were to apply any force.


    "You little prick." I growled, tightening my grip.


    "Put me down Magnus." He was too calm and it irritated me. His cold, emotionless voice made me want to crush his windpipe, but I let go.


    Griffin dismissed his Artifact like the threat was gone and stared at me unblinking, unmoving.


    I looked over my shoulder, and Andrea was no where to be found. I turned back to Griffin and growled.


    "One of these days, you''ll fight something far worse than me, and you won''t have the strength to beat it. I can only hope that I''m there to watch it devour you." I snarled before slamming out through the gym doors.


    I didn''t know what Gideon was thinking with this one. I didn''t see the appeal or potiential. He was just lanky and whiny.


    I should have just crushed his skull with the power from Megingjord, Thor''s belt. But then they''d just take it from me.


    It was my birthright, as a true descendant of the Nordic bloodlines. The damn Order thought it owned everything, but the Belt was mine, and they''d have to take it from my corpse.


    My Motorola StarTAC rang and I fumbled with it before I got the damn thing open. Stupid technology. Portable phones just made life more irritating.


    "Hello?"


    "Yea, I''ll come home tonight."


    "You couldn''t get the damn diapers yourself?"


    "No, I haven''t been drinking. I''m still at work."


    "Yep. Love you too. Bye."


    I made sure the stupid phone was off and sighed.


    "Damn needy bitch and her brat." I growled to myself.


    As I turned the corner into the hallway, I saw Andrea rushing back, with Gideon on her heels. I rolled my eyes.


    "You better not have hurt him." Andrea said, glaring at me. I scoffed and waved my towel at her.


    "He''s fine. Little fucker pulled his sword on me." I said, trying not to snap at her. Gideon''s dark eyes stared at me hard as he approached. Andrea stared at me as she moved passed me to go back into the gym. I turned my head to stare at her ass as she went back. When I turned back, Gideon was right in front of me.


    He was a big guy, but we stood almost eye to eye with each other. I scratched the back of head and stared back at him, lazily.


    "You cannot be fighting the other Chosen Magnus. They are your family." He told me. I shook my head.


    "These guys aren''t my family boss. My family is the broad at home with the brat." I told him, trying to keep a neutral face.


    "Regardless, we are here to work together, not to fight each other. I will not tolerate this behaviour in my home." He said, his old voice droning on.


    "Gotcha." I said, trying to move passed him. He put a hand on my chest and my nostrils flared again. His face held no anger or ill intent, so I simmered a bit.


    "Magnus, I need to know that I can trust you to work as a team, especially when you are out in the field. This discourse between you and the others, it is unwarranted." He told me. I moved his hand from my chest. If he had been anyone else, I would have broken his wrist.


    "Yup. Team player. Got it." I rolled my eyes. Gideon kissed his teeth at me.


    "Do not give me reason to have you removed Magnus. You may come from a long line of Chosen, but the Cathedral is my home, and I will not have your malice infect it. Do you understand me?" He pointed his finger at me and I wanted to snap it off. Old bastard thought he could threaten me?


    "I understand perfectly." I said behind clenched teeth.


    When he moved off, back down the hallway, I punched the brick wall beside me. It crumbled a bit, and I looked down at my fist. My bloody knuckles throbbed, but the sensation only pushed my already spiked adrenaline.


    I was a lion on the prowl, and my prey had all gotten away. Thankfully, there was always some poor, pathetic animal at home.


    I looked back longingly at the gym door. Andrea would break eventually. I knew she was into me. She was always in the gym at the same time as me. Obviously she wanted me.


    And if not, there was always that Greek girl, walking around here all high and mighty.


    I''d show all of them. I was the mighty Magnus, and I would not be denied.

 Chapter 4: Serena

    There was nothing quite as refreshing as a quiet fog rolling out over the lake. The waterfront was still except for the seagulls and the waves lapping at the rocks. Here, I could finally pretend to be normal for a moment. Here, I could breathe.


    Between working for the Order and doing my schooling to be a nurse, I just didn''t seem to have much time for myself anymore. Everything moved so fast, moments dusted away in a cool breeze.


    I couldn''t complain too much though; the pay was fantastic. I had set up a small house North of the city for my sister and I, I had paid off all my debt and I have a nice amount saved for starting a life after all this is over. Maybe I would have kids, settle down with a stable guy...


    "Hey."


    I shrieked loudly, startled by the intruder. All the seagulls flew away, screeching. I whirled around to find Anders standing behind me, eyes wide.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to startle you." He said, trying to be disarming.


    "Did you follow me? I can''t believe you followed me all the way here. You creep!" I took off my flip-flop and whacked him several times until I was satisfied.


    He cringed, but accepted the hits. I was kind of pleased it didn''t scare him away.


    "I''m sorry, I know I shouldn''t have followed you, but I''ve been dying to talk to you one on one. Without everyone else standing around judging me." He said, meekly.


    "Couldn''t you just knock on my door and come talk to me in my room?" I asked, putting my hand on my hip.


    Anders turned bright red and I stifled a giggle.


    "I just thought that, maybe out here would be more appropriate." He stumbled over his words and stared at everything but me.


    "So what did you wanna talk about?" I rocked back and forth on my heels like a school girl with a crush. He was a bit of a dork, but he was a cute dork.


    "I...uh..." All the color left his face.


    "You mean you came all this way to talk to me out here and you''ve got nothing to say?" I teased him.


    He fidgetd with the sleeves on his white dress shirt and dusted off his grey khakis.


    "I wanted to ask you if maybe you''d go get dinner with me sometime?" He finally asked.


    "Dinner?" I said, dragging out the word just to watch him turn red again.


    "Or...coffee, you know, if you don''t eat dinner." He stumbled over his words.


    I raised an eyebrow and he smacked his palm to his forehead.


    "Of course you eat dinner. I''m just gonna go now." He turned around and started to walk, so I grabbed his sleeve.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    At first he seemed worried about his sleeve, but then he caught on.


    "Yea, sure. I''ll go to dinner with you. And we can do coffee and desserts after. Maybe do mini golf?" I winked at him.


    "Uh, yea sure!" He said, filled with excitement. A beautiful little light flicked on behind his eyes; a spark of magic that made me smile; one of those toothy smiles you can''t help, that make you look super goofy. The kind of smile that is pure and comes from your heart.


    "But you''re paying." I put on my best serious face.


    "Oh, ok." He wavered a bit, but didn''t disagree.


    We walked back from the rocks and down a little trail covered with trees. The weather was nice, not quite autumn, but the summer was all but over. There were lots of couples about, as was the case for the colder months, everyone pairing up and trying to feel desired before the winter blues kicked in.


    Perhaps that was why Anders was saying something now. A seasonal yearning to not be alone.


    The path led off to a parking lot, with both our cars parked next to each other. My little blue Cooper and his silver Lancer.


    "Your car or mine?" I asked.


    Anders stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. I grabbed his keys from out of his pocket and headed over to his car.


    "You can drive me back here after." I told him before jumping into the driver''s seat of his car.


    "Hey!" He called out. He rushed to the door and I smiled at him.


    "Come on, scoot over." He motioned for me to get into the passenger seat. I feigned insult.


    Anders got all flustered like a perturbed peacock. He tried to straighten his unruly hair and fussed over his clothes, moving back and forth.


    "Relax, you can drive." I said slipping across to the other seat and throwing him his keys. Which he promptly dropped.


    Twice.


    Anders was very clearly new to driving, and I could tell that downtown traffic made him uncomfortable. But he knew where he was going, at least in theory.


    "I''ve taken these streets by bus so many times, it''s weird driving them though. So many of these streets don''t let you turn left or right." He said nervously. I patted his thigh and he turned red again. It was fun how easy it was to fluster him.


    "You''re doing okay. Where exactly are we going for dinner?" I asked.


    "Oh, there is this restraunt called Three Brewers at Yonge and Dundas Square, I always wanted to try it, but never really had the money until now." He told me.


    I smiled at him. He was so new and green to this Order thing. He''d done one mission since joining up with us some months ago. The money had practically burnt a hole in his khaki pockets.


    Gideon had told us that the Progenitors had specifically requested that he locate and recruit Anders. Apparently there was something special about him. As far as we all knew, he was some streetwise runaway from the foster care system.


    I knew that the system failed a lot of those kids, so it was nice that he could make a new life for himself with the Order.


    When he finally found parking, he came around and opened the door for me like a gentleman and I wrapped my arm around his and let him escort me in. He opened doors, pulled out chairs and even ordered a bottle of fancy red wine to the table. I don''t know if he felt he needed to impress me, but he had done a good job.


    By the end of the night, we were both chatting and laughing like old friends. We sat at a Second Cup down by Union Station, just as they were getting ready to close up.


    "You gonna drive me back to my car now?" I asked, smiling at him. His shy demeanor had improved but he wasn''t being quite as cocky as I normally saw him with the others.


    "Yea, I guess I can do that. And then I''ll see you back at the Cathedral?" He asked, collecting up my garbage for me and holding the door as we exited onto the street.


    "Anders, we live down the hall from each other, it''s not like you aren''t gonna see me again." I told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged and smiled softly.


    "Oh, I know. I just had such a good time tonight, I don''t want it to end, y''know?" He tried to smooth his hair back, but it help falling in front of his face. He had barely the wisps of a goatee forming, and in the city lights, he looked so young and innocent.


    I felt bad, knowing that one day, the Order would take that from him. Likely by force.

 Chapter 5: Hector

    I could feel her eyes on me, but I couldn''t see her. She used her Artifact, the Veil of Isis, for invisibility in and out of combat and it had become frustrating around the Cathedral.


    "Andrea, I know you are there." I called into the dark empty hall.


    This had become a favorite past time of hers. She stalked me around the entire complex, hiding in the shadows. She refused to reveal herself unless I could pin point her location exactly.


    Frustrating indeed.


    I adjusted my glasses and tucked some loose locks into my tam and then continued on down the hall, listening to every rattle and hiss. Every breath.


    She had told me stories, of back home, her home. She used to hide under warm sands and behind the shadows of brick houses and try to frighten her father. He was a stoic man; a warrior of the Order, in Egypt, who feared nothing. Except maybe his daughter.


    Although he would often find his hiding daugther, she never gave up. This love of hers for stealth was probably the reason the Veil Bonded to her.


    I made the turn around the corner to the connecting corridor and there she was, hanging upside down from the industrial pipes, arms crossed.


    "You''re no fun." Her Arabian accent always made me smile. She was unique here. Like some kind of exotic flower growing up among weeds.


    A beauty of the desert.


    She had adjusted well to Western culture, but kept a strong pride of her homeland.


    "Hector, are you analyzing me again? I am not something to be studied." She flipped down and fell into a crouch, reminding me of some feral cat. She stood and I couldn''t help but admire her, this gorgeous creature, agile and free.


    "Quite the contrary my dear." I said with a gentle smile. She shook her head, hating when I used pet names. I was thankful that she''d chosen to wear her hair out, falling out of a loose bun. Strands of her naturally curly black hair bounced down the sides of her neck.


    "I am not a book Hector, I am to be experienced, not studied." She smiled and the hallways brighten a bit.


    If only just for me.


    "I''m going to the library. Will you join me?" I proposed. Andrea sighed heavily.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "You are always in the library. For a big f¨¬refighter man, you sure spend a lot of time with books." Her smile turned into a pout.


    "How can I not? We''ve been thrust into a world full of magic and legend, that has been sitting just beneath the surface our who lives. All the fantasies and myths are things to be researched as fact now. It thrills me to know there is so much more to the world. Does it not interest you?" I gushed. I guess I truly was a nerd.


    Andrea shurgged and my heart fell into my stomach.


    "Where I come from, there are scarier things than giant sand wurms and mummies. Sometimes, humans are the real monsters. I''ve been part of the Order since I was a child. My father raised me to be a warrior. The things you think are fantasy and magic, were just part of daily routine." Her playful demeanor was gone, and I suddenly felt guilty.


    "I didn''t mean to dig up old memories. Sometimes I get so excited about things that I forget that not everyone sees things the same way. I respect your lack of interest, but please understand that this is all new to most of us." I told her.


    She mulled it over and chewed on her bottom lip. I saw the gears going to work as she both translated and digested the information I provided. She took her time and then nodded.


    "I will join you. But you must take more time to experience with me. Less reading. More adventure." That beautiful smile returned, accompanied by a shimmer in her hazel eyes.


    "I will make an effort to add more excitment into my life, if you promise to share it with me." I smiled widely. Andrea playfully hit my arm. She recoiled, seeming surprised.


    "You are surprisingly fit under all your sweaters. You should show off more." She said groping at my arm and chest.


    "Showing off isn''t really my thing." I told her. She shrugged.


    "All men do this." She said it like it was a fact.


    "Well I''m not ''all men''." I told her.


    "Yes, this is why I like you." She replied, her eyes sparkling.


    As we made our way to the library, I felt eyes on me again, but Andrea was walking in front of me. I shuttered. I had become so adept at finding her while she was invisible or hiding that I felt other things that seemed to loom in the shadows. I made a mental note of it, but chose not to phyiscally acknowledge the sensation. When I did eventually look around, the feeling disappeared, but only in the sense that whatever it was, had returned to hiding.


    I decided that I should research spirits, or other lingering negative things next. But I had a feeling I already knew who lingered around the Cathedral.


    Griffin was like some kind of spectre, looming behind walls, moving silently and always absent from group participation. I had seen him staring at the women on our team from time to time, but he had a very difficult time approaching them.


    Mostly, if he wasn''t training or in the library reading, he locked himself away in his dormitory to play his Playstation. Even walking by his door late at night, you could hear the sounds of his games. It was like he didn''t sleep.


    Although he was odd, I held no ill will for the man, but Magnus was another story. Seeing him as the weakest link, Magnus continually antagonized him, even the point of physical violence.


    To my knowledge, Gideon had threatened to kick him out if it continued, only seeming to fuel the anger of the large Norseman.


    And to make matters more complicated, the new guy and Serena had been going off on all kinds of trysts, which was interfering with the routine day to day training exercises.


    As Mr. Spock would say, it was all highly illogical. And yet, as I followed behind Andrea, heading toward the library, I felt like, perhaps, I could understand the need for those moments.

 Chapter 6: Letter of Transfer

    Master Gideon Solarin,


    I write to you from the esteemed Citadel in London, England. I appreciate you reaching out to us in your time of need. I have decided to accept your request for a transferred Chosen to fill out your ranks at the Cathedral in Toronto, Ontario.


    This Chosen, Chase Morgan, is an adept student of the Magic Arts Program under the tutelage of Progenitor Merlin, and has excelled at his studies as well as all his physical training. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Mr. Morgan has yet to participate in his Bonding Ceremony, and I ask that you perform this Ceremony with him upon his arrival.


    As you are probably aware, those capable of using Magic are dwindling and we ask that Mr. Morgan be respected and well protected as he is an invaluable assest to both the Citadel and the Order of Vigilance as a whole.


    I would appreciate periodic updates on his progress and wellbeing, as I also have a vested interest in the young man.


    Yours truly,


    Elizabeth II R