Guardians (working title)

Book one

The search

Chapter 1
Stealing the flame

Ferion was in a state of celebration. It was the midsummer festival and the main church of Kitar was open fully for public worship. The low sun shone off the red glass spire and the deep drums and low chanting filled the hot streets. Nelsara moved slowly through the happy singing masses in the main streets of Antua, Ferions capital city. He had seen this festival countless times and it never ceased to make him feel elated. The statue of the Goddess Kitar greeted him as he rounded the corner into the main square. She was tall and imposing but somehow her face seemed compassionate. Nelsaras large cat ears twitched suddenly aware of a noise behind him. He turned around making an effort to look as if he was jumping around with the crowd. He saw the shape move. It looked like a normal |Ferionite but Nelsara's sensitivity to magic told him it wasn't so. He landed lightly on his feet his long black hair falling onto his back as he swiftly moved through the dense crowd.
He made it to the apartment block and slipped inside. He could no longer feel the tingling that told him the magical being was near. Safe in the knowledge he was no longer being followed he made his way into the lift.
Lórien was sitting reading when he entered the penthouse. There was no walls as such just glass which gave a great view right to the red glass spire of the church. Lórien placed his book lightly on the table.
“Good you have made it.” He smiled.
Lórien was an immortal. A strange being known as a Inaspri ,he was born a mortal but through magic and blood spells was brought over into an immortal life. True immortals were the only ones who knew this magic and you had to prove yourself to them before you could become an immortal.
Nelsara hoped this final task would seal the deal and give him his immortal life.
“Were you followed”Lórien whispered. Nelsara shook his head. “There is one out there though. I could smell it.”
Lóriens golden curls of hair shone in the light as he walked passed Nelsara into the kitchen. The small section of hair wrapped tightly in red thread, his immortality badge, stood out brightly amongst the curls “Did you bring what I asked.” He whispered as he poured two glasses of the Fearionte drink known as Flaras, a heady rum like drink which gave instant warmth to the drinker. Nelasra accepted his drink then drew out the large book he had been concealing in his jacket. Lorein took it and stroked the golden cover lovingly. “Mother Kitar forgive me.” He whispered. He turned to Nelsara. “Did you have any trouble getting into the church.”
Nelasra shook his head. “Thankfully everyone including the priestesses were are the main church tonight.” Nelsara smiled a little. Who would have thought that the most holy book on Ferion was in the tiny church in the old part of town. But Lórien had known.
Lórien still stared reverently at the cover. He was over 700 years old, born into a time where religion meant more. There were very important reasons why they needed this book but there was no doubt that he still found the fact they had stolen it hard.
“We better pack it away save ready to leave.” He whispered to Nelsara his eyes showing the hint of tears.
“I will put it with the rest of our things.”Nelsara answered quietly. He left Lórien alone in the glass walled lounge. Lórien sank down into his chair a tear escaped his eye. “Forgive me for what I have to do mother Kitar.” He looked out at the stern face of the statue. Something told him the matriarch understood.
Nelsara sat down heavily on his bed and reached under it. He pulled out the bag and gently hid the book in the secret pocket. He looked around the room. It was spacious and filled with many mod cons. His life had not always been like this. His life has started off normal enough for a Ferionite child. He had been born to two loving parents and was adored by his older sister. His mother was in the air force and his father stayed at home looking after him and his sister. Ferionite was a planet where women were in charge and although many jumps had been made in equality it was not ideal yet. Men were still paid less and were expected to leave their jobs after their wives had the obligatory three weeks off with their children to take over the childcare. Nelsaras father had not left his job he had always worked from home as a designer and had simply decided to take on less work.
Nelsara had loved his mother even though he hadn't seen much of her. She was tall with dark skin and long black hair with small round ears like a panthers protruding through on either side of her head. Her eyes were a piercing yellow. She had always been loving and kind when she had been home. His father had the same long dark hair but his skin was pale, something Nelsara had inherited. His father also had more pointed ears like those of a domestic cat and large green eyes. His sister had been of slightly darker skin. They had all lived happily together in their little family home in the suburbs of Antua.
Then there was that fateful day when they took the trip out of town to visit his grandparents, his mothers parents. They had arrived safely enough at his grandparents spending an evening enjoying some home-cooked fierionite food. In the morning Nelsara took off for a walk without telling anyone where he was going. He had wandered quite far before he realised that no one had tried to find him yet. He began to head back. Where the house should have been was a mess of fire and smoke. The fire crews were still scrambling around putting out the last of the fire. It took a while before one of them noticed him. A lonely figure standing in the road.
He had heard snatched conversations in the hospital saying that his grandparents house had been bombed. He had no idea why someone would do such a thing to such nice people. He was alone now without even being able to look at his families faces one more time. He had been six years old.
His fathers parents had adopted him.
He had moved into their large apartment in the city and for the first couple of years he felt numb over the deaths. He still carried on life as normal, going to school, doing his homework, getting good grades and then he hit fourteen.
He woke up on the day of his fourteenth birthday with a slight purple tinge to his normally yellow eyes. He had gone downstairs and felt and odd pain in his head. His grandmother had been fire casting to light the candles on his birthday cake. When she stopped the pain left.
Over the next few weeks his eyes turned into a deep violet shade and he began to have violent reactions to peoples magic. When his grandparents took him to the hospital they told him he was having reactions to elemental magic and promptly set him on pills for the rest of his life.
His grandparents had sadly passed away to years ago leaving him all alone at the age of 16. He now owned their apartment but instead of looking for work or staying in school he went off the rails. Lórien had found him one day, slumped in the gutter drunk and had carried him back to the safety of the apartment. When Lórien had told him all that he was Nelsara decided that he wanted to immortal too. He did not believe he would meet his parents or sister on the other side. If he was going to why hadn't they been to him already. He wanted to escape death forever.
He began working for Lórien doing tasks such as following lost immortals and bringing them to Lórien so that they could be brought into the group and put in touch with their own kind. Lórien also told Nelsara how he did not have an allergy but rather a sensitivity. He worked long and hard with Lórien until the only reaction he got from magical beings was an odd smell like cinnamon and caramel and a slight pressure behind his eyes. He could even use magic himself now though he didn't use it a lot.
Nelsara had told Lórien that he was welcome to stay in the apartment which the older man did. Lórien only looked around twenty eight but the way he spoke and acted sometimes gave away his age. Lórien never seemed to leave the apartment and the only other person that had met him was Nelsaras girlfriend Detalani. Detalani was a fiery redhead. Part fierionite, part Elfin and fully immortal she was the love of his life. Her mother was from the race of immortal wood elves that inhabited Emal-Edith the hidden immortal safe planet which Nelsara had already visited once.
She was another reason why he wished to be immortal.
He had been slowly winding up his affairs of Ferion. Once he was immortal he could go anywhere in the world and he didn't want anything tying him to this place which so far had only offered him pain. He also was not entirely sure that he would be welcome back once they knew it was him who had stolen the book. And on the most sacred of Feirionite nights.
He jumped up aware of not only the noise of the front door but also the soft scent of magic that cloaked his lover. He hurried from his room and into her waiting arms. She kissed his lips gently.
“My love, I was hoping you would still be here.” She smiled cupping his face in her hands.
“We are not leaving until early tomorrow.” He whispered taking in the scent of her and the feel of her soft red hair.
Lórien walked other to greet Detalani and she gently untangled herself from Nelsara. She hugged Lórien tight.
“I will not detain you long as I know you have not seen each other for a while.” Lórien smiled. “But may I speak with you on your own for a while.”
Nelsara nodded and left his girlfriend and Lórien to talk, he led her over to the lounge and sat across from her.
“Detalani the council are asking me to make a decision on Nelsaras candidacy as an immortal. I would love your input since you know him...intimately.”
Detalani blushed slightly. “Not as intimately as you allude to. But yes he does confide in me a lot as he should.”
Lórien smiled. “OK please share your thoughts with me on this matter.”

Nelsara lay on his bed. He found himself waiting for the knock on the door that would signal that the police knew it was him who had taken the book. He tried to reason that no one would be anywhere near the small church until well after the celebrations. They had at least two days grace to get out of the jurisdiction of the Fearionite police.
After an hour of waiting for Detalani he got undressed, pulled on a pair of pyjama shorts, and climbed into bed. He switched on the TV and flicked through a few channels. He could feel jealousy rising. He knew deep down that he had no reason to. He had only been with Detalani for 3 months but he knew he could trust her. He also knew he could trust Lórien. He just did not like Lórien monopolising his time with her when I hadn't seen her for over a month.
He turned the TV off and slammed down the remote. He lay in the dark trying to calm himself. He had too many things to worry about at the moment.
He smelt the sickly sweet scent of magic before his mage had even reached the door. She knocked softly and opened the door. Now the smell of magic was mixed with her wonderful perfume. He sat up and she slipped onto the bed kissing him deeply. Her touch sent tingles through him as a touch from any magical being did but this was deeper couple with his lust.
“I'm sorry I spent so long talking to Lórien.”She cooed. “He needed my advice on something.”
Nelsara curled his fingers in her hair and pulled her in for another kiss. “Its OK your here now.”
He loved moments like this with her, when he could hold her scantily clad body close and hear her breathing. He held her close and kissed her deeply before snuggling in with her and falling into a light sleep.
He woke up in the morning to the pleasing sight of the red head lying asleep with her head on his chest. He took a quick glance at the clock, they would need to leave soon, he had maybe an hour left to enjoy this peaceful moment. He stroked her hair lovingly and ran his finger gently along her pointed elfin ears. So strange that she did not have the cat ears of her fathers race. She stirred slightly and hugged Nelsara tighter. At moments like this he felt the older one of the relationship when she clearly was the older at least in time if not looks.
He settle back on the pillows again gently pulling his long black hair out from under him. Detalani sighed in her sleep. The alarm went off far too soon. They untangled themselves and Detalani went to the bathroom to get dressed.
Nelsara got dressed in his room and grabbed the bags from his room. Lórien was still in his same spot in the lounge like he had never left. He greeted Nelsara with a smile.
“Did you sleep well.”
Nelsara nodded as he dropped the bags with the rest. Detalani emerged from the bathroom looking odd but beautiful in what she called mortal clothes, tight jeans and t-shirt with a funny logo on it. She wrapped her arm casually around Nelsara's waist standing slightly taller than him in her high heels.
“Are we ready to go?” She smiled.

In a little over an hour Nelsara was settled in the passenger seat of the small spacecraft that Lórien owned. A few people now had personal space crafts but most preferred to use the plane like commercial space crafts. Being an immortal deemed that they often needed their own transport as the mortal world did not know where the immortals headed. All that was required was Lórien speaking to the control tower and giving his name and ID number (fake of course due to his age) and stating his reason for leaving. Checks were not very strict. There had not been any battles or wars for over 250 years.
Once they were in space itself the G-force let them go and they were able to unbuckle themselves and walk around. The spaceship was big enough to hold a bathroom a small fridge from snacks as many journeys could be long and enough space for 8 passengers. Nelsara sighed and looked out at the blanket of stars trying to avoid the traffic to the side of him and believe that they were alone in space. He had made the journey to Melancholyon, the nearest planet to Ferion a couple of times as his parents had had friends who lived there. He had not made the journey again after their deaths.
Lórien set a course into the controls and got up, Detalani dropped into the seat beside him.
“100 years to get from the first automobile to personal space ships.” She laughed as she glanced out at the stars and the looming blue sphere of Melancholyon which they would pass on their way. “I never thought I would see anything like this.”
Nelsara smiled sadly. He had never known a time when there was no space travel. He had always taken it for granted.
The ship carried on at a steady pace until it had passed by Melancholyon then Lórien came back and pushed the ship into hyperspeed. A function that normal personal space craft should not have but was a necessity for the immortals. Nelsara settled back and waited for the juddering to pass. After about twenty minutes they pulled out of hyperspace and were floating in a sky that was filled with blinking stars, no traffic, no satellites no nothing. Lórien guided the ship gently focusing on something that was not there there. There was a shimmering light that enclosed the ship, he felt it penetrate gently through his skin and then it was gone. Suddenly the space in front of them was filled with the green vista of the elf have Emal-Edith.