Guardian: Protectors of Light by Melanie Houtman Page A

Demon,
whom you’ll often hear being referred to as the Master of
Nightmares, has full control over dark, shadowy places. So be
careful when night falls in an open field which should be sunny
during the day; during the night, the Shadow Walkers and Night
Stalkers will be out to get you,” Akilah continued, allowing James
to snap out of his thoughts.
    Another hand rose. This
time, it was Thomas’s. “Night stalkers?” he asked. “What are
those?”
    Akilah smiled, but her
eyes darkened. “Nobody knows what they are exactly are, as they’re
always hiding underneath dark cloaks, but they are beings that
cannot survive outside the darkness and feed off the misery of
others. Shadow Walkers are mist beings, capable of shape shifting
into any form, although they mostly appear in the form of predatory
animals.”
    Everyone was listening silently, paying attention closely.
This indeed was crucial information.
    “ Most of the
time, the Demon won’t come after you himself; he’ll just send his
minions to fetch you and bring you to him instead,” Akilah said.
“But don’t think you can defeat those easily; the only way to
defeat these Shadow Creatures is by having enchanted Light
Weaponry; you’ll have to go out into the Twilight Forest and speak
to Gabriel to get the right weapons. Enchanted, of course.” Akilah
allowed her eyes to glide across the room, as if she was trying to
think of anything else she had to say. “He will also provide you of
a map and a route to a safe shelter where you can stay your first
night. I wouldn’t recommend sticking around in one place though, as
this makes you more vulnerable and easier to find. You’re going to
have to want to keep moving.”
    She looked at the five
Guardians in front of her. That was all she could do.
    “ Prepare
yourselves,” she said. “Madeleine and I will try to make contact as
much as possible to make sure you’re still doing okay while you’re
out there. At dusk, Rikki will guide you to the safest exit to
Keeper’s Cove into the Twilight Forest.”
    The Guardians nodded at her. They were feeling unsure
whether they were ready or not, but it didn’t matter. They’d have to be.

Goodbye
    Dusk came quickly. Too
quickly.
    The five teenagers spent
their afternoon preparing for whatever was out there, talking about
what they knew - and didn’t know.
    A whole lot of time went
into Akilah telling about the War of Light and Dark, and Madeleine
and Rikki about their adventure in Lunaria; it turned out that they
were the first Generation. The Spirits of Light had fused their
souls with those of Madeleine, Rikki and their friends, allowing
them to stay “alive” within Lunaria to help the next
Generations.
    It meant that their souls
would reseparate if either of the parties “died” again, which meant
if the Keepers (which is what the First Generation decided to call
themselves while helping the following Guardians) died while
serving Lunaria, they’d be no longer able to be saved.
    Well, it wasn’t like they
could go back home anyway, after a thousand years.
    When the sun had started
to set, Akilah called the teenagers to outside the hideout, saying
she required their assistance for one last favour.
    “ It’s good to
see you, Guardians,” Akilah said.
    “ What for do
you require our presence?” James asked. Akilah smiled.
    “ It’s always
been a custom for Guardians to be allowed to say goodbye to their
loved ones before they leave,” she said. “If they want to, that
is.”
    Something changed in
James’s expression; Samira squealed in delight, and the slightest
trace of a smile appeared on Thomas’ face.
    “ Well?” Rikki
asked. “Is there someone you’d wish to say goodbye to?”
    Five heads started to nod
rapidly. “Of course we do,” Thomas said. “Please, continue. We’d
like to know more.”
    Akilah looked to her
side, where Madeleine was standing. (Of course, Rikki had been
standing to Akilah’s other side, but she didn’t only