Journeys Of The Guardians' Key

Journeys of the Guardians’ Key

Jennifer Aherne

Journeys of the Guardians’ Key

by Jennifer Aherne

Copyright © Jennifer Aherne 1979

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Edited by Daniel Aherne.

This is a work of fiction, any similarity to any events or person(s) living or dead is coincidental.

First published in e-book format in 2012.

Digital edition produced by Go Published

www.gopublished.com

For Daniel and Alison

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

CHAPTER 1

It was just before Christmas, when a boy called David Howard found something in his garden. He wasn’t sure what it really was, but it looked a bit like one of the shiny decorations you hang on a Christmas tree, so that’s what he did.

‘That is lovely,’ his mother said, ‘is it glass?’

‘No it isn’t, it’s much too heavy, I think it’s solid.’

It was like a segment from a ball, no more than five inches long and about an inch and a half wide, it was blue, but sometimes he thought he caught a faint red glow in it, at the top was a diamond-shaped hook David had attached to it. It has to be part of something, he thought, leaving the tree.

‘Where did you get it?’ asked his mother.

‘That’s the odd thing Mum,’ David knew his explanation wouldn’t sound very convincing, ‘I found it in the old oak’ he said, trying to sound matter-of-fact.

The old oak was at the bottom of the garden, it was hollow and the children had always played in it, really it was just a trunk but it was big enough to take two and a table, it was a great place for all sorts of things. There was a path running behind all the houses in the terrace, so it would have been quite easy to get into the garden without coming through the house at all. Why anyone would go to so much trouble to hide something like that, was a mystery, and you might think, seeing the little table they would realise, people went in there fairly often, which made it a pretty poor hiding place. David decided to find out just who had put it there and why. He would start by interrogating his little brother Peter. Just then there was the sound of the letter box, and his baby sister waddled off to fetch the mail.

‘Oh thank goodness,’ mother said, smiling at the little girl as she took the letters, ‘there’s one from America.’ she opened it, scanning it quickly, ‘They’ll be here on January the fourth!’ she announced grandly. David groaned.

‘Great,’ said his brother. Their aunt was coming with her three children. Peter was pleased because he and the twins, Jonathan and James were the same age. Melissa however, was two years older than David, she giggled a lot and she didn’t like his dog. He was sure, now she was a teenager, she would be impossible.

Mother was frowning at him. ‘I do hope you’ll make more of an effort to be friends this time,’ she said.

After Christmas, David put the ornament away in the drawer, he didn’t know why, but he felt it was something he should take great care of.

The cousins arrived from America with armfuls of gifts and stories of how wonderful everything was in California, David took as much as he could of ponies, swimming pools, white sands and endless summers, what he hated most was how everyone there seemed so rich, while his mother worried about the price of everything, he didn’t like to ask for things he really needed.

Just two days after the visitors arrived, David spent the whole day •at his friend Steven’s home, three doors down. They had the whole house to themselves, Steven’s parents were out and he didn’t have any brothers or sisters, maybe that was why he had such a great imagination, he reckoned David’s find in the tree was part of a new secret weapon someone had stolen from the Army, and after a mad car chase, they found themselves cornered in the alley and dumped it.

When David got home he expected trouble, but tea passed peacefully enough, he offered to do the washing-up. ‘Yes do’ his mother had said to his surprise, deciding that would be punishment enough.

Melissa liked England in spite of her cousin, especially the tininess of everything, the little row of terraced cottages and the little bedroom she shared with her mother, but most of all she liked her aunt. So, as her mother was up in London, ‘sampling the high life’, Melissa sat by the fire, drinking hot milk and talking to her Aunt Mary. Mrs. Howard tried to listen, Melissa certainly did talk a lot, mostly of herself, but her aunt knew why.

‘I am sorry David hasn’t been more company for you.’ Aunt Mary said.

‘Oh well, he is a little young for me, I mean, all his friends are so infantile,’

‘I suppose so, you certainly have become a young lady.’

Melissa smiled and stopped playing with her hair. ‘What a quaint expression Auntie!’

Mrs. Howard looked up and laughed, but then she suddenly stopped. ‘Good grief! Melissa, where did you get that?’

Melissa jumped. ‘This?’ she said, clasping the blue ornament she wore around her neck. She was amazed and more than a little frightened to see her aunt so cross, she had only put it on to have it admired after all.

‘I found it back home in the yard, actually, it was weird, someone left it there, they never came back so it’s mine now.’

‘You have been talking to David.’ Seeing the puzzled expression on Melissa’s face, Mrs. Howard stopped. ‘You know David said he found it just the same way. I mean but here in the old oak. Melissa, are you telling me the truth?’ Melissa jumped up. ‘Okay, there is only one way we can settle all this, let’s get David’s one.’ She was half way to his room before she had finished talking. She burst into the room holding out the ornament for David to see, he darted to his drawer, but there it was, just where he left it.

Downstairs they all sat around the kitchen table looking from one to the other, with Melissa’s off the chain, they really were identical, there didn’t seem to be an answer to it, was someone playing a joke on them, but who? Or was there some real purpose behind it all. David and Melissa got on a little better after that.

The day he started back at school, David left by the back door, as he always did. There had been quite a heavy fall of snow in the night and he had a job to open t he door. The garden looked very strange when he got out, it was peppered with enormous footprints, just as if some large person had been lumbering about from tree to tree, he went back to the house to tell his mother, she said it was probably a drunk, since they hadn’t come near the house, David wondered though.

There was a new art teacher starting that term, a man, which was unusual for that subject. Art was one of David’s favourite subjects and he had been quite sorry when he heard that Miss Green was leaving. The new teacher’s name was Mr. Barnes, he was a bad disappointment for David who liked a lot of praise for his work. The new teacher took very little interest in any of his pupils’ work, he spent most of the lesson peering cautiously out of the window, sometimes his eyes would meet David’s and he would seem to want to say something, but his look made David feel that if they did talk, things might start to happen he did not understand. David tried to keep his eyes on his work, at the end of the lesson Mr. Barnes nodded to him and began to cross the room, but the others in the class, curious about the newcomer, crowded in between them and their clamour gave David a chance to get away.

That wasn’t the only odd thing to happen that day, after school there were always a lot of people around, parents and kids, David knew most of them, but a huge figure of a man stood out. He had a pale blob of a face with sharp dark eyes that burnt into David’s for a moment. He seemed to be looking for someone, David hoped it wasn’t him, and hurried home.

That evening he told Melissa.

‘It sounds like the man who was hanging around back home,’ she said, ‘Mom told the police, I guess that scared him off, but he wouldn’t have followed me here, would he?’

David shrugged ‘That depends on what he wanted, I suppose’

Melissa was beginning to feel goosebumps running up her back. ‘What did he want at your school then David?’ ‘I don ‘t know, me perhaps?’

‘I think we should tell someone’ said Melissa, ‘starting with my mother and yours.’

The grown-ups didn’t seem that worried by what the children told them, David’s mother was very quiet while they told their tale, but her sister smiled wryly.

‘I think you are letting you imagination get the better of you Melissa ‘

That didn’t do much to make her feel better.

‘Don’t worry’ said her aunt, we will tell the police the whole story tomorrow.’

Melissa awoke with a start that might, but there was only the sound of her mother snoring in a bed next to her, so she drifted back to sleep. David stayed up late, to do some homework, it was one of those wild windy nights, that made the house full of odd little noises, he could hear the sound of the garden gate banging too. Just then there was a loud creak on the stairs. That has to be someone, he thought, but who was out of bed? He got up and went onto the landing, there was no one there, not a sound. He started down the stairs but he hadn’t got further than the first one, when someone grabbed him from behind, pulling him until his feet were off the ground, backwards across the landing towards his room. He could hear someone rummaging about in his room, searching his drawers, he guessed. David bit the hand that came across his mouth hard but. the man didn’t flinch, he tried again and again but it was useless. Now they were carrying him kicking wildly in the air, back across the landing, down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door. Where was Sandy, his dog? What had they done with her? In a sudden burst of rage, he managed to free his mouth and yell ‘Mum!’ then they were off down the garden.

The next morning when a thorough search of the house and garden revealed no sign of David, only Sandy in a stupor by the front. door, Mother piled them all into the car and drove off to the police station. After sitting the children down, the two women, with Mrs. Howard carrying the baby, walked up to the desk. Melissa watched, there was a great deal of head shaking, and her aunt was getting upset. The constable disappeared and his sergeant came out motioning them into a side office. An hour went by, with the boys getting more and more insufferable every minute, sniggering and even trying to push Melissa off the end of the bench, so when a really hard whack nearly had her on the floor, she recovered herself and walked outside. She felt tears almost freezing on her face in the icy winds. How could they, she thought, don’t they care, they might never see David again? She noticed an odd-looking figure standing across the road, he glanced at her and hurried away down the street, was it the man who had been hanging around at home in California? Who David saw at school too maybe? She had better go back into the police station and tell someone, but if she did, she would lose him, and what if she was wrong? She made her way across the road, in a state of confusion, he turned into an alleyway, foolishly she followed, but by this time she didn’t know what she was doing. She had a vague idea, following this man might lead her to David. When he was half way down the alley, he stopped and turned around. Melissa was committed now, she must go on, her heart-beat was so loud it made her head throb. She heard the sound of footsteps close behind her and turned around terror-stricken, two pale hands reached out to put something over her face.

CHAPTER 2

Melissa woke up feeling sick and giddy, the walls seemed to be moving up and down. She was lying on a very hard wooden floor, when she tried to move, her legs felt like lead. She was finding it hard to keep her eyes open, in no time she had drifted off again, into a ghastly dream.

The next time she awoke she felt a bit better, she was at home, in bed - NO! She looked up at a high and very ornate ceiling she didn’t recognise at all. Someone was talking somewhere, it was David’s voice. She turned her head, her neck was horribly stiff. David was lost in deep conversation with a grey-looking old man at a table across the large room.

The old man smiled at her, ‘Your friend is awake’ he said in a thick accent.

David rushed over. ‘Melissa - at last you are awake - how do you feel?’

‘Rotten’ she groaned, ‘where are we?’

‘I don’t know exactly, but we came here in a boat. Mr Romanov, he is a Russian gentleman,’ David motioned towards the old man, ‘he thinks we are in France - oh, it’s all right,’ David reassured seeing Melissa’s expression, ‘he was brought here like us. And Melissa, he has one too!’

For the first time she felt her neck, but of course, it was bare.

‘They have taken them all and locked us up in here.’ The old man got up and walked over to the tap and poured Melissa a glass of water, he spoke solemnly as he gave it to her. ‘I feel we must get back these things we have been given, it is very important.’ He sat down on the bed and pulled something out of his shoe. It was a very crumpled piece of paper, he glanced warily at the door. ‘You read this now,’ he said to Melissa, handing it to her.

Melissa took the piece of paper gingerly and unfolded it. She read...

In the beginning of the World, everything was beautiful and man was happy in it, he walked in harmony with all life, and with the spirit that lived in all life, but he became greedy, the more greedy he became, the less happy he was, he forgot to give back when he took. The beautifu1 world of light he had once seen turned into a place of evil and suffering. Then in his hour of greatest need, man called out to the disappearing light to help him, and a great thing happened, from the light appeared seven great spirits, Guardians, each held part of the Key, when they put that Key together, it was a sphere, like the World. They set it in a high place where there is a gate to the world that is behind this one, and they chose a race to be its keepers, an ancient people skilled in the ways of magic, and while they watched over the Key, feeding the flames protected it and sanctified the ground, holding it together, man lived again in the light, but now the evil things of darkness knew man was weak, so they stayed near him, and sometimes, he caught glimpses of them in the shadows. One night this evil force descended and entered man’s heart, and what was good in him, was lost. The dark ones gave man a terrible weapon and said, ‘Take it, destroy the Key that binds you to the spirits, and you will be free to own the stars.’ They found the high place and the gate where they fought and killed many of the keepers of the Key. There in the circle of flame which protected it, the Key was encased in rock. They aimed their fearful weapon, a weapon made in a light-forsaken world, thus it was the Key was blown apart and its Guardians fled. Darkness had its victory, but some men would still search after light, the whole World would turn again in time. Then the Guardians would return, setting seven they chose, the task of rebuilding the Key, and returning it to that high place.

When Melissa finished reading, she looked over at Mr Romanov, with more than wonderment. She was amazed of course, by the whole story, but even more by his practical approach to something so fantastic. He looked back at her briefly, then they heard the door being unlocked, and Mr Romanov snatched the piece of paper, hurriedly stuffing it back in his shoe. A tall man walked in carrying a tray, he was dressed mostly in black, there were dark circles under his eyes and he was very pale, he didn’t look well. He set the tray down. The big man who both the children knew, stood in the doorway. The first man retreated backwards and they were gone, locking the door behind them. No one said a word for a moment, then David recovered.

‘Well, at least they don’t mean to starve us.’ He got up to look at the food they had brought. It didn’t look very appetizing, a few limp fatty pieces of meat swimming around in a lot of greasy gravy with an island of mashed potato on each of the three plates. David took a plate each over to Mr Romanov and Melissa, they picked at it, thinking about the people who had prepared it didn’t help them enjoy it but they were extremely hungry.

‘No indeed!’ Mr Romanov said. ‘They need us, you see, we were chosen especially, by whatever force controls the Key, they must know all about this!’ He tapped his shoe, where the piece of paper was. ‘But they don’t know we do.’

David was the sensible sort of boy, and none of all this made much sense to him, then neither did anything that had happened to him in those past few days. All he knew for sure was that he was very scared, and he wished he was at home, he was also very angry. ‘Okay’ he said, ‘these people obviously want the key, and they have to have us too, somehow they knew where to find us, then there are the other four pieces, I wonder if they know where to find those too! There will be four more people, won’t there? One for each piece. Do they want us to put it together or do they mean to stop us?

‘I don’t think we can stay around to find out what they want.’ put in Mr Romanov.

‘That’s right,’ Melissa agreed, ‘just look what they’ve done so far, whatever they plan for us, I don’t think we’re going to like it.’

David went over to the window and looked down, it was a long way, there was a drainpipe, but it didn’t look very safe, he might get down, maybe even Melissa, but not Mr Romanov.

‘Listen,’ he said, turning back to the others, ‘we have to get out, I’m going to climb down the drainpipe. When I’m down I might find our parts of the key, don’t worry though, I’ll be back to let you out.’ With that he opened the window and climbed over. David didn’t like heights, finding the courage to move was the hardest thing, for a second or two his legs went numb, after an awful feeling of panic seeing the ground twenty feet below him. He stared at the wall, trying to banish the sight from his mind and concentrate on the next foothold. Melissa struggled to her feet, Mr Romanov was already standing at the window. When he was safely down, David beamed up triumphantly at them. He had come down at the back of a large house, there were fields and a wooded hill behind him. The house itself seemed deserted for the most part, but there was one room that had recently been turned into some kind of laboratory, it fairly gleamed with the shiny metal surfaces, underneath one of which there was a row of animal cages, some of which were empty, but he could see what looked like mice in one and a small ginger cat in another. it was prowling the cage like a captive tiger. There was a pretty young woman in a white coat sitting at a bench, absently chewing a pen, suddenly she got up and arched her back, stretching stiffly, she walked over to the window, David ducked down, crouching motionless, afraid to move, there were no sounds in the room, not for several minutes, then he heard the door slam, after that silence again. He looked in, the room was empty, it might be the place to find the Key. He tried the window, but it was locked, he moved on to the one next to it, that opened easily. The room he found himself in was dim and musty, there was a very unpleasant feeling to it. He was glad to leave it and get out into the hall. He went next door to the laboratory, went over to the cages. He looked down at the cat, it purred and blinked at him, he reached out to touch its soft, warm fur through the wire, but knew he must look for the key.

Most of the cupboards were empty; he searched them all and found nothing, then David froze hearing voices outside the door, they were coming in! He looked around for somewhere to hide and climbed into one of the empty cupboards.

‘We require a more detailed analysis,’ a man’s voice was saying. ‘You have the equipment here to provide it, you must continue with the tests.’

A woman spoke with a French accent. ‘Exactly what tests do you suggest I do now? I have been five hours compiling this report. I am tired. And what of these animals, why do you have them?’

The man laughed in a horrible fashion. ‘This is a scientific establishment, mademoiselle, our research is varied.’ He paused in the doorway, ‘You have until seven o’clock this evening to tell me what this accursed thing is made of!’ With that he left, without waiting for an answer. David was very uncomfortable