Guardians

    Our eyes turned to the speaker at once. The voice was strong, but the malevolence behind it was not hidden. The man was tall, with dark hair and a sweeping black cloak. His eyes, however, was the component that got me into a cold sweat. Full of violence and hatred, those piercing ice gray eyes froze my heart. Those eyes showed neither mercy nor pity. I struggled to retain whatever strength I had left to answer him, but luckily my friend stepped in for our defense.

    "Is that what you want to do with us?" he asked boldly. I marveled at his courage but knew that this would only buy us more trouble. We waited for a reply, but none came from the dark leader of the Brethren. Suddenly, my friend screamed out in pain as the wizard cried out the Cruciatus curse.

    "Stop it, please!" I cried out, even though I perfectly knew I couldn't stop the sinister wizard. To my surprise, however, he did call off the curse, and my friend was left gasping for breath. Then the wizard addressed us both.

    "Next time you speak to me, my young friends, you will show me the proper respect by calling me by my title, lord," he said, his voice like icicles. I managed to calm my mind and decided on a different tactic from my friend.

    "We are gravely sorry, my lord," I said as courteously as possible, "but we were ignorant of your title. Please excuse our transgressions, my lord." I saw him smile, but it was not jovial.

    "I am glad to see that some people seem to know their place," he said. I realized that he had actually given me a compliment, no matter how small it was. "Perhaps you and I can talk."

    "Thank you, my lord," I replied after finding my wits. The wizard was so unpredictable; I couldn't tell what he would do next. It was no small wonder why he was greatly respected by the Brethren.

    "I have brought you and your friend here for a purpose," the dark wizard continued. "You see, the Brethren are strong, but they are witless. I must plan for every possible miscalculation myself.

    "Long ago, the Ancestors, the Great Ones, harnessed the wild elements of magic. We all know the story; it is taught in every wizard school. What is not commonly known is that the Ancestors made a Prophesy." I found myself hanging on every word he was saying. My friend was also spellbound by the power of those words. I was reminded of World War I and II, when Hitler began his rise to power. Both Hitler and this dark master were powerful orators. The wizard continued his monologue after sighing softly.

    "The Prophesy specifically named two Guardians, who would have the powers of all the Ancestors combined. Such Guardians were thought to be great warriors and leaders. Only the three of us now know the truth, and two of them are the Guardians themselves." With a shock, I realized that the leader of the Brethren actually thought that my friend and I were the Guardians mentioned in the Ancestors' Prophecy! I glanced over at my friend for guidance, but his face showed no emotion. I remembered his gift, the Othersight, and suspected that he had already known he was a Guardian. It slightly annoyed me; why didn't he just tell me before? I realized that the wizard was expecting a reply to this revelation.

    "What would you want of us, my lord?" I asked, almost afraid of getting an answer.

    "If you agree to my terms and cooperate, I shall grant you and your friend's freedom. If you refuse, then I shall kill you both, and that would be the end of this escapade," he replied, giving the answer I dreaded. A quiet, firm voice came out of the silence.

    "You can't kill us," my friend said. "Only at the hands of the ones we love can the Guardians be killed." His words confirmed my suspicions. He had known the Prophecy, then, or at least part of it.

    "There are ways to kill you," the dark wizard directly addressed him. His face was a mask of cold fury. "Not everyone has your resolution and courage." Was he implying that he could persuade someone we knew to kill us? I tried to come to my friend's defense, but I was too late.

    "I am also tired of your constant interruptions and signs of disrespect," the leader of the Brethren cried out coldly, a wand suddenly reappearing in his hand. He aimed at my friend and called out a single word.

    "Silencio!"

    Instantly, the cries of protest coming from my friend were cut off. He tried speaking again, but no sound came.

    "Now then," the dark wizard said with slight gratification, "back to business. My terms are as follow: one, you obey my orders to my satisfaction; two, any orders given to you that contradict my own must not be obeyed; three, you may not go to any places I do not authorize. They are very simple terms, and at the end of one week, you are free to continue on with your petty lives."

He stopped then and waited for me to make the most important decision I would ever make. I shouldn't agree to the terms; if I really was a Guardian, then I should only use the responsibility for good. If we didn't agree, however, he would kill us, and we wouldn't be able to do anything to stop his evil plans. That was the advantage to agreeing: if we could stop him, then everything would be fine. Of course, he could twist the terms so that he could force us to do something we didn't want to do... then what should I decide to do? A minute or so had gone by, and I was still lost at the decision.

    I glanced over at my friend, who tried to speak again but couldn't. The decision would have to be my own. I decided at last to follow my heart, and an answer came to my lips.

    "We agree to your terms, my lord," I said. The dark wizard smiled; the malice was not hidden, however.

    "You have chose well, Guardian," he answered. "I shall make the necessary arrangements. You begin now." Then he turned to leave, but I still had something more to say.

    "My lord?" I ventured to call out, well aware of the unpredictability of the wizard's answer.

    "Yes?" he answered, slightly annoyed.

    "If it pleases you, my lord, I would like to discuss this decision with my friend," I said, careful to choose the right words.

    "Of course, Guardian," he replied with a cold smile. "Retournez!" My friend rubbed at his throat and spoke, trying to control his rising fury.

    "Thank you, my lord," he said statically, no emotion present in his tone. His eyes glared at the turned back of the wizard leader, however. The key turned in the lock, and we were left in silence.