Guardians

"First, let me ask a question," Jane began. "You're both from England, right? What school do you go to?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," I responded automatically.

"A perfect example!" she replied, delighted. "How many founders were there?"

"Four," my friend answered this time. "Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin."

"Do you know why there were four founders?" Jane asked. "Why not three, or five?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe because there were four Ancestors?" I guessed out of the blue.

"Exactly," she confirmed my answer. "We all know the story of how the Ancestors were the first to control the wild magics. However, according to legend, and those who know the Prophecy, it is believed that there were actually six Ancestors at one time.

"Now there were certain rules that the Ancestors chose to live by. One of these said that an Ancestor couldn't show emotion: no hate, love, anger, sadness, fear, anything. Well, since they were only human, two of the Ancestors unintentionally fell in love. Fearful that they would 'corrupt' the others, the Rogue Ancestors, as they were called afterwards, banished themselves from the group, leaving behind everything they had lived for, including their magic.

"Legend has it that the Rogue Ancestors became the first muggles, which may explain why every so often a witch or wizard will pop out of a seemingly pure muggle family. The story says that the other Ancestors searched the world for their companions but were unsuccessful. But as they searched, they realized something- they had broken the code too! By working together, the Ancestors had become a family, emotions included. The night they returned home, they hurriedly got rid of the rule (after all, they were the Ancestors) and went to bed.

"That night, each of the Ancestors had a peculiar dream. The next morning they compared their visions and wrote them down: the Prophecy as we know it today. However, the dreams were not the only odd thing to happen the night before.

"When the Rogue Ancestors left, they had also left behind the tools they had used to harness the wild magics. Although they were hundreds of years old, up until then they still looked brand-new. But overnight, with the disappearance of their owners, they had rusted over and showed their true age. One of the Ancestors cast a powerful charm on them to keep them in their present condition, rusted and useless, until they were claimed once more. Thus the tools became another part of the Prophecy as well. You can probably guess what form these tools took."

"Swords," I replied slowly, the light coming to me. "Twin swords." Jane nodded in answer.

"So what does the Prophecy actually say?" my friend asked rather hopefully. She gave him a calculating look.

"If you two are whom I suspect, it'd be cheating to tell you," she said. "It could even be regretful if you knew too much of your future." Noticing his crestfallen face, she smiled in spite of trying to hide it. "All right, all right, I'll give you a piece of advice... two, actually.

"One, you must beware of false friends and true enemies. Be careful of whom you trust, because they may not be who they seem."

"And the other?"

"A warning," she said, her tone turning dark. "Once the swords are claimed, they can be used by anyone, for good or evil. The blades are double-edged; remember that, both of you."

"Does that mean...?" I started excitedly.

"Yes," she answered my question. "I might lose my job because of it, but if you're the Guardians

mentioned in the Prophecy, you'll get it one way or another, and not legally." She looked longingly at the battered old blade before continuing.

"This is the Sword of Ralos," Jane said at last, "and it belongs to you, now." With that, she presented the sword hilt-first to my friend. "The other is called the Sword of Ranul. Use them wisely." We rose to our feet together, sensing that our meeting was over. A hurried glance into the other office, and I found myself staring back at poor George, whose face was purple with livid anger and shock from witnessing our transaction.

"What about George?" I asked, mortified.

"Oh, him? A simple Memory Charm, and he won't remember a thing," Jane replied nonchalantly. "I'll say that the sword is out for... cleaning. Well, it's certainly past all of our bedtimes, so I suggest we all go home now." We stammered out thanks, but Jane was intent on shooing us home.

"Don't let your 'employer' get a finger on these swords. If you need help again, don't hesitate to contact me, unless it's three in the morning. Then don't bother. Good luck, both of you." She mumbled something under her breath, like "you're going to need it," but I must have not heard her properly.

We wasted no time exiting the building, because once we were out of sight, exhaustion played with our eyes and made eerie forms appear in the darkness. Finally we were out in the open air, and my fatigued mind realized how cold it had gotten, even for summer. I half-stumbled the block or so to where the car was waiting. My friend tapped on the window because all of the Skys were asleep. Blinking owlishly at us, Kari reached over and unlocked the door.

"Took you a while," she murmured sleepily. "Start talking..." And with that, she turned away from us and went right back to sleep. I smiled, but I knew I wanted to join her. My friend and I crawled in, and Mr. Sky began the long car ride back. Mrs. Sky turned to see what we had brought back.

"Very... interesting," she replied after my friend wearily held it up. In the light of the mysterious Prophecy that surrounded it, the sword should have been infamous for being underestimated. I found myself leaning my head on my friend's shoulder, but frankly, I was too tired to care. Together we slept into the night as we drove through the empty streets of Chicago, sword between us.