Hunted

- 14 - NO SERVICE, GUARDIANS

“Why didn’t you tell them the truth back there?” Esras asked when we left Jethro’s bar.

“That Jethro joined a demonic faction run by Gavyn and his evil friends?” I shook my head as I led the way back into the alley. “He didn’t. He wouldn’t. Gavyn might act like he has all the answers, but he’s a manipulator.”

“You promised to bring back Jethro and the children Gavyn’s new council kidnapped,” Lucien said.

“We will, Lucien. I always try to think positive.” I stopped when we reached the back of the alley. “There are two places we can search for Bran. There’s a restaurant we usually hang out when we are in town. It is lunchtime now, so if he stopped to eat, he should be there. It is owned by a member of the Brotherhood.”

“Lead the way,” Esras said. He’d become more talkative since the meeting with Gavyn, while Solaris had grown more quiet. I liked it.

I teleported inside Keiran’s office and found him behind his desk, eating. He looked up, violet eyes widening underneath thick lashes. “Lil? What are you doing here?”

“Looking for Bran.” The others appeared beside me. “Lucien, Esras, Lunaris, and Solaris.” I indicated the restaurateur. “Keiran, a member of the Brotherhood. His restaurant is the best in L.A.”

Keiran put his plate down and stood. “I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances, Guardians. I would have loved to welcome you with open arms. Unfortunately, I can’t.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Guardians are officially persona non grata around here.”

“Since when?”

“Since last night.”

Great! The day couldn’t get any worse. “Does that mean Bran hasn’t been here today?”

“Oh, he has…was here. He stopped by for breakfast and said he’d be back for lunch at,” he looked at his watch, “noon. It is five to. If you want to wait for him, sit.” He waved toward the chairs around the room. “I’ll even get you something to eat.”

No one moved.

“But you just said we are not allowed here,” I said.

“In the restaurant. This is my office,” Keiran explained, flashing a lopsided grin. “Besides, I choose my friends, not my leaders.”

I glanced at the others and indicated the chairs. Lucien was the first one to sit, but his fascinated gaze stayed on Kieran. He’d never met a member of the Brotherhood before. Not that they were really different from us. I grabbed a seat, too. Esras and the others had no choice but to sit.

“So? Why can’t we eat here anymore?” I asked.

Kieran perched his butt on the edge of his desk, crossed his arms and legs, and shrugged. “Last night, we got a visit from the senior Cardinals. They brought us the news about the arrival of the Tribe. Our leaders asked the Cardinals if they could offer sanctuary to our young, the Specials, and our elderly until the situation with the Tribe was resolved. We’d hoped they’d take them to Xenith or at the very least, hide them at one of your High Council Headquarters.” He sighed and shook his head.

“They refused?” I asked, even though his scowl answered for him.

“This morning Cardinal Hsia brought us the news. Your leaders in Xenith said no. So as of today, no Cardinal is allowed in our compound or at any business run by a member of the Brotherhood. Officially, we’ve gone back to being neutral. Literally.” He grinned and placed a clairvoyant crystal on his table. “So what would you like to eat?”

I shook my head. “We don’t want you to go against your leaders, Keiran. We can eat at one of the Civilian- run restaurants.”

“No, you can’t. Every restaurant and business run by your Civilian Guardians is closed. They all have Will Re-Open Under New Management signs on their doors. I was going to ask Bran what’s going on.”

“All Civilians were told to head back to Xenith,” I explained.

“Of course.” Keiran waved a hand over the crystal, activating it. “Order something while you wait for Bran. It’s on the house.”

Despite his words, no one moved. I caught the furtive glances between Esras and the twins and focused on them. Their guilt hung thick in the air.

“You knew about the Circle’s refusal to help the Specials,” I said in an accusatory voice. No one answered. “Esras?”

“Yes, we knew about the orders,” he answered.

“And you’re okay with them?”

He shook his head. “We’ve been taught to always follow directives given to us by the CT, Lil. When we heard about this, we knew there was nothing we could do to change things.”

“Besides, you know the Specials on a personal level,” Solaris added. “We don’t, so we’re not really emotionally invested.”

And…the bitch was back. “What about logic, Solaris? Does sealing the portal and leaving behind helpless children make sense to you?”

“Helpless?” Solaris asked. “The Specials have more powers in their little fingers than hundreds of Guardians in Xenith combined. We don’t know where their loyalties lie, and as nature-benders, they might be more useful here than in Xenith.”

“Shut up, Solaris,” I snapped. “Every time you open your mouth, you say something that makes me want to zap you to the last millennium. For starters, the Specials and the Brotherhood are our allies. Maybe not yours, but definitely ours. My grandfather will not bail on them. Second, Keiran said there are Brotherhood children and the elderly who need shelter, too.”

The silence that followed my outburst was eerie. Keiran grinned. Lucien’s eyes were wide with, I don’t know, shock. Esras kept a straight, a face while Solaris sputtered with indignation. Lunaris was staring at her hands, so I couldn’t tell her reaction.

“You can’t talk to me like that,” Solaris said belligerently.

“I just did,” I said. “Third, the Specials are children, not warriors. We are not supposed to decide for them which side to support in this endless battle between us and demons. That will be their decision when they turn sixteen.”

Solaris opened her mouth to speak.

“I’m not done. Fourth, we are the ones who left them defenseless when we killed their parents and destroyed Coronis Isle. But my team did the humane thing—”

“We’re not human,” Solaris retorted.

“Yet it is our humanity that makes us different from demons. My friends and I rescued the Specials from demons when they were being forced to do despicable things. How’s the CT’s agenda different from the demons? Why should the shriveled old goats sit in their hidden world, destroy the only portal, and ask children to save them from the worst demons we’ve ever encountered? Where’s their moral high ground?”

“You shouldn’t talk about our leaders like that,” Solaris warned. “Xenith is our home. Of course, we must protect it.”

“You know what? I was born right here, so my leaders are right here on Earth, the ones I battle demons every day to protect. I’ve never met the CT, never been to your precious Xenith, and from what they’re doing, don’t ever want to visit it, so protecting your leaders and their perfect world is not my problem. If I were to choose between defending them and the Specials, I’d choose the children.”

“They’re hardly helpless,” Lunaris cut in, repeating what her sister had said.

“So?” I shot back. “No matter how powerful they are, they’re not ready to battle demons like the