Chapter Twenty Eight: ( Keeper)

Chapter: 28 (keeper)

 

            “Who was that guy?” Addison huffed as we all sprinted down out of the Guild and through a small outlet of trees to the left. The night was dark and cool. I could barely see where we were headed. The only light we had to go off of was the moon that was high overhead. Its low glow casting shadows in the night turning the trees into knobby claws as we ran.

            “That was Gray.” Nicholas shouted back as we burst through the last of the trees and came to a low plain of tall grass. Nicholas slowed his pace to a brisk walk.

            “He is a Guild Keeper.” Nicholas explained through gasps as he tried to control his breathing.

            “What is that?” I questioned him as I came to a stop beside him. I placed my hands on my knees and brought in my breath slowly. I was beginning to enjoy the feeling of running. I realized that it was something I could probably say I was actually good at.

            “Guild keepers are the members of the guild who don’t quite meet the high standards of performance.” Jackson spoke from behind me explaining.

            “What standards?” Addison asked exasperatedly as he threw his hands up by his sides before letting out a winded breath and wiped perspiration off of his brow.

            “Being a Guild Hunter and Guardian is a hard and demanding job.” Nicholas explained.

            “It obviously takes a lot of physical and mental strength.” He started walking through the field at an angle pointed towards the right corner of the grassy area. I listened intently as we walked.

            “Even though we are born into this job and it’s in our blood, not everyone is cut out for the job. Some people get injured and can’t continue in the fight to find the essence stones. Some people can never complete the training. Gray was one of them. He wasn’t strong enough and never had any natural skill. He became a Guild Keeper. They stay within the Guild their entire lives and keep things running smoothly there.”

            “He has never left the Guild?” I asked Nicholas shocked by the mere thought of never leaving and experiencing life. I felt a pang of sadness for Gray.

            “It comes with the job Madison.” Jackson said quickly. He smiled gently over his shoulder at me as he trenched through the high grass and unleveled ground that was quickly turning into a steep incline. My legs were beginning to burn from trying to keep up the steady pace.

            “Not everyone is as lucky as you.” Nicholas chimed in. I looked over at him and instantly felt guilty. I knew he had lived here his entire life and had missed out on a normal teen life. I could feel myself turning red while I mentally kicked myself for being less understanding.

            “So how long do you think Gray can hold them off?” Addison thankfully interjected, bringing the attention off of me.

            “Long enough,” Jackson said as we reached the crest of the hill. I stopped to look over to the other side of the hill and to what lie before us in the darkness. The ruins of a decade spread out before us. Set deep into the earth of an old shallow basin of dirt and weeds rested old mining carts that were lying on their sides beside mountains of dark inky black rocks. You could smell the dark dust in the air. The smell was thick and made it unpleasant to breathe even from on top of the hill. Even from this high up I could feel the dark powder begin to settle onto my tongue and the back of my throat. Leaving a bitter rancid after taste that made me cringe. In the middle of the entire landscape was a dark massive mine entrance. Rounded off and deep set into a wall of earth. Jagged clumps of earth and stone surrounded the dark pit reminding me of the teeth on a feral animal. Despite the heat I had gathered during our fleeting hike away from the Guild, I felt a cold chill run over my shoulders.

            “Come on lets go.” Jackson spoke as he looked over all of us. His mouth was squared off in a look of seriousness and concentration. You could feel the apprehension roll over all of us like a wave.

            I mentally willed my legs to push myself forward after Jackson. Addison and Nicholas trudged along beside me. As we walked along the carts and black rubble I felt a cool sweat begin to slicken my body. Dark shadows danced along the perimeter of our winding trail among the graveyard of long forgotten picks and half covered networks of cart trails.

            I felt as though I was being watched from within the darkness. I imagined lingering eyes glowing red in the shadows.

            Knock it off Madison, you are freaking yourself out. I shook my head and took a deep breath as we reached the giant overbearing entrance to the mine. Wooden beams criss crossed within the tunnel leaving the impression of a dark mouth and skeleton bones.

            “Remember,” Jackson said as he scanned his eyes across our small group. “No matter what happens be prepared, keep your weapons out and don’t get separated from the group.” The moonlight reflected across his face for a short moment as he made eye contact with me. The brilliant color of his eyes flashed into the darkness for a brief moment before he turned to face the deep darkness before us.

            I wasn’t sure I wanted to do this anymore. Why couldn’t mom and dad meet us somewhere a bit less forlorn? What did they know about the Guild that we didn’t that made them so secretive about their escape from Zavion?

            “I used to come here with a few of the children of the Guild when I was younger.” Nicholas whispered to us. His face was hidden within the shadow that the mine cast over us.

            “The tunnels go down far and deep. You can get lost without even knowing it. Try to remember each turn we make. Just in case any of us get separated just stay where you are or you could find yourself so deep inside of the mine that you will never find your way back out.” He warned.

            My heart thumped against my rib cage. I had never been the kind of girl to even walk a street alone at night and now I was about to walk deep within the bowl of the earth where I could get lost forever and never come back out alive? This wasn’t me and for a moment I considered backing out and running the entire way back to the guild. Surely, whatever was waiting for us back there had to be better then what we could possibly be facing inside of here. Pictures of bats with bared fangs and sharp claws flashed behind my eyes. My breath caught in my throat. No, that couldn’t happen. Mom and dad wouldn’t meet us in a place that was dangerous. They were probably sitting beside a campfire a few hundred feet inside the tunnels waiting for us. They wouldn’t possibly make us crawl through these cramped tunnels for long.

            I mustered up as much courage I could from those facts and squared my shoulders ready for whatever I would come across within the next few moments of my life.

            “Here take these.” Jackson said as he reached into one of the cargo pockets on his pants. He brought out four small flashlights the size of pens. Each had a small drawstring on the end to tether to your wrist.

            “I figured no one else would think of bringing a flash light.” He shrugged as we each grabbed one and slipped them over our wrist. We each in turn clicked ours on and let the small but somehow reassuring beams of light into the mouth of the mine. The four beams together lit up the opening and pierced through the darkness several hundred feet before quietly dwindling down and disappearing into blackness.

            “Well so much for not having to go very far.” I muttered under my breath as I felt a bit of my courage dwindle down just like my small sword of light.

            “What did you say?” Addison asked curiously from the right of me. I just shook my head meekly and sighed before looking back into the cavern.

            I was wrong. I thought, the pillars of wood look more like teeth.