guardian prologue

8/13/2019 Guardian Prologue

1/39

GUARDIAN

(Working Title)

Summer 1003

L'Anse aux Meadows, modern-day Newfoundland


2/39

Bjarni Herjlfsson smelled burning flesh before he even

saw the smoke.

The Norse exlorer had been given !ommand of a vo"age

a!ross the sea b" #ing $agnus nearl" a "ear before. %!!omanied

b" more than one hundred men& women and !hildren& Herjlfssonset sail for the strange new land far to the west of 'rnlend in

order to !laim it for his landhungr" king. Herjlfsson& one of the

finest seamen of his time& had been !harged with a monumental

task*the foundation of a !olon" that would give the Norse

!ommand of the entire !ontinent.

This was& against all imrobabilit"& not the Norseman+s

first visit to the land a!ross the sea. That journe" had o!!urred ,-"ears before& when Herjlfsson was little more than a "outh. He

had sailed from his homeland of Norwa" in the summer of /0 to

visit his father in 'rnlend& that barren island so man" had been

enti!ed to migrate to in sear!h of the fertile lands its name imlied.

1esite the harsh !limate& the settlers had !arved out a leasant

enough life& and Herjlfr Herjlfsson was one of those men. His

son visited ever" "ear& but in that summer Nj2r3r had used hisswa" over the o!eans to guide Bjarni+s shi off !ourse. W"rd bi3

ful ar4d& goes the sa"ing. 5ate is inexorable.

The Norse gods still held ower over the land in those da"s&

and Thor+s lightning and 5re"r+s sleeting rain ushed the shi far

west of its destination to an unknown land toed with mountains

and trees& a land that looked hositable. 1esite his !rew+s wish to

exlore& the gods sta"ed Bjarni+s hand. That resonsibilit"& and the

glor" that !ame with it& had been awarded b" the gods to another6

7iefr 8ir9ksson.

The gods of the Norsemen were !ari!ious& and though

the" took fame from Bjarni& the" gave him a se!ond !han!e at

exloring the land he had dis!overed. :on 8ir9ksson+s return

from his last journe"& the king re;uisitioned three shis for a

settlement exedition to the new world. Bjarni+s fate had been tied

to the new world b" the three sinners& for he was !hosen to leadthe vo"age.

:nfortunatel"& the land was not uno!!uied when Bjarni

and his men landed on the !oast of resentda" Newfoundland.


3/39

la!ked the te!hnolog" and weaons that the Norse brought with

them& subsisting off the land with stone tools. The" found the

Norse strange to look at= Bjarni himself was a short but sturd"

blonde& bluee"ed man& and none of the natives had lightened e"es.

1ue to their la!k of advan!ed !ivili>ation& the Norse dubbed themSkrlingjar& or barbarians.

1esite the disdain that the Norse seemed to hold for the

rimitive natives& the" soon stru!k u a mutualisti! relationshi.

The more advan!ed ?ikings gave the Skrlingjar metal axes and

weaon& though when the" dis!overed these items had a tenden!"

to be!ome dull and break the" returned to rimaril" using stone

tools.


4/39

after su!h a long seeration& and Bjarni was eager to disat!h a

messenger ba!k to the king with reorts of his su!!ess.

e blew from the south&

ummeling the ?ikings ea!h time the" took a ste. The Norse&

who saw omens of the gods in all of nature& knew that so mu!h

dark weather meant evil was !oming. % few wanted to rea!h the

!am& but man" wished to wait until the gods smiled on them

again.5inall"& not even the hardiest ?iking !ould stand the

deressing !onditions. 7oath to sto so !lose to their goal& "et

e;uall" unwilling to in!ite a revolt& Herjlfsson relented and joined

in setting u !am for the night. %fter gorging themselves on the

last of their sulies& the exlorers droed off to slee one b" one&

until onl" Herjlfsson& the selfaointed sentinel& was awake. %s

the moon rea!hed its aex in the sk"& even he began to nod off.$inutes later& the wind shifted and began blowing heavil"

from the north& bringing with it the smell of smoke. %n extremel"

light sleeer& Herjlfsson was startled awake b" the gale. %s he

graduall" regained awareness& Bjorne distinguished another& more

alarming s!ent from the a!k*burning flesh.

Colted awake& Herjlfsson stood and !ret awa" from the

!am. %s the smell grew in intensit" with ever" ste towards the

settlement& so did the Norseman+s footfalls until he was running at

a full srint the two miles to the !olon".


5/39

judging b" the halfdo>en !orses !lut!hing stone weaons& the"

hadnDt been !omletel" unsu!!essful.

8ven as Herjlfsson bordered on h"steria& his rational mind

reali>ed what was missing from the s!ene*the !hildren. Barel"

able to tear his e"es awa" from the !arnage& he began sear!hing forsmaller bodies& hoing that the" were gone*gone meant a !han!e

of survival.

He found their bodies laid out around the well in the !enter

of the town.There were twent"six !hildren in the settlement& and

twent"four of them arranged around the stone well. :nlike the

rest of the massa!re vi!tims& the !hildren at least were not !harred.

But this& Bjarni reali>ed& would make it even worse for thereturning exlorers= the" would be fa!ed with the ain of

identif"ing their murdered sons and daughters. 8ven worse& the

male !hildren had not died with weaons in hand& whi!h barred

them from an afterlife in ?alhalla with their fathers.

There was one stroke of fortune for Bjarni amid all this= his

wife 5re"di was not among the dead& and the two !hildren missing

from the well were his own son and daughter. 'riefstri!ken as hewas at his !omradesD loss& the Norseman felt hoe flood his veins at

the thought of 5re"di and the !hildren surviving.

5or well over an hour& Herjlfsson sear!hed the de!imated

settlement for his wife to no avail. He left no stone unturned& but

still he found nothing& not even the slightest !lue.

%s the sun began to rise& he gave u in desair and turned

ba!k towards the !am. $aking his wa" ba!k through the trees& a

glimse of !loth !aught the !orner of his e"e. Hurr"ing over to the

bush where the offending s!ra was hanging& Bjarni sied a bod"

l"ing ten a!es awa"& four arrows rotruding u to the flights from

its ba!k. 7"ing next to the !orse was one smaller& but

unmistakabl" human& figure. 5earing the worst& the Norseman

srinted to the !orse and flied its over onto its ba!k& letting out

a gas of re!ognition. as he did so.


6/39


7/39

order to bless the wearer. Their swords& sears and axes& made b"

the finest 'ermani! bla!ksmiths of their time& were treated as

living !reatures. The" were given names b" their owner& and

engraved with !arvings similar to the armor.

Herjlfsson and eleven other men stood at the forefront ofthe ?ikings. The" were the strongest and most bloodthirst" of the

bun!h& !aable of fighting off a do>en men at on!e when the"

tasted battle. e ilots& wreaking havo! and sowing disarra" andani! amongst the enem". These soldiers& mindless with rage& felt

no ain and !ontinued slaughtering an"thing that !ame !lose until

their souls were at ?alhallaDs gates

When the berserkers began d"ing& then !ame something

even more fearsome6 the shield wall. $en trained for "ears before


8/39

the" were read" for the wall& but nothing !ould ever reare them

for the first !lash. ows of twent" or more men stood shoulder to

shoulder& their shoulderhigh shields interlo!ked with those of the

men to their left and right. $ore exerien!ed men lined the front&

for the" would bear the major for!e of the atta!k. Those who had"et to arti!iate in a battle would sta" behind the front line& using

longhandled sears to atta!k their enemies over the shoulders of

the veterans. The front line would be more limited in their atta!ks&

so the" atta!ked with short swords& stabbing at unrote!ted limbs

to in!aa!itate the enem" so the searmen !ould learn to kill.


9/39

but Herjlfsson was rational enough to hold them ba!k. When the

berserkers were loose& even s!entmarked men risked their lives b"

drawing !lose.

5ive minutes assed& and four of the eleven berserkers had

managed to survive. Gne was ier!ed through the throat with awooden searshaft& and still fought on even as his lifeblood oured

from the wound. The other three had assed straight through the

!rowd of natives and found themselves !ornered against a sheer

hill. The" did not have long to live& but the damage the" !aused

was nothing short of !atastrohi!. %ll in all& at least men had

fallen to the ,, berserkers.

The shield wall advan!ed. %t first& the Skrlingjar were tooo!!uied with finishing off the berserkers to noti!e the mass of

soldiers aroa!hing. B" the time the" had killed all but one of the

berserker vanguards& the shield wall was within striking range of

the first grou of enemies. Bjarni Herjlfsson !ould not be sure

whi!h man there had murdered his famil"& but the deaths that

would o!!ur toda" would surel" honor their memor" and earn him

glor" in ?alhalla. % brisk signal with his hand formed the men intoa wedge& and the wall lunged into the !onfused horde.

Herjlfsson took the front and !enter osition of the wedge.

The !rag where the three berserkers had fallen would be fairl"

defensible with three s!ore ?ikings& and if the wedge !ould get the

majorit" of his band there the" !ould begin the eradi!ation.

5a!ed with an unstoable for!e of metal and death& the

Skrlingjarbegan to ani!. %bout half of them took u arms and

attemted to form a wall& but few had shields and the ones that did

held them with shaking arms. The rest of the tribe turned tail and

ran for !over amongst the trees.

% few of the ?ikings turned as if to give !hase to the

!owards& but Bjarni bellowed at them to return to their ositions.

The stragglers !ould be hunted down later= what mattered most

was rea!hing the defensible !liff. His wall met slight resistan!e

when the" en!ountered the defenders. % tall dark man& shirtlesswith the tattoo of a winged god a!ross his !hest& srinted at Bjarni

with a stone axe. He swung the weaon exertl" at the Norseman+s

fa!e& turning his wrist so that the blade of the weaon hooked the

bottom of his shield. Faught unawares& Herjlfsson did not have


10/39

enough time to rea!t= the enem" ried the shield from his hand& in

the ro!ess mangling the lower half as he did so.

Without rote!tion& Herjlfsson found himself in serious

danger. 'riing his short sword like a javelin& he hurled the blade

at the surrised man. The blade stru!k ointfirst in the native+sthroat& and Bjarni i!ked u the stone weaon from his inert bod"

before lowing into the midst of battle.

The shield wall !losed to a!!ommodate his absen!e&

leaving Bjarni alone in the midst of eight" enemies. He !ut down

two before the" knew what hit them& and injured one more with a

jagged but shallow !ut a!ross his leg. Then& as suddenl" as he

entered the fra"& he was on the other side. The shield wall rea!hedtheir leader and turned& moving into a defensive half!ir!le to

rote!t from an" assault. The natives seemed on the verge of being

de!imated& and it seemed as if the" had siml" lost the resolve

needed to fight ba!k.

But fight ba!k the" did. %t first it o!!urred in small bands

of four or five men who were ;ui!kl" !ut down& but larger o!kets

of resistan!e formed& large enough that the natives who hadIes!aedJ were able to get to their weaon of !hoi!e*the bow and

arrow& a large number of whi!h had been hidden in the treeline.

Their sa!rifi!e gave others the !han!e to fill the sk" with arrows&

and then the Norse be!ame the ones d"ing as reinfor!ements from

nearb" tribes began to arrive& for the shields were not large enough

to rote!t the entire bod".

Herjlfsson and the last berserker waved off the arrows as

if the" were gnats& de!imating an"one brave enough to !harge

them. % few brave souls s!rambled through the village in sear!h of

signs for the five missing women& along with the leaderDs eleven

"earold son. Though no one was found& s!ras of dresses worn b"

the ?iking women were seen shredded on the ground. With no

bodies in sight& the men !ame to the !on!lusion that the

Skrlingjar were not just enemies*the" were !annibals. This

dis!over" amlified the rage flowing through the ?ikings tenfold.


11/39

beserkr, threw himself headlong into the fra" again& his sword and

battleaxe !oated with !rimson. He knew the ar!hers would be the

death of them& and that the onl" wa" to survive and satisf" his

gods+ thirst for revenge would be to destro" the bowmen who

stood where his shield wall had been shortl" before. With the restof the ?ikings at his heels& he tried in vain to break through the

writhing mass of soldiers to get at the murderous bowmen& but the

swarm was too great.

:nfortunatel" for Herjlfsson& ain and exhaustion began

to wear down the Norsemen now that the" were no longer in the

middle of the slaughter. @ensing that the tide was turning& the

Skrlingjar'sunrelenting rain of arrows began to !ut them downuntil& when the men were !omletel" human again& onl" one do>en

men and theskaalds still remained.

@ensing that the battle was lost& the two berserker guards

used the last of their magi!all"enhan!ed strength to hammer a

ath to safet" through their enemies& leading the bards ba!k the

wa" the" !ame in sear!h of a la!e to hide. Though it went wholl"

against their nature to run from battle& the ?ikingsD lo"alt" to theirleader was even stronger. The" found a small gull" hidden b" the

trees and settled in to wait for the battle to end.

%t this oint& the Skrlingjar abandoned their !aution and

!harged the larger& stronger Norsemen& whom the" outnumbered

b" more than fift" to one. Though death was guaranteed& Bjarni

and his men fought with grim jo"& knowing that ea!h man the"

killed earned them more restige for their entran!e into ?alhalla.

The surging tide of stone hat!hets killed all but Herjlfsson and

one other man= the" fought ba!k to ba!k against more than five

hundred enemies. Before long& the hat!hets overwhelmed even

Bjarni Herjlfsson& and he drew his last breath& hurling himself

into the leering fa!es of the natives. He died surrounded b" the

!orses of his enemies& his lis ursed in the eternal war !r".

The Skrlingjar were aalled at the death toll of the

battle. %ll of the battles between tribes in their histor" had not!ome !lose to the more than four hundred


12/39

But the land was not !omletel" urged of 8uroeans.

%fter the dust had settled and the war !ries died awa"& theskaalds

and their guards set out in sear!h of a new !amground& where

the" !ould reestablish their settlement and rebuild until the da"

the" !ould avenge their beloved leader and !omrades. This singularurose in mind& the" stru!k out east& following the same ath the"

walked on their exloration exedition.

e that the Gld

Tongue had new ower in this land. He began a seemingl"endless

exeriment& going word b" word through the original Gld Norse

alhabet to see its effe!t. %s he redi!ted& ever" word brought with


13/39

it an undeniable ower& tangible ower that had never been felt in

the homeland.

% generation assed& and the skaalds began to hone their

knowledge of their abilities. %s an understanding of how the magi!

!ame to be& the" reali>ed that the words themselves were not thesour!e of the ower. The words were siml" a wa" to !hannel that

ower safel"& so that nothing unexe!ted would o!!ur. %s the"

be!ame more adet in using their abilities& more and more sells

were dis!overed until nearl" an"one or an"thing !ould be

!ontrolled with the magi!.

The two beserkr guards who es!aed& who la!ked abilities

to !ontrol the magi!& de!ided to make themselves useful. $an"!olonists& not !omfortable enough with their newfound abilities to

rel" wholeheartedl" on it in battle& !ame to the Norsemen for

weaons training. Though this was informal and otional& so man"

skaalds took this u in their sare time that learning how to smith

and use weaons be!ame an unwritten rule for the order.

%nd as their ower grew& so did their feelings of

resonsibilit" for the Skrlingjar.


14/39

Nor!$eas! Nor!$ Ameri%a

Gne hundred "ears later& the settlement alread" had

surassed the original with more than four hundred men& women

and !hildren living in the !avern.


15/39

one knew his surname& m" famil" still !arries his name& a name

that the" sa" !omes from be"ond the sea*Herjlfsson.E

8ver"one stoed what the" were doing. EHerjlfssonKE the

translator reeated& unsure he was hearing right.

The bo" nodded. EWh"K 1o "ou know the nameKEThe translator laughed at the inno!en!e of the remark. Een sells& some of whi!h onl" he !ould

do without assistan!e. :on his sixteenth birthda"& the golden

haired son of Herjlfsson was named Fhief 'uardian.

Not long after& BeDnae was wedded to Thorgill& one of the

most romising 'uardians in the !lan& in hoes of assing on hisoffthe!harts magi!al enduran!e. 8leven months after their

wedding !eremon". Thorgill gave birth to fraternal twins& one dark

and brownhaired as his mother& the other fair and bluee"ed in the

image of his father. @uerstitious as an" Skrling tribe& the

'uardians hoed that the twins were a sign of roserit" and

!hange to !ome.

:nder their arentsD tutelage& brooding 8rik and fairheaded7eif& named in honor of the legendar" Norse exlorers& learned the

wa"s of the 'uardians. But evolution was in the mood for a joke at

the time of the bo"sD birth& for neither one exhibited even a fra!tion

of their fatherDs otential.

%fter nearl" three "ears of tr"ing to find the reserves of

ower in their nowadoles!ent sons& BeDnae gave u and set about

an alternative lan. Without a word to his wife or !hildren& he left

the !ave and set out on a journe" for unknown uroses. %fter six

months had assed without his return& the 'uardians feared the

worst and abandoned their hoes of evolving& returning to the wa"

of life the" knew before BeDnaeDs arrival.

8xa!tl" one "ear after he set out& BeDnae Herjlfsson

returned with new life*and new se!rets. He stoed onl" to

assure his wife and !hildren& now nearl" adults& of his survival&

then walked ba!k the wa" he !ame to finish whatever roje!t hehad begun.


17/39

magi!al sells that had or would be dis!overed. The %mulet of

@t"rkrw"rd gave its bearer the abilit" to !ontrol an" sell traed

within.

But there was one setba!k*the %mulet had needed mu!h

of BeDnaeDs strength to exist. This had left him drained of hisenhan!ed magi!& whi!h meant that he !ould never make another

%mulet. @o one erson& and onl" one& would hold the sureme

ower of BeDnaeDs %mulet. But what if that erson de!ided to abuse

the sa!red owerK

ed what was

haening and disengaged& but others ket going& unaware that

the" were killing their leader.

%s the 'uardians stru!k the final blow to the %mulet& the

arteries in BeDnaeDs !hest began to ruture one b" one& literall"

breaking his heart. Though modern medi!ine ma" have saved his

life& no amount of magi! !ould heal BeDnaeDs internal wounds. The

life for!e tangibl" seeing out of him& the Fhief 'uardian gave one

last order*his sons were to ea!h have one half of the %mulet. He

then s;uee>ed a dro of blood and soke his last sell& binding his

geneti!s to the %mulet as a failsafe= the sell indi!ated that onl" his

des!endents !ould a!!ess the ower of the %mulet. With this final

a!t& BeDnae !losed his e"es and left the world. He was fort"one

"ears of age.

%t sixteen& the 'uardians had no !hoi!e but to let Be+nae+ssons& unroven though the" were& assume !ommand as Fhief

'uardians. Gn the same da" as their father+s funeral& 7eif and 8rik

were given their halves of the %mulet. 7eif was more than ha"

with the talents his half of the %mulet gave him= he was ten times

stronger and more adet and magi! than an"one but his brother.


18/39

8rik& however& remembered the immense ower Be+nae !ontrolled

before the !reation of the %mulet& and "earned for that strength.

The 'uardians knew that 8rik+s ambition would lead to

trouble& but the" had no idea how ;ui!kl" it would !ome and how

terrible it would be. @!ar!el" six months had assed before 8rik;uietl" began gearing his strongest suorters for a!tion. He was

!areful onl" to aroa!h those he knew would join him& for he

knew that unishment for su!h treason would be exile& whi!h

would make it imossible to rejoin the %mulet.

%fter another month and a half of re!ruiting and

rearation& 8rik began to set his lan into a!tion. B" then he had

gathered nearl" onethird of the 'uardians into the folds of hislot. But& for all of his suorters& onl" a fra!tion of them were

needed to !reate the diversion needed to steal the %mulet.


19/39

later as the last reserves of his energ" was sent. 7jfvina !arried

the un!ons!ious man to her and 7eifDs bedroom.

8rik was nowhere to be found& having left the revious

night on a foraging exedition& so 7eif was left to singlehandedl"

deal with the roblem. Not even sa"ing farewell to his wife& hemade sure the %mulet was se!ured around his ne!k and set off for

the bar at an allout srint.

Within moments& 7jfvina was alone ex!et for the

messenger. 7jfvina was gifted in the healing arts& and was utting

her talent to good use in reviving and rejuvenating the fatigued

age. Gne "ear older than her newl"wed husband at eighteen& she

was well on her wa" to be!oming the best healer in the tribe= hergood looks had as mu!h to do with this as her bedside manners or

exertise. Hair whose golden hue ut the sunDs ra"s to shame

framed her soft& elliti!al fa!e& a!!entuating her bluegra" e"es and

ale lis. :nlike man" women of her time& 7jfvina was tall and

thin where most were short and robust. @he moved with a

gra!efulness all her own= someone of less beaut" would be !alled

lank"& but su!h a word !ould not even begin to do 7jfvina justi!e.The first time one of the Skrlingjar had met her& he had fallen to

the ground& rostate& !ertain her un!oomon frame and ivor" skin

meant that she was the rein!arnation of some god.

'rowing u in su!h an isolated la!e& however& instilled an

unfortunate naOvete in man" of the townseole. The" had never

fa!ed an" true danger in their life& aside from the o!!assional sar

after learning a new sell or an a!!idental flesh wound in weaons

training. 7jfvina was one of the man" who su!!umbed to this

mindset= she was as inno!ent as she was beautiful.

That is wh"& when the messenger began to shimmer

slightl"& she took little or no noti!e& attributing it siml" as a side

effe!t of her sells. 8ven when a faint white light began to shine

from his bod"& and his outline began to fade into intangibilit"&

7jfvina still bustled around !luelessl" for medi!al sulies and

remedies. 7eif would have noti!ed that the gre" e"es of the agehad began to !hange to dark brown& and that his short bla!k hair

was growing longer b" the se!ond& shaing itself into the shoulder

length mane so rare among the 'uardians. 8ven his build was

!hanging= the tired& wrinkled bod" of the un!ons!ious older man

was be!oming taller& sto!kier& more sule with ea!h assing


20/39

se!ond. The !lothing itself remained un!hanged& but grew tight

against the mus!ular frame of its new o!!uant. %round his ne!k&

the faint outline of a ro!ksi>ed gemstone bulged against the

straining fabri!

The manDs ba!k was still to the door& so 7jfvina wasunaware of the transformation taking la!e in her bed. @he strode

in with a restoration otion and smelling salts and a !old !loth to

soothe the man& but still she did not noti!e that the messenger was

not what he aeared.

He was unresonsive to 7jfvinaDs tou!h& even after she

ressed the !ool !loth to his forehead and ressed the salts to his

nostrils. 'rabbing the otion& she went to turn over the man tobetter administer the drink= it was then that she noti!ed the !hanges

she had been so oblivious to before.

:nsure of what devilr" was at la"& 7jfvina rea!hed out to

the atient with trembling hands. @he gased involuntaril" as a

strong hand grased her forearm= her attemts to s!ream were !ut

off just as ;ui!kl".


21/39

with gra!e& and fell to the floor. 7jfvinaDs ga>e fixed on 8rikDs

un!ons!ious form& noting with wanton leasure the blood sra"ing

from his nose& whi!h was mangled enough that she knew it was

surel" broken. To her surrise and disma"& she a!tuall" found

herself enjo"ing the awful sight. But then darkness rushed u tomeet her& and all moral dilemmas faded from her mind as she

surrendered to her exhaustion.

7eif walked with a drunken sring in his ste as he left thebar and began to make his wa" home. The brawl had been !leared

u nearl" an hour before& with surrisingl" few injuries to be

healed. @toing the fight itself took no time at all= 7eif was a

giant of a man who !ould easil" take on an" do>en of the

'uardians at on!e and emerge uns!athed. His resen!e alone was

enough to make ever"one there think twi!e about throwing another

blow or burst of magi!. 7iterall" within se!onds of his arrival& thefight had !ome to an abrut halt.

5or the few injured& healing was immediate and !omlete&

thanks to 7eif+s half of the %mulet. $ost had minor bruises and

!uts& but these would be left to natural healing. e the

great wolf 5enrir in the sa!e of an hour. $agi! !an onl" do so

mu!h& and !onse;uentl" the 'uardian Fhief was barel" able to

walk straight as he weaved his wa" through the tight !onfines of

the village.


22/39

rang out in a dee baritone slightl" slurred with the effe!ts of wine&

but his words were still !lear enough to understand.

#$e c"e fr" !%e land "f ice and rie.

&r" !%e s%ad" lands "f fr"(en Nifel%ei."rne fr" !%e c%a"s "f !%e *aning gulf,

+!ernal ec%"es "f Ginnungaga.

De"n Sur!ur-G"d "f &ire-

He fuels "ur %ear!s$i!% brea!% fr" us/el/%ei-

0%e N"iseaker /

&r"s! Gian! 1ir-Rises "u! "f !%e r"lling 2a"urs and clas%es !%e fr"(en air-

&r" "u! "f !%e gulf cae !%e c" Aud%ula,

$%" licked !%e sal! and %"arfr"s! fr" an ic* b"ulder.

3u! srang ur, fa!%er "f "r

&r" %" !%e G"ds 3din, Vili and Ve ere saned.

0%e* sle 1ir,

And ade idgard.His b"d* becae !%e ear!%,

His ic* bl""d !%e sea a! large.

His b"nes f"red !%e "un!ains,His fles% f"red !%e s"il,

His skull !%e grea! sk*/d"e endued i!% c"l"urs r"*al.

&r" usel%ei cae !%e sun and !%e ""n,And s!ars !" guide sail"rs and ake dreaers s""n.

0%e grea! as% !ree 1ggdrasill %eld all in lace

$i!% i!'s ig%!* r""!s and branc%es in!" sace.

4%is "f ""d,

&r" !%e grea! as% !ree,

$ere ga!%ered !"ge!%er,

&"r !%e firs! !ie in %is!"r*,

0" f"r !%e firs! an Ask,And !%e firs! "an +bla,

N" !%e arri"r c%ildren feas! fai!% in !%e fabled %alls "f Val%alla.5

,l"ri!s b" $i!hael Aeters


23/39

%s ea!h verse !ame to a !lose& he banged together two

fallen tree bran!hes that had been iled alongside the ath for

firewood& the best imitation of !linking ale mugs he !ould make

while awa" from the bar.

The song was long enough that& b" the time the final notesdied awa"& 7eif was at the door of his house. Normall" a !autious

man& al!ohol had taken awa" the Fhief 'uardian+s guarded nature

and rela!ed it with foolish abandon. Throwing the door wide& he

strode boldl" into the house& making for the bedroom where he

!ould slee awa" his imairments unbothered.

When he entered the bedroom& his e"es were instantl"

drawn to his wife. @he la" on the bed& un!ons!ious and bruised& athin stream of blood marring her flawless !heek. @haken b" su!h a

horrible sight& the effe!ts of the mead began to dilute almost

instantl" as adrenaline flooded 7eifDs veins. He began to noti!e

other indi!ations that a struggle had taken la!e& some subtle and

some so overt that onl" a blind man would ass unawares.

Gne of the more subtle signs was a slight shimmering in the

air& oised just over 7jfvinaDs form. 4"uld !%e a!!acker s!ill be%ere, ai!ing !" kill e67eif wondered& instin!tivel" rea!hing for

the battleaxe he !onstantl" wore in a holster a!ross his shoulder.

He had no oortunit" to draw it though& as the aarition

suddenl" materiali>ed. 7eif stood stunned to see 8rik standing over

his wife& a dagger held at her ale throat. His other hand was

outstret!hed towards his brother& read" to unleash a magi!al burst

if atta!ked.

But 7eif was too aral">ed with surrise to move. EWhat

are "ou doing here& brotherKE 7eif asked& his hand tensing on the

hilt of the weaon. ELou said "ou were leaving on a foraging

exedition& "et here "ou stand with weaon drawn in m" house.


24/39

8rik laughed malignantl". E< guess "ou do not know me as

well as "ou think& brother. %nd "our dear lad" here will a" the

ri!e.E He ressed down harder with the knife& and a !rimson

rivulet flowed down 7jfvinaDs throat.

7eif !ried out as if he himself was being stabbed& laun!hinga burst of magi! at his brother and freeing his massive axe from his

ba!k in one fluid motion. The momentum from the weaon !arried

him straight towards his brother& who subvo!ali>ed a !ommand to

the magi! dee within. %lmost instantl"& the itiful dagger in his

hand grew into a mena!ing longsword& slowing to a halt two feet

later. @omeone of his small stature would normall" be unable to

wield su!h an instrument effe!tivel" without tiring ;ui!kl"& but the%mulet allowed him to swing it almost without effort.

7eif !losed the distan!e between them in the blink of an

e"e. His axe was nearl" twi!e the si>e of 8rikDs sword& but was

nowhere near as versatile. His brother had the advantage of seed

and !lose ;uarter fighting& with a smaller blade to handle.

Lelling a fearsome war !r" that he hoed would arouse an"

nearb" 'uardians& 7eif swung his axe in a twohanded downward!ho aimed to slit his brotherDs head down the middle.


25/39

% few failed atta!ks later& 8rik found himself ba!k b" the

bed. He thrust at his !ombatantDs right side this time& overextending

the atta!k just enough to be noti!eable. @ure enough& 7eif took the

bait and riosted& throwing a twohanded slash at his brotherDs

exosed left hi. The slash would have ended the fight right there&would have robabl" !ut 8rik in two.

But it did not& for 8rik was not there an" longer.

With the %muletDs assistan!e& he !artwheeled to the left and

ba!kflied behind the bed& utting 7jfvinaDs rone form between

him and his brother.


26/39

Through the mindnumbing ain& he had enough resen!e of mind

to use a sell of vanishing. He stumbled headlong through the

village& !ursing and romising vengean!e uon his tormenters. His

followers heard the disembodied voi!e and followed him out of the

!ave& disaearing into the underbrush.Gut!asts of the 'uardians& 8rik and his followers found a

remote lo!ation and built a !am& using magi! to hide their new

home from h"si!al and magi!al dete!tion. Horribl" disfigured b"

the !hemi!als in the salts& 8rik began develoing lans to exa!t his

revenge. His new !ult& !alled thef9rbj:;rs(1ese!rators) (a name

derived from the vow that the" would maim their enemies just as

their leader had been maimed)& began to raid the 'uardian Fave.To survive& both grous began to exand west& setting u

outosts from the %ala!hians to the o!k" $ountains.

Wherever the" went& the Native %meri!ans were de!imated b"

!rossfire& to the oint where natives began to steer !lear of the

warring tribes. The" and their invisible !ities be!ame lo!al

legends& grous of gods battling with might" weaons and fier!e

suerhuman atta!ks.7eft to themselves& the two fa!tions began to fear outsiders

as mu!h as ea!h other. When the 8uroeans first !rossed the

o!ean& the" saw them as enemies& rea!ting just as theskrlingjar

had rea!ted !enturies before. 8xlorers heading west were either

avoided or& in the !ase of a few like Hernando de @oto& killed to

reserve their se!rets. But& over time& exlorers and fugitives found

their wa" to the !ams& and showed them that the men from a!ross

the sea were more like them than the" thought. Henr" Hudson and

his son& among others& joined the ranks of the 'uardians.

With the founding of the %meri!an !olonies& the 'uardians

and 1ese!rators saw a !han!e to reintegrate with so!iet"& to enlist

even more soldiers in their rese!tive !rusades. But desite their

added manower& neither side !ould break the !enturieslong

stalemate.


27/39

&ff lam(orou$ )ead, *nland

Sep!em(er +3, 1##

The 5irst Nav" Ca!k billowed roudl" in the wind as the

"n%"e Ric%ard !ut the la!id waters of the %tlanti!. %t ,QRfeet long& theRic%ard was one of the larger frigates in the fledgling

Fontinental Nav"& being given to the !olonies b" the wealth"

5ren!h months before in a!!ordan!e to the 5ren!h%meri!an

allian!e formed after the Battle of @aratoga. %lthough it had not

"et seen a!tion& the Nav" was !onfident of theRic%arde on the mer!hantsD mast.

Cohn Aaul began his !areer at just thirteen "ears old. %fter

being a!!used of murdering one of his offi!ers in Tobago when he

was R0& he left the !ountr" and added the surname IConesJ in order

to es!ae the hangman+s noose. % remarkable navigator& he la!ked

the flair for oliti!s that was re;uired for romotion& and was onl"

a !atain desite his imressive tra!k re!ord= if not for the

endorsement of his !lose friend and Fongressman i!hard Henr"

7ee& Cones would have never even been ut in !ommand of a

tugboat. This would have been a !ostl" oversight& as Cones+ re!ent

!ature of the HS Drake, a Rgun o"al Nav" sloo out of

8ngland& was one of the !oloniesD most resounding maritime

vi!tories.

Cust be"ond her ,feet wake& a flotilla of three shisadjusted their !ourse to mat!h theRic%arded warband was

theAlliance, a larger and bettere;uied 0gun frigate.


28/39

8ven though theRic%ard was almost fort" feet ahead of the

Alliance, he !ould feel resentment wafting towards him through the

air like smoke. Though there were more than !rewmen aboard

the shi& Cones knew without a doubt where the !loud of anger

emanated from.Aierre 7andais& !atain of the Alliance, !ame to %meri!a

hoing to be!ome a maritime $ar;uis de 7afa"ette. He had been

assigned to Cones+ s;uadron uon arrival& but soon !lashed with the

@!ottish immigrant after theAlliance and theRic%ard !rashed into

ea!h other+s riggings. Gf !ourse& ea!h !atain blamed the other&

and on %ugust R0& 7andais dire!tl" disobe"ed a dire!t order and

sailed off from the rest of the fleet. He rejoined with the fleet onthe first da" of @etember& but tension still !louded the hori>on.

% few da"s later& Cones signaled 7andais to !ome aboard

the Ric%ard for a dis!ussion. 1isgruntled with Cones& the

5ren!hman refused& instead sailing off again. He was gone for

uwards of two weeks this time= onl" this morning had he returned

to the fleet& under the guard of the =allas. I! s%all n"! be l"ng

bef"re !%a! iss/r"ud 7andais !ries !" c"n2ince !%e res! "f * flee!!" sail aa* i!% %i, Cones thought bitterl".

I@his on the hori>on& sir& !oming from norDeastPJ a lookout

!alled from ato the main mast. There was no !row+s nest aboard

theRic%ard, so the haless lookout !lung to the sturd" wood with

onl" his gri and a ie!e of roe keeing him from a long fall

;ui!kl" followed b" a ainful death fift" feet below. I


29/39

grabbed a air of signal flags at his feet& and franti!all" began

sending the tidings of imminent battle.

Aierre 7andais was not a ha" man. 7ess than twent"four

hours reviousl"& he had sulkil" returned from his fortnightlong

solo tri& in the ro!ess subje!ting both himself and his shi to

Cohn Aaul Cones+ t"ranni!al !ommand*"et again. 8ver sin!e that

fateful !rash& 7andais maintained that Cones was a boorish idiot

who was unfit for !ommand of a !hild+s sailboat& let alone a frigate

like theRic%ard. To most of those around him& Aierre was seen asa !oarse& headstrong sailor who was a little too big for his boots.

%t least& that was how Aierre 7andais an!ed to be seen.


30/39

5ren!hman+s shi a few weeks after. But he told a different stor"

than 7andais had heard= this gunner insisted that he had not fired a

shot at the 4erberus& but that a illar of flame had des!ended from

the sk"& smiting the shi like the hand of 'od himself. This

information& !ouled with the longheld tenet that a Gerdi"nbasewas lo!ated in Newort& gave 7andais the first hint of the

organi>ation+s existen!e. He !onfronted Benjamin 5ranklin& whom

he had met a few "ears before during 5ranklin+s dilomati! visit to

5ran!e and a man who he suse!ted was a 'uardian. The

%meri!an Fongressman admitted his role in the Gerdi"n and

agreed to take 7andais for ossible admission. Within the month&

7andais was assigned to an %meri!an fleet and transorted to the%meri!as& where he was arenti!ed as a 'uardian in se!ret.

He had not learned mu!h at all about the Gerdi"n from

even 5ranklin& who he !ame to regard as his mentor during his

training. @ure& he learned that the 'uardians had been around sin!e

the" were founded b" the survivors of a blood" massa!re that

almost wied out a Norse exloration art" in the eleventh !entur".

He had learned that the Fommittees of Forresonden!e had beennothing more than a front !reated b" the great @amuel %dams to

allow the 'uardians to work in se!re!". He had even learned that

the 5reemason so!iet" was nothing more than a front for the

'uardians where the leaders met to dis!uss their ideas and lans.

But one thing he had not learned was wh" he had been

!hosen for the mission he was on& one that !ould deal a fatal blow

to the evolution if his se!ret !argo was inter!eted. Gnl" one

other 'uardian had been assigned to the mission& the last erson

an"one would exe!t of subversion*Cohn Aaul Cones himself.

Cones had been a 'uardian for onl" half a "ear longer than

7andais& but was ut in !ommand of the !argo due to a

!ombination of his sailing rowess and the insisten!e of Cones+

benefa!tor i!hard Henr" 7ee& who was above even 5ranklin in

the 'uardians. %dams& the !urrent Fhief 'uardian& had no !hoi!e

but to relent to 7ee+s onslaught& and there Cones was& in !ommandof an oeration that !ould sell the end for the evolution.

To be honest& though& 7andais was not even sure wh" the

Gerdi"n were so interested in the evolution. %s far as he knew&

onl" the 1ese!rators had the right !ombination of hatred& ower

and knowledge to !hallenge the 'uardians. He had heard the


31/39

strong denun!iations against the wa"s of the 1ese!rators so man"

times that he had them memori>ed. Gver and over the instru!tors

had !autioned against the 1ese!rators& who embra!ed greed and

lust rather than shunning these dangerous emotions. %s a result&

the" had been driven mad with ower and turned their envioussights on the 'uardians& who shared their otherwise uni;ue gifts

for magi!. But this !ould not be the onl" reason& for 7andais

himself had learned no magi! so far& and Cones little more.

His thoughts returning to Cohn Aaul Cones again& 7andais

furrowed his brow and !ontorted his features in a !ontemtuous

sneer. He did not a!tuall" hate Cones= the disagreements were

siml" a red herring to throw an" nearb" 1ese!rators for a loo.The most imortant fa!et of the mission was that the enem"& both

the British and the 1ese!rators& did not how !losel" involved the

Gerdi"n were with the rebel !olonists.

His thoughts turned to the mission& and !onse;uentl" to his

sa!red !argo*the %mulet of @t"rkrw"rd. %s new to the 'uardians

as he was& he had heard more about the %mulet than he had about

an"thing else. He had noti!ed how eole+s voi!es droed to areverential hush when seaking about it& had noti!ed how the

!aital A was emhasi>ed to su!h a noti!eable level that the

%mulet was almost ersonified as human.

The one thing no one soke about was what the ur"se of

the %mulet was. 7andais& his !uriosit" aroused& had asked around

as to what se!rets to the universe the %mulet held& but either no

one knew or the" weren+t telling.

But now onl" Q meters of o!ean and a metal and wooden

hull searated 7andais from the !oveted %mulet& and he !ould not

bear it. 5or that was the real reason 7andais had stormed off in a

huff during the se!ond negotiation*the utight Cones had refused

to let 7andais alone with the %mulet.

H" can %e n"! "nder a! !%e Aule!'s aes"e

"!en!ial6wondered 7andais.N"! e2en >"nes is rig%!e"us en"ug%

!" iss "u! "n !%is c%ance !" disc"2er !%e deees! secre!s "f "ur"rder. $ell, %e can d" %a! %e an!s? c"e %ell "r %ig% a!er, I

willge! * %ands "n !%a! Aule!-

I@irPJ his boatswain !alled& destro"ing the tendrils of a lan

that were forming in 7andais+ head. ILou had better see thisPJ

IWhat is itKJ snaed 7andais.


32/39

IThe "n%"e Ric%ard has her semahore flags out&J

exlained the boatswain& a "oung man named Noah Br"ant

Fooer. I@he just signaled for all guns to fo!us at ,, o+!lo!k& and

to be read" for battle with the SeraisUsirKKJ

Before Fooer even finished rela"ing the message& 7andaiswas dashing to the nearest gunners. IAreare for battlePJ he "elled

at the to of his lungs& alerting the !rewmen who !ouldn+t read

semahore. I%ll guns to ,,6the Serais!omesPJ

7andais was not sure what made him do it.


33/39


34/39

Thomas 1ebs was traed.

He had sent nearl" two months in hiding aboard the

"n%"e Ric%ard& se!reted awa" in a hidden tradoor near the!atain+s !abin and the treasured %mulet. Aosing as an %meri!an

sailor& he had snu!k aboard in the dead of night and lo!ked himself

into the !omartment& just as his 1ese!rator leaders had instru!ted

him.

%s a 1ese!rator se!iali>ing in sor!er"& 1ebs !ould !on!eal

himself in a ball of magi!al energ" that stifled his roje!tion of

magi!al ower& as well as his resen!e at all. He had maintainedthis sell for hours ever" da"& onl" droing his shield when ever"

sailor aboard was sleeing.

$onths of su!h a lifest"le had begun to take its toll on the

1ese!rator. The on!e striking man had grown ale and gaunt from

su!h a long eriod of nearstarvation& as he !ould onl" !onjure

food when no one was awake= su!h a sell would almost instantl"

bring the 'uardians down uon him if the" felt magi! being used.He had enough energ" to maintain !on!ealment& though& and

!omfort was not a matter of an" imortan!e to his sueriors.


35/39

u in a room little bigger than a !loset while no one even knew he

was on the shi. 8ver" man aboard was on de!k tr"ing to reel the

British& 1ebs was sure of it. He ut his ear to the door and sent out

a small robe of magi!al energ". ation sell= both were easil"

assed b" 1ebs& who had been a i!ko!ket in his "outh.

He had never known a famil"= the !obblestone streets of

Ahiladelhia were his father& the dark alle"wa"s where he slet

were his mother. % su!!essful burglar& he had dreamed of saving

enough mone" to bu" land and es!ae the life of overt". Then&one fateful da"& he had made the mistake of tr"ing to steal from a

1ese!rator. @ensing magi! in the waif& the 1ese!rator& a Tor"

named $argaret $!'overn& had !onvin!ed her eers to train the

bo" in their wa"s. That was twent" "ears ago= now 1ebs had shed

his roots as an inexerien!ed i!ko!ket to be!ome one of the


36/39

1ese!rators. His newfound abilities had amlified his natural talent

for lar!en"& making him the most infamous thief in the !olonies.

%nd his ba!kground was the reason he had been assigned to

this allimortant mission. Before he was !aught b" $argaret& the

"oung 1ebs had held a flawless re!ord in thiever"= that streak hadnever been broken sin!e then. The 1ese!rators needed someone

who !ould sneak in& wait for his !han!e to sei>e the %mulet& and

make it ba!k out alive and inta!t.

That was the greatest advantage the 1ese!rators had over

their enemies at the moment*the" not onl" knew that the %mulet

was being transferred to one of 7eifDs des!endents& but the" knew it

was aboard the Ric%ard. There were onl" se!ulations about thetrue reason for its entrustment to su!h an untried !atain so far

from home& but 1ebs and man" others theori>ed the 'uardians

thought it would be safe so far from the main fighting.

The frigate ro!ked violentl" under the ima!t of gunfire&

and 1ebs shook off his da"dreaming. He slied oen the !hest&

read" to sring awa" if another& more sohisti!ated boob" tra had

been integrated into the !hest. 1ebs had not survived in hisdangerous rofession b" being arrogant and foolhard"& and that

mindset had sta"ed with him even as he surassed all his fellow

thieves.

He had no need to worr"& though. Cones was too sure of his

se!urit" to add more than minimal rote!tions. $ell, %e ill a* a

%ig% rice f"r %is blunder, and n" is!ake,1ebs thought itilessl".

He had no reservations about stealing from the foolish= in his mind&

their stuidit" gave him even more right to their valuables& where

the" would be treated with the roer rese!t and !aution.

$ade out of ure iron& the lid was too heav" for an" one

man to lift b" himself. This would have stoed a lesser thief& but

1ebs gestured on!e at the !hest and it oened effortlessl". Gn!e

again& he bra!ed himself for a tra& and again nothing haened.

The !hest was emt" ex!et for a brilliant gem on a thi!k

silver !hain. This& 1ebs knew instin!tivel"& was the %mulet. Therewas an aura about it& the 1ese!rator felt more than saw& that

romised the ultimate ower to those who !ould wield it.


37/39

ationalit" took over as 1ebs remembered what he had

learned about the %mulet. Gnl" a sele!t few& those des!ended from

the original Fhief 'uardian and %lha 1ese!rator& !ould ta into

the for!es imrisoned within its fa!eted surfa!e. elu!tantl"

ignoring the rimal urges of ower aroused b" the jewel& 1ebsi!ked it u and slied the %mulet into his robe. ed he did not

have long to live. 1eseration swelling to overtake his i!"

!almness& 1ebs broke into a flat run for the ladder that led above

de!k that ;ui!kl" turned into a breaststroke as the water !ontinued

to our into the shattered hull of theRic%ard.

He was fifteen feet awa" from the ladder when a massive!annonball smashed into the de!k& ulveri>ing the ladder and

ever"thing within the immediate area. B" then& the water had risen

ast his waist& making it diffi!ult for 1ebs to move.


38/39

1arkness enveloed 1ebs. He was not !ons!ious to noti!e

that the water had abrutl" drained awa"& and that the blue sk" that

had been overhead moments before was suddenl" rela!ed b" the

dark browns and shadow" bla!ks of some sort of en!losed !ave. ed thatthe %mulet had teleorted the shi and all its !ontents awa" from a

water" grave& just as he had hoed. But he was not !ons!ious& and

so these imossibilities fell on deaf ears and on blind e"es.

When he awoke hours later& 1ebs was thrust into a new

world of !onfusion and darkness. %fter adjusting to the reali>ation

that he had somehow survived& he began to understand that his

!han!es of being res!ued were bleak. He thoroughl" exlored the!ave& but there were no entran!es or exits= the o!ket of air would

be 1ebsD tomb unless a se!ond mira!le o!!urred.

The magi! of the %mulet would no longer work for him&

!omounding 1ebsD desair. obbed of his last !han!e of survival&

his ra!ti!al mind a!!eted the inevitabilit" of death and turned

from saving himself to saving his !argo. Be!ause he had no idea of

where the %mulet had brought him& he !ould not mark a ma. %ndhe was too weak and exhausted to attemt forming a landmark

above what would be!ome his tomb.

% da" assed before his mind formulated its last lan.

:sing his deeest wells of ower& 1ebs thrust a magi!al bea!on

into the timbers of the shi. He then isolated its magi!al signature

and bound it to a small ie!e of ar!hment that had been on the

shi. With the last vestiges of his strength& he teleorted the

newl"formed $a to his overseers in the !olonies with the sell

he had used to transort the shi. Though he would be dead long

before a res!ue team arrived& his work would allow the 1ese!rators

to triumh& and his name would be remembered for the rest of

time. With this last task a!!omlished& he la" down on one of the

few !ots that survived the battle with the Serais and waited for

death.

Thomas 1ebs died two hours later& the last of the air in the!onfined area deleted. He died !omletel" at ea!e& sure that he

had gotten through to the 1ese!rators& that he was not d"ing in

vain& that his a!tions had won the war against the 'uardians.

He would not have went so !alml"& however& had he known

that the %mulet he had died rote!ting was a fake& a de!o" used to


39/39

draw the 1ese!rators awa" from the genuine item still in the

!olonies. Had he also known that the $a he !reated with his last

bits of strength had onl" made it art of the wa" to the 1ese!rators&

buried in the ground in some isolated at!h of frost and dirt& he

doubtless would have died s!reaming.Thus did the fate of the "n%"e Ric%ard& and of

Thomas 1ebs& remain shrouded in m"ster"& disaearing into the

sands of time without a tra!e.

guardian prologue

Documents