The Guardian's Chronicles: A World Without Faith

By Ann H Barlow

Barak makes an appearance and hints something big is afoot. A forbidden romance will shock Sahara.
The world still in turmoil Barak makes his move robbing mankind of faith leaving the human race lost and angry. Trying to rectify the situation results in a catastrophic event but still not content Barak takes a final act of vengeance on Go'el. Now Sahara wants to destroy him at any cost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ann H Barlow
• Release date: Aug 5, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465742353

Ann H Barlow

Ann Henrietta Barlow was born in Dumfries, Scotland and moved to England at the age of 14.She has traveled extensively and has become familiar with many different cultures.Ann currently lives between Malta and the UK with her husband Guy.

Book preview

1 - The Vision

The breeze was strong, and an array of autumn leaves swirled across the otherwise barren landscape. As the combination of sun and the wind caught her long blonde hair, it flowed in the air, and the strands sparkled like golden threads. Her grace took Go’el’s breath away.

She was in his every thought now, and although Amara was unaware of his presence, he spent much of his time by her side; satisfied to walk in her shadow and to dream of a time when they would stroll side by side.

From the first moment he saw her; he had longed to make himself known to her, but he had to be extremely careful not to reveal himself. Not just yet.

There was an instant when Go'el first found her that she realised she was being observed. He was lucky that he managed to react before she became aware it was him she sensed. They were still children; if she discovered him, she might have become excited and maybe unable to keep this knowledge to herself.

Unlike Go’el, Amara had no need to hide her thoughts. Sahara respected her daughter and did not invade her privacy. The trust between them meant that Amara in all probability was likely to inform her mother of such an extraordinary meeting. He was sure that Sahara would not approve of their friendship and his chance of happiness would be gone. He could not bear the thought.

The time was fast approaching when his longing would be fulfilled; there was nothing more certain.

Go’el took in her every move as she walked towards the car and continued his vigilance as the vehicle that carried her towards that inevitability pulled up at the wrought iron gate of Cambridge University.

She was not her usual happy self. Her sadness pained him. He understood her reluctance. They were after all Guardians, and as such had few boundaries. Amara loved to be unrestricted and to explore the wonders around her. Her desire to be free was something he understood well; it was one of many passions they shared.

However resentful she might be, Go’el was in no doubt that Amara would begin to enjoy her new pursuit soon enough. He would make sure of it. Go’el did not consider for a moment that Amara would not welcome his attention, nor did he have the slightest doubt his affections would not be returned. As far as he was concerned, they were made for each other. Nothing could get in the way of that.

He first became aware of her existence over a year before. It had been a complete accident. He had been feeling pretty pleased with himself that day trying out his psychic powers while at the same time surfing at Jeffrey's Bay in South Africa, priding himself that he was unique. As he rode the waves, he searched through the mass of consciousness that invaded his subconscious. He was young and arrogant and full of himself. He was interested in how many people he could interact with at the same time and he wanted to find a being with an intellect that could arouse him. It was not until that thought had time to develop that he realised she was there. He had to retreat quickly for fear that she would detect him. He had no idea until that moment that there was someone else like him. He had presumed there was no such creature on the planet.

He was fascinated from the first encounter. His first thought was to wonder why his father had not made him aware of her existence. But he knew Barak would have his own reasons. He knew this was by design; she could not exist without Barak being aware. Go’el was wise enough to conclude that he must never let his father know of his remarkable discovery. He knew better than to let his father see he had an interest in the girl. If he did, then Barak would intervene.

Like him, Amara was not yet at the height of her powers. They would be no match for him. In order to keep her safe, he had no other choice but to be patient and continue to appease his father until he was strong enough to stand alone.

2 - Amara’s Education

Sahara looked lovingly at the reflection of the perfectly formed creature in her dressing table mirror. She took the hair brush that lay before her and gathered up Amara’s thick, glossy golden-blonde hair from her temples to braid her daughter’s French plait in preparation for her first day at university.

It was strange to be the mother of a university student at 28 but no stranger than many things that Sahara had experienced in the last few years. Her life had not followed the traditional path nor was it ever likely to. After fleeing the village where she was born to escape the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend Nigel Bennett, Sahara continued to evolve in ways that previously, she could never have imagined.

She had no desire to alter this transformation. Her association with Romero had opened up a life that offered a multitude of rewards, and she was abundantly thankful.

As she combed the golden tresses into place, it amused Sahara that, with all her powers, Amara had not yet mastered the art of hairdressing. It was, in fact, an area where her young daughter could be described as inept. This small shortcoming was of little consequence, given that Amara was an immortal being that could disintegrate her body at will into sub-atomic particles and become one with her surrounds. If she wished, Amara could carry these particles at the speed of light and be on the other side of the world in seconds—a feat considered impossible according to the most knowledgeable and respected scientists.

However inconsequential a task, the idea that she could not grasp it entertained Sahara and the mother in her appreciated that Amara was a little dependent on her. The fact that it was such a small requirement mattered little. It meant a lot to be needed.

She smiled down at her daughter who was sat in the green velvet chair that once belonged to her mother. It was the same chair she sat on as a little girl while her mother arranged her hair. It had been lost to her for a time, but she managed to get it back from a second-hand shop in Clayton after Nigel was evicted from the flat they once shared at Clervaux Court. It was the only thing she considered worth salvaging. There were very few things passed down from Sahara's parents to cherish. There had not been enough time, given their untimely death, so it made this custom seem all the more precious.

However, Amara was not in a sentimental frame of mind that morning. She was upset over the prospect of having to sit in a classroom five days a week. She shuffled in the chair, annoyed with her mother for being so petty, and maddened by the fact that she was unable to challenge her on the subject. Truth be told; this was one argument she would not win, and as an indication of her annoyance, she decided she would leave her hair down.

Much to her daughter’s chagrin, this amused Sahara even more, but she left the room without addressing the subject.

They were short of time. Sahara remembered not so long ago thinking how ordinary life seemed in Dorset with all that was going on in the background, and now, here she was after all that had occurred and with all the problems the world was facing, worrying about timekeeping. But life went on, and these moments were what life was about and what made it precious. Sahara called for Georgina. It was almost seven thirty, and she needed to be out of the house within the next few minutes.

~~~

Although Amara was less than two years old, she had developed biologically at the rate of about a year for every month of her life. Sadly for her mother, her infancy was over in a flash. The rapid growth came to a halt a few months earlier, and she now looked like an 18 year old, and as she had not continued to age, they assumed that physically she was fully developed.

As a result, Sahara had to pass her daughter off as her younger sister to those outside her immediate circle—there was no choice. Although she would never let anyone know, not even Romero, Sahara felt a little cheated that her daughter had grown up so rapidly; especially since she was not allowed to bear another child because of her powers. She would have loved to have been able to enjoy Amara’s childhood a little longer.

Regardless of the disappointment, Amara proved to be as Romero had predicted—an absolute delight, and the joy of being around her more than compensated for the loss.

Romero suspected she might develop quicker than a normal child. Even he, however, had not envisaged such rapid growth. Amara was remarkable even to the Guardian and Sahara was well aware that he adored her.

However, Amara’s rapid growth kept her and Sahara within the confines of the estate in Devon, except for the odd day trip. This was necessary until they were sure Amara’s development had reached its peak. Because of her confinement to the estate, Amara had little experience of the outside world or relationships with other young people. A problem Sahara and Romero felt university would solve.

Amara was reluctant at the prospect of sitting in on classes that could only be considered fundamental to someone of her intellect. Although Sahara could understand, she felt strongly that it was in her daughter’s best interest and hoped that, within a short period of time; she would accept the situation and learn to enjoy the experience.

It was awkward for Sahara to reveal the circumstances behind her pregnancy to her grandmother, Isobel. After some consideration, she decided the only way was to begin with Harrogate where she started to realise she had superhuman powers, although she missed out her run in with Barak. There was no point in frightening the old girl to death. Strangely enough, the task was less difficult than she imagined, but it would not have mattered; Sahara had no intention of concealing who Amara was from her grandmother. She wanted Isobel to know Amara and to love her for what she was, and this was only possible if she knew the truth. In any event, it was obvious after her first few days on earth that it would be impossible to keep her heritage in the dark for long.

It was a little more difficult to explain Amara's roots to Clive as she hardly knew him, and even that small amount of knowledge was secondhand. Amara’s birth was only the second time they had met. He had accompanied her grandmother who wanted to be there to welcome her great-grandchild into the world and along with Romero and, of course, the ever reliable Georgina who was with Sahara when she delivered her baby girl, there was no one else in attendance.

There was no question of a difficult birth or that anything untoward would happen to mother or child, but they had no idea what to expect and could not afford to take the chance of Amara’s abilities being discovered. Sahara decided that a home birth was the only option.

It was just as well they made this decision. By Amara’s second day of life she had almost doubled her body weight, and by the time Isobel and Clive were ready to return to London after their month-long visit, she was a, toddler and was speaking—not just the odd word. Amara could converse fluently in any language that was spoken to her.

Although their initial reaction was one of bewilderment, her great grandparents soon adapted, and after a few days, they grew accustomed to the situation and were fascinated by this delightful little girl who was growing up in front of them.

Amara was delightful and the image of her grandmother, Louis. She had golden blonde hair and alluring blue-grey eyes. She was much taller than Louis and an inch taller than Sahara. She was beautiful and totally flawless. It would be difficult not to be besotted with her.

Sahara felt unable to reveal Amara's true identity to her father’s parents. Her grandfather was seriously ill and sadly died just a few weeks after Amara’s birth. He had been unwell for some years, but fortunately he got to meet Amara. Sahara did not to reveal that Amara was his great-grandchild, but she understood that he recognised her immediately. She had always been much closer to him that to her grandmother.

On the night he passed away; Sahara felt his life ebb and rushed to his side. She took his hand as he confided in her how happy he was that she would not be alone in the world when his generation departed. It had been a significant comfort for Sahara to be there to say goodbye to him. It would have caused her sorrow had it happened when she was out of reach.

Her grandmother who was in the early stages of Alzheimer disease moved to Maidenhead shortly after her granddad died to be near her father’s older sister; her Aunt Catherine. Having been married all those years, she was unable to reconcile living alone, and as a result, her health deteriorated rapidly. Sahara continued to visit with Amara. Each time they visited; Amara’s physical changes were so vast it was impossible to reveal her true identity. There was nothing to be achieved by confusing her grandmother more.

~~~

At the sight of her trusted housekeeper, Sahara became once again focused to get out on time. Georgina, please ask Colin to take this case to the car.

Yes, Sahara, Georgina replied. She briskly made her way downstairs with Amara hard on her heels.

Amara, come on, we need to hurry. I have a train to catch once I’ve dropped you off

However, Amara was as yet unconvinced about the need for her to attend university and continued to complain about her impending education.

I really don’t know why I have to do this. She paused as she grabbed her jacket from the banister. Why do I have to go to university? It’s a ridiculous waste of time. What can they possibly teach me there?

Amara, have you quite finished?

Amara gave her mother a look of disdain.

Stop being churlish, young lady. We’ve been through this a dozen times. Romero and I agree you should meet people in your age group. You need friends. You’ll find out for yourself soon enough when you start mixing with other young people, and then you can apologise for this nonsense.

There you go again, Romero says.…, when I know it’s your doing.

Enough now.

Colin walked towards the front door. With all that had happened, Colin still thought of Sahara as the young girl from Clayton who got a pretty lousy deal. Being aware of this, Sahara valued him all the more. In a strange way, it was Colin who helped her keep her feet on the ground as she came to terms with the new improved Sahara Driver as she dubbed herself.

It was a difficult time. To undergo such a dramatic transformation and give birth to a child with only a few weeks to get used to the idea. And not just an ordinary child, Sahara’s daughter was a supernatural being. Normally when people had children they knew what to expect. With Amara, there had been another dramatic learning curve.

As he was unsure how long Sahara would be in London and whether or not she would have any suitcases, Colin decided to pre-empt them. He had been held up by a minor accident at the crossroads, and when he finally arrived at Sahara’s home, he realised she was also running late. He had no time to ponder the situation before he was greeted by Georgina, who almost threw the case at him. Before she could repeat Sahara’s request, Amara pushed her way in front of both her mother and Georgina and was standing, arms crossed, in front of Colin. He knew she wanted to pull him into something—she did it regularly. He tried to ignore her, but he was too late. Amara caught his gaze and started to engage him.

Colin, can you think of any reason why I need to go to university?

His first thought was, why the hell was I not out of harm’s way before she started her protest? Having been in this situation once too often, he had an idea what direction this conversation was taking. Instead of a response, he decided to pretend he did not hear her. Colin forgot for a moment that any to attempt to deceive either of the young women in front of him was a complete waste of time.

Stop evading the issue, Colin, Amara demanded.

He laughed at Amara's endeavour to appear haughty and the way she stamped her right foot slightly in a rebellious gesture. He knew it was a pretense. Amara was the sweetest little thing he had ever encountered, and why she had not as yet figured out that he saw right through her act was beyond him.

You’ll know I’m telling the truth when I say I don’t want to get involved in this discussion. It’s not my place.

You use that excuse all the time, Colin. It’s not fair.

Amara, please leave Colin alone and get in the car.

Despite all her powers, Amara was still a child, and this silly episode only served to highlight the fact. It was a necessary step for her development to spend this time with her peers, and although the last thing she needed was an education in the conventional sense, she was unaware of the ways of the world. Because of what she was, there was no question of shielding her from the darker side of human nature, but being aware there is evil as well as good did not give her an understanding of people as individuals. She needed to grow emotionally, and just as importantly, she needed to understand the people she would share this planet with.

~~~

There was only the one train to London each day, and it left Cambridge at 8:30 am and returned from King’s Cross at 10:00 pm. Unlike Romero and her daughter, Sahara preferred conventional travel. Sahara’s powers continued to develop long after giving birth to Amara. She did not have the power Amara, possessed. Although she would not age or die of natural causes, Sahara could be killed if enough damage were inflicted, especially to her head. She could not dematerialise as Amara could, but she was able to fly—only short distances at first—and now she could fly thousands of miles.

However, she was unable to fly low, or she would risk being seen, and because of the restrictions of her human form, she was unable to fly high enough to keep off the radar without having to block her presence from the flight controllers as she had done for the Malabo operation when she had to bring in the plane without the authorities being aware of their presence. That involved a lot of concentration, and she was less able to communicate or sense what was going on around her, so she avoided it wherever possible. Sahara had no wish to take chances of being detected, however, slight, and fortunately, most things could wait a few hours.

Sahara had arranged to meet Lauren, the daughter of Romero’s friend and confidant, Derek Marks, whom she had befriended during her isolation in Devon. Lauren wanted her help in choosing her wedding dress.

She was flattered her friend had asked her along for something so important, but a little put out that she would have to spend two full days in London.

The world was a different place to the one of two years earlier. The recession had spiraled over the period that Barak was directly in control of the White House and was only now starting to show slight signs of recovery. Even so, unemployment figures continued to grow, and inflation was rife. As a result, the cost of living had risen dramatically. Fuel was in short supply, and Sahara had to be careful not to flaunt the fact that it was available to her. That was the main reason she opted to use the train, although it was inconvenient at times.

There were no longer protests about nuclear fuel in the West. People were grateful for this energy source, otherwise there would be little electricity. The domestic gas supply had been cut off for over a year, and there was little doubt this would be the case for years to come. Electric central heating was banned. Many houses were left with no heating at all during the colder months as many of them did not have a fireplace, especially in modern flats and storage heaters were too expensive for most.

~~~

Colin could see Sahara was becoming agitated. She hated being late, and today of all days, it would be more of an inconvenience. He put his foot down and hoped for the best.

She sighed loudly with relief as they pulled up at the gates of Cambridge University bang on schedule. It was extremely fortunate that they did not meet up with any of the local police officers that morning. There were only a few dozen or so police cars in the whole city, and they were only used in an emergency. The police patrol now got around on horses or bicycles. Unfortunately, law enforcement officers had suffered particularly badly. There was no money in the kitty and therefore regardless of the high inflation rate their salaries had not been increased in the last three years.

As a result, they were often full of resentment. They had a habit of being deliberately obstructive to car owners and in all likelihood would have kept them while they asked needless questions for as long as they justifiably could. It was a standard abuse of power that was prevalent in recent years, one that he had the misfortune to experience on more than several occasions, even when he had been well within the speed limit.

Being able to afford a car not only incited resentment from the police force, the general populace was if anything, more envious of those who still owned private transport. Had anyone told him this would be the case a couple of years previously, he would have thought they had lost their minds, but it was a fact of life for people all over the western world. It was the same in the rich Middle Eastern countries and much worse for people in the Far East and Africa, where poverty had been a problem even before the current economic crisis. Colin was aware of what was going on in the world. He spent quite a bit of time on the internet and when possible, kept abreast of the local news.

~~~

A lot of things had happened to Colin in two years, not least of which was his current position: his marriage to Karen and the birth of a beautiful baby boy five months before whom they named Thomas, much to the annoyance of Karen’s mother who wanted to call her first grandson Albert after her father. Before the pregnancy, Colin felt it was not right to bring children into the world because of the economic situation, but in retrospect he had to agree with Karen; there may never be another opportunity before they were too old, she had reasoned, and she had been spot on as usual.

They were no longer kids, but at least he had the security of this position: a steady job, something that Colin had never held down in the past. He had been astounded when Karen had agreed to leave Clayton but thankful at the same time. As he had promised on his return from Africa, Colin tried relentlessly to get a ‘normal’ job. It proved to be an impossible task. There were over 12 million people unemployed in the country at that time, and the majority of them far better educated than Colin. His parents had not bothered to make sure he attended school, and like most kids who are given the choice, he pursued things he would much rather do.

The letter from Sahara offering him a job had come out of the blue. He now had a steady income without the rigour of the 9-to-5 routine. It was well paid, and they got to stay in a seriously fantastic house that he would never have been able to afford in normal circumstances. And although the recession had hit the whole country, it was not quite as severe in the Home Counties as it was in the north of England, so it was a better environment for Karen and Thomas.

He and Karen had been living in the countryside, in a small village, about three miles from Sahara’s cottage until a few months previously. He had only just introduced Amara to Karen prior to the move, saying that she was Sahara’s sister who had come to live with her. As Karen did not know his employer's family, the sudden appearance of a sister did not alarm her. Up until then, Colin had been exceedingly careful never to mention Amara to Karen, which was not easy.

It had been an extraordinary time for Colin to watch her grow up, though he had to admit it all happened so quickly, and it would have been terribly easy to start gushing about her; she was such a cute kid. She was always smiling, and he never once heard her play up about anything— well not seriously. He would have to be darned careful not to make comparisons with Thomas; after all, Amara was an entirely different entity.

~~~

Colin waited at the gate until Sahara returned. Tears welled in Sahara's eyes. He made a tutting sound, raised his eyes jokingly, and then smiled at her reassuringly. You would have thought she was dropping off her four-year-old at playschool for the first time. Yet, when he considered the reality of her situation, he realised Sahara had less time to prepare for this than mothers with four-year-olds. But Sahara never complained. Colin had nothing but admiration for her. He knew first-hand what she had been through. Super powers or not, she had to deal with the emotional side of what had happened. He marvelled at the way she had seamlessly adapted to her new life.

Are you OK? Colin enquired as he opened the car door for her.

I’m fine, Colin. Ignore me, I’m being pathetic. It’s just that I won’t be home to greet her after her first day.

Don’t worry. She will gen you up when you get back from London. She’s going to love it, Sahara. You know what she’s like. You won’t be able to get her away from the place once she makes a few friends!

Yes. I’m sure you’re right, Colin, but I so much wanted to be there. You’ll find that out soon enough.

I already know! Karen is always going on about something new Thomas has mastered while I‘ve been at work. You feel as if you miss so much of their development if you aren’t with them 24/7. It was a very awkward remark, and once he had uttered the words, he wished he had chosen them