The Guardians

By Sandra Carvalho

In a world overrun by demons, the few humans that remain alive face an impossible fight. In the midst of this battle, Father Helder Pont, a young priest finds his way to safety in a church on the East Coast of the United States with two other men of the cloth, Markus Rossi and Gideon McElroy.

Although their situation is desperate, Helder has a plan. He has a medallion with half of an ancient prayer that will eliminate the demonic threat. The other half, unfortunately, is in Rome. Somehow they must make their way across the world to the Vatican. As the men prepare to leave, they encounter a young woman fleeing the demonsand to Helder, at least, she is no stranger. Sita Taylor is the love of his youth, lost when his father sent him to seminary. And now she joins them on their quest to reach Romea love that both strengthens him and pulls him in many directions.

Along the way, the group faces danger from both pirates and demon hordes. Only time will tell whether theyll reach the Vatican aliveor whether the answers they seek will be there if they do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Aug 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480809857

Sandra Carvalho

Sandra Carvalho poet and travel Writer spends most of her time Meeting interesting people from many cultures Author of crime thriller science fiction Snarls of Love works and lives where her work takes her on the Journey of world events and stories enjoys singing reading and sunsets beaches.

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Copyright © 2014 Sandra Carvalho.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4808-0986-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-0985-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014913394

Archway Publishing rev. date: 8/15/2014

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 1

In the Vatican City.

Bruised skies gathered .. slowly as it .. darkened the evening sky at the city gates. The smell of fear crept slowly in like a dark fog; it veiled the city’s dark past as it relived its dreary and ominous present. Angry protesters waved signs with disparaging messages on them. They hurled stones at the Swiss Guards, who were finding it hard not to be distracted by the protests. They dutifully stood in attention in a neat row with their halberds, an ax blade with a long spike at the end of it. At the Papal palace, the Pope sat and listened intently while the Cardinals anxiously paced the room. They were in the middle of an intense argument.

The Cardinals, James Nicolas and Thomas Diaz, were scared of the urgency and the real darkness of the danger that was facing the Church and the people.

Your Excellency, the people demand you handle matters in a just way. Concealing things have always been the proper course of action to take. It is in our best interest to keep the status quo, said Cardinal James with fear in his voice.

Only until now! shouted Cardinal Thomas. We are making a grave mistake if we do not handle this appropriately. We can no longer sat idly by and continue to sweep things under the rug. As the people’s new Pope, you are expected to do right by them and the Church, not continue the cover-ups of your predecessors.

Your Excellency, this will all go away. Eventually, people forget. They always do, Cardinal Thomas said calmly to the Pope.

The two cardinals were visibly shocked by his bravery to let the Pope know they needed help. The Pope gestured and achieved silence with a wave. He mustered the energy to get up from his seat. A Cardinal went to assist him, and the Pope waved him off and went to the window. He looked down at the mob of protesters, saddened at the scene. He then looked up at the dark and ominous clouds forming above, a worried look in his eyes.

I’m afraid our past has caught up to us, gentlemen. It is time for us to pay penance for years of misdeeds, the Pope said in a regretful tone.

Your Excellency, it is no longer our fate. Let us pray, said Cardinal Thomas as the Cardinals helped the Pope in kneeling down in front of a crucifix.

The Cardinals knelt, and soon, they could hear the crowd’s anger intensify.

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A protestor rushed toward the row of Swiss Guards. A Swiss Guard quickly and instinctively thrust the halberd into the protestor. The blood-soaked spike poked out through the protester’s back. Blood quickly spread around the wound where the spike went through. The gathering crowd trembled with shock as he looked down at his pierced abdomen.

They chanted, Murderer.

A look of uncertainty washed over the Swiss Guard’s face as the protestor said, Murderer, with his dying breath.

The protestor’s body went limp, and incensed, the crowd yelled, Murderer! at the Swiss Guard. They all charged the Swiss Guards and overpowered them. The crowd stormed the Vatican and Papal Palace, tearing through, destroying everything in their path.

Rage in their eyes, they rushed up the main staircase and stormed into the Papal Room. As daylight came, so did the evil that was ever closing in.

The Pope’s body crashed through the window and plummeted to the ground, his body splattered with blood. The Cardinals’ bodies were also flung out the window, their screams of terror echoing. Violently, as they plunged into the patient arms of death, the mob cheered frenziedly. Slowly, one by one, the eyes of each member in the mob glowed bright red, which spread like a virus. Dark, desolate, and dismal, only the lightning strikes lit the area.

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As it rained, a dilapidated taxicab with flickering headlights hurriedly evaded the abandoned cars scattered about. The interior of the cab had seen better days … twenty years ago.

Father Helder knew he forgot his iPhone! Damn it, he muttered, but he just wanted to reach his destination safely. For now, his phone could wait. Besides, where he was going, it may not have much use. His thoughts were jolted back by reality.

The plump taxi driver perspired profusely, pulling out a stained handkerchief as he wiped the foggy windshield. He wiped his sweaty face.

Can you turn up the air? Helder asked, annoyed.

Air? What air? The driver, amused by his question, offered Helder the handkerchief.

Helder shook his head in disgust. Forget it. Thanks anyway. Holder forced himself to stay calm as the taxi driver shrugged off the rejection with indifference and tucked the handkerchief into his shirt.

In his mid-twenties, Helder Pont looked too young for the job even though he wore the traditional priestly garb. Yet he had a mature air about him.

The taxi came to an abrupt stop. No, this is not my stop. The Church is just a few more blocks away.

I told you, this is as far as I go. You’re lucky I even agreed to bring you out here!

Helder reached for his wallet and pulled out a couple of bills, as the taxi driver chortled. Sorry, padre. You know that.

Right, said Helder.

But I am sure liking that fancy-looking piece dangling around your neck, said the driver, grinning wickedly.

Helder looked down. Helder protectively cupped his medallion in his right