Guardians of the Fire

By Christopher Lewis

With the race intensifying to reach the Throne Room, Chason along with his friends fight to gain knowledge about the Guardians and the flame they possess through their mentor, Tom. As President Nox works to bring order after the chaotic resignation of President Cline, and as the spiritual world begins to clash with the physical, Tom realizes it won’t be long until the horrible dark leader, Natas, arrives. The further they progress in the flame though, the more dystopian society becomes, and the more they have to fight back against the dark hornets. To get to the Throne Room, they have to advance to the Sanctums. The only way they will reach the Sanctums is by seeking the Time Keeper. They are the last Guardians of the Fire, and their time is now. The only question is will they make it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jan 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781698710723

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Copyright 2022 Christopher Lewis.

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ISBN: 978-1-6987-1070-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6987-1071-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6987-1072-3 (e)

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Contents

Book One

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 13

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BOOK ONE

Chapter 1

I was too late.

The Creature, better known as Natas, had pierced Krip’s fire. I could see it across the vast, desolate city; everything was in ruins—a ghost town. The people that were still here were other Guardians and common people. If they weren’t hiding in their homes from the monster that lurked before me, it was to brace the cold winter blistering in the wind. The look upon his face was demonic, yet enticing. Natas was consuming and draining the fire on the inside of Krip. It’s all I could do to stand still, frozen, a meal for the vultures above. They were swarming around like wild hornets, laughing with such mockery toward Krip. My best friend was becoming a soldier for the worst army ever created. Krip’s fire was diminishing from the bright blue and orange we had all grown to know to a dark reddish purple now bleeding out of him. I had to do something. I was not going to stand there and let Natas break Krip like he was some kind of worthless scrap. I knew my fire was intensifying because it caught the attention of the dark hornets above. Their black wings grew with every word I groaned.

Roma nayesi kotupiyah manore, I intensely whispered with such emphasis under my breath.

I could feel my fire growing from within as it triggered the dark hornets’ blades to seep out from their arms down to their hands. Their legs grew inward and then bent forward at the knees. It was like ostrich legs. I had never seen such beautiful creatures become such hideous beasts in a matter of seconds. Natas realized it too because he turned his face with a quick motion and just glared in my direction.

Could he see me? I didn’t know. But I did know he sensed the strength of my fire breaking the ground beneath him. And that’s when it happened. My fire peaked, and the ground began to shake. The rocks were splitting in two, and fire was bursting from their core.

Then Iyam echoed from the Throne Room as it pierced the clouds in the sky: RELEASE!

I could hear the Guardians that fought before me declaring from the Inner Sanctum. It welled up like a siren, and my hands became hot like the coals from Hades of which the dark hornets live. They knew what was about to happen and rapidly and frantically flew off into their portals. Their sounds of anger and rage were that from another life. Natas had almost completely drained Krip, but it was over. He was too late. I thought I was too late, but I was right on time.

Timing is everything, and the Time Keeper knows best.

I was in His schedule—a chess piece on this earthly board—and thankfully I listened. There are always Guardians in every time period, no matter if it was centuries ago or just yesterday, or even today.

There are always Guardians no matter what—and our time was now.

Seven Months Ago

The state borders are being introduced as a safer way to control political, economic, and social values. I didn’t realize these values, something that an individual possessed, needed to be safer. For the past one hundred years, and as long as mankind existed in the New World, we were free to decide how to participate in life; and that created our economic, political, and social status in society. It was simple. But this New World was completely different.

It isn’t so much a scare factor for me as it is a confirmation factor from the Throne Room. As I listen to the special report on TV, I glance over to Krip, Aema, and Nev. All of their expressions signal the same unified notion of It’s time, and it is finally here.

We just got back from the Academy after practicing combat. We all knew this day would come, but we just didn’t know how or when. The chatter of the newscast in the background becomes so deafening I have to leave the room. I storm out the back door behind the kitchen and begin to pray. No, not even pray—just meditate in silence.

Chason? Aema calls as she closes the sliding door behind her.

I just thought we would have more time, I respond.

It’s not that I am upset or not prepared; I just didn’t realize it would be so soon. We were always warned and taught about the Great Days of Natas and how enticing it would be to obey. It would start off as safety precautions and then turn to government help, also known as funding through Watchmen. Little did we know we would be walking into it so soon. We were just maturing into young adults. The Guardians before us prepared the way though, and we could sense their meditations and intercessions being grounded in our souls to help us lead the way. Their intercessions were nothing more than an everyday task and for the Inner Sanctum to sound the calling siren for us earthly Guardians. It was a unified way for us to be summoned to give an update on our trajectory. The hope of the ones before us though instilled a power of such depth and magnitude that these times of seeking or updates were not a chore, but rather a time to plan and plot the next assignment and advancement.

How quick do you think things will escalate? I ask her.

You know only the Time Keeper knows the ultimate answer to that question. We just have to watch for the signal.

Aema then continues to do what she does best—calm me down and encourage me to trust Iyam.

You’re right— I begin to say, as the wind picks up.

We go back inside to find Krip and Nev nervously scrambling around the living room. Krip is throwing stuff around, looking for the keys to my car, while Nev is cleaning up the living room in a frenzy. He is throwing blankets from one couch to another, sliding papers across the center table, and dashing back and forth across the room with something new in his hand each time he passes me.

What is going on? I impatiently proclaim.

All of a sudden, helicopters can be heard above us with siren-like sounds piercing the sky. However, these helicopters are very different from the ones we have seen all our lives. They are bigger in the front with a longer tail in the back. They still have propellers like a helicopter, but the tail has six wings coming off it like hallways for prisoners. We all quickly run outside and look up to find not one but several prisoner jets flying ahead. They are carrying gigantic walls too. Someone must have turned the TV off when I went outside because I have to turn it back on. When I do, the special report is still on, but is now stating that these safety precautions and state borders are taking effect immediately. The prisoner jets are carrying the borders to be placed along the state lines today. I wasn’t really sure what was going on, but I knew it was bad. I can feel my carnal tendencies want to come forth and break something, but yet again, Aema senses it because she just grabs my arm. She looks at me and smiles; all is well.

Oh no, Nev faintly utters. Tom. The Academy!

We live right next to the northern state line of the currently called South Ridge Colony, comprising what was formerly known as the southeast including Georgia, Alabama, and other southern states. The Academy is across the state line, and Tom is our combat teacher. He lives in the South Mid Colony, and now I could see why Nev was cleaning so quickly. We rush to get our things together, packing only the essentials, and get in the car to leave. I am the only one with a car left or, better yet, a legal license. Nev got his car repossessed and hasn’t paid for the debt. Aema never got a car and honestly is not that good of a driver, and then there is Krip. He drives like me, wild but free of any tickets. The only problem is his license needs to be renewed, and it has yet to happen so that leaves me as Mr. Chauffeur of the group. We run down the front steps as quickly as we can and load in the car. I don’t hesitate for a single second, quickly putting the car in reverse and punching the gas pedal, again, wild but cautious of the Watchmen that are already taking the scene. Night is swiftly approaching, and I am hoping and praying that we safely cross the colony line without any issues. With this being so new, I am not sure how different things will be from the colony mandates.

The farther we drive, the more streetlights that come on and the more Watchmen we see. I assume they came out of the so-called prisoner jets as well. They look like cops, yet their uniforms are completely white and they carry a robotic stature about them. Their faces are covered by masks engulfing their head in glass, but I can tell that something humanistic is off. Driving along, I can see in the distance the borders being dropped and secured at an expeditious rate.

I don’t know if we are going to make it, I say doubtfully. I don’t even know what’s going to happen if we don’t make it.

Would you just drive! Krip demands.

I continue onward as the infamous radio alert brakes the airways. The annoying male voice begins to speak:

Attention. This is not a drill. Attention. Please heed to the following instructions. All borders are now being secured on state lines. The previous declaration set in place by President Cline is being revoked, and colonies are now being reverted back to individual states. Please note that travel from state to state without license, fees, passes, or other granted aid is strictly prohibited. Please heed to these precautions as we work toward a better tomorrow. We fight for all of you for the greater good of all of us. Thank you. Attention. This is not a drill . . .

The radio fades out of my reality and to faint repetition as I slow to a stop. We pull off to the side of the road, and we all just sit in silence as a solemn wind brakes through the car. We were so close; the South Mid Colony sign is just ahead. We barely get a glimpse of it due to the state border wall being dropped down in front of us. Darkness has fallen in the sky, but darkness is also with us. Anyone with a soul can sense the depth of solitude in the car.

Aema tries to break the silence and sarcastically says, I would say it’s going to escalate pretty quickly, Chason.

Chuckles fill the car as I turn around to drive back home. I, on the other hand, do not feel the sarcastic nature of her sentence. As I drive through the city passing streetlights and Watchmen, abandoned buildings, and the Exchange Hall, I again feel the confirmation in her statement from the Throne Room above. I know that things will escalate quickly, but I just want to know how we are going to get to the Academy from this point on. I want to know if Tom is okay. I want to know if we are going to be okay. It’s at this thought that Aema breaks the silence in the car when she says, Hey, guys, the Time Keeper knows best, so there’s no need to worry.

With that, I know that I am with the right Guardians at the right time, and there is work to be done before Natas comes on the scene to demolish this state. This Colony. This Nation. This New World.

Chapter 2

W e make it back to the house and reluctantly go inside. The house, although it is more like an elegant and modern compound, is my parents’ property. They had another house with an attached apartment and land that they gave me for my birthday, as well as a graduation present into the Academy. Krip and I have lived here since graduation while Aema and Nev moved in about a year and a half ago. It’s a nice place, very secluded in this part of town. It’s right next to a subdivision and has a long driveway to