River Guardian

By A. J. Alexander

Dr. Eavan Delaney is frustrated. It is her destiny to reunite her people and work hard to protect the rivers and waters of the world, but she has no help whatsoever. So she has lived among humans for decades, undiscovered and in peace, but she knows this is wrong: she should be taking action.

Then comes the fateful day she calls for support one last, desperate time -- and is heard.
With the support of ‘The Council of Twelve’, Eavan continues to work for the safety of Nature. But no one has foreseen that the ‘Other Side’ has been sabotaging her efforts. The challenge before her is suddenly much greater, and the consequences of failure even more dire than she ever imagined.

Will Eavan be strong enough to save the waters from the fire?

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. J. Alexander
• Release date: Sep 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215261132

A. J. Alexander

I'm a romance author working on a paranormal romance/fantasy series, "The Council Of Twelve" series. The books are mainly suitable for young adult readers, but I heard there are quite a number of readers beyond their teenage years who enjoy them a lot. I'm very honored and proud to hear that.My rare free time I'm spending in extreme reading, excessive pool swimming, and playing monster-monopoly. My strongest support system is my sister, most of my family, my friends, and black MaineCoon cat.

Book preview

RIVER GUARDIAN

Book Six of the Council of Twelve Series

AURORA JEAN ALEXANDER

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © September 2018 by Aurora Jean Alexander

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

River Guardian

Character guide for ‘The Council of Twelve’ Series

Excerpt from Book #7 in ‘The Council of Twelve Series’ – Ice Ruler

Also by Aurora Jean Alexander

To Wendy and Chris

For providing a loving home and for believing in me.

For giving me a chance

and for taking care of me and 'the Blackling'.

Thank you!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to say a heartfelt thank you to Scott from 'Other Worlds Ink' for all the help, efforts, and advice.

I don't know what my books and I would do without you!

RIVER GUARDIAN

It was nighttime when I arrived home. The day had been exhausting. It seemed to me I got too much to do within my professional human life to get the things done that were my real duty.

I blended in exactly as I should. Dr. Eavan Delaney, beautiful, respected, an expert in Children’s psychology, making a hell lot of money but sometimes being a little eccentric.

To continuously work on my task as a supernatural creature, I had to nourish my eccentricity carefully, explaining it away with being mentally exhausted after certain particular cases and needing to collect strength.

The truth was that I was worried terribly about the condition of rivers, lakes, and the ocean. I tried to unite nature’s spirits to work on this. My exhaustion was caused by the difficulty of this task, not by any cases I was entrusted with.

If that’s hard to understand, try to get fairies, elves, trolls, gnomes, dwarves, ‘Gods,’ Angels and Archangels on one table. Half of them were in an eternal war; fairies with trolls, elves with dwarves, ‘Gods’ with trolls and dwarves, fairies with Angels, Gods with Archangels, and everyone with the gnomes who were extremely useful but aggressive and arrogant. It was a nightmare, not to talk about the fact that half of them didn’t trust me, while the other one tried to talk them into believing that I had the duty and the right to work on this case. I was working on this for about three hundred years. In all this time I had met all of them uncountable times, except the headmaster of nature, Pan. I met him twice, the last time about 20 years ago. But the most annoying fact was that I had never met an Archangel. Not even once. I had no idea how to get to them. Pan might have helped me with that, but he had disappeared and considered to have disappeared.

My father might have helped me, but my parents were in exile, and I haven’t heard from them for years. It was better for them to be on the run and even though it took its time for me to understand it, in the meantime I had realized that even our species, the elves, were split into two halves. My parents didn’t just retire – they had been brought down. I was little back then and couldn’t remember any causes.

But I do remember people storming into our palace, screaming, yelling, and me being carried outside by my mother. I remember it was nighttime, it rained, and I was wrapped into a blanket and had to vomit several times because the constant wangle of the coach upset my stomach.

At one point, I was too exhausted and sick to stay awake any longer and fell asleep. The next thing I remembered was my mother’s kiss on my forehead and my father’s hug. Then I was handed over to a huge bald man who made me shiver with fear, but when I listened to his voice, I calmed down. After I heard him whisper into my ear, my eyes closed again, and I was out once more.

Next time I woke up, I found myself living with a family I had met before. They were friends of my father – and human. I loved them dearly, and they did whatever they could to integrate me into their family. Their three children, a boy, and two girls became my siblings. But no matter how much I loved them, I never stopped missing my parents. I grew up loved and protected. I grew the same way as their own children. It turned out later that my age process massively slowed when I was biologically grown up as it happened with all elves. And still, I loved my foster parents. They gave me a home, love, a family, and solid ground to build my human life on.

They supported me in everything I did, school, studies, University, and of course, ice dancing, swimming, and diving.

But there was always that distance between us. I figured it was normal, considering I wasn’t simply another species, I was an elf princess.

Isat down and opened my laptop. With a smile, I sent my foster brother a birthday message and a little email to my foster parents. They were wonderful people and lived in a senior home in Florida.

The next email went to my friend April who had asked me out for lunch later that week.

Then I got up, stretched my back, and screamed in frustration. PAN, Protector of Nature! I need you. We have to talk!! Help me, PLEASE!

Nothing.

After a couple more tries, I fell back onto my couch and hissed in rage. SHIT! I yelled.

Without warning, a beautiful woman in a brown leather outfit and an amused smile on her face stood in my living room. She had the figure of a model and impressive eyes. But the most remarkable on her were her ram-like horns, growing out on both sides of her head.

There must have been a reason why she had showed up so unexpectedly. That’s why I stayed where I was, crossed my legs and curiously eyed her. Hello there. She said with a wide smile. I automatically returned the smile and replied: Hello there yourself.

The woman laughed and walked a few steps over to the other chair. May I? – Of course. Have a seat, make yourself a home. Is there anything I can offer you? The woman grinned. I figure, since you’re asking… I would kill for a tiny Jack Daniels. Pure, no ice.

I got up, walked over to the bar, filled about two fingers wide of Jack Daniels into a whiskey glass, and carried it carefully over to her. Then I sat back down and smiled at her. Please, let me introduce myself. I am Eavan Delaney. And my task is it to unite the spiritual protectors of nature to re-balance the world. We are running out of time. I couldn’t fulfill my task, and my last hope is Pan. That’s why I was screaming in frustration. I figure, since you showed up, you might have something to do with him?

She laughed. My name is Zepheira; my friends call me Zye. And I’m Pan’s daughter. I picked up your screaming and decided I might as well drop by and see if I can help you somehow.

I took a deep breath and nodded. You can, indeed. I am, in fact, kind of lost.

Zepheira smiled. I understand. Currently I have no clue where my father is. But I can find him. If I do, is there something you’d like me to tell him?

I thought about this question for a moment, then replied: I would love to meet him personally. This is about the current state of our nature and the only one who can give me advice at the moment is him. I need to continue working on my parent’s legacy. Not only worries me how the Earth’s rivers are polluted, but most of the creatures that are responsible for keeping the Earth a liveable place are at the state of war - with each other. this makes it all very difficult. My parents were on the run after some rebellion when I was little. Our kind trusted my parents, but they don’t know who I am. I remember my father and mother met Pan a few times. And since I have no idea how to get in touch with the Archangels, I figured it might be easier to call Pan somehow.

All these sentences had toppled out of my mouth in a velvety flow of despair. I hung my head. I’m sorry, I said.

Zepheira took a sip of her drink and then replied: "There’s nothing to apologize. I can see you’ve got a serious problem here. Sometimes we all need help and a friend or two. I’m really glad I decided to meet you. This way we can bring up your problem to a dozen really powerful guys. And I promise they will help you."

I took a deep breath; then I leaned back. And you are sure of this? Zepheira nodded. I am. She took another little sip, then she smiled. Don’t worry. I’m not a liar. I just try to make sure how we can manage you speaking to the guys what’s with all on their agenda.

She took a look towards my ceiling, then closed her eyes.

Unexpectedly another woman materialized right in my living room. She was breathtaking. Her long blond hair was plaited, and she carried wings, beautiful, midnight, and sapphire blue wings. She was fully armed, including a sword on her hip.

I jumped up and stared at her. Holy Mary, an Angel! Both women laughed. The newcomer looked at me. Calm down, girl. It’s all right. We’re everywhere, after all. You should get used to that.

I sighed. I should. My parents told me that, but I never saw an Angel in my life.

Zepheira said in a hurt tone behind me: And what am I then, chopped liver? I swung around. Oh, you too? I’m sorry, I didn’t…

The newly arrived Angel laughed. Don’t listen, Lady. She’s only teasing. Zepheira is a half Angel with an Angel Father.

I frowned. I thought… The Angel with the blue wings grinned. Yes, Pan is her father, but we come in all forms, colors, and shapes. What you might call God’s originally came from our lot. Rumors say they were on the warpath about a millennia ago, but it seems in the meantime, there were some conference and reconciliation, and now they are in fact working quite well together.

She stepped to me and held her hand out. I’m a Warrior-Angel, to be precise. And my name is Sundance. It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Eavan Delaney. I have to admit, for a while now I had suspected you’re not only the amazing psychiatrist you seemed to be. There is some activity of supernatural nature around you.

I accepted her