Guardians of Rhea Read Online Free PDF

“I’m only going `cause my
friends are making me,” she said before turning to go find her
room.
    Arthur followed the Guardian. Entering the
room, he got the feeling that he was the last one to show up.
Dozens of Guardians sat or stood around the table, but there was
one unoccupied chair next to Henry and Philip, the Consular.
    “Arthur, please have a seat,” Philip said,
waving his hand. He was an older man, to the point where keeping
his shape as robust as it had once been was easier said than
done.
    Arthur kindly took the seat.
    “Is that everyone?” Philip asked.
    “I believe so,” Henry replied.
    “Let’s begin. Last night one of our Rangers
had a run-in two Vesuvians. Only hours have passed and already
citizens are talking about it. As some of you know, for many years
there have been sightings of Rheans within the city walls, but no
one has ever been able to prove it. This time we have multiple
witnesses and a pile of ash. Questions are going to be asked and we
have to be sure of what we’re going to say to avoid any panic. Any
suggestions?”
    Arthur raised his hand. “Sir, I don’t think
we should tell the whole truth.”
    Everyone in the room looked at Arthur.
    “Explain,” Philip calmly demanded.
    “We know that two Vesuvians were involved,
but one escaped. We should tell the people that one Vesuvian was
killed, and the other was chased out of the city. If they think
there’s a Vesuvian running loose, there may be widespread panic. In
the meantime, we should increase patrols and make sure the survivor
isn’t hiding.”
    There were murmurs of support from the other
Guardians. “Good idea.”, “I agree.”
    “A wise decision,” said Philip. “You trained
Sara, correct?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Congratulations. I look forward to seeing
more Guardians under your tutelage.”
    Elsewhere in the Citadel, Sara walked tiredly
through the corridor. Her eyes felt like lead and she couldn’t even
stand straight anymore. Leaning against the dining hall door, she
stared down the corridor, which seemed to stretch on forever. There
was, however, a shortcut through the very door she was leaning on.
She opened it slightly and saw that breakfast was still being
served. At least several hundred Guardians were eating and chatting
at the numerous tables in the room. She stepped in and tried to
walk through hoping nobody would notice. Her walk was somewhat
casual, but she held her head down. After only a few steps in she
could hear the chatting slowly die down and feel all eyes fall upon
her.
    Richard, a tall, handsome young man with blue
eyes and brown hair, cut his conversation short when he spotted
Sara passing by. “Excuse me,” he said, getting up from his chair
and hurriedly navigating his way around the tables to catch up with
Sara.
    The closer Sara got to the exit the faster
she walked. When she finally reached the door she wasted no time to
push it open and get out.
    As the door closed, Richard came plowing
through it. “Sara, wait.”
    Almost startled, Sara stopped and turned.
“Richard, what’s up?”
    “I heard about what happened. How are you
holding up?”
    “I’m just tired.”
    “Can I walk you to your room?”
    “Sure.”
    As they walked, Sara kept an eye out for her
door while Richard spoke.
    “I’ve been a Guardian for a little over a
year. I’ve seen a Vesuvian here and there, but I never got into it
with two by myself. Three of us once ran into a Fenrir, and it took
an entire night to kill that thing.”
    “Oh yeah, you told me about that one. Good
thing our weapons are lined with silver,” Sara said, then seeming
to lose herself in thought.
    After a moment, Richard began to feel like a
fifth wheel.
    “I’m sorry,” Sara said. “This all still feels
surreal. To be honest, I always dreamed of doing what I did. I just
never thought it would actually happen. Now that I have all this
attention, I feel funny.”
    “Just so you know, what you did makes a lot
of us feel better,