The Eighth Guardian Read Online Free PDF Page A

ability of Chronometric Augmentation.”
    What the hell is he talking about? I thrash and kick against my bindings, but then he’s above me again.
    “You see, we project back in time and tweak the past to improve the present.”
    “That’s ridiculous,” I practically spit. “No one can travel—project—whatever the hell you call it—back in time. It’s physically impossible.”
    “Oh, but it’s not. You’ll see.”
    I suck in my breath. “I’m going to give you ten seconds to let me out of here or else—”
    “What?” the man interrupts. “Just what do you plan to do? Scream? Go ahead. But I think I’ve already proven that you’re stuck here until I let you out.” His fingers wrap around one of the leather straps holding down my ankles, and he tugs it for good measure.
    “Who are you?” I hear my voice starting to crack. Not good. I need to pull it together.
    “I’ve already told you that. You can call me Alpha. I run Annum Guard. We project back in time to—”
    “Stop lying to me! How did you get me out of the school? There are cameras and gates everywhere. You couldn’t have just drugged me and carried me out.”
    “Unless I had the express permission of your headmaster,” Alpha says. “Which I received the second I told him I had chosen you to graduate and join Annum Guard. Then you became mine.”
    “What did you put in my arm?”
    “A tracker. I need to know your location at all times.”
    A tracker. There is a tracker in my arm. My head spins as I try to process this, but then the door opens again. I don’t bother to turn this time. I can’t see behind me.
    “It’s ready,” the same female voice says.
    What’s ready? My heart is pounding.
    Alpha clears his throat. “Thank you.” A few seconds later he appears over me, holding something. He opens his hand and brings a round bronze pendant of some sort toward my face. I don’t flinch. But then the pendant stops, an inch or so above my nose, and I can finally see it. It’s a pendant on a chain. A necklace. As it swings back and forth in front of my face, I focus on it. It has an owl etched into it. The same owl that was on the wax seal back at school.
    “What is that?” It comes out as a whisper.
    “This is what gives us the ability to project back in time.”
    “It’s a necklace.”
    “Very good. No one can ever say you lack intelligence.” Is he mocking me?
    “Are you telling me that a necklace gives human beings the ability to travel back in time?”
    Alpha nods.
    “And you expect me to believe that?”
    “I do. But not just any human beings, Iris, only those who have been chosen. And you have been chosen.”
    “Why?”
    “Does it matter?”
    “Yes.” I don’t believe him. He’s insane. People can’t travel back in time. That’s a physical impossibility. I mean, I’m not a physics genius or anything, but you can’t do that. This man has stolen me for some reason, and I need to figure out why.
    “Because I recognized qualities you exhibited during Testing Day, qualities that will make you a good fit with Annum Guard.”
    “I don’t understand,” I say. “I didn’t finish the water challenge.”
    “That doesn’t matter to me.”
    He’s giving me nothing to go on here. Absolutely nothing.
    “And what about the other challenges?” I ask.
    “You showed intelligence in the detention challenge. Most of your classmates sat there until the men came back and then tried to overpower them. You didn’t even consider that as an option. You were proactive. I didn’t care about the final challenge after that.”
    His tone hasn’t wavered once, and his answer is intentionally vague. Damn, he’s good. He isn’t giving anything away.
    “Are you ready for me to prove to you that time travel exists?” he asks.
    I don’t respond for a few seconds. Things are changing. He’s going to untie me. I know the door is behind me and that he’s the only person in this room. Alpha’s bigger than me, but I’ll have