She couldn’t see him in the shadows. He had stood vigil for the last three hours, and was prepared to keep watch as long as necessary. His assignment was to guard and protect her. From which Seeker specifically, he didn’t know, nor did it matter. Damon had a job to do and focus to maintain.

He heard the sound of whispers long before she or her dog did. Already on alert, he silently pulled a dagger from his waistband with his left hand, while his fingers on his right hand moved in rhythmic patterns. He had been watching her with the animals, first feeding the cows, then the horses. A dog romped by her feet, and she kept up a near constant stream of chatter to him.

The dog’s ears perked as the whispers came closer, and a low warning growl started in his throat. The girl stopped talking and cocked her head. She gave him a playful scolding when she didn’t hear anything, but the dog was insistent; someone was there.

Finally, the whispers reached her, and she tensed in surprise. She looked around and realized she couldn’t see anything outside because of the lights inside the barn. She flicked them off, and stood to one side of the door. The whispers stopped as soon as the lights went off.

Suddenly the quiet was shattered.

“Jess! Turn the lights back on!”

He recognized the voice of one of her friends that he didn’t particularly care for. Immediately, Damon gave a mental snort. Just because he didn’t care for the guy didn’t make him a threat. In fact, Damon felt that he was weak and rather cowardly. Jess sighed in relief and flipped the lights back on. Voices got louder as her friends came closer. There was good-natured laughter as one of the visitors stepped in a fresh pile of cow manure.

Nobody sensed him as he continued to stand watch. If Jess would have had an inkling of the treasure entrusted to her keeping, she’d probably have run screaming for the hills long before now. Damon admitted to himself that Jess seemed to be a particularly strong and resourceful young woman.

He continued his silent watch as Jess and her group of friends moved closer to the house. The hairs at the base of Damon’s neck prickled just as a piercing shriek followed by a blinding flash of blue light ripped the night sky apart. The threat was here.

With superhuman speed, Damon was out of the shadows and hurtling towards Jess. She sat on the ground, holding her head in her hands and rocking back and forth. Her eyes opened wide in alarm and she struggled violently to get away from him. He tried to tell her that he was not the one to fear, but her ears were still ringing so loudly that he knew she didn’t hear him.

Damon ignored the agony of her friends, and half dragged Jess to the corner of the barn. He pushed her against the solid wood, then stood with his back to her, facing outwards, looking for the invader. He felt Jess try to push him away just as a familiar scent came to him.

“That was quite an unnecessarily grand entrance,” he called out. “I’m already here, I’ve been waiting for you, Liam. The Guardians knew the Seekers would come. The girl is protected. You can leave peacefully now.” As he spoke he drew a sword with his right hand.

“Not an option,” Liam said as he stepped out of the shadows.

The sense of evil that radiated from him had Jess shrinking against the barn, and reaching to hold on to Damon’s coat.

“No need for violence between old friends, Damon. You can give me the girl, or the treasure in her possession. I will take either and be gone.” Liam sneered. “You know that history repeats itself, so you’re already doomed to fail. I can’t believe the Guardians actually sent YOU. The Guardian’s reserves must be weak if you are the one chosen to protect anyone or anything.”

Liam had drawn his own sword that gave off a blue shine. Damon advanced towards him. As Liam grinned and opened his mouth to speak again, Damon threw his dagger with such speed that it sank into Liam’s right shoulder. By the time a hiss of pain had escaped his adversary’s lips, Damon had already pulled and thrown another dagger, this time into Liam’s left shoulder. He continued to advance, but Liam was already retreating. “This isn’t over,” he snarled. “I will be back with reinforcements from the Seekers. We will get what we’re after.”

Liam’s exit was slightly less dramatic than his entrance had been. By now, Jess’s friends had all left, leaving the two of them alone.

“What was that?” she demanded. “Who are Guardians and Seekers? You know him? Why did he come? Why do you have swords and knives?” As Jess paused for a breath, something else struck her. “What would he want with me? And what treasure do I have?”

Damon gave an inward groan. His job was always easier when the Keepers didn’t know they were keeping anything. He hated having to explain things. He turned from her and walked into the barn.

“Hey, you can’t just walk away! And I didn’t say you could go in there! What exactly is it that you think you’re doing?”

Damon strode into the empty stall on the left-hand side of the barn. Without answering Jess, he stepped up on a bale of hay and reached into one of the rafters. When he brought his hand back down, Jess gasped.

There, in his palm, lay what looked like a bird’s egg. It was huge. It was streaked with different colors that seemed to glow and was encased with ornate golden scrollwork at each end. The egg was bigger than Damon’s sizable hand, and she wondered how she could have overlooked it. She also wondered what it was and how he knew it was there. She opened her mouth to ask, but Damon shook his head.

He pressed the egg into her hands and she was startled by its warmth. “What is it,” she breathed.

“Can we go inside and talk? I will answer your questions, but you need to get ready to come with me. You can no longer stay here, now that Liam knows where you are. Believe me, he will be back quickly. We have to go.”

To be continued