Bam!
She slammed her hand against the marble countertop. Blood trickled as the edges of the broken wine glass pierced her skin. Did she even have an option? She was born to serve the dark side, and now, ironically, she was the one being mercilessly exiled. She had always been ashamed of her past. yet now the lady would be required to rise up as Sable, guardian of darkness and mentor of guardians.
Sable cleared her head, stood up, and brushed up the glass pieces from her table. She would never lose control like that ever again, she vowed to the twinkling city below her. The moonlight sparkled off her silver engagement ring.
She consulted her magical detector, hoping, praying, and begging that something would show up. As if on cue, a red dot shone on the dark alley at the lower east side.
Carefully hidden, Sable watched Blaze. This girl was furious. Sable could see white-hot flames of anger in her eyes. A definite need for improvement, Sable mused. A leader certainly needs greater control. She has plenty of determination, though.
In the alleyway, the leader of the boys screeched in pain. Flames visible only to him reached out from Blaze. They were too feeble to do any real harm, but they did stun him. Plenty of raw talent, Sable mused.
The gang ran for their lives like a defeated army after a perilous loss, causing a great commotion.
Blaze sighed. This magical fire power that appeared recently had proven very handy. On the other hand, she was always worrying that someone might find out about her secret magical powers.
"you again!" Blaze growled as she heard a slight rustle in the shadows. Would this evil gang ever leave her alone? "I have more if you want it." Blaze held up the flames, trying to reveal the silhouette of the figure in the shadows. In reaction, the mysterious figure added a steady wall of darkness, cornering Blaze.
Blaze lowered her hand.
"y-y-you're one of them . . ."
"One of what, dear?" the figure replied.
"A magician!" Blaze held her breath.
"Of course I am. my name is Sable. you know, you might be one too. I have been searching for you. If you are truly whom I believe you are, then try this amulet. If you are, then you will become the guardian of fire. If not, the result of the amulet's radiation is death. Do you take the risk?"
"I do!" Blaze said. She loved risks and was eager to discover the truth of her magic.
"Take the amulet then," Sable said with an eyebrow arched, holding the sparkling red pendant. Blaze took it and slid it around her neck.
A flash of flame assured Sable of her initial assumption.
"Rise, Blaze! guardian of fire, fairy of spirit, witch of ferocity, sorcerer of the flames, and angel of the first element!" Sable said.
Blaze's eyes widened. "me?"
"I will be in touch." Sable vanished with a sly smile.
Sable breathed a sigh of relief. To her utter happiness, she had found the successor so soon after the tragic death of the respected fire guardian, Phoenix.
Blaze was frozen in shock until she told herself to stop being so silly. yet this was amazing. Being a fire guardian was beyond her wildest imagination. yet it felt so real, almost as if she had lived this experience before.
holding the red amulet in her hands, she summoned a spark. It was indeed brighter and fiercer than before. her powers had increased to the point where she could incinerate objects into black smoke.
Referring to her trusted magic detector, Sable was pleased to see another sparkle appear on the globe, this time blue. She teleported herself to a quaint townhouse in the upper east side. Slowly making her way to a hidden clearing in the hedges, Sable watched two bickering sisters.
The younger of the two girls, Mia, glared defiantly at her older sister, Brook. She aimed a rubber hose at Brook and turned the water on. Sable watched this with bewilderment. Why were the girls so set apart? yes, when Sable was younger, her twin sisters never agreed on anything. But spraying water at one's own sister, in winter? Unacceptable! With a huff, Sable continued to watch. Brook had a delighted look on her face as the cold water splashed onto it. It did not freeze despite the nipping cold.
A glowing blue mist surrounded Brook. "Creepy!" Mia squeaked like a little girl seeing monsters, darting into the protection of their suburban house and slamming the door behind her.
Brook sat there depressed. It was hard to believe now, but her sister had once been her best friend. however, her obsession over her newly acquired magic powers had estranged Mia from her.
Brook noticed a violet-eyed cat-like figure peeking through the trees. She scrambled to her feet, ready to race away at any sound. Sable stepped out of the shadows. "I am honoured to inform you that you are not a freak."
"Hello. I am here to introduce you to my world. my name is Sable. I am a mentor of the guardians. We are sworn to protect the earth from a mysterious yet powerful dark force. They seek the amulets, which hold immense power against them. Today, I have received information that you might be one of us. Take this amulet. If you survive, then you prove yourself to be a guardian—the guardian of water, to be exact. And if you do not succeed . . . Well, we shall cross that bridge when we get there. Do you accept this risk?"
"Hmm, okay," Brook said reluctantly. Sable handed over the blue amulet. As soon as Brook tried it on, there was a dazzling flash of blue.
There stood Brook, shocked but not harmed.
"Rise, Brook! hail, guardian of water, fairy of the river, witch of the sea, sorcerer of the lake, and angel of the fourth element, water," Sable said solemnly. With a sly smile, she added, "I will be in touch."
Sable checked her magic detector. Was it just the trick of the light, or was there really another spark, white this time? Determined to push her luck as far as it would go, Sable teleported to a small alley situated by a river. There, she met Zephyr.
Zephyr was usually a calm and quiet girl. Right now, anger devoured her, like a calm wind turning into a full-blown hurricane. Wind whipped through her fingers as she swung her hands toward the kidnapper. he yelped in agony, "you crazy mental people should be locked away!"
"Say that again if you dare! you insolent man!"
The wind swirled into the form of a sharp knife, darting toward his throat. Sable held her breath, and her heart beat like that of a wild pony. The knife faltered just inches from his throat. Zephyr could not kill.
The man scurried away in fright. Zephyr looked up and noticed a strange violet-eyed figure standing in front of her. She turned away and ran as fast as she could. True to her name, she ran so fast it felt as though she had wings. Sable gave chase for a couple of minutes and then pulled up, panting. Chasing her would not work. Sable snapped her fingers, and Zephyr was soon bound by whips of darkness.
"Sorry . . . for . . . that . . ." Sable panted. "I'm not a cop to arrest you. I merely want to know more about your impressive talents!" She untied Zephyr. "I believe you may be magical."
Zephyr glared at Sable, rubbing her sore wrists and wondering who this insane person was.
"I believe you may be the guardian of wind. The way you ran certainly qualifies you for this title. Try on this amulet. If you truly are who I think you are, then you have my sincere congratulations. If not, then sadly you will die from the amulet's powerful radiation. Do you accept this risk?" Sable asked.
Zephyr seemed to have an argument with herself. Then she said, "Fine."
Sable took out the shining silver amulet.
As the metal touched Zephyr's neck, the crystal dust flashed silver, blinding Sable.
Zephyr was alive!
"Rise, Zephyr! hail, guardian of wind, fairy of speed, witch of air, sorcerer of clouds, and angel of the third element, wind. I will be in touch." Sable vanished with a sly smile.
her magical detector flashed a feeble green sparkle. She could hardly believe it. Another candidate deep in the midst of Birch Woods? Without a minute of rest, Sable teleported to the windy outskirts of Birch Forest. From there, she sprinted toward the clearing farther in the forest, where the signal was located. She did not dare teleport directly into the forest for fear of crashing into a tree. Stalking like a cat, Sable halted as she saw Persephone with a pack of wolves pursuing her, trampling down the undergrowth. The thorns barely seemed to deter them.
The wind blew steadily in the background. The trees behind them creaked. A full moon glimmered above.
Persephone screeched at the top of her lungs to deter the approaching pack, waving her hands toward the full moon. Very good instinct, Sable thought.
The wolf leader collapsed just inches from Persephone and then the entire pack collapsed into a pile of burned ash. From the black earth sprung ivy berry vines, with thick thorns, wrapping the wolves carefully so they would not escape if they could ever resurrect themselves.
Very cautious as well, noted Sable.
Panting, Persephone looked around like a nervous squirrel. She looked through the trees, and a dark figure caught her eyes. When she realized that the dark shadow looming in the trees was too tall to be another wolf, her thudding heartbeat slowed a fraction. The figure was moving with cat-like grace, silently gaining on her. Persephone screeched for the second time that night. Using all the strength in her legs, she jumped as high as a deer could and sped back toward the clearing.
Coils of darkness bound her tightly. Again she screamed, as a dark-haired, violet-eyed figure formed itself upward from the ground.
"I am so sorry, but I must speak to you. I have seen your power, and I vow to find the source of it." Sable waved a hand, and the coils unwound.
Persephone glared, disbelieving.
"Put on this amulet. If you are who I think you are, then congratulations. I have been searching for you for some time. If not, well, we shall cross that bridge when we get there. Do you dare to take this challenge?"
A rush of adrenaline pumped through her body, making her much more reckless than usual. "I do." Persephone braved the answer, her eyes shining with determination.
Sable handed Persephone the green amulet. A shower of rose petals danced down, covering Persephone in the night sky.
Sable sighed with relief. She had not condemned this girl to her death. "Rise, Persephone! hail, guardian of earth, fairy of herbs, witch of plants, sorcerer of determination, and angel of the second element. I will be in touch." Sable vanished with a sly smile.
Sable had found the last of the four elemental protectors for the star princess. This is starting to get easy! she mused.
She remembered the first time putting on the ebony amulet that still glowed on her neck.
Sable had found the last of the four elemental protectors for the star princess. This is starting to get easy! she mused. She remembered the first time putting on the ebony amulet that still glowed on her neck, witch of vengeance, sorcerer of wisdom, angel of the strongest magic, and mentor of the guardians."
Sable smiled proudly. She opened up her detector once again, hoping for another symbol. She wished, even though she knew that the chance was meagre, to find the star princess. There was no golden flash, but rather a spot of black. She sighed. "might as well deal with it."
Sable teleported to a dim cobblestone alley. There, a little girl was pinned against the wall by a gang of men dressed in masks and black cloaks.
"Little girl, don't run. We might make this painless for you." With no way to defend herself, the girl stood petrified.
Sable recognized the men in disguise. They were the generals from the dark side for which Sable used to hold a senior rank. The girl that they are so eager to kill must be the star princess, Stella, Sable thought.
her face twisted in rage. The dark generals appeared equally angry. They immediately headed for their traitor, abandoning Stella.
Sable screamed, "you killed my mentor! you killed my colleagues! now you all must pay your debt!"
The lead man spoke. "Tsk, I know a dirty secret about you, something you don't want anyone to know. you are not an angel. you killed Stella's mother. Don't hide it, I can see the fear in your eyes. Don't even try, girl. you can't fight me. I'm much too strong for you alone." he grinned wickedly.
Using the last of her strength and magic, Sable teleported away. She managed to escape as if she just awoke and escaped from a nightmare.
There was so much that she had been trying to forget.
