Chapter 3: Out of shape.
Will rubbed her back and whimpered. "You guys, can we stop soon? My back hurts and I'm tired and grumpy and-"
Irma looked up. "Will?" She tried.
Will wasn't in the mood to listen. "--My feet hurt and we've been walking forever and--"
Taranee, craddling her baby Tommy, looked up. "Will?" She interrupted.
Will waved off her comments. "--getting hungry and--"
The other 4 guardians glanced at each other and then at Will. "WILL!" They all shouted.
Will glowered at them. "What?" She asked.
Cornelia, holding her twins, looked over her shoulder. "We're still in sight of the portal." True enough, less than a hundred feet away the portal loomed.
The group reluctantly moved on, listening with annoyance to Will's grumblings about never stopping. The sun was hidden behind a cloud around noon.
Wearily, Irma looked up at sky. "Do you think it's going to rain?" She asked.
As if on cue, thunder rumbled and rain began to pour in unbroken sheets from the charcoal gray sky. The guardians all shrieked, and the babies began to cry loudly.
Hay Lin pointed suddenly across the river. "I can see light over there! Come on!" She called.
The guardians jumped up and tried to flap their wings to fly, but the children were all heavy and squirming and the women were all out of shape and not so skinny anymore. With a loud yell, the group crashed to the wet, soggy river bank.
Will looked at the ditch nearby. "We could put something over that for shelter." She suggested.
Cornelia looked over, eyed the wet dirt, then nodded reluctantly. She made the stone jut out over the gap, and the women slid into the gap. Soon, laying in sticky messy mud, the children dozed while the women whispered over the murmur of rain.
But then they heard something else. A man's voice.
Irma climbed halfway up the embankment to listen, then slid back down. Tears of silent rage gleamed in her eyes. "You won't believe it." She rasped.
Will shifted uncomfortably on her muddy seat. "What?" She asked as she rubbed her belly.
Irma cleared her throat. "It was a guy. He said-" She deepened her voice to imitate him. "'The guardians never suspected a thing, just like you said. So now their husbands are with us--and they can...rest." She shuddered as a sob broke out of her throat. "I think they killed them!"
Grief-stricken, the guardians lay down to sleep beside the now-muddy children, but depressing thoughts ran through their minds as every woman pictured herself living alone.
Meanwhile...
Elyon waved the servant away and ignored her plate of food. Her eyes locked on Cedric. "Cedric." She said.
The blonde man looked up at her. Elyon smiled. "Where are the guardians' husbands?" She asked.
Cedric smiled back at her. "I sent them away to the lake area. We don't need anything to lure the guardians here." He told her. Then his gaze landed on the windows. "Is it raining?"
Elyon nodded. "Yes, it's raining." A smile quirked her lips. "I have a feeling the guardians will leave us alone after a few days of this. They are, after all, out of shape."
Cedric looked at Elyon and frowned. "Don't underestimate them, Elyon." He murmured. "They're stronger than they appear to be."
Elyon stood up and walked over to Cedric. "You worry too much." She sighed. "Come. Our wedding comes tomorrow." She added as she walked away. Suddenly she looked at the man behind her. "And Cedric? Make sure the guardians attend." She said.
Cedric's eyes glinted in the faint light. "As you wish." He said. As Elyon exited the dining room, he became a giant snake and slithered out into the rain.