Ali Noel Vyain's Blog, page 53

Time to Take a Bride

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(An old tale about the elves before the humans came. We were quite a rough lot. —Silver Moon Unicorn)

Maenwolf’s father was proud of his son. Maenwolf had become a fierce warrior. He had earned his right to be the heir and next lord of the realm. He worked hard and learned all he could to reach this point to have his father’s approval. Yet, something was missing in his life. He couldn’t put a finger on it.

“Son, it’s time for you to choose a bride so you can have an heir.” He paused. “Do you have a young elf maiden in mind? Or should my guards just give you anyone at all?”

Maenwolf looked at his father. He thought about it and one person came to mind. His childhood friend he hadn’t seen in ages. He wondered what she had been up to while he had to learn to be a warrior. “Jaena. I’ll take Jaena as my bride and mother of my heir.”

His father smiled. “Very well, it shall be done. In the meantime, rest. You’ll see your bride soon.”

*****

Jaena was worried about Maenwolf. She hadn’t seen him in so long and there were rumors that he had become a fierce warrior to please his father. She knew the father and lord of the realm was wicked and had no respect for any woman. Rumor also said he killed his wife when Maenwolf no longer needed a nurse maid. She shook her head and went back to her gardening. During the friends’ separation she had been busy learning all about plants. She knew how to grow them and how to identify them in the garden and in the wild. Her teachers were quite proud of her.

No one had any warning. The guards came into the house demanding to know where Jaena was. The healers were stunned to see the guards and refused to say anything. The guards drew their swords and killed both the women. Then they searched the house.

Jaena looked up towards the house and saw the guards. She could see the blood on their drawn swords. She knew they were coming for her. She stood up. She held her head high.

“Oh, you must be Jaena!”

“I am. What do you want?”

“You are being summoned to the castle.”

“Why?”

“You’re to be married soon.”

“No.”

“You don’t have a choice, missy. Our lord says it’s your turn to be a bride. Now come along with us.”

Jaena struggled. She fought the men. It was no use. They were armed and she didn’t know how to fight. They quickly tied her up and carried her to the castle. Her clothing was torn. She was angry and sad. She didn’t feel decent enough to see anyone, yet everyone could see her. The guards carried her past some villages who looked on her with sad eyes. All looked down when they saw the guards.

Finally, the guards set her down on the floor of the great hall. Maenwolf was standing to the right of his father. He looked at Jaena and the guards. He could see her torn clothing and her upset face. “What have you do to her?”

The guards answered, “She wouldn’t cooperate with us. She’s not permanently damaged.”

“What? Not permanently damaged? How dare you!”

Maenwolf’s father raised a hand to stop his son from pouncing. “Son, it’s okay. She’s just to carry your heir. She doesn’t have to live beyond that.”

Maenwolf’s breathing was a loud angry hiss. Without thinking, he drew his sword and cut his father’s hand off. He quickly turned and stabbed his father in the heart. He spun back around and slew both guards. Then he stood still. He lowered his sword and put it away. He looked down and saw Jaena still tied up on the floor. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was gaping. He drew his knife and bent down to cut her bonds.

“What? Why?” As soon as she was free of her bonds, she spun around to face him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know they would harm you. My father just asked me yesterday who I wanted for my bride and mother of my heir.”

She stared at him. “Why did you kill them all?”

“They hurt you. I’m sorry, milady. I wish they weren’t rough with you. It pains me to see you hurt.”

She slapped him. He put his hand to his cheek. “I’m sorry, milady. What would you have me do to make it up to you?”

“Bring me some decent clothes!”

“Yes, milady. This way.” He stood up and waited for her to stand up. Then he led her to his mother’s room and showed her the clothes hanging in the wardrobe. She selected a dress that looked to be a good fit.

She walked over to the partition and went behind it. “No peaking!”

“Okay. I’ll stay right here.”

She wasted no time putting the dress on. It was a little big, but it would do. She walked out from behind the partition and stared at him. “I don’t think we can stay here. I wouldn’t be surprised if more guards show up and decided to kill me or you as well.”

“We can leave right now. I promise to protect you. I’ll be your armsman.”

“Very well. Let’s go.”

Aliens

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(I came across this story in the Guardian archives. This is what happened when the first humans came to our planet. It also gives a detailed account of the Merfolks, who many don’t believe exist. Then again, many don’t believe in the Guardians for that matter. —Silver Moon Unicorn)

The Guardians were running around and monitoring the alien spaceship. They had just lost contact with Starfire and weren’t sure what was going on board. Then the meteor hit the ship and sent it hurling down to their planet. Greg watched it land in the water, not too far from the shore near to the Guardian Hideaway.

“Shit. The Merfolks aren’t going to be happy with this.”

A light turned on the control board. He pressed the button. On the screen directly in front of him was the Merfolk chamber council.

“We’ve been monitoring the spaceship and we’re not sure if the aliens on board are okay. We’ve lost contact with them over an hour ago.”

“What? Then why did it just land on our community center?”

“It was hit by a meteor.”

“This is an outrage! What are you going to do?”

“We are going to get that ship out of there and repair your building. Preferably with the aliens’ cooperation. If not, your people and the Guardians will deal with them.”

“Okay. I know we can trust your word.”

“That’s comforting. We’re sending Guardians out now to the ship to see if there are any survivors.”

“Good.”

“We will keep you informed.”

The MerKing sighed. “At least we can count on the Guardians. It’s the aliens that we don’t know.”

“He did say it wasn’t their fault.”

“I know, but we have injured down here. Please make sure they are receive care immediately. Have someone assess the damage as well.”

“Yes, sire. Right away.” The advisor dispatched the requests. The injured were all moved to the medical center and treated.

A beep sounded. The MerKing pressed the button and Greg appeared on the screen.

“We’ve successfully made contact with the aliens. They are willing to cooperate.”

“That will help makes things go a bit faster.”

“Yes, it does. We also found out that one of them can breath under the water to negotiate terms with you.”

“Excellent. Send the alien down as soon as they are ready.”

“Their representative will be wearing glasses that has a small computer attached so her shipmates will be able to communicate with you as well.”

“Ah, now that will be interesting.”

“Yes. The Guardians will also be in contact with you as well to make sure things go smoothly as possible.”

“We do appreciate your help. At least you leave us in peace and come and help when necessary.”

Greg nodded.

Violet was a bit nervous. Her friend, Antoni, wasn’t happy about her going under the water by herself. She was half human and half water nymph, so she could breath under water. Her eyes and hair were violet. Her skin was blue. She changed into a wet suit and was adjusting her glasses. The healer, Jaeson, was helping her to keep her glasses from coming off while she was under water.

“Relax, Violet. You’re not going to drown.”

“I know, but the Merfolks aren’t happy with us right now.”

“The Guardians did say they are willing to talk.”

“Okay. Just keep Antoni from going crazy while I’m gone.”

Jaeson smiled. “I’ll do my best.” He made a few more adjustments. “How does that feel?”

“It feels okay.”

“Not too tight?”

“No.”

“Okay. Let’s get you in the water.”

Violet smiled and followed Jaeson out of the medical center. They walked down the hall to the airlock. Jaekob was standing by to send her off. The others were in the kitchen lounge watching the scenes Violet was broadcasting to the ship’s computer. Jaekob opened the inner lock and Violet stepped inside. He closed it, then opened the outside lock. Water flooded into the lock.

“Jaeson, are you sure she won’t drown?”

“Yes. She has gills. She’ll be fine.”

Violet was completely submerged and almost panicked. A few minutes later, she was breathing normally again. She looked back and smiled at both Jaeson and Jaekob. Then she swam off to meet the Merfolks.

“Looked like she panicked.”

“I expected that. I wasn’t sure she’s used her gills before. She’ll be fine. Her wet suit has sensors that are monitoring her vitals.”

“Antoni will be happy to hear how well she’s doing.”

“Yes, I’m sure he will.”

Violet wasn’t entirely sure where to go. The Guardians couldn’t tell her because they didn’t go under the water very much. She looked around. She spun around and saw the ship resting on a damaged building. She spun back around and looked for Merfolks. She soon saw a few, but they flitted away so fast she didn’t have a chance to ask them anything. She kept swimming towards the center of the city.

In the center she saw a round building. When she got closer she could see two Merfolk guards with tridents on either side of the entrance. She swam towards them.

“Hello, I’m the representative sent to speak with the MerKing and his advisors about our ship crashing into your building.”

The guards stared at her. One of them press a button on a small device on his wrist. “MerKing, the alien representative has arrived.”

“Send her in.”

“You may pass.”

“Thank you.” Violet swam through the entrance when it was open. Once inside she saw all kinds of statues. In the center of the large room was the MerKing with a crown upon his head. He was near his control screen and computer board. She swam over to him. “Hello, Your Majesty.”

“Hello. You look a bit like a water nymph.”

“My mother was a water nymph.”

“Ah, hence you can breath under water without any problems.”

“Yes.”

“What is your name?”

“Violet.”

“I’m not familiar with that name. I never heard it before.”

“Oh, I was given that name because of the color of my hair and eyes.”

“Oh, so that’s what it means.”

“Yes.”

“So what happened out there in space? How did you end up here on our planet?”

“It’s a long story. We were forced to flee our solar system or else be hunted down by the military. We just happened to go through a wormhole. When we emerged from the other side, the ship shut down completely and our captain and pilot was knocked unconscious. Two of our crew did what they could to get the ship back up and running and the captain was taken to our medical center.”

“That’s quite an adventure.”

“Yes, it was. We didn’t have everything back up and running when we got hit by a meteor. Then we were pushed and landed on your city. We’re not happy about that part. We’d prefer that we didn’t hit anyone.”

“Yes, well our injured are all in our medical center and currently recovering.”

“Good. I hope they’ll all be okay.”

“I have assurances that they will be. Now, what about the building? Our community center is destroyed. Not much left of it.”

“Oh, well, we will do what we can. Jaekob and Sarina might be able to help with repairs, but they’d need a way to breath.”

“Yes, so will the Guardians, if any of them will come down here.”

“We just met the Guardians. Are they all fairies and elves?”

“From what we can determine of them, yes.”

“Do you like them?”

“Well, we don’t hate them. They do leave us in peace and help when it’s necessary. I believe our scientists like to communicate with them from time to time. I don’t interfere with our scientists. I feel they need to be allowed to do their work.”

Violet nodded her head. “I see. I think they said they were protecting scientists and inventors who live in the Hideaway.”

“I’ve heard that. I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true.”

The Valley of Joyousness is Discovered

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(This tale is from Violet’s early adventures, the one that happened while she was visiting Earth. From what I understand she toured all of the solar system and then left and became one of the first humans to live in our solar system. —Silver Moon Unicorn)

It was after dark once she found the Valley of Mist. She certainly couldn’t see through the mist at all. Besides, she was hungry again, so she sat down in front of the mist and got out some more food from her pack. Once she was done eating, she felt sleepy. So, she laid down and was soon asleep.

She dreamed she met Vivienne. The evil enchantress still looked as she did when she had met Merlin, but she had the ring with her. Merlin wasn’t wearing it anymore. Violet wasn’t sure of what to do, but Vivienne tried to slip the ring on another man’s finger. It was a man that Violet knew and didn’t want Vivienne to harm him. Vivienne laughed as she managed to get the ring on his finger. Violet screamed and ran forward to her friend, but Vivienne raised her hand and Violet fell backwards. Vivienne laughed some more and took the man away.

Violet woke sitting up. Her head was spinning and she wasn’t quite sure where she was. Finally, the dizzy spell passed and she could see the sun was up. The mist was before her and she still couldn’t see inside of it. She sighed and got some food out of backpack. As she ate, she thought about how to find the coffin. No good ideas came. Or at least none that seemed reasonable. The only thing she could think of doing was just simply walking into the mist and see if she could find the coffin that way.

She finished eating and swallowed more water. Then she stood up and walked into the mist. Once inside, she couldn’t see a thing and had no idea how to get back out. She wasn’t so sure it was such a good idea to walk right into the mist, but now she couldn’t just stand still. She closed her eyes and reached out with her third eye to search for Merlin in the stone coffin.

She had refrained from walking while she looked for Merlin. Then she found a direction to walk in. She didn’t open her eyes before she started walking again, but soon they were open. All she could see was mist.

It must have been hours. Or least it felt so to Violet. But then suddenly, “Ouch!” She walked right into the stone coffin and fell right on top of it. She quickly picked herself up and checked the damage. Just a few bruises. She would live.

Next, she got out the notebook and found the levitation spell. She waved the wand over the coffin and said the words. The lid did not move.

She sighed. “Oh, come on!” She reread the spell and tried it again. Still the lid would not move. She sighed again and sat down. “What am I doing wrong? I thought I could do this.” She sighed and closed her eyes. Then she opened them again and stood up. She waved the wand as she spoke the words.

The Mine

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(This Martian tale is about Violet Nymphe Mineur’s origins. Yep, she was born and raised on the colony planet of Mars. She later came to our solar system and negotiated peace with the merfolks. —Silver Moon Unicorn.)

There was always water in the mine. Frank pondered why this was. He scratched his head and then put his helmet back on. He sometimes thought he saw the water move in ways water didn’t normally move. But, he figured it was just the booze ruining his head. It always went straight to his head as he slowly wasted his life away in the small town on the Martian colony.

He wasn’t even sure why he kept working in the mine. His brother was willing to give him a job in an office in the next town. Sure, Frank thought, sure I’ll be clean all the time instead of covered in filth and watching water swirl and move uphill.

Frank lifted his pickaxe and resumed chipping. He wondered when this monotonous life of his would change and perhaps either get better or get more interesting. Today, as many other days, he was alone in this part of the mine. He liked to be alone. The other miners bothered him and he wasn’t quite sure why that was. Still he chipped away at the rock and hoped he wouldn’t cause a cave in.

He was pretty busy. He felt numb and didn’t seem to care anymore. He just kept raising the pickaxe and dropped it with a slow motion that was nearly hypnotic. Before long he had stopped thinking and just moved the pickaxe up and down and chipped the rock searching for more ore. He didn’t notice the water moving towards him in droplets. Before long the droplets became puddles of water. Still Frank hadn’t seen it. He was too busy feeling numb and chipping away for more ore that he didn’t even see the water move upward in the middle of the cave. Not even on the walls— out in the open. Soon there were shapes forming.

Frank lowered the axe and then he wiped his brow. He sighed loudly, which echoed in the cave. He thought he heard some giggling. He furrowed his brows. He was alone in this part of the mine. He thought it must be the booze again. Then he thought he should perhaps stop drinking. He shook his head and was about to resume his chipping when he heard a female voice near him.

“Excuse me, sir, but what is your name?”

Frank dropped the pickaxe and turned towards the voice. To his astonishment, he saw several women in the cave with him. They were all curvy with blue skin and red hair. They each wore micro-mini skirts with very short sleeved short tops on. Their clothes were red. “What? I must be seeing and hearing things. It must be all the booze I had last night.”

“Booze? What’s that?” asked one of the women.

“Oh, booze is the stuff that I drink every day after I’m done workin’ in the mine. The booze just goes to my head so fast that before I know it, I have to come back here in the morning and work some more.”

The women giggled. “Well, we can assure you that it’s not the booze that’s making you see us. We are here in this cave with you and we’ve been here for awhile.”

“What? I’m here alone in this part of the mine. I like to work alone.”

“Oh, well, surely you can’t work all the time, can you?”

“Well, no, I guess not. How did you ladies get in here anyway?”

“We just swirled our way in and came up to meet you.”

“To meet me? What about the other workers?”

“Oh, I don’t know about them, but Melanie was the one who wanted to meet you and find out your name, but she’s a little shy.”

“Oh, pleased to meet you ma’am. My name is Frank. I’m sorry, I’m so filthy, but I’ve been working in the mine all day and I won’t be able to clean up until after I leave here.”

“That’s okay. Perhaps we can chat later.”

“Sure.” The horn blew. “That’s my signal that my shift is over for the day. If you ladies will excuse me, I’ll be going home now.” He tipped his helmet to the ladies and picked up the axe. He carried it over his shoulder and out of the mine. The women melted down to the cave floor. All that was left of them were puddles of water. Soon the water moved in different directions. One streak followed Frank and soaked into his left pant leg. He then left the axe with the other tools just outside of the mine and collected his pay.

Later, he was in his hotel room. He didn’t bother getting a place of his own because he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to stay or move on to another place. Frank threw his dirty clothes on the floor and jumped into the shower. As he scrubbed the dirt and grime off of his body, the soaked pant leg moved a little. Not much, but enough that the water moved out of the fabric and onto the floor. Soon the water had gathered into a puddle first and then formed into Melanie. She could hear the water running in the shower and she smiled. She thought she’d wait until he came out of the bathroom to greet him.

It was some time before he did finally step out of the shower. He carefully dried himself off with a towel and then wrapped it around himself. He stepped out of the bathroom to see Melanie standing in the middle of the room as she had appeared earlier.

“Hi, Frank! Are you in a better state to spend some time with me?”

“Uhh, let me get dressed first.” He walked over to the dresser and grabbed some clean pants, shirt, underwear and socks. He walked back into the bathroom. He closed the door and took off the towel. Then he quickly got dressed. Afterwards, he looked into the mirror. His face was rather pallid and he thought he wanted a drink, but wasn’t sure. He grabbed a comb and combed his hair. He sighed and then turned to open the door. Out he walked back into the bedroom where she was still waiting for him.

“Well, howdy. You’re, Melanie, right?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. How did you get into my room?”

“Oh, that was easy, I just soaked into your pant leg and you took me here.”

His eyes grew wide. “My pant leg? Well, I don’t understand.” He dropped down to the bed.

“I must be losing my mind. Women don’t appear out of nowhere and attach themselves to men’s pant legs. That just doesn’t make any sense.” He fell to his back on the bed and remained motionless. He covered his eyes with his hands.

She walked closer to him and leaned over him. “I’m not human like you are, Frank.”

He moved his hands away from his eyes and placed them at his sides. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m a water nymph. Let me show you how I travel.” With that she melted to the floor and became a puddle. A few minutes later the water rose back up and formed back into Melanie. “Do you see now? I know you saw us moving back in the mine, but you kept shaking your head. No one else noticed besides you.”

He didn’t speak for some time. “So, why do you want to see me? I’m just an alcoholic with no real future.”

“You’re different. You don’t know how many times I’ve heard the other water nymphs complain that men never pay any attention to them. But you paid attention to me. Only I was too afraid to say anything to you until the others came with me.”

He sat up on his bed. “Wow. I can’t say I ever saw anything like you when I was drunk. I still don’t understand why you’d pick me. I don’t know what I have to offer a water nymph.”

“You can offer yourself. I wouldn’t ask for anything else.”

“Okay, whatever you want, Melanie. I have to say you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.”

“You’re so sweet.” She sat down on the bed next to him.

The Report

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(His Excellency is and was many things. I bet he didn’t have any idea that Adele would later become his own daughter-in-law. Sometimes, we can’t see everything that can happen to us and all the planning in the world won’t stop things from happening. —Silver Moon Unicorn)

Shelia walked into the Chamber of Law with a child by the hand. “Your Excellency, I have brought the portal child.”

He stood across from them at the entrance for the anteroom. “Good. Come into my chamber and give me a full report.”

“Yes, sir.”

They sat down at the table. Shelia began after she put the child in a chair. “As you know, this child has been seen appearing and disappearing in and around the Chamber of Law. I believe she is a child of Guardian parents. She knows her name is Adele and her age is five. Your Excellency, this is a rare and very pleasant surprise for us. We have originally thought we killed all of them. But here is one such child. I propose we use her to carry out our mission on Princess Catherine. We can train this child in eleven years or less. Then we can send her on the mission to pick up and relocate the Princess for her education.”

“Shelia, are you sure about this? We have had trouble in the past with Guardians working for us. Don’t you remember? That’s why we had a war against them in the first place.”

“Yes, sir. I am perfectly aware of that. This Guardian is still a child. We can teach her our values and morals. She will become one of us.”

“You believe this will not fail?”

“No, sir. I don’t think we will fail.”

“Alright. I want you to see personally to her training. If she should turn against us, you both will be killed.”

“Understood, sir.”

“You may go now.”

Shelia took Adele by the hand and took the child to a nanny. Then Shelia made arrangements for Adele’s training and education.

Adele’s training consisted of learning several languages, math skills, science basics, heavy emphasis on combat and computer skills, and most important of all—worshiping His Excellency with a strong reverence for his omnipotence and wisdom over everyone and everything. Her teachers emphasized what happened to people who disobeyed His Excellency, even just a little. The child never forgot her whole life.

Intent

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

A horse was

winding his way

around a rose,

an arbor

intent on finding

a way back to

his mate.

Intent is everything.

Investigation

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

A lovely newborn,

with a locket

of its parents,

went to investigate

what the bees were

busy making honey.

Family Trees

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

Silver Moon sat at the table making notes from the emails and other information she found over the internet. Some information came from the Guardian archives. Black Wolf sat down across from her with a mug of coffee.

“How’s the work going?”

“Oh, it’s going. I’ve noticed that when the technology got better for the Guardians, their records became more accurate. There’s a lot of information in them.”

“That makes sense. Passing things along orally do tend to change over time. Once written down, they tend to become static.”

Silver Moon nodded her head. “That makes sense. Anyway, I’m seeing the family trees for Claire Rose Lutin and Myadin. They aren’t related.”

“I’m sure they’d be relieved to hear that.”

She smiled. “I bet so, too. If I keep this up, I’ll have enough stories to fill lots of books.”

He smiled. “You are developing your audience, so I bet you’ll earn some money from those books.”

“I hope so. I would feel better to pay off my debts. I am glad it doesn’t cost so much to live on this trolley.”

“That is helpful. I’d still like to contribute.”

“I thought you already did.”

“I mean with money. White Lion will probably need things you can’t afford.”

“Perhaps. Right now, he doesn’t need much of anything other than food, water, and clothes. At least I can make him clothes and grow or raise some of the food he eats.”

“He’s not a vegetarian.”

“No. He can’t be. He’s got too much cat influence to just eat plants. So, I have to give him chicken and fish. Other than the vegetables and fruits he eats, that’s it for him.”

Black Wolf nodded. “I’m glad I don’t have to eat any animals other than fish. People seem to think werewolves are carnivores.”

“I know. I came across that. The were virus doesn’t change your digestion system. It’s also genetic.”

“Is the vampire virus genetic?”

“I bet it could be. Viruses do have a tendency to become a part of our genomes.”

“Any virus does that?”

“Yes, every virus we catch becomes a part of our genomes.”

“Interesting.”

“Yes, you can see why I keep at the research. It is interesting and helps me to write better stories.”

“So, why do you write poetry?”

“I don’t know. It’s like breathing. Poetry just comes out. I don’t always plan on writing it. I usually plan to write prose.”

Black Wolf smiled at her.

At the Police Station

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(I guess humans don’t typically live as long as elves and fairies can. The Guardians, Sam and Felicia, were just teenagers when the famous singer Susan was suspected of murder. —Silver Moon Unicorn)

Sam Oranglov and Felicia walked briskly to the police station. They were armed with only their light swords. Neither spoke when they entered the building until they reached the receptionist’s desk.

“We’re here to see the chief about the recent murder and to track a person.”

The receptionist looked them over. “We are overwhelmed at the moment. Do you have any information about the recent murder?”

“No, but we can help solve it.”

“Well, I don’t…”

“Who is it this time?” The police chief walked over to the front desk. He wasted no time summing up the newcomers. He was human, as was the receptionist. “You’re just a couple of kids. I don’t see how you can help us.”

Clark heard the commotion and looked up from his desk. He saw two teenagers—a human boy and a fairy girl. He saw their light swords and remembered when he was rescued by Guardians when he was a little kid. He stood up and walked over to the front desk. “I could use some help with the recent murder.”

“They’re just kids. They don’t know anything.”

“They’re Guardians. I bet they’ve been trained well.”

Sam and Felicia nodded to him. “We’re on two assignments. One to help solve the murder. Two to track a former Guardian who may be living in your city at the present.”

“Okay. Which one is helping to solve the murder?”

“I am,” answered Sam.

“Alright, I’ll show you what we know so far. Do you think you can talk to the singer? She’s a prime suspect and I don’t have the time today to question her.”

“No problem.”

“As for you, I can give you access to our database. Hopefully, you can find who you’re looking for.”

“That will work for a start.”

“If you two will follow me, we can get started.”

The police chief frowned, then walked back to his desk.

Clark sat down at his desk and pulled the files on the murder. He let Sam read and examine all the evidence. He then turned to the other computer and pulled up the database. He logged in and let Felicia search on her own.

“Detective, I take it you’ve have a good experience with Guardians?” asked Felicia.

“Yes, I was rescued when I was a boy. They were quite shocked to find me in a bad situation. I could have died. They just took me with them and then eventually dropped me off with my some relatives. They were all armed with lights swords like yours.”

Felicia nodded. “Thanks for not impeding us. We have to find this person before he causes even more damage to this world.”

“And thanks for the help with the murder. I know I won’t be able to handle that and all the other cases that have been piling up on my desk.”

Interview with a Former Guardian

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(Transcription of Silver Moon Unicorn’s interview of Sam Oranglov.)

Sam Oranglov (SO): Thank you for coming, Silver Moon Unicorn.

Silver Moon Unicorn (SMU): Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I did want to talk with Felicia as well, but she declined. I will respect that.

SO: It wasn’t anything personal. She just doesn’t feel comfortable talking about being a vampire, especially with someone she doesn’t know.

SMU: I didn’t take any offense. I just hope she’s okay. I understand the transformation can be rather traumatic.

SO: It is. I’m surprised I’ve pulled through. Claire Rose and her doctor both helped.

SMU: Yes, it does help to have support when going through such things. Could the doctor do anything other than monitor your condition?

SO: No, not much. He did monitor and got excited about what was happening to me. I never went to see him in person because I was afraid I would attack him. However, he did find out that it was possible for me to avoid killing anyone and still eat, I mean drink. I’ve taken his advice and it works. Sometimes I have to hunt down some animals, ones that are misbehaving or just have foul tempers. Sometimes I get donated blood as payment for being a Guardian.

SMU: Yes, I did hear you still act as a Guardian, even though there are some who claim you cannot be one after your transformation.

SO: I do understand that sentiment. I have fought vampires before I became one and they can be very nasty to deal with. It was reported that I died defending Lady Adele and her granddaughter, Claire Rose Lutin. I still feel as if I should have died. I still remember the ladies didn’t want to leave me, but I let them know it was too late for me.

SMU: That’s pretty hard. It’s a shame I can’t interview Lady Adele now, but I do hope I can interview Claire Rose Lutin.

SO: I bet she will talk to you. But she is busy trying to figure out what to do about her great grandfather.

SMU: That’s got to be rough on her.

SO: It is hard on her and Myadin, not that he’s had a charmed life. He’s got it pretty rough as well.

SMU: Because he’s a werewolf.

SO: Exactly. However, the Guardians are coming around and recognizing him and others like your partner who don’t cause trouble and don’t attack people.

SMU: Do you feel as if they are accepting you to still be a Guardian and a vampire?

SO: (He pauses.) I think some of them are. I do remember how hard it was at first. I couldn’t tell Felicia and she found out. She saw me. Claire was with her at the time. I just about went crazy when I saw Felicia. Then a tiger came out of nowhere and tried to attack them. I attacked the tiger and drank its blood. Then I told the two ladies that they should just leave me alone.

SMU: That must have been hard for them to watch. Did they leave as you asked them to?

SO: Yes, they did, but I could still smell both of them. When they were gone, I thought about it and began to understand why the other vampires were so interested in Claire.

SMU: Were you ever interested in Claire?

SO: No. She’s not Felicia. She is a good friend. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her. Besides, Myadin loves her and he treats her well. I can’t complain about that.

SMU: Do you and Myadin get along? I thought werewolves and vampires were enemies.

SO: We get along. At first we wanted to fight, but it didn’t take me long to figure out how he treated Claire and how close they were. So, I cut him some slack. He did have a tendency to run around the woods I was staying in. Claire would come to warn me and asked me not to hurt him. I don’t know when he thought I was okay. I wouldn’t be surprised if Claire said something to him.

SMU: I may get to interview him someday and find out. Is Myadin considered a Guardin?

SO: Probably as much as I’m considered one. Claire has unofficial status. She grew up in a convent and didn’t get any training until she was already an adult.

SMU: How would you describe the Guardians?

SO: Traditionally, they are warriors who defend the defenseless. They were a class created by wizards and witches who secluded themselves from mainstream society. The wizards and witches were really scientists and inventors who didn’t know how to fight. They needed someone to protect them from warlords and the like while they worked on their projects. The arrangement worked out pretty well. Eventually, bards and other creative people came to live with them as well. They don’t typically fight, as you may know.

SMU: I know I don’t unless I have to. Fortunately, those times are rare.

SO: The Guardians didn’t always stay put. Some went out and traveled and blended in with the main stream society. Sometimes they would find and rescue brilliant scientists and inventors. Or they would heal the sick.

SMU: The Guardians have quite a history.

SO: Yes, that is true. We have developed quite a culture while many were living in their dark ages.

SMU: His Excellency tried to get rid of the Guardians and claim the technology.

SO: Yes, many are still upset about him. He did fail in his quest to eliminate all the Guardians. However, we can’t do anything about the technology. Many people have been exposed to it and we can’t hide it now.

SMU: I hear plenty of people who complain about the technology almost as much as they complain about His Excellency. I guess technology can be a hard thing to assimilate until you’re used to it. Even then, some things don’t work as well as older more established ways.

SO: That is true. That’s one of the reasons Guardian training has always included hand to hand combat and blade training. The other was so we could blend in with the main stream society. Otherwise, someone might get suspicious.

SMU: Are the rumors true that His Excellency is still alive and planning to retake the world again? I thought his own son killed him to save Queen Catherine, Lady Adele’s cousin.

SO: His Excellency did die when his son, Jaems Lutin killed him. Jaems Lutin did save Queen Catherine, negotiated a peace treaty with her to end the war, and married Lady Adele. What no one knew at the time, was His Excellency had been bitten by a vampire earlier the same day he was killed and then he became a vampire. He disappeared from his grave. Now, we’re all racking our brains as to how to stop him.

SMU: That just sounds very sneaky. Almost like His Excellency planned it that way.

SO: Yes, it does sound that way. I’m not so sure he did plan it that way.

SMU: Can anyone reach him?

SO: Only one person, who doesn’t work for him, can safely get past his security. Everyone else who has tried has died.

SMU: Wow. How is it that it works out that way?

SO: I’m not sure, but I think it’s because she is his true heir. His Excellency seems to have a weakness for having an heir.

SMU: Wait, wouldn’t His Excellency technically have two heirs?

SO: Yes, he does, but they don’t have the same mother and that makes all the difference in the world.

SMU: No wonder his true heir isn’t happy about being related to him.

SO: No, she isn’t and I can’t say I blame her.

SMU: Are the other rumors true, are you the reincarnated Jaedin? He was the best tracker the Guardians ever had.

SO: Oh, you heard that? Are you sure you haven’t interviewed Claire?

SMU: No, I haven’t talked to her. She did help me find my son once when he fell asleep in a dark courtyard where she and Myadin were.

SO: (laughs) I’ve heard your son tends to fall asleep in some interesting places.

SMU: (laughs) It’s true. He does. Sometimes he falls asleep while he’s dancing.

SO: To answer your question—Claire was the one who pointed out to me that I have the same eyes as Jaedin did. When I saw his picture, I could see what she meant. Then I got a shock when I found out Jaedin’s wife Renae is Felicia. Claire can explain a lot in her way.

SMU: Wow! Renae was the best pilot the Guardians had.

SO: That she was and still is.

SMU: I take it you were the one who found His Excellency.

SO: Yes, I did. I am also working with His Excellency’s true heir to stop him from taking over the world. Of course, he probably won’t stop there.

SMU: Not likely that he will. Is Felicia working on this project as well?

SO: Yes. She does help with the transportation end and moral support.

SMU: Oh, before I forget, I have to warn you that Silver Scales will be paying you two a visit. She wants to meet Felicia and see if she was her friend Renae.

SO: I’ll let Felicia know. She’ll probably be delighted to meet an old friend.

SMU: I don’t have any more questions. Thank you for letting me interview you. Please let Felicia know it’s okay that she declined.

SO: Thanks for being so kind. I will let her know.

(Transcript ends.)