A Guardian's Tale: Remnant Wars

By Nicole Palomino

Ari has been a warrior in a battle between her race and the remnant race for over 500 years. Driven by her own desire to avenge her sire and protect the mortal race from the underworld of supernatural beings she must find herself. She has always been accompanied by fellow guardians but when the council sends her on a secret mission she discovers the world of the remnants isn’t so black and white. Especially when she dicovers mysterous pureblood turned remnant Keeper.
Will she kill them all and return to her tower or will she choose to betray her own race.

Adult Content

Also Available
Book 2: Remnant King
Book 3: Rise of the Ancients

Coming Soon

The Remnant Queen

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312474741

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A Guardian's Tale: Remnant Wars

A Guardian’s Tale: Remnant Wars

By Nicole Palomino

Dedicated to my Uncle,

who spent countless hours encouraging me to read.

Prologue

I just wanted to let everyone know this is not a teenager love story were vampires glitter in the sunlight and cute native boys turn into big puppies and drool over plain looking girls with no personality.  In our world I would have cut off Edwards head and carried his diamond crusted blood sucking ass down to the pawn shop and get a good penny for his hide.

I am not plain looking, I am beautiful and strong.  I am not a teen who is coming of age.  My story will not take six books before I experience intimacy with the love of my life, and for the love of everything decent in this world I am alive.  I’m not a walking corpse.

You’ve been warned.

There is more to the world than humans but I’m sure you already came to that conclusion.  There are angels and demons, fairies and shifters.  However the hidden word to mortals has been ruled by a race of Immortals that I not only belong to but am what would be equal to the military force of that race in one small perfect body.

Immortals were divided by a war that has raged on for thousands of years.  They exist belonging to thirteen houses twelve of them noble bloodlines that value honor and sacrifice.  One which we call remnants is the fractions of bloodlines.  They feed on the blood of living things which long ago made them superior in strength but now it controls them.

Remnants fed on the lives of humans and turned for numbers deluding their bloodlines and their strength.  We hunted them and killed them to control their population and to protect the human world from their growing numbers.

Immortals that choose to fight remnants learned to fight in the old way under the council’s command.  The council dispatched their guardian teams to destroy covens and to ensure the survival of the human world and the peace of our own existence.

Those who served the council were divided into two groups Warriors which defended the structure we called council towers and council and guardians who were the most elite of us.  Guardians were entrusted with the authority to enforce our laws and serve the council.

We all lived in tiny compartments of our own space.  We spent our days training and mastering gifts that were as unique as our eye color.

I sat crosslegged focusing on my breathing inhaling and exhaling slowly.  With eyes shut I could still smell and hear everything below above and even in the hallway corridor outside of my studio space.  The smell of floor cleaner as an orderly mopped the main floor fifteen stories beneath me was overpowering.  I had asked the council a year ago to change cleaners, but as usual I was disregarded. 

That day was the day I was to stand before them yet again and renew my conscription.  I would be their faithful servant for yet again, another year.  I inhaled and exhaled slowly trying to take my mind off the day and failing miserably.  I was tired, a rare feeling for an immortal but I hadn’t slept in three days and to be honest would force myself to stay awake for a few more.

I told myself this year would be better, easier now that Michael was returning.  The year without him had drug on in never ending missions, political bullshit, and an abnormal amount of remnants that kept killing entirely too many humans.

I knew without his companionship I would go crazy.  In fact I knew that without Jez and his dry sarcastic humor I would have been utterly and completely miserable.  My brothers in arms were all restless, we trained constantly to pass the time but I know now that in our hearts it was more our brotherhood that kept us in service than the actual council.

Jez was more than a brother in arms though, he was actually my brother.  We were both born to the same human mother and while we weren’t particularly close as humans we were for a time each other’s only trusted companion after our makerperished leaving us alone in the world.

Our rooms were soundproof but with my door cracked I listened intently for Jez’s footsteps that for our kind were lacking finesse.  Even if he had been in the building across the street I would have heard the thud of combat boots pounding the floor under his step.  Unlike me he was tremendously strong but I was taught to use momentum and quality weaponry to my advantage.  Something remnants infrequently had.

My heart slowed to an almost stop as I focused on nothing I just tried to drown out memories and the years I had spent drawling swords and the wars that waged on under the layers of the human world.  My heart finally stopped after what felt like an eternity I heard his steps down the hall and I let my heart beat again.

It took me three hundred years of practice to levy that much control over myself.  My brother took more. 

I opened my eyes to the floor length mirror. I was magnificent like all immortals and I knew it.  My hair was thick and full, a deep auburn with slight curl.  My eyes were anemerald color that was enhanced with a slight glow that all immortals had hidden by long eyelashes.  I was short in frame but people were smaller when I was born particularly women. 

I couldn’t help but smile when I heard my brother whistling the wicked witch of the west theme song.  He knew I hated going before the council and it was a hatred I never tried to hide from anyone, excluding the council members. 

I stood up from the floor and noticed my face was white from blood loss; I was under longer than usual.  I was forced to wear what I jokingly called guardian gear, all black and for today a tube top to display the mark of the coven and council with my rank.  Over the years it had etched from my spine to grow across my shoulders and down my back. 

I was faithful to my coven and the guardians who stood next to me in conflict, but in the end I always knew I believed in me more than anything.  Michael spent years teaching me the skills I needed to fight, age gave me strength, and I was born with the conceit needed to be undaunted despite the enemy. 

I glanced back at the simple room to make sure it was clean.  The countertops in the mini kitchen were clean.  My flatscreen was off which other than the few reruns of shows I liked there was really no point to owning.   The only proof there really was that that was my room was the unmade bed.  As an immortal there are many things you learn, one of which is making a bed is a total waste of time and energy.

I stepped out in the hallway and watched my brothers eyes lift at the sight of me. 

Yes I know I’m fine as hell, he smirked at me as I gestured for him to follow.

He reached out and smacked my butt as I turned to the elevator.  Those who live forever know one true secret, tormenting your sibling was always a timeless practice. 

On the ride up to the top floor were the council met we didn’t speak.  My brother twirled a knife in between his fingers.  I couldn’t help but wonder if he actually was nervous.  He was handsome and even though he was much taller than me, standing together, even to mortal eyes anyone could see we were close in relation. 

The doors to the overly contemporary elevator opened to the corridor leading to the council room.  Years ago the council had moved their ancient hall from Greece to America.  Every stone from the original council room was transferred to the sixtieth floor of this massive building.  

There were six council towers in the world all with their own council members.  Every one hundred years the members were replaced with new leaders but guardians remained the same.

The corridor leading up to the entrance was lined with modern glass vases with soil and the original bloodlines seals. To the right at the end of the hall standing alone was an empty vase with the traditional scribe of the remnant class.

When the tradition started the original Chiam, did receive strength but his offspring were weak and lacked the parts of their spirit that made them human.  There was a great war long before I was born in which the Remnant King lost and disappeared in the ages.  The elders who defeated him were direct descendents of our maker we call them the family and despite replacing elders the family were never replaced. They carried the past inside the along with original messages from the father.

My maker Soren wandered across my village after the English raided and murdered everyone.  In Jez’s last seconds he grabbed my hand as we lay sprawled out on the floor and he died next to me.  She said it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.  When her tears hit his cheeks he woke up and asked her to save me. Or that was the story I was told for hundreds of years.

Jez never left my side, and to bring honor to Soren and to our bloodline we became guardians.  I still feel emptiness when I see that empty jar to know that so many remnants never know the bond of immortal family.  Jez eventually gained a gift of persuasion over human minds. While I was a healer my own wounds heal almost instantly and with effort I could heal those around me but at a cost to myself.

In the hallway I see my guardian family all but Michael waiting outside the council door and Victor who was before the council.  The three remaining stood or leaned near the door.  I knew they were listening to the council meeting beyond the door but I hadn’t focused on the conversation and the room was nearly sound proof. 

Dexter straightened up at the sight of us.  He was the youngest of us; less than two hundred years old.  He had shaggy sandy blond hair with curls and deep brown eyes that with the natural glow turned his eyes a dark golden color.  His face was always set to a scowl when he wasn’t throwing daggers at something.  His lips were full and his jaw was wide and strong, like all immortals he was beautiful.  His eyebrows rose at the vision of us.  He was energized, that was a trait I believed was due to his youth.  His gifts were limited to his training because he wasn’t quite old enough to have mastered anything extraordinary.  I believed he would be intuitive because he could walk into a room and point at the villains like second nature.

Jasmine was crouching with her eyes closed and her hand on the ground.  She had hyper senses she was listening to the council with her fingers on the ground.  It was a useful trait to have if you were charging into a nest full of remnants.  She was also blond with hair almost as long as mine and platinum blond. It was the blond that mortals buy bottles of dye to acquire. 

What are they talking about, Marcus asked obviously irritated.  He was the largest of us physically, he was insanely strong.  He had a deep voice and a deep brown skin color that was shinny.  His arm bore a brand on it with a glyph meaning liberated.  Other than his might he used the same force to produce heat.

Nothing important, Jasmine whispered focusing on the other room.  Ariella I heard that, her eyes opened and focused on me sky blue and glowing. 

I almost said I didn’t say anything but I caught myself she was listening for us.  I know what I’m doing. 

An immortal should be in control of their body, she lifted her hand and stood up leisurely.  You sister have mastered that power, undoubtedly.

Jez raised an eyebrow and Marcus shifted weight.  I just nodded there was no point discussing a skill I already mastered centuries ago even if I was getting better at it.  I saved the boasting for combat correlated abilities.

Anyone seen Michael, Jez asked shifting the topic.

No, Jasmine crossed her arms and finished, I can’t hear him in the building.

Jas, please tell me you don’t eavesdrop to me when I’m having ‘quiet time’ it’s very disturbing. My big brother did air quotes over quiet time.

No more disturbing than what you’re doing during your quite time.  Jasmine’s reply came with a playful punch.

Has anyone heard from him, he told me he was coming back today, my voice almost gave me away but no one seemed to notice it.

He called a few weeks ago he said he was coming to see us after he checked in on someone named Maria.  His eyes flickered to me it was subtitle but it was there.

He said he would be here so he will, was my only response and thought.  Maria was code for side mission he took alone.  We weren’t supposed to tell each other about the missions we undertook alone but we didn’t care about council rules when it came to safety.  To be quite honest councilmen fucked up all the time.

We waited for them to call on us. We were all dressed to show respect to the council.  In guardian garments we looked ready for battle.  All of us wore padded shin and knee guards and either dark brown or black. Jasmine and I both wore shirts that displayed the marks on our back leaving us to bare for comfort.  The men were both marked on their arms one arm was the symbol of scales for the council and below it was markings for rank on the other arm was their house which was a symbol of their ancestry.

My brother was different than the others he wore the marks of his rank on his back but he wore a shirt that covered it anyways.  He had little respect for council members all but two he outright complained about without censorship.  He wasn’t wrong.

Of the thirteen houses we represented and honored four with our service.  There were seven of us conscripted guardians in that tower but Michael was gone and Victor was standing before the council resigning for the year.  We always rotated the year away from the councils grasp and considered it a welcome vacation.  I was the only guardian who never accepted time away from the service.  I had nothing to do with myself beyond the walls of the tower.

The doors finally opened and Victor emerged tall strong and blond with blue eyes that shone as he smiled.  He grabbed Marcus’s forearm and shook it like a brother.  His blond curls cut short and light brown skin made him beautiful.  His strength made him a valuable.  He was the only one