The guardian, p.55
The Guardian, page 55
He watched from the shadows with a grim expression. Iliya suspected he knew this reunion would only hasten her death. God had wanted her to name a successor, and now that she had, God had little reason to keep her alive much longer.
“I’ll do my best,” Alisha replied, wiping her eyes.
Iliya Rusul didn’t notice that the spiritual energy in the room began to shift. It was imperceptible to all except those who were especially spiritually aligned—the guardians, along with all other spiritual entities who happened to be present in this holy space at this hallowed moment.
“It is time,” Iliya’s guardian whispered with gravity.
Iliya’s gaze snapped to Jian-min, who was still standing in the doorway. His guardian, Omega—a dense vermilion color with black eyes—hovered silently behind him.
“Are you going to do what you came here to do?” Iliya asked tonelessly.
Jian-min’s lips twisted into a smile. “No need.”
Alisha glanced in confusion between the two of them. “What are you talking about?” she asked.
“While you two were hugging and gushing, the nurse adjusted Iliya’s medication,” Jian-min explained. “But she made a slight error.”
The machine beeped faster as Iliya’s heartbeat quickened.
“The muscle stimulants that keep your lung functioning need to be applied in a precise dosage,” Jian-min continued. “Too much, and you could go into cardiac arrest.”
“Nurse,” called Reth in a panic. He pounded the emergency button on the wall and ran into the hallway. “We need help!”
“It’s too late,” murmured Jian-min as Iliya’s breathing became short and labored.
Alisha took Iliya’s hand and held it firmly. “I won’t leave your side until it’s over,” she promised.
Felicia floated further away from her mortal charge—the opposite of her usual instinct—to slip her monstrous blue hand into that of Iliya’s guardian. She blinked up at him with tears in her eyes. “May God bless you and keep you,” she whispered. “A prayer from both our religions.”
He squeezed her hand in return.
Then he leaned over Iliya, his massive presence like a shadow hovering over her weakening body. He sang in a soothing voice the same prayer he’d uttered before Iliya’s last brush with death.
My recovery and death are in your hands.
Everything slowed down. The angels, the demons, the gray spirits present—they held their breaths, watching in rapt anticipation. Their prophet was being called home.
May my death be an atonement for all the sins and transgressions that I have committed before you.
Nurses attempted to resuscitate her. Jian-min laughed. His guardian Omega bowed her head.
May you grant me a place in the world to come . . .
Reth cried out—a raw, heartbreaking sound. It rang through the Earth and heavens, echoing up to God himself. It pierced the fogginess of Iliya’s mind and made her want to live just a minute longer.
. . . which is promised to the righteous.
A calm, peaceful presence descended over the room, wrapping all beings there in its love.
Into your hands, I place my soul.
Iliya squeezed Alisha’s hand, and then her consciousness melted away. Her guardian flickered out of existence.
You are One.
Iliya Rusul would not see the completion of her life’s work. She would not see the epicenters fall. She would not see the people choose their new governments separate from the money-making corporations, which would find other ways to make money. Subsidiaries would be divested to increase competition, and antitrust regulations would be implemented. It would be a long, slow process determining territory borders, governmental rules, and divisions of power. But with the corporations separated from the governments, the process could begin.
She would not see Reth Alem rise as a trusted world leader and adviser to most of the world’s governments. Even the isolated, neglected villages far from the epicenters, the islands off the coasts, and the people at the furthest edges of giant continents would have ready access to government representatives to ensure the appropriate sharing of world resources through the Robin Network.
She would not see Alisha Veda rise to prominence as the world’s foremost scientist, ushering in a new era of scientific innovation and achievement. In the years to come, Iliya would be credited with bringing Reth and Alisha to power; they, along with the Robin Network, would be her greatest legacies.
Dignitaries from all over the world attended Iliya’s funeral. She was buried in former Pan-C near the ruins of the dismantled chemical plant she had helped take down. Her siblings, Baq and Pamela, and her mother, Cassandra, were magnicoptered in for the funeral.
During the ceremony, many people spoke on her behalf—people who knew her well along with people who hardly knew her at all. After the ceremony ended, the crowd dispersed little by little, all saying their own goodbyes.
At the very end of the ceremony, only Reth and Alisha stayed behind to pay their last respects. They stood among the cleared ruins, now an empty dirt field with a marshy lake in the distance. The air was appropriately cool, moderate with an undercurrent of electric chill that settled in their bones whenever the wind stirred. Though the scene was empty, gray, and oppressively quiet, the wind carried a sensation of continued motion. Reth and Alisha stood shoulder to shoulder, peering down at the patch of dirt covering her casket.
Reth knelt before the gravestone, his knees hitting the dirt with an uneven jerk; one leg still dragged behind the other. It was a relatively small gravestone for such a noted figure, the gray plaque smooth and unassuming. “I was so angry at her,” he whispered.
“I’m sure she understood, Reth,” Alisha comforted him.
He shook his head. His body felt weak from crying, yet even after days of tears, still they refilled his eyes. “She gave me a gift I don’t deserve.”
“That’s the funny thing about gifts.”
He paused, not knowing what to say. “I miss her so much,” he confessed awkwardly.
Alisha placed a hand on his shoulder. “Me too.”
She uttered a brief prayer, then retreated across the field to give Reth a chance to be alone.
He struggled to inhale. “Iliya . . . you gave me my future. I will do everything in my power to live up to that sacrifice.” He placed a palm on the dirt before him. “Our time together was too short. But I will dedicate the rest of my life to your memory. I will live my life for you. I will continue your mission. Oh, Iliya . . . I will do everything I can to keep your memory alive.”
After a moment of silence, he stood and followed Alisha back toward Pan.
EPILOGUE
A vast presence hovered in a hallowed space physically located many light-years beyond Earth yet also intimately linked to Earth through bonds unseen by mortal eyes. His body was not made of material form, but his consciousness could access infinite knowledge and was many times more powerful than even the whole of humanity combined—and very concerned with humanity’s fate.
“I am pleased you agreed to my request, Iliya,” he rumbled with evident satisfaction.
“As usual, your requests are more like requirements,” she muttered in return.
He laughed—a powerful, thundering sound. “There is always free will.”
“In my own life, I saw the myriad ways you bent free will to your advantage,” she said a bit sadly.
“I only seek the salvation of humankind.” He had a slow, easy way of speaking like each statement was a grand pronouncement.
“And what kind of salvation is that?”
“You will find out in your new role.”
“My mother saw visions of the apocalypse when I was younger. Is that . . . a potential future we’re trying to avoid?”
“There are many potential futures,” he answered cryptically. “It is one of the exciting things about humanity.”
“But who am I serving?” she pressed him. “How many gods are there? Are you at war with each other?”
“You will take your orders from me alone,” he thundered, his tone hardening a bit. “That is all you need to know.”
Iliya glanced down at her new physical form. “I know it sounds petty, but . . . did you have to make me look like this?”
“That is the process. Even I can only do so much to bend the laws of physics.”
“I suppose.” She shifted, practicing the way her new ghostlike form glided from place to place. “To be honest, I’m not sure why you even wanted me for this role. I was . . . so angry with you by the end. I challenged you at every turn. Why trust me with something like this?”
He grew quiet and introspective. “You followed my path far more than you challenged it,” he said gently, almost tenderly.
“I intend to keep following my own moral compass, you know,” she warned, “even if it contradicts yours. Perhaps especially if it contradicts yours.”
He chuckled. “I would expect nothing less.”
“Very well. When do I get started?”
“Soon,” he replied in his booming voice. “Keep in mind—considerable time has passed in the mortal world since you last visited. The transformation process takes a while. It’s been seven years.”
“I understand.”
“And you won’t be able to communicate with her until she turns thirteen.”
“Okay.”
“Do you feel up to the task?”
Iliya took a moment to consider the question. “I’ll do everything I can to protect humanity from its greatest foe,” she said carefully.
“Excellent, excellent,” he murmured. “Then let’s begin.”
LETTER TO READERS
I want to give a deep and heartfelt thank you for reading this book. You’ve made it possible for me to tug the thread of our shared humanity, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Please leave a review!
For access to extra content, such as character info, music playlists, and special illustrations, please check out my website at AlisonTracyFiction.com.
You can also find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AlisonTracyAuthor/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/alisontracyauthor/.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would first like to thank my editor, Trisha J. Wooldridge (www.anovelfriend.com), and The Writers Ally (https://thewritersally.com/) for vastly improving my book. Your keen insights and detailed constructive feedback not only helped this book but also made me a better writer. I will be forever grateful for your time, attention, and guidance.
I would also like to thank Sarosh and Tessera Editorial (https://www.tesseraeditorial.com/) for providing a thorough sensitivity reading. Although my book touches on controversial subjects, I do not want anyone to feel attacked or targeted by my story, characters, or worldbuilding. (Any problem areas that remain in the book are my responsibility and not the responsibility of my editors.)
I thank Sylvia Frost and The Book Brander team (https://thebookbrander.com/) for the expert cover art. Thank you for bringing this vision to life.
I thank my colleagues for giving me the flexibility to pursue creative projects outside of work. You always value the “whole person” and allow me to be completely myself—fully fulfilled.
I thank my friends for cheering me on and providing feedback.
Special thanks to my family—my parents, in-laws, brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews, grandparents, aunts, and cousins. Your unwavering support means the world to me.
I thank my children for loving me always.
Finally, I want to thank my husband. It’s impossible to state here how much you mean to me or how completely this book depends on you. Quite simply, this book would not exist without you. With everything I have, and everything I am, thank you.
DISCLAIMERS
Generative AI was not used in the creation of this book.
My role as author of this book was not part of my university duties or responsibilities.
This is a work of fiction. All characters in this book are purely fictitious and bear no resemblance to any community or person, living or dead. Names, characters, businesses, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual businesses, or actual events is unintentional and purely coincidental.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I tell stories that hold a funhouse mirror up to our world.
I believe fantasy and science fiction can reveal fundamental truths about our social world. With a PhD in sociology and a BA in English, I use fantastical and mythical stories to reveal the often-hidden cultural ideologies and inequalities that chain us.
Some of my stories are fairy tale romances with a feminist twist. Others are dystopias that challenge assumptions about free will and divine forces. In all my stories, I use fiction to reflect new insights about our own world.
In addition to fiction writing and sociology research, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two children, watching sappy rom-coms from around the globe, and eating high-quality dark chocolate.
Find out more at www.AlisonTracyFiction.com.
Alison Tracy, The Guardian
