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Jenny woke with a start. Looking around her, it took her a moment to remember where she was. The bedroom of the suite was lovely, as befitted someone of station. Muted tones of green, beige and white throughout the suite were calming.
She didn't remember much from the evening before. After she had cried until the tears wouldn't come, she had showered and changed from her dirty and sweat soaked clothing.
She and Tarafau had eaten the food that had been brought, barely registering what it was, mechanically bringing fork to mouth. They had dutifully drunk the tea they had been given and she vaguely remembered Tarafau removing the drooping cup from her hand and lifting her and bringing her in to the bedroom, laying her in the bed and gently covering her, after removing her shoes and socks.
It seemed impossible to her that only a couple months ago she had been ensconced in her comfortable life, writing blogs about things that, at the time, had seemed so important. She had hiked with her buddies and hung out with Sam. It now seemed somewhat dreamlike, unsubstantial, and yet, that had been her life and she had thought she was happy.
Now, here she was, on an alien planet in an alien dimension, interacting with the unknown, the unimaginable. Did she really see a dragon last night?
She got up and went through her morning routine pattern-breathing, showering and dressing. She could hear Tarafau in the living area of the suite, stirring around. She heard him open and close the door to the suite.
"Breakfast is ready," he sent.
He had set up the little dining table with their typical training meal of cheese, rye cracker bread and fruit. "I ordered for us," he said with a smile.
The meal reminded her of the weeks she had spent in Sanglarka, a happy time. She realized now that it was the calm before the storm and wondered how well she would measure up. She smiled at Tarafau in gratitude for the kind thought and ate slowly barely tasting the meal.
It occurred to her that this meal was probably not typical for the natives of this planet, nor for the other beings that populated it from the Dimensional Alliance. She was in awe that they could serve her this way.
"We will be meeting with the Chief Councilor and his officers when we finish eating," Tarafau said. "They will want the full story of our encounter in the Gateway village. They will also give you instructions on your next steps and introduce you to your fellow Guardians from Earth. These have been called in to be briefed and to allow them to be a support network for you.
You may ask any questions you wish at this time and they will answer you. After that, we will come back here and meet alone with the Earth Guardian delegation, so you can get to know them and assemble your resources. These individuals will be a great support to you in your work going forward."
Jenny only nodded. There was nothing to say, really. Her choices were limited. Moving forward she would need all the help she could get, and she was sure all of these Guardians had the experience she lacked.
Tarafau led the way to the elevator, saying, "Council" as they entered. After a moment, the quiet chime sounded, the voice echoed, "Council" and the doors opened.
They entered what appeared to be a reception area with chairs of various sizes ranged around the large waiting room. The being at the desk was covered in white fur, with a foxlike face and bright orange eyes. "Tarafau and Jenny, you are expected. Please continue." The voice in her head sounded female, but she had no idea for sure. She wasn't even sure if gender applied to any or all of the beings she met. One more thing she needed to learn to communicate with those she must work with.
She noticed that all of the doors and ceilings to this building were tall, no doubt to accommodate some of the huge beings she had seen in the assembly the day before. They entered the large double doors beyond the reception room into a circular room with a low dais at one end. There were a couple dozen seats arrayed in a single circular row. All the seats were filled with humanoid beings except two near the dais. Tarafau gestured Jenny to take one and sat next to her.
Looking around her, she was surprised to see the people in the room, until she remembered that her fellow Guardians were to be in attendance. In addition, there were other beings from different dimensions, one of whom she recognized as Drimm, who nodded towards her to acknowledge her recognition.
On the dais were the three Chief Councilors. The gnome stood and addressed the gathering. "We are here to hear the report of Jenny Japhet and Tarafau Bane regarding the demise of The Gatekeeper, Miriha, and to decide what actions we can take to immediately secure the Gateway network. You have each been called here, at this time, because each of you have a key role in this process. When we are finished here, I will call the assembly and we will announce our decisions to the rest of the beings on the council."
He nodded toward Jenny. "I trust you are well-rested and prepared to report?" he asked, his fuzzy eyebrows raised and his eyes smiling. "I know this has been difficult for you. You need not be afraid of judgement or censure. We are here to listen and to make decisions that will impact numberless beings across infinite dimensions. There is nothing personal in anything that will be said today. We must deal with the reality of the situation and do what we need to do, after we hear what you have to say. I ask you, therefore, to feel free to speak your heart and mind without fear."
Jenny gulped and nodded. She stood, assuming that was the proper way to report, and began.
She told them of the one word message from Miriha and the lack of gem eyes at the gateway. She told of the lamenting Linklings and the destruction in the village, the complete lack of either bodies or living beings. She told of the destruction that greeted them at the Gatekeeper building.
An then she told of climbing the rubble strewn stairway, and her eyes dimmed with tears. She paused to gather herself and went on to describe Tarafau's frantic efforts to get through the door to Miriha's office.
She described Miriha's injuries and her final words and by this time tears were streaming down her face. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping at her tears. "I'm so sorry."
Tarafau stood, reached out a hand and gently led her back to her seat. He turned to the dais. "It happened as she said. We were too late to save the Gatekeeper. We sealed her body into the portal room. The gateway to earth sealed behind us as we returned. Only The Gatekeeper can now reinstate it, if ever. The people of the village have been abducted by the Groga. I do not know if they can be rescued and returned, for we found no evidence of how the Groga entered the dimension or how they escaped. We know nothing of the rest of her planet, or how far the Groga raid extended."
The Chief Councilor stood and Tarafau sat down.
"This is what comes of allowing ourselves to get comfortable," he said, shaking his head grimly. "We should have been more diligent in eliminating this threat.
It is time to introduce you to the council and the Earth delegates in attendance. I am Ingot, elected Chief Councilor. My Second, is Liliath." He gestured toward the dragon to his right.
Liliath rose from her long chaise. Standing, her head nearly brushed the twelve foot high ceiling. "Welcome, Jenny. I am of the planet Donali of the dimension, Totania. I see the legends of your Earth in your eyes." Her fanged jaws opened in what Jenny realized, with a start, was supposed to be a smile. "My ancestors did indeed once fly and crawl on your planet. Our time on Earth was short, but for a time it was a favorite place to visit. There have been many of us who visited the Earth before the Earth Guardians were established formally."
Jenny suppressed a gape and nodded. "It is good to meet you," she said simply, feeling like she should curtsy or bow or something. "I have been raised with tales of dragons, some of my favorite stories. I remember wishing they were real."
Liliath, chortled aloud, startling Jenny. It was a deep, rumbling sound. "Dragons...yes, I know we were called that anciently by your kind. We call ourselves, Alani."
Liliath sat, reclining on the specially made chaise set aside for her use. Ingot stood and said, gesturing to the tall birdlike creature to his right. "This is Myla, my Third."
Myla stood from a seat that looked very like a nest. He had arms as well as wings. His colorful plumage, orange beak and bright eyes were very birdlike, but he gestured with his arms and hands in a very humanoid manner. His long slender legs were encased in feathers to his knees. "Welcome, Jenny. I am of the planet Langtrey in the dimension, Alluvia. Our species, the Calyx, is one of several intelligent species in our universe. We have yet to visit your planet other than to pass through the gateway network. I doubt we will find our way there any time soon, but I have enjoyed a close association with Lizzie, your aunt. You can count on my support."
He sat, and Ingot stood again.
"Now to introduce you to your fellow Guardians of Earth."
They each stood as he introduced them. "Allow me to present, Juan of Puerto Rico."
A short, tanned man in a white shirt, white cotton pants and a hemp belt, his dark brown eyes twinkl in a big welcoming smile stood with a nod, his hands clasped in front of him.
"You already know Lova, of Sweden."
Lova stood grinning at Jenny. It was evidence of Jenny's shocked state that she had not noticed her when she had come into the room.
"Adelle of Switzerland."
A large blonde woman of square build stood and nodded to her soberly. Her pale blonde hair was put up into a braid that wrapped around her head like a crown. Her bright blue eyes reminded Jenny of the forget-me-nots that she had loved to make into garlands as a kid.
"Mustapha, of Pakistan."
A wiry man with a short beard and dark tan complexion stood, his dark serious eyes looking into hers. He also nodded to her to acknowledge the meeting.
"Brendan of Australia."
Brendan's muscular frame topped Mustapha by a head or more. Brown hair and tan, his smile was welcoming, and he cocked his head slightly as if measuring her.
"Xao Ting, of China."
The short, serious, elderly Asian man bowed slightly in her direction, the streaks of silver in his black hair reflecting the light in the room.
"Leonora of Czechoslovakia."
She was large, but not fat. She looked to be in her middle years. Her short-cropped hair was dark as were her serious, piercing eyes. She nodded slowly to Jenny.
"Dhakirah of Ghana"
The woman who stood was very tall, easily as tall as Brendan. Her large dark eyes were slightly upturned, and she wore her black hair braided tightly around the cap of her head which streamed down her back in tight braids. Her African heritage was clear, the colorful tunic she wore contrasting beautifully with her dark skin. She smiled a beautiful smile of welcome.
"Aliki of Samoa"
The Polynesian man was perhaps in his 50's with a touch of grey in his dark curly hair. He smiled, gesturing welcome with open hands towards her. He had a kind of warmth about him, reminding her of a favorite uncle.
"Leland of Ireland."
The short, red-haired man stood grinning. He reminded Jenny of a gym teacher she had known in her high school years, always up to something mischievous.
"Guaray of India."
The dark-eyed man with wire-rimmed glasses stood and solemnly nodded towards Jenny, his hands clasped in front of him.
"And, Megan of Canada."
A freckled older woman with auburn hair and green eyes, she reminded Jenny of photos she'd seen of farmer's wives. Her light brown hair was in a braid over her shoulder and she was dressed simply in a sweater and slacks. She also nodded to Jenny.
They all sat at that point and Ingot said. "This is your Earth Guardian team. They are all experienced Guardians and have knowledge and resources you may rely upon in your duties. You will find your gate network now includes a portal directly to Sanglarka and all other Earth gates, so you can meet, plan and train together. Lova is the team leader for the Earth Gateway network. You will continue to train in your role as Guardian as you will train also for your role as Gatekeeper.
Tarafau's role is The Guide. His centuries of experience will be invaluable to you. The role of The Guide is to mentor Guardians and Gatekeepers. You can trust his counsel and his wisdom to get you through this. Each Guardian has a Guide assigned to them. For the first few years, they constantly monitor and support the Guardian as they learn their duties."
Jenny gulped and stared at Tarafau, the awe in her face needing no words. Centuries? How old was this cat?
Ingot smiled at her reaction. "It will take time for you to get to know your compatriots and to build the trust and teamwork that will become vital as we face the threat of the aggression of the Groga. At this time, Earth is not in danger, as far as we can tell. Based on what we know, our current theory is that they are accessing an ancient gateway that is not fully associated with the entire updated network. This still puts potentially millions of gateways at risk. All Guardians have been notified of this and the entire network is on alert.
I will not lie to you. The options we have are few. We have become lax over the years. Evidently a remnant of the Groga has been nursing its wounds and growing their numbers and recovering old technologies. We thought we had taught them to keep to themselves. Obviously, the lesson did not sink in.
Our scouts tell us that the Groga no longer inhabit their former planet in their former dimension. It has become clear that our first task is to locate their base of operations. Then, we must determine the extent of their defenses and any new technology they have acquired.
Finally, we must prepare a plan to protect those who are most vulnerable and work to eliminate the threat permanently.
This is the task before us. And you, as Gatekeeper, are crucial to all of it. Do you have any questions?"
Jenny stared at him, her mind spinning. Questions? Questions?!
But she simply said, "When do we start?"
