Free Guardians of the Akasha by Celia Stander

People who spoke against him disappeared, or suddenly, inexplicably, changed their beliefs and joined him.”
    “Surely you could have done something, told the police and had him arrested?” Keira couldn’t believe that in today’s day and age, people could get away with such tactics.
    “We did do something. We dispatched the Draaken. Daemon retaliated…” Victoria broke off.
    “What happened?” Keira asked.
    “We underestimated him, that’s what happened. He struck at Draaken families. Loved ones were murdered. This time he made no secret of the fact that he was involved and that it would continue if we didn’t back off. So we did, which was another mistake. We should have eliminated him when we had the chance.”
    “Aunt Vic!” Keira was shocked at her Aunt’s casual reference to killing another human being.
    “Well, that option is no longer available to us. He is too well protected, now. His support has grown to the point where they are threatening to overthrow the Council and take power. His arrogance knows no bounds. He has openly declared his intention to seize the Book of Knowledge, which will only happen over my dead body.” Victoria’s face reflected her grim determination.
    “So, this is all about a book,” Keira said.
    “War is never so simple that it can be shrunk down to one single factor, Keira. However, it is one of the major reasons. This book has been under the protection of each successive High Priestess and each one of us has added our knowledge and experience to it. It contains everything from rituals for protection and for destruction to names of Guardians who have held some of the highest offices in governments around the world. It is our collective memory.”
    “It is a database,” Keira said.
    Victoria gave a rueful laugh. “I suppose so. But it is not stored on any mainframe known to man.”
    “And Daemon believes that if he could access this memory, he’d be able to manipulate time. Is the Book safe?”
    “Yes. For now.”
    “Aunt Vic, why are we really going to Europe?”
    “We are going to the castle, as I told you. But I have called a full Council meeting there on Saturday. Members are arriving as I speak. At this meeting, I will introduce you as my immediate successor as Leader of the Wilde Family. It is also my wish that you will stay and receive training, and eventually become the next High Priestess,” Victoria answered, her tone crisp and business-like.
    “What? You can’t do that!”
    “Why exactly not?”
    “You don’t—you can’t—I don’t know what you are thinking! It is one thing to tell me I am part of some worldwide group, but to tell me I have to lead these people—fight a war—it’s insane! You don’t even know me. You don’t know who I am. You can’t make all these people depend on me. People get hurt when I use this—this magick.”
    “Calm down!” Victoria’s voice whiplashed through the plane. Keira’s face froze in shock, but she got a grip of her emotions and closed her mouth.
    “Keira, I don’t have time to repeat myself. I have told you about the Akasha—the connectedness between all things. But there is also the Void—the unconnectedness. Where the Akasha is matter, the Void is antimatter, endless nothingness. In the beginning, the Akasha and Void were one entity, until they were split apart during the Creation. For a very long time, however, the veil between the two entities was thin and those with enough power could enter the Akasha, or the Void, and return. Unfortunately, there are things in the Void—” Victoria paled and wiped her hand over her face.
    “Aunt Vic?”
    “Some of those foolish travellers were followed and when they slipped back into the Akasha, and into our dimension, things from the Void slipped through as well. It took the combined power of all the Guardians alive during those times to banish the beings back into the Void. It was then that one of our ancestors, a High Priestess, managed to install