Free Garda - Welcome to the Realm by Stacy Eaton Page B

else die?” I watched people running around. The man was now on his hands and knees, his head bowed as if he were crying. Was he crying for me? Why?
    “No, you saved the child,” Montgomery answered. He pointed to the side of the road where people sat around a young boy who was crying and holding his leg.
    I nodded, “Okay.”
    Montgomery took my arm gently at the crook of my elbow and turned me. A feeling of happiness and contentment passed through me at his touch.
    “We have been waiting for you for a while, young lady. You are going to love it here.” He winked.
    I glanced over my shoulder one last time. The man that had run past me earlier was now bent down next to the other man, his lips were moving and I thought he said, “No, you didn’t Mitch, they did.” His heated look rose to where we all stood.
    Who was at fault for my death? Should I be angry for being dead? I felt only peace and some minor confusion. The man’s glare met mine, and I wondered if he could see me. No one else seemed to be able to, but as our view seemed to lock together, his jaw tightened before he moved his attention to Brock. Brock stepped closer to my side, and the three of us turned and walked away.
    Not four steps were taken when the scene disappeared, and I found myself in a room. It was neither hot nor cold, nor too bright or dark. The soft sky blue of the walls pulled at me and reminded me of something, yet I could not figure out what.
    The room had floor-to-ceiling glass windows along one wall, beyond it a vast yard. Water could be seen way off in the distance. Was it a lake or an ocean?
    Around the large room were small sitting areas. Plush couches and chairs in soft fabrics and muted colors filled each area, and the scent of flowers reached my senses, although I didn’t see any in the room.
    “Where are we?”
    Montgomery sat down on the nearest couch. “You are home, my dear,” he said with an easy smile. “Come sit, let us talk.”
    Part of me was hyper, and I didn’t want to sit, but the place was so peaceful that maybe I would calm down if I did. I walked to the chair beside him, the cushion hugged my body as I leaned back, and I sighed at the comfort.
    “They are nice, aren’t they?” Montgomery chuckled.
    I glanced around the huge room again. “This can’t just be my home. How many people live here?”
    “There are many. I believe each hall holds over two hundred. There are three hundred halls, although we are a bit low in numbers these days. The temptations of life have driven our numbers down.”
    “Numbers for what?”
    “Gardaí,” the voice of Brock came from behind me. I had forgotten he was with us. He stepped around the chair and sat on the couch opposite Montgomery.
    His glower kept hold of mine as he moved. He reminded me of a tiger stalking its prey with his smooth lithe movements.
    “Gardaí?” I looked away from Brock, he won the staring contest.
    “ We are called Garda Síochána , or Guard of the Peace translated into English. You will be trained to be a Garda, or a guard as you might think of it.”
    While Brock continued to be a man of few words, Montgomery seemed more than willing to answer my questions. I directed the next one to him.
    “What language is that?”
    “It is Irish, have you ever heard of the Irish Police?”
    “Yes. We’re like police?” I asked hesitantly.
    Both of them chuckled, and I glanced at Brock, the small grin on his face and the way the skin crinkled around his eyes were familiar and way too attractive. I frowned at the thought.
    “No, we are not police, although it is our job to protect the living.” Montgomery crossed his left leg over his right and waited for my attention to come back to him. Brock’s smile had disappeared, and he had resumed the stare down.
    “Were one of you my Garda?” My question encompassed them both with a glance.
    Montgomery turned his head slowly towards Brock. I noticed Brock tense.
    “You are my charge.” The husky tone