Bonded by April Zyon Page A

His confusion was reflected in his tone because he was trying to wrap
his mind around the fact that a goddess was there before him asking for his
assistance.
    “Because I have saved lives, and
you have saved lives. What I am asking you to do will be more of the same, only
on a larger scale. I asked if you could handle my question … was I incorrect in
my choice?”
    “No,” he whispered with honesty.
“How do I do this?”
    “With this.” She held out a
small, golden medallion. “I warn you, there will be drawbacks, ones that I must
tell you about before we proceed. Ones that may change your mind.”
    “Nothing will make me change my
mind.” His tone was firm and unbreakable.
    She studied him for a moment.
“Your sisters felt no pain,” she said, mentioning them for the first time. “I
know that is why you fight for me, on the side of good. They felt no pain. They
felt only the acceptance of the afterlife.”
    “Thank you.” He cast his gaze to
the floor, then gave a deep breath and a sudden nod. “Tell me, then, m’lady.”
He pulled his cowl up once more and went back to his guardian stance. “What are
the drawbacks?” She watched as his stare fell on the medallion, on the marking
of her brand—a star inside of a circle, with an infinity knot connecting them.
    “You have to die to become one
of my warriors,” she whispered sadly. “And each man that you recruit must die,
as well.” She held up a hand and smiled. “I would never take your life and give
nothing in return. You would exist for as long as the Earth turns on her axis.
As long as the sun warms the skies. Unless…”
    There was always a caveat.
“Unless your head is taken. Or the medallion is removed from your body or
shattered. Then your soul will return to the Wheel of Souls and won’t be
allowed to return to Earth for a thousand years.”
    “And how will being dead allow
us to fight the monsters?”
    “You will not be dead. You will
still have your souls. You will not be monsters unless you allow your souls to
turn to darkness. Only then will you turn into what you hunt.” She did not
candy-coat it for him, knowing that would be pointless and unhelpful.
    “Bearing my medallion, you will
have additional talents and the ability to wield the weapons that I will create
for you to battle them. Weapons that you or one of your men will soon learn to
create, as well. As time marches on, your minds will quickly adjust. You will
learn to blend, and you will become so very, very much more than you are now.
You will become the guardians of the world, because the darkness is growing.”
    “I understand,” he replied. She
had given him a great deal to think about. He hesitated but when he looked back
up to her and nodded, she saw the trust in his eyes. “How does this begin?”
    A blade appeared in her hand.
“Now, I kill you, Mercury.” Her voice held true sorrow. “Then I will lay the
medallion at the wound, and when you wake, you will understand. You are the first,
Mercury. You will have access to all because of the medallion I give to you and
only you.
    “The ones after you will not
hold as much power, will not hold as much knowledge, because it will be up to
you to teach them and help them learn their power.” She paused. “I will give
you a book that will hold all of the powers inside. When you create a new
guardian, have them place their hand upon a blank page, and you will learn all
that there is to know about their medallion. Call it a download—again, a word you
will understand one day,” she assured him.
    “One day.”
    She knew he did not fear death.
If anything, he embraced it. As she slid the blade into his heart, she watched
the life flee his body and whispered the necessary words.
    When he woke next, he would be
alone and have the knowledge of the gods in his mind. Little did he know at the
time, but they weren’t truly gods. They were beings from another world. A world
far more advanced than Earth.
    When he woke,