The Lightbringers
Ross tried to take the drink offered to him, but found that his hands were still shaking too badly. He leaned back on his chair and continued his story.
“There were six Hounds in the house. They caught Lydia while she was still wearing her Facade. She never had a chance. I managed to change, but six on one — 1 was a gonner, and 1 knew it. That’s when the strangers came.”
“You sure they weren’t Nightbane?” Lloyd broke in. “You know, the pretty boy types that we get from time to time.”
“No way. I would have sensed them coming. I never got a twitch. Two men and a woman, wearing trenchcoats. All three of them were platinum blondes — they looked almost like albinos. They walked in, and suddenly they started to glow, like they were on fire. It got so it hurt to look at them directly. The Hounds actually hesitated for a couple of seconds, but then four went after the shiny guys, and two stayed to tango with me.”
“Four on three,” Sergeant muttered, considering the odds. “Not impossible, if the three Nightbane know how to handle themselves.”
“I’m telling you, these weren’t our kind,” Ross snapped. “The Hounds never had a chance. The three strangers just opened up with beams of light, like lasers! Even from where I was, I felt warmth, as if I was outside on a bright summer morning. They burned big smoking holes in the Hounds, and three of ‘em went down before they even reached the strangers. The last one got taken out by a couple of fancy kung-fu moves. I managed to take out one of the two Hounds, and the other one ran. First time I ever seen a Hound run from a fight, too.”
“Then what?” Lloyd asked. He looked worried.
“Well, one of the two guys looked ready to let me have it. Then the woman said, ‘No, Gaius, he’s not an enemy,’ and they left without saying good-bye or anything. Truth to tell, I was too happy to be alive to really get mad at their manners.”
“I’ve heard of them before,” Lloyd said in a low voice. “The Guardians.”
“You sure?” Sergeant said. “I thought they were a fairy tale.”
“Sure. Like monsters, shape shifters, and people walking through mirrors.”
“Fine, you made your point.”