Foreseen (Suoja Guild Book 2) Read online

  However, she witnessed it being done. Recently, in fact, at the battle that landed her on this bus. The Surmata warrior walked away from the battle unscathed. Like a dancer, he moved gracefully, flawless and smooth, away from the incoming blade.

  Max had led her back upstairs when more fighting erupted outside. From Evie’s vantage point at her bedroom window, she witnessed in detail the quick take down of the camp. She watched the fight, amazed it only took a handful of warriors to defeat the heart of her father’s rebel uprising. Outclassed, the men and women tried to defend themselves.

  All of their training proved fruitless.

  When the Surmata warriors stormed the camp, their strength and ability dominated the humans. Within minutes, the rebels knelt before their captors.

  All, but the leadership.

  Evie’s father, along with his most trusted lieutenants, escaped. They never knew the touch of Surmata steel against their throats or the urge to beg for mercy while they kept their mouths shut.

  Men, women, children, low-ranking officers, and soldiers were all rounded up and grouped. The old and feeble or couples with small children had been dragged in one direction. The stronger soldiers, the ones more likely to cause trouble, were sent in another. Soon, the only ones who remained in the camp alongside Evie were those the Surmata deemed worthy of reeducation.

  Found guilty by association, Evie never had a chance to offer up a defense. Loaded onto a bus along with the others, she knew their destination, but not what their education would entail. Perhaps their punishment would teach them tolerance or expand their worldview. Those confined within the old, decrepit bus and surrounded by heavily armed guards may not agree with Evie, but this was a chance at redemption.

  Bertha rumbled on.

  Soon, they passed a sign announcing their destination of Henley, North Carolina. Fifteen miles until her life changed forever. The other occupants noticed as well. They set their books and magazines aside. Seatmates shook their neighbors, who awoke with surprised snorts. The quiet atmosphere swiftly filled with heated whispers.

  “I can’t believe this shit!” The angry words erupted from somewhere at the back of the bus. The voice, deep and abrasive, sent shivers down Evie’s spine. She recognized the hate-filled tone. It belonged to Tony Walters, one of Dominick’s goons.

  Dominick Townsend, the perpetual thorn in Evie’s side, was a favored lieutenant and beloved by all in the camp. He knew it and used it to his advantage. He was a bully like her father, and when she was forced to date him, she made it obvious she wasn’t interested in him as a romantic partner.

  Since then, he’d taken it upon himself to torture Evie whenever he found the chance. Unfortunately, since he was twenty-three, he received the same punishment as her. Luckily, he’d laid low since boarding Bertha, not bothering Evie.

  “What kind of mind fuck is this, huh?” another voice Evie didn’t recognize whisper-yelled. “Do they really think we’ll believe any bullshit they try to shove down our throats? They’re monsters, the whole lot of them.”

  “Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe they aren’t so bad.” This time, the masculine tone came from right behind Evie.

  “Shut the fuck up, Max! Do you want to be labeled as a conspirator like the bitch in front of you?” Vitriol spewed from Dominick’s mouth.

  Evie snickered. Guess he couldn’t keep quiet for long. At the sound, Quincy Martinez, who sat in front of her, turned around to glare.

  The whispers started up around her once more. With her repeated attempts to thwart her father’s order to become a mentor, they assumed she would have something to gain by turning to the enemy. But like everyone else, Evie was in the dark. She didn’t know how the Surmata found them. If there was a collaborator, it wasn’t her.

  “I’ve heard the Surmata take human women as lovers, using them and then discarding their bodies in mass graves.” Evie caught the fearful comment coming from the back of the bus.

  One of the guards gave a quiet snort. He stood toward the front of the bus and overheard the woman’s comment. Evie smiled in agreement; she also doubted the woman’s story.

  “What are you grinning about, you traitorous bitch? You sold out your own father! We’re in this situation because of you!” Before she could dodge, Quincy reached over the back of his seat and smacked Evie hard.

  Her head bounced off the window with a thunk. Pain exploded in her skull. She leaned forward, a hand to her temple, and watched the man in front of her as she waited for the next hit.

  An arm appeared in her field of vision, fisted in Quincy’s collar, and dragged him from his seat, lifting him into the air until his head hit the roof of the bus and holding him suspended.

  The guard snarled up at Quincy, his voice laced with contempt. “You don’t fucking touch her again. If you do, I will personally rip your arms out of their sockets and feed them to you. Understood?”

  Quincy nodded frantically before sputtering an apology, “Yes, sorry. I understand. I won’t touch her again.”

  The guard growled a warning to emphasize his point before he tossed Quincy back into his seat, where he stayed slumped out of sight. When the guard turned his gaze on her, his dark-brown mahogany eyes softened, giving his face a less harsh appearance. He gave her a quick nod as if telling her she would be protected. She dipped her head in acceptance, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

  No one had ever stepped in to physically protect her before.

  Chapter Two

  Storm clouds formed off to the west, and the mid-day sky darkened, giving the appearance of night falling early. In mid-September, the sun set well after seven. According to Evie’s watch, it was barely four in the afternoon.

  Bertha made an ugly racket as it screeched to a halt in front of a pair of beautifully arched gates. Intrigued, Evie leaned her cheek against the windowpane for a better view.

  The solid iron doors of the gate rose at least thirty feet into the air. Ornate details carved into the metal, the intricacies impossible to make out from where Evie sat. Red-brick walls extended out on either side to run perpendicular to the road until they disappeared from sight.

  Located in the Smokey Mountains, the Suoja Guild was snuggled away in the middle of nowhere. Henley, the only town within walking distance, was small, a village really, with a population of a few hundred people. The closest city to the school would be an hour away by car.

  “Alright, everyone off,” the same guard from earlier spoke. Evident by the hard expression he wore, he expected an argument. “You walk from here. No vehicles are allowed on campus, except those utilized by the staff.”

  Surprisingly, everyone remained quiet, most too tired from the long journey to offer up any resistance, others too eager to escape the confines of the small bus to protest.

  “As you exit the bus, grab your bag from the undercarriage and form a single file line to the right of the gate.” With one last glance around, the guard turned and exited the bus.

  Evie anxiously watched the others around her gather up their belongings. Eagerness thrummed through her veins, making her impatient. Seated in the middle section of Bertha, she waited for those ahead of her to disembark.

  When the rows in front of her finally emptied, Evie gathered her backpack and walked off the bus. Stepping down onto the pavement, she breathed in the cool air, grateful to leave behind the stagnant odor of gasoline laced with sweat that permeated the bus during the long ride here.

  Evie walked over to the gate, dragging her collected suitcase behind her. The loud squeak of the wheels caused a nearby bird to take flight. Up close, she admired the smithery used to create the spiraling pieces of iron framing the doors. Detailed designs etched into the metal formed words written in Surmatatarian, which Evie couldn’t read. An intricate and detailed language, humans lacked the ability to comprehend the vernacular without a Surmata mentor. One needed precision and patience to learn even the most basic sentences, the complexity different from any other form of written la
nguage known to humans. Evie hoped for the opportunity to learn it now that she was enrolled at the university. She knew a few common phrases, but would love to expand her knowledge.

  No occupants remained on the bus. Everyone stood as ordered, but the gates remained closed. The guards made no move to escort them further onto the campus. Instead, they waited on something. Or someone.

  A crackling sound erupted from high above as lightning streaked across the blush-colored sky, serenaded by the loud boom of thunder rolling lazily in all directions around them. The wind picked up, whipping Evie’s hair about her face. She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and huddled underneath. The storm moved in fast. If they waited much longer, they would be caught out in it.

  Another noise sounded, coming from inside the gates. With bated breath, Evie turned to watch as the heavy iron doors swung open, revealing the sprawling campus. Her hungry eyes scanned the landscape. The campus boasted several thousand acres nestled back in the heavily forested area around Lake Lewis. The Guild prided themselves on their secrecy and offered the utmost protection and privacy to their students.

  The lawn was immaculate with luscious green grass groomed to a precise level. Its velvety texture called out, compelling Evie to lie down on it to enjoy the last of the summer’s heat. Almost autumn, the time would soon come for the leaves to transform from summer’s deep green to the oranges and purples of fall. Acorns lay heavy on the ground, ripe for squirrels to pick for their harvest in preparation for the harsh months of winter when food became scarce.

  Five large figures appeared on the path out of thin air, obstructing Evie’s view. Men dressed in dark clothing, arms folded across their chests, stood wordlessly observing their group. All over six feet tall with muscular builds, hoods covered their heads and shadows obscured their features. They looked like faceless specters, coming to behead their prey. But, they carried no visible weapons. They didn’t need them, their mere presence intimidating enough to make Evie want to flee in fear.

  As one, they uncrossed their arms and walked forward, their steps graceful. Silence descended around Evie as the group of humans fought the urge to bolt. These beings exhibited a lithe strut indicative of large cats that hunted in the jungle, lying low until ready to pounce. These men were the ultimate hunters.

  The Surmata had arrived on scene.

  After surveying the humans quietly, the largest of the new arrivals walked over to the soldiers. A gruff, “Thank you gentlemen, we have it from here,” sounded out.

  The guards nodded, giving a small salute, before making their way back to the bus. Bertha’s doors shut, and only a puff of exhaust remained as she drove off, stranding them in the middle of nowhere.

  “I am Soturi Jaxon.” The gruff voice spoke again, his face still indistinguishable. The shadows seemed to cloak the Surmata, protecting them from human sight. “I am head of security at the Guild.”

  Evie shivered and pulled her sweatshirt closer as the wind continued to pick up. Around her, the others clumped closer together for warmth.

  Disgust edged Soturi Jaxon’s next words, menace emanating from him. “You’re lucky. If it had been my call, the fucking lot of you wouldn’t be allowed to step foot on this campus.” The angry Surmata rolled his neck with a loud crack. “I will say this only one time. You have been given a second chance. Be grateful, and don’t fuck it up.” He moved a little closer, but stayed ensconced within the shadows. “One step out of line,” Evie visualized his lip curled with repugnance as he spoke, “and you deal with me and mine.”

  With this pronouncement, he turned his back on the group and waved to someone beyond the tree line, signaling them to come forward.

  Evie’s eyes tracked the Surmata male as he stepped a few feet away, turned back around, and leaned against a nearby tree trunk.

  Lightning cracked again as two golf carts appeared out of the distance, driving toward the group. The dust and gravel kicking up behind them gave evidence to how fast they moved. Debris sprayed Evie’s group as the carts came to a rest a few feet away.

  Decked out, both carts sat eight people comfortably, seven with the driver. The paint jobs on each cart were unique. The front cart, painted black, had red racing stripes running down the middle, over the roof and small hood. The second cart, painted lime green, featured a yellow smiley face on the grill. Below a pair of blood red eyes, blood dripped from the corner of the smiley face’s mouth.

  Two human men drove, their eye color non-descript, one with blue eyes, the other brown. Both were young, mid-twenties, with their hair cut military short.

  Surmata males could not pass for human; their eyes gave away their heritage. Human DNA offered sixteen different base eye color genes while Surmata DNA consisted of a hundred times more strands. The result: a spectrum of color completely unknown to man. With this array of color, the eyes of a Surmata shimmered vividly. Their irises shined from deep within, which made it impossible for them to hide, even with a pair of colored contacts.

  The man in the black and red cart spoke up, breaking the silence. “Welcome to the Suoja Guild. I am Lieutenant Kyle West. To my left is Petty Officer Patrick Smithson. We are human liaisons here on campus. We assist Soturi Jaxon when needed.”

  When the lieutenant smiled widely, slight crow’s feet crinkled at the corner of his eyes. Evie raised his estimated age up a few years.

  “Since this is a larger group than we anticipated, it will take at least three trips to escort everyone to the main building.” The lieutenant waved to those closest to him. “Gather your stuff and take a seat. We need to move fast if we are to have everyone inside before the storm fully arrives.”

  Evie tried to shake off the dread instilled by Soturi Jaxon’s words while she waited patiently for her turn. The contempt he showed for the small group of humans was palpable. It saturated the air around them with tension, bringing Evie’s earlier anxiety back full force. She couldn’t blame him. Known troublemakers made up her group.

  Biting her nails in agitation, Evie counted the minutes between claps of thunder until the carts crested the horizon, returning to pick up the final stragglers. She breathed a sigh of relief as she took a seat, hoisting her bag onto her lap and securing her suitcase by her legs.

  Soturi Jaxon and his four guards faded back into the forest as the last passenger stepped onto the transport. With a few seats empty, Evie half hoped they would insist on riding back with them. For some unknown reason, her heart dropped when they didn’t join them in the cart.

  The drive to the center of campus took time. They bumped along the small gravel path at a slower pace, but once the cart hit asphalt, Petty Officer Smithson stepped on the gas. Within minutes they arrived at a long, circular driveway leading up to the main admissions building. Smithson stopped long enough to drop off his passengers.

  “Head straight up the stairs. Now is not the time to try to escape. You might not see the Surmata, but they are monitoring your every move!” he shouted before he continued on down the driveway.

  The building in front of Evie loomed large, three stories high with a red-brick exterior. Light gray stones surrounded the large entrance. The same stones created the wide steps, ten high, reaching out about twenty feet on either side of the doorway. Statues carved from granite lined the staircase, one on each end of every step, twenty in total.

  These stone soldiers were unlike anything Evie had seen before. Their heads bowed, eyes closed to give the illusion of submission. The visible features of their face were animalistic with broad foreheads and fanged teeth bared in anger, an ominous final warning to those who entered. Wings crested over their shoulders and ended at a point below the knees. Clothing indicative of ancient Spartan soldiers covered their muscular bodies. With no weapons visible to the eye, they stood sentry over the inhabitants housed within the brick structure.

  Realizing she stood gaping while the others moved on, Evie struggled with her heavy suitcase as she walked up the steps. The back spinner on her bag kept s
ticking, making it hard to maneuver. She jerked it forward a few times in frustration before the wheel’s lock released, allowing it to roll.

  Huffing in annoyance, Evie stopped on the top step to catch her breath. Stalling for time as the others moved toward one of the doors, she examined the symbols carved into the stone walls. Delicately etched into the rock, the runes were written in the same language as the front gate, unreadable to Evie.

  ‘Suojelu Kilta’

  Translated into English, it meant ‘The Protection Guild’. But over time, human students bastardized it to read ‘The Suoja Guild’. Evie had discovered this fact when she researched the campus three years ago.

  In layman’s terms, the Surmata race, was the supernatural police force. They protected humans against demons and other supernatural forces. Not gifted in magic, the typical person could not identify a threat posed to them until it was too late. Even if they were somehow forewarned, they lacked the physical ability to fight against the monsters arising from within the dark. Not only could the Surmata battle and defeat them, they had the ability to send the demons back to hell before they caused more havoc.

  The door closed behind the last of the group as they walked inside the building ahead of Evie, not interested in the beautiful architecture of the building nor the quiet strength vibrating from within the stone. Evie shook her head in disgust as she wheeled her suitcase forward and reached to open the heavy black iron doors leading inside the old building. They swung open with ease, catching Evie off guard when she applied too much pressure.

  She stumbled, almost falling to her knees.

  Righting herself, Evie craned her neck from side to side, trying to take in everything as she stepped into the large foyer. On the left, a fire smoldered in a large, quartz-covered hearth built into the center of a mammoth sitting area. Overstuffed gray couches, three in all, sat around the room. Mounted on the wall, a large, flat-screen television hung over assorted video game equipment scattered around a large console. The far wall held a large bookcase filled with books, some hardback, but mostly paperbacks.