\u201cVery good. You are quick learners,\u201d Ward nodded. \u201cKian O'Braonain, your clan was one of the greatest Hunters in all the world many hundreds of years ago. All Vampires feared the silver swords of the O\u2019Braonains.\u201d Turning to Aaron, he continued, \u201cAnd the McReynolds clan comes from the descendants of the great Guardian Leaders. Not only that, your mother\u2019s clan, the O\u2019Riordans, were also highly skilled Guardians. With the blood of both of these clans coursing through your veins, you are sure to become one of the strongest Guardians of all time.\u201d
Both men were still having trouble accepting the information. Aaron looked at Kian and only shook his head. His friend, a stunned look in his eyes, finally asked, \u201cMay I have some water?\u201d
With a smile, Ward stood and crossed to a cabinet where he produced two glasses and filled them with water from a pitcher sitting on the counter before he took his chair.
They thanked him for the water, and Aaron took a sip as Kian downed his. He wondered if he\u2019d actually wanted to ask for something stronger.
\u201cThis is all a lot to take in,\u201d Aaron admitted.
\u201cI understand,\u201d Ward nodded. \u201cPlease, take your time. Ask as many questions as you\u2019d like.\u201d
\u201cAnd are you a Guardian or a Hunter?\u201d Kian asked, the water apparently helping him regain some of his composure.
\u201cI am a Guardian,\u201d Ward assured him. \u201cMy name is Ward Bernard. My father was a Frenchman, my mother English, thus the hybrid name.\u201d
\u201cDoesn\u2019t Ward mean guardian?\u201d Aaron asked.
\u201cYou are exceptionally bright, Mr. McReynolds,\u201d Ward replied with a smile.
\u201cSo\u2026 what does this mean?\u201d Kian asked, leaning back in his chair. \u201cSo\u2026 I\u2019m a Hunter now? I have to go out and kill Vampires?\u201d
\u201cYou do not have to do anything,\u201d Ward replied with a shrug. \u201cBut now that the Transformation process has begun, you will not be able to stop it. The coding within your blood has begun to change. Soon enough, you will be stronger, faster, all the time, like you were yesterday while you were being pursued. There is no stopping it now.\u201d
\u201cHow do you know about that?\u201d Aaron asked. He knew that there was no one else around. He would have seen.
\u201cWe have our methods,\u201d Ward shrugged. \u201cThere are not many of our group still here in Killarney, but there are a few. Also, we have a few Vampires on our side. We can listen to them from time to time. I learned of your situation from these sources. We are at a disadvantage because the Vampires can use their minds to communicate, sending messages back and forth through their thoughts.\u201d
Both of them gaped at each other again. \u201cThey can read each other\u2019s minds?\u201d Kian asked.
\u201cYes, and intentionally communicate. It makes our job harder, as we are not able to do that. Not to my knowledge anyway. Many of us do have other talents, special talents, but nothing of that nature.\u201d
\u201cLike what?\u201d Kian inquired.
\u201cWe have Healers who can touch a wounded individual and correct the injury. We have Sirens who can use their beguiling skills to influence the action of others. We have Manipulators and Emotional Feelers as well. There are others.\u201d
\u201cDo you have a special talent?\u201d Aaron asked.
Ward smiled. \u201cYes,\u201d he said, and left it at that.
For some reason, Aaron did not feel the need to ask more. \u201cSo, we will continue to go through this\u2026 Transformation process?\u201d
\u201cYes.\u201d
\u201cAnd then what?\u201d Kian asked.
\u201cIt is up to you. You may join us if you like. You could choose to stay here and protect the villagers from evil. You can do nothing at all, but Aaron you must know you are now immortal. The only thing that can kill you is a Hunter. And Kian, a Vampire can kill you, though it will be difficult. That is why you need a Guardian to keep you safe; a Vampire cannot kill a Guardian.\u201d
As Aaron attempted to process what he had just heard\u2014that he could not die except for at the hand of a Hunter\u2014Kian asked, \u201cAnd how long might I live?\u201d
\u201cIt is possible for you to live several hundred years,\u201d Ward explained. \u201cBut unlike a Guardian, a Hunter will die eventually, of natural causes, if a Vampire never takes his life.\u201d
There was silence in the room for a moment before Kian slid his chair back. \u201cWell, Mr. Bernard, I appreciate your time and lengthy explanation, but I believe that\u2019s about all I can handle for one day.\u201d
Agreeing, Aaron also pushed is chair back and the pair of them stood. Extending his hand, Aaron said, \u201cThank you for your time.\u201d
Ward shook Aaron\u2019s hand and then took Kian\u2019s. \u201cShould you have any questions, I will be around. I must tell you, I am off now to try and find some answers for this potato famine.\u201d
\u201cIt\u2019s not a famine,\u201d Kian interjected. \u201cIt\u2019s only one failed crop.\u201d
Dismissing his comment, Ward continued as if his thought was never interrupted. \u201cWhat I said in the tavern yesterday I believe to be true. The only way to get the English to truly step in and begin to help the Irish is to convince them that killing off the Irish will only draw the Vampires further into England, not kill the Vampires, too. They will find a food source.\u201d
\u201cAre there no Vampires in England?\u201d Aaron asked.
\u201cOh, no. They are there. But in England\u2014as in the rest of the world\u2014there is a balance. The Vampires are not allowed to roam unchecked as they are here.\u201d
\u201cAnd what of our families,\u201d Kian asked, his hand on the door. \u201cCould they go through this Transformation process as well and be saved?\u201d
\u201cOnly those below the age of twenty-one. Once they\u2019ve reached that age, there is no going back,\u201d Ward explained. Then, as if reading their minds, he added, \u201cAnd I\u2019m afraid neither of your wives are members of the Ternion, so there is no way that they can be changed.\u201d
Aaron was disappointed to hear that answer. He was hopeful that he could help Aislyn go through the Transformation process so that he would no longer have to worry about her safety. At least, he was relieved that he could keep her safe for certain now.
\u201cSilver is the key,\u201d Ward offered, as they walked out the door. \u201cSilver and holy water will often end them quickly, although, as you found yesterday, sometimes your bare hands or whatever you can find can also work. Tearing the heads off, obviously, is an injury they cannot recover from.\u201d
Still stunned, both men nodded, and waving goodbye, made their way back the way they had come, wondering what world they had just stepped into.
On their way back home, they heard a commotion coming from one of the nearby houses. A woman was wailing inside while a crowd stood about outside. Thinking they might be able to use their newfound powers to help, Aaron and Kian rushed over. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Kian asked an older woman who was standing near the door.
\u201cThe widow Smith has just discovered her three girls, feasting on their grandmother in the backyard,\u201d the woman replied in a hushed voice. \u201cIt\u2019s too much for the dearie to take.\u201d
Aaron looked at Kian, whose eyes were as large as he imagined his must be. \u201cThree girls?\u201d Kian repeated. \u201cThree little girls with curly red hair, no more than three, five, and eight?\u201d
\u201cYes, that\u2019s them,\u201d she nodded. \u201cAll three of them must\u2019ve been turned last night as their mother slept, and now they\u2019ve disappeared into the woods, just as giggling and happy as could be, blood streamin\u2019 down their chins. Not only is she mournin\u2019 her husband who died last year, but she\u2019s lost her mother, her youngin\u2019s, and now she fears they will return and have a go at her.\u201d
\u201cPoor soul,\u201d Aaron muttered as Kian thanked the woman and they walked away.
\u201cThis must\u2019ve been done out of retaliation,\u201d Kian whispered as they made their way back to the road. \u201cWard said they could read minds. Those two blokes we ran off yesterday must have let the others know the girls had gotten away.\u201d
Aaron nodded. \u201cPerhaps we should go look for them.\u201d
\u201cLook for them?\u201d Kian echoed. \u201cAnd do what? I don\u2019t know about you, Aaron, but I\u2019m not sure I quite believe everything that Mr. Bernard had to say back there. What if he is wrong and there is no Transformation? What if we were just lucky bastards yesterday? I am not about to go running off into the woods to chase down three little banshees when I\u2019m not sure I am capable of killing any of them.\u201d
He had a point, Aaron was certain of that. And then there was the fact that Aaron couldn\u2019t imagine destroying the three little girls he\u2019d worked so hard to save the day before. \u201cMaybe they\u2019ll run off now and leave the villagers alone.\u201d
\u201cMaybe,\u201d Kian nodded.
\u201cOr maybe, if what Ward said was true, we will continue to feel this power coursing through our blood, and in a day or two we will be able to face them without fear,\u201d Aaron continued.
\u201cPerhaps,\u201d Kian agreed. \u201cI wish I had thought to ask what this Transformation process feels like,\u201d he added. \u201cMy legs have been a bit sore today.\u201d
\u201cMine, too,\u201d Aaron said. \u201cI hope it\u2019s not awfully painful.\u201d
\u201cSurely not,\u201d Kian replied. \u201cHe would have told us if it were going to get worse, wouldn\u2019t he?\u201d
\u201cI\u2019d like to think so, but then that Ward seems like a man of many secrets,\u201d Aaron responded.
\u201cTrue. But I don\u2019t think it will be that painful,\u201d Kian assured him as they continued on their way back to their farms.
Aaron prayed he was right. A little pain he could easily handle, but if this was going to be excruciating, he may as well have just let the Dark Ones have him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cVery good. You are quick learners,\u201d Ward nodded. \u201cKian O'Braonain, your clan was one of the greatest Hunters in all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shadows-bargain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}