The Guardians and the POE

ut maybe we should get a cab to go to the

We can put it in our backpacks and take our time getting there. If we walk fast, we can make it there in three hours. The truth is I thought it would

probably need them for some of our other jour

t of town and into the country. We were already on the north side of town and the birds were calling out their morning songs. The smell of freshly mown hay was hanging in the air. By mid

l live there, and we can ask permission to go in. We c

ther ask permissio

n. Another ten-minute walk took us down a rocky road that opened up to what used to be a parking area. A crag of rocks marked the entrance

have some kind of locked g

ey wouldn't have listed it as a place to meet a Gu

d out." We ducked under the ch

ps echoed against the walls as we slowly ent

flected the light making it sparkle as we moved inward. The cave had crystals jutting up from the floor and others coming down from

ned the flashlight up around the walls of the cave and on the ceiling.

rk recesses of the room. I jumped out of my skin. The Guardian walked slowly into our mids

, "Yes sir," We b

clues written on it. "The word I wan

r clue, don't

hopeles

friendl

ers you'

rates t

of their ne

ess to you, so yo

dullness will s

wledge with this

g down the clues. "I have to see it to figure it out.

'd never have thoug

clues. "Some of the words in the clue are on our list, so it's probably safe to rule those out. That eliminates discovery, hopel

pelessness. Which one of the words would fit

s richest, composer, musician, and enco

He leaned over and wrote th

showed the word

scroll with a new destination and seven more words to learn. Underneath the word

ed a sigh

foil your efforts, distract you, or keep you from reaching your destinations. Be on the lookout.

e headed out of the cave and

ails," said Bruce. "Nothing like high

the library so we could look up the new words. The new words were still so simple. The next batch had only seven words. They were expen

McDonald's eating supper. "I am not sure what this is suppo

hem all; so, it stands to reason it's some kind of letter or

hink of our ne

? They're equally unremarkable; expensive, governor, impression, independence, submarine, transportation, unfinished. All words we know for the most part. I don't know what is importan

the Guardians and get quizzed without POE ge

nothing's happene