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      Defy Not the Heart

      The Guardian Heart Crystal Series Book 2

      Amy Blankenship

      Copyright © 2006 Amy Blankenship

      English Edition Published by Amy Blankenship

      Second Edition Published by TekTime

      All rights reserved.

      The Legend of the Heart of Time

      The worlds may change… but true legends never fade.

      Darkness and light have constantly battled since the beginning of time. Worlds are formed and crushed beneath the feet of their creators, yet the ongoing need for good and evil have never been in question. However, sometimes a new element is thrown into the mix… the one thing that both sides want but only one can have.

      Paradoxical in nature, the Guardian Heart Crystal is the one constant that both sides have always striven to attain. The crystalline stone has the power to create and destroy the known universe, yet can end all suffering and strife in the same breath. Some say the crystal has a mind of its own… others say the gods are behind it all.

      Each time the crystal has appeared, its guardians have always been ready to defend it from all who would use it selfishly. The identities of these guardians remain unchanged and they love with the same ferocity regardless of the world or time.

      One girl stands in the center of these ancient guardians and is the object of their affections. She holds within her the power of the crystal itself. This is the bearer of the crystal and the source of its power. The lines often blur, and guarding the crystal slowly changes into guarding the priestess from the other guardians.

      This is the wine from which the heart of darkness drinks. It is the opportunity to make the guardians of the crystal weak and susceptible to attack. The darkness craves the power of the crystal and also the girl as a man would crave a woman.

      Within every one of these dimensions and realities, you will find a secret garden known as the Heart of Time. There, a statue of a young human priestess kneels. She is surrounded by an age-old magic that keeps her secret treasure hidden and well preserved. The maiden’s hands are outstretched as if waiting for something precious to be placed in them.

      Legend says that she is waiting for the powerful stone known as The Guardian Heart Crystal to return to her.

      Only the Guardians know of the true secrets behind the statue and how it came into existence. Before the five brothers drew their first breath their ancestors, Tadamichi, and his twin brother, Hyakuhei, protected the heart of time during its darkest history. For several eras, the twins protected the seal that kept the human world from overlapping within the demon realm. This task was sacred and the lives of the humans as well as demons had to be kept safe and secret from the other.

      Unexpectedly, during their reign, a small band of humans accidentally crossed over into the demon world because of the sacred crystal. During a time of turmoil, its powers caused a rip in the seal that had separated the dimensions. Seeing the dangers, the leader of the human group and Tadamichi had quickly become allies, making a pact to close the rip in the seal and keep the two worlds locked away from each other forever.

      But during that time, Hyakuhei and Tadamichi had both fallen in love with the daughter of the human leader.

      Against Hyakuhei’s wishes, the rip had been repaired by Tadamichi and the girl’s father. The strength of the seal had been increased tenfold, separating the dangerous love triangle forever. Hyakuhei’s heart was shattered… Even his own blood brother, Tadamichi had betrayed him by making sure he and the priestess were separated by eternity.

      Love can turn into the most wicked of things once it is lost. Hyakuhei’s broken heart turned to malicious anger and jealousy causing a battle between the twin brothers, ending Tadamichi’s life and splitting their immortal souls. Those slivers of immortality created five new guardians to take guardianship over the seal and protect it from Hyakuhei, who had joined the demons within the evil realm.

      Imprisoned within the darkness he had become, Hyakuhei cast out all thought of protecting the heart of time… instead, he turned his energy toward banishing the seal completely. His long midnight locks, reaching past his knees and a face belonging only to the most seductive, belied the true evil hidden within his angelic appearance.

      As the war begins between the forces of light and dark, a blinding blue light is emitted from the sanctified statue signaling that the young priestess has been reborn and the crystal has resurfaced on the other side.

      As the guardians are drawn to her and become her protectors, the battle between good and evil truly begins. Hence the entrance into another world where darkness is dominant within the world of light.

      This is one of their many epic adventures…

      Chapter 1 "Secret Love"

      Hyakuhei stood gazing at the heart of time knowing the priestess was still on the other side, in her world. His midnight hair flowed down his body like a dark shroud as his wings opened wide, creating a breeze across the soft grass. His perfect lips curved slightly into a knowing smile. A tainted glow formed across the ground surrounding the shrine, giving it an eerie appearance.

      As if pulled by some unknown force, he glided closer to the maiden statue that stood with hands outstretched, as if asking him for something. His eyes became soft for only a moment, in memory of the young priestess the statue mimicked. So the guardians thought they could combine their powers and keep her from him?

      With one angry wave of his hand, the glowing grass seemed to hiss as it shimmered with an ominous aura, and then hid the deception of the spell deep within its blades.

      *****

      "Damn it! Where the hell is Kyoko? She was supposed to have been back hours ago," Toya growled for the tenth time in the last thirty minutes. He ran an agitated hand through the silver highlights that mingled with his midnight hair as he looked out the open window in the direction of the shrine. Facing where no one could see, he let worry slip into his golden gaze.

      Suki looked up from polishing her bayonet, one eyebrow twitching. "Toya, Kyoko is obviously not coming back tonight. Something must’ve come up so just give it up and give us a break." She turned back to Kamui who was sitting beside her, "Gees, does he ever shut up?"

      Kamui smiled knowing better than to say anything out loud. His stardust eyes hid the truth behind Toya’s complaining. Being the youngest guardian didn’t make him naive. In human years, he was ageless, as was his brothers. He knew Toya only acted mad to cover up the fact that he was worried. Even he was starting to get worried. It wasn’t like Kyoko to keep them waiting. The purple highlights in Kamui’s hair shimmered as he raised his face to the window seeing the darkened sky.

      "Kyoko had better be back in the morning, or I swear I'll go into her world and drag her back myself." Toya continued pacing. He couldn't stand it when Kyoko was away for this long. It had been days now, and he was getting angrier by the minute… and worried. "Stupid girl," he clamped his mouth shut again when Suki cocked a warning eyebrow at him.

      Shinbe's tall silent form stood against the wall where he’d been for the last hour. His bluish-gray trench coat gave a slight twitch with an agitated movement that he tried to hide. He’d had enough of Toya's rant about Kyoko being late. His amethyst eyes closed in an attempt to keep himself from telling Toya to simply shut up. Knowing Toya probably wouldn't let anyone have any peace until Kyoko returned, Shinbe bit his tongue to keep from making his brother’s temper worse.

      The amethyst guardian tried to stay tranquil as always by meditating, following his monk-like teachings. The truth was his nerves were so raw that at the moment, even meditating wasn’t working. Right now, Shinbe felt like he could strangle Toya and still smile about it while doing so. The plains of his calm face tightened and he lowered his head so his midnight blue hair would hide the evidence.

      When Toya and the others started getting

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