Guardian of the Kunlun Mountains

By Morgan J. Manns

Fear constricted Tara’s throat and sent her heart racing as the plane’s turbulence intensified. Passengers gasped and objects rattled in the overhead bins.

Ironic that she would die here, thrown into the very mountain peaks she had spent her entire graduate thesis studying.

“Why me?” She swallowed as more turbulence rocked her.

After spending the latter half of her twenties sacrificing her social life, Tara finally uncovered the Kunlun Mountains’ secrets. Now she was going to die before she could present her findings at the Scholar’s Conference in Tibet.

A stranger’s calm voice offered words of comfort through the turmoil. “Don’t worry, I’ve been through worse.”

She spared a glance at the man beside her. “How can you be so relaxed? We’re crash—” Another large bump jolted her, hitting her head against the window’s edge. “Agh!” Wincing, stars floated around her vision as she gingerly pressed her hand against the swelling bruise.

Her pain became secondary as sudden weightlessness took over the plane. Alarms blared, and oxygen masks dropped from overhead. Her body was wrenched sideways, this time toward the man beside her. The plane banked, careening its screaming passengers toward those jagged mountain peaks.

“What if I told you that you didn’t have to die today?”

Tara looked sideways at the man, his face only inches from hers. He absent-mindedly thumbed through a book. Even through the turmoil, she saw he was beautiful. The very definition of tall, dark, and handsome. Yet, something told her he was more dangerous than his perfectly groomed appearance suggested.

Breathless, she gasped for words. “What… What do you mean?”

“Make a deal with me, and I’ll save you and this plane.” He brought his thumb to his lips, grazing it with the tip of his tongue, then flipped another page.

Silence. Blessed silence.

Echoes of alarms and screams faded from Tara’s memory. It was only a dream.

She didn’t open her eyes just yet. The plane hadn’t even landed; her research presentation was still hours away. She could sleep a while longer.

A grin spread across Tara’s face as she drifted back to sleep. The hope she would give back to society with her findings would be groundbreaking.

For years, she’d poured over court reports, interviewed inmates, and stuck her nose where it “didn’t belong.” But it was worth it. The world’s worst criminals were disappearing, and she had uncovered to where. They were hiding somewhere in the Kunlun Mountains.

Instinctively, she turned her head to get more comfortable. But instead of finding the soft leather headrest, she found… grass?

Startled, she opened her eyes. A pagoda tree towered overhead, spreading dappled shade across the hillside. “What in the world?” Beyond the tree, a plane passed across the clear blue sky, trailing a jet stream in its wake.

Was this another dream?

Sitting up, Tara hugged her knees to her chest. Lush, flowered hedges surrounded her, framed by peaked mountaintops. Somewhere a bird chirruped softly.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

Feeling like hunted prey, she whipped around to confront the dark-haired man from the plane. He looked down at her, his expression unreadable.

The crisp black suit over his strong frame looked vastly out of place among the blooming carpet of flowers, trimmed hedges, and manicured trees—a thorn among the roses. He exuded otherworldliness in a way Tara couldn’t describe.

“What do you want?” her voice quivered.

“For you to honor your end of the bargain.” He leaned casually against the pagoda tree, pinning her beneath his amber gaze. “How is your head?”

She reached up, remembering the bump she had garnered from the turbulence. She gasped, there was no sign of the tender bruise as if it never existed. “How…?”

“The benefits of this garden. Anyone who enters this space feels the healing qualities it possesses. Lucky for you.”

Perhaps she was dreaming. This didn’t feel real. “How did we get here? The last thing I remember was falling to my death.”

“I may have intensified the turbulence to persuade you to come with me. Don’t worry, everyone else is safe.” He gestured to the plane flying high above them, now almost out of sight.

“Where did you take me?” Her questions felt endless.

“As a Guardian, I have special… abilities.” He paused, letting her absorb the words. “I’ve taken us deep into the Kunlun Mountains, footsteps into the place you’re trying to uncover.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “There is no way this is real.”

“But it is real.” He took a step toward her.

She flinched away.

“Exposure threatens our very existence, Tara.”

He knows my name. A river of ice slid down her spine.

“I brought you here hoping to change your mind about presenting your findings publicly. Guardians like me exist to keep the… unwanted safe.”

“Convince me then,” she challenged. “Convince me this isn’t some trick.”

“I’d be happy to.” He grinned, flashing perfect teeth. “Here’s what I propose. For your end of the bargain, come into the mountain. Stay for three days, consider changing your thesis, and I’ll send you back in time for your conference.”

Her mouth went dry. Go with this man into the place she had based her entire graduate thesis on or try to scramble down a desolate mountain in sneakers. Not much of a choice.

“Why invite me in if you want it to remain secret?” Why would a so-called guardian want her intruding?

“Although your research led you here, you have no idea what you’re exposing.” He reached out to help her stand. “Let me show you what this place really is.”

Tara sucked in a breath and cautiously grasped his offered hand, rising to her feet.

Three days. If she could survive three days, she could present her findings.

Deadly criminals, mysterious mountains, and cryptic guardians. She swallowed. What’s the worst that could happen?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Morgan Manns resides beneath the endless skies of the Canadian prairies. Living in a quirky, five-level split home overflowing with books and nestled on a twenty-acre plot of land, she’s surrounded by writing inspiration at every turn. With a deep passion for the outdoors, she embarks on explorations of the world’s beauty alongside her husband and two young children. Specializing in speculative fiction and mysterious themes, Morgan weaves captivating tales during the tranquil hours after her household settles into slumber.

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