In both the Glitch saga and Distant Horizon series, we see the mention of “time stones,” strange artifacts protected by a mythological guardian. While they’re only researched in Glitch, (and used as bait to lure the rebels into a trap), Jenna and the Coalition of Freedom, a ragtag team of rebels, are a bit more adventurous with these things in Distant Horizon. They have a hands-on experience with a time stone in the first book, and continue to deal with these stones in Fractured Skies.
Here’s a peek at their introduction to one of the guardians in Fractured Skies:
(SPOILER WARNING! – There are two characters present here who aren’t introduced until the beginning of Fractured Skies, so if you don’t want to know who is involved in this scene from later in the book, you may want to skip the quote block).
I grabbed the radio from my pocket. “Inese? Where are—”
A portal appeared in front of us with Inese, Dad, and Lance tumbling through. The portal closed and Inese—with the stone—skidded to a halt, staring at the statues. “Here, too?” Her eyes widened. She clutched the stone to the black body armor of her chest with one hand, her pistol in the other.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Lance,” Inese snapped, “portal to the car, now!”
“Sure thing.” Lance wiped perspiration from his forehead as another portal swirled in front
of us. “Let’s go before that mummy comes back.”“Mummy?” Lily yipped. “The mummies are alive, too?”
“They’re not exactly living,” Lance muttered.
“They’re spirits,” Dad clarified, breathing hard. Dark purple rings colored the underside of his eyes. Inese disappeared through the portal. The rest of us followed them to the museum roof. Dust swirled around us, revealing the location of the car in faint, shifting sand. I yanked the edge of my turtleneck shirt over my nose. Inese slammed the driver’s door shut behind her and the car went visible. I hopped in. Lily dived in behind me and yanked the door shut. Outside, trees bent against the wind, leaves whipping across the roof as the sky turned a deep, rouge red. Dark yellow dust clouds rolled in the sky, crackling with electricity.
“Inese…” Dad pointed into the distance. “That’s not a statue.”
Bright, white light traced the outline of a giant lion with the face of a man. It stepped through the cityscape, purple lightning wrapping around it and flaring in bright streaks. Lily’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Lance shook his head. “After the mummies, nope. Not kidding.”
A deep, resounding voice pounded through my head, overriding my thoughts.
Return the stone.
I froze, my hands clenched on the edge of the seat. The voice of the guardian echoed in my head. A thick blanket of dark sand blasted the windows, obscuring the sphinx.
As seen here, one of the guardians has the appearance of a sphinx. Each one references a different mythology, and each one has a different set of powers:
- Guatemala – Jaguar shapeshifter with power stealing
- Japan – Asian dragon with water powers
- Egypt – Sphinx with radiation and electricity powers
- Peru – A puma earth elemental with radiation powers
- India – A representation of Durga with healing powers, riding a lion mount
They all tend to be protective of their stones. They’re also extremely powerful spirits… making them difficult to steal from.
Not impossible, but not without cost.
And then trying to keep those stones is another story entirely…
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See the interaction of the team with some of these guardians in the Distant Horizon series!
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Happy reading and writing!
Stephanie Flint - Author and Artist 