by Wendy Owens
Just a week ago he knew his plight in life, he was an orphan that nobody wanted, unlucky and doomed to go through life alone. It wasn’t much of a life, but it was his, and he understood it. Now he had come to Rampart Manor, met all these amazing people and they seemed to really care for him. The thought of this possible new family being ripped from him was too much. The loss of his parents had nearly destroyed him. Here he was developing relationships that could bring him the same pain if he lost them. He was frustrated he had let himself ignore his rule that he never to allow himself to grow close to anyone. It was not only for their sake, but for his as well.
Gabe could not ignore the truth that he had discovered amazing things about himself this week, abilities he never thought he could be capable of. He had met Sophie, a girl so beautiful she made his heart race every time she came near.
What was even more amazing was that she seemed to have feelings for him, as well. In just a week he could not say it was love, but he knew it was something exciting he wanted to explore more. He opened his eyes and tossed the seashells as hard as he could.
With his next step, Gabe heard a rustling in the tree line behind the beach. He looked over but saw nothing. As if by reflex, he instantly grabbed the stone around his neck and played with it for a moment. Still, he saw nothing and heard nothing so he meandered on down the beach.
Gabe regretted being so hard on Sophie back in his room. He hadn't even give her a chance to explain. Oh how he wished he had! He stopped on the beach. Looking out at the water, he decided he needed to go back and discuss things with her. He owed her that. Gabe turned back toward the manor. As he did, he felt terrible sharp pains in his stomach. He clutched at the pains while doubling over, then fell to his knees in agony. The initial wave of pain rolled away. Gabe realized his palms were sweaty. A tingle ran down his spine. He was filled once again with that all too familiar dread.
Knowing danger must be near, Gabe frantically searched for the source when he saw the trees rustling. Not just a couple bushes, but there was a length of about twenty yards where the trees and leaves were shaking as if there were an earthquake beneath them.
Gabe watched in horror, helpless to prevent what was coming for him. Just as suddenly as it began, the shaking of the leaves ceased. He continued to watch, still on his knees, moaning in pain as a single man emerged from the trees. The sweat on his brow dripped into his eyes. Using his sand covered hands, he did his best to wipe it away to try to see the man that approached him.
When at last the man reached the edge of the beach, he was able to make out the blurred figure through stinging eyes.
“Anthony,” he whispered, confused.
Gabe thought about his visions of Uri. He wished he had asked the Oracle more about him and what Uri was trying to tell him. Gabe felt ashamed that he had been so focused on finding out about his own future he hadn’t given anything else much thought.
“So, the great Gabe Harwood actually remembers me,” Anthony said with venom dripping from his tongue as he walked closer to Gabe, coming to stand directly in front of him.
“I saw you in Michael’s office, the night you were attacked,” Gabe said, his stomach still aching.
“Yes, attacked,” Anthony replied looking down at the sand. Gabe watched his eyebrows narrow.
“I don’t understand. What’s going on?” Gabe asked reaching a hand out to touch Anthony’s arm. But he pulled away before Gabe could touch him.
Anthony glared at Gabe and barked, “You’re so naïve, boy. You need to learn that everyone lies if it suits his or her needs. Even your precious Michael.”
“Anthony, I don’t understand. What are you …?” Gabe stopped, grabbing his abdomen tightly in an effort to comfort himself.
“Please, I wouldn’t say I was simply attacked, more like I was sent out to be slaughtered!” Anthony shouted.
“What?” Gabe moaned.
“Oh, Gabe, you of all people should know what I’m talking about,” Anthony said looking down into his eyes. “Come on, think about it. Michael sits in his comfortable chambers and commands the rest of us to put ourselves in danger, knowing full well he’s handing many of us a death sentence. He even asks you to lay your life down for his cause. In your case he didn’t even tell you the truth.” As the words spilled out of Anthony’s mouth, his lips curved into a sinister sneer.
“Michael told me it was my choice,” Gabe defended the man that until recently he was infuriated with.
“Some choice,” Anthony scoffed. “He tells you the salvation of the world is on your shoulders, but it’s all a lie.”
“What do you mean a lie?” Gabe asked, a huge part of him not even wanting Anthony to answer his question.
“There is no future,” Anthony explained. “Michael’s God has already said all will perish and the earth will eventually be turned over to the creatures of Hell. What’s the point?” Anthony said throwing his arms up at his surroundings. “We lay down our lives when no matter what we do the results are the same.”
“But why?” Gabe asked, confused, his hands now dripping with sweat.
“Because Michael is a self-righteous bastard who only cares about himself and his precious mission,” Anthony said, almost growling.
“But why be angry at Michael?” Gabe began, taking a ragged breath. “Mammon was the one who tried to kill you.”
“You really don’t get it, do you? What Mammon did was to finally help me see the truth I’d been blind to all this time. He offered me more than Michael ever did, a future free of fighting these pointless battles. Mammon offered me a chance to live out my days wealthy, happy, and free of Michael’s manipulation.” Anthony’s hands closed into tight fists as he spoke.
Gabe recalled that the Oracle had said Anthony was faced with a choice. “Anthony, please, I understand. I even considered going home after I discovered the truth, but Mammon is evil. You have to see that.”
“Oh, I’m seeing more clearly than ever, Gabe!” Anthony yelled. “Maybe you should think about where you stand. In the end, will your life mean anything? Just another pointless death in a long line of Michael’s martyrs?”
“Even if you don’t agree with him, you can’t want to help Mammon hurt people!” Gabe pleaded.
Anthony was clearly agitated by their conversation as he began to shift in the sand. “I loved Michael like a brother and he sent me to my death without a second thought. Don’t talk to me about hurting innocent people. Everyone here is already damned,” Anthony said as he lifted his hand in the air. Gabe watched as the leaves started to shake again.
The sharp pains in Gabe’s stomach began to overwhelm him. When he finally managed to look up, what he saw was much worse than anything he had imagined.
All along the tree lines were figures, contorted, twisted, gray creatures crawling toward him. Their bodies looked like a thin layer of muscle and skin had been stretched over skeletons. Some of them he could see inside their rib cages. Their eyes were hollowed out and there were simply black pits inside.
Gabe had never seen anything like it. As they continued coming toward him, more emerged from the trees who were riding on the backs of enormous black beasts covered in scales with heads that resembled rhinoceros’s. They looked like oversized lizards, larger than the largest horse he had ever seen. They flicked their tongues as they walked. Gabe shivered in disgust at the sight of them.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m creating my own destiny, something you should think about doing for yourself,” Anthony replied.
“Mammon is the Prince of Greed, he’s just manipulating you. Please, don’t do this,” Gabe begged.
“Mammon makes no pretenses about his agenda; at least I know who I’m getting in bed with. It’s Michael and all his fairy tales that’s the real manipulation,” Anthony spat. “Come forth, Master.”
Listening to the words leave Anthony’s mouth Gabe could feel his breathing stop. He looked over at the tree line in horror—a towering figure emer
ged. Gabe squinted as the monstrosity came closer. The beast had a gigantic body that had a similar appearance to a man. Its chest was broad and covered with more muscles than Gabe thought possible for one creature to possess. He looked up at the creature’s head and for a moment thought it may be that of a man. As it came closer, though, he realized its face was more wolf-like, a mane of salt and pepper hair flowed behind it.
“Gabe, it’s time for you to meet Mammon,” Anthony bellowed.
As the creature bounded across the grassy clearing, the earth shook. Gabe thought of Michael and wished he were there. Michael would know what to do. Without thinking he grabbed the stone around his neck, closed his eyes in fear and as Michael’s face flashed in his mind muttered what he assumed would be his last words, “Oh, God.”
A huge wind began to blow in off the water and eerie grey clouds gathered, swirling over the beach. There was a rumbling in the heavens as though the skies were angry and were about to spit all of their rage onto the earth. Fear overwhelmed Gabe as he realized he was repeatedly mumbling, “Oh God, Oh God, Oh God,” while holding onto the stone, running it intensely between his fingertips. Without warning, a huge bolt of lightning came down from the sky and hit the beach only a few feet away. Gabe flinched from the sparks that were flying behind him.
After they cleared, he looked over to where the lightning had struck. The sand was beginning to swirl into a cyclone and he feared what else was about to be unleashed upon him. He tucked himself into a fetal position and began counting madly in his head. “One, two, three, four ...” With his eyes closed tightly his counting turned into praying, something unfamiliar to Gabe.
Behind him, he heard a voice cry out in a bold tone “Pius Perculsus!” followed by a huge crash, as if something large had hit the earth with great force. The ground beneath Gabe began to shake violently as he felt a powerful wave of energy hit his back and push him further into the sand.
“No, it can’t be!” Gabe heard Anthony cry out as the sounds of a stampede on the beach filled his ears. Finally Gabe managed to pull his head up and through squinted eyes he saw the twisted demonic figures and their master bounding toward him at full speed, Mammon leading the charge.
Gabe quickly looked up at Anthony just in time to see him raise a sword he had hidden beneath his robes above his head, prepared to bring it down onto Gabe’s torso with all his might. A moment later, just before Anthony unleashed his energy, he heard the strong voice behind him again. It bellowed “Cinis Cineris!” Anthony released one hand from the sword and reached out in protest at the man behind Gabe, but before he could even speak, his skin turned a light gray color. Another gust of wind came and Gabe watched as what had been Anthony became a swirling pile of ash.
“We have to go, now!” Gabe heard Uri’s familiar voice as a set of strong arms wrapped around him. A moment later he heard the large unknown voice command “Concedo Ianus!” A great blue light encompassed them and the sound of a large electrical shock consumed Gabe’s head. A moment later they were in Michael’s office.
Gabe felt as though his skull were cracking open. Uri carried him to the couch in front of the fireplace and laid him down. “Gabe, are you okay?” Uri pleaded.
Gabe tried to focus on the figure before him, the encroaching darkness threatening his consciousness. “Uri?” He managed a weakened whisper and then quickly relented. A moment later the darkness consumed him and Gabe was unconscious.
Gabe opened his eyes, slowly letting the dim light in. He grasped his aching head, letting out a painful moan. A moment later he heard Sophie’s sweet voice, “Everyone, he’s awake!”
Sophie grabbed his hand and pulled it up to her lips, kissing it repeatedly. She released him and then he heard the sound of water being wrung from a cloth. Sophie carefully folded the moistened cool towel and placed it across his forehead. She then scooped his hand back into hers, holding it tightly as she rested next to him on her knees. Her tenderness made his chest ache with regret. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his head caused him to collapse back onto the bed, depleted.
“Don’t try to move,” she instructed. “Transporting is hard on even the most experienced of guardians.”
“Sophie, I’m so sorry. The things I said, I was--” Once Gabe heard her voice, all he could think about was how terribly he had treated her before he left.
“Gabe, stop, please,” she insisted, placing a finger on his lips to hush him. “We don’t have to talk about any of that.”
The tension between them had evaporated.
“So our boy’s awake?” Gabe heard Michael’s voice behind him. He shifted in an effort to see him, but as the pain was too much, he fell back onto the bed, cringing. “Rest, you deserve it!” Michael continued. “You know you gave us all quite a scare.”
“Uri,” Gabe gasped, remembering the beach. “Where’s Uri?”
“Don’t worry,” Sophie said placing a hand on Gabe’s chest, trying to calm him.
“He’s fine. He went to his chambers to rest.” Michael added. “Transportation is really hard on the body of a guardian as young as the two of you. I wouldn’t have even cast it, but it was necessary.”
“I’m sorry,” Gabe said, filling up with feelings of guilt for creating a situation that put Uri and Michael in danger. “Michael?” he thought. Michael had said he didn’t want to cast transportation, but he had to. Gabe realized he had been the voice behind him on the beach that he couldn’t recognize.
Michael walked around to face Gabe. “Don’t be silly, we’re just happy you’re here and safe. Sophie said you were very upset when you left.”
“You were the one on the beach!” Gabe exclaimed.
Michael nodded, a sad look flashing across his face.
“How did you know I was in trouble?” Gabe asked in disbelief.
“The Martyr’s Stone,” Michael replied. “I cast a protection spell on it. You activated the summoning.”
“But I didn’t,” Gabe insisted as he reached for the stone. He felt around and realized it was gone.
“You must have, dear boy,” Michael added. “I’ve returned the necklace to my office for safe keeping. Now you need to rest.” Without another word, Michael turned and with his head hung low, his smile quickly faded. Michael exited the room, a cloud of desperation around him.
Gabe thought about the excitement on the beach. He had never been so scared. “Anthony.” The name slipped out from Gabe’s lips. He remembered the powerful spell and how in the moment after it was cast Anthony turned to ash before his eyes. “He was going to deliver us all to Mammon.”
Sophie glanced over to the door where Michael had just exited. “I know, Uri told me what happened. I guess they knew.”
“What do you mean they knew?” Gabe asked, trying to make sense of everything between the pounding noises in his head.
“Uri said when they spoke to the Oracle at Iron Gate she warned them about Anthony and Mammon. Uri was trying to warn you, but he wasn’t sure if you--” Sophie began.
“The visions!” Gabe exclaimed.
“Yeah. He said Michael kept insisting Anthony would never betray us; that the Oracle must have it wrong. I’ve never seen Michael like this; he acts like he’s all right but …” Sophie stopped, not sure how to even formulate her thoughts into words.
“He was willing to deliver me into Mammon’s hands,” Gabe spat, disgusted.
“You don’t understand,” Sophie insisted. “Anthony was like a brother to Michael. They’ve been fighting this fight side by side since the Civil War.” Gabe thought how weird it sounded when Sophie mentioned the Civil War; he still had trouble imagining living so long.
“I didn’t even know it was Michael on the beach,” Gabe whispered, replaying the scene in his head once again.
“Uri said Michael didn’t hesitate. When he saw you were in danger, he just reacted.” Sophie’s tale of heroism made Gabe’s stomach twist. The idea of someone loving him so much that they would kill for him was unsettling for some
reason.
Sophie continued, her tone changing, becoming heavier and smothered in regret. “I want you to know I wasn’t trying to purposefully hide anything from you. I honestly thought Michael had told you.”
Gabe remembered how angry he was at everyone. It all seemed so unimportant at the moment. He shook his head. “I know you wouldn’t have hidden anything from me if you had known. I just don’t understand why Michael …” Gabe’s head pounded more heavily as the thought of the secrets filled his mind.
“I spoke to him before you woke,” Sophie explained. “He said he was going to tell you at the end of the week about the entire prophecy. He knew it was a lot to take in and he wanted you to see all the amazing things that happen here without that cloud hanging over you.”
Gabe wasn’t filled with anger about the secrets anymore. Perhaps it was the fact that Michael had just saved him, but he suddenly found it much easier to trust him.
“He just wanted what was best for you,” Sophie insisted.
“I know,” Gabe replied with a subtle smile.
Gabe looked down at his hands and began to fidget, rubbing his thumbs one against the other. Everything in him wanted to reach out and hold onto Sophie and this place forever.
Thinking about the kiss and all the unspoken words between them, Gabe felt the urge to explain exactly how she made him feel, “Sophie, I shouldn’t have waited to talk to you about this.”
“About what?”
“About that night in the library,” Gabe replied.
“Oh,” Sophie gasped as she thought of something she could use to change the subject. She knew he felt the same way she did, but that didn’t mean she was ready to discuss those feelings. “Raimie mentioned he had planned to work on elementals with you today. I told him you needed to rest, but I wanted to ask, would you still like to meet with him this afternoon after you’ve rested or put it off until tomorrow?”