by Wendy Owens
Gabe had no idea what was happening, but he knew this was not a man he wanted to cross. “Gabe Harwood.”
“Ahh yes,” the man acknowledged in a softer tone. “Michael told me I would need to speak with you. You’re the protector.”
“I suppose. But I’m confused. You said this is your office? Where is Michael?” Gabe questioned cautiously, not wanting to make the large man angry again.
“He is now a member of the council, I will be taking on his role here. Please feel free to come to me if you need assistance with your training.” The man’s response was so matter-of-factly that Gabe did not know what to say. He continued staring at the man named Bishop who had returned to busy work packing up Michael’s belongings in a box.
Seeing the boy had not moved, Bishop asked impatiently, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“I’m sorry … sir,” Gabe stammered. “I am just trying to make sense of all this. Are you telling me Michael left without saying goodbye? When is he coming back?”
Bishop didn’t bother looking up from his work as he responded, “He won’t be back. When the council calls on you for service, you go. Now please leave me, I have much to do.”
Speechless, Gabe stumbled from the office. “Close the door behind you, please.” Bishop called after him. Gabe did as requested. The journey back to his own quarters was a mindless one. He stumbled in, securing the door behind him. Gabe dragged his body over to his bed and collapsed in a huff.
The challenges of the day were replaying through his mind over and over. Betrayed by a friend, forgotten by a lover and abandoned by his mentor, Gabe couldn’t imagine things being much worse. He had nothing left in him to fight the crushing feelings of despair. Gabe closed his eyes; only sleep could bring him peace at this point, if sleep were even possible.
The morning light did not create more clarity for Gabe. Uri had banged on his door the night before for at least an hour, begging to plead his case, but Gabe chose not to acknowledge him. Instead, he drowned out the noise with a pillow over his head for most of the night until he had managed to drift off to sleep.
In one day, Gabe’s reality had been completely stolen from him. He loved Sophie with every fiber of his being, but now it was quite clear she would never feel that way about him. Uri, the person he had first confided in, the first soul at the manor he truly trusted, had betrayed him. Michael, the man who had stepped up and filled the fatherly role Gabe had missed for most of his life, up and abandoned him without so much as a goodbye.
One thought continually ran through Gabe’s mind since everything had come unraveled, though. Rampart Manor was no longer a place he could call home. Gabe had no idea what this meant for him or the prophecy, but he did know that he couldn’t eat alongside these people and pretend everything was all right for one more day.
He had already packed his bags during the long night. His mind was made up. Sliding on a fresh set of clothes, Gabe tried to prepare himself mentally for what awaited him. He would be on his own moving forward. Just because he would be running from his destiny as the protector, Gabe knew that wouldn’t stop Baal. Even if Gabe had no intention of fulfilling his role, Baal wouldn’t stop coming until he was dead.
He needed to find Dina and tell her his plan so that there would be no search for him. After that, the next and very lonely chapter in Gabe’s life would begin. Gabe pulled his shoe laces tight and tossed the duffle bag over his shoulder. When he reached the door to his room he decided not to look back, to look back would make it harder to let go.
The hour was early so Gabe knew if he acted swiftly he could slip away before most of the manor woke. With his pack on his back he made his way to Dina’s door and tapped lightly so as not to startle her. No answer. He knocked a bit louder and whispered, “Dina, it’s Gabe, I need help.”
Gabe could hear some groaning on the other side of the door as Dina stumbled around in her sleepy state. At last the door cracked open. Rubbing her eyes and licking her dry lips, Dina looked at Gabe through squinted eyes, “What’s wrong?”
“Can I come in?” Gabe asked, looking around feverishly. The last thing he wanted was for Uri or anyone else to catch sight of him. His mission was clear, tell Dina his plans to leave Rampart and get out.
“Oh, yeah. Sure …. I guess,” Dina stammered, unsure what to make of her early morning visitor. She stepped back, opening the door for her guest.
Gabe rushed in, glancing around at the dimly lit room. Gabe realized he had actually never seen the inside of Dina’s room. Oddly enough it was exactly like he pictured it would be. Pink and satin everywhere the eye could see. A four poster bed with a frilly canopy completed the girly haven. Gabe looked around for somewhere to sit, but the lush and luxurious feel spread all over the room including the animal print chairs.
It’s fine, Gabe thought. It’s better I not sit, that means I will be out of here faster.
“Is something wrong?” Dina asked, still groggy. She made her way over to an overstuffed floor pillow and curled up on the rug, hugging the pillow to her chest.
“I’m leaving,” Gabe stated flatly.
“Wait,” Dina suddenly sounded alert. “What do you mean you’re leaving? Where are you going?”
“I can’t be here anymore. Michael is gone.”
“Yeah, I know, I met Bishop, a real charmer isn’t he?” Dina chimed back sarcastically.
“It’s not just Michael. I caught Uri and Sophie kissing yesterday,” Gabe continued. By the look on Dina’s face he was sure she already knew that. “I just can’t be here anymore, surrounded by these people.”
“Gabe, maybe if you ...”
“Don’t tell me to give it time, Dina!” Gabe interrupted.
“I— I wasn’t …” Dina insisted.
“I am leaving. I just wanted you to tell everyone for me so they wouldn’t think I am missing or something,” Gabe explained.
“Gabe, I know this seems awful right now, it is awful but I don’t think you’ve thought this through.” Dina argued.
“All I have done all night is think this through!” Gabe realized his voice was intensifying. Reining his emotions back in, Gabe simply reiterated. “Will you tell them?”
“What about Baal? How can you be safe out there? Have you thought about that?” Dina pressed, now up onto her knees.
“I appreciate your concern, but I’ve thought it through. I will be on my own. I can keep moving and use cloaking spells. I’ll be cautious,” Gabe assured his worried friend.
“Oh, Gabe, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Dina pleaded.
“I’m leaving, can you tell them?” Gabe urged firmly. Dina nodded and Gabe turned to leave.
“Wait!” Dina shrieked, jumping to her feet. She ran to a cabinet at the foot of her bed and grabbing a nearby satchel, started filling it will small glass bottles.
Realizing she had dozens of potions she was packing, Gabe chuckled, “Only you would have a stockpile like that.”
“Well hopefully you won’t need any of these, but should you, they’re all labeled.” Dina rushed over to Gabe, forcing the bag into his hands.
“I’m sure I won’t need them but thank you,” Gabe said reaching out and embracing his friend.
“Gabe,” Dina began, grabbing hold of Gabe and pulling him closer. “You have to promise me, if things get bad out there you’ll come home.” The word home suddenly sounded foreign again to Gabe. Without a word he nodded and then he was gone.
Walking down the hall, Gabe could feel Dina’s eyes on his back. He didn’t dare look behind him. Up until he saw Dina he had no doubts about his decision to leave Rampart, but he had to admit now he wasn’t sure. It was too late though, he had friends that cared about him here, and there was no denying that. There was also no denying that Sophie, Michael, Uri, and all the same issues that were driving him away remained.
Gabe made his way through the cleric’s garden. Memories of Sophie flooding into his mind. He struggled to push them out unsuccess
fully. Gabe made his way down the coastal path until he came to the cloaking stones. There he paused and at last took one final look back at the grounds of Rampart Manor, the place that had held so much promise for him.
Closing his eyes, he cast a cloaking spell on himself and took his first step outside of the grounds. Now Baal and no one else would be able to find him. He didn’t know where he was going, what he would encounter, or what his life would be like from this point moving forward. Even finding food seemed like it would be a challenge. Gabe had spent most of his childhood alone though, and he was confident he could handle it.
Though he had spent only a short time at Rampart, the people there had become his family. He was hurt, but he still loved them. Perhaps that was the most frustrating part of it. He knew leaving would keep them safe and his heart a little safer, as well.
5 Years Later...
Glancing over his shoulder, Gabe could see the light was fading fast. Gabe was looking forward to finishing his hard day of labor in the coolness of the evening. The sun was harsh in the valley but it was just a fact he had learned to live with over the past year.
As Gabe continued splintering the pile of logs into small manageable pieces, he thought back over his time here. It was hard to believe in two days he was going to reach his one year anniversary of being in the same place. This secluded little spot had been exactly what he was searching for ever since he learned telepathic waves did not travel through copper.
When Gabe left Rampart Manor five years ago he hadn’t actually expected to live long and with good reason. Though he cast cloaking spells and kept on the move, each time Gabe would fall asleep he was vulnerable. His cloaking spells were weakened by the state of his consciousness. For that first year he barely slept at all, and often found himself on the border of madness.
At one point Gabe even thought about returning to Rampart. He couldn’t explain what kept him away. When Gabe left, he was sure he was leaving because of his relationship with Sophie. The pain of that memory, though, seemed to fade more quickly than the emptiness he had in his heart where his friends had been. Gabe’s pride though, was wounded and returning now he was sure would make him look like a fool.
Gabe had only been away from the manor for two evenings when he stumbled right into a camp of demons. Fortunately, he had managed to think quickly and grab one of the invisibility potions Dina had stashed away for him in her gifted satchel. Though one of the demons had seen his presence, Gabe had reacted so quickly he managed to slip away while the demons argued; the others ridiculing the witness, calling him a drunk.
Gabe had not always been fortunate enough to remain hidden. In the first four years after he had left Rampart, he had engaged in more battles than he cared to remember. A few times, Gabe even came close to death. The most memorable fight for Gabe was on the one year anniversary after leaving Rampart. It was around the time he was considering returning home. He had traveled to the Underworld in hopes to find out anything he could about what might be going on at Rampart. He knew the chances of a Guardian hearing about his questions in the Underworld were much slimmer.
Walking into a local inn, Gabe caught sight of a Wintok. From his studies he remembered the lizard-like men were often found to play both sides of the good and evil war. While they would play informant to the Guardians, they had no issues with leaking information to the demons. Gabe thought the Wintok would be an easy source of knowledge to tap into.
Gabe had made every effort to act natural with his conversation, but that was not easy with the stand-offish Wintok. Unfortunately for Gabe, the Wintok had been alerted by some of the questions he was asking and it didn’t take him long to realize he was the missing protector. Knowing Baal had a handsome bounty on the boy’s head, the Wintok attacked before Gabe even realized what was happening. Balor, the innkeeper, had stepped in that night. He killed the Wintok and saved Gabe’s life. Gabe barely remembered any of it after the Wintok drew his weapon, he was badly injured.
Balor had whisked Gabe away to a sympathizer’s home, his last breath on his lips. There, a stout Murser woman that Gabe later came to know as Clarite, nursed him back to health. Mursers had long been known as sympathizers to the Guardians. They were humanoid beings, their only significant difference in appearance being the wings they carried on their back. When Gabe had seen them in the textbooks he pictured them as fairies, but after meeting them they were more like humans with huge insect wings on their backs.
It was also in that home that Gabe learned about the power of copper. At first he thought Balor was pulling his leg when he told him about it. Why would he have never been told about the properties of copper before? Gabe wondered. If Gabe did not want to be tracked he would have to line his head in copper somehow. The idea had seemed absurd at the time, but it gave his mind something to focus on. First thing he worked on was constructing a helmet made out of copper.
Once he was well enough, Gabe found a local blacksmith and tasked him with assisting him in the construction of this helmet. The problem he encountered and had not anticipated with the helmet idea was that once it was finished and he placed it on his head, he looked quite peculiar. He seemed to attract even more attention with the helmet, rendering it somewhat useless. It also was not terribly comfortable so trying to sleep in it seemed impossible as well.
Gabe returned to the human realm in search of a solution to his problems. He knew it was only a matter of time before he let his guard down at the wrong time and the trackers would find him. Then Gabe came up with the idea of building a home made out of copper. This too, however, fizzled as he soon realized it was not very practical and a home such as that would attract a lot of unwanted attention.
One evening, while Gabe was scavenging along a nearby mountainside, the weather took a turn for the worse. When he came across a number of caves there was no hesitation and he quickly took cover inside. Once there, Gabe attempted a spell to sense who was around him but much to his surprise he couldn’t see anything. This was beyond strange since Gabe had the ability to sense human presence up to a hundred miles away. He literally could not sense a single soul. That had never happened to him.
After some thought and exploration, Gabe came to the conclusion that the caves he had taken refuge in must have a concentrated amount of copper in them. Even after the storm passed, Gabe continued exploring the cavern until at last he discovered proof of his suspicions. Deep in the cave the walls glimmered with specs of copper.
With that, his plan was born. The caves he had hidden in did not have easy access to the things he would need to survive. Gabe spent the next several years searching for the perfect location. He traveled to many mountain peaks and several valleys looking for the right place. He needed an area where he could have fresh water, shelter, access to animals for meat, a place to plant food, and all of this had to be surrounded by enough copper in the earth to disrupt telepathic tracers.
The years passed and took their toll on the young man. In the beginning, the search for the perfect place gave him hope and something to focus on. In time however, the constant hiding and fears, and sleepless nights had him wondering what he was doing. What kind of life was he leading and was it worth it in the end?
Then it happened. Gabe finally found the place he now called home. A small valley surrounded almost entirely by mountains. An old abandoned copper mine nearby. His living in fear had become a way of life though. One he had a hard time letting go of. He couldn’t accept that he didn’t need his helmet any longer. He would take it off in shifts and even then he preferred to work under cloaking spells. It wasn’t until about six months ago all his fears and worries that had consumed him for five years had finally begun to wash away.
It had taken him a year, but Gabe built this small piece of land into a nice and peaceful existence for himself. He had managed to erect a one room cabin; a challenge for him considering he had never been what one would consider a carpenter. Unfortunately, it was a learning process and his first two attempts en
ded up in ruins. Finally, Gabe had figured out by flattening the logs on two sides he had tendered from all the surrounding trees, it created a lot more stability. Though the cabin was terribly small and not particularly tall in height, Gabe was very proud of the structure he had created with his own two hands.
Gabe bartered for stuff he needed in nearby towns, but he was always quiet and kept to himself so as not to arouse too much attention. His days were full of work so that he would survive the winter but it kept his thoughts from wandering to Rampart so he didn’t mind.
The valley was littered with dense trees and in his tiny log home, surrounded by copper filled mountain walls; Gabe began to experience a feeling of safety that he had not felt since he turned sixteen. Now twenty-one, Gabe wondered how he had ever been that scared little boy. Death was no longer something that he feared. Death would be an end to his loneliness. It was not that Gabe welcomed death; he simply no longer worried about it. Gabe would never say he was miserable, simply content with his choice of self-exile. Though deep down, he knew he was lying to himself.
At the entrance to the valley where his cabin was, Gabe had made several attempts to cover his trail. An illusion spell to give the appearance that the mountain wall continued all the way around, a warning spell that would alert Gabe of a demonic presence and a cloaking spell that would hopefully cover any area that perhaps the copper was not assisting in.
It was an exhausting existence to always be thinking about who was looking at you or following you. A person can only think so long about who is asking too many questions before it can drive them mad. Most men would have reached that point long ago, but Gabe saw things differently. For four years he ran. He never knew if he would have his throat slit in the middle of the night. Every single evening before he found this place was full of terror of the unknown.
When he did find this valley, he couldn’t even allow himself to admit that it might be possible he could be safe. Now the reality was sinking in, he was about to have spent a year in one place, a place where he could live out his days in peace and with the luxury of a good night’s sleep.