by Wendy Owens
“I’m sorry if she was rude to you. Some of the folks around here are— well, they’re not exactly what I would call skilled when it comes to communication. They have been trained for battle, not diplomacy; I hope they weren’t too horrible though,” Gabe offered.
“Where am I? Why am I here?” Damon replied, uninterested in Gabe’s apologies.
“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Let’s sit, shall we?” Gabe offered, motioning to two nearby seats. Damon watched Gabe cautiously, allowing his host to sit first, glancing towards the entry way a few times.
“Damon, you can leave, but honestly, there’s nowhere to go. You might as well get some answers,” Gabe said, not even looking at the boy as he spoke.
“How?” Damon gasped. He couldn’t comprehend how this stranger knew he was contemplating fleeing without even looking in his direction. Quickly the boy decided answers would be the most help to him at this point. Walking around, refusing to take his eyes off his host, Damon sat across from Gabe.
“So, what is this place?” Damon pushed.
“The facility we’re at is called Iron Gate. It has been here for hundreds of years,” Gabe explained.
“I don’t understand. Why am I here? These goons come and tell me I need to come with them, no explanation. Then they throw me up on — I don’t even know what that thing was, but it wasn’t natural. It flew!” Damon cried.
Gabe smiled, remembering how it felt when he first witnessed all the fantastic things this world had to offer. “Slow down, alright. Don’t worry, I’ll answer any questions you might have. That creature you flew here on was called an Alicorn. They have been the friends of Guardians for a very long time. Think of them like a cross between a Unicorn and a Pegasus.”
“What? Are you mad?” Damon snapped, unable to process the information being given to him.
“Trust me, riding on them is a much better option than transporting. Haim was actually very kind choosing to bring you back that way. And I bet I know your next question. Who are the Guardians?”
Without a word Damon affirmed with a nod, doing his best to not reveal he was frightened of what was being revealed to him.
“I’m a Guardian, my friends you met are Guardians, there are many of us, and our job is to protect humans, like yourself, from evil,” Gabe continued.
“You’re not human?”
“Well, part of me is, the other part is guardian angel. Did you hear about the attack on High Point last night?” Gabe inquired.
“Yes, of course, everyone did. I’ve been trying to reach my aunt ever since I saw it on the news, but she isn’t answering. The campus was on lock down, I was waiting for it to be lifted so I could go find her. That’s when those two came in and got me.” The disdain in his voice made Gabe chuckle; he could only imagine how the initial encounter must have played out with this spirited young man.
“The attack at High Point was predicated by demons,” Gabe continued.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You can’t expect me to believe this stuff.”
“I know it seems hard to accept, but I’m telling you the truth.”
“And why exactly has nobody seen these demons until now?” Damon argued.
“They have. Throughout history you can see instances where both demons and angels have revealed themselves to humans at one time or another.”
“I’m not listening to this insanity,” Damon growled, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.
“Well, the history books are full of things that can’t be explained. How do you think myths and legends start? People can’t always explain what they don’t understand, they may call us something else as a result, but it doesn’t change who we are.”
“I don’t believe you,” Damon replied flatly.
Gabe smiled. He had been the same way when he first met Uri. Gabe caught sight of a cut on the boy's hand, the blood had long since dried, and he imagined it had happened in the scuffle with Haim and his lady friend. Without a word, Gabe reached out and hovered one hand over the wound. Damon stared in horror, unsure what to expect. Much to his surprise, Damon’s hand went warm. Glancing down to it, he could see a blue glow emanating from the center of Gabe’s palm. In the next moment the wound was gone.
“What are you doing?” Damon cried pulling away.
“Look,” Gabe instructed simply.
“What?” Damon asked confused.
“Your cut, look at your cut. Well, what was your cut,” Gabe answered.
Damon did as he was told. It appeared the wound had closed. Licking his thumb and rubbing away the blood stains vigorously, he did indeed confirm there was no trace of the gash that had been there only seconds ago.
“What are you?” Damon cried, pushing himself further back in the chair.
“I know, it’s a lot to take in,” Gabe continued, reaching out and touching the boy on the arm, using his skills to calm him. “It’s like I was telling you, we’re Guardians. I have the ability to heal, which I must say, I’m rather good at. We all actually have abilities, some more than others. A lot depends on our bloodlines, as well as our training.”
“But— it can’t be,” Damon insisted, his tone now desperate as he tried to make sense of everything he had seen that night.
“I know it’s hard to accept, but it’s all real.”
“I don’t understand, why are you trying to hurt us?”
“That’s what you think we’re trying to do? Damon, you have it all wrong,” Gabe insisted.
“You guys came into my dorm and kidnapped me. My home was burnt to the ground and my aunt is probably dead. How can you say you’re not trying to hurt us?”
“What happened in High Point wasn’t the Guardians. You need to understand the difference between us. The demons aren’t supposed to interfere with humans, so I can’t explain what happened at High Point. Don’t get me wrong, there is always the occasional demon stepping out of line, but nothing ever like this. What happened at High Point was an organized attack and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it.”
“So my aunt is dead?” Damon asked, still unsure about what he was being told, but desperate to know about his family.
“Honestly, I don’t know. We’ve been looking for her, but we haven’t been able to locate her, at least not yet,” Gabe explained, not willing to confirm the horrible news. “We won’t give up until we know either way, alright?”
Gabe watched as Damon processed everything, he saw his look shift suddenly. “Wait, I don’t understand, why would you all care about me or my aunt? Why are we so important?”
“We think High Point was chosen to send a message.”
“What? This isn’t making sense!” Damon exclaimed, frustrated.
Gabe knew the easiest way for Damon to make sense of any of it would be to have Rachel help, “You have a sister named Rachel?”
“How did you know that?” Damon asked.
Gabe smiled, waiting to make sure he chose his next words carefully.
Damon didn’t wait for him to speak. He added, “I had a sister.”
Gabe sat back. Even though he knew Rachel was alive, to hear someone refer to her in such a way sent a chill through his body. “What do you mean?”
“She disappeared a while ago. The cops don’t have any leads. They told my aunt chances are she’s already dead,” Damon explained. “My aunt wouldn’t accept it, but I knew better. Rachel wouldn’t do that to us, to me, if she was alive, she would have found a way to get word to me.”
“Perhaps it wasn’t that easy,” Gabe suggested.
“No, Rachel wouldn’t have let anything get in her way,” Damon insisted.
Taking a deep breath, Gabe prepared himself for the reaction of his next statement, “She’s not dead.”
“What? That’s not funny,” Damon snapped, annoyed by the hope this stranger seemed to be trying to dish out to him.
“No, it’s not funny—but she’s not dead, Damon. She’s here.”
Damo
n gasped, his eyes growing twice their normal size, “What are you talking about? That’s impossible.”
“Before tonight, would you have said flying unicorns were impossible?” Gabe questioned.
“Where is she?” Damon exclaimed.
“She’s in the infirmary, sleeping. Don’t worry, she’s fine, she’s just getting some rest.”
“Has she been here the entire time she was missing?” Damon asked, trying to figure out what exactly he found himself in the middle of.
“No, but she has been with me at my home. I’ve been protecting her from those things that attacked High Point,” Gabe explained.
“Wait, I’m confused, why would those things be after my sister?”
“It’s kind of a long story, but they know that she is very important to the future of mankind,” Gabe answered.
“Rachel? No there’s been some sort of mistake.”
“There’s no mistake.”
“How is she so important?” Damon persisted.
“It’s complicated.”
“Well un-complicate it,” Damon demanded.
Gabe hesitated for a moment; he knew how crazy the truth would sound. In the end he decided he needed to be honest with him, “She will be the mother of a great prophet ...” Gabe offered, hesitantly.
“That’s insane, what are you talking about? That doesn’t even make sense.”
“The demons know how important her child will be to the cause.”
“But wait— she’s not pregnant.”
“You’re right, she’s not. You have to understand something, this is only one possible future for her. The choices she makes will determine her path. It doesn’t matter though, the demons want no chance of that future coming to pass, so they want to kill her and eliminate the possibility.”
“Do you realize how crazy you sound? I can’t believe Rachel would willingly stay with you people. I want to see my sister.”
“Damon, I will take you to your sister, but first there is something I must tell you.”
“So tell me.”
“My name is Gabe Harwood—”
“Good for you.”
“Will you just listen to me for a minute kid? My name is Gabe Harwood, I’m a Guardian and I’m in love with your sister. I’m going to marry her.”
Damon didn’t speak; the look on his face was blank. The awkward silence lingered between them for a bit until at last he spoke, “I’m sorry, let me see if I’ve got this straight. First a couple of guys come and kidnap me from school, and then you tell me that my aunt may be dead, killed by some demons. Let’s see, then there’s my dead sister, who you say is, in fact, not dead, but instead, the girl I’ve known my entire life, the one who has never had a single, successful, long lasting relationship, is getting married to you, a freakish half breed guardian angel who fights these so-called demons. Does that about sum it up?”
“Yup, seems like you’ve got a pretty good handle on things,” Gabe answered. He could see that Damon and Rachel had similar personalities.
“All right, I’ve had enough of this. If you have my sister like you say you do, I want to see her, now!” Damon demanded.
“Of course. She’s sleeping right now, but we can wake her if you prefer.”
“Yeah ... I prefer.”
Gabe stood, motioning for Damon to follow. As they walked towards the room Rachel was resting in, Gabe continued explaining the situation to Damon, who listened silently, taking in all of the unbelievable details. He explained about how Rachel had first come to him, about her saving his life and nursing him back to health, and about the wedding in a few days. Gabe assumed the boy didn’t believe most of what he was telling him, he knew he wouldn't have. Only seeing it with his own eyes would make him accept the truth.
“In here, Rachel is being watched over by a friend, Dina.”
“But she’s all right?” Damon confirmed.
“Oh yes, of course. If you only believe one thing I say, please let it be that I would never let anything happen to your sister. I love her, with everything in me,” Gabe added.
“That’s what you say,” Damon replied in disbelief.
“She’s right over here.” Gabe knew he would have to show him how he felt about Rachel, and telling him meant nothing.
Gabe’s heart melted when Rachel came into view, she was still fast asleep. He marveled at how perfect and angelic she appeared to be while she slumbered.
“Oh my God, it is her,” Damon gasped. He took off in a full sprint towards his sister. Pulling her up into his arms, he squeezed with all his might, never wanting to let her go. He moaned, “Rachel, it’s you, it’s really you. I thought you were — oh thank God, it’s really you, Rachel.”
Gabe approached, coming to a stop just above his beloved. Rachel stirred from her deep, drug induced sleep. Wiping the corner of her mouth and rubbing her eyes, she attempted to push away the grogginess.
“Damon, is that you? It is you!” Rachel squealed. Pushing him back, at last she looked at him from head to toe, examining him for any injuries. “Wait, I don’t understand. How are you here?”
Gabe was happy to explain the reunion. “Haim has been keeping tabs on your little brother here. When he mentioned he was off at college, I immediately sent him out to retrieve Damon. I figured what better wedding present could I give you than him here, safe.”
“Oh, Gabe, it’s marvelous. Thank you so much!” Rachel exclaimed, reaching up for Gabe’s embrace.
“Seriously? This wedding stuff is true?” Damon inquired.
“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything,” Rachel began. And she did, the trio talked all night. Sharing stories of how Gabe and Rachel fell in love, who exactly the Guardians were, what they were capable of, and what they were up against. Gabe saw the beginnings of his new family that night. A family that filled him with a warmth he hadn’t known in far too long.
The day was here, Gabe could hardly believe that it had only been a week since he asked Rachel to be his wife. The planning had been rapid, a whirlwind of chaos. Gabe was grateful Dina and Rachel had taken to one another so quickly. In recent days, his time was consumed with planning their journey. Her help meant he had more time to pour over maps and status reports. They would leave tomorrow. Michael suggested the sooner they left Iron Gate, the more likely they would remain safe. The clerics were barely maintaining the safety spells as it was and with more refugees arriving every day, it was only a matter of time before the compound would be detected.
Gabe had thought of everything. With the help of Uri and Haim they had options of safe havens all across the globe, dozens of places rich in copper. If Uri was right and the trackers had caught his scent before he came to the valley to retrieve him and Rachel, then there was a good chance they had discovered Gabe’s cabin. It wouldn’t take them long to figure out Gabe had been using the copper to shield himself from tracking. He knew Baal would use that knowledge and their search patterns would shift, they would know the type of places Gabe was looking to hide. He needed to have options. If there was even a chance Baal knew where to search, Gabe knew he needed to have a plan for where to go next.
The gear was packed; they would only be able to bring with them what the four could carry on their backs. Gabe knew the wedding was bittersweet for Rachel; she had been reunited with Damon only nights earlier, and now she would have to leave him again. Rachel was no fool and Gabe was confident she knew the safest place for Damon was far away from the two of them. They would be running, every moment of every day, looking over their shoulders. Even though Damon had resisted the idea of letting his sister leave without him, he eventually relented.
Gabe made sure the boy was nowhere near him and Uri as they planned their routes in case he had some idea of tagging along anyways. Dina was clever enough to help out by insisting she and Rachel needed help with the wedding preparations.
“Gabe?” Michael’s voice called out behind him.
Gabe turned, a little surprised by Michael’s appe
arance. He appeared to be a dashing, wealthy English countryman from another time period in his tuxedo.
“My goodness sir, you clean up nicely,” Gabe complimented.
“Why thank you son, you don’t look so bad yourself.” Gabe looked down at his deep gray suit. There hadn’t been time for him to get a suit of his own, but much to his surprise and delight, one of the guards at Iron Gate was eager to allow Gabe to borrow his. The ivory tie he wore had been given to him by Dina, made from a piece of Raimie’s family flag. Gabe remembered fondly how Raimie had always been quite proud to learn of his family and their history in the Guardians. Dina knew all too well how much it would mean to Gabe to have a piece of his friend with him that day.
“Thank you, sir, let’s just hope Rachel thinks so,” Gabe replied.
“Something tells me it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. When she sees you, I think it will be one of the greatest moments of her life,” Michael offered with a warm smile.
Gabe felt his breath catch in his throat. He had hoped one day he and Michael might be able to speak like this to one another again. There was no disappointment in his voice, Gabe noticed, only warmth.
“Gabe, I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“Yes, sir, what is it?”
Michael looked at the crowd that was gathering in the courtyard. “A lot of things happened at Rampart I wish I could change now.”
“Really, there’s no need to—”
“If it’s ok with you, there is something I do need to say,” Michael interrupted, waiting for Gabe’s nod to continue. “I know we kept a lot of secrets from you. At the time I thought it was necessary to keep you and everyone safe, but that doesn’t mean it was right. I meant what I said then, though, about everything being your choice and that we would all still care about you no matter what your choice was. That hasn’t changed; we all care about you so deeply and I’m proud of the journey you took to figure out who you are. I’m greatly honored to be here, to see the man you’ve become.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t know Rachel very well, but from what I can see she is an amazing woman,” Michael continued.