by Wendy Owens
Gabe hesitated. He didn’t want to worry Rachel, but he also didn’t want to be the guy he used to be. The type who pushed the people he cared about away. “I promise, I’m fine. I think I’m just feeling the stress of it all. It seems like right when I think we might be getting close to an answer, we find out something else that puts us back at square one.”
“We knew this wouldn’t be easy.”
“I know, and that’s not the part that has me freaking out. It’s the fact that I feel completely and utterly helpless. I have no control over the situation, I simply hold my breath and wait for the next surprise,” Gabe explained.
Rachel held her breath for a moment, she wanted to tell him about their expected child more than anything, but it was clear now, more than ever, that he wasn’t in any frame of mind to take in that kind of information.
“Rachel, honey, I want to keep you safe, that’s all,” Gabe added softly.
“We’ll figure this out.” She attempted to reassure him. “I know you …” the words lodged in her throat as she caught sight of something she hadn’t expected to see.
“Sophie?” Gabe gasped as they came to a stop.
“Damon!” Rachel cried, still processing the scene in front of her.
Damon and Sophie’s bodies were pressed into one another, leaning against a nearby tree, their lips interlocked. At the sound of their names, they pulled apart.
Damon wiped a little saliva away from the corner of his mouth, “Hey sis.”
“Hey sis?” Rachel challenged, in a raised voice. “Are you kidding me?”
“What?” Damon inquired defensively.
“What’s going on here?” Gabe asked, in hopes to reduce his wife’s stress level.
Damon looked over at Gabe, his glare twisting as he barked, “I don’t really think that’s any of your business.”
Sophie quickly reached up and placed a hand on Damon’s chest, attempting to push him back into a more submissive posture.
“Excuse me?” Gabe asked, his jaw dropping in disbelief.
“That’s my husband, Damon, you don’t talk to him like that,” Rachel demanded.
“I’ll talk to him any way I want,” Damon argued, unwilling to back down.
“What has gotten into you?” Rachel shouted.
“Into me? You’re the one who disappears forever, we all think your dead, months later I get kidnapped and brought to this God-forsaken place, only to be abandoned by you again. And for what? For this douche-bag? So pardon me if I don’t roll out the welcome mat sis,” Damon’s voice dripped with contempt.
“Look man, I don’t know what I ever did to you, but …” Gabe quickly jumped in, attempting to diffuse the situation.
“It’s not what you did to me,” Damon replied, looking over at Sophie, wrapping an arm around her.
“What did you tell him?” Gabe snapped.
“The truth,” Sophie replied flatly.
“Oh really?” Gabe was quickly becoming agitated. “Which version?’
“Look, this is ridiculous, are you here for a reason?” Sophie asked, hoping to avoid delving any deeper into the conversation. Stepping in Gabe’s direction, she stood directly in the path between Gabe and Damon.
“That’s my brother-in-law Sophie. Are you really so bitter that you would try and get in between family?” Gabe shouted, ignoring her question.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Damon snapped, leaping forward.
Rachel’s senses finally returned, the initial shock of what she had witnessed fading. “That’s enough! This isn’t going to get us anywhere. Damon, you and I can talk about all of this later. For now, we need Sophie’s help, so put this crap aside for another time. Got it?”
“Help with what?” Sophie inquired, put out by the entire situation.
Rachel did her best to ignore the obvious contempt in the girl’s voice and continued as her arm wrapped tighter around Gabe’s and she tried to keep his temper in check. “We’re trying to find out some important information.”
“What sort of information?” Sophie inquired, her curiosity peaked.
“Information that doesn’t want to be found and Michael said it would be right up your alley,” Rachel paused, looking into Sophie’s eyes, pushing her anger down, deep within. She did her best to convey their sincere desperation. “We need your help.”
“Maybe if you could give me some details?” Sophie pushed.
“We need to locate an ancient weapon,” Rachel continued. “Michael thinks that maybe you could find some information as to where it might be hidden inside the archives.”
Sophie took a step closer to Rachel, furrowing her brow she asked, “How ancient are we talking?”
“We’re not sure, at least hundreds of years, but probably much older,” Gabe chimed in.
“I don’t understand, isn’t that something you could go to the weapons master for records on?” Sophie inquired, Damon moving in close to her, taking a protective posture.
“Not this one. Soon after its creation it was hidden away. Nobody was supposed to know about it to protect it from falling into the wrong hands. It’s become legend,” Rachel explained.
Sophie looked down at the ground, processing the information and then shaking her head.
“What’s wrong?” Gabe asked.
“I don’t think we’ll find what we need at Iron Gate,” she replied flatly.
“I don’t understand. Why not?” Rachel questioned.
Sophie shifted her weight from side to side, looking at the people surrounding her for any sign they may share the knowledge she already possessed. Her time in the records room had exposed her to all sorts of information, but she had assumed there were some things that everyone knew. “Well … there was a fire about fifteen years ago here at Iron Gate. Anything before that time was destroyed. If this weapon is as ancient as you say, we won’t find any trace of it in the records here.”
“So it’s hopeless,” Gabe grumbled.
Sophie paused, pondering the situation, “Maybe not!” She exclaimed.
Rachel and Gabe peered at her, their mouths slightly agape, hanging on her every word.
“The historic archives were underground at Rampart, there’s a good chance everything is still there, hidden,” Sophie suggested.
“Umm, isn’t that place overrun with demons?” Damon asked, uncomfortable at the mere mention of the location.
“Yes, it is,” Gabe answered, then continued. “Which means that it is far too dangerous of an option. We’ll find another way.”
Sophie quickly reminded the group, “Dina made it in and out, no problem. She saved Calysta and was barely noticed.”
“That was a long time ago. We have no idea what’s happened to Rampart since then.” Gabe argued.
“You said you needed my help; at least hear me out,” Sophie pleaded.
Rachel elbowed her beloved gently in the side. Sophie was right, they were coming to her for help, and the least they could do was hear what she had to say.
“I think with the right small team we could get in and out unnoticed,” Sophie continued.
“This is crazy!” Gabe cried. “You’re working off the assumption that the demons haven’t found the caverns. That’s a pretty big assumption after more than five years have gone by.”
“I know, but do we have any other choice?” Sophie inquired.
Gabe considered the question, “there has to be some other way.”
Rachel looked up at her husband, examining the lines that formed at the corner of his eyes. She wished she could take some of the worry away from him.
“I’m open to any other idea you might have,” Sophie replied.
Gabe moved in close, forcing Sophie to lock eyes with him. “You’re so sure about this idea you’re willing to stake people’s lives on it?”
“Not at all,” Sophie admitted honestly. “But you want to find this weapon and I’m telling you the best place to look for some trace of it.”
Gabe turned
towards Rachel, pulling her hand up to his chest. “What do you think?”
Lifting her shoulders, she replied heavily, “I don’t really see that we have any other options.” Gabe nodded and turned back to face Sophie.
“Fine, I’ll go in alone with Uri,” Gabe relented.
“Oh no you won’t!” Sophie shouted. “Nobody knows the archives like me. The only way you have a shot of getting in there, finding what you need, and making it out alive is with me, and you know that.”
Rachel quickly jumped in, sensing the tension quickly increasing. “She’s right Gabe, you need her.”
“What?” Damon demanded. “Have you all lost your freaking minds? There’s no way I’m letting Sophie go anywhere near that place.”
Gabe burst out in a hearty laughter. Even Sophie and Rachel were smiling.
“What’s so funny?” Damon demanded.
“You clearly don’t know Sophie very well, yet. Nobody lets or doesn’t let Sophie do anything,” Gabe answered, wrapping his arm around Rachel.
“Excuse me? I think …” Damon began, before being interrupted by Sophie.
”No, he’s right. You’re a sweet kid, don’t get me wrong, but I do what I want.”
Damon gasped, he looked around at each member of the group in silence, then turned and stormed off towards the main building.
“Is he going to be all right?” Gabe inquired, glancing at his wife.
“Yeah, he’s just embarrassed,” Rachel answered.
“So back to this plan,” Sophie interjected, ignoring the tantrum of her newest love interest. “I say you, me, and Uri. The smaller the group is, the better chance that we have. Agreed?”
Gabe looked to Rachel who nodded slowly. “Agreed,” he confirmed at last.
Sophie stumbled, attempting to regain her composure after the transportation spell. Even after years of trying to master the spell, for some reason it was one of those that always threw her off her game.
“Are you all right Soph?” Uri asked, walking up behind her on the beach and placing a hand on her back.
“Huh?” she moaned. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”
“All right everyone, cloaking spells,” Gabe instructed. In an instant the three were concealed from any possible onlookers.
“Follow me!” Uri called out and the three began to make their way down the beach and up the path towards the cliff side.
At first glimpse, things seemed like they hadn’t changed much, but the closer they came to Rampart, the more they saw that wasn’t true. Climbing around the monstrous boulders and pulling themselves up onto the landing, Gabe saw all of the once lush grass was now dead and gone, the trees that had towered, climbing up as if they were reaching for the sky, were now reduced to broken and empty shells, or in some cases, ripped from the earth completely.
The clouds that moved overhead were dark and ominous, causing a chill to rush through Gabe’s body. Approaching the courtyard, Uri crouched behind a deserted and broken down wagon. “You guys ready?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” Gabe replied softly. Sophie did not answer.
“Soph?” Uri said, searching for their friend.
“I’ll find her, wait here,” Gabe instructed, crawling back in the direction they had come from. “Aperio,” he spoke, looking for any sign of the missing party member.
Standing off to his left he caught a glimpse of her, near a dead tree, peering up at the sky. Rushing to her side, he asked, “Are you all right?”
She nodded silently.
“What’s going on?” Gabe inquired, quickly looking around, nervous their cloaking spells would not be enough to keep them hidden for long.
“You don’t recognize it?” Sophie asked, glancing over at Gabe before looking back up at the sky.
“What? What are you talking about?” Gabe felt his heart begin to race and his hands growing sweaty. If they were safe now, based on his physical response, chances were they wouldn’t be for long.
“This was the garden where we shared that first dance under the stars,” Sophie explained, looking down and focusing on the ground. “I guess everything changes.”
“This isn’t the time for this,” Gabe instructed sternly.
Glaring at him, she replied, “Time for what? I’m simply remembering what Rampart was before everything changed.”
Gabe could see she was dwelling on so much more than the loss of Rampart. He had hoped his marriage had caused her to bury such feelings. It was clear it had not. “Sophie, I’m not going to lie … I loved you.”
“Loved? As in past tense,” she remarked.
“Yeah, I mean it that way, it is past tense. I don’t know, we were so young; maybe it wouldn’t have lasted anyways. It doesn’t matter now, though, we’ve both changed a lot. Sometimes there are things in life that can’t be undone; there are choices we make. You made the choice not to reveal yourself when you got your memories back.”
“Are you saying this was my fault?” she snapped defensively.
“No, what happened between us wasn’t any one person’s fault. But it happened. And now, I’m in love with Rachel. I think part of me will always love you in some way, but Rachel’s my wife. Do you understand?”
Sophie didn’t speak.
“Besides, you have Damon now,” Gabe reminded her.
“He’s just a distraction,” she added, staring into Gabe’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I only want you to be happy. I really do mean that,” he offered.
“I know you do. And I want the same for you. I can see she does that for you … I just wish it would stop hurting.” As the last painful words fell from her lips, she looked away, unable to stare into the sea of intense blue that were his eyes. She knew he was right, she’d known for a long time, what had changed in them during recent years was more than want could overcome. What they were was gone.
Gabe didn’t know what to say. He remembered that pain, that hole Sophie had left in his heart. He thought it would always be there, until he met Rachel. He knew there were no words that would bring Sophie comfort. Perhaps, in time, he hoped she could love again.
Moving past him, Sophie grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him behind her. “We shouldn’t stay in one place too long,” she remarked, making her way to Uri’s side.
“Where the heck were you guys? There’s a patrol walking by every few minutes,” Uri said in a strained whisper.
“We’re here now,” she replied. “Lets go.”
She used her free hand to grab Uri’s arm, dragging both boys behind her now, across the courtyard and into the once familiar building. All of the tapestries that had graced the halls were gone; all of the stone statues had been demolished and all of the carvings chipped away. It was as if any evidence of their existence had been wiped out.
“Shh!” Uri exclaimed, pushing the group against the wall. At the end of the hall they caught sight of two tracker demons. All three held their breath as the beasts rounded the corner, then left their line of sight.
Gabe let out a sigh of relief. Just as he finished exhaling, one of the demons came back around the corner, pausing and staring into the darkness where they hid. It sniffed the air briefly, as if it knew they were there. It was searching for any trace of their location. Gabe’s heart was racing as the monster took a few steps closer to their location, its head waving around wildly at it searched, for what, it did not know.
Gabe wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword, preparing himself for the battle. Uri followed suit, yet all three remained still and silent.
Behind the beast, out of sight, there was an inhuman moaning. The demon turned towards the source, barking a response, and then as quickly as it had arrived, it was gone.
The three waited a moment longer, too scared to even move. When they finally realized the coast was clear, Uri punched Gabe in the arm with all of his might.
“Ouch! What the heck?” Gabe whispered in an agitated tone.
“Next time why don’t you just
tell them where we’re at?” Uri gasped.
“Will you stop it? He didn’t mean anything by it. He was breathing for goodness sake.” Gabe was surprised to hear Sophie come to his defense after their recent conversation. “Let’s get to the library as quick as we can, all right?”
Uri nodded, staying close to the wall. The three made their way down the corridors, following the maze of black hallways, avoiding contact with any other beings.
“Are we going the right way?” Uri asked, looking over his shoulder at Sophie.
“Yeah, it should be just up ahead, on the right,” she replied, moving around him and taking the lead.
“God, it all looks so different,” Uri remarked, his voice soft and full of sadness.
“Here,” Sophie instructed turning into the archway. She paused for a moment, wondering if she had made a mistake. There was no longer a door where one once had been. Emerging into the room, she gasped when she saw what the place she had once loved so dearly, had been reduced to. At one time the shelves towered high into the tops of the cathedral ceilings. What stared back at her now, caused her chest to ache.
Spread out around the room were mountains of books, or what once had been books. They were now mangled piles of soot and ash.
“Oh God,” the desperate words slipped from her mouth.
The room took a minute for the boys to register. When they realized what they were looking at, they both reached out a comforting hand towards Sophie. “I’m so sorry.” Gabe offered.
Pulling away, Sophie refused to make eye contact with either of them. “They’re just books. They may have gotten into the catacombs, but I doubt they figured out where the false walls were. Come on.”
Not knowing what to say, Gabe and Uri followed in silence, weaving around the piles of destruction all around them. Gabe knew Sophie well enough to know the sight of what the demons had done to her precious library was breaking her heart, but he struggled with how to comfort her. There was already so much confusion in their relationship that any response he thought of seemed inappropriate, so he simply followed her in silence.
Carefully moving down the stone steps at the rear of the room, they saw that the door that led into the catacombs had long ago been destroyed.