This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but instead acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the word marks mentioned in this work of fiction.
Copyright © 2014 by Shannon Duffy
Gabriel Stone and the Wrath of the Solarians by Shannon Duffy
All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by Month9Books, LLC.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Edited by Ashlynn Yuhas
Published by Month9Books
Cover illustrated by Zach Schoenbaum
Cover and typography designed by Victoria Faye
Cover Copyright © 2014 Month9Books
To my son Gabriel Cole (Gabe), who is more magical than anything in this book, I love you to the moon and back.
CHAPTER ONE
The cool wind pushed at Gabriel’s back, shoving him like a bully. Its force bounced off the tree-covered valley and swirled colorful leaves all around. Gabriel stumbled, unable to rip his eyes away from the black, beckoning shadow slithering toward him like murky fog.
Except it wasn’t a shadow for long.
The dark mass transformed into Dane—the man Gabriel wanted, needed to find. A mix of relief and fear rocketed through him. Gabriel had to tell Dane that the daughter he searched for, Tahlita, was in Gabriel’s home-town of Willow Creek. He wanted Dane and Tahlita to get back to their home in Valta. Then everything could really be normal—no more Zeverons or otherworldly creatures skulking around Willow Creek or neighboring cities. That stuff was just crazy. But Dane was also an old friend of the evil Duke Malgor. Who knew what mood he’d be in?
Dane’s tall, lean body towered over Gabriel, his face twisting into a half smirk as the blustery wind rattled his black bifocals. He held out one long, boney finger and curled it towards Gabriel twice. Dane opened his mouth to speak, but only a loud groan shot out.
Gabriel gulped. He knew it wasn’t really Dane. It had to be a dream of the shadows from Valta. Evil shadows just like these had swallowed his friend Brent whole when they were in there, and had transported Brent to Duke Malgor’s castle. Still, Gabriel couldn’t peel his gaze away from Dane’s bulging eyes.
What if it was Dane in front of him right now? Gabriel had been home from saving Valta a whole three weeks already. He needed to know where the portal was that Cedric had used to escape Valta. He couldn’t wait any longer for Cedric to cough up the information. He liked having that kind of power over Gabriel and his friends too much. It made the slimy worm feel big. If there was any possibility of the dude in front of him really being Dane, then Gabriel needed to tell him about Tahlita, reunite them, and get them blasted back to Valta where they belonged.
Gabriel stepped closer to Dane, ready to spill about Tahlita, when something wet slapped against the back of Gabriel’s neck, stinging him. “Ahh!” he hollered, thinking the shadowy form had finally gotten him with its acid-like tentacles.
I’m a goner.
Another zinger zapped Gabriel’s earlobe, just as Dane mouthed his name, “Gabriel.”
Gabriel dug his feet into the dirt, leaves swishing around his ankles. He tried to stay on the ground, but it felt like he was floating toward Dane. Something wet trickled down the side of Gabriel’s neck.
When the third zap struck him, Gabriel slapped his hand against the sting. Dane’s face twisted, contorted, and changed shape into … what?
Gabriel blinked as the sound of laughter filled his ears. He stared at the place where Dane once stood—and where his science teacher Mr. Roswell now blurred into place. Mr. Roswell shook his head in exasperation.
“Gabriel,” Mr. Roswell said. “Welcome back to the land of the living.” He held up a gloved finger oozing frog guts.
Another round of laughter followed.
Gabriel gave his head a shake, finally realizing where he really was—not back in the Valley of Shadows facing Dane. Nope. He was in the middle of sixth grade science class studying the anatomy of a frog.
Or he was supposed to be studying the anatomy of a frog. Instead, Gabriel was the mockery of the classroom.
Perfect. Just perfect.
“Sorry,” Gabriel mumbled, straightening himself up in his seat while trying to extinguish the burning in his cheeks. The laughing, and the swirl of freshly stewed frog guts in the air, made him feel like he was about to puke. Thankfully Mr. Roswell turned his attention back to the deceased frog.
Gabriel caught the eye of Piper, who pasted that pitying look across her face again. So what if he fell asleep in class for the second time this week? Wasn’t he still the hero who helped save the dying land of Valta, like, only three weeks ago?
Seriously. Gimme a break already.
He wondered where Brent was and hoped he’d throw out one of his usual one-liners to take the heat off of him, but Brent’s seat was empty. He’d probably taken a bathroom break, or more likely, a snack break considering Brent’s never-ending hunger issues.
As Gabriel lifted his gaze from Brent’s empty desk, his eyes locked onto Tahlita. She shoved a strand of her stringy, dark-brown hair behind one ear, freeing her hazel eyes from their usual hiding place, and narrowed them in on him.
Gabriel swallowed back the lump in his throat. Maybe she was like Princess Evangeline and could read thoughts. Did she see into his daydream? As awkward as that made Gabriel feel, maybe it would be a good thing. Maybe seeing her father, Dane, inside Gabriel’s dream would trigger a memory in her. When Gabriel, Piper, and Brent tried talking to Tahlita, the girl denied knowing anything. Said she had amnesia or whatever—not that Gabriel even believed her. Maybe she just wanted to get away from a crazy family life. Having Dane as a father might not be the best thing. Then again, Tahlita was about as prickly as a porcupine herself. Living with Dane couldn’t have been that bad.
With that thought, Tahlita rolled her eyes at him, shook her head, and twisted around to face the window where the wind rattled its hinges.
Strange.
Gabriel jolted in his seat as something small, sticky, and wet struck the back of his neck.
Again. Except this time he knew it wasn’t those stupid, menacing shadows.
He slapped his hand against his skin and pried free a foreign object clinging to him like dead weight. Peering down into his hands, he saw the culprit—a spitball!
Gabriel groaned. He knew exactly where to look to find the spitball-slinging offender. Twisting around in his seat, he shot a glare at Cedric. A few desks back, Cedric sat gnawing on the chewed-up shell of a hollowed-out pen. A sly smirk crossed Cedric’s face and he winked.
The creep actually winked.
Gabriel gritted his teeth and sighed. Yeah. Getting the crucial information about Dane and the hidden portal to Valta out of Cedric would be like Batman making friends with the Joker—not exactly an easy task.
CHAPTER TWO
At lunch, Gabriel, Brent, and Piper decided to give it another try with Tahlita. The girl couldn’t forget everything, could she? Maybe with enough prodding they could trigger a memory.
Tahlita sat in her usual spot in the back corner, eating alfalfa sprouts on bread. Gabriel wasn’t sure what kid other than her actually liked alfalfa sprouts. Just that should be enough to clue her in that she was from another part of the universe.
; They weaved their way through the noisy crowd of kids who carried trays of steaming soup and sandwiches and past the cafeteria line where trays of sandwiches and baskets of fruit were lined in a row. They plunked down beside Tahlita on the bench. Piper sat across from her. They figured having a girl speak to Tahlita might be better than two boys.
Tahlita grunted but didn’t lift her head. She just kept sticking alfalfa sprouts in her mouth. “You guys don’t give up, do you?” she asked around a mouthful, her long, dark hair slung around her face like a cocoon. “I told you already that I remember nothing from my past.”
“But you didn’t look up and you still knew it was us!” Brent exclaimed. “See? You have powers!”
Tahlita sighed, looked up, rolled her eyes, and shook her head. “No, Brent. I didn’t need to look up at you guys to know who it was. You come here every day with stories of a place called Valta. Was I supposed to think it could be somebody else because today is so special?” Her voice dripped sarcasm and she cocked a brow. Her question was met with silence. “No, I didn’t think so.” She dug into her sprouts again.
“Listen,” Piper said. “We’re not trying to be a pain or anything. We just want to help you figure things out. Would you like to hang out after school and go see my cat Tratta maybe?”
They’d tried going to Tahlita’s house, pretending to visit her new stepbrother Cole, but she had disappeared into her room and refused to come out. Cole had even brought her to Gabriel’s twelfth birthday party last weekend, but she just hung out by herself reading a book on the sofa all day. Piper had suggested that maybe seeing Tratta, the talking cat from Valta that Flossie had given her, might set off a memory or two.
Tahlita groaned. “I hate cats. I’m allergic. Besides, I’m fine where I am. All I know is that the police found me wandering the streets in Harmony City. I’d been there for about six months trying to evade authorities. My parents obviously dumped me because if I was lost, they sure didn’t bother trying to find me.” She shrugged, wiped her mouth, and took a drink of milk. “I don’t need you guys trying to fill my head with lies. And if what you say is true—which it isn’t by the way, but even if it was—I still wouldn’t want to go anywhere. Besides, what you guys are talking about could get you committed, you know.” She peered up at them and scowled.
Brent grumbled and sunk his head in his hands, obviously feeling as frustrated as Gabriel. Between Cedric and Tahlita’s stubbornness, they’d never get her back with her father.
Gabriel shuddered at the thought of Dane patrolling the streets. Who knew what mayhem he could cause? What if he could shape-shift like other Zeverons? That would really suck. He hoped Dane had dropped Cedric off at the portal, then stayed in Valta where he belonged. But Dane had said he was going to find Tahlita. He’d already searched all of Valta, and after seeing how Gabriel, Brent, and Piper had survived world hopping unhurt, Dane could have figured he’d be fine, too.
After a moment, Brent jumped to his feet. “Seriously, dude and dudettes, I’m starving! Let’s pick up this convo later. I gotta eat before I starve to death.” He headed off toward the cafeteria line, calling over his shoulder as he went. “I hope they have burgers today!”
Piper gasped.
“What?” Gabriel followed her gaze. Cedric was walking their way with his cousin Trevor Morley, who had moved to Willow Creek from out of town recently. Trevor was otherwise known as “Bull” because he was bigger than any seventh grader should be. Trays in hand, they were so caught up in whatever lame conversation they were having, that they weren’t paying attention to the crowd. With Brent practically jogging toward the food counter and looking over his shoulder at Gabriel and Piper, it would be a head-on collision of epic proportions.
“Watch it—” Piper started to call, but it was too late. Trevor’s tray flung high into the air. Today’s soup special came crashing down over the three of them. Trevor stumbled sideways a step, and knocked into Cedric, causing Cedric to fall. Cedric’s tray clattered to the ground beside him. An orange rolled across the floor and stopped at Brent’s feet.
The room fell silent. It seemed like the temperature suddenly sky-rocketed in the room. All eyes locked on Brent, Trevor, and Cedric—even Tahlita looked up from her web of hair.
“You’re dead!” Trevor rasped, whipping his baseball cap off and throwing it to the ground. Coiled springs of blond hair bounced free. He balled his hands into fists at his sides.
Gabriel jumped up and ran toward them. “Knock it off,” he yelled. “It was an accident.”
Trevor chuckled in a mock-laugh. “What are you gonna do, loser?”
Cedric clambered to his feet beside Trevor. “Yeah, Stone,” he said with a snicker as he brushed himself off. “This is between Brent and Bull.”
Even though Brent was big for his age, Trevor was a whole year older, and looked like he was in the ninth grade or something. He probably should have been, Gabriel figured. Maybe he’d failed a couple of grades. Either that or his mother fed him steak from the age of one.
Gabriel tugged a five-dollar bill out of his jeans pocket. “Here.” He held the bill out to Trevor. “Take this and buy another lunch, okay?”
Trevor smirked. “Another lunch?” he asked with a snicker. “And what about our clothes?” He waved his hands in front of his white shirt that now had brown stains and chunks of carrots splattered across it. He lifted his chin toward Cedric. “What about you, Ced?” Trevor gave Cedric a once-over. “Looks like you have a few spots.” He turned his attention back on Gabriel, narrowing his blue eyes. “You got money for new shirts too, Stone?”
“Shut it,” Brent snapped, stepping forward and squaring his shoulders. “It wasn’t my fault. We banged into each other, Bull.”
Trevor poked Brent in the chest. “You shut it, Chapman. And I think you need to clean up this mess you made.” His smirk grew wider. “With your face, that is.”
After that everything seemed to move in slow motion. Trevor grabbed Brent by the scruff of the neck. Cedric pushed Gabriel backward when he tried to intervene. A group of kids began chanting, “Fight, fight, fight!” Trevor’s face twisted into weird angles like some rabid dog. He stuck his face an inch in front of Brent’s. “C’mon, Chapman. You gonna fight or wimp out, sucker?”
Brent made a low rumbling sound in his chest and pulled his closed fist back, about to pummel Bull in the side of the head. Brent was never one to back down from a fight. Gabriel’s stomach sank. He could feel a school suspension looming like a dark cloud.
Freaking A.
But before Gabriel could manage to get away from Cedric and try to stop the disaster, something flung through the air knocking Trevor in the head. It was an orange and Gabriel wondered if Piper had thrown it, but he was too busy ducking punches from Cedric to check.
Then a wave of gasps filled the room. Gabriel closed his eyes.
Just awesome.
A teacher must have heard the noise and come in to break up the fight. Yup. Suspension was so happening. That’d go over real well with his parents.
More gasps echoed through the air, followed by complete silence.
Trevor stopped swinging, and Cedric and Gabriel quit fighting. Trevor rubbed his head where the orange had struck him and peered around the cafeteria, his face a mask of shock and awe.
Gabriel followed his gaze. “What the—”
At least fifty apples, oranges, and bananas hung suspended in mid-air. Several moved forward and encircled Trevor and Cedric’s heads. Brent staggered backward. Gabriel’s mouth gaped open.
Gabriel figured he wasn’t seeing straight. His eyesight must’ve been fuzzy from a blow to the head or something. How could fruit dangle in the air? He blinked, but the fruit still hung, swaying left to right, threatening to launch at Trevor and Cedric’s heads. Cedric and Trevor backed away toward the exit, palms raised.
It was like … magic.
Magic …
Wait.
Gabriel slowly shifted his line of sight toward Tah
lita, who still sat quietly at her bench. Except now, her hair was pulled tight behind her ears, her eyes narrowed.
She met Gabriel’s stare.
Magic! Gabriel thought again.
Tahlita’s eyes widened the moment he thought the word.
Splat! The produce hurtled to the ground in a spraying mess of fruit cocktail.
Piper slapped a hand over her mouth. “Ay, caramba!” she said through her fingers, gaping at Tahlita.
Gabriel already knew Tahlita was a Valtan, a Zeveron girl with some kind of powers, but now he knew what she could do—or at least part of what she could do. She could move things … like telekinesis or whatever.
As sick as that was, it was even better that Tahlita knew Gabriel caught her red-handed … and now she’d have to admit she was anything but human.
Epic!
CHAPTER THREE
That Saturday, First Street was blocked off for the annual street party. It was the first chance Gabriel found to try cornering Tahlita and call her on her Valtan voodoo stuff. Gabriel spotted Brent and Piper. Even though Brent lived on Second Street, and Piper lived on Roosevelt Avenue, they hung in the same crowd so they always went to each other’s street parties.
Several long tables stretched down the road filled with hotdogs, burgers, chips, and freshly baked apple pie. Gabriel’s mouth watered. Brent sat chomping down on a burger, ketchup splattered across his face. Multi-colored balloons tethered to thick oak trees rustled in the breeze keeping time with the bouncing rhythm of the rock music. Banners at both ends of the street read, Road Closed.
Piper mingled with a few other kids dancing. Puffs of steam drifted around them from nearby barbeque pits manned by several of the dads, including Gabriel’s. His mind drifted to some of his Valtan friends. He definitely missed them already and thought about how cool it would be if they could come to this barbeque.
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