Puissant: Deceit (Puissant - Book 1)

by Katherine J. Sinclair

  Chapter 7

  Gabriel woke up with an aching heart, his dream had left him wondering why he was being tormented with dreams of a woman he yearned for but couldn’t even see. His heart told him that she was the one the seer would pair him with but she didn’t even have a name. Which meant that finding her would be almost impossible, the only thing he had was his dreams and the fact that he only ever saw her at the beach gave, him a little hope.

  This was also a driving factor for his need to head south with Kaiden. He figured that if he was able to get to the beach each day at sunset, he would have a chance of finding her.

  Frustrated, he pushed himself up off the floor and dusted himself off before heading over the to staff. He then inspected the markings on the small stones but he had no idea what the markings meant or what he was supposed to do. Sabiha had not told him much about the cave or the staff but was very detailed about what the outside of the cave looked like. With that he had to question the fact that if she knew what the outside looked like, why didn’t she just go in herself?

  Cursing himself for not asking more questions, he circled the stone a few times. As he circled he noticed that the staff had not started to shine like it had the day before, although he wasn’t sure if it would start again. He then leaned on the stone and sighed, his breath blowing across the surface of one of the stones. To his surprise, the stone started to glow but before he could figure out what had happened, the glow slowly died down.

  Curiously staring at the stone, he blew on it again and noticed it started to glow again. Impressed by what he saw, he moved around to the other stone and blew on it but to his disappointment nothing happened.

  Groaning, Gabriel began pacing the cavern, trying to think about what he was supposed to do. He paced for over an hour before he sat down and drank some water. He felt like he was no closer than he had been before he started pacing. He then stopped and stared at the large round stone for a while and noticed that it was the same colour as the loose dirt on the floor and grabbed a handful, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to try everything. After all he wasn’t planning on staying too long.

  Walking over to the stone, he spread the dirt on the top of the stone and watched as speckles of dim light radiated up around the individual grains of dirt. Amazed, he collected some more and spread it across the entire surface of the stone and stood back with a smile as he watched it gently glow in the dim light.

  Turning his attention to the small stone that had done nothing when he blew on it, he stared at it for a moment before grabbing his water bladder and poured a small amount of water on top of it. To his relief the stone began to glow and the realization that everything represented an element hit him. With this in mind he raced to the other side and blew on the wind stone, hoping to at least open the door.

  With everything alight, Gabriel glanced at the closed door and sighed, he knew there would be more to it but it didn’t hurt to check anyway. As he reached across to grab the staff, he prayed that this would be it, he would be free to go. He then wrapped his hands around the staff and gently pulled at it but it still didn’t move, something was missing from the equation, he just had to figure out what.

  As he began to pace again, he mentally listed what he had. He had wind, water and earth but he didn’t have fire. Stopping to look at the entire setup, he began to wonder where the fire symbol was. The earth symbol sat on the top of the large round stone, so that told him where to place the dirt and the two smaller stones indicated where those elements went but he couldn’t figure out where he would put the fire. Although he had no fire to begin with and there was nothing in the cavern to make fire and he also couldn't leave to fetch the required materials either.

  Cursing, he sat down and stared at the stone, there were no markings anywhere else on the stone, he had done a thorough search of the entire stone and cavern. He had even looked at the staff and it appeared to have a smooth surface, in fact the surface appeared to be unnaturally smooth.

  As the day wore on and the light in the cavern changed, Gabriel felt more and more defeated. He couldn’t think of where he could get some fire and wondered if he was going to be stuck in that cavern until he died, all because he couldn’t start a fire. He scolded himself for leaving the materials he had gathered outside but that did nothing to help his situation, it just made him feel worse.

  Hours passed before Gabriel noticed the light had moved around the cavern in such a way that it had finally lit the staff up. The smooth gold filled the area with an amber coloured light, similar to the light produced by a fire.

  Gasping, he jumped up and grabbed his water bladder. He then ran his fingers through the dirt on the stone, activating it again before pouring some water on the water stone and racing around to the wind stone.

  Praying that what he had done was going to work, he blew on the wind stone and looked up to see the entire stone alight in a colourful array of light that danced across the walls of the cavern. It was a beautiful sight but Gabriel didn’t want to waste time taking it all in, he wanted to get out more than anything. He wanted to feel the cool wind on his face and hear the sound of the water bubbling around the rocks in the river but most of all he wanted to hear his brother's voice, even if it was to complain about the time it took him to fetch the staff.

  Taking a deep breath, he reached across and grabbed hold of the staff. He then drew In a deep breath for strength before he attempted to lift the staff. To his surprise the staff lifted from the centre of the stone, causing the smaller cylindric stone to drop and the stone blocking his exit to lift.

  Relieved and not wanting to take any chances, Gabriel grabbed his things and quickly left the cavern. He then followed his arrows and exited the cave before dropping to his knees as he looked up at the clear blue, afternoon sky. He was free and the appreciation of just that filled his heart as he smiled to himself.

  He waited until his furiously beating heart calmed before he pushed himself up and wondered over to where he had left his belongings. Although he hadn’t spent that much time in the cave, at the time it felt like he had spent a life time in there, especially when he didn’t think he was going to ever see the sky again.

  Although Gabriel was eager to climb down the mountain, he knew there was not enough daylight left in the day to make it down safely. He promised himself that the moment the sun came up in the morning, he would head down but in the mean time, he relaxed and enjoyed the fact that he was free.

  After filling his stomach, Gabriel grabbed the staff and started looking at it. The smooth surface that had once covered the staff had been replaced with beautiful markings. He had never seen anything quite like it and wondered who would have made such a thing.

  Curious, he ran his fingers over the markings in an attempt to memorise them and try to understand what they could mean. He now knew the symbols for wind, earth and water but the rest were a mystery. He figured that if he could commit the symbols to memory, he might be able to find out what they mean one day and maybe find out who had made it.

  Satisfied in the fact that he had accomplished what he had set out to do, he set the staff aside and settled in for the night. He wasn’t physically exhausted but he felt mentally drained and hoped that his slumber would take him back to the beach.

  Sleep took him quickly but he wasn’t taken to the beach he desired to find himself. Instead his dreams were filled with monsters and the cruel world they live in but none of it frightened him, in fact it made him feel more alive.

  The moment the sun appeared just above the horizon, Gabriel got up and ate a small breakfast. He knew he needed the energy but he didn’t feel hungry, he somehow felt stronger, as of one of the monsters from his dream had given him some of its strength. Determined to get on with his day, he packed what little he had and started his journey down the mountain.

  As he walked, he couldn’t help but wonder if Sabiha was telling the truth about why the gods had trapped her, although she really didn’t give them much information
to begin with. Deep down something was telling him not to trust her and while he didn’t want to leave her there, he wasn’t sure if he should give her the staff, especially when he didn’t know enough about the her or the staff. For all he knew, he could be about to give a wicked woman something very powerful.

  The hours he spent travelling, Gabriel tried to workout how to get the truth out of Sabiha but by the time he was able to see Kaiden, he had come up with nothing. The fact was that he didn’t know Sabiha well enough to even trick her into giving away the truth but by this stage he hoped Kaiden did.

  Without making a sound, Gabriel quietly walked passed Kaiden, ensuring that Sabiha could not see him. He wanted to speak to Kaiden before he made his presence known to Sabiha and signalled Kaiden to quietly follow him.

  Just as Gabriel was about to leave hearing ranged, he could hear Kaiden tell Sabiha that he was going to get some water. Kaiden then picked up his water bladder and followed Gabriel to their camp sight.

  “Did you get it?” Kaiden asked, as Gabriel dropped his things beside the pile Kaiden’s belongings.

  “Kaiden are you sure we can trust Sabiha?” Gabriel asked, turning to look at Kaiden with suspicion in his eyes.

  “What do you mean?” Kaiden questioned, looking at Gabriel confused. “Don’t you want to free her?”

  “The gods put her in there, don’t you think they had good reason for it?” Gabriel whispered, hoping she couldn’t hear him. “I don’t want any trouble.”

  “Are you suggesting we leave her in there?” Kaiden gasped, looking at Gabriel concerned. “Besides whatever her intentions are, it’s none of my business and neither should it be yours.”

  “You spent time with her, do you think she’s dangerous?” Gabriel asked, ignoring Kaiden’s concerns for a woman he barely knew.

  “She seemed really nice and I don’t think she will harm us” Kaiden answered, looking sure of himself. “She’s in love and I can’t see a better reason to help her.”

  “Fine, let’s go and release her” Gabriel sighed, grabbing the golden staff. He still had his concerns but if Kaiden thought she was innocent, then that should be good enough for him. He also knew that he need to show his brother trust, especially when they were going to be spending a lot more time together.

  “Wow, look at that” Kaiden said, bending to get a closer look at the staff. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty” Gabriel groaned, thinking about how he never wanted to go back into another cave ever again. He wanted to cringe at the thought but didn’t want to show weakness in front of his brother.

  Quickly glancing at the staff, Gabriel sighed deeply before walking passed his brother and headed up to the crevice Sabiha was trapped in. He didn’t want to talk about how pretty the staff was or how he got it, he just wanted to give the staff to Sabiha and keep moving. He felt like they had already wasted enough time on it, especial when winter was coming.

  With Kaiden in tow, he slowed his pace the moment he was able to see the crevice. He knew that once she saw him, here was no turning back and quickly searched his heart for what to do. All he could come up with was the fact that he could never forgive himself for leaving her there, it was just to cruel.

  Stopping at the crevice, he took a deep breath and glanced at Kaiden. He then kneeled down and looked through the crack in the rock to see her looking up at him. He could see the shine in her eyes but the rest of her was still a shadow to him. His heart was pounding and he clung to the staff with so much strength that his knuckles were turning white. His heart was still in conflict with his head about releasing her but he had to fight through that, he couldn’t go back now.

  “What does this all say?” Gabriel asked, pointing to the markings on the staff.

  “The markings explain how the staff was created” Sabiha answered, her voice soft and floated through the air like the lovely scent of a spring blossom. “Now are you going to let me out?”

  “How was it made and why?” Gabriel questioned, ignoring her question.

  “The gods used the elements to create it but I’m sure you already know that” Sabiha told him, sounding like she couldn’t wait to get out. “It was also created to manipulate the elements. You see the gods would give mortals tools to help them create everything you see around you and as you could imagine, there are many tools scattered across the realms.”

  “Realms?” Gabriel questioned, not sure what she meant.

  “There are an infinite number of realms or at least that’s what I’m told” Sabiha explained, wondering when he was going to release her.

  “What exactly is a realm?” Gabriel asked, annoyed that her answer didn’t explain much, at least not to him.

  “Basically it means that this place exists over and over, in the same space except they can’t see each other” Sabiha answered, hoping she had satisfied him. “Look if you get me out of here I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

  “Fine but if we get caught, you have to promise me that you will not implicate Kaiden in anyway” Gabriel demanded, looking down at her as he was waiting for her answer.

  “You have my word” Sabiha agreed and to Gabriel she sounded sincere.

  “Cover yourself as much as possible” Gabriel instructed and watched her shadow move about before she stilled. He had no idea what to do with it but figured he would just use brute force, since he did want to break through solid rock. He then stood up and gripped the staff tightly, hoping he was doing the right thing on many levels before slamming it down onto the rock beneath his feet.

  A light spread from the point of impact to the trees and toward the slopes of the mountain. Everything then went quiet, making Gabriel wonder if he had hit the rock hard enough but as he was about to hit the rock again, cracks started forming beneath his feet. His eyes widened at the cracks and his heart leaped into action as fear started coursing through his veins.

  Cursing, Gabriel grabbed Kaiden and started running toward the trees, he now feared that he may have hit the rock too hard, making things worse. They stopped just inside the tree line and looked back to see that the crevice had opened up but nothing else appeared to be affected.

  “Stay here” Gabriel ordered Kaiden before racing forward. He wasn’t sure if it was safe and didn’t want Kaiden to get hurt.

  Racing toward where he knew Sabiha would be, Gabriel dodged debris as quick as he could before coming to a stop at a now larger crevice. He then kneeled down and looked into the hole, desperate to find Sabiha. He may not have trusted her intentions but he still didn’t want to see her hurt.

  "Sabiha" Gabriel called out, as he searched for any movement.

  After giving her a moment to reply, Gabriel climbed down and started looking around. His heart pounded and his mind worked over time until he finally saw a bare foot sticking out from under a dark ledge.

  Dropping to his knees and placing the staff beside him, Gabriel took a closer look to see a woman curled up against the rocks that made up most of the mountains surrounding them. He then reached out and gently wrapped his fingers around her arm.

  “Sabiha are you okay?” Gabriel asked softly, praying that a rock hadn’t hurt her or worse, killed her.

  A soft moan told Gabriel that Sabiha was still alive and relief filled his heart. He then tried to get a closer look at her and while he couldn’t see any marks on her skin, it didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt.

  “Can you move?” Gabriel asked, still looking her soft skin over for injury.

  “Yes” she moaned, turning her arm so that she could grab his hand.

  Sliding his free hand under her, Gabriel gently slid her out from under the rocks and immediately pulled her to his chest. He then pulled himself up and looked around for the best route out of the crevice.

  “Gabriel” Kaiden called out from above them, his voice echoing around them. “Do you need any help?”

  “Can you give me your shirt?” Gabriel called, confusing Kaiden.

  “Okay”
Kaiden responded, still confused as he took his shirt off and without further question, he dropped his shirt down to where he could see his brother's shadow.

  “Here” Gabriel said softly, as he slipped the shirt over her head and covered her bare body. He then lift her up to Kaiden and grabbed the staff before climbing out.

  Once he straightened his body, he looked over to see a beautiful woman laying in his brothers arms and for a moment he wished he could keep her. He knew she belonged to someone else but he also knew Kaiden deserved someone to share his life with as well. If he could bring his brother happiness, then maybe there would be hope for him as well.

  Smiling at Kaiden, Gabriel contently sighed at the though of his brother having someone for himself before he dropped his head and started walking back to their camp sight. He knew Kaiden would follow him and as he walked, he could hear Kaiden’s footsteps behind him.

  As Kaiden put her down and made her comfortable by a tree, Gabriel put the staff down by his bag and quickly took the pendent off before hiding it in his bag. Sabiha had mentioned other tools that the gods had given mortals and while he wasn't sure if the pendent was something of value or not, he still didn't trust her and figured it was better to keep it a secret.

  As Gabriel turned to see Sabiha wrapped in Kaiden's blanket, he quickly looked her over, taking in her beauty as he went. Her jet black hair was sprawled out around her head and her dark eyes followed Kaiden's every move. Kaiden was clearly taken by her beauty but Gabriel also noticed that Kaiden had his guard up, most likely because he knew he couldn't have her.

  “Kaiden you're so sweet” Sabiha told him, as he helped her to sit up and offered her some food.

  “We will stay with you until you're strong enough” Kaiden offered, glancing over to Gabriel to see his brother smiling at him.

  “Thanks to you both, I'm already strong enough, I just need some time to stretch my muscles” Sabiha said, looking at Kaiden through her lashes. “I'm sore from sitting in a cramped position for too long but I'm sure by morning I'll be fine.”

  “Don't be afraid to let us know if you need more time” Gabriel said, as he grabbed their water bladders. “I'm just going to fill these.”

  “Don't mind him, he’s actually a good guy, he just doesn't know how to show it” Kaiden whispered, as he watched Gabriel disappear.

  “You both have good hearts” Sabiha told him, with a sweet smile.

  “Thank you Sabiha, that is kind of you to say” Kaiden said, returning her smile, although his smile did not have the affect hers did.

  Sabiha smiled at Kaiden before looking over at the golden staff. The gold glistened in the sunlight sending a spray of amber light across the camp sight but the beautiful light display was the furthest thing from her mind.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kaiden sighed, knowing she was going to leave soon. He had enjoyed her company while Gabriel was away and knew he was going to miss her company.

  “Yes it is but what it can do is even more impressive” Sabiha responded, not taking her eyes off the staff.

  “What can it do?” Kaiden asked, looking at her curiously. “I mean I saw what Gabriel did with it but I’m sure it can do more.”

  “It can do much more Kaiden, not even I know it’s full potential” Sabiha told him, looking up at him. “I don’t know that much about it to be honest, I just know that I need it to free my lover.”

  “He's lucky to have you” Kaiden said, as Gabriel made his way toward them.

  "Thank you" Sabiha whispered, noticing Gabriel as well.

  Dropping the bladders beside Sabiha, Gabriel looked at her as if to question her intentions before heading over to their food supply to get a better idea of their situation. It was obvious that Kaiden had collected food from around the area while Gabriel was gone but they didn't have much left.

  “We're going to have to hunt before we leave” Gabriel announced, turning toward Kaiden.

  While Kaiden nodded, Sabiha looked like she was deep in thought. Gabriel figured she was probably thinking about her lover and ignored her. He then sat down beside Kaiden and relaxed with a deep sigh. It was getting too dark to do much else and Gabriel was exhausted from his adventure in the mountain. He just wanted to close his eyes and forget the world for awhile.

  “Gabriel you might want to hide the staff, you don't know who might see it” Sabiha said, glancing over at the staff, its shine captivating her.

  Groaning, Gabriel got up and grabbed the staff before heading back over to Kaiden and Sabiha. He then held out the staff and looked at Sabiha, offering it to her. If she was going to take it then he figured she may as well do it now, that way he didn’t have to worry about hiding it or anyone else that may want it.

  Kaiden helped Sabiha to move closer and watched as she looked it over with wonder in her eyes. She then wrapped her hand around the staff and gripped it tightly but the moment Gabriel let it go, the staff became so heavy that it fell from Sabiha’s hand and hit the ground hard, filling the valley with the sound of it hitting the earth. Looking at it shocked, Sabiha reached out again and tried to pick it up but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even slightly lift or move it.

  “Are you okay?” Kaiden asked, as he reached for the staff but as he tried to lift it, nothing happened. It was too heavy for him, confusing Gabriel as he watched as his brother try everything he could to lift it.

  Sabiha’s jaw fell open as she watched Kaiden try and lift the staff without luck. It certainly didn't look too heavy and while she could see that Gabriel was strong, he certainly didn’t look much stronger than Kaiden. She then looked over to Gabriel, who was frowning at them with his arm folded across his chest, looking annoyed.

  “Quit screwing around” Gabriel growled and grabbed the staff, easily picking it up off the ground before offering it to Kaiden.

  As Kaiden gripped onto the staff, Gabriel let go and again the staff fell through his hand and onto the ground. Shocked, Kaiden gasped and looked at Gabriel concerned that something was wrong. It was as if Gabriel had somehow been give the strength of a hundred men and he started wondering what exactly happened in the mountains to make this happen.

  “What's going on?” Kaiden breathed, looking down at his hand confused.

  “I don't know, you tell me?” Gabriel growled, picking up the staff.

  “Perhaps the one who found it, is the only one who can handle it” Sabiha suggested, looking from the staff to Gabriel’s brown eyes.

  “Then perhaps you should start answering some of my questions” Gabriel said seriously, as he narrowed his eyes at Sabiha.

  “Gabriel I'm sorry I don't know that much about the staff” Sabiha said meekly, avoiding eye contact with him. “And I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask for your help again.”

  “Sabiha we have to get back to our village, people there are relying on us” Gabriel groaned, knowing that winter was on its way and members of their village would have to head south early to set up. “Maybe you should join us.”

  “Gabriel please, I need to free him” Sabiha pleaded, knowing that she was indeed keeping more from the two brothers than they knew but she wasn't about to spoil her chances of keeping them around to help her, she obviously still needed them. “I'll give you both anything you want.”

  “Sabiha you can't give us anything” Gabriel sighed, annoyed that she was probably going to keep them from getting back to the village any time soon. “Besides I'm sure your lover can wait a little while longer, our village is counting on us.”

  “I may not be able to give you love but I can make you both perfect hunters and give you all the knowledge you seek” Sabiha offered, hoping he would agree. “I could even make you both immortal.”

  “Who are you Sabiha?” Gabriel questioned, not sure what to believe any more. Were her promises empty and just an attempt to get what she wanted or was she genuinely able give them anything? He wanted answers and he wasn't going to help her until she at least told them who she really was.r />
  “I'm a lesser goddess” Sabiha mumbled, ashamed to have even said such a thing but she was growing desperate.

  “What does that mean?” Kaiden asked, with kindness in his voice, knowing he was going to get more with kindness than the brute force Gabriel would use.

  “Basically I'm the love child of two tertiary gods” Sabiha answered, her voice lower than before. “They don't like having us around but there is no where for us to go.”

  “I'm sorry to hear they make you feel that way” Kaiden said sympathetically. “Perhaps once you free your lover, you should stir up some trouble.”

  “That's what got me into this situation” Sabiha said, smiling at the cheeky look on Kaiden's face but she still felt the sadness in her heart.

  “So who exactly is your lover?” Gabriel asked, hoping he wasn't some vengeful god who would cause mayhem for all.

  “He is a secondary god and his father did not agree with our relationship. In an enraged fit, his father forbid us from seeing each other” Sabiha answered, dropping her head as she remembered how much pain her lovers father had inflicted upon her. “We went behind his fathers back and continued our relationship. We even played tricks on his father to make him pay for trying to keep us apart but we were caught and my lover was locked away and I was given to the other gods. I couldn't give myself to anyone else and I certainly couldn't love another, so they brought me here.”

  “Damn it” Gabriel groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “How long will it take to free your lover?”

  Sabiha’s head shot and she looked at Gabriel with hope in her eyes. “I could have you back long before morning” Sabiha breathed, trying not to get her hopes up since he could still say no. “Gabriel I swear to you, I would never ask more of you if I didn’t have a choice.”

  “I know” Gabriel sighed, hating how her story pulled at his heart. “Do you have a plan once we release him?”

  “Yes, I know a place we can hide” Sabiha told him, with a weak smile. “I just hope it’s good enough.”

  “So where are we going?” Gabriel asked, positive he didn’t want to go but he was sure he wasn't going to hear the end of it if he didn't go.

  “You’ll help me?” Sabiha gasped, looking at Gabriel surprised.

  “Yes, I’ll go but if your lover accuses me of anything, I'm out” Gabriel warned, not sure how her lover would react to Sabiha showing up with another man. He knew he wouldn't react kindly to it but not everyone was like him, so he hoped.

  “He's not like that, I promise” Sabiha assured Gabriel. “Now we should go before you change your mind.”

  “Fine” Gabriel groaned, as he grabbed the staff and got up.

  “I can only take one of you” Sabiha told Kaiden, as Kaiden grabbed a water bladder and looked ready to go. “I'm sorry, I really wish I could take you as well.”

  “It's okay” Kaiden sighed, looking disappointed. “But where exactly are you taking Gabriel?”

  Sabiha pointed to the stars above them before quickly stepping in front of Gabriel and grabbing his arms. She then quickly flashed a smiled at Kaiden before she suddenly lifted off the ground and shot up into the sky, shocking not only Kaiden but Gabriel as well.