Ascended (Fallen Guardian Saga #2)

by Debra Ann Miller

  Eli approached Gabriel, knowing that he knew something about the fallen Guardian, and guessing that Guardian was the one he was searching for. “Is it true? Has Violet fallen?” he asked.

  Gabriel looked at the three of them peering at him, waiting for a reaction, but he felt emotionless and numbed by the news. Everyone was watching him, waiting to follow the orders of their leader. He composed himself, then walked slowly over to the podium. He stood before the warriors gathered in the arena and spoke to them.

  “All of my existence I have lived by a code, and that code is simple: you know truth—live it; you will meet temptation—withstand it; honor and dignity are nonnegotiable; and lastly, defend the Gates at all cost. Recently, the code by which I have lived has been challenged. I’ve wavered in some aspects of this code, and it has resulted in tragic consequences for all of us. Today, a Guardian, one of our own, has fallen. The portals are open and the Gates are at risk. We are not only going to battle; we are fighting a war against those who seek to destroy our world and the world beyond. I am resuming my role as commander, and chief of this mission. I am a soldier. I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight. Who will join me? Who here will accept the challenge so that he, too, can feel the exhilaration of victory?” he asked.

  The arena was in an uproar with cheers inspired by Gabriel’s words. The Guardians were fired up and ready to make any sacrifice necessary to protect the Gates. Gabriel was a man who evoked courage in the souls of his warriors and fear in the eyes of his enemies.

  He raised his arms to bring order back to the arena and then noticed a hand going up in the crowd. Gabriel had known the question would be asked eventually; everyone wanted only one answer, after all. He pointed to the anxious warrior and the man stood up.

  “Sir, about the fallen one…do we know who it is?” he asked.

  The entire arena fell silent as the Guardians awaited the answer.

  “Yes,” Gabriel said, looking toward Fallon and the others.

  “Can you tell us who it is?” the man questioned. “Who is the traitor among us?”

  With a cold tone Gabe announced, “It was Violet. Vie is the traitor!”

  Immediately there was a gasp from the crowd, followed by loud whispers among the troops. Gabriel knew he needed to take control, to say something before more questions came flying his way. Again he brought order back to the arena with just a hand in the air.

  “I’m sure you’re all just as shocked as I was by this news, but it is true. Vie has fallen, and she has jeopardized everything we seek to protect. Her actions were selfish and they are an act of betrayal, one which will bear grave consequences. The choices she made here today will echo in eternity.”

  Fallon and Raphael continued to watch as Gabriel transformed right before their eyes. Something had changed in him. He spoke as if Violet were his enemy. They realized that was exactly what she had become to him: an enemy.

  “Will we return her? To the Gates, I mean,” the man asked.

  Gabriel paused for a moment. He thought back to his conversation with Vie, only a few hours earlier. He could hear himself asking her—pleading with her—not to do anything until he returned. He heard her words, “I promise, Gabe.”

  It played over and over again in his head. I promise, Gabe. I promise, Gabe. I promise, Gabe…

  “Sir?” the man said, still looking at Gabriel and waiting for an answer.

  Fallon and Raphael were worried about him, as were Eli and Camulus. They had never seen Gabriel at a loss for words. While he looked composed and ambitious to those who only knew him as their leader, those who knew him as their friend could see he was dishonored, humiliated, and disgraced about what had happened with Vie. She was his personal protégé, his apprentice, his model of excellence paraded throughout the Gates…but more than anything else, she was his friend.

  Gabriel looked back over to where they stood and he could see the pity in their eyes. This angered him even further. He was not a man to be pitied. Violet had brought that on him and he was not accepting it any longer. He shut her out completely. The Violet he knew was dead to him and his soul went cold.

  “Vie has unleashed hell! She will be returned to the Gates for atonement. There are NO exceptions to the rules here, NO explanations that will suffice for acts of betrayal, NO apologies accepted, and NO mercy will be cast on her soul. I will make it my personal mission to hunt her down and bring her to justice. You have my word; my promise,” Gabriel vowed.

  “For the glory of the Gates…we fight! Who is with me?” Gabriel’s voice rose to a roar.

  Every Guardian was on his or her feet in support of their leader. They began chanting his name as he walked through the sea of gatekeepers after turning the podium over to Michael to pass out assignment details to the rallied troops. He had accomplished something huge in those moments as he’d addressed his men. He’d managed to remove the personal attachment to Vie as if it had never existed.

  Everyone in the arena had believed it—everyone except those who knew him best. No matter what words he spoke, they were contradictory to his real feelings. Gabriel would never admit that he had these feelings because that would imply he was weak. But it didn’t mean they didn’t exist. The truth was, he was not going to war with Lucian. He was going to war with Vie, and that battle was being fought not on the ground but inside his soul.

  Fallon, Camulus, Raphael, and Eli assembled in the hall, waiting for Gabriel to join them. He pushed through the doors and moved quickly past the pessimistic onlookers.

  He stopped, noticing their uncomfortable stares, and asked, “What are you all looking at? There’s work to be done; we need to move quickly.”

  Sufficiently scolded, they all followed the determined Gabriel back to the chambers where the Council resided, and the talks began. A new mission was formed and Gabriel was leading it single-handedly.

  Fallon thought, This is not a battle in which anyone will be victorious when it’s over. God help us all!

  The meeting was underway. All the leaders sat attentively, listening to the fallout at the Gates. There had been only one other time in all of history that they had been faced with such danger, and it had been when Dimorte himself had fallen.

  As head of the Council, Camulus was in charge of the meeting; the others helped to formulate a plan of action for the mission to the world below. All of them gave their input regarding how to proceed with the plan of attack. Quickly and diligently they mulled over their positions before finally coming to an agreement.

  Gabriel had gotten what he wanted. He was to head the mission to locate the disloyal Guardian, Vie. He was asked to select a team to accompany him. Without hesitation, Gabriel announced that he wanted Eli, Raphael, and Gideon to join him.

  Honored by the request, they all accepted. Fallon was brooding but was not terribly surprised by his selection. As much as she wanted to assist Gabriel, she realized there was not a chance in hell he would allow her to be part of his team. The Council seemed miffed by Gabriel’s shun to Fallon, since she was one of their best warriors. One of them called him on it.

  “Very well, Gabriel. In addition to the three of you, I would like to add Fallon to the team,” Camulus said.

  “No!” Gabriel responded immediately, warning Camulus with his eyes not to push the issue. His quick response alerted the Council to conflict.

  “Is there some reason you would object to having Fallon on your team?” Marcus, one of the leaders, questioned. Marcus didn’t like the way things were being run up at the Gates, and wanted nothing more than to find a reason to have Camulus removed as the Head of Council. He waited for a reply.

  Gabriel looked at Camulus, upset about being blindsided, and stared him down to show his utter contempt.

  Camulus waited for Gabriel to explain his objection.

  Gabriel was angry, but he knew it would be unwise to address the issue at this time, especially knowing what Marcus’ agenda was. Danger was at their front door and time was of the essence.
He couldn’t risk redirecting the focus of his troops. While loyalty was essential, his objectives had changed. The only thing he wanted to do was to get to the ground and hunt for Vie; the issue with Fallon would have to wait.

  “No, there is no reason I can think of at the time. My team is solid. We can do this without her,” he added.

  Regardless of his objection, the Council decided Fallon would accompany them as per Camulus’ request. It was a bittersweet victory for Fallon. She wanted to help Gabriel, but preferred the decision to have been one of his choice rather than force.

  “Then we are adjourned?” Gabriel said, anxious to get started.

  “Almost,” Camulus said. “There is one more thing I would like to propose, one which is not up for debate. I will be joining you on the ground.”

  “What?” Gabriel stood up and shouted in disbelief.

  “I know Dimorte better than anyone. This is a mission that could potentially cost us everything if we don’t succeed,” Camulus asserted.

  “My team and I will get the job done. Do you doubt my ability to find Violet?” Gabriel asked.

  “No, I believe you will do as you say regarding Vie, but I will not let this mission turn into your personal vendetta against her. This is so much bigger than simply finding her, and you and I both know it. Like I said, this decision is not up for debate, Gabriel. I am coming with you and that is final!” The look on his face was determined.

  “I am not going to waste any more precious time arguing my point. I will accept your…how shall I put it…‘generous offer’ to accompany me on this mission, but only under one condition,” Gabriel stated almost diabolically. “Up here, you are the man in charge, but down there on the ground, you take orders from me. Agreed?” His tone as well as his body language challenged Camulus.

  “As you wish, Gabriel,” Camulus said, keeping his grin well-hidden. In truth, Camulus wouldn’t have had it any other way. Gabriel was a magnificent leader, and Camulus was going along to make sure he stayed that way. Gabriel was driven by his anger with Vie, or so it appeared. What Camulus was able to see was that it wasn’t anger he retained for Vie: it was fear.

  This was an emotion that Gabe would never acknowledge. He couldn’t. He’d been trained not to, by the best: Camulus. Regardless of the training to eliminate this emotion, it was still very present within him, and it was eating him alive. Gabriel was not weak. There was only one thing he feared, and that was being unable to protect Vie. Her safety was everything to him, and Camulus knew it; he realized Gabe’s fear was being unleashed in the form of anger. Camulus was their best chance of helping Gabriel see it, own it, and use it to protect what he held most dear: Vie.

  “So it’s decided, then?” Raphael spoke to cut the obvious tension among the group.

  Gabriel continued to stare at Camulus, waiting to see if he would challenge his authority, but he didn’t. He simply answered Raphael, “That’s up to Gabriel. He is our leader. Right, Gabriel?”

  Even when he was relinquishing his command, he still seemed to be in control. It was apparent to Gabriel in that moment that his title changed nothing. Camulus had control, no matter who was giving the orders.

  Under different circumstances, Gabriel would have been honored to fight alongside his mentor, but so much had changed over the course of the past few weeks, Gabriel was unable to look at Camulus the way he once did. Truth was an important branch of Gabriel’s morality, and that branch had been broken. Trust was not something he was willing to give freely, and Camulus knew that about him.

  At the same time, Camulus was thinking about Gabriel’s trust, and how he’d broken it. He had hope that this mission would teach Gabriel something he’d failed to teach him a long time ago: there is honor in forgiveness.

  They left the chambers, silent and uncertain about what lay ahead for each of them. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, for the five warriors to be so subdued.

  Fallon wanted Gabe to say something—anything—to her to restore some normalcy between them again. When he finally did, he told her to retrieve the blade. It wasn’t exactly what she was hoping for, but he spoke to her without contempt in his voice, and that was a start.

  “On it,” Fallon replied, and headed down the hall.

  “Raphael, Gideon, Eli, we need weapons…”

  “Say no more,” they replied, and headed to the weapons arsenal.

  “And me, Gabriel? What would you like me to do?” Camulus asked cautiously.

  “You can start by wiping that grin off of your face,” Gabriel replied snidely, and continued to walk down the hall.

  Camulus laughed under his breath and followed the leader. It’s going to be a long night, he thought.

  The Guardians were all organizing and preparing for battle in full throttle. Each platoon was being briefed about its assignment and how it was to be carried out.

  Gabriel was preparing for his own battle, the way he always did: by himself. He was sitting down by the rocks that overlooked the waterfall near the entrance of the Gates. It was his place, an awe-inspiring environment of stress-free serenity, full of wonder. He watched as the water cascaded down into the sparkling creek below. So this is betrayal. It’s like being left alone in the desert at dusk without water or warmth. It leaves your mouth dry and your will broken. It saps your tears and makes you hollow, he thought.

  “I thought I’d find you here,” a feminine voice spoke tenderly to him. Fallon knew this was a sacred place for Gabriel. It was where Camulus had trained him, and, in turn, where he had trained Vie. Typically, he would sit perched on his moss-covered rock before each mission to prepare, to rejuvenate, and to cleanse his soul. But Gabriel was unable to absorb any tranquility; even here in the remote stillness, Fallon could see he was a million miles away.

  “What is it, Fallon?” he asked without looking at her.

  “I have the blade you asked for,” she replied, reminding him that he’d asked her to retrieve it. Gabriel put out his hand, still not turning to look at her, and Fallon laid the blade down in his palm. She stood there for a moment, not knowing what she should do, but wanting so badly to do something.

  “Is there something else?” he asked, wondering why she was still standing behind him.

  “No, I guess there isn’t,” Fallon said, feeling angry and hurt that Gabriel had just dismissed her as if she were a servant. She started to walk away and then she stopped, deciding enough was enough. She was tired of being ignored, and worse than that, she was tired of the harsh treatment Gabriel was giving her. Her anger gave way and she marched back over to where he sat.

  “As a matter of fact, there is something else! I made a mistake and I’m tired of apologizing for it, Gabe. It happened. I can’t change it, and I need to move forward. Period!” she shouted at him.

  “A mistake, Fallon? Is that what you’re calling what you did? You didn’t make a mistake. You betrayed me. You betrayed all of us!” he shouted fiercely back at her.

  “Yes, yes I did, and that betrayal was my mistake, one which I’m paying for.”

  “Really? How so, Fallon? How are you paying for what you did?” he questioned.

  Fallon was fighting back the tears as she replied, “By losing the only person I care about at all in this world. By losing you, Gabe.”

  Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment, digesting her words. While he did believe Fallon was sorry for what she had done, her apology wasn’t enough; it just was too soon for Gabriel to let it go.

  Again, he sat silent, but Fallon felt softness in his silence; she could tell Gabriel was torn by her words. It was a very small step but nonetheless a step in the right direction. Suddenly, Fallon felt compelled to say something that would even shock her.

  “And for the record, Gabe, I don’t believe for one second that Violet betrayed you. Vie is fierce and righteous, just as you taught her to be. She didn’t fall to betray you; she fell to save her sister and to avenge her death. If you knew Vie at all like you say you do, then you should have seen
it coming. Oh, and one more thing, Gabe. I believe you would have done the exact same thing.” She walked away.

  Gabriel did hear her, and of course he didn’t see it the way she did, but he felt her words resonating in his soul. What really affected him was Fallon’s defense of Vie. Everything that had happened was because of her jealousy, and to hear her defend Vie now really struck a chord with him. But Gabriel’s strong moral code was affecting his ability to see Fallon’s reasoning.

  Fallon still saw it as a victory: her message was definitely received.

  A short time later Gabriel heard footsteps behind him, and then a voice said, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Gabriel turned to find Camulus behind him. He knew the look on his face; it was the one that came just before he would deliver poignant words of wisdom. Usually Gabriel was receptive, but after having words with Fallon, he felt drained at the thought of more conversation.

  “Not you, too,” Gabriel muttered, believing he and Fallon were in cahoots.

  Camulus lifted his brow, wondering who else had paid him a visit.

  “It’s wonderful to see you, too, Gabriel,” he replied, sitting beside him. They were quiet for a few minutes and then Camulus opened his mouth as if to speak.

  Gabriel rolled his eyes, knowing a lecture was to follow. But as much as he wanted his silence, he was having a difficult time expressing any obvious disrespect toward Camulus. Although he was angry with him for covering for Fallon, he understood his mentor’s actions were not those of betrayal, but protection. And since he himself had asked Camulus to break the rules to see Lily, he was having an even harder time being cross with him.

  “Please, Camulus, just say what you have to say so I can savor these last few moments of peace before we leave,” Gabriel said.

  “What makes you think I have something to say? I, too, enjoy the peace and serenity of our secluded hideaway,” he said, reminding Gabriel that it was his special place, too. “You know I used to come here before battle, also. It’s calming, peaceful…it really allows me to put things into perspective, to see them in a different light. To gain clarity, one might say.”