Cursed

by Owens, Wendy

  “Do you remember the bag of potions Dina gave you?” Uri asked.

  “Yeah, of course, it’s over there.” Gabe replied pointing to the worn burlap sack in the opposite corner.

  “Did you ever notice the charm on the strap of the bag?” Uri questioned, a slight grin on his face.

  “Yeah, I assumed Dina had forgot about it when she handed me the bag. I don’t see what… wait… oh that tricky girl! The charm has a beacon spell on it, doesn’t it?” Gabe laughed as he thought of his clever friend.

  “Leave it to Dina to always be three steps ahead of anyone.” Uri added.

  “Well, I have to admit, I am a little shocked you waited five years to come after me. Really, why even bother after five years?” Gabe hated to admit it, but part of him wished Uri had found him that first night and brought him back to Rampart.

  “Well, that was the plan.” Uri said glancing down at the ground.

  “Huh?” Gabe looked up at his friend puzzled. “What was the plan?”

  “After Dina told us you left, Haim and I were preparing to come after you.” Uri explained hesitantly.

  “Changed your mind?” Gabe feared what his friend was about to reveal.

  “Before we could finish our preparations, Rampart was attacked.”

  “What? No way.” Gabe scoffed in disbelief. “I would have known… How bad?” Gabe stuttered as his mouth fell open in disbelief.

  “It was so fast. Baal’s legion that we thought had been thrown off the trail in fact had discovered our exact location. Inside of an hour the entire compound was gone.” Uri’s voice cracked as he retold of that night.

  “That can’t be.” Gabe insisted.

  “That Bishop guy the council sent us was a joke. He was one of the first one’s killed. As many as we could transport we did and others fled on the Alicorns, but we lost so many souls that night.”

  “Sophie,” Gabe thought he no longer cared but when her name slipped from his lips he knew he did.

  “She made it. She is actually living at Iron Gate these days.” Uri explained.

  “Did she ever get her memories back?” Gabe asked hopeful.

  “Nope, never.”

  “Is she happy?” Gabe added.

  “I think so, her and Peter are to marry in the fall.” Uri regretted having to inform his friend of his old loves pending nuptials.

  “Peter? But I thought you…” Gabe stopped himself, realizing how wrong he had been all those years ago.

  “I tried to tell you then, old friend. When you set your sights on Sophie, she was no longer an option for me.” Uri confirmed. Gabe thought about what a fool he had been.

  “I’m so sorry. I should have been there that night.” Gabe moaned.

  “And if you had, perhaps you would be dead as well.” Uri cautioned Gabe’s wishful thinking. “After we escaped, it was actual Michael who insisted we leave you alone. He thought you were safer at that point without us. I guess he was right.”

  Gabe didn’t want to think about Michael. Part of him still ached at the thought he left without so much as a goodbye. “So what happened to everyone else?” Gabe asked, remembering all the faces of his friends.

  “The Guardians were pretty much scattered all over the earth. Some in safe houses, others fled to the remaining Guardian Training Facilities. Haim has not left my side since all this began. We’re pretty much on the front lines out there and somehow that man never lets me down. He’s like a machine. Dina went with Sophie that first night to Iron Gate where she remains with her.”

  “And Raimie?” Gabe wondered if the two love birds had already married, he thought knowing them they already had three children.

  Uri looked down, he sat in silence.

  “Uri? What about Raimie?” Gabe had more panic in his voice this time at the site of Uri’s reaction.

  Unable to speak the words, Uri simply shook his head no.

  “What happened?” Gabe gasped.

  “He never made it out of Rampart.”

  “Oh God,” Gabe struggled to catch his breath. “What about Dina? She couldn’t have taken it well.”

  “She doesn’t talk about it. You know how Dina is. She’s the head potions mistress now at Iron Gate, youngest ever. When it comes to Dina these days, she’s all business I suppose.”

  “I can’t believe he’s gone.” Gabe mumbled, reminiscing of his lost friend.

  “I know, sometimes it’s like he’s going to show up and head out on a mission with Haim and I. Still hard to believe.”

  The two sat silent for a moment, both cherishing their memories of Raimie. Until at last Gabe asked about Michael. Uri told Gabe all about the constant war and battling that had broken out between the Guardians and the demon world. He explained how Michael had been given a seat on the council and he had a vote in every decision that was brought before them. When the two finished discussing their old mentor, Gabe sat calmly.

  Though he was saddened by the news of Raimie, his heart was warm that everyone else had seemed to make it out of the tragedy in one way or another. He amazed himself that he did not seem to be dwelling on the fact that Sophie was to be married. Perhaps that she was not in love with his friend made it easier. He honestly just wanted her to be happy.

  “So why are you here then, if not to bring me back to Rampart?” Gabe asked.

  “Well…” Uri gave Gabe a stare as if to size him up. “Do you remember the prophecy?”

  “Oh please man, don’t tell me you came all the way here to waste my time with that nonsense.” Gabe groaned.

  “Gabe, we found her.” Uri simply stated.

  “Wait… the prophet is a girl?” Gabe gasped in disbelief.

  “No, we found the girl that is going to be the mother of the prophet.” Uri explained.

  “Hang on a second, I’m confused. She’s pregnant?” Gabe questioned.

  “Well, not exactly.”

  “How can you not exactly be pregnant?” Gabe was quickly becoming agitated with the conversation.

  “She is going to get pregnant and the child she has will be the prophet.” Uri tried to explain, realizing he wasn’t shedding any light on the situation.

  “Do you know how crazy you sound?” Gabe worried his friend may have lost his connection with reality during their time apart.

  “No, now hear me out. When Rampart was destroyed, they captured the Oracle. All these years we assumed she had been killed during the attack, but Haim and I picked up on some intel that they had been using her for information.” Uri elaborated.

  “Why does it not surprise me that she has been giving information to the enemy?” Gabe snarled.

  “That’s not fair, Gabe. She has been their prisoner all this time. We have no idea what they have put her through.” Uri pleaded.

  “I suppose.” Gabe conceded. “So what did she share?”

  “That’s how we found out about the girl. The demons had already located her and they were heading in for the kill. We managed to grab her and run just before they arrived. Needless to say she has been struggling with all of it. Unfortunately we did have a couple of demon run-ins that forced her to understand all too quickly what kind of war she’s in the middle of. It’s been a long road just to get here.”

  Gabe didn’t like the direction the conversation was heading. “And what does this have to do with me?”

  “Well, I just thought…” Uri stammered, surprised by Gabe’s reaction. “With us finding her and the prophecy, I just thought this would change things.”

  “You must have forgotten one part of that prophecy. If this girl’s baby lives, I die. That means you just thought you would come back here and I would be happy to march off to my death. I may not be afraid to die Uri, but that doesn’t mean I want to!”

  “Well no, it isn’t like that.” Uri insisted.

  “Then what is it like?”

  “We’ve tried everything to hide her but they always seem to find us. I was running out of options. I just thought with the prophecy y
ou would… I don’t know, somehow know what to do.” Uri pleaded.

  “I’m not a Guardian anymore Uri, I left that life.”

  “You’re right, I’m sorry…” Uri replied, the uncomfortable silence growing between them. “I’ll go and tell her.” Uri said standing and walking to the door.

  “Wait! What? Did you bring her here?” Gabe asked, infuriated.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

  “Well it is! She needs to go. You both do.” Gabe suddenly felt threatened, like the safe place he had worked so hard to build was slipping away. The life he had left was trying to pull him back in. A life that had promised his death.

  “I’m sorry, we’ll go.” Uri said shamefully as he bowed his head and opened the front door.

  There in the doorway stood a young woman. She obviously had been listening in on the conversation, or at least attempting to. Her hair was brown and shoulder length, she had it pulled back in a tight band at the nape of her neck; a couple wild strands fell in her face. When the door opened, her cheeks had immediately flushed red. Her lips were full, her nose petite, and Gabe thought her large, almond shaped eyes looked almost as if they had been painted on they were so exaggerated in size and color.

  “Hello…” she whispered, looking over Uri’s shoulder at the stranger. “I’m Rachel.”

  Gabe didn’t know what to say. He wanted his safety back, he wanted them both gone right away but it was also clear she was scared. He smiled slightly and replied, “Hi Rachel, I’m Gabe. Why don’t you two come in and rest for the night.”

  Gabe didn’t want to be pulled back into his old life, but he also knew there was no way he could send his dearest friend and a scared, demon-hunted girl into the night. They would simply have to leave first thing in the morning. Gabe took another look at the small creature and wondered if allowing her into his home might just be the biggest mistake he had ever made.