Celtic Rose

by Campbell, Jill

  When everyone was done picking at the raw wound of the crazy night with William, Gabriel got up from the table. One thing he did remember clearly from last night was the fight they had about the girl in the pub. He was positive that she was the one, but everyone else was skeptical. She was pure and beautiful; the witch, Serena, would never work with such beauty; it would give her a complex.

  “We need to find that girl from last night and follow the path to our next artifact,” Gabriel pushed again.

  “Gabriel, unless we are positive she’s the one...” Kallisto paused, thinking for a moment. She looked concerned at first, but then her face changed to determination and she continued. “I won’t take risks with the time we have left. I don’t care what you feel for her Gabriel. You aren’t thinking with your head, at least not with the one that can reason,” she said soberly.

  That was it for Gabriel. He’d find the girl, find out if she was the one, and bring her there to prove it to all of them. Gabriel turned and stormed out. Kallisto called after him but he ignored her and kept going. As soon as he got outside he ran as far and as fast as he could. The adrenaline seemed to be a pretty good hangover cure since the headache had dulled considerably since he woke up. He slowed down as he reached the pub from last night. It was closed, but there was a man inside. It looked as though he was cleaning up and preparing for the night. In a couple of hours there would be people filing in and he didn’t want to be there then, just in case Maulro decided to come back.

  “Sorry to bother you, sir, but I need to ask you some questions,” Gabriel said, leaning on the counter. The man looked at Gabriel suspiciously. Gabriel was sure his attire, which he still wore from last night, made him look a little worse for wear, but the man nodded like he made the decision to answer.

  “Alright, what do you need?” he said, never hesitating as he wiped out the glass.

  “The dancer with the blonde hair, does she work here every night?” Gabriel asked hopefully. The man smiled and nodded like it was what he expected.

  “No, she doesn’t. But she comes sometimes. She says she’s looking for a certain group of people and that they would come here looking for her. Are you possibly a part of this group?” He said, looking at Gabriel questioningly.

  “I am. The others are waiting for me to come back. It’s too dangerous for all of us to be out in the day.” Gabriel stopped, shocked, wondering why he was telling him that.

  “She said you would say that. She usually comes about once a week. We won’t see her again until next week,” he said and then went back to his glasses. Gabriel was disheartened. The man cocked his head and looked at Gabriel. He didn’t know what look was on his face but the man looked concerned. He leaned over the counter and look around before speaking. “She lives somewhere around here–I see her walking in the square sometimes. I’d bet that if you were to go there you’d find her before next week,” he whispered, and leaned back looking intently at the glass he was cleaning.

  “Thank you, sir. You don’t know what this means to us,” Gabriel said gratefully. The man just nodded and never looked at him again. Gabriel took that as a sign they were finished and walked out. He went straight to the square and sat on a bench hidden under an awning. The girls could see the square from their window and he didn’t want them catching a glimpse of him. At least the front of the hotel was on the other side of the building and not in the square. They wouldn’t see him if they decided to go out looking, at least not right away.

  It was getting dark. Gabriel wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there but it seemed like forever. He was just about to give up when he finally saw her walking down the opposite side. He jumped up and ran over. She stopped when she saw him coming, then smiled and looked as though she’d been waiting for him to pop up.

  “Do you know who I am?” he asked when he reached her. She grabbed his hand gently and pulled up his sleeve. She traced the tattoo that was revealed.

  “You’re Gabriel, protector of the princess Kallisto and her brother Kalan, stuck in a curse for centuries by an evil witch named Serena and an evil warlock named Merrick. The others in your group include William, the Scottish noble, betrothed to the princess but now only a vessel for her life and power; Ramina, the love of the prince, Kalan; Talus the true love of the princess; and now the lovely Ephiny, who is a werewolf like yourself.” She’d been tracing the tattoo while she spoke and then looked at Gabriel, smiling as she continued. “I’m clairvoyant. I see things that haven’t happened yet, and things that have happened in the past. Reading you, I see several lives. I knew you were coming for me. I’ve been waiting since I was young. My parents knew also, that’s why they came here before I was born and raised me as an Egyptian. They had me taught in the old ways of fighting by some priests in a temple not far from here. I’ve lived my life learning all I can to be a benefit to the cursed ones.” She released his arm still smiling. His breath caught; he could barely say a word. After a few tries he was finally able to speak.

  “How can I be sure you’re the one? The witch could have taught you and could be using you for a distraction.” Gabriel couldn’t believe he was saying it but the others’ words were stuck in his head. The girl laughed.

  “Never fear Gabriel, I know what they feel and what they think about me. That’s why I didn’t confront them last night at the pub. I need them to realize who I am on their own. I’ll have a chance to prove myself to them very soon. I must leave you right now Gabriel, but we’ll see each other again very soon.” She started to walk off. Gabriel grasped for words to make her stop but nothing would come. Finally when she was a few yards away he thought of something.

  “Wait! What’s your name?” he yelled. She stopped at his words and turned around smiling.

  “My name is Keira, strong one. Remember it well.” She grinned knowingly, and was gone.

  Chapter 14

  It was after dark and Gabriel still hadn’t come back; the others were getting worried, so they decided to go look for him. They didn’t want to draw attention to themselves so they changed into more conservative clothing. The guys stayed in the same clothes but the girls changed into pants and tops they found in the bags. The pants were almost like the guys but more billowy. The tops covered everything and went down to their knees. They had some thicker veils to cover their heads and faces. They were as disguised as they were going to get, with the least amount of attention.

  “Is everyone ready?” Kallisto asked. They all nodded and they went out the door. They trailed out the front of the building and traveled around to get to the square. Kallisto thought at one moment that she’d seen Gabriel running across the square to the other side when she looked out the window about thirty minutes before. There was no telling where he’d be, but she hoped they could find him there.

  As they went around the corner they ran straight into Maulro and his crew. They pretended not to be strangers of Egypt and bowed as an apology while they walked around them. Talus, Kalan, and William kept their faces down hoping to avoid recognition. They kept walking and Maulro never said a word–he just looked at them. Kallisto stole a look here and there as they traveled down the road. The men stood there staring for longer than she liked. They made it around the corner before any of the group spoke.

  “That was so close. Do you think they realized who we were?” William said quietly.

  “I don’t know, but they were staring rather hard. I suggest we keep moving and get as far away as possible,” Ephiny said hurriedly. They kept walking, slightly faster than before, not wanting to draw attention to themselves by running. Kallisto chanced another look back and noticed a head disappear as soon as she turned.

  “We need to get out of this area quickly. I just saw someone looking around the corner and they didn’t want to be seen,” Kallisto said in a harsh whisper. They picked up the pace to a jog and got through an alley and around the corner. They eased up the pace back to a walk, hoping they had lost them and they could find Gabriel before Maulro’s men
found them again. Kallisto tried to speak to him mind to mind, but he was blocking so hard she couldn’t get through. She sent visions out continuously of Maulro and where they were, hoping that he’d release long enough to see.

  They went around another corner and were stunned to see Maulro and his men at the end of the street. To avoid looking suspicious, all they could do was keep walking and pretend not to see them, hoping if they didn’t show fear then Maulro would think it wasn’t them and leave them be. Kallisto thought they were going to get past them, but at the last second Maulro reached out and grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away and keep walking but he was too strong and wouldn’t let go. Talus tried to grab Maulro but he was grabbed by one of the other men.

  “Hello, Princess. How’s life?” Maulro said, and started laughing as he pulled Kallisto into his arms. She struggled to no avail.

  “How can you do this Maulro? I thought you were a part of our family,” Kallisto said, trying to reason and possibly confuse him to buy them some time. He froze for a moment. She thought she hit the right cord but she was wrong.

  “I was a servant, not a member of the family. Besides, my choices were, die with the rest of you and become a part of this stupid curse, or side with Serena and Merrick and live for all eternity. Hmm...I choose to live one long life rather than die horribly several times. Thanks but no thanks.”

  He picked Kallisto up and started carrying her off. The others ran for her and were grabbed themselves. The guys were dragged along by two men each, one on each arm. Ephiny was carried as well, thrown over one of the men’s shoulder, and Ramina was dragged along by four men because she kept kicking and hitting at them all, and they each had to grab a limb. Kallisto remembered what Gabriel said about them being prepared for an electrical attack but she couldn’t just let them be taken. She had to try.

  Pulling the power from the center of her body, she willed it to pulse and throw itself out of her body like it’d done before. She was rewarded for her effort by being thrown across the alley herself. She hit the wall hard and slid down; she wasn’t unconscious but the wind was knocked out of her and it took too long for her to right herself. As she looked around she noticed her group had been thrown in different directions, and Maulro and his men were just standing there laughing. It may not have done any damage to the fiends, but at least she and her friends were free.

  Kallisto ran and the others ran with her as soon as they could. It was strange that Maulro and his men didn’t give chase; they just stood there staring at where Kallisto and the others had fallen. As Kallisto looked around she noticed they were still where they landed, all of them knocked out. She was confused at first, wondering how they could be running and see their bodies elsewhere. Then it dawned on her and the others as they looked down at their ghostly forms and back toward each other–they were having out of body experiences.

  “You will not be able to beat them with your powers. You must use your training. You won’t be able to beat them but you’ll be able to buy some more time. Just stay out of reach no matter what, and you’ll survive.” The ghostly voice came from nowhere and everywhere. It echoed through the alley and off the walls all around them, and quicker than she thought possible they were sucked back into their bodies.

  Kallisto’s body ached but she got up slowly. As she looked around the others were doing the same. They got into their fighting stances. Kallisto grinned at Maulro; he didn’t like that much. He screamed out and started running at her. She flipped over him effortlessly. He stopped just short of the wall and turned around; she’d hoped he would run into it head first. She smiled at him again. He ran for her and reached high expecting another jump, so instead she rolled through his legs and stood up immediately. She started laughing–it seemed so effortless and easy to her. He was so bulky he could barely keep up with her.

  He looked over his shoulder at her and set his shoulders, readying for another attack. She’d have to watch him extremely close to see what kind of attack it would be. He faked one way and went the other quicker than she thought possible for him. She pulled her mother’s power into her and levitated well above his head. He jumped and tried to catch her and she started to laugh again. She stayed up in the air floating back and forth above him, high enough up that she could look around without worrying about him.

  Kalan was in trouble–one of the men had his arms pinned behind his back and the other was punching him. Kallisto decided to even the odds. She laughed again as she pulled a Superman, throwing herself forward, flying through the air. She hit the guy that had been punching Kalan and slammed him into a wall. Maulro chased after her but she was up again before he could reach her. Kalan head butted the guy holding him, elbowed him in the stomach, and turned and brought his knee up into the guys face. Blood spurted everywhere as he went down on his back.

  Kalan ran over to help Ramina. There were three guys on her–two were holding her arms and the other was walking toward her with a knife. Kallisto flew toward her as well but before either of them could get to her the guy lunged with the knife and caught her in the stomach. She screamed out, and so did Kalan and Kallisto. Kallisto hit the guy with the knife, grabbing him at the same time and bringing him up with her. She didn’t know she could carry someone; she laughed as the guy screamed and she threw him down. He landed in a pile of broken wood but wasn’t impaled. He lay unconscious and damaged but not dead.

  Kallisto flew back toward Ramina. Kalan was already with her but there were other men coming for them. Talus, William, and Ephiny were fighting the men off as best as they could. Ephiny’s claws and fangs had grown and she was doing a lot of damage, but everyone in the group was beaten and bloody, all except for Kallisto. Kallisto swooped down to start hitting some of the men converging on Ramina and Kalan. Kalan was too busy holding pressure on Ramina’s wound to defend himself. Ramina was bleeding profusely–the dark blood seeped through Kalan’s fingers at an alarming rate. It seemed to pulse out every time her heart beat. Kallisto hit three of the guys, but was suddenly grabbed again by Maulro; she’d gotten so caught up in everything that she’d forgotten to watch out for him. He started to run out of the alleyway with her.

  Just as they reached the end of the alley a fist flew around the corner so fast Maulro was thrown back, and Kallisto flew out of his arms into a pile of fabrics. Kallisto jumped up immediately, expecting to see Gabriel, but it wasn’t him. She stood there in shock for a moment staring at a very angry little blonde, who ran forward into the group of men that had converged on Kalan and Ramina. Kalan had taken many punches, refusing to stop the pressure on Ramina’s wound. The blonde started hitting men left and right. The men flew out in several directions but Kallisto could no longer see the blonde.

  All of a sudden a bright green glow started from the center of the men and the men started screaming and grabbing their ears. Kallisto didn’t hear anything but the men’s ears started bleeding and they fell one by one, unconscious. After they all fell she could see the blonde again. She was holding her wrists to her temples and the glow was flowing into her head from there and out her eyes. As she watched the glow faded and the blonde seemed to waver and stumble, but she caught herself and stood there, breathing hard.

  William, Talus, and Ephiny walked over to her, bloody and looking the worse for wear. Kallisto woke from her shock and ran to Kalan and Ramina. As she reached them she tried to bend down and touch Ramina. She was shoved back so hard she landed on her rump.

  “Ow! Kalan it’s me!” Kallisto said and tried again to touch her. She was slung back again.

  “Stay away from her!” Kalan used the voice that made her obey. She backed up all the way to Talus, who was still by the blonde about a yard away from Kalan and Ramina. They stood there in shock. Kallisto turned and looked at Ephiny. Ephiny was staring straight at her. They spoke mind to mind for a moment.

  He is overly protective of her Kallisto, this is a bad sign. Ephiny thought, concern plain in her mental voice.

  Are you saying you thin
k he will be the one to betray us? Kallisto asked in disbelief.

  I’m not saying that exactly, but this isn’t good. The witch is after Talus because she thinks your death will send him mad, but Kalan is going mad and Ramina isn’t even dead. William has a serious grudge with Gabriel and now Gabriel is gone and hasn’t shown up to save us. This will cause more animosity between Gabriel and William; I just know it. I can’t see him killing anyone, but I’m biased. I think he may be affected by the witch since he’s acting so much more aggressive in this life.. and if that’s the case she could control him more and cause him to do just what I can’t believe. They’re all suspect in this and we need to be leery of them all, Ephiny explained.

  Gabriel said much the same in his truck on the way to his house before you came, but look at how he’s been acting. He’s calm and loving one moment and then cruel and spiteful the next. This blonde may be the one we are looking for, but she may also be one of Serena’s people and Gabriel is severely affected by her. What if she causes him to kill us all? We can’t trust anyone but us and Ramina, Kallisto thought sadly.

  Right, we’ll keep an eye on them all, Ephiny agreed. Their attention was turned to the edge of the alley where Gabriel came running full speed toward them. He froze as soon as he saw all of Maulro’s men littering the ground and Ramina laying there bleeding. He ran to help Ramina and Kalan tried to push him back, but he grabbed Kalan with both hands and picked him up off the ground.

  “I was watching you on my way here, brother of Kallisto. You pushed her and you’ll pay dearly for that. And don’t you ever try to push me away when I’m trying to help again. I may have protected you throughout your lives, but I will injure you if you give me cause. Now go to your sister and apologize. I’ll tend Ramina’s wound,” Gabriel said angrily, and shoved Kalan back in Kallisto’s direction. He landed on his feet but stumbled backward into Kallisto, and she grabbed him. He turned slowly in her arms and tears flowed down his cheeks. He grabbed her harshly, pulling her into his arms.