‘It's done. They will not know that we are inside unless they catch us. In the past 200 years no one has ever disturbed them, so Gabriel will be all alone.’
She sounds confident, so I don't question anything, but I do expect the main door to be locked. I can't understand why the Sprites don't follow the standard security measures.
‘Typical fairy magic. They are too proud to even lock the door,’ says Abella, while I am still suspicious; this is just too easy.
We walk inside as I make out the large pillars situated on both sides. We carry on walking to the large long hall. Our steps are loud but yet no one is here. She moves confidently between tall glass windows stopping in front of oak door.
‘He is in this room,’ she whispers, staring at me. I nod, although I am not sure what to expect. Abella pushes the large door; we step into another dark room. All of the sudden the light come on blinding me for a few seconds. I blink rapidly looking around the specious room that reminds me of a museum. Large paintings of royals are hanging on all four walls. My eyes contract with sudden fear when I notice the person in front of me.
‘It took you long enough,’ says Richard, looking at Abella. His black coat is still covered with Herne's blood and this sudden odour of gunfire reaches my nostrils. I think that I am going to be sick right now. I am standing frozen, aware that this is a trap.
‘Grab her and let’s go,’ says Abella, her tone is sharper and demanding. He rushes towards me. I look around disoriented, but I have nowhere to run.
‘Abella, what's going on?’ I ask, staring at her, she looks annoyed. ‘He killed Herne!’
She doesn't even look at me; she turns around and walks away while Richard starts dragging me, following her. His eyes are gloomy and dark. I jerk, trying to free myself, but Richard is much stronger and he squeezes my shoulder harder until I stop jerking. I am not sure if this is part of Abella's plan, but I don't particularly like it.
We come through a large corridor and walk into another room, but this time I spot Gabriel sitting in the corner.
‘Gabriel!’ I roar trying to push Richard off, but he slaps me hard. I stumble backwards, losing my balance. It takes me a few seconds to come back to myself; I feel blood running down my cheek. Gabriel moves towards him looking furious, but I don’t think that Richard is able to see him.
‘If you come closer, she will die. One word, Sprite,’ Abella warns Gabriel holding a think long knife in her hand, her mouth curling in a mocking smile as she locks the door with a snap behind us.
‘What is going on Ania?’ asks Gabriel furiously tensing his jaw, ‘Who are they?’
‘Shut up Sprite,’ snaps Abella pointing the knife at me.
‘Abella, can you tell me what's going on here?’ I ask feeling the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.
‘Apparently you were supposed to be intelligent but, obviously, that was wrong,’ she snarls.
‘You were supposed to help me! Aren’t you my grandmother?’ I ask.
‘Grandmother?’ says Gabriel and Abella at the same time.
She starts laughing and then I begin to understand what is going on. I believed her; she just wanted to drag me here, and she has been lying all these time.
‘I am not your grandmother, I am here to use the last changeling and finally become a human,’ she chuckles. Her eyes are cold and menacing; she has been pretending well. ‘And you fell for it, just as I planned.’
‘I think you missed a few hundred years,’ says Gabriel. ‘I suggest you leave. The people of peace will begin the sanction shortly.’
‘You have no idea, Sprite. You had her so close all this time and you have done nothing,’ she continues, she cackles wildly.
My mind is flooded with questions, but I am looking around trying to understand if there is any way that I can escape.
‘You said it yourself that I am not a changeling!’ I shout, panicking.
‘You are mad. Ania is pure human,’ continues Gabriel, narrowing his blue eyes. He seems to be so calm while I am petrified. He looks at Abella without any emotion. Within seconds, the face of my pretend grandmother starts changing; her white hair becomes black, her dark eyes are shifting into pure amber, the skin on her face smoothes. She grows at least a foot. In the next moment, a different woman is standing in front of me. I sense that she is a Sprite; her skin glows, she has long wavy black hair that hangs to her shoulders. I don’t recognise her. She inhales the tense air and looks around, grinning. I’m speechless.
‘She is the last changeling, you fool,’ she chuckles as she moves closer to me. She strokes my red hair, staring at me with hunger in her eyes.
Gabriel face is grotesquely frozen and I begin to wonder why all the Sprites so obsessed with humanity.
Then she plots her arm around my neck breathing into my ear.
‘You are mine now.’
She brings the thin, shining knife to my throat and I am unable to move.
‘Don't you move, Sprite. Someone else was close and nearly got her before me, but I think this time, she won't be fortunate enough to survive,’ she hisses, almost giggling.
Gabriel scans the room then rests his eyes on me. He runs his hand through his black hair; he isn’t going to risk my life. Richard stands close to us; he seems to be unaware what is going on staring at the wall in front of him. I am calculating my moves but the knife is too close to my skin for me to try and escape; in a single movement I can be lying on the floor dead. She is breathing heavily.
‘I am not sure why you want her; she is only a human,’ says Gabriel, shifting nervously. The Sprite starts laughing.
‘She is the last changeling, that's why Maurice was trying to kill her, I have been waiting for this moment for two hundred years and I won't wait any longer,’ she shouts while I am desperately thinking about what she means. Maurice; I know that name, but my mind is blank, unable to gather any thoughts. The knife is slowly pressing into my throat; I tighten my lips to bear the pain. There is another movement on the other side of the room, Richard is standing in the same position looking at the wall ahead, not moving, and his eyes are empty.
A few more Sprites materialise in the room, looking disoriented at this bizarre scene. The Sprite that is holding me jerks nervously. I recognise a few faces from the beach from when they took Gabriel.
‘Don't move!’ she shouts, moving backwards and dragging me with her.
‘I don't know how or why you are here, but you have to let this human girl go,’ says one of the Sprites; he has light hair and a brooding face. He wrinkles his forehead with effort.
‘You are all fools. Maurice is trying to finish her because he doesn't want his secret to reach you!’ she roars spitting at my face. She doesn’t know what to do she is panicking.
‘I don't know what you are talking about,’ snarls Gabriel nervously
‘I will become an immortal human today,’ the foolish Sprite barks and she finally releases my throat. I take a long rasped breath and the room around me starts spinning.
‘She is a human, not a changeling,’ continues the oldest Sprite in a calm tone.
Her eyes are shining with madness; she looks at me and the sweat is covering her forehead.
‘I am going to kill you!’ she shouts, pressing the knife to my throat again. I want to become a human!’
‘Please stop, I am just an ordinary human…’ I mumble, unable to move.
Suddenly, there is another movement by the door. Someone screams and I am being shoved across the floor. There is a scuffle and when I open my eyes again the dark-haired Sprite is on the floor, her face ashen and eyes closed; she looks like she’s dead.
Loud gasps spread through the room. I can't move as I look at a red-haired man who is staring at me, while the panic spreads. He is the man from my dream, Maurice, who switched the infants in the hospital.
‘I have been trying all year to end this, but you are still alive,’ he snaps, coming towards me. I panic and look around with desperation; my heart is in m
y throat. ‘The first time you survived while I was certain that you were dead, then I could never reach you; the second time I killed someone that I shouldn't have, but now to prevent more blood from spilling, I must complete what I started.’
‘You were trying to kill me? Why?’ I ask, stepping backwards, trying to distract him.
‘To save you from her. She will come for you!’ he shouts, rushing towards me.
I fall down, unable to see where I am going. I want to laugh when I see something sharp in the air; it is the fifth time that someone has tried to kill me using this knife. I can't react because he is fast and I am moving helplessly on the floor, trying to escape. My whole life slowly flashes in front of me and I think that he will finally succeed in killing me.
I open my eyes; Gabriel is on top of me, his eyes are shut. A loud scream spreads through the room but I can't see what is happening. Gabriel is heavy and I know that something is wrong, I push him aside and my body tenses when I spot the knife is buried in Gabriel's back.
‘Gabriel, oh my God!’ I cry.
The other Sprites are coming towards us. I am searching for Maurice, but he isn't in the room any more. I stand up and crawl by Gabriel caressing his face.
‘Leave, the knife is made with iron. It went to close to his heart. He is dying.’ says a tall light haired Sprite standing in front of me.
‘No, he cannot die!’ I shout, trying to push him away.
‘There isn't much time; he saved your life and now I have to try to save him. I will take him with me to the old lantern by the port. It’s the iron that kills. Come there, we will be waiting for you,’ he says releasing my arm, ‘If this doesn’t work he will die, but the next few hours will depend on your faith. If you believe that he can live then he might have a chance.’
My mind is blank and my body freezes, unable to move. The tears are running down my cheeks; Gabriel looks pale, his lips are grey his eyes shut, limps lifeless.
A few Sprites surround him and then they disappear one by one, leaving me alone with Richard, who seems to have no idea how he got here. I don't dare to look at the Sprite woman that pretended to be my grandmother; I know she is dead.
‘Ania, what's happened, what I am doing here?’ asks Richard, staring at me. I step away from him, feeling the adrenaline pumping in my body.
‘You don't remember?’
‘No… I don't.’
‘I haven't got the time to explain anything right now, I have to go,’ I say. ‘Just go home, Richard. I will explain later.’
He seems lost, but I leave the building and leave him behind. I know where I need to go next; there is only one lantern in Swansea. I begin to run toward Mumbles, assessing how long it will take me to get there. I am not sure whether Gabriel will be still alive. I stop after a few minutes, realising that my car is in the car park. I check my pockets and find the keys. The roads are empty and I manage to get to the end of Mumble Road in minutes. I have to abandon the car and run to get to my destination. I pass the hill and a few buildings; I am sweating and gasping for air while I climb the hill, finally getting to the old lantern that is located on one of the cliffs.
The sea is calm today and the tide is in, the navy sky is staggered with stars. When I get to the entrance, I see two Sprites staring at me without any kind of emotion on their faces. They seem to understand that I am supposed to be there so they let me in. I have to stop to catch my breath, my throat is burning and my clothes are covered with sand and dirt. As I enter the small space, I see a few more Sprites staring at Gabriel, who is on the ground.
‘Come,’ says the Sprite that I recognise from the Guildhall. Rose is by Gabriel sobbing. When I approach she moves to the side.
‘I’m not sure what you want me to do,’ I say, disoriented.
The older Sprite steps closer to me in and puts his arms on mine. His eyes are incredible, calm and dark.
‘He was supposed to die today; the old law states that we must let him live. The iron was supposed to kill him, but he is still with us.’
‘I understand, but what do you expect me to do?’
‘Remove the knife from his wound,’ he says.
I am shaking when I get to Gabriel. The knife is in his back but there is no blood, and I don't believe that I will be able to change anything right now. I take a deep breath. Each Sprite is following my every move and I can hear Rose weeping behind me. As I touch the knife, my hands are shaking so much that I think that I will harm him more than help him. I look at the older Sprite who nods, and I pull the knife out of Gabriel's body. I am staring at his face, expecting that he will suddenly wake up, but nothing happens.
‘Now you have to take the knife to the sea.’ I stare at Gabriel and a tear runs down my cheek.
‘He is dead; I didn’t save him,’ I say, staring at Gabriel, unable to move.
‘He is still alive,’ says the Sprite.
At this point, I don't believe him anymore. I go outside, and a few Sprites walk with me. I can see that Gabriel isn't breathing, and it’s my entire fault. The love of my life is dead because of me.
The wind blows heavily, and in the middle of the night, in front of a group of Sprites that no one else could see, I take off my clothes. The water is freezing but I carry on. My mind seems to be disconnected from my body. I am naked and I am holding the knife in my hand. The waves are calm; the sea knows that I am suffering. I take a deep breath and dive in and drop the knife. I want to open my mouth and drown but I am a coward, unable to end my life.
***
I know that I am dreaming, but I don't want to wake up. In my dream, Gabriel is a human; the dream is perfect. I open my eyes, and everything comes back to me. Mother is beside my bed and I am in my room, the pain in my heart reminds that I wasn’t dreaming. The bright light pours into my bedroom. It’s a nice a sunny day.
‘How are you feeling?’ asks Natasha carefully.
I stare at her for a long moment, I don't care how I’m feeling, I don't even care that she is here with me. I lost him forever.
‘I am fine.’
I don't look at her. My body is aching, and I just want to go back to sleep and dream once again about the happiness that I could have had.
‘I am taking you back to London; I have packed your bag already. I don't care if you hate me, I love you and I want to be your mother,’ she says, but I am not listening, I just nod. My movements are mechanical. For about a minute she stares at me, but I still look away, unable to meet her eyes.
‘I have to get to the bathroom,’ I say.
‘I will be waiting downstairs,’ she says, leaving me alone in the room.
I put trousers on and a T-shirt and look outside the window at the clear blue sky. I notice Rose standing in the garden looking up at me. My mind is blank as I walk downstairs. I pass the kitchen and step outside, taking the fresh air into my lungs and enjoying the sun on my skin.
‘Why are you here?’ I ask, staring at her perfect posture. Rose’s expression reveals that she doesn’t want to even look at me; her face is pale and tense. Her shiny blonde hair is embracing around her shoulders, and her olive eyes are red. She is silent. I clearly disgust her.
‘His love for you isn't real,’ she almost chuckles; it seems she can’t believe that she is telling me this. Her chest rises and falls.
‘I am tired, Rose. What do you want?’ I snap, staring at her, wondering what she is trying to achieve. She steps closer to me sucking the corner of her lips.
‘I just want you to know that Gabriel will never choose you over his own people. Sooner or later, I will find a way to bring him back.’
I start laughing
‘Is that a threat?’
‘He may love you but he will never be yours because you created these new emotions. You are just a human and Sprites will always go back to their kind.’
‘I think you should let him decide that.’
Rose doesn't let me finish; she turns around and she is gone, leaving me standing alone in the garden
. My body is in pain, but it isn't a physical pain. My heart won’t stop bleeding. I don't want to see Gabriel, his life is lost.
The cold bitter wind ruffles my hair. After a moment I get back inside. I am unable to cry. Natasha is standing in the kitchen. She is staring at me like she is expecting me to tell her what’s happened. The flicker of uncertainty flashes through her brown eyes.
‘Are you ready?’ she asks.
‘Ready?’
‘I am taking you to London for heaven sake, you are not staying here,’ she presses in a high-pitched tone.
I just nod because I am unable to fight with here right now. My world has fallen to pieces. She doesn’t understand what is going on with me. She doesn’t get that my soul has been crushed.
The Whispers of the Sprite (The Whispers Series #1) Page 23