When We Were Mortals

by E. S. Mercer

  “It’s called a smart phone,” Zara replied sarcastically. “Don’t you remember those?”

  “I remember, but it doesn’t mean I have one,” he shot back. “When my sister found me, I didn’t have one.”

  “Well I still have mine,” she said, waving it in front of her.

  “So, then look it up,” he growled, getting a little impatient with her.

  Of course, she wasn’t feeling much different towards him, so she barked back. “I am!”

  “I’m am going with you, remember,” Father John asked, trying to avoid a fight. “I know a quicker way.”

  “You don’t even know which way we were going to take,” Zara chuckled. “How could you know a quicker way?”

  “There is a quicker way to everything,” he smiled. “There is a system to these alleys if you know what you are doing.”

  He pointed to a ‘cursed’ who was feeding off a younger banker. “Besides, quicker would be best with these vile things around.”

  “You’re right,” Gabriel said. “It isn’t safe. Staying hidden is best.” “Oh hush,” Zara chuckled, brushing him off. “We could use all the help we can get.”

  Gabriel bit his tongue. He wasn’t in need of any help. His mission was a solo one and bringing more people just meant less focus on what he was planning to do. He didn’t want to have to protect anyone else in the meantime. He needed to face Hyperion and do that alone. But as he kept his thoughts to himself, he didn’t hide the fact that he was annoyed by their presence. And Zara finally caught on once she came up beside him.

  “What do you plan on doing once you find him? Do you think pleading with him is going to help?” she asked.

  “How about we just continue to walk silently,” Gabriel asked, keeping his eyes open for monsters. “I much prefer it.”

  “Fine, I will talk to my new friend,” she snapped, backing off and putting her arm around the Priest. However, she immediately regretted after she had done it. The smell that wafted off him nearly made her gag, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she held on tightly and started directing her questions towards him.

  She found out that he had been the Priest in charge of St. Michaels a little over ten years ago, but a new man came in, taking the Parrish by force. He wasn’t a Priest known in these parts, but he assured Father John that it was the will of the Pope himself that he took over.

  “So, you became homeless? Why didn’t they just transfer you?” she asked. “Because the Pope turned a blind eye,” he replied. “They sent people to investigate, but nothing came of it. They claimed he belonged there and punished me for questioning it.”

  She was visibly upset by the thought. “The church punished you?”

  “Excommunicated and blacklisted,” he answered. “No Parish would take me in, no ministry, or monastery.”

  He stopped walking and turned to face her.

  “He took everything from me. He took my church, my people. I was his equal! I was given the same path as he and yet he derailed me.” “So why didn’t you fight back? Go to a different church, find another job?” she questioned. “Why just become a bum? I mean I wouldn’t have given up that easily.”

  “He ruined me!” he exclaimed. “Nonsense,” she replied. “You gave up!” The old man huffed and kept on walking, bumping into Gabriel as he walked ahead of him to avoid any more conversation.

  But it caused Gabriel to pause. He couldn’t help but feel a familiarity that rubbed off the old man as they made contact. That, coupled with the tone of bitterness in the man’s voice and his new ability to speak without an impediment made him question who he really was. Then, on top of it all, Gabriel couldn’t help but notice how the ‘cursed’ seemed to avoid them. Instead of being drawn to the ‘pure-blood’ Cimmerian in the group, they would get one look at the Priest and cross the street to attack a mortal.

  “No bother,” the Priest said, interrupting Gabriel’s train of thought. “I’ve gotten ya where ya need to go,” he said tapping on the back of a large stone structure. “The door is around front.”

  “Good, then I need you both to stay here,” Gabriel begged, walking towards the front of the building. “I need to go in there alone.”

  As he cautiously rounded the corner of the Church, he found himself being followed by Zara and the Priest.

  “You aren’t leaving us out here to fend for ourselves,” Zara argued. “There are monsters out here!” “And I would like to face that Priest,” Father John added. “It’s only fair, since I got you here.”

  “Whatever bone you have to pick can come later,” Gabriel ordered, patting the Priest on the shoulder. “I really have more important things to deal with than an old grudge.”

  “Do you?” Father John muttered, walking up the front steps. “Trust me, he is gonna want to talk to me too.”

  Zara looked over at Gabriel who stood firmly on the steps glaring up at the old man. She could tell he had realized something that jarred him just a bit. “Gabe, you ok?” she asked pulling at him. “What is it?” He completely ignored her, walking up to face the man. “You can’t possess an old homeless man and make up some crazy story to get me to take you to him. That’s just childish,” he chastised.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” the Priest said, pulling his coat closed. “I really was a Priest here. “Oh, I believe he was,” Gabriel replied, tapping on the man’s chest. “But I don’t think the story you told was his.” He stood staring at the Priest long enough to make him feel very uncomfortable.

  “Fine,” Samiel cried through the old man’s lips, throwing his hands up in the air. “But I needed to find him and I couldn’t do that alone.”

  “How the hell did you find us?” Gabriel asked. “You can’t track us in this realm.”

  “Somehow, I could,” he answered. “And If I told you how, you’d think I was crazy.”

  “So why not just come to us as yourself, why hide like a coward?” Gabriel asked his father. “I’m not a coward,” Samiel responded. “I needed to strike a bargain and if I came as myself, he wouldn’t have talked to me. I need to find the copy.” “Why would you think he would know where Eva is?” Gabriel asked, “She is safe from all of you.”

  But before he could answer an altar boy came out to inform them they were wanted inside.

  “Why would he know?” Gabriel asked again.

  “Because he has her, and if he doesn’t, he will soon,” Samiel announced walking in the door. “Calm down,” Zara whispered, putting her arm around Gabriel’s waist, leading him in. She could see how conflicted and angry he was getting. “Go in and talk to Hyperion and find out if that is even true.”

  So, he did exactly that, and anyone within ear shot could hear the panic in his voice. “Do you have her?” he asked, marching towards the King. “Is it true?”

  “Oh, my dear son, I will, that’s for sure,” Hyperion replied, placing his hands firmly on the Gabriel’s shoulders.

  “I am not your son!” he cried, releasing himself from his grip. “Don’t call me that.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Hyperion teased. It wasn’t exactly the conversation the King planned on having, but it seemed to fit the moment. Samiel who was still masking himself as ‘Father John’ broke character immediately upon hearing the words come out of Hyperion’s mouth. “What the hell are you talking about? Gabriel is my son.”

  Hyperion chuckled when he realized Samiel thought he bought the whole Father John disguise. “Well aren’t you the clever one,” he taunted. “Possession. Now that is something I haven’t tried in quiet awhile. How does it feel to be in a smelly old man’s mortal skin?”

  “Disgusting,” Samiel responded. “But answer my question. What did you mean by that?” “Brother, you did not come to ask me about a silly little paternity issue. Ask me what it is you came to ask and be gone. I am sure Father John is ready to go back to being his old schizophrenic self.”

  “He’s not crazy, you took his church!” Zara interjecte
d, trying to defend him.

  “No, that is the story Samiel told you,” the King chuckled. “Truth is, Father John lost his church because he found out who I really was, and I needed people to think he was crazy. So, I made him crazy.”

  “Stop changing the subject,” Samiel begged. “I need to know what you mean by that!” “I tire of your weakness,” Hyperion announced, getting annoyed. “I have spent my entire existence listening to you whine about injustices or beg for answers as to why things are being done to you.”

  The King began to pace. “If you had done your duties as a husband and a King I wouldn’t have had to do it for you.” Gabriel tripped over his feet as he tried to back away from the conversation. While his father demanded an answer, he was processing what his father should have picked up on already. He wasn’t Samiel’s, he was Arabella and Hyperion’s son; making so many things about his life and her death now make sense.

  Once Hyperion realized Gabriel had caught on, he turned his attention to him.

  “Yes, now you understand why I could not let you be with Evangeline.”

  “No, no I don’t,” Gabriel replied. “She is not your daughter.”

  “No,” Hyperion agreed. “But she’s our mother.”

  “No, not in this form she is not,” Gabriel argued. He couldn’t and wouldn’t believe that they weren’t meant to be together.

  “If she gave birth to your son then why did you kill her?” Samiel begged, finally catching on. “Why would you take Arabella from me?”

  “She refused me,” Hyperion replied confidently. “I gave her a son and she denied me her love. She always chose you over me. I made her for me, and yet she chose you.” He turned to the old man and waved his hand. “Now be gone. Seriously. And find me when you are yourself and want to discuss more important things.” As he did, the old Priest fell into a heap on the ground, snoring as if he had never woken up in the alley.

  “I am sorry you had to find out this way,” Hyperion said, attempting empathy for his son. “I was waiting for the right time and that just never came up.”

  Zara, understanding what Gabriel was going through, stepped in to defend him. “Don’t try the ‘I tried to tell you,’ bullshit. You chose to use that information when it best suited you. You used it as a weapon.”

  While she argued with the King, Gabriel tried to swallow the news and try to convince himself that there were more important things to deal with than who is father was. It was something he would have to face eventually, but right now he needed to plead for the life of the woman he loved and for the mortal realm Hyperion planned to destroy.

  “I can’t let my brother have her,” Hyperion answered. “He has Evangeline. If he gets her copy he can wake her up and then she will punish us all.”

  “You really believe that?” Gabriel asked. “You think she has it in her to punish all of us for what you did?” “What have I done?” Hyperion asked genuinely. “Who are you to judge how I’ve done things? Have I not given life? Have I not created a world worth living in?”

  Gabriel wanted so badly to answer those questions with a laundry list of offenses, but instead focused on the problem at hand. “Call off your son’s monsters,” he begged. “The mortals don’t deserve this.”

  “They are not mine to call off,” Hyperion responded. “Besides, have you seen what the mortals are doing because of it? They are rioting in the streets, looting and pillaging. Before that, they were hell bent on destroying themselves and this world I created for them.”

  Gabriel became confused. There were no riots and pillaging when they walked the thirteen blocks to get to the church.

  “Oh no, there were problems all over the city, but now it has found its way here,” Hyperion said. “Look outside. You will see.”

  Zara ran to the doors and peaked out. “He’s right Gabe, it’s horrible.”

  “And you can stop it,” Gabriel demanded. “You can stop all of this. Put things back to normal, let the mortal’s live in peace.” But Hyperion refused. He had a plan which he already set in motion and by the way the mortals were reacting, he didn’t see why their behavior warranted them being saved.

  “Your behavior has been better?” Gabriel asked.

  “It doesn’t matter what I have or have not done. I am King and to these people, I am God. What I do is my will and they choose to believe it.”

  “My father would have never ruled this way,” Gabriel retorted, confidently. “He would never have done to you what you have chosen to do to him.”

  “You mean the man who is trying to destroy me?” Hyperion beckoned. “Has he not chosen to wage war out of jealousy and fear?”

  “Because he was driven to it,” Gabriel defended. “You made him this way.” Hyperion began to belly laugh. “No dear son, Samiel chose to act this way. Just as I have.”

  Gabriel grew silent as Hyperion stood waiting for his next argument and Zara, who had never gotten an answer as to what Gabriel was planning on doing, started to imagine that Gabriel’s intent was to possibly kill the King. Why else would he have gone rogue and try to find him in the first place. She also imagined, that with the King gone, her best friend would find the peace that she deserved. She thought that they could do the world a favor and give the throne to a woman she knew would protect the people. Finally, she never imagined he was un-killable. In her mind, he was flesh and bone just as she was, so a dagger to the back of the heart would do as much damage to him as anyone else.

  As Gabriel began arguing with the King again, she found that he kept glancing in her direction. Truth was, Gabriel didn’t trust her and was keeping an eye on her, but she thought he was subliminally trying to tell her his plan. A plan to distract the King while she pulled out her dagger and ran him through. She slowly pulled the blade from her boot and slid to the end of the pew she had been sitting on. Quietly she crept passed the two of them until she was directly behind the King. Hyperion could see what she was doing, but let her do it anyway, as he listened to his son intently try to reason with him.

  While Gabriel’s attention was focused on a noise behind them, she made her move. With one striking movement, and a loud battle cry, she lunged at the King. But he had anticipated this and swiftly moved to the side, causing her to go flying past him and into Gabriel. Gabriel turned, immediately realizing what she had attempted to do and looked to Hyperion to see his reaction. As soon as he saw the King draw his sword, Gabriel spread his wings to draw from their power and reached out to grab Zara. He scooped her into his arms and turned his back towards Hyperion to flee, but he was no match from the King’s superior speed. Hyperion’s sword went from attempting to stab Zara, to a sweeping motion as he saw Gabriel’s exposed wings. He sliced through one of them, causing Gabriel to drop Zara, as the momentum of the King’s attack threw him down the aisle, growling and yelping in pain. Gabriel quickly gained his footing, spinning around to go back for her, but it was already too late. By the time he got to her, she was slumped over the blade that stuck out of the back of her body and was now being shoved into his.

  Father and son stood silently glaring at each other as Gabriel slowly wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her head back and laid it on his chest as he took a deep breath and started pulling them backwards off the King’s blade. The burning of the metal against the inside of his stomach was excruciating, but he clenched his teeth and refused to show his father any pain or weakness. However, once they were released from the blade, his strength failed him, and he fell to one knee, wincing in pain.

  “She’s a foolish child to think she could kill me,” Hyperion said, wiping the blood from his sword with the arm of his white robe. “You were a fool to think I would let her even close.”

  “This was not my intent,” Gabriel choked, reaching down to feel Zara’s neck for a pulse. “I did not come to kill you.” “You couldn’t if you tried,” Hyperion said proudly, patting his son on the shoulder. “But now, you must deal with the consequences of her silly attempt. You will suffer or you wi
ll choose to remove your other tether. Either way, you must make a difficult choice. Now you can never save Evangeline.”

  Gabriel’s pride may have kept him from showing pain but the pain could not keep him from showing the fear that welled up as he thought of how he failed me. Tears began to flow as he picked Zara up off the floor and started walking away from the King.

  “That’s right,” Hyperion scoffed, walking towards the podium. “Run away. Instead of asking for my forgiveness and joining me; take the side of the man who could never measure up as your father.”

  Gabriel stopped walking, keeping his eyes focused on the doors. “I am not on his side either,” he grunted. “I will never choose a side if either one of you are on it.”

  “And Evangeline will not reward you,” Hyperion offered. “She will hate you when she finds out you couldn’t protect her little mortal friend.”

  Gabriel struggled to hold Zara’s tiny frame as he himself bled out onto the floor, but he was torn between walking away and giving the King a piece of his mind. If he was to die today he wanted Hyperion to know exactly how he felt about him. But the longer he stood there the more he asked himself what I would want him to do.

  “I need to go now,” he replied, limping out the doors. “I can’t do this with you anymore.” As soon as the large wooden door slammed behind him, he slid down the marble doorframe, desperately trying to stay conscious until he and Zara were safely on the ground.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, pulling her close and putting pressure on her wound. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s my fault,” she gasped, barely coming to. “I thought I could end it.” “Eva is the only one who can do that,” he said, clenching his teeth. The pain was getting worse by the moment. He released his hand from her chest, for a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes.

  “Wait,” she cried breathlessly, reaching for his hand. “If you are Hyperion’s son, you can heal us.”

  “I can’t,” he replied, bobbing his head. “He would never have let me have his power.” He threw his head back looking up at the rain that started pelting them as the sting of the large cold drops on his forehead felt like a hammer smashing his skull repeatedly, tormenting him and his soul. But, it gave him the push he needed to at least try and save her, knowing that it was what I would want him to attempt to do. He sat up, allowing his remaining wing to wrap around them as he pressed his hand a little bit harder on her wound.