◆◆◆
After what felt like eternity, I managed to conjure the strength to stand up. Dried blood stained my clothes and hands, nestling underneath my fingernails. My body ached in discomfort, painful sores covered me like second skin.
I chewed on my cracked lips, dragging one foot in front of the other. They weighed down like anchors as I finally stepped into the concave of where Beau was.
The invisible barrier that separated Beau and I broke when Beau got taken. Taken. Taken…
I ran my fingers though the ashy soil, crumbling it and letting it slip through my fingers. Like Beau did.
In the corner of my eye, the twinkle of an object caught my peripheral vision. I crawled over to it, dusting the dark soil off the knife. It was the silver blade Beau carried.
I swallowed hard, clasping it tightly in my palm until a string of blood dribbled down my forearm. I felt something. That is all I want.
All of our memories came flooding back into my mind like a tidal wave, drowning out my surroundings. And with his absence, a piece of my past and present slipped away, as if nothing existed before and after him. What future we still held existed only in my mind, poisoning me.
I remember when I first saw you… I couldn’t look at anything else. I remember when you found me at the cemetery; I was naïve then, I wanted to hate you. You drove around with me all night, to find my best friend who you knew nothing about… but you knew everything about me – you’ve known me my entire life. I remember our kiss… the way you felt pressed up against me… I will never feel that again. You’re… you’re gone, Beau.
In the distance, I saw Marina’s lifeless corpse sprawled on the stone. I bit my lip, shaking incessantly. An earthquake of rage cracked every realm of consciousness and I yelled, running ferally in the direction of her corpse.
I drove the blade through her un-beating heart. Then again, and again. Splashes of blood splattered against my face. The tearing of flesh against my knife filled me with sickishly sweet fury. You took everything from me! You took everything from me! You took…
“Maya!” A voice called out. “Maya, stop!”
Arms enveloped me tightly, pulling my shaking hands away from Marina.
“She’s dead.” He said.
I looked up to the sight of Siles, his bruised face inches away from mine.
I nimbly moved away, holding Beau’s silver blade in front of me. I gripped the handle tightly, shoving it further in his direction.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded. “I won’t hesitate… I’ll kill you Siles, I’ll fucking kill you!” I spat, grimacing. Tears waterfalled down my face, staining my skin like lighting. I don’t want to cry anymore. I can’t. He’s gone. There’s nothing I can do.
“Maya…” Siles released, stepping away from me.
I scanned his broken appearance. His pants were tattered and ripped, and the wounds on his body looked comparable to Braum’s. The word COWARD was carved into his flesh, seeping with boils. His eyes read no signs of threat, and even if they did… there was nothing left in me that cared.
I dropped to my knees, burying my fingers into the soil. “Just kill me.” I whispered under my breath, allowing my limbs to fall weak.
When he didn’t respond, I darted my eyes to his. “Kill me!” I shouted.
I failed. I let Marina control my emotions. I let her play me like a puppet, while she hurt Beau… While she hurt Braum… While she –
“Where did he go…” I sobbed, punching the soil with my fist. “Where did you go, Beau…”
Siles was still for a moment, then walked over to Marina’s corpse. I watched him crouch down, running his hand over her chest. He shut his eyes, taking a minute to himself. Then he got up, and moved further along the stone, until he reached another body… one I only assumed was Braum’s.
Just like he did Marina, he crouched down and let his hand hover. He ran his finger over Braum’s skin and flinched.
“He’s alive.” Siles uttered.
My eyes grew wide as I hurried to Siles’ side. “Braum? Braum’s alive?”
“No, Beau,” he released sternly.
I couldn’t believe him, I can’t believe him. “I…” I started, shaking my head. “No. I watched him die.”
I glanced to Siles who had his eye on the symbol Marina carved into Braum’s skin.
Siles met my gaze, his green eyes flashing emerald. “He’s in hell, Maya.”
Beau’s in hell. But… I couldn’t process what I was hearing. “How? He didn’t do anything? I know his scars were fading but he wasn’t… he wasn’t close. He had time, he had –”
“He took the life of a mortal.” Siles interrupted, peering down to Braum. “Do you see this symbol?” He pointed at Braum’s heart. “That’s a binding mark. Marina bound her life to Braum’s.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “What? Why would she do that?”
He pressed his lips together, clenching his jaw. “Marina’s smart. She knew Beau would kill her, but she also knew that one more mortal sin would cost him eternal punishment. So she bound the two. Her life, to a mortal.” His eyes burned into mine like fire. “Beau’s a part of the fallen now.”
Beau’s blast. It… It killed Braum and Marina. But – “How could he have killed Marina? She’s a demon, you’re a demon. You’re already dead.”
Siles shifted. “On Earth, it’s possible to kill a demon in human form. Marina is somewhere in hell, though I don’t know what Lucifer plans to do with her. More than likely, she is just a pile of ash or dust, maybe food for the serpents. She can no longer harm you.”
I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, embracing the sound of howling winds. Beau is alive.
After a few moments, I moved away from Braum’s corpse, and stabilized myself upwards. I craned my neck to where Beau got sucked into hell, pushing away the memory. The black vines pierced his skin, slithering inside of him like vipers. They tore at him, tied him, constricted him. Even though his mouth was covered, I could feel his screams. Everything in him tried to reach out to me, desperate and defeated… But his eyes… His eyes were alive. They were frantic, eager. They told me everything. They told me… They told me I could save him.
With careful steps, I walked towards the crevasse of ashy soil. The rain subsided and the clouds parted to an opening sun, beaming down on a small, golden object beneath the rubble.
I knew what it was before I bent down to retrieve it. I knew the direction it pointed towards. I knew the sign my mother was trying to give me.
In my hands was her cross, the one Beau wore around his neck. A joke it would be to bring such a symbol of purity into the place of eternal damnation, pain and darkness. I could have laughed at the thought.
I waved for Siles. He was at my side in seconds, leaving space. I pulled out the white cloth Beau had given me and handed it to him.
“Can you translate this for me?” I asked, hastily.
He gnawed at his bottom lip, squinting his eyes. He was silent for a few moments, then cleared his throat.
“From the chalice I drink holds the power of the trinity. By His name, I accept its grace.”
I took in the words, repeating it in my brain with each step I took.
From the chalice I drink… the power of the trinity. From the chalice I drink… I accept its grace.
The waves were calm, settling around the sharp peaks. The sunlight illuminated the edge of the precipice, spotlighting the Holy Grail, buried in the stone.
Siles trailed behind me as I walked towards it. Every stride carried a new wave of power, a new sense of urgency. I clasped my mother’s cross in my hand and marched to the edge of the cliff.
The wind fluttered against my skin, the sun beaming down on me with purpose. I have hope.
When I reached the chalice, I turned to Siles who kept a substantial distance behind me.
“Can we save him?” I demanded, digging my nails into my palm.
With one swift nod he knelt down. “You can do more than
save him, Puritas.”
In what felt like forever, I managed a small smile. I crouched down and grabbed the Holy Grail, wrapping my slender fingers around the stem. Its golden opulence glimmered in the light, radiating with a crystalizing white hue. The still liquid began to move, swirling in the cup like a vortex of diamonds.
The waves crashed behind me.
The sun rays absorbed into my skin like fire.
I took in one last breath of being Maya Brixton. One last look of the world around me, the world I used to know. The world before I entered the gates of Beau Gabriel.
I closed my eyes and put the rim of the chalice to my lips.
“From the chalice I drink holds the power of the trinity. By His name, I accept its grace…” I am the Puritas.
And I drank.
The Gates of gabriel
Marie-France Leger
♰Author’s Note♰
I was asked once, “Why do you like to read?”
I was asked why I preferred to bury my nose beneath a book rather than paperwork, or taxes – real life things, I suppose.
I didn’t have a quick response. Much like novels, I nod my head to a slow burn. So instead, I let the questioner sit with their question for a while.
When no response was given, I turned my head and smiled. “Books saved my life.”
I’m sure many people have different reasons why they enjoy reading. I’m sure books have quite literally, saved someone’s life. Though in my case, books showed me who I was – and who I am meant to be.
I quite enjoy reading because it’s timeless. We live in an ever-moving age, where nothing old is new. This disgusts certain people, because adaptation to the current is everything. So, we frown upon old habits, old buildings, vacant sceneries and hollow escapes – we frown on these things, because they’ve lost their sparkle [to some, maybe].
Not to me.
I dreamt of the characters I read, the places they lived, the love that they lost [and found]. I spoke in accents I could not understand, and laughed alone in the quaint corners of my bedroom to the quick wit of the noblemen and princes. I raced a wild horse alongside a mage, traversing the open plain of purple flowers and rocky hills. There was a moment in time where I led my people in an army against a wicked kingdom who took everything from me… and I won.
I did all of this – because of reading.
You see, there is more to life than what people tell you. We glorify the mundane because that is all we know – all we care to know. But when you find yourself alone, what do you think about? Are you truly happy with the metal table you sit behind or the cold coffee you consume?
Ponder this for a moment.
“I cannot.”
“You cannot, or you will not?”
I was asked a few months later, “Why do you write?”
I was asked why I prefer to scribble down fiction over doing my homework, or responding to emails – important things, I suppose.
Though this, I responded faster than the questioner could blink. “Because there are worlds in my head who seek occupants.”
Dear readers,
Allow my writing to seek you.
Allow my writing to place you in one of these worlds… One of my worlds.
Allow me to show you, who you are meant to be.
From one main character to another,
Embrace your magic,
Just as I have.
…
♰
Hi reader, you’ve made it to the end!
Thank you so much for reading my book. I hope that you enjoyed the first epic journey of Beau and Maya.
This is my first debut of a YA fantasy novel, and I’m eager to continue writing more in this genre.
As a young writer, I realize that I may not have as much experience as a veteran author that has been writing for over thirty years, but I enjoy the process of writing all the same.
I encourage anyone who loves to read, loves to write, or loves to strengthen their imagination to push their limits and create a world of magic, passion, and hope – hope for a world less mundane, filled with colour.
I have been writing ever since I could walk, scribbling together words that didn’t make sense to anyone other than me. Nonetheless, I loved to do it, so I continued.
Diving into the imagination of another human is a gift, and I can only hope that you liked mine.
I’m looking forward to our next talk at the end of The Gates of Raphael, the sequel to The Gates of Gabriel! Good day fellow reader, and may your creative light shine through.
Marie-France Leger
♰ Author’s Playlist ♰
I can only assume that my readers love to create little scenarios in their head accompanied by music (if you don’t, that’s totally fine too)… So, I’ve come up with a playlist that in my opinion, encapsulates many of the emotions I felt while writing TGOG. I would absolutely love to hear your playlists as well! My DM’s are open on Instagram (@mariefranceleger) for anyone who would like to talk!
❖ Can You Feel My Heart – Bring Me The Horizon
❖ Babylon – Normandie
❖ Angel – Theory of a Deadman
❖ Alibi (3 A.M.) – Empara Mi (Beau and Maya after the bar… Am I right?)
❖ Anthem of the Angels – Breaking Benjamin
❖ My Understandings – Of Mice & Men
❖ Your Guardian Angel – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
❖ Play with Fire – Sam Tinnesz (Oh, Marina…)
❖ Fallen Angel – Three Days Grace
❖ Who Will Pray? – We Came As Romans
❖ Porn Star Dancing – My Darkest Days (… This song is definitely meant for Braum, haha!)
❖ Do it for Me – Rosenfeld
❖ Ashes – Stellar
❖ Paralyzed – NF
❖ Paint It, Black – Ciara
❖ Lights Out – Royal Blood
❖ Riptide – Grandson
The Gates of raphael
(Read the first chapter of the sequal, "The Gates of Raphael"
Prologue
Throne Room, Hell
The torch flames swayed against the ember-fueled walls of hell. Lucifer sat against his red-velvet throne, playing with his orbionyx. The black orb previewed a familiar angel strapped to a marble table, struggling with his restraints. Lucifer couldn’t hear his screams, but he smiled all the same.
“Master,” one of Lucifer’s guards marched into the room, curtseying. He stopped before the throne and trembled as Lucifer pierced his orbionyx with his pointed nail, bursting the orb.
Lucifer stared at the guard in disdain, grimacing at his inferior stance.
“You cower like a saint,” Lucifer spat, leaning back on his chair. “Speak.”
The guard bowed once more and rose to face him, unsure if he should look at him directly. “M – Master… there is – there is someone here to see you.”
Lucifer rolled his eyes, igniting a flame on his fingertips. “Not in the mood.”
“B – but… Master, it is of urgency.”
A loud growl escaped Lucifer’s throat. Carrying the flame on his fingertips, Lucifer twirled his hand in the air, sprouting a scarlet snake. Its body coiled around Lucifer’s forearm then made its way down the side of his throne. The guard shuddered in fear as the snake slithered towards him, stopping just before his feet. In one quick motion, the snake lurched for his ankle, sinking its sharp fangs into the guards skin.
Within seconds, the guard began to convulse and fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth. The snake burst into embers, disappearing into the air.
Lucifer clapped and laughed out loud, waving his hands forward to open the throne room doors.
Waiting behind them were two guards holding a youthful looking man with golden hair, dressed in white linen.
Lucifer allowed them to enter, crossing his legs impatiently.
The guards led the man to Lucifer’s throne, pushing him to the ground before Lucifer’s feet.
; “Master, he has an offering for you.” The tall guard said, and backed away.
The man with the golden hair shook as his grey eyes met Lucifer’s beaming red pupils.
“How delightful,” Lucifer smirked. He diverted his attention to the tall guard and used his power to fling him against the wall.
“You bring an angel into my home, unchained?” Lucifer growled, choking the guard with invisible force.
“I – I… I brought a gift, Lucifer.” The man with the golden hair muttered, lowering his posture to the ground like a dog.
Lucifer released the tall guard and stared viscously at the angel before him. “What did you just call me?” He snapped.
The angel trembled, unable to look at him. “Luc – Master… Master, I’m sorry, Mast –”
“Tell me why I shouldn’t send you to the cage of the damned right now, angel.” Lucifer interrupted curtly.
With shaky hands, the angel lifted up his white linen drapes, ripping a small taupe pouch off the seam of his cloth. The pouch jingled as the angel pulled out four stones, radiating a white hue of Heaven’s grace.
Lucifer’s eyes grew wide. He knew exactly what these stones were and where they came from. Only they weren’t just any stones. They were opulent crystals. He knew what great power these crystals contained, what they meant for the army in Heaven.
In a state of implausibility, Lucifer trudged carefully towards the angel, staring at the glowing richness of the crystals in his hands.
Each step Lucifer took down his throne, he recited the name of the crystals. “Rose quartz… clear quartz… jasper, and,” he stopped directly in front of the angel. “Obsidian.”
“The crystals that contain the flaming sword, Master. Michael’s sword.” The angel smiled, lifting his hands open.
The Gates of Gabriel Page 24