Raven (24 page)

“
How
did they become the Elders?”

He
smiled then and told me that he had been invited to join them, but
only when he feels ready. This surprised me. I was not quite sure
why it should shock me so much because Gabriel was a wise and
honest man, full of advice for anyone that needs it. A pillar of
the community. But I was shocked nonetheless. And worried. It's a
long way from his family. A long way from me. And when would he
decide to join them? I hoped that it would not be for a long time
to come.

But
Gabriel continued to answer my question, not concerning himself
with the worried look on my face, “All of the Elders are beings
that have been strong and reliable members of their own communities
who want to help on a larger scale. They are a kind of authority
for people like us. They make rules we must follow, just like our
own governments do. There is a large number of groups of Elders
found throughout the world. All living in well hidden communes,
like the one we're going to visit in the mountains.”

I
listened intently and wondered what kind of 'people' they would be,
and how many of them would be there. But the thing that really
caught my attention was the fact that they make rules that must be
followed by the likes of me – anyone that is not entirely human.
The only rule I knew of at that point was the fact that we needed
to keep our true selves a secret from the rest of the world.
Cringing at the memory, I recalled how I'd already broken that
secret when I'd accidentally revealed my true form to Oliver. I was
lucky that he'd agreed to turn a blind eye to the truth.

We
continued to motor along the calm waters in silence for a while,
myself deep in thought about the rules and the Elders while Gabriel
contentedly hummed to himself. Looking down into the depths of the
river below, I was surprised how clear the water was. Although
inviting because of its clarity, it looked icy cold and I wasn't in
the least bit tempted to jump in. Our boat made large ripples
behind us as we chugged along, and I watched for a while as it
mesmerised me, taking my mind off what was to come.

Looking
up from the water, I noticed a number of small green islands around
us. I assumed they were uninhabited but I was probably wrong.
Knowing what I knew then, I changed my mind and decided they were
probably full of vampires and werewolves, all waiting for fresh
blood and meat to feast on. The thought made me shiver, and I
decided I needed to cut down on the horror I'd been watching and
reading lately. Gabriel watched me and asked what I was thinking
about.

Grinning, I told him that I wondered who, or what, lived on
the islands surrounding us. I didn't expect him to know the answer
but he did. I should have known. He usually had answers to
everything.

“
Only
a few of them are inhabited full time,” he said, “most are used on
the odd occasion by passers by like us. But there are a few islands
that have small communities of special creatures,” he added, “who
would prefer that we avoided them entirely.”

“
Why
would they want us to avoid them?”

“
These
creatures do not want to be tempted by what they shouldn't have,
which is why they live far from civilisation.”

I
noticed that he neglected to say what kind of creatures they were
and I decided I didn't want to know... at least until we had passed
through and were well clear of them.

Changing
the subject, I asked Gabriel why we were doing this journey by boat
and on foot. “Isn't it possible to reach the mountains by
car?”

He
laughed then and reiterated what he had said before. The journey
itself was a learning experience. Something that was an important
part of my becoming a woman of strength. Not just physically, but
psychologically too. I thought about those words for a moment while
Gabriel watched me intently. “And besides,” he added, “you'd never
get a car up there,” he chuckled.

I didn't
have an answer to that so we sat in silence for the rest of the
boat ride. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he was
trying hard not to smile.

We
reached the shore a short while later and Gabriel took off his
shoes and socks and hopped out to pull the boat safely out of the
water. I jumped onto the sandy beach and helped pull it further
inland, where he carefully tied it to a large tree trunk before
drying his wet feet and putting his shoes and socks back on before
he caught a chill. He seemed to know exactly where things were and
so I asked how many times he had made this journey
before.

“
Many,
many times,” he said, “whenever I need to get away I come through
here on my way to the Elders. I came a lot after your mother and
Neleh died and when your father and you were taken away. The Elders
knew it was the one place I found some peace. But, like I said,
it's not just the destination where I found peace. It was the
journey too.”

It was
certainly peaceful and I could imagine how it would calm the soul
after those awful things had happened.

After
we'd had something to eat, the two of us set off on foot, leaving
the boat and the river behind us. I was a little nervous about the
hike – it was my first, after all. But I was grateful for all the
exercise I had been getting with Sammy. It had made me fitter and
stronger and ready for whatever the world had in store for
me.

I
thought of Sammy and what the world had in store for him too. He
could never be a part of the world he had lived in all those years
ago. As long as he had those massive wings, he would have to remain
in hiding. It was a sad fact that made me heavy hearted. As far as
I knew, the only way he could have his life back again was if we
found Vivian and somehow reverted the curse she had placed on him.
I had high hopes for these Elders.

Later
that night after much walking, we had set up camp, built a small
fire and ate supper, when Gabriel surprised me with another talent
I knew nothing about. He carefully took out a small musical
instrument from his rucksack and began to play the most beautiful
tune I'd heard since my first arrival in Powell River when I'd
heard that Portuguese song that had led me to Rose.

The
instrument looked like a kind of flute and I was so shocked when he
carefully put it to his lips and played it so beautifully,
especially considering he'd never played it in my presence
before.

Lying
down by the fire and snuggling into my sleeping bag, I stared up at
the night sky and listened intently to the music. Even though it
was quite chilly, I felt completely peaceful and comfortable. It
was a magical feeling, lying there, listening to him playing and
watching the sky filled with the brightest of stars. I enjoyed the
moment, keeping very quiet until he had finished.

“
That
was beautiful Gabriel. How come you never play at home?” I asked,
sitting up and leaning on my elbows as I looked across the softly
burning fire towards him.

“
It's
something I only do when I come out here,” he said, before he
continued to play some more. The music, combined with the gentle
sound of the running water from a little stream nearby, gently
lulled me to sleep.

Surprisingly I slept remarkably well that night. I had
thought that the cold would prevent me from getting a good night's
sleep, but the fresh air must have counteracted it. I awoke feeling
fresher and more alive than ever.

Climbing
out of my warm cosy sleeping bag, I noticed Gabriel had already
packed up his sleeping bag but was nowhere to be seen. All his
things were still there, though.

“
Gabriel,” I called out and waited for a reply, but none
came.

Again, I
yelled his name even louder and hoped that he just hadn't heard me
the first time. But nothing. I decided to sit and wait for a while,
hoping that he had just gone for a brief walk while I
slept.

It
didn't take long for my mind to begin running riot with terrifying
possibilities. Vampires, werewolves, witches, bears. Had any of
these creatures taken my grand-father? I could feel my body
twitching, wanting to change. I knew that my senses would be a
hundred times more in tune with the nature surrounding me as a
lion. If I changed, I might be able to find the creatures that had
taken him. But he had told me this journey was one that must be
taken in human form, regardless of what happened.

So I
stood still and breathed deeply, just as Rose had shown me. I had
to keep calm and relax.

“
Ah...
you're awake,” yelled a cheery voice and my entire body slumped
forward in relief.

“
Gabriel... I thought something had happened to
you.”

“
You
seem to forget that I am becoming an old man. My ears aren't quite
as good as they were when I was your age,” he laughed, “I was just
washing my face in the stream,” he added.

Since
discovering the truth about myself, I had become more of a worrier.
I decided it was something I needed to work on as we both sat down
and enjoyed a nice cup of tea.

“
We
have a long and arduous hike ahead of us today, Lilly. It's
important that we stay focused,” he said, adding “but if something
should happen, remember what I told you. This is a journey to be
made in human form. You are not to transform yourself, except only
in the most dire of circumstances.”

I
agreed, wondering why it was so important, but I didn't ask. I was
too busy thinking what 'the most dire of circumstances' could be. A
niggling little doubt crept into my mind, that something awful was
going to happen.

On the
other hand, it could be a test. Could Gabriel be testing me? Was
this some kind of ritual that all changelings had to go through? I
hoped it was, at least then I didn't have to worry about a nasty
experience awaiting us. Did I?

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

After we
had eaten a good, hearty breakfast and set off on foot, we spent
the majority of that day hiking through forests until eventually
the terrain began to change and the trees became a little scarcer.
It was the beginning of the ascent up the mountains. Although I
loved being among the forested areas, I enjoyed the change of
scenery and the mountainous region was absolutely
breathtaking.

Gabriel
and I spoke about all kinds of things as we walked together, him
always in front, leading the way. He wanted to know more about my
life in London, not that there was an awful lot to tell. He already
knew what living there had been like for me, mostly lonely and
uneventful.

But
still, he wanted to know what my school had been like, whether or
not I had ever had any friends, if the teachers had been fond of me
– everything.

“
December Moon was my one and only friend,” I had told him.
“My life was incredibly dull until she arrived.” I smiled as I
thought about the quirky girl with the red hair that had brought
some sunshine into my otherwise dark life.

I told
Gabriel all about her and her own strange, unhappy life.

“
Perhaps we could arrange for her to come and visit some
time,” he had suggested.

“
Oh
that would be wonderful. I'd love for you to meet her. I just know
that everyone would love her. She would just fit in with us here,
if you know what I mean?” I laughed.

Gabriel
nodded and smiled at me and I was suddenly reminded of my father. I
don't know what it was, perhaps an expression that Gabriel shared
with him. I felt a sudden pang in the pit of my stomach and I had
to stop walking for a moment.

“
Are
you all right, my dear,” he asked as he pulled out a bottle of
water and handed it to me.

Taking a
deep drink, I nodded. “Yes, I'm fine. You just reminded me of
father.” He nodded too and smiled sadly, “We will find him, Lilly.
If the search takes me to the grave, we will find him,” he said
sombrely.

I gulped
another swig of water and attempted a smile. That was not a thought
I would cherish. The search sending Gabriel to his grave, or the
search taking that long.

My heart
began to feel like it was breaking just a little bit more and
Gabriel obviously sensed it so he changed the subject
again.

He began
to tell me about his long and eventful life in Powell River and I
learned even more about my family. The heaviness in my heart was
lifted and I became intrigued, as we continued our long
walk.

Perhaps
this was another reason for our journey. We could finally talk
honestly together, just the two of us.

He
talked more about his wife, Elsebeth, who had died of breast cancer
when she was just 31. It had been a very aggressive form of cancer
and she'd had little time between her diagnosis and her death, “but
she was happy that she had the chance to say goodbye to everyone
that she loved,” he said.

“
I'm
sorry Gabriel. It must have been heartbreaking to see her like
that. How long ago did she die?” I asked.