The Guardians Crown (The Guardians Book 5) (20 page)

“You do,” she replied softly.

“No, I don’t, I promise. If you know, please tell me,” Gabe pleaded.

“You made the choice, and that was all that was ever required of you, sweetheart.” She answered in a tender voice.

“What? What does that mean?” Gabe demanded.

“If you really think about it, you’ll know what that means. I have to go now, we don’t get long for visits like these,” she replied. “I love you, son.”

“Wait, what? No!” Gabe exclaimed. “You can’t go, you just got here.”

Gabe reached out and grabbed his mother’s arm, determined not to let her leave. But much to his dismay, her image began to fade away, and no matter how tight he held on, she continued to grow more and more transparent. “Mom, please! I need you.”

“Remember, all you had to do was make the choice.” And with those final words she was gone from his life again.

Gabe fell to his knees, shouting wildly, angry at the world, at the decisions he faced, and even angrier about what had already been taken from him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he focused on the image of Rachel and Micah, the way her fingers danced across his stomach just before Gabe left. The scene brought a calm over him.

“Gabe! Wake up Gabe!” Uri’s voice jarred him into consciousness.

“Huh?” Gabe gasped, looking around the tan room. “Where am I?”

“What? You don’t even know where you are? That was some nasty blow to the head you took,” Uri exclaimed.

“Michael!” Gabe shouted sitting up, the pain rushing to his head as he did. Clutching at the bandage on his forehead Gabe winced in pain.

“Careful,” Uri warned.

Shaking his head, Gabe stood, and pushed his way past Uri. “I need to talk to Michael.”

“What?” Uri shouted chasing after him. “You need to sit down for a second while I go and get the doctor. You split your head open last night, or don’t you remember that either?”

Gabe wasn’t listening though, through squinted eyes he was searching wildly through the rows of tents for the one with a familiar flag out front. He didn’t notice that he no longer wore shoes and his bare feet were sloshing around through thick mud that was now climbing up his ankles.

In an instant he stopped, peering up, his heartbeat quickening in pace as he caught a glimpse of the flag, three tents down. “Michael!” He shouted, clutching his head again, his own voice causing an echoing inside his skull, followed by a ringing sound.

“Be careful!” Gabe heard Mirada’s voice commanding. “If you drop her, so help me …”

Gabe watched as two men exited the tent, carrying a large black bag with a zipper up the center of it. One of them replied timidly, “Yes ma’am.”

“Gabe!” Mirada exclaimed. “You’re up, I heard what happened to you last night, and I never expected to see you moving around so quickly. We don’t have as many healing potions readily available out here in the field, like we do at Iron Gate.”

Gabe saw her speaking, but her words were not registering. The earth was shifting all around him. The two men carrying what he could only assume was the bag containing Sophie’s body were fading into the background as he stumbled slightly, catching his balance on some nearby tent rope.

“Are you all right?” Mirada cried, rushing to his side for assistance. Gabe placed an arm around her neck, trying to steady himself.

A moment later, Uri raced around the corner, pulling Gabe’s other arm around his neck. The three began to move slowly and laboriously towards Michael’s tent.

“What’s wrong with him?” Mirada inquired of Uri.

“Hell if I know,” Uri grumbled. “But if I had to guess, it has to do with that nasty gash on his head.

“What’s going on?” Michael demanded as his wife and the men entered his tent. “Is Gabe all right?”

“Can you help us get him to the cot?” Mirada grunted, trying to twist Gabe and change their direction.

Michael made his way over to his once student, aiding him as he lie down on the couch.

“I’ll mix him up something that should help,” Mirada offered, walking over to a small side table, pouring a glass of water and measuring out various powders.

“Are you all right, my boy?” Michael inquired, looking into Gabe’s eyes. Gabe was having trouble focusing.

“Here,” Mirada chimed, handing the concoction to her husband. “Have him drink this.”

Michael placed the glass to Gabe’s lips and instructed him to drink. Gabe did as he was told, even though he was partially unaware of what was even happening around him. Laying him back, Michael stood and walked to stand in front of Uri, “What happened?”

“He got up this morning acting all crazy and then screamed that he needed to talk to you and took off,” Uri explained.

“With that kind of head injury, I’m surprised he didn’t take another tumble,” Michael commented.

“He almost did, just outside your tent, as they were taking Sophie away,” Mirada remarked.

“They took Sophie?” Uri asked.

“Yes,” Michael paused, looking at Mirada and then back to Uri. “I’m having her moved back to Iron Gate immediately. She’ll be buried alongside Raimie.”

Uri nodded, it was what he wanted, but it hurt too much to talk about.

“Mom!” Gabe shouted as he roused from the momentary unconscious state Mirada’s drink had landed him in. His body lurched forward, nearly causing him to fall from the cot.

Michael rushed to his side, “Calm down, it’s me, Michael.”

Gabe gripped his mentor’s arms, his eyes widening as he spoke, “I saw her Michael.”

“You saw who?” Michael inquired.

“My mother,” Gabe answered, unashamed.

“He’s gone crazy,” Uri snapped.

Michael waved a hand in Uri’s direction, quieting him. “Gabe, your mother died when you were five.”

“I know, but I saw her. She was there, on the beach, it was exactly like I remembered,” Gabe insisted.

“You haven’t even been to a beach, you’ve been here the entire time, with us,” Uri argued.

“She knew about my son, and she said she was there to help me figure out how I can protect him and Rachel. I understand now,” Gabe wildly exclaimed.

“Dude, you hit your head, that’s why you saw your mom. You weren’t thinking straight,” Uri interjected.

“Let’s hear what he has to say,” Michael commented looking at Gabe.

“It’s so simple, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before,” Gabe could barely contain his excitement. “The prophecy says if I die, the prophet lives. My mom told me that for me to fulfill my destiny, all I have to do is make the choice.”

“Okay, and what does that mean?” Uri scoffed.

“Don’t you get it?” Gabe cried, “It goes back to free will. Uri, you were always telling me how important free will was.”

“Yeah, so?” Uri huffed.

“That’s the answer, if I make the choice to give my life up for Micah’s, by my own free will, I’ll fulfill the prophecy, and he’ll be safe,” Gabe explained.

“Whoa, wait a second,” Uri barked. “You can’t be serious? That’s suicide!”

“No, it’s what I have to do,” Gabe added softly. “I know it is.”

“Michael, tell him!” Uri demanded. “Tell him how crazy this is.”

Michael said nothing, though; instead he reached out and placed a hand on Gabe’s leg, nodding in acknowledgement.

“I’m not hearing this!” Uri shouted. “Mirada, you tell them, this is crazy, right?”

“A man must choose his own path,” Mirada stated, walking to stand next to her husband.

“Oh my God! Everyone around me has gone mad,” Uri yelped, pacing the ground in the tent frantically.

“Uri, I trust Gabe, and if this is what he feels his destiny is, I have to support that,” Michael added.

“Well I don’t, because this is madness,” Uri stated.

“I’m sorry brother, I have to do what I know is best for my family,” Gabe explained.

Uri hesitated, and then realizing he was alone in his stance made a declaration, “Then I’m going with you.”

“No, it’s too dangerous,” Gabe smiled, appreciative for what his friend was willing to do for him.

“That’s the deal, either I go with you, or you’re not going,” Uri snapped.

“And you’re going to stop me?” Gabe laughed.

“Yes!” Uri snapped, before his voice softened and he said, “You owe me this.”

Gabe looked up at Uri, “Fine,” he relented.

“Sir, you have to come quick, there’s been a report of enemies breaking through our lines,” a soldier said poking his head inside the tent.

“What?” Michael shouted, hopping to his feet.

“Go, make sure everyone’s all right,” Mirada instructed.

“I’ll be right back,” Michael commented, and then exited from the tent.

“You seem to be feeling a little better,” Mirada said, using the back of her hand to gauge Gabe’s temperature.

“Yeah, thanks for that potion,” Gabe replied.

“No problem. Glad I could help.”

“So this is what we’re going to do now? Pretend like the fact Gabe is about to do the most idiotic thing in the world, is completely normal,” Uri growled.

“Look man, I know this is hard to understand. I mean hell, I don’t think I even understand it myself, but somewhere inside me I know this is the answer. I just need you to trust me.”

“No, I shouldn’t. What I should do is drag you from here, kicking and screaming. But I know you well enough to know that won’t do any good,” Uri replied.

Suddenly, and without warning, there was a massive commotion outside. Uri and Mirada rushed out onto the path in front of the tent. Mirada, stopped one of the soldiers and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Michael, he’s been injured,” the soldier answered, his voice trembling.

“What do you mean Michael’s been injured?” Uri demanded.

“I don’t know, they said a group of demons broke through enemy lines, I heard it’s Valafar,” the soldier said, then took off running for the heart of the battle.

Uri immediately lifted his feet and prepared himself to come to Michael’s defense, but then realized he wasn’t moving forward. Mirada had a hold of his arm.

“What are you doing?” he yelled.

“Listen to me, you can’t do anything for Michael right now,” Mirada began.

“The hell I can’t! Let go of me!” Uri demanded.

“Uri! Damn it, listen. Gabe is in no shape to fight Valafar or his men; you have to get him out of here. If any of us have any chance at surviving this war, you have to get Gabe to Baal in New York,” Mirada added.

“But Michael,” Uri pleaded.

“I’ll find him, I’ll get him out of here. I promise. But I need you to help Gabe. Can you do that?” Mirada begged.

As several guards ran by, they heard the whisperings that Michael was dead.

“I have to make sure,” Uri pleaded.

“If Michael were dead, I would know. I’d feel it. Please, if you care for him at all, you know he’d want you to get Gabe out of here,” Mirada begged.

Uri looked towards where the flames burned and the gray smoke rose high in the air nearby. “Damn it!” Resisting every urge in him to run into battle he nodded and re-entered the tent. “We’ve gotta get you out of here.”

Gabe looked at Uri with a panicked gaze, the mud now dried on his feet and flaking from his skin. “What’s going on?”

“We’ll talk about it later, we gotta go,” Uri replied.

“Go where?” Gabe asked apprehensively.

“We can regroup back in the valley,” Uri answered.

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?” Uri barked.

“It’s too dangerous, the less of a trail leading back to them, the better,” Gabe explained.

Uri knew he was right. “Fine, then where?”

“How about where it all began,” Gabe suggested.

Uri paused for a moment, furrowing his brow and wondering what Gabe meant. Then with a nod he wrapped his arm around his friend and they were gone.

Shifting from side to side, Gabe attempted to get comfortable. Initially he had tried one of the benches, but it was far too short for his matured body. The cool tile of the floor finally became his resting place.

Looking around at the shell that was left of the once vibrant subway tunnel, Gabe doubted it was the same place he had met Uri all those years ago. The city had gladly used the explosion as an excuse to break ground on a new project. They had deemed the damage to the tunnel too extensive, and too costly to repair. Instead, they shut the tunnel down, and started construction on the new set of tunnels, which were now up and running.

The new tunnels were so close to the old ones, that when a train would pass through, it would cause dust and small bits of debris to shake loose from the ceiling. The tunnel entrance had been well sealed to keep vagrants and such out, but Uri and Gabe were able to make short work of the series of locks.

Sitting there, the eerie glow of a magical orb he had cast as the only light source, he started to question what he was doing. He had been so confident when he was with Michael, but now he began to wonder if Uri was right. Perhaps he imagined the talk with his mother, and it was merely the result of a head injury.

They had been in such a hurry when they left the tent that neither took the time to think about the fact Gabe’s feet were bare. Once inside the tunnel Uri left to find him shoes and to see if perhaps he could scrounge them up something to eat.