“Of course, where do...” Gabe began but was interrupted by a voice shouting behind him. He turned and saw Uri and Haim running out of the hall, waving their hands.
“There you two are!” Uri said. Gabe wanted to shake Uri and tell him to go away. He was beginning to think either Uri was doing this on purpose or he really did have the worst timing of any person, ever. “Michael wants us in his chambers right away.”
“Who?” Sophie asked as she began to walk over and meet Uri in the middle.
“The Shadow Hunters.” Uri replied. Gabe couldn’t help but snicker a little, remembering Haim’s earlier comment. “Hey, you too, idiot.” Uri said punching Gabe in the arm, clearly annoyed by the chuckle.
“Why? I mean, what does he want to see us about?” Gabe questioned.
“Do I look like a mind reader?” Uri asked, making a sarcastic face at Gabe.
“If I had to guess,” Haim said, “he has a mission for us. Probably has something to do with Mammon’s troops closing in on our location.”
Gabe’s stomach twisted in knots. No matter how bad he wanted to know, Sophie’s revelation would have to wait. “But why would he want me there?” Gabe asked, trying to not show any fear in his voice. He was fully aware of Sophie’s eyes watching him.
“All I know is he said to bring Gabe, so come on.” Uri urged. Gabe looked over at Sophie wishing he had just a few more minutes with her before they had been interrupted. She was no longer looking at him. She stared at the ground, walking in the direction of Michael’s chambers. Gabe knew he would simply have to wait.
Chapter Ten
As the group of four entered their beloved leader’s chambers, they saw Michael already sitting across the room. Raimie and Dina were sitting close to him. Michael stood and crossed the room to greet them. “Please, join us.” he said extending a hand.
Uri and Haim glided casually to the leather side chairs, taking a seat. Sophie and Gabe took refuge on the sofa with Raimie and Dina. They all briefly looked around, searching each other’s faces for any indication that one of them might know what was happening. Only a moment passed before Michael relieved everyone’s speculations.
“Gabe,” Michael began by taking a central stance in front of the group. “First, I want to apologize that I have not been available to meet with you as much as I am sure either of us would probably like. I know you still must have so many questions, but I assume Uri has been doing his best to help out with filling in the blanks?”
Gabe nodded affirmative in response to Michael’s question. Gabe was grateful for all the information Uri had shared, but also for his friendship. Something a lifetime of loneliness had made him value more than he ever realized.
“I won’t keep you all in suspense; I know you must be wondering why I brought you here.” Michael continued. “The entire manor has been busy preparing for Operation Phoenix. The clerics have been training day and night. Even with those plans under way, the elders and I have been discussing other possible options.” Gabe sat there listening to Michael’s words, surprised the conversation was starting to sound normal to him.
Michael paused, looking upon their concerned faces. He began to pace, each step a little heavier than the last. He stared at the floor intensely, as though he were searching the wood planks for the words he needed. Uri shifted in his seat. Leaning forward he asked, “Michael, is everything OK?”
Michael stopped, turned and looked into Uri’s eyes. In that moment, Gabe and the entire group knew something was very wrong. Michael knelt and in a soft voice said, “I must leave. The elders and I agree the weapons we have here will not be sufficient to defeat Mammon.”
“Wait, I don’t understand.” Uri protested. “Can’t we use one of the ‘Dagger’s of Deliverance’?”
Michael sighed before explaining, “After much deliberation, we all agree the daggers alone would not be strong enough to actually defeat one of the seven princes.”
“Isn’t that why they were forged in the first place?” Uri argued.
Gabe felt lost as he listened to the two arguing over what sounded like pure fiction. Michael saw Uri’s frustration and attempted to explain the situation to his trusted student.
“It was; but things have changed...”
“What do you mean?” Uri raised his voice, becoming aggravated.
Gabe decided to break the rising tension with a question that would hopefully clarify things for him and cause a break in the heated discussion. “Can I ask,” Gabe paused for a moment until the entire group was staring at him. “What exactly are the ‘Dagger’s of Deliverance’?”
Uri took a deep breath and flopped back in his seat. The group looked to Michael but he said nothing. After a few more awkward moments of silence passed, Haim spoke up, deciding he would provide Gabe with the explanation he searched for. “The early Guardians were entrusted with some very powerful objects. One of these objects are the spikes that had been used to crucify during Roman times.” Haim looked at Michael to see if he wanted to take command of the explanation but he just stood and turned, walking to the fireplace mantel where he quietly rested his head onto a perched arm.
“When the original Guardians were brought to earth it was thought that it was random demons and creatures that had escaped and were roaming free.” Haim continued, “We only discovered that several of Seven Princes were walking the Earth about a hundred years ago. At that time, the elder Guardians began devising weapons we could use against them.”
“Sorry to interrupt again, but Seven Princes?” Gabe asked, showing his confusion on his face.
“Look, Gabe,” Uri interjected in a frustrated tone. “We don’t have time for a history lesson.”
“Uri!” Michael scolded, looking intensely at his young student as he did.
“Sorry,” Uri mumbled under his breath, clearly annoyed.
“Gabe, your questions are welcomed.” Michael reassured him. “The Seven Princes are the leaders of Hell’s army. I promise we will make sure you learn about them all and what their abilities are.” Gabe nodded at Michael’s words, feeling a little surprised by Uri’s reaction.
“Yeah, so when we found out about the Princes being here on Earth, that’s when they decided to melt down the spikes used to nail Jesus Christ to the cross. They combined that metal with other holy artifacts to construct what we now call the ‘Dagger’s of Deliverance’,” Dina explained in her small voice.
“And now you think these won’t work?” Gabe asked looking in Michael’s direction.
“We know they are enough to wound them.” Michael replied, not lifting his head. “But they are not enough to return them to Hell.”
Uri looked up at Michael with terror filling his eyes. “And how do we know this, Michael?”
Michael finally turned to look at the group once again. “Anthony.” He said in a hushed tone before falling silent again.
Uri jumped to his feet and walked around to the back of the chair. He leaned over it and cupped his hands. “What about Anthony?”
“The mission he returned from recently wasn’t just scouting.” Michael disclosed. “He was sent into the forest with a purpose. We thought the fewer men who went the better; the less for Mammon and his demons to track. We even thought that we may gain the element of surprise.”
“I guess you were wrong about that.” Uri replied in a snarky tone.
“Uri, I understand that you are upset and you lost friends on that mission, but that is no excuse for your attitude.” Michael argued.
“My attitude? I can’t believe you can be so casual about his!” Uri said with a raised voice, not making any effort to hide his frustration. “Just acceptable losses I suppose? What about Anthony? We almost lost him too. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“Uri!” Michael snapped back, trying his best to remain calm. “It’s not easy to be a leader, to make hard decisions. I had to do what I thought was best. If we don’t stop Mammon much more will be lost. Those men knew the risks. They will be remembered and respected for laying down their lives. Where is this coming from?” Uri sat there in silence, not responding to his mentor’s question.
Sophie sucked in a huge breath of air. It was almost as if she scoffed at Michael’s response. Gabe felt very uneasy by the unrest among them all.
Glancing in Sophie’s direction, Michael’s voice suddenly became more firm. “Anthony attempted to use one of the daggers. We know it wounded Mammon but it did not destroy him.” A number of gasps broke out all around the room. “We have a plan however. It requires me to travel across the ocean to Iron Gate.”
“Iron Gate?” The words leapt from Gabe’s lips before he even thought about it.
“It’s just like the Rampart Manor. It’s located in England.” Dina explained.
“Oh,” Gabe said, thinking about the situation intensely. “Wait, if Mammon is getting close, do you have that kind of time?” Gabe asked, wondering if it was him asking these questions or if someone had taken over his body. The conversation felt as though he were watching it rather than taking part.
“It is a long journey,” Michael replied. “But with the Alicorns I should be able to make it there and back in a few days time.”
“I’m going with you.” Uri said in a flat voice, successfully managing his anger.
“You can’t, Uri,” Michael replied. “This is why I’ve called you all here. I need every one of you to focus on training Gabe while I am gone. He will need to be prepared if we are unsuccessful.”
“As prepared as he can be.” Sophie said in a sharp tone.
“Prepared, why do I need to be prepared?” Gabe asked nervously.
“I know this is hard to understand,” Michael said walking over to stand directly in front of Gabe. Michael lowered himself to look at him directly. “Whether you want to be a part of this or not, at this point you are in danger. Mammon knows you exist and he will stop at nothing until he has you. Even if you choose to not join the fight you must at least learn to defend yourself.” The words made Gabe’s head spin. The idea that he was suddenly in mortal danger and there was nothing he could do about it was overwhelming to say the least.
Not giving Gabe an opportunity to respond, Uri insisted, “I’ve already taught Gabe what I can. The others can help protect him while we are gone, and teach him what else he needs to know. I am going with you, Michael. That’s the end of it.”
The group looked on in amazement at the way Uri was speaking to their respected leader. Realizing arguing would be futile, Michael relented shaking his head. “Fine...” He paused for a moment, looking over at his desk. Then he retrieved a small box from one of the upper right drawers. He held it tightly in his hands, but said nothing about it.
“Uri and I will leave tonight.” Michael conceded looking over at Uri. “In case anyone was to be captured, we can’t share what we are going there to obtain. I hope you all understand.”
As if on cue, the group all nodded in sync. Gabe wondered if he had slipped into some sort of a dream world that soon he would awake from. Angels, Demons, battle for all the souls on the Earth; it all seemed a bit too unreal for him. He gave himself a slight pinch for good measure, confirming he was indeed awake.
“While we are away,” Michael continued. “The most important thing is to protect Gabe. He means more to us than any of you can imagine and Mammon knows that.”
Gabe had never heard himself referred to in such a way. A small part of him that was allowing his mind to accept this new reality, found himself incredibly flattered by the weight that was being placed upon his safety.
Haim stood up and walked behind his chair, taking a similar stance as Uri directly across from him. “We will each spend time with Gabe and teach him all we know, Michael.” Haim said. “You can count on us.”
“We will never leave his side.” Raimie added, finally breaking his silence. “We promise, you can trust us Michael.”
“I know I can.” Michael replied walking over and grasping Raimie’s shoulder. “Now if the rest of you don’t mind, I would like to talk to Gabe alone.”
Sophie reached out and grabbed Michael’s hand. They looked into each other’s eyes and it was almost as if she were asking him a question without words. Michael gave a slight nod to her. Gabe assumed it was in response to what was transpiring between the two of them.
A smile suddenly beamed across Sophie’s face. Gabe realized she had not glowed like that since the night they had danced under the moon. She was so beautiful when she was happy.
The group got up. One by one each gave Michael and Uri a hug and wished them well as they exited. Uri was the last to leave. He told Michael he would pack a few things and ready the Alicorns. He grabbed Gabe’s hand and pulling him close simply stated, “I will see you soon, my brother.”
Gabe was astonished by the pang Uri’s words brought to his chest. He had just met these people. He already felt more for them than he had for anyone in his life. A few more words were exchanged and Uri was gone, leaving Michael and Gabe to talk.
Gabe was anxious, not really sure what to think. “So Gabe, you have been with us a few days. How are you feeling?” Michael asked.
Gabe sat there for a moment, contemplating his answer. “Still doesn’t seem real,” he finally replied, just wanting to break the silence.
“It can be overwhelming. I know.” Michael continued. “But I hope you can come to see everyone here cares about you and we all truly do want what is best for you. It may not make sense to you now, but in time it will. All of our bloodlines have known each other for thousands of years. You are like a brother and we love you.”
Gabe couldn’t remember the last time he had heard someone utter those words, ‘love you.’ He supposed it had probably been his parents when he was five. What made it more incredible was that Gabe believed Michael.
“The prophecy and your destiny are important to us, but not more important than you. I want to make it clear that you are free to make your own choices and no matter what they are we will support you. Our feelings for you will not change,” Michael added.
Michael took a seat on the old couch next to Gabe, placing the box he had pulled from his desk onto his lap and opening it carefully. Gabe watched with curiosity, completely captivated by what might be contained within it.