“And you are OK with this?” Sophie looked at Gabe, searching for a sense of how it made him feel.
“Well, I have my doubts I’m the guy they’re looking for but yeah, I guess so.” Gabe replied.
“Knowing everything, you still want to stay?” Sophie asked in pure amazement of his bravery.
“Well,” Gabe began, considering how to answer and not sound like a coward. “Michael said that fulfilling my destiny as defender is completely my choice but no matter what I decide I am welcome to stay.”
“Yeah, the whole free will thing.” Sophie replied.
“What?”
“Well, it’s one of the rules of the earthly realm.” Sophie explained seeing Gabe’s puzzled look. “Come one, Gabe, have you never been to Sunday School?” she asked laughing.
“Actually, not that I can remember. Uri kept mentioning the free will thing, too, now that you mention it.” Gabe said to Sophie’s astonished look.
“Oh, well it goes like this,” Sophie explained. “So you know about Heaven and Hell right?”
“Well, yeah, I wasn’t raised under a rock.” Gabe said laughing a little at her question.
“Just making sure,” Sophie continued. “Back when there was just Heaven and all the angels bowed and worshiped God, he made a choice.”
“Who?” Gabe asked already feeling confused.
“God,” Sophie replied
“Oh, of course,” Gabe replied.
“Well, God decided that the angels loved him because he created them that way. That’s when he decided to create mankind. He would give them everything they needed on earth to survive but he also would design them with the ability to make a choice. Free will changed everything. I mean there was the negative, like it led to a lot of human betrayal but it also resulted in a great and new kind of love. One made from free will. God only wanted their love if they chose to give it freely and follow him.”
“I get that,” replied Gabe. “I mean, what fun is it loving someone when you know they only love you because they have to.”
“Exactly,” Sophie continued. “So it became a rule of the earthly realm. Even after Lucifer and his followers were cast out of Heaven, the rule applied to them as well.”
“What do you mean applies to them as well? Why would someone choose a demon?” Gabe asked, feeling confused once again.
“Well, you don’t have to choose a demon,” Sophie paused, carefully choosing her words. “If someone chooses to cling to God of their own free will, their soul can’t be claimed by Lucifer and his army. However, if they of that same free will choose to walk their own path and ignore God, then their soul is fair game.”
“So this is all just some sick game between two powerful beings, on who can collect the most souls?” Gabe asked, a bit annoyed at the concept.
“No, you’re missing the point.” Sophie said, frustrated she was not relaying her message more clearly to Gabe. “Lucifer wants to take as many souls as he can because he hates God and men. He has always been jealous of men and couldn’t understand why God ever created them. He views humans as an abomination.”
“OK, good to know.” Gabe said, “So how is this not a game?”
Sophie smiled at Gabe. “What makes it not a game is God’s motivation. He is not trying to save the most souls because he wants to win some competition; he wants all the souls...” Sophie paused and looked over at Gabe and softly said “because he loves us unconditionally of his own free will.”
Gabe sat back and thought about the idea of a being loving him despite his flaws. He had never considered himself religious but here, now, under this sky, sitting next to Sophie, he realized all the pieces were falling into place. He did have a destiny and it was here.
Sophie looked at Gabe and could see by his expression he got it. He understood why they were here and why free will must be respected above all else. “Enough of this heavy stuff,” she finally said jumping to her feet and brushing the dirt from her bottom. She extended her hand to Gabe. “Come on, I want to show you something.”
Gabe’s muscles had decided to completely lock up on him. As he was pulled to his feet he winced from the pain. “Where are we going?” he cried, slowly regaining the use of his limbs. He hoped wherever they were going it was close; he feared soon his body would rebel completely.
“You’ll see,” Sophie said punching him in the arm playfully. “Come on wuss.” she said and took off running towards the main building.
Gabe let out a gust of air at the blow and laughed painfully through gritted teeth. “You’ll pay for that.” he yelled after her. He did his best to give chase but only could manage a light jog.
Finally, they reached a building, Sophie laughing uncontrollably by this point, clearly pleased she was triumphant in the race. Gabe followed her inside and they both did their best to steady their breath and lower their voices. “So where are we going?” Gabe huffed as he asked again.
“I want to show you something.” Sophie said looking over her shoulder, her hair pulling across her face and tangling at her lips. Gabe smiled and wished he had the nerve to steal just one kiss. A moment later they arrived at the library.
“Got some reading to do, huh?” Gabe asked sarcastically.
“Shut up.” Sophie laughed and pulled Gabe inside. “Just follow me.” Sophie darted between the rows of books until they came to the back of the massive room to a small stone staircase that was hidden away between two enormous ceiling high book cases.
Sophie hopped down the half flight of stone steps and came to rest on the small landing at the base, an old small wooden door stood before them. Sophie pulled a key from around her neck that had been hidden beneath her shirt and unlocked the door.
“Oh, aren’t we important?” Gabe asked in a mocking tone while giving an impressed look.
Sophie grinned and ducked inside the small entryway. “Watch your head,” she called behind her. Gabe bent over and followed her blindly into the tiny room. Sophie lit a small lantern nearby and motioned for Gabe to stay near. He shivered from the cold, the stones all around them were covered in moisture.
They made turn after turn and Gabe hoped he wouldn’t have to find his way out of this labyrinth alone. Finally they came to another door, Sophie pushed it open and once they were both inside, Gabe realized the ceilings were much taller in this room and allowed himself to stand upright. “Illuminatum,” Sophie muttered with great force and dozens of lanterns around the room lit up.
“Oh my, aren’t we full of impressive things this evening.” Gabe said in a flirtatious way, nodding at Sophie with satisfaction.
“Oh please,” Sophie said with a wave. “You’ll learn all of this, too, Gabe.” Even though Sophie was trying her best to downplay the luster of her abilities, Gabe was still in awe of her. He looked around at half a dozen tables stacked high with old books. There was a thick layer of dust on all the tables except one. Sophie walked directly to the clean table and bent below it where he could no longer see her.
She fiddled with something beneath the table for a few moments until finally she emerged with a large trunk that she dropped abruptly on the table. “No spell to lift heavy stuff?” Gabe asked smugly.
“Hush and get over here.” Sophie said, trying to not show her amusement at his joke. Sophie opened the box and turned it so Gabe could easily see the contents as he approached.
“What are those?” Gabe asked, puzzled by all the crystal like pieces filling the chest.
“They’re an advantage!” Sophie exclaimed.
“What?” Gabe asked, unsure what Sophie was talking about.
“Watch,” Sophie commanded as she pulled one of the crystals from the chest. She held out one finger and balanced the crystal on the end. “Aperio,” she said looking intensely at the crystal.
A moment later the crystal began to glow and a transparent image appeared above it. Gabe jumped back at the site of a small goat like figure. “What is that?” He asked, a little fearful.
“They call it an Azazel demon.” Sophie replied.
Gabe studied the rotating image. It looked like it was a morph between a goat and a man perhaps. Its entire body was covered in hair, some of its facial features looked like they may belong to a man but its nose came out like a snout; it had sharp pointed teeth and large horns that spiraled up and around the back of its head. Gabe shivered at the site of the beast.
“I don’t understand, what is this…?” Gabe asked unsure what he was looking at.
Sophie explained, “They’re called knowledge crystals. Some call them seeker crystals because our trackers use them to study the beasts we hunt or seek. The crystals give us a 3D glimpse of these demons and all these books you see around us, give us information as to what their weaknesses are.”
Sophie let the crystal fall into her palm and clutched her entire hand around it as it went dark. “I spend a lot of my time down here,” she added.
“That’s awesome!” Gabe shrieked in excitement. “Do another one!” He was still clearly impressed by this new magical object.
Sophie thought how adorable it was that Gabe was so excited over such a simple thing and was more than happy to please him. She grabbed another crystal, placed it on her finger and muttered “Aperio” once again.
An image again appeared above the crystal; a creature with three heads, one being a bull, another of a man, and the third a ram. His eyes glowed almost as if they were on fire. As the image rotated Gabe saw it had the tail of a serpent and he hoped he would never have to confront this monster.
“This is Balam,” Sophie said with a tone of disgust.
Gabe looked a little closer “Is he naked?” He asked nervously laughing.
Sophie calmly and flatly responded. “Yes, he is often plaguing the residents of Iron Gate and they’ve lost a lot soldiers to him.” Sophie looked at Gabe as he watched the rotating image.
“Wait, Iron Gate, isn’t that where Michael and Uri went?” Gabe asked with fear of his new friends being confronted by this beast he was staring at.
“Don’t worry, Gabe,” Sophie said seeing his discomfort. “Michael is very powerful; he can take care of himself.”
“So this thing knows the location of Iron Gate?” Gabe asked, still concerned.
“Oh no, nothing like that,” Sophie explained. “Balam has been spotted in the forests near Iron Gate. Some scouts say they have seen him riding a bear-like creature. He’s a commander of many legions for the Prince of Darkness and one of our most wanted.”
“They haven’t been able to destroy him?” Gabe asked.
“Gabe, do you understand that we are not destroying these creatures? We don’t have that ability. It may appear like we are but we are simply binding them and returning them to the constraints of Hell.” Sophie explained.
“Is there no way to destroy them?” Gabe asked.
“They’re immortal beings,” Sophie explained.
“Well, that doesn’t seem very fair. It’s like we are on uneven playing fields. I mean what’s the point?” Gabe became more agitated with each passing thought.
“Once we confine them to Hell, they’re trapped there until the end days.” Sophie replied defensively.
Gabe’s head began to swirl a bit, overwhelmed by all the rules of this new reality he found himself in. “So why is Balam so hard to...” Gabe tried to remember what Sophie called it “bind?” He finally said.
“He has the ability of the third eye.” Sophie explained.
“Wait, this thing has a third eye somewhere?” Gabe asked searching the image harder.
“No,” Sophie laughed for a moment at Gabe’s literal translation. “He has the ability of the third eye which means he can see past, present, and future. The future may change but the problem is, if we try and attack him with forethought and we are in range, he senses it. Makes it very hard to keep that element of surprise, don’t you think?”
Gabe nodded, still fascinated by this world Sophie was sharing. As she tossed the crystal back into the case, Gabe stared at her round nose and full lips in the light of the lanterns. She really was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen.
Realizing Gabe was staring at her intensely she became increasingly nervous “What?” Sophie insisted.
“Nothing,” Gabe shook his head a little embarrassed he had been caught watching her. “I just really appreciate you sharing this with me.” Gabe said trying to recover from his slip up.
“It’s no problem. Do you want to see more?” Sophie asked settling back onto her chair.
Gabe didn’t know what came over him. In that moment all he could think about was kissing her. He knew if he didn’t act now he may never have the courage again. He leaned forward and cupped her cheek with his hand. He looked into her eyes for a moment for approval. She was helpless when he touched her face, unable to move and her breath became shallow.
Gabe pushed off from the stone floor with his toes and their lips met. His head was swirling and his heart racing. His lips tingled with what he thought felt like little electrical shocks. They both closed their eyes, drinking in the moment. Gabe could feel her lips tremble beneath his and he couldn’t help but curl his lips into a slight smile, pleased at her reaction.
Before they pulled away, both lingered for a bit; Gabe felt his toes curl as Sophie’s warm breath tickled his chin. At last, when they both collapsed back into their seats an awkward silence consumed them. It was clear how they both felt but to actually put those feelings into words seemed impossible for each of them. They sat there in silence, neither willing to look at the other. Finally, Gabe reached into the chest and pulled out another crystal.
“So what’s on this one?” He asked, presenting her with the token.
Thrilled as she was by the kiss, Sophie was more than glad to change the subject without another word. She grabbed the crystal extended her finger, speaking the word, “Aperio.”
Chapter Fourteen
Gabe felt like he was walking on clouds as he approached his room. The aches and pains that had plagued his muscles were a distant memory. After spending hours with Sophie looking at unimaginable demonic creatures, all Gabe could think about was the kiss they had shared. The fact neither had spoken about it afterwards made it no less special or memorable.