“Everyone has a destiny Gabe. It may not be the one you thought you were designed for. You may not choose to follow it, but there’s no mistake. The Oracle saw you.”
“Wait,” Gabe honed in on Michael’s words with precision. “I have a choice?”
Michael smiled slightly. “Of course you do. Everyone has a choice. There would be no free will if we didn’t have a choice.”
“That’s it,” Gabe replied excited. “We just tell Mammon I choose not to fulfill my destiny.”
“Gabe, I’m afraid it’s not that simple.” As those words left Michael’s lips there was a knock at the door. A second later, Uri entered, hands respectfully drawn behind his back.
“Sir, you sent for me?” Uri asked looking at Michael.
“Yes! Please Uri.” Michael said motioning to the empty spot next to Gabe. “Come, join us.”
Uri walked over and took a seat, resting his boot clad foot on his opposite knee. “I was just telling Gabe here about the trouble with destiny and how it’s tied to each of us,” Michael explained.
“Oh?” Uri asked, sounding a little shocked.
“Yeah, he seems to think you are better suited to be the protector.” Michael said laughing.
Uri reached over and gave Gabe a light punch in the chest.
“Oh, you do, huh?” he asked playfully.
“Well, I just meant,” Gabe defended, stumbling over his words, “That you’re... I mean... Well, I am no protector.”
“Not yet, but you will be.” Uri said confidently, looking into Gabe’s eyes. Gabe quickly looked away.
“I know this is a lot to process, Gabe. Though I hate to do it, I have more to throw at you.” Michael started. “If we took you home right now we wouldn’t be able to protect you.”
Gabe nodded, thinking of the demons they had met on the road the night before. He imagined similar creatures finding him, helpless and all alone. He felt his body consumed by a paralyzing fear.
“You have five days left on your leave from the group home.”
“I can’t go back.” Gabe said in a panicked voice.
“Gabe, we would never willingly put you in harm’s way. My hope is that by the end of the five days, Mammon will no longer be an issue. To us, you were family the moment you were born. Of course we would like you to come and live here, learn our ways, fight for the cause. All of that is your choice, though.” Michael explained.
“It’s true Gabe.” Uri explained. “You’re my brother now.”
Gabe didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t had a family for so long. He thought of his parents and struggled to remember the life they had had. He had resigned himself long ago to the thought of being alone. The idea of a family was quite enticing, but it came at a very high and dangerous price.
“I know it is a lot to take in. I’m not expecting you to agree to anything right now. What I propose is for you to spend the next five days learning about us.” Michael persuaded. “Uri and his friends will tutor you in our methods. If in five days things are safe, you can decide if you want to leave. If you choose to return to New York, Uri will take you.” Uri nodded in agreement.
Gabe looked over at Uri, who smiled at him. He wondered what Michael meant by tutoring him in their methods. He was intrigued, but there was one nagging question in his mind. “What if Mammon finds this place?” Gabe asked.
“Unfortunately,” Michael explained. “It’s not what if, but when. But please, don’t worry about that.” Michael added, seeing the fear on Gabe’s face. “We have a plan that’s being set into motion. You let the elders and I worry about Mammon, alright? I want you to focus on learning everything you can.”
Gabe was surprised at the comfort Michael’s words brought him. When he said they were taking care of the problem, Gabe didn’t have any doubt.
“Come on Gabe,” Uri chimed in giving him an elbow to the side. “We’ll have some fun!”
“Sure.” Gabe replied, actually feeling eager to be tutored, as Michael put it. “Fun,” He added with a hint of sarcasm.
“Wonderful,” Michael bellowed, clapping his hands together in excitement. “Go with Uri. He will be a key part of this journey for you. Unfortunately, I have to travel so you may not see me for a short time.” Michael stood to walk the two boys to the door.
“Come on Gabe,” Uri said standing. “You’ll need your rest for what I have planned for you tomorrow.”
Uri threw his head back, delivering a devilish laugh. He grabbed hold of Gabe’s hoodie, pulling him up to his feet and towards the door.
Michael smiled and chuckled. A moment later, they barreled out into the hallway leaving Michael to his important and pressing business.
The two were falling over each other down the hall laughing, all the way back to Gabe’s room. They arrived at his door in a huff, arm draped over one another. Gabe realized this must be what it’s like to have a friend. A true friend. Not one who is scared of you or being nice to you out of obligation. Gabe had trouble explaining it. It was as if he had always known Uri.
“See you in the morning,” Uri said, vigorously rubbing Gabe’s head and tussling his hair into a heaping mess. A second later, Uri was half way down the hall, laughing and leaping up to see if he could touch the rafters.
Gabe walked into his room thinking about everything he had learned that day. He was still panting from the romping sprint to his room, a huge smile plastered on his face. Gabe’s heart skipped a beat when he realized his fire was lit. He looked around the room in a panic but didn’t see anyone. He cautiously approached the high back chairs and noticed one of the chairs cast a shadow that included a figure; clearly there was someone perched in it.
Gabe’s breath caught in his throat with a low grunt as he attempted to tip toe quietly around the exterior of the room, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the intruder. Gabe crept through the shadows. Just before he emerged, Sophie popped her head up over the back of the chair, “Gabe!” she shrieked.
Gabe jumped and let out a shrill screech. He felt a bit silly afterwards and hoped Sophie hadn’t heard him.
“Sophie! What are you doing here?” He felt odd asking that when all he wanted in the world was for Sophie to be right where she was, looking at him. Her hair was an intense red in the firelight and he wondered if she noticed how obvious his attraction for her was.
“I was just wondering, are you in the mood for an adventure?” Sophie asked twisting her body and leaning forward on the arm of the chair. She glared wickedly up at him from beneath her eyebrows. Gabe wasn’t sure if he should be filled with fear or excitement.
Chapter Seven
Gabe was excited and anxious at the same time about Sophie’s promise of adventure, but he knew he should probably do as Uri suggested and sleep.
“Sophie, umm, it’s not that I’m not interested in your proposal. It’s just that I’m supposed to begin my training tomorrow. Uri told me I needed to get plenty of rest.”
“Oh come on, Gabe!” Sophie pleaded hopping to her feet. “You have your entire life to sleep. Let’s have some fun.” She grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him toward the door.
Gabe felt rather helpless in her presence. Sophie put her hand on Gabe’s chest, halting his movement. She placed a single finger to her full rosy lips signaling his silence as she peaked out the door into the darkness. He hoped she could not feel the quickened beating of his heart. A moment later they dashed into the hall, Gabe pulling the door closed behind them.
“Now you have to be quiet.” Sophie whispered, looking into Gabe’s eyes. “Stay close to the wall and follow me.”
“Sophie, if we’re not supposed to be out, maybe we should just go back to my room.” Gabe suggested.
Sophie slapped his hand giggling as quietly as she could.
“I’m sure you would love that wouldn’t you?” she teased.
“No, I didn’t mean—” Gabe felt his cheeks flush hot. Before he could finish his thought, Sophie had once again shushed him. She looked around cautiously before she tip toed down the hall, slinking along the wall as if she were some sort of night cat. Gabe was quite impressed by her stealth as he did his best to mimic her.
The further they went, the more Gabe realized how massive Rampart was. Part of him started to regret the tour he had passed on earlier. Sophie waved a hand in the darkness to gain Gabe’s attention. She motioned to a large door at the end of one of the halls.
“That’s the library,” she whispered. “It is absolutely amazing. There are books from all over the world. Hundreds of the books which date back so long ago that most current libraries aren’t aware of their existence. I could spend days in there,” she added with a charmed gaze. Gabe was excited to learn about her. He found Sophie’s enthusiasm for books enchanting.
Sophie continued past the library and down the hall. Gabe wished they could go in right then. He was curious to explore the place that excited Sophie. They passed a few more doors before coming to an archway that led down several stairs. From the stairs, they stepped onto a dirt path. Gabe realized they were in a completely different courtyard, one he had never seen before.
“Where are we?” He whispered.
“You’ll see. Follow me and keep your head down.” Sophie whispered, while hunkering low to the ground to stay concealed beneath the bush line. Gabe slipped his hood up and over his tussled hair to conceal himself.
As they reached the other side, Gabe saw blue lights in the sky and heard soft chiming noises. He looked around, trying to figure out the source, but saw nothing. He followed Sophie into a clearing at the edge of the courtyard where they sat and rested for a moment. Sophie resumed her position and inched closer to the tree line. She motioned for Gabe to come follow, a request which he was more than happy to comply.
“Look,” Sophie said using her hands to part the bush in front of them.
Gabe saw three robed figures. One was waving her hands around gracefully through the air as if she were the conductor of an invisible orchestra. There were lights dancing through the sky following the motions. Another had his hands bent as though he were playing a piano in the air. As each finger came down on the imaginary keyboard Gabe heard a mystical chime. The third figure simply stood. Gabe could not tell if the third figure was a man or woman. A hood covered the bent head that fixated on the ground.
“Are they doing all this?” Gabe whispered, watching in amazement. “Is he creating that music with just the movement of his hands? She can make lights appear?”
Sophie nodded her head, a thrilled smile on her face. She was pleased by Gabe’s response. Sophie whispered, “It’s a charm spell. It’s meant to distract and enchant its victim.”
“I can see how it must be quite effective.” Gabe replied jokingly, as he stared at the fantastic show, completely mesmerized.
“Sometimes, I love coming out here while they practice, especially at night.” Sophie added.
A second later, Gabe heard what sounded like soft drum beats. Gabe saw that the third robed figure had joined in the festivities. His hands hovered in the air and every few seconds he would push his palm towards the earth with a mighty thrust, creating a hollow but deep drumming noise.
Gabe closed his eyes, allowing himself to get lost in the beautiful melody. When at last he reopened them, Gabe caught sight of Sophie. She was gazing straight up at the sky. When he glanced up to see what she was looking at, Gabe realized the lights were now dancing over their heads. Sophie looked over and smiled at Gabe. His heart felt so full of happiness he thought it may burst; a foreign concept for him.
Sophie crawled further away from the tree line. Gabe followed.
“Where are we going?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“Nowhere,” she replied rising to her feet. Gabe looked around frantically but soon realized that where they were they could not be seen so he stood to join her.
“Dance with me.” Sophie requested.
“What?” Gabe asked mortified. “No, that’s silly.”
Sophie stuck out a pouty lip and extended her hand. Gabe didn’t want to disappoint her but he had no clue how to dance. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself. Gabe quickly realized Sophie was not going to relent. With a sigh he skulked over to her. He hated the idea of dancing, but to be able to hold her beautiful body in his arms was quite intriguing.
Gabe’s dread and fears melted away once he took Sophie’s warm and delicate hand into his. They glided around the clearing. Gabe cringed as he stepped on her toes, but Sophie didn’t even grimace. She simply smiled at him. Gabe felt Sophie allow her body to relax into his. They were now in a close embrace. Gabe thought it must look like your standard junior high dance shuffle.
Sophie buried her head into Gabe’s shoulder. He didn’t know what to think. The last thing he wanted to do was mistakenly read something into her actions. After all they had just met. She was beautiful, bright and cheery. Girls like her were never interested in the dark, brooding, tragedy-stricken loser kid.
Gabe decided he would just take the moment for what it was, a happy one. He turned his head slightly, planting his nose directly into her auburn hair. He took in a deep breath; she smelled of peaches.
Sophie pulled away and looked up at Gabe, her brow furrowed. He wondered what she was thinking.
“Did you just sniff my hair?” Sophie asked, no longer whispering.
“What?” Gabe asked, not sure how to reply. He never thought he would get caught sneaking a quick smell.
“Hey, who’s there?” A voice called out from beyond the trees.
Realizing the floating lights were fading and the music had stopped, the two looked at each other with panic in their eyes. Although Gabe actually preferred being discovered by the clerics over answering Sophie’s last question.
Sophie grabbed his hand and shrieked, “Run!”
Gabe followed fast after Sophie. They ran through the courtyard and back through the archway. Then they raced up the stairs from which they had come. They ran all the way past the library, down the grand corridors and straight into Gabe’s room, slamming the door behind them. Throwing their back sides against the door, they both panted heavily in an effort to catch their breath.