The Revelation of Gabriel Adam (22 page)

Before he could act, the woman’s voice, sad and filled with regret, echoed in his thoughts.
“Why do you doubt yourself, dearest Gabriel? Perhaps you were not meant for this after all.”

He hoisted the sword for a strike and leapt at the man. The feathered weight of the weapon allowed the blade to fall through the air like a guillotine and cut through the man’s black suit with a calculated blow.

The bleeding man merely smiled as blood spilled from his chest. He reached back and swung his arm like a club. Gabe was struck on his face so hard, the impact lifted him from the ground, and the sword flew from his hands.

He rolled on the street and tasted blood in his mouth.

The man squeezed his hand into a fist, and the shadows surrounding his father balled into a furious, swarming blanket, like ants on a carcass. After a moment they stopped their attack and pulled away, withdrawing into the man’s outstretched arm. Laughing, his form splintered. As he had in Gabe’s vision before, the man then broke apart into fragments of smoke and disintegrated like ash into the winds.

His dad’s body looked contorted, broken, and bleeding. Gabe knelt down beside him, but it was too late. His father was dead. He felt cheated, having done what he knew was right, and yet he failed. The storm of the coming Apocalypse rolled over the city, a consuming wall of fire that Gabe welcomed in defeat.

CHAPTER FORTY

We can’t win
, Gabe realized
.

He opened his eyes to the darkness of the dorm room. The alarm clock read 10:30 p.m. In the chair beside his desk, his father slept, wrapped in a towel for warmth.

The vision
. The memory caused his stomach to clench violently, the pain sudden and unbearable. He rolled to the side of the bed, and the remnants of the Entheos Genesthai lurched from his stomach and onto the carpet. He spit into a shirt from the floor, careful not to make much noise. His dad adjusted in his seat, but his eyes did not open.

Gabe took stock of himself in the bed. He didn’t feel any different. Unless feeling worse counted. Carlyle had said they would inherit powers and stop the Apocalypse, yet the vision told Gabe that he wasn’t even capable of saving his own father. He had seen the truth:
The enemy will be victorious. The End of Days can’t be stopped.

Images of his father lying dead in the street, his body ravaged from the bleeding man’s shadows, filled Gabe’s mind, and then he thought of Enoch. At the Court Inn, he had said something about the enemy’s power. Gabe thought hard, trying to remember it exactly. Something about the enemy being able to feel him within this realm’s stream of life
.

He is my reflection
, Gabe thought, and the full realization of what that meant thundered down upon him.
He can find me. I am leading the enemy here.
He glanced at his dad sleeping in the chair.
To my father.

Gabe now understood what a danger he was to those around him. The visions had been clear on the enemy’s capabilities, and he was not willing to see such promises fulfilled.

The decision came quickly.

It was rash, he knew, but his mind was made up. The enemy would have no need to focus on his father if Gabe separated himself. He saw no other choice. Running away seemed the best hope for those he loved.

He pushed back the sweat-soaked covers and got out of bed, silent as a thief. A backpack lay in the corner, ready for Ethiopia. In its front pocket, a stack of money and a credit card given by his father in case of an emergency. Gabe only hoped there was enough for travel and food.

His father would never understand. How could he without having witnessed the vision?

With the exception of what he wore, most of his warmer clothes hung in the closet, but the door usually squeaked. If he risked opening it, his dad might wake.
I’ll have to make do with what I have
, he thought.

A twinge of guilt caused him to hesitate.
At least he deserves an explanation
. On his desk, he found a scratch sheet of paper. As quietly as possible, he scribbled a note and placed it on his pillow.

Gabe grabbed his bag and opened the door. He looked back at his father and wondered if he would ever see him again.

“Good-bye,” he whispered.

Committed, Gabe stepped through the door without a sound.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Gabriel Adam walked out of Castle College into the night, unaware that he was being watched. Prophet had made certain of that. Ever since the boy had arrived in Durham, his every move had been scrutinized, his routine learned, and his schedule memorized.

This evening, however, had proven to be quite peculiar. Gabriel and his father had joined Micah and Carlyle for an unscheduled meeting in the vault room. Sometime later, Prophet watched as the boy and girl were moved from the building by wheelchair.

They seemed unconscious. Hours had passed without a sign.

And now, the American emerged, alive and well and alone. Something felt different about this particular night. Gabriel seemed different, his aura changed. New power yet to be harnessed grew inside him.

He must have it. He has to have it
, Prophet thought.

The moment proved too tempting to let slip away. An opportunity had presented itself.
Now is the time—before Gabriel learns of his potential.

If he moved fast enough, Gabe thought he could still catch the last train at the station with a few minutes to spare. Unless they somehow found a car, his father and Carlyle would have to wait until the morning to catch up. But it could be even longer, considering how much time it might take before they even realized he had left the city. He adjusted the strap on his shoulder. The missing backpack would eventually give his intentions away.

Gabe cursed himself for not having a better plan. Its entirety amounted to getting to Ethiopia first. The most obvious place to begin the journey was London, which meant he’d be on the train for a while, so it was crucial to catch that last train. If discovered by his father or a more sinister element, he could disappear into the city.

He wanted to continue the fight. But how? Who would know about this war and not disclose his whereabouts to his father?

In the bitter cold, Durham was a ghost town. Even so, he didn’t want to risk being spotted. It would not be long before his father found the note and went searching through town.

Gabe thought it best to take the trail by the Wear and follow the river around the bend, all the way to Framwellgate Bridge. Crossing the river there, it would only be a sprint to the station
.
The route would take much longer, but he had time if he hurried, and there was little chance of being seen on the path tonight.

An old staircase near the outside of the cathedral grounds led to Kingsgate Bridge. Beside the bridge, another staircase took him to the trail below. He could barely see in the dark, though the path was well worn by joggers, students, and tourists. He followed along, using the river to guide him.

Moving quickly, he closed in on Prebends Bridge, in the gorge just below South Bailey Street. His lungs ached with each cold breath, but the pace had managed to warm his muscles.

As Prebends came into view under the moonlight, he made out a figure standing on the path.

Gabe slowed to a walk. He felt something, as if all his senses were opened to the surroundings. His vision sharpened, his hearing acute. He could smell the river, trees, and mud mix with the scent of a figure standing on the path ahead.

Gabe approached, and the person’s features became clear.

“Odd time of night to be jogging by the river, isn’t it, mate?” Yuri asked.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

What are you doing down here?” Gabe asked.

“Looking for you, obviously.”

Yuri stepped into the moonlight. He looked calm, somehow pleased with himself.

“Well, you’ve found me,” Gabe said. “I’m in a bit of a rush. Mind letting me through?”

“Can’t do that, my friend. Got a bit of business with you. You have something I need. Something you took from that bloody vault. By the way, what do you prefer I call you? Gabe? Gabriel, perhaps? Or would you rather Fortitudo Dei?”

As soon as he saw Yuri under the bridge, Gabe knew their last encounter had been something more than a casual coincidence. “It was
you
all along.
You
were the one trying to get into the vault.”

“A task that proved to be more difficult than expected. Even after I killed Balor and stole his keys.” Yuri wavered, as if ashamed of what he’d done.

“And burning cathedrals in New York? I suppose arson is another hobby besides murder?”

“Never been, actually. I hear it’s lovely.”

“There are things bigger than you and me. Bigger than murder. Whatever you know or think you know about the vault is wrong.”

“You mean things like saving the Earth from a war between the dimensions?” Yuri laughed. “Can’t be done. Not by Carlyle’s lot at least. You should know that by now. Has the good professor not done a proper job training you in the Essene way? Those ancient traditions are laughable. Their superstitions will be the end of us all. But then, I suppose you’re Constantine’s man through and through.”

Gabe didn’t answer.

Yuri must have sensed his inner conflict. “Oh, still not a believer, are we? Won’t the Vatican be ever so disappointed. Perhaps I’ve misjudged you. Those religions are as outdated as they are obsolete. The path to the light must be forged anew.”

“So, you’re with the enemy?”

“That vile rabble? Don’t be daft. We have our own agenda. Earth is the reward.” Yuri paused. “Man’s stewardship has become a burden to this world. An infection of festering hate and intolerance built upon religious beliefs perverted by generation after generation.”

“What the hell are you talking about? You sound insane.”

“Call it clarity of mind. This realm needs a new authority. A new governance. Join us, and we could rule the world ourselves and set things right again. Bring peace and stability.
We
could be gods again!” He had the same feral look in his eyes, dangerous and unhinged, that Gabe noticed last night.

“Out of my way.”

“Not going to happen.”

Gabe knew he wouldn’t stand aside.
I’ve beat him before.
He dropped his bag and charged Yuri. As the distance closed between them, a splinter of doubt entered his mind. Yuri simply smiled and stood his ground.

In the instant Gabe reached him, with his fist clenched and swinging, Yuri bowed his head, narrowed his eyes, and held out his hand, as if gesturing to halt.

A bluish-white light illuminated from Yuri’s hand. The image of Micah lying in the snow flashed in Gabe’s mind. He realized his mistake and hesitated, tripping forward, unable to stop his momentum.

Yuri opened his eyes wide.

His outstretched hand caught Gabe in the chest, and then something else happened that took him by surprise: a muffled blast of heated, glowing energy expanded outward, lighting the river and forest around the bridge like a fireworks display. Both boys flew apart like two supercharged magnets of opposite polarity.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Gabe tried to focus, disoriented by the spots in his eyes. He couldn’t hear a thing through the ringing in his ears. Debris from the explosion—branches, leaves, and dirt, some of it smoldering in the air—fell from the sky like rain.

The ringing faded into the noises of the forest. A tree nearby cracked and toppled over. He rolled out of the way just in time as it crashed down. Gabe’s arm wrenched with pain shooting through his forearm and shoulder.