‘I’m sorry to disappoint you, sir. But like I said to the others, I think you must have me confused with someone else. There’s no way I can be your grandson. All of my grandparents died before I was even born.’
‘Now whilst that may be true of your adoptive human family, I promise you, my boy, you have at least one true biological grandparent left. For the time being at least,’ the old man chuckled to himself, ‘I have no plans to leave this plane of existence just yet.’
Gabriel’s mind was swimming with thoughts. Adopted? No, it couldn’t possibly be the case. He loved his parents, as they had loved him. Adopted... If that really was the case, why had they never told him? There was another thing that troubled him: why did this man refer to them as human – wasn’t he human as well? What else could he be? Surely not an alien... although, Gabriel thought, there is something distinctly unusual about this man’s appearance...
‘I can see that you have several questions that you wish to ask. However, I’m guessing that you are not sure as to what to enquire about first,’ the man interrupted Gabriel’s barrage of thoughts. ‘Perhaps we should first begin with introductions. I am Omari, Head Elder within Sanctuary.’
‘Erm... nice to meet you,’ Gabriel said.
‘Now, where shall I begin? You know, Gabriel, I’ve been planning what I’d like to say to you for so long, but now that you’re actually here, I’m afraid I’ve gone all to pot!’ Omari chuckled again. ‘Hmm... where to start... how about this: tell me, Gabriel, what do you know about the Theory of Evolution?’
‘Huh...? I’m not- what does that have to do with anything?’ Gabriel uttered, entirely confused.
‘Just humour me, if you will. All will be revealed in due course,’ Omari said calmly.
‘Er... OK... the Theory of Evolution. Well it’s about survival of the fittest, man evolving from monkeys or apes, that kind of thing, right?’
‘Putting it in its most basic terms, yes it is. Now why is that?’
‘Why is what?’
‘Why did man evolve from apes?’
‘Well apes are smart aren’t they? Didn’t they just get smarter and turn into us?’
‘Not us, Gabriel. Them,’ Omari continued, ‘But yes to put it simply, apes’ intelligence increased as a part of the process of natural selection and eventually they developed into modern day humans. However, what if other species did the same?’
Gabriel said, ‘I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at.’
‘Let me put it another way. In your interpretation of evolution, why did apes evolve into man? There are many different intelligent animal species. Why didn’t, for example, dogs evolve into man?’
‘You mean like werewolves? But that’s man turning into wolves, not the other way around.’
‘Is it really? OK, well let’s consider this: groups of apes, dogs and parrots live in the same environment facing similar circumstances. You observe them over the course of hundreds of thousands of years. In evolutionary terms, what do you think happens to each of them?’ Omari quizzed, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Gabriel considered the question for a moment, ‘Well I’d guess the apes evolved into primitive man, whilst the parrots and dogs stayed pretty much the same.’
‘Why do you believe that? They each faced the same circumstances and lived in the same environment.’
‘Because the ape is smarter...? Isn’t that what happened anyway?’
‘To a degree. So do you believe that intelligence is the major factor in evolutionary development?’
‘I guess so.’
‘But what about dogs, bears, parrots, dolphins and octopuses for example? Humans acknowledge that each of these species also carries a high level of intelligence. Why could each of these species not evolve into a more intelligent form of life equivalent to that of humans?’
Gabriel propped himself up on his elbow with discomfort. This discussion was getting a little too scientific and philosophical, albeit far-fetched, for his liking. He said, with a heavy hint of sarcasm in his voice, ‘So you’re telling me there’s a bunch of dog-men, bear-men, bird-men and fish-men running around?’
Omari lent back and shifted on his stool slightly, stroking his chin. ‘You find that difficult to believe?’ he said.
‘Just a tad,’ Gabriel replied.
‘You were awake when young master Sattan was in the room, were you not?’ Omari said with a glint in his bright amber eyes.
‘The goat-boy?’
‘Well his race prefers the term satyr. Or faun. Regardless, how do you explain his appearance – does he look at all like an ape?’
Gabriel didn’t know what to say.
Without waiting for an answer, Omari added, ‘Do I?’ He shrugged his shoulders, thrust his chest forward and two gigantic tawny brown wings burst forth from under his robes.
Gabriel’s jaw dropped.
Omari, still perched on his stool, stretched out his wings to their full wingspan of nearly twenty feet. The feathers rustled and he gave three great flaps of his wings that whipped up such a strong gust of air that Gabriel had to fight to keep the bed sheets from blowing off. The wings were a little frayed in places and several feathers were missing, yet it was nevertheless a truly awesome spectacle to behold.
‘You see Gabriel,’ Omari continued, folding his wings back under his robes, ‘the human race has been aware of evolution for less than two centuries. And even now, despite the work of a few notable scientists, humans do not still fully comprehend the true extent of it. In contrast, we have known the truth for much, much longer. You’ve already met with a satyr and mentioned werewolves. In terms of human understanding, these are merely creatures of myth.’
‘But if they exist, how come there’s never been any proof of them? There’s no fossil records!’
‘Well fossilisation is not a foregone conclusion. It only happens in the rarest of conditions. The percentage of fossils that exist compared to the sheer number of creatures that have ever roamed the planet is unfathomably small. Consider it in this way: there are over six billion humans alive today, can you imagine what it would be like millions of years into the future if every human skeleton from now until then fossilised?’ Omari paused as if to allow Gabriel to process the thought.
A rather grotesque vision of people wandering around waist-deep in fossilised bones flashed through Gabriel’s mind. ‘But if these creatures exist, then surely people must have seen them before!’
‘Of course they have! That’s where the countless eye-witness accounts of Bigfoot, mermaids, werewolves, vampires and the like come from!’
‘But those are always just from some attention-seeking fraud with a video camera, getting his mate to dress up in a fur-coat or sequinned dress or something – everyone knows that!’
‘They do, do they?’ Omari quizzed. ‘So how do you explain the fact that similar eye-witness accounts have been occurring for thousands of years?’
‘They... have?’ Gabriel asked.
‘Of course!’ Omari chortled. ‘How else do you explain myths and legends? Myths and legends, simply put, are age-old accounts of creatures which do not fall under the human understanding of what is considered “natural,” so are deemed unnatural or supernatural. Unfortunately for humans, they tend to demand proof of something before they believe it exists. But what they refuse to accept, is the fact that these stories of so-called “mythological creatures” is the very proof they seek! People have occasionally seen us. But because we do not fit in with what the majority of the human populace considers “normal” these eye-witnesses are written off as lunatics, liars or just very good story-tellers. You, yourself, have had some experience of just such treatment I believe.’
‘You mean the fairy? She really was a fairy then? It wasn’t just me seeing things?’
‘The being you speak of is indeed as real as you or I. Although I advise that it would be best not to refer to him as a female when you meet him. He can be a little bit sensitive
over such matters. Anyway, once you’re feeling up to it and begin to explore Sanctuary you will discover the full extent of evolution’s capabilities. You will also learn more of it in your schooling. Now on the matter of your parentage and birth right...’
This was a lot for Gabriel to take on board. Not only were creatures of fantasy and myth actually walking the Earth, but the people that had raised him, Omari explained, the people Gabriel had thought of as his parents had never actually birthed him. Gabriel’s biological mother was in fact a woman by the name of Chione Tenderfoot. She had descended from the evolutionary line of the big cats, specifically Leo, or lions. His father, Omari’s son, was a man named Tarik Highwing (Omari had relinquished his family name when he became an Elder, as was customary). Like Omari, Tarik had descended from the great birds of prey. However, whereas Omari had traits similar to that of owls, Tarik had followed his mother’s ancestry, the Accipitridae, or eagles. And this was generally the case: when parents were from different evolutionary lines, their offspring would usually take on the traits of either the mother or father. Rather unusually, in Gabriel’s case he had taken on the traits of both his mother and father, granting him with traits similar to those of the Gryphon, a half-lion, half-eagle being that had gone extinct thousands of years ago.
Upon learning of the alleged revival of the ancient Gryphon bloodline, one individual became determined to send it back into extinction. Already responsible for countless attacks on Sanctuary, the creature known as Kalladon intensified the frequency and severity of his raids. Fearing for their son’s life, Tarik and Chione fled. Unfortunately, Kalladon had been lying in wait for them. From here, Omari admitted, his knowledge of the events that followed grew sketchy and it was only through many years of investigation and eye-witness accounts that he was able to ascertain the fate of his grandson. Tarik and Chione had fought valiantly, however the odds were stacked against them. Tarik had fallen in battle, but not before ordering his wife to flee with their son. His mother, mortally wounded also, had escaped their attackers but eventually collapsed outside of a human hospital. She had been found by one of the resident doctors, a man by the name of Warner.
Despite all of the hospital’s best efforts the woman had succumbed to her injuries. But before she did, she had uttered just two words, ‘Hide him.’ Warner immediately contacted the local adoption agency. He informed the manageress of the agency, a Mrs Hanson, of the stricken state he had found the child’s mother in. The two of them decided that it would be best for the child’s own safety to never discover the truth about his origins. They feared that if Gabriel began researching into his past and his mother’s murderer discovered this, then he or she may well have hunted down Gabriel too. A stipulation would therefore be put in place on the boy’s adoption: whoever raised him must do so as their own flesh and blood and never allow him to think otherwise. It was shortly after this that Doctor Warner had learnt about the struggles of one of the head nurses in the hospital in starting a family with her husband. Although he had not known the nurse personally, he knew enough about her to deem that she would be the ideal person to raise the child and to protect his identity.
Upon finally discovering Gabriel’s whereabouts, Omari was devastated to learn that his grandson’s wings had been amputated, but overjoyed by the fact that he was still alive and well. Concerned that persistent monitoring of the boy would reveal his location to the enemy, Omari decided upon a passive approach, opting instead for agents to merely check in on him from time to time, ensuring his safety and seclusion. It was a heart-wrenching decision to make, but Omari had decided that it was in Gabriel’s best interests for him to never learn of his true birth right. Of course, all that changed after the events of July fourteenth.
It was at this point that Gabriel and Omari were interrupted by a forceful knock at the door. A heavily built man with broad shoulders and large chest filled the doorway. He held his hands behind his back and looked very stern. The man had a thick-set jaw line, bulging, snout-like nose and small, deep-set eyes. Gabriel thought he looked very much like a wild pig or warthog. His overly large tusk-like teeth jutting from his bottom jaw only emphasised this impression further. The figure was clad in olive-green robes that had been cut off raggedly at the shoulder. The robes were then tied with thick rope at the waist and strapped down heavily with leathery cords to his muscular legs, clearly to improve manoeuvrability. All-in-all the man had a very distinctive and imposing military air about him.
‘Omari-sir, we have a situation,’ the man punched out in a gruff, staccato voice.
Omari’s entire demeanour changed. No longer was he a friendly grandfather with a wry, playful smirk. Now, he too was suddenly business-like and serious. ‘I understand,’ he said as he stood and marched out. ‘Styne, I need you to protect my grandson. Guard the door. Let nothing or nobody in without my say-so. Do you understand?’
‘Indeed. But I must say that I will be wasted down here. I can be much more use in-’
‘That is an order, Styne!’ Omari commanded, as he spun back to face him, with frightening conviction in his voice. ‘Stand guard over him. Do you understand?’
Styne bowed his head, ‘Yes of course, Omari-sir.’
‘Good,’ Omari turned back to his grandson, ‘I’m sorry about this, Gabriel. There’s a slight issue I need to attend to. I will be back shortly, I promise. In the meantime, try to get some rest, you’ve gone through a great deal in a very short space of time, and had a lot of bewildering information presented to you. Try to sleep, let the medicines work their magic, so to speak, and when you wake again everything will seem much clearer. So long for now, my boy.’
Omari turned and strode off quickly. Styne looked at Gabriel, his eyes narrowed an almost undetectable fraction, and then he grasped the door and slammed it shut with a loud, echoing bang.
Gabriel lay back and stared at the uneven, rocky ceiling for a long time, his mind trying to process everything that had been discussed. He knew he had been right all along – fairies were real! And apparently so too were satyrs, werewolves, vampires, mermaids and goodness knows what else. And he, regular old Gabriel Millar, was a half-lion, half-eagle concoction. His parents weren’t really his parents...
It all came flooding back once again.
His friends. Gone.
His parents. Gone.
Everyone and everything he ever knew. Gone.
He still hoped that everything that had happened since he woke up on the morning of the Fête was all just part of some horrible dream, but knew deep down it was not. He rolled over onto his side, his back to the door, hiding his face from anyone who might come in and quietly cried himself to sleep.
CHAPTER FIVE
SANCTUARY
Gabriel awoke with a start to face a boy, roughly his own age, sitting across the room from him. He was perched on the same stool that Omari had been sitting on and was leaning against the wall. The boy had a narrow, slender face topped with a mop of spiky, auburn hair. His big ears and button nose, gave off a somewhat comical impression, but in contrast, his large, yellowy-green eyes held a deep conviction and focus.
‘Hi,’ the boy spoke in a fashion that reminded Gabriel of the friendly yapping of a small dog. ‘I’m Seth.’
‘Hi,’ he replied with some caution, ‘what happened to that big guy... Styne? Wasn’t he supposed to be guarding the door?’
The boy rocked forwards on his stool and hopped off, revealing - to Gabriel’s utter astonishment - a large bristly tail the same colour as his hair, protruding from the back of his trousers. The tail wagged merrily back and forth, reminding Gabriel of that of a squirrel or fox, only much larger.
‘Well, you see,’ the boy said, ‘there’s something you need to know about him.’
The boy didn’t seem dangerous, but still nobody was supposedly allowed in here, and that massive hog-man, Styne, didn’t seem the type to be easily subdued or overcome. ‘Oh, really? And what’s that?’ Gabriel asked, still on edge.
; ‘That he’s the most miserable guy on the face of the planet!’
Gabriel relaxed, ‘He did seem a little uptight.’
‘Oh, you don’t know the half of it! If he was any more rigid, people would confuse him for being a tree. And I mean an actual tree, not one of the Sylvans!’ Seth laughed out loud at this, but noticing Gabriel was not doing the same, quickly regained his composure. ‘Oh right... yeah, you probably have no idea what a Sylvan is. Well it’s like a tree except it can get up, move around, talk- uh, on second thought, never mind.’
‘Talking trees?’ Gabriel said sceptically.
‘Yeah. I can imagine how weird that must sound,’ Seth said, tilting his head and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. ‘So anyway I was walking by on my way home from school, kind of hoping to get a peek in, when Styne collared me. He said he had more important things to be getting on with and practically threw me in here and ordered me to guard you instead.’
‘Why were you hoping to peek in on me?’
‘Are you kidding? You’re big news! Everyone wants to come by just to get a look at you! Hybrids are rare enough as it is, on the few times one has been born that I can remember it’s all anyone can talk about. But you mark the revival of the Gryphon! And not only that – as far as everyone is concerned, it’s like you’ve come back from the dead!’
‘Seth Brushtail of Vulpes! Gabriel has just been through an incredibly traumatic ordeal. The last thing he needs right now is you to be putting such pressures on him!’ the mystery girl with the glossy black hair glided back into the room. Even from this distance her feline-esque, green eyes were captivating. Her svelte figure suggested a keen athletic prowess. With feline grace, the girl approached the bed and gently perched herself at the far end of it. She looked at him with the same intense, soul-searching gaze as before. Gabriel felt his cheeks flush.
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