The Gabrielle Series Boxed Set

by Zachary Chopchinski

  “I regret that we have gone past pleasantries. I must inform you, my dear, you will accompany me and my guard back to the castle. It is what is best for you and your—” Gabrielle couldn’t hear the rest of the sentence because Fionn let out a terrifying battle cry and charged at the officer. He grabbed the officer by the throat, raising him off the ground and into the air.

  The crowd, as if being switched on, followed suit and attacked the line of guards. Gabrielle’s eyes swelled as she saw the soldiers go for their swords and the group charged with axes, wooden sticks, fists, and anything else they could carry. She must have lost control of her legs, because before she knew it; she was on them, pounding the earth with each stomp as she followed the charge to fight.

  William let out a cry of shock, but Gabrielle was already too far away to hear what he said. In no time at all, she’d halved the distance between her and the impromptu battle.

  The fighting crowd was ravenous, and she could scarcely tell the difference between the guards and the villagers. She looked for Fionn and Heather, only to find that they’d been engulfed by the sea of hands and feet.

  As though they were two rivers meeting at a pond, the bodies of the two groups flowed together and became one. Gabrielle stopped running to stop and gape at the spectacle before her.

  She couldn’t make out individual people as the brawl intensified. A large ball of swinging arms and kicking feet stood before her. Voices screamed out in pain, and crimson blood poured from all angles as the people tore at their opponents.

  A heavy object smacked into Gabrielle’s back and before she could react, she was on the ground. William landed on the ground next to her with a loud thud and he grabbed hold of her, holding on to her for dear life. With her face pressed into the earth, she felt a sharp pain burst from the back of her head.

  As darkness poured over her, she could hear the fighting grow farther and farther away; the smell of grass, fresh earth, and sweat filled her senses. A fleeting flash of white lights drew her attention.

  Figures covered by shadow hurtled above her. Gabrielle looked up at the fading afternoon sky, and a pair of lavender eyes looked back at her. Then there was darkness.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The next thing she heard was an odd mixture of sounds and voices. Everything was black, and her other senses were numb, but she could hear several angry voices as they argued amongst one another.

  “… insane! What came over you?” a girl’s voice yelled out of the darkness.

  “They will never… not while I breathe… will not….” a deep voiced responded, yet faded. “And you!... asked one thing… how could she…”

  “… quicker than she appears…”

  As time went on, she recognized the people that spoke over her. Heather, Fionn, and William. Gabrielle cracked one eye and gave a quick glance around the room before screwing her eyes closed again.

  Dim light stabbed at her eyes and sent a shooting pain down her neck. She’d hit her head harder than she thought because the shooting pain seemed to awaken her senses, and she was overcome with a throbbing in her head. The pounding was so intense that she let out an unintentional low, stressed groan.

  “Gabrielle! Are you awake? Are you okay?” A panicked Heather rushed to her side in response. Gabrielle felt soft hands grasp at her face and rub her cheeks in a soothing motion. She did her best to nod her head ever so slightly but kept her eyes shut to avoid the sting of pain she felt before.

  After a few moments, she felt the calming presence of a wet cloth on her forehead. She winced as the cloth touched the upper corner of her right eye and sent a darting pain across her face.

  “Just relax, my little fighter. You took quite a spill out there. Just lie here for a moment and take a deep breath.” Fionn’s voice soothed from beyond the dark as he held her wrist and rubbed her forearms.

  Gabrielle felt him push her bracelet out of the way as he took her hand. “You’re lucky that she’s waking up, William. Any longer in her slumber, and you would have joined her…”

  “I’m so sorry, Fionn. She was too fast for me to catch. She takes after her kin, dear friend,” William pleaded, sounding concerned and guilty for causing Gabrielle to be put in danger.

  The cold cloth over her head seemed to help the pain subside, and she decided that she wanted to try, once again, to open her eyes. Gabrielle cracked her eyes and let the light flow into the darkness. She was lying on her back, looking at a twig-and-grass ceiling.

  She was back in the cabin. The light coming through the window was fading into sunset, and a cold chill was flowing through the glassless windows, bringing a shiver to her sore muscles. Heather, Fionn, and William were all standing around her, looks of concern plastered on their faces.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Heather was the first person Gabrielle saw; she was standing over her, peering down with a look of relief. Gabrielle then found her gaze fell to Fionn.

  His face was dirty with a smear of blood on his hairline. Other than the mild blemishes, Fionn looked to be in good health. William was not as dirty as Fionn, in fact, he looked like his pride was hurt far more than his body. The group sat in silence for a few moments before Gabrielle blurted out a barrage of questions.

  “What happened? Who were those people? Why did they want Heather?” She couldn’t prevent the regurgitation of words from spilling out of her mouth, and her head spun.

  Heather tried to comfort her as she placed her hands on Gabrielle’s shoulders to prevent her from sitting up. Heather glanced at Fionn, who sighed and sat on the edge of her bed next to her feet. Fionn placed a loving hand on Gabrielle’s calf, as a father might do to his child to comfort them.

  “Well now, little one, a knock on the head has done little to slow you, hasn't it? Perhaps those are questions for another time,” Fionn cooed, looking at Heather, who nodded in agreement. William walked to the center of the room and tended to the fire that warmed the inside of the hut.

  “Please tell me,” pleaded Gabrielle, reaching up a shaky hand to grab Heather’s arm. Her bracelet had bits of debris ground into the delicate grooves, and it was much dirtier than she’d left it hours ago before she was lost to the darkness. Fionn looked at Heather, asking her a silent question. Heather looked from one to the other and nodded in acknowledgment.

  “These are tales for ears much older than yours, my dear…” began Fionn, his brow knitting together. “Yet this world is much colder than it ever should be, and you are already being exposed to these sorts of things. The horrors we saw today can break the spirit of any man, let alone a young, innocent child like yourself.” Fionn paused and shook his head.

  Gabrielle reached out a hand to Fionn but dropped it to the bed before she could touch him. Who was she to comfort this strong man? He placed his large hand over Gabrielle’s and squeezed in reassurance, producing a forced smile.

  “Those men you saw today, they were from the castle. The English rule over our land has ceased to be enough. Now, they take great enjoyment in helping themselves to anything they desire.” Fionn paused and looked deep into her eyes, flecks of gold glinted in the dim firelight. A single tear welled in the corner of one of his eyes, blurring their beauty, and he turned to lock eyes with Heather.

  “At times,” Fionn started again, choosing his words with caution, “Lords of different countries have taken young women from the villages back to their castles.” At this, Fionn dropped his eyes to the ground, unable to look at either girl, with the implications of his statement.

  “What they do with them is not a conversation for someone so sweet and young, but they are never heard from again. The last lass who was taken was found not a stone’s throw from this cabin at the edge of the woods.” Fionn pointed out the window off to the horizon where the girls had been running and playing only hours before.

  “It was this same man that decided he wanted your sister.” Fionn paused, and a chill ripped through Gabrielle’s spine.

  “So, the man today, that
wasn’t him was it? That wasn’t the man from the castle, the one that wants Heather, was it?” Gabrielle asked as Heather helped her sit up and brushed her hair from her face.

  “No, my dear. That snake of a man was the captain of the guard. He does all his Lord’s dirty work. It was him, in fact, that picked your sister,” Fionn spat, unable to hide his disgust for the man. He reached over and rubbed the top of Heather’s hands as they lay on Gabrielle’s lap.

  William was sitting on the floor, looking up to the three of them as though he were listening to a ghost story around a campfire.

  “What happened in the fight? Was anybody hurt? Will they come back for Heather?” Gabrielle could feel the panic bubble up her throat, and she felt like she had to move, to do something, anything. The group exchanged glances as if deciding whether to answer her questions.

  “That’s not something you need to worry about,” began Heather, running her hand across the top of Gabrielle’s hair. Gabrielle looked from Heather to Fionn and then to William who still sat on the floor staring at his feet. She brought her gaze back to Fionn and, with a nervous half smile, silently demanded that he tell her the answers.

  “That man will not bother us, nor any other young lady in this village, if I have anything to do with it.” He looked at his hands and the edges of his mouth slouched in a frown. He seemed ashamed like he was trying to convince himself of what he’d just said. “You are lucky that you were not injured,” he continued as he shook his head and brought his eyes up to meet Gabrielle’s.

  “William laid atop you after you fell and protected you from the feet of those in combat. As for the rest of the lot, the clans put up quite a fray. The only things hurt were the prides of the guards as they ran back to the castle like children run from a lashing,” Fionn puffed out his chest again, his confidence reinstated.

  “We showed them we will not be belittled or treated poorly in our land by anyone!” Fionn thrust his fist into the air in excitement. William stood to support this, and the two punched their fists through imaginary soldiers and flexed their muscles. Gabrielle looked at Heather who seemed as though she was comforted by this scene, but she could see in her eyes she was just as scared as Gabrielle was.

  “I think I’ll be off, Fionn.” William chuckled as he came down from the high of their pretend battle. “Now that she’s up, I must head home, for I’m sure my brother must wonder what became of me.” Fionn diverted from his patriotic and worrisome monologue and looked at William. He patted William on his shoulder, making the smaller man flinch under the weight of his hands.

  “Thank you for watching over Gabrielle today, my friend. I knew if you had to, you would have protected her until the end.” Fionn gave a curt yet appreciative nod to his friend.

  “I’m truly sorry for tackling you, Gabrielle. I meant only to protect you.” William glanced at Gabrielle only to drop his gaze to the ground. She leaned forward and held out her arms, offering him a hug in forgiveness.

  He threw his arms around her, making her wince as he pressed on her shoulders, an injury she didn’t realize she’d gotten. Once William released her, he nodded in farewell to the group and exited the hut into the night.

  The three of them sat alone in silence, unsure of what to do or say. As her muscles relaxed, Gabrielle noticed how exhausted she was. The fire crackled in the center of the room as the weight of her eyelids grew too great for her to resist. She laid back on her bed and allowed the darkness to envelop her once again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  It felt like Gabrielle had just closed her eyes when she threw them open in a panic and sat straight up in her bed.

  The fire that once warmed the hut in the center of the room was now barely visible, and the sky outside was bathed in bright moonlight. She looked around the dim room while rubbing her head and wondered what had caused her to awaken violently.

  She was still in the cabin. For a moment, she thought that by falling asleep, she would wake in her father’s study. Even with the events that had taken place - her feeling pain, excitement, and exhaustion - she still felt as though this had been merely a vivid dream.

  She began to wonder, yet again, if her mother and father were part of a dream and if all of this were her real life. A sudden sharp sound forced her from her thoughts.

  CLICK.

  Gabrielle looked down at the silver bracelet that sat warmly on her wrist. She had figured out that the sound was coming from it, but what she couldn't figure out was why or how the bangle made the sound.

  It was as if the click warned her of danger and so the sound elicited a deep fear within the pit of Gabrielle’s stomach.

  She cautiously began to bring it up to her ear to listen for another click, when from the darkness, beyond the window, she heard a paralyzing scream.

  Gabrielle shot her eyes to the window, frozen with fear. Suddenly, the screams were accompanied by more yells and shouts; it sounded like the whole village was outside her window, screaming.

  A commotion was running rampant out in the village; off in the distance, a series of thuds sounded as if very hard rain were hitting the ground. The sounds grew louder and louder until she realized that it wasn’t rain but the thundering of horses’ hooves.

  Gabrielle broke her terrified glance away from the window and without being aware of her movements; she was on her feet to find Fionn and Heather. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest and blurred her vision as she looked for something that could be used as a weapon.

  Her head began to spin as she twirled in place, looking around the room, lost and not knowing what to do. The disturbance grew louder and more daunting outside as Gabrielle frantically looked for a sign of what she should do.

  CLICK.

  She heard the sound again.

  It’s only a dream. It’s only a dream. Another yell, this one frighteningly closer than the previous ones.

  No place to hide.

  No place to run.

  CLICK.

  Before she even had time to think, she acted. She ran around the hut in a panic searching for anything to help her situation, throwing things aside in search of something, anything to help her get out of this.

  CLICK.

  A loud crash from outside.

  No weapons.

  RUN.

  Foregoing anything she was looking for, she forced herself to move across the room and was hell-bent on heading through the front doorway and finding a place to hide.

  As soon as Gabrielle began to push through the door, she was halted by something in the way. There was a loud thud when Gabrielle fell backward, hitting the ground with enough force to push a muffled “uhh” out of her throat, as a person made their way through the door and loomed over her.

  Her panic turned to relief when she saw Heather standing above her. As she was pulled to her feet, the smile vacated Gabrielle’s fair-skinned face when she saw the expression of sheer terror contorting Heather’s features.

  “We have to leave, now!” commanded Heather as she shot a fearful glance over her shoulder as someone screamed outside the cabin. “They have come back.” Heather’s voice became tight, and her words poured out faster and faster as she began to panic.

  “This time with many more soldiers to enact revenge for the attack. There are so many of them—we can’t stay here.” Heather’s sentences were slurring together, and Gabrielle had to pay attention to identify the end of one and the beginning of the next.

  CLICK.

  Gabrielle paused, trying to figure out if Heather heard the sound too. With no sign of acknowledgment, she brought her attention back to the situation.

  “Where’s Fionn?” Gabrielle asked, hoping that he may be able to keep them safe.

  “He sent me back to claim you. He stayed to help the villagers fend off the attack. It’s not going well.”

  No sooner had Heather finished her sentence than the two girls heard footsteps outside of the cabin. The girls exchanged glances as the room fell into a dead silence.

/>   CLICK.

  They looked around the cabin for a plan of action. Heather forced Gabrielle behind her so that she was positioned between her and the doorway. As she did this, she also grabbed the handle of a pan that sat on a small table next to the door and held it up like a bat.

  The girls backed away from the doorway as the flap was cast aside and Samuel entered the cabin. Despite seeing Samuel’s face, Gabrielle felt a wave of relief wash over her, as it was not one of the guards.

  Heather lowered the pan; however, she remained prepared to strike if needed.

  “Samuel! What are you doing here? Can’t you see there’s a war going on outside? Why aren’t you helping the others?” Heather’s questions were met with silence.

  “Samuel! We are being attacked.” Heather sounded irritated with Samuel as she commanded answers from him.

  Gabrielle remained hidden behind Heather because she could see that something wasn’t right with his demeanor. As the fire crackled behind them, Gabrielle found herself peering into the crazed eyes of Samuel.

  Light from the fire gave them an eerie crimson glow. His neck was still blue from his defeat, and his left eye was nearly swollen closed. Gabrielle’s veins turned to ice as Samuel’s gaze found her. Are his eyes red or is that the reflection of the fire?

  Samuel charged forward at the girls. Heather let out a scream as the two tried to back away from the crazed man.

  She brought the pan upward to defend the two of them, only to find that Samuel was faster.

  Too fast.

  He grasped the pan with his left hand, and with his right, he struck her so intensely that the impact echoed within the walls of the small cabin.

  As Heather dropped to the ground, Samuel cast the pan aside and let out a growl. His jaw seemed to unhinge, and needle-like teeth peered out from behind his cracked and bloody lips.