Sweat rolled across her brow and she rubbed her sweat-drenched hands across her bracelet. The adrenaline pumped through her veins, a drug being fed right into her brain as all her senses stood on edge.
Gabrielle squeezed her eyes shut, feeling her pulse pound through her whole body, and in that moment, she heard the most horrifying sound.
CLICK.
Her eyes shot open as she saw a faint light creep its way up the staircase. Gabrielle turned and ran down the hallway. Before she made it very far she paused, slid off her obnoxiously loud slippers and tucked them away in a potted jonquil that sat on a small round table. Gabrielle put one hand on the small hunk of polished wood to steady her as she stood.
The uneven legs of the table caused it to tilt and she smacked into the door to her right. The door gave a groan of disapproval and then pushed in, causing Gabrielle to fall into unknown darkness.
Deciding that this was as good a hiding spot as any, she closed the door behind her. Pain radiated from her knee and elbow from the impact with the unforgiving floor. Panting and leaning with one ear pressed against the rough wood of the door, Gabrielle forced her lips shut and tried to listen for any sign of life.
Moving one shaky foot away from the doorway, Gabrielle screwed her eyes shut in anticipation of the inevitable creak that was to come. Hearing only the pounding of her own heart, she cracked one eye open.
With gritted teeth and hissed breath, she rubbed the cracked and bleeding skin. Allowing her butt to rest on the cold ground, Gabrielle brought her frustration back to its rightful spot; herself.
She was safe now, but what about when she left to head back to her chamber? Would that person be waiting right outside the door or down the stairs?
She reached for her bangle in the dark, another wave of relief filling her as she felt its cold metal against her fingers. On more occasions than one, Gabrielle had considered tossing the wretched accessory into a stream, or hurling it at the sky as hard as she could. It had brought her nothing but sadness since she agreed to begin this journey, but then she'd think back to Fionn, Heather, Morrigan, and Alexandra.
She thought of how even though their meetings were brief, her love for them was strong. Her mind always found its way back to her mother, who now thought her dead. This was all so that she could help the lost souls that needed her.
A singe on Gabrielle’s wrist brought her back from her thoughts. The bangle had grown hot again. “What now?” She huffed to herself.
Arawn had called her Sentient, and the ones who lived in this world Lamented. At least that was a clue, but what did it all mean? Gabrielle paced as she tried to work through the pile of questions weighing on her shoulders.
The only lighting in the room was from the moonlit sky through a massive window on the opposite side of the room. Gabrielle’s eyes had begun to adjust to the dark and she could see how immaculate it was. Beautiful, even in the dark.
She took a few steps and fixed her gaze out of the window. The moon glowed an azure blue hue and the stars twinkled in the clear night sky. Without the excess light and bustle of people, it was as though nature had decided to come out from its shell. A smile crept across Gabrielle’s face.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“W-who are you?” the airy breath of a whisper tickled Gabrielle’s ear. She froze in her place and the air vacated her body.
No, I was alone.
“Hello…?” Gabrielle stammered but she was met with only silence. Maybe she'd been hearing things. After a few relief-filled moments, a small, yet confident voice broke through the silence.
“You aren't supposed to be here. I should be alone.”
Gabrielle turned and faced the voice that was questioning her. All the frustration she'd felt in the past few weeks boiled over, and she was ready for the repercussions of her choice to wander.
“I couldn't sleep and needed a walk.” Confidence filled her voice as she took a step towards the shadowed woman.
“A walk? Here? Do you know the trouble that can find you for being on this level?” The words cut Gabrielle to the core, but she could sense sadness in their shakiness.
“I had nowhere else to go. I did not wish to go outside. I am sorry for entering your chambers, but I…” Gabrielle trailed away. What else could she say?
The woman in the shadows leaned forward, allowing the moonlight to display her face.
The woman that sat in a chair bathed in moonlight looked strikingly like Marie Antoinette. No, more than similar…the same. The porcelain skin with soft hair and tender gaze granted her distinction.
Her beauty and grace was hard to miss, even in this light. The tightly packed powder on the woman’s porcelain skin was marred by her tears dripping to the tip of her chin where a single tear still clung for its life.
Gabrielle stood in silence looking at the glassy eyes and reddened cheeks, then let out a sigh of understanding.
“Pardon me, mistress, I mean not to pry but may I ask why you are crying?”
A moment of depressed pause consumed the stranger’s face at Gabrielle’s inquiry. She thought little of it in the moment, but she'd done something that the Queen had never experienced.
Though her eyes and face were swollen by heavy tears, a look of perplexity covered the Queen’s face that begged Gabrielle to continue.
“Mistress,” Gabrielle pressed, pushing aside her fears of retribution. “Why are you crying? Has something happened?”
Lady Antoinette shifted in her chair in a frustrated fidget and brought her gaze from Gabrielle to the window into the faded light. A crooked smile erupted across the Lady’s face as she looked away from Gabrielle.
“You know what amuses me? What fills my thoughts when the chilled air fills my lungs and my eyes can no longer hold open? When silence envelopes all and mass slumber takes hold of all creation? The stubborn resilience that forces life to continue. The will to be, no matter what the consequences or the standing of the world, when something tells life to breathe and it does so despite everything.”
Gabrielle opened her mouth but nothing came out so she stood in the dark, waiting for her companion to continue.
“My country, my people, are sick. Yet it is not a disease that I can pray away. It's a sickness within the heart. A sickness that I fear we have started. Decadence and arrogance. Ignorance with incompetence.” She paused and turned her gaze back to Gabrielle as if she was expecting a response.
“Yes…” a cautious whisper hung light in the air.
“Oh, so you are aware that they all hate me, are you? My people grow putrid with hatred and you stand here, in my chambers, and agree? Are you one of those that damn me for my ignorance?” Lady Antoinette leaned so far towards Gabrielle that she feared the Queen would fall to the floor.
Gabrielle stood in silence for a moment, embarrassed, feeling like a child being scorned by her parents.
With a sigh of frustrated defeat, Lady Antoinette leaned back in her chair and turned her eyes back to the window, shaking her head in a slow defeated nod.
“Why should you not hate me? Hate us? We live in lavish vanity, while our people struggle below. None will heed my calls for support, or my pleas of forgiveness.” With this the weeping Queen brought her eyes down to her hands where she fidgeted with her dress.
“I am a monster atop a pillion, destined to be a savage. Life seems to be crashing all around us. I can smell the burning disdain in the air. It's sickening. Surely, in these hours, isn’t it serendipitous that someone should decide that life begin? Now, after an eternity, life has decided to thrive amongst the chaos.”
Gabrielle watched as her countries Queen purged herself of sadness and regret.
“I don’t hate you,” she began, finally finding a break in the words to put in her own.
“The people are angry. Divided and angry. It's not that you, specifically, are hated. I think the people are just sad. Their hearts hurt for their own lives and they want to blame someone.”
“What do you mean
by life is being created?” Gabrielle asked after the silence between them became too uncomfortable. A taut, tensile grin crept across the Queen’s face as she brought her hand to her stomach.
“Life has a curious way of granting you pleasure and pain simultaneously, something I have been experiencing much as of late. I know I should not be telling you any of this. I would prefer not sharing my secrets and woes with someone such as…yourself…” the Lady let her words drift into silence.
Gabrielle's face warmed and she was relieved that she was covered in shadow.
“I'm sorry that all this weighs on you, my Lady. If you do not wish to share these things with me, I have no intention of forcing you.” Gabrielle turned to leave, her bravado echoing in her head. Did that really come out of my mouth?
“No!” Marie Antoinette yelled, panic filling the air. “Please stay. I haven't another soul to confess to.” Her plea sounded heartfelt and legitimate and Gabrielle turned back to face the Lady. Gabrielle cursed her good nature as she knew she would stay.
“Only if the Lady wishes me to, will I stay. I do not mean to upset you any further.” Gabrielle tried to keep the resentment out of her voice.
“I am surrounded by smiles and blessings, yet I feel as though I'm a painting. People do not speak to royalty with anything but respect and poise. I feel as though I have not had a real interaction with another living soul since I took the throne.”
Gabrielle knew exactly how she felt. She walked over to a vanity and grabbed the stool that was tucked underneath. The smooth wood and soft velvet caressed her hands and helped compensate for how heavy it was.
“Please, go on your Highness.” Gabrielle urged.
“We have been trying for children for some time, Louis and I. He has a sickness. A painful sickness that makes these sorts of things, troublesome. For his honor, I will not delve into great specifics, but just know that his sickness coupled with ‘appetites’ has made this as much of a blessing as a curse.” Joy and despair battled on Marie Antoinette's face as she gently rubbed the satin fabric of her stomach.
“It would take the most blessed poets a lifetime to craft the words that could invoke the love that I have for this blessing. Yet, when compared to what is happening to my people and my country, both of which I also love with such an intensity, my heart breaks.”
Gabrielle heard the workers damn the royal family for their ignorance and blatant disregard for the people. As she sat, looking into the eyes of the woman that was the face of animosity, Gabrielle couldn't help but to pity her.
“What of the king?” Gabrielle was sure the man that loves this woman would be there for her. The smile that had adorned the Lady’s face faded away and was replaced with a look of disgust.
“He has his burdens, as I have mine. He is not in a place to appreciate the news as the miracle that it is.” She paused for a moment and gestured into the darkness of the room. “Therefore, I must resign myself to the guest quarters at night.”
The Queen brought her gaze back to Gabrielle, catching her eye. “It is very important that this not spoken of to anyone for any reason. This is not something to be taken lightly, the heir to a throne.”
“I would not dream of breaking your confidence. Your secret will be safe with me no matter the circumstance.” Gabrielle let a nervous smile crawl across her face.
“Your character is a true testament that there is still a guiding good in this world.”
Gabrielle’s cheeks warmed, but this time it was from the compliment given by a Queen. This was something right out of the fairytales of her bedtime stories. They spoke until the night had aged and their eyes grew heavy. No longer were the two stricken with sadness and heartache. They could breathe and feel moments of happiness, moments of true peace.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Finally, when a lull had fallen between them, Gabrielle let out a monstrous yawn.
“This has been an amazing night, but I feel that I must leave. The night grows late and I can hardly keep my eyes open.” Gabrielle said between stretches.
Lady Antoinette smiled, nodded in agreement and the two women stood and embraced as if they were old friends. With a wisp of movement from her night gown, Gabrielle disappeared through the door and closed it behind her. Reflecting on the conversation she had with the Queen, Gabrielle took a few steps before her body tightened and the hairs on her arms stood up.
She spun around and checked down the hallway to make sure she was alone. Finding no one, she turned and made her way to the staircase. As Gabrielle passed the potted jonquil plant, she reached behind it, pulled out her slippers and slid them back on her feet.
She stood at the top of the massive stairway, appreciating the view and soaking in what the royal family saw every day. The world fell away and she was left in a daze of euphoria. After a moment of silent reflection, Gabrielle made her way back down the stairs. Though she was not in any danger at this point, she couldn't afford to sit and wait for someone to come along and see her in this part of the palace.
Gabrielle made her way through the dining hall and managed to get to the kitchen doors without so much as a footstep heard.
The heavy doors opened easily and she found herself once-more within the kitchen. Gabrielle turned to make her way across the room when a sudden singe from her wrist caused her to let out a small squeak of pain. She grimaced as she stopped to rub her bracelet.
CLICK.
A chill replaced the searing pain as it flowed down her body. Though the bangle was still warm, it no longer burned as it had only moments before. The tears in her eyes cleared from her vision and she looked for the cause of her bracelets warning. Gabrielle rubbed her hand over the smooth silver waiting for something to happen.
“Secrets, secrets, secrets. Oh, what tangled webs we weave, indeed.” The faint whisper tickled Gabrielle’s ear from the shadows but she couldn't see the speaker. Her fists clenched as she turned in a circle to try and find where the voice was coming from.
“Now, haven't you been a busy little bee? Sentients are always so much more troublesome than the Lamented. Not worth your weight in life, really. I hope you've been enjoying your meddling,” Arawn hissed from somewhere within the shadows.
Gabrielle spun around, widening her eyes and trying to see in the dark. A cold breath danced across the back of her neck and she turned, bringing her hands up and stepping back. She found nothing but vacant space behind her.
A sinister laugh drifted through the room. She frantically turned again, her heart pounding in her ears and her breath catching in her throat. There, only a few feet away, sitting on top of the stone counter, was Arawn. His slender, dark figure seemed to blend with the shadows and Gabrielle couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.
“My, you're a lively creature, aren’t you?" Arawn continued, trying to hold in his laughter. “You're toying with my creatures you little bitch and I’m growing impatient with you. I told you to stop your meddling and you didn't. I guess if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”
Arawn stepped one foot and then the other down from the counter and adjusted his coat. His white hair floated in the still air and his eyes stabbed through the darkness into Gabrielle.
She shot her eyes around the room, looking for hounds, or demonic bird creatures, but she could only see darkness closing in on her. As she looked around for something to help her get out of this situation, her eyes fell on a glint of something metallic.
One of the dinner cooks had left a butcher knife on the counter. Pretending as though she hadn't seen it, Gabrielle brought her eyes back to Arawn.
“Ah, it looks like you've won. You've found a weapon to kill me, haven’t you?” Arawn chuckled and motioned to the knife on the counter. “Oh, what shall I do? The little Sentient has discovered a knife. Please, do pick it up. You may need it.” Arawn's nose scrunched up as he snarled.
Gabrielle stood there staring at Arawn, not sure what to do. Does he really want me to pick up the kni
fe? She looked from the ghostly face of her enemy to the knife and back once more. His crooked smile revealed two full rows of pointed teeth, reminding her of wolves’ fangs.
Gabrielle looked back at the butcher knife and slowly, as if following orders, picked up the blade. When she brought her eyes back to where Arawn stood, he had vanished into the dark.
“The game has begun, Sentient!” a disembodied voice flooded the room.
Gabrielle spun around with the knife in her hand, but there was nothing there. The bangle reverberated with the dull heat that warned her of danger and she knew that Arawn was there.
She turned again and a shadow tore from the darkness with its arms outstretched. Before she could react, the shadow’s claws ripped into her chest, casting her across the kitchen. Gabrielle brought the knife up in defense, but it passed through the creature as if it were fog.
Gabrielle collided with a wall and landed on top of the counter. With the wind knocked out of her, she lay gasping in pain. She turned on her side in time to see the shadow screeching towards her again. She rolled to the floor and her back slammed onto the cold stone.
Gabrielle looked up at the ceiling with enough time to see the shadow collide with the wall and disappear. She gasped for air and rolled onto her hands and knees. She crawled to the side of one of the islands in the center of the kitchen and slammed her back up against it, trying to catch her breath. She gasped but the pain in her lungs made it nearly impossible to think. Ok, calm down and think Gabrielle. Think or you will die!
Gabrielle sat in the dark, gripping the knife awkwardly in her hands. A scratching from the other side of the island shattered the silence and stopped her heart mid beat. Gabrielle gripped the weapon tighter, her knuckled turning a sickly shade of white.
The Gabrielle Series Boxed Set Page 21
