A bead of lingering sweat dripped from her lashes and Gabrielle turned around; looking for something she could change into. A large armoire stood on the far side of the room. Gabrielle pulled it open, revealing a row of dresses and gowns. She rolled her eyes as she surveyed her new wardrobe.
“Why is it always dresses?” she laughed as she slid them aside one at a time. Gabrielle wasn’t a huge fan of dresses. In fact, until she began this journey she hardly wore them at all.
She knew these were the only options given the times in history, but it didn't make it any less annoying.
Gabrielle thought back to the first time she met Alexandra, before she knew about the bracelet or the journey. Alexandra had been wearing a pair of running shoes with her long black dress.
Always wear a pair of running shoes, you never know when you’ll need them. Gabrielle had thought Alexandra a crazy old lady at the time, but now she would kill for a good pair of shoes.
She rifled through the closet and chose a white dress that looked like the lightest, easiest thing to run in and toweled off her sweat drenched body before slipping it on.
She spun in a circle and jumped in the air, landing hard on the balls of her feet. Deciding that she could run easily enough and fight in her chosen wardrobe, she pulled her hair back, pinned it in place and set out on the day.
Gabrielle made her way to the hall. She paused for a moment at the top of the stairs near the door to the room Sam slept in. The door was ajar and the room vacant. She leaned into the doorway and found the bed made and a military uniform displayed on a vanity.
Gabrielle had only taken one step into the room to investigate further when she heard a commotion from the bottom of the stairs. Fearing it may be the soldier coming back to his room, she left the doorway and made her way to the kitchen.
As she approached, the sweet smell of hickory and bacon assaulted her nose. Her mouth watered and her stomach released a painful gurgle at the thought of food.
Casting the door open, she found Morrigan dashing around the room. She was carrying a pot of what smelled like coffee and a cast iron skillet with sizzling eggs that made Gabrielle’s stomach growl.
Morrigan had her hair tied back and wore a casual grey dress with a burgundy trim. The fabric danced over her slender figure as she waltzed about the kitchen, tending to her chores. Gabrielle, not wanting to startle her, cleared her throat as she made her way into the room.
“There she is! I was wondering when you were going to get up. I have breakfast ready and I thought once you were up for it, I’d show you some of the sights.” Morrigan paused and surveyed Gabrielle who was still wet with perspiration. “You look… sweaty. I mean, I know I’m attractive but—”
“Bad dream.” Gabrielle interrupted, her cheeks reddening. Morrigan put her cup on the counter, her brow knitting together. “I’m just still trying to get used to your… beautiful hair,” Gabrielle lied, trying to hide the blush that was spreading across her face.
She’d known Morrigan as a man for what felt like years, and it had been strange for her to see her as a woman. Now, watching Morrigan move with the grace of a dancer, it was as if she’d been a woman her whole life.
“The food smells great,” Gabrielle changed the subject as she walked over to the stove and snagged a piece of bacon that sat cooling on the counter.
Morrigan cupped Gabrielle’s face in her hands, laughed and then continued on with her organized chaos. She ushered Gabrielle to the table and set her a plate with a massive amount of food piled on top of it.
Gabrielle devoured the mound, pushing herself past being full only so she could continue to taste the magnificence of the fresh food. The crisp yet juicy bacon swelled in her mouth and she thought for a moment she was eating something prepared by the gods.
“Well, I’m happy to see that even with your rough start, you still have your appetite,” Morrigan teased as she took a seat at the table across from Gabrielle and nibbled on a piece of bacon.
The pair sat in silence for a moment, getting their fill of food and drink, before Gabrielle decided she couldn’t consume another bite. She sat back and took a deep breath.
“Where’s the soldier?” Gabrielle blurted out without thinking. Morrigan faltered only for a second before she continued chewing her breakfast.
“If he’s not upstairs, I’m sure he must be around the plantation somewhere. The poor boy has seen the Hell of war. I think he needs some fresh air and time to himself; especially after his journey to get here.” Morrigan said as she took another mouthful.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea to trust him. With Arawn always a threat, we can’t risk anything!” Gabrielle said, her brow crinkling in frustration.
“I think you need to meet the guy before you go condemning him. Then you’ll understand why I feel he’s not a threat.”
Gabrielle sighed as she pushed the remaining egg across her plate. She never had a reason not to trust Morrigan, but something about Sam seeking her out didn’t sit well with her. Gabrielle sipped her drink and stared out the window above the sink next to Morrigan.
“Well, if you’re done staring dreamily at me, I think perhaps we can make our way out for the day.” Morrigan waggled her eyebrows causing Gabrielle to roll her eyes in return. “There are things I need to show you now that you’re here. So, shall we go?”
Gabrielle stood from her seat. She was burning with the urge to get out and see where she was. She walked over to Morrigan’s side and collected her dishes and her own and placed them in the sink. Gabrielle turned to Morrigan and motioned as if to say “come on”.
“Apparently I’m the one slowing you down,” Morrigan forced out through a fit of laughter. She rose and walked over to the door leading out to the porch, with Gabrielle in quick pursuit.
The massive porch wrapped around the majority of the home’s exterior. Vast fields of grain wavered in the wind before her but other than a barn off in the distance, there was nothing visible for miles. The warm summer air washed over Gabrielle, bringing her back to that first day in her first life with Heather.
Gabrielle thought back to when the two sisters stood looking out at the fields before them. A twinge of sadness overtook Gabrielle, and she grasped Morrigan’s hand for comfort. The roughness of her callouses rubbed against Gabrielle as Morrigan squeezed back, almost as if she could read Gabrielle’s thoughts.
Though it was still morning, and they were in the shade of the porch, the air was humid and dense and did little to cool her already sticky body. Gabrielle closed her eyes and inhaled a lung full of hot air. The air smelled blank. It was like it was too hot for smells to carry through the dense heat.
Gabrielle wiped a single bead of sweat from her cheek and then brought her attention back to Morrigan, who seemed unfazed by the hot weather. Morrigan released her hand and walked past Gabrielle, taking lead.
“It is always hottest when you first get here,” Morrigan assured Gabrielle, reading her face as the two stepped from the shade of the porch and into the sun. “It will get better the more you’re exposed to the heat, as strange as that sounds. Besides, once we’re out in the fields and moving around, the breezes will offer more relief.”
“Where’s here?” Gabrielle asked as she stepped from the porch.
“North Carolina. Right on the border of Confederate territory, which is what makes this even more dangerous.”
“What more dangerous?” Gabrielle was suddenly very serious and the two women walked further from the house, following a dirt road bordered by a fence and a field of grain. They soon came to a path that passed through the field.
“The fields are very important to this life, Gabrielle. The crops we collect sustain everyone who lives here.” Morrigan grabbed both of Gabrielle’s hands and turned to face her. Morrigan squinted her eyes as if she were thinking, her face now a measure of seriousness.
“This is why there are so many fighting and dying right now; for something as little as land, money… a home.
This is why your husband left to fight.” She gestured toward the fields but her lavender eyes never left Gabrielle’s.
“This land can be kept without hatred and bigotry, so all who call this plantation home are free. Slavery is not a way of sustaining life, it’s a way of ending it.” There was a sharpness to her tone as she finished and Gabrielle could swear she heard Morrigan’s words catch in her throat.
It was interesting to think that in order for some people to protect their own lives, they felt like they had to kill and destroy the lives of others. Once again, Gabrielle was in a land whose people were torn and beaten by the black heart of disdain. A country ravaged by the vast waves of idiocy and hatred.
If she’d learned one thing in all her time in this journey, it was that the people of this world are a more savage animal than the monsters that lurked in the shadows.
“Can’t people work things out without killing each other?” Gabrielle posed, as the two walked, lost in a philosophical analysis of their separate adventures. Morrigan remained silent for a few moments.
“Hatred is a cancer,” Morrigan began. She spoke as if she were trying to choose her words carefully. “Ignorance is a disease and often death is seen as the only cure. This is why the world cries tears of blood. The only treatment for these ailments are tolerance and love.”
A breeze blew past, and the crops danced. As the blades brushed against one another, it was like they were sharing secrets as they passed.
As Gabrielle looked to the waves of shifting plants, sets of eyes and shadows peered back at her. She was startled at first, but then remembered there were people working in the fields. Still, she felt for the cold silver around her wrist just in case.
A shadow danced over her head as a bird flew by. Gabrielle looked to the sky. She saw nothing, except a faint blue canvas without a sign of cloud.
The two reached the end of the dirt and gravel path, and it opened into another vast section of crops. The dense waves of grains were replaced by several sets of small, plank fences containing a rainbow of assorted edibles. The lush greens sprang forth from the dull brown of the fence like a tropical fowl locked in a cage.
A small family of people were working within the gardens. As Morrigan and Gabrielle left the cover of the fields, the family looked up in alarm.
Morrigan broke pace and stopped, forcing Gabrielle to do the same. She raised her arm and waved at the family. They seemed relieved and brought their attention back to the crops in front of them.
Morrigan smiled at the little girl and made a face before she turned to face Gabrielle and squinted in the overbearing rays of the midday sun.
“Damn this sun. Maybe we should go into the shade of the barn.” She gestured to the large structure that sat just behind the patch of garden.
CHAPTER SIX
It was as if night fell upon them when they left the burdening glare of the harsh sun and entered the barn. The cooler air brought a shiver to Gabrielle’s shoulders and made every bead of sweat scream its presence.
She followed Morrigan past a mound of hay and a couple of stray sows, and the two stopped just inside the other entrance to the barn. The sweet smell of grain flooded Gabrielle’s nose, and she relaxed under the cool coverage of the building.
Morrigan stopped and turned to Gabrielle. The slight scrunch of her eyebrows and the purse of her lips told Gabrielle she had something to say that needed telling.
“This life offers much more than what we’ve experienced in the past. An obvious chance to make a difference,” Morrigan danced around the point like she was talking in code.
Gabrielle’s brow furrowed. Hadn’t they always had a purpose? To save the souls of those trapped in Arawn’s clutches so they could be free to pass into the Other World? There was also the added benefit of aggravating and disrupting Arawn at every opportunity.
She was frustrated that not only was she in a new life and a new place, but this time everything was different. The rules were always changing.
Morrigan’s face lightened.
“We’ve never had a choice in what we do and who we save. Here, I’ve made a decision that was my own. It was something Hazel and I were working on together before you got here. I was—I am—extremely lucky to have had the pleasure of working with her.” Morrigan looked down at the floor as if she were remembering a great tragedy.
“With what? What are you talking about?”
Morrigan shook her head.
“Always adventures with you. I think that may be the very spirit that got you into this mess in the first place.” Morrigan placed her hand on Gabrielle’s shoulder as she walked over to a small stool. Gabrielle, realizing that this could be a much more serious matter than she thought, leaned against a post that held up the upper level of the barn.
One of the large sows waddled past and Gabrielle ran her fingers down the animal’s back as it brushed against her. She tried to pinch its squiggly tail, but it twitched at just the right moment and she missed her chance.
“This is a time of slavery, Gabrielle. This is also a time to act. Just as we fight to free the souls of those we live in, someone needs to fight to save the lives of those who can’t fight for themselves. That’s what I decided to do, and you… well Hazel… was helping me.” Gabrielle brought her gaze from the plump sow back to Morrigan.
“What can we do?” Gabrielle asked.
“There’s a movement happening as we speak. It’s called the Underground Railroad. I’m an Agent and your farm is a Station.” Gabrielle thought back to what she’d learned about the Civil War in school.
“Basically, I free slaves and we hide them here on the farm until we can get them to a safer place. More specifically, I sneak onto a plantation and pretend that I’m one of the slaves. When the time is right, I stage a break and help as many as I can get out.”
“You… we, do what?” Gabrielle’s voice was laced in anger at how Morrigan was putting her life in danger.
“Why would you do that?” Gabrielle continued. “I mean, I know slavery is terrible, but you could get yourself killed. Not to mention everyone here is already dead. We’re here to free these souls from Arawn and be on our way.” Gabrielle let her concerns flow from her mouth, feeling guiltier with each syllable.
Morrigan shook her head. She stood from her seat and walked back to the entrance of the barn, motioning for Gabrielle; who chewed on the inside of her lips. Cracking the door, Morrigan gestured to the family that was working in the gardens.
“They are why I do this. Families like theirs are torn apart, living beings abused and tortured just so someone can feel powerful and superior . Yes, they’re all already dead, but it’s the manner of how they die that I can change.” Morrigan slammed her palm against the wooden frame of the door, making Gabrielle jump.
“I’m tired of living the lives of others and feeling like I can’t do anything to help. Maybe by doing these things, I can change the future. You should want that, Gabrielle. We’re meant for more than living a life through mechanical means. Living is living, but helping others to live; well, now that’s an entirely different thing.” Morrigan turned to look at Gabrielle, who was staring at her feet.
Gabrielle could feel her face redden. She knew she was wrong. Morrigan always had a way of seeing the world. It was one of the things she loved about her.
It was infuriating that after all she’d been through, all the torment and anguish she had seen, she could still act like a child. Morrigan gestured to the little girl playing in the garden with her parents.
“That’s Thompson, he worked in the fields day in and day out, never breaking. His ‘owner’ probably intended on working him to death. He was treated like less than an animal, forced to fight the other slaves for food. The mother, Coffey, worked in the house. She wasn’t allowed to speak unless asked a question. Sometimes she would go days without talking. Coffey had to watch her husband and child being tortured and if she spoke or cried out, the master would torture them even more. The little one
was the worst of all…” Morrigan paused for a moment, her words catching in her throat.
“Look at her, Gabrielle. Look at her throat. See the scars?” Gabrielle fought the piercing sun and focused on the beautiful little girl playing in the garden. She couldn’t have been more than six or seven. She seemed like the happiest little girl, not a care in the world. There were dark outlines around her neck and it took Gabrielle a moment to realize they were deep scars.
“Her name’s Elizabeth. She was taken from Coffey and given to the daughter of the house as a pet. Those scars are from the collar she was forced to wear all the time. She was pulled around on a leash, forced to eat scraps from the floor and at night she was locked in a cage.”
Gabrielle’s mouth hung open. She’d learned about the Civil War in school, but this was different. This was real. This was a lot scarier than what she read in her textbook. Her eyes welled, and she hated herself for questioning Morrigan’s actions.
“She even got her name from a twisted sense of property,” Morrigan continued, ignoring Gabrielle’s show of emotion. “The daughter of the plantation owner was obsessed with England and the royal family, so they named her Elizabeth. The poor girl had been there for so long, she doesn’t even know her real name. I’d be damned to allow these things to happen when I can do something about it.” Morrigan fell quiet.
“What do you need me to do?” Gabrielle wiped at her tear swollen eyes with the back of her hand.
“There she is. There’s the fearless Gabrielle I love so much,” Gabrielle’s face reddened and she opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. “It’s simple.” Morrigan forged on as if nothing had happened. As if she hadn’t said the word ‘love’ and ‘Gabrielle’ in the same sentence.
“You protect the people here while I’m gone. When I come back, I may have some unwanted company. You have to be ready to protect the farm and the people on it.” Morrigan put a hand on Gabrielle’s shoulder as she continued her speech. “You may not be aware of it now, but you grow stronger in every life you live. It’s sort of like the souls stay with you. Hazel and I had been practicing self-defense. You’ll be just fine as long as you follow your instincts. Let the bracelet lead you and tell you what to do.”
The Gabrielle Series Boxed Set Page 31
