The Gabrielle Series Boxed Set

by Zachary Chopchinski

  Sam fell against the wall behind him and slid to the floor and Thompson backed away from the creature’s corpse, falling onto a sofa and gasping for air. Gabrielle tossed the hatchet to the floor and fell to her knees. The bangle had gone cold, and she was overwhelmed by the weight of the stresses of combat.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Gabrielle sat on her heels, kneeling down like she was praying. Silent tears of exhaustion carved a path through the dirt and blood on her face and dripped off of her nose, creating a small puddle under her hung head. Her matted hair clung to her cheek and neck, leaving streaks of sweat and blood.

  The two men who had fought bravely alongside her looking both dazed and horrified. No one spoke and Gabrielle didn’t know what she would have said, anyway. She looked from Sam, to Thompson, whose wounds were less than she’d expected them to be.

  Sam sat on the floor, prodding a deep cut on his forearm, wincing every time his fingers came in contact with the opening in his skin. As Gabrielle brought her attention back to her own state, she rubbed the cold metal of the bracelet.

  Had it not been for the explosive power of the bracelet, she would’ve died at the hands of monsters.

  “What-intheHell-were-thosethings?” Sam panted, forcing a few jumbled words between every exasperated gasp for air. He cradled his head in his hands and avoided looking at the dead Sluagh or the other two broken warriors.

  Gabrielle eyed the young soldier, contemplating for a moment whether he wanted an answer, or if he was expressing his disbelief.

  She looked away from him, her face burning with shame. This was all her fault, and now Sam and Thompson were caught in the middle of Arawn, Morrigan, monsters, and a crazy journey that she hardly even believed.

  “Demons!” boomed the deep timber of Thomson's voice from the sofa where he sat. Gabrielle snapped her head up and looked at him. He was staring at the fallen Sluagh, the bewilderment gone from his face and replaced with pride.

  “Are you alright?” she asked, walking over to the man and offering a hand in addressing his wounds. He may not know what he's dealing with, but “demons” wasn’t a bad guess.

  “I’m fine, Mistress. Can you explain what just happened?” Thompson gestured at the dead Sluagh, but he wouldn't remove his glare from the dead beast. It was like he felt that if he looked away, it would somehow revive itself and come after him.

  Gabrielle chose not to answer him at first. When she told Sam about Arawn, the Sluagh came after them and she didn’t want any more monsters to attack while they were weak.

  “You’re Thompson right?” she asked, sitting next to him and leaning back in the sofa cushions, her exhaustion rolling over her like the waves of a tide and Gabrielle ignored the searing pain in her back from where the Slaugh had ripped into her.

  “Yes Ma’am that’s right. They call me Thompson. Wife’s Coffey, and the girl's Elizabeth. I left ‘em locked in the cellar where we sleep. I thought the noise was Home Guard. Not nothing like—this.” His voice caught on the last word as fear and confusion washed over his features once again. Gabrielle put her hand on his bloody shoulder.

  “Thompson. Thank you. You saved our lives. Are you able to move?” she asked, motioning to the leg she thought was broken. “Maybe you should go and check on Coffey and Elizabeth. Tend to your wounds. We'll come and check on you in a while.”

  Gabrielle spoke as calm as she could in her own pain and exhaustion. She didn’t want to have to explain what was going on to Thompson but she needed to figure things out.

  “Yes Ma’am. That's best. I’ll make sure they’re safe.” Thompson confirmed as he rose and left the room limping as he went. Gabrielle watched every step he took as he made his way to the cellar door outside of the kitchen.

  She was in awe that years of slavery had made Thompson obedient even in a time of absolute horror. She shook her head at the thought. The things he’d been through, the things he’d seen. It made her heart ache. He’d been so broken down and yet he remained so gentle.

  He'd joined the fight with the Sluagh without hesitation and saved their lives without thinking of his own. Gabrielle would protect Thompson and his family from Arawn if it was the last thing she did. She twisted in her seat as a dull pulsing began in the center of her back.

  Sam remained in his position against the wall, staring out into oblivion. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. Gabrielle could tell he was trying to make sense of everything that happened.

  “Sam. Sam! Are you alright?” she yelled at him to draw him from his trance. He blinked and brought his focus to her.

  “I, I’m alright. I still can't believe what's happening. How is this possible? That man, the hounds, these—these THINGS!” Sam reached out and threw a beaten tin can that lay next to his foot. The can bounced off of the dead Sluagh and clattered to the floor. Gabrielle watched as it spun on the wooden boards and then rolled to a stop near an iron cooking pan.

  The hatchet she’d used to slay the Sluagh had now returned to its natural state. She looked to the bangle and rolled her eyes. When will this thing make sense?

  “Look, I’m sorry, Sam. Sorry for all of this. You shouldn’t be here and shouldn’t have to face these things. This is all my fault and I’m just... so sorry.” Gabrielle felt tears well in her eyes as she pleaded with Sam. She didn't know how to tell him, Thompson, or any of them they all died a long time ago and that she was there to save their souls.

  With a strained grunt, Sam rose from his seat and walked across the room to Gabrielle. He kicked the back of the Sluagh’s head as he passed, and the wet thudding sound that followed caused her to shiver.

  He reached out and placed a hand on Gabrielle’s shoulder. He opened his mouth as if to speak but when nothing came out, he plopped onto the sofa next to her.

  “In war, you see Hell. You watch as your friends and people you don’t even know are mustered out, crying out for help, but you can’t stop to help 'em because you’re killing someone else. You tell yourself that the enemy’s side is full of demons and you’re ready to face 'em. Ready to do what's right and just. I can tell you now after seeing the real monsters; we ain’t prepared to deal with this. You don’t need to apologize. I'm a soldier. I made that choice to follow you into the field and I'm gonna stick by your side for as long as it takes... It's what Cullen would've wanted.” At the mention of Cullen's name, a deep sadness crept into Gabrielle's mind. She had to do what was right for Hazel, and for Cullen, Sam and all the others.

  Once again she felt helpless to the tides, and Morrigan wasn't there to pull her from its grasp. A pinch of self-loathing stabbed at her gut. She'd killed three creatures from another world that were there to drag their souls to...

  hell I guess.

  She'd killed Sluagh, banshees, fought demon dogs, and escaped a mob. Get it together! There are no heroes here. There’s only... whatever I am. With her internal pep talk lifting her spirits, she turned to face Sam.

  “Thank you, Sam, for coming for me. I wouldn't have made it out of that field without you.” She placed her hand on top of his. Sam’s blue eyes had regained their sapphire glow and she couldn’t help but smile.

  Morrigan had been right, Sam was a sweet kid. Gabrielle’s stomach churned at the thought of Morrigan and her face flushed as all the feelings rushed back to her.

  “Will the time come when you tell me what's goin' on?” Sam asked, breaking her from the moment. Gabrielle cast her gaze to the door that led to the cellar. She sighed and shook her head.

  “I wish I could, Sam. I'm afraid if I do, more of those things would come after us. We barely made it away from them this time. We're not prepared for another attack. I’m sorry Sam, but this is what’s best. I can't have more lives on my head.” A shiver coursed down Gabrielle’s spine at the thought of all the lives lost throughout this journey.

  “I suppose then, that'll have to do. This ain’t the first time I’ve been told to fall in line and not ask questions and it won’t be the last.” Sam’s face
hardened as he spoke, his jaw setting and his posture straightening as if he just remembered in this moment he was a soldier.

  “Just promise me, that if the time comes, you won’t let yourself fall to protect us. We’ve all shed blood in this war, and it's no longer just yours to fight.” Sam’s voice had lowered and a dry croak replaced his spry, timber cadence.

  Gabrielle nodded. She couldn’t bear the thought of anymore lives being lost, but she knew she couldn’t win an argument with a soldier. It was her job to save the souls she encountered, but she couldn’t deny she was happy to not have to fight the monsters alone.

  “I’m going to check on Thompson. You should tend to your injuries. I'll be back in a while and we can look at doing something with the bodies.” Gabrielle braced herself on the arm of the couch and rose to her feet.

  Sam gave a curt nod and went back to pawing at the scratches on his arm. She winced as she took her first step towards the cellar door, the shock of pain coursing through her exhausted muscles.

  The stairs to the cellar were much steeper than Gabrielle would’ve thought. She remembered back to the stairwell in Alexandra’s shop and how with one misstep she could’ve fallen into the shop below. With hands on either wall to steady herself, Gabrielle made her way down into the abyss.

  Reaching the floor of the cellar, a faint light emerged from a door across the dirt surface of the basement. Though indistinct, the light illuminated the room she stood in, displaying the dark outlines of countless sacks, crates, and other oddities covered with tarps and layers of dust.

  She widened her eyes as much as she could to prepare for any possibility, her body still in fight mode. She had no intentions of being surprised by the shadows that stretched across the walls and she knew Arawn would be back with a counter attack. It was only a matter of time.

  Though her bracelet remained cold and dormant on her wrist, Gabrielle jogged through the darkness to the lit room. As she approached the door, she realized that it was a false wall that led to a secret room. There wasn't knob on the outside, but the wall was ajar and she pressed the cold bricks of the wall, bathing the room in the warm light of lanterns.

  The secret room that sat before her was small, only big enough for some modest furnishings and a couple of cots. The lantern that bathed the room in light was sitting on a small end table next to a cot where Coffey sat, tending to Thompson’s wounds. Elizabeth sat on the floor clutching a ragged looking doll to her chest.

  Coffey was wrapping him in bandages and washing away the blood from the wounds with a damp cloth, her face neutral and her hands steady and practiced. Elizabeth had a look of utter fear plastered to her face and she absentmindedly sucked on her thumb.

  Coffey continued to tend to Thompson without pause as Gabrielle stood in the doorway. Though she had done little to mask her approach, they still hadn’t noticed she'd entered the room.

  Gabrielle picked up a roll of bandages from the floor and walked over to Coffey.

  “Can I help with anything?” her voice came out strong, a lot louder than what she was expecting.

  Coffey’s body jerked to the side as she yelped in surprise but she didn't say anything to Gabrielle, she only went back to wrapping Thompson's arm.

  “I'm sorry. I should've announced myself. Here,” Gabrielle handed out the roll of bandages. When Coffey didn't say anything, Gabrielle picked up a wet cloth and wiped at a gash on Thompson's shoulder.

  She remembered how Morrigan told her Coffey's story and how she wasn't allowed to speak. Her master forced her to watch as he abused her husband and daughter and if she spoke out, he would hurt them even more.

  “I’m so sorry for this,” Gabrielle started, unsure of what she should say. “I tried to save you from those things and now I’ve pulled you into something so much worse than you even know.” Gabrielle felt the tears swell into her vision once again.

  “What happened up there, Mistress?” Elizabeth asked, pulling her thumb out of her mouth and laying the doll down next to her. Gabrielle didn’t know how to respond. Though Sam knew a little about what happened, Thompson knew even less.

  “There—well we fought. We fought against…” she began, stuttering with each word.

  “Home Guard,” Thompson began. “Home Guard came for a check of the property. We had to fight ‘em back. Don't worry. They won’t be botherin’ us soon.”

  Thompson locked eyes with Gabrielle. He gave the slightest nod to her. “Ain’t that right ma’am?” Gabrielle—realizing that he had no intentions of telling his family about the monsters—nodded her head. No doubt they'd seen their share of monsters in their lives.

  “Yes. Yes there were many of them. Thompson saved our lives. He was our hero.”

  “Home Guard? Here? Do they know ‘bout us?” A panic filled Elizabeth's voice as she jumped up, speaking for her mother as she often did. The fear in her eyes swept all air from the room. Thompson smiled and kissed his daughter's cheek.

  “Like I said, they won’t be botherin' us nomore. We took care of 'em. We’re safe, I swear it.” A forced smile spread across his face followed by a flash of pain. Coffey’s face softened, and she went back to finishing his bandages.

  "Paw, I seen you fight the others for food on master Hampton's plantation. You never got this hurt." Elizabeth shifted her eyes from Thompson to Gabrielle.

  "This was different. There was lots of 'em," Thompson said, anger laced in his voice.

  Coffey continued to quietly wrap Thompson's arm and clean up his cuts as if Gabrielle weren't in the room. Gabrielle let her eyes roam over the petite woman. She had several deep scars on her arms and neck and a cut that was still in the healing process on her cheek.

  She thought of everything this woman had been through, having to watch her family being tortured. She was a stronger woman that Gabrielle could ever be, her silence was a testament to that. She’d the strong urge to hug her and tell her how strong and beautiful and good she was, but she held back.

  She looked at Thompson. He was smitten with his wife, it was obvious in the way he looked at her. Gabrielle thought then of Morrigan.

  Why was she always leaving if she cares about me? Maybe she doesn’t care about me how I care about her?

  Gabrielle shook the thought from her head. She didn’t even know how she felt about Morrigan, but she knew she could never figure it out if the two didn’t talk about it.

  Gabrielle was ashamed of herself for being jealous of this family. They’d fought just as much as she had in her many lives in their one. She was nothing special compared to them. While she fought the monsters and could wake up and they’d be gone, this family’s monsters never left them.

  “They left a big mess upstairs. I wouldn't go up there until we've had the chance to clean it up some,” Gabrielle warned as Coffey ripped another bandage from the roll and placed it on the side table next to the lantern.

  “I don't think Elizabeth should see what's going on up there. I'm going to go help Sam clean up the mess. Thompson, can you keep your family company while we do that?” He nodded and pulled his girls in for a large hug.

  Coffey looked at Gabrielle, she opened her mouth as if she were going to speak and then she shut it again.

  “You be sure to tend to yourself. I’m not the only one that needs care.” Thompson glared with sincerity, while mouthing a ‘Thank you’ to Gabrielle. With a final pat on the shoulder, Gabrielle turned to walk out of the room.

  "Thank you." The words were so small and the voice so cracked that Gabrielle thought she may have imagined it. She turned back around, Coffey had tears streaking down her face and both Thompson and Elizabeth had mirror looks of shock.

  "No Coffey, thank you. For being such a strong and wonderful woman." Gabrielle didn't know exactly how to express what she was feeling but the sentence seemed to be enough.

  Coffey burst into silent sobs and buried her head in her husband's chest. Gabrielle turned on her heels and walked out of the room, back into the darkness of the cellar. />
  “Miss Gabrielle, you're hurt!” Elizabeth’s voice was sweet but there was a sense of urgency. The young girl placed her hand on the wound on Gabrielle’s back and a tearing pain erupted through her body. Every part of her went hot and then cold.

  A wave of shock attacked all her senses. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she heard the dull thud of her body hitting the floor.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Gabrielle’s eyes fluttered and a blurred image of Elizabeth looked down at her. The child’s mouth was moving but she couldn’t hear anything she was saying. Her eyes fluttered again and then the darkness stole her only remaining sense.

  There were sudden breaks of voices in the void. She could tell people were speaking, but their voices were a mush of muffled sounds and half understood words.

  A white hot pain radiated throughout her back and she gripped the ground where she lay, remembering the injury that put her there in the first place. A shock ran through her and she paused, holding her breath. The ground she was on wasn’t the hard earth floor of the basement, it was soft and comfortable.

  She wondered how long she had been out. My injuries from the fight weren’t bad enough to kill me and put me in a new life… were they? She thought about what would happen to Sam, Thompson, Coffey, Elizabeth, and Morrigan if she were to die right now.

  Would the Sluagh come back for them? Would Arawn return with vengeance and kill everyone because I told Sam about him? Gabrielle’s heart began to pound and her breath quickened as she considered all the possibilities.

  She opened her eyes and saw the familiar wooden walls of her bedroom. Bright rays of midday sun shone through the window making her squint. At least I’m still here, she thought as she looked around the room.

  A whisper of a voice tickled the edges of her ears. The voice was barely audible but Gabrielle squeezed her eyes tight and focused all her attention on hearing what the voice had to say.