Bringing her attention to the soldier in the middle with the pistol, Gabrielle noticed something strange. He was not only shooting a pistol, but the man was firing a revolver and an old one at that. It stuck out to her as she had not seen one like that in years, not since—
“Time fer you four to get the hell out of here! We’ll cover!” the soldier shouted at their group as he fired, breaking Gabrielle from her thought. Gabrielle’s breath vacated her lungs at the familiar sound of the voice. She’d met this soldier before. When the soldier bent down to help Gabrielle to her feet, she saw them. Even through the gas mask, she could see them piercing her. A pair of beautiful, sky blue eyes tore through the dark from inside the mask.
“Sam…?” The man in the mask said nothing, but through the fogged glass of the face mask, Gabrielle swore she could see one of those ice blue eyes wink at her. Gabrielle couldn't move. She hadn’t seen any of the souls she’d saved since she thought she’d glimpsed Fionn back in France during the riots. Now, she was sure she had seen Fionn, just as she was sure this was Sam. Gabrielle pulled on Sam’s arm as he pulled her to her feet.
“Sam! How? I—” Her words were cut short, and Gabrielle was pulled away.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lyudmila pulled her shoulder and yanked Gabrielle away from the soldier. Her group was finally able to run from around the cover of the tractor.
The four ran to the area where Gianni and Fausto had first hidden, and then when they could, they ran to another small plow another fifty feet away. As they moved from cover to cover and got farther and farther from the gas, Gabrielle’s lungs relaxed, and she was able to breathe without choking and coughing.
“Keep moving! We have to get to cover!” Gianni shouted as the group ran, though Gabrielle could barely hear him. She only followed the group as they ran and mimicked their actions, while her mind wandered; trying to figure out what was going on.
Was that Sam? That WAS Sam! It had to be! If that was Sam, then who were the other two…could that have been Thompson? Gabrielle tripped over Fausto and landed flat on her face. Lyudmila flipped her over and checked her for injuries before yanking her to her feet and pulling her along.
“She is fine…” Lyudmila confirmed to the others as they looked on in concern. “Be careful!”
When they finally came to a stop behind a broken fence, the group sat panting and wiping the remaining tears from their eyes. Gabrielle tried to look back at the men that had saved them, but the smoke was still thick in that area and the distance to far. She couldn’t see if they were still there or not.
As Gabrielle arched her neck to look through the lingering smoke, an explosion drew her attention. With the group away from the tank and waiting in safety, the American soldiers moved their numbers, and the tanks fired at the Panzer team. Cannons boomed through the air as the tank fire shredded through the German line. Gabrielle knew that, even if the three soldiers were still alive, they couldn’t still be behind the old tractor.
“Hey, looks like the Americans can serve a purpose after all,” Fausto coughed, adjusting himself and checking his weapon.
“Catch your breath and check your supplies. When we know it’s all clear, we will work our way west and avoid the rest of this confrontation,” Gianni instructed.
With those words, Gabrielle was awakened. Gianni had a plan, and he was going to lead them to safety. A flash of the remaining SS officer with red eyes lingered in Gabrielle’s mind. Arawn had an agent in that house, she knew it, and she could not leave him there alive.
With a clear view of the property the old farmhouse sat on, Gabrielle could see that it went further back than it appeared. Even after attacks from the tanks, much of the structure was untouched. There could easily still be enemies holed up in parts of the building, and Gabrielle knew she needed to get to it.
“No!” she shouted, surprising everyone. Gabrielle rose to a crouch and checked her weapon. She didn’t acknowledge their stares right away. She had to think of a reason why she needed to go into the building other than to kill Arawn’s puppet.
“There is an officer in there that tried to have us taken out. He knows we are here and can report our general operating coordinates. This could get us all killed in another ambush. He has to be stopped!” The words flowed from her mouth effortlessly, and Gabrielle found that even she believed them. For a second, it was like Gabrielle was just a soldier looking out for her team and that it had nothing to do with a malevolent god and his army of insidious creatures. The group sat in silence for a moment. Thinking. Wondering why she was so eager to jump back into the fight.
“That’s the spirit I like!” Fausto jumped up and slapped a magazine into his rifle. Gabrielle knew she could count on him to always want to run straight into the face of danger.
“I feel I must point out, my son . . . Gabrielle. That we are nearly out of munitions and we haven't the slightest idea of what could be waiting in that house,” Gianni spoke calmly, trying to be the voice of reason.
“This is true, but you know she is right, Gianni,” Lyudmila reasoned. She slung her rifle over her shoulder and drew her pistol once more. “We have to do this now, or we face another attack that likely will not end as well as it did this time.”
Gianni sighed, looking from one person to the next. The three of them peered back at him for approval. Even though they were all adults and held no obligation to Gianni’s orders, they still would not act without his command. They were a team, and that is what kept them alive.
“Very well. We can do this, but keep low and quiet. Only engage when you absolutely must. Fausto and I will lead. Fausto, very quiet.” Gianni nodded at his son—an unspoken command. They simultaneously slung their rifles and withdrew their blades. The Arditi truly loved this type of combat.
The battle between the small battalions raged in the distance as the team rose from their cover and began to make their way to the west side of the house. Gianni and Fausto, several feet ahead of Gabrielle and Lyudmila, moved swiftly on their feet like cats sneaking up on a defenseless mouse. Gabrielle kept her rifle trained on the distant fight in case they were seen.
Within no time, the four were pressed against the wall of the house, sliding their way toward the back of the structure. One by one, they passed three sets of closed shutters. As they passed each one, Gabrielle pushed away from the wall and pointed her weapon at the closed window. If the enemy thought they would get the jump on her group, they would meet an unpleasant surprise.
They reached the corner of the building and Gianni held his hand up, signaling to halt movement. He peered around the corner cautiously, before waving Gabrielle up to join him. As she stood next to Gianni, he motioned for her to look around the edge of the building. Slowly, she peered one eye around the bend.
There, maybe one hundred yards away, on the opposite side of the house, was an encampment. It was a small camp, but it was completely empty. This made sense with the American tanks around the front of the building.
As the battle raged in the distance, Gabrielle knew now was the chance to move. She looked for the easiest way into the house and spotted a door a few feet away. Turning, she held her index finger to her lips and motioned to Gianni then pointed to the entry point.
He looked to the door, nodded, and then was off with Fausto in tow. Gabrielle moved next as Lyudmila covered them from behind. Once they reached the doorway, Gabrielle was quick to grab the handle. Gianni slapped her hand away and shook his head. He then looked to Fausto who took point on the entrance.
Gabrielle stepped aside, and Gianni grabbed the handle. With a harsh jerk, he threw the door open, and the two ran inside with the girls right behind them. As they entered the room, prepared to provide a surprise attack on anyone unfortunate enough to be standing nearby, Gabrielle was disappointed that the room was empty. The sooner they found Arawn’s inside man, the sooner they could get out. The four stood alone in an empty, disheveled dining room.
A thin ray of golden sunlight peeked
through the slats in the shutters illuminating small areas of the room including a long wooden table with plates and remnants of food still scattered about. There were two doors on opposite ends of the room that led further into the house.
Gabrielle nudged Lyudmila and motioned toward one of the doorways. As she took a step for one of them, Fausto cut Gabrielle off and mouthed the word “no.” Frustrated, Gabrielle looked at Lyudmila and Gianni who both seemed to share the sentiment.
Gabrielle swallowed her pride. They were there at her request, and she understood that stealth was key. Being in unfamiliar and tight quarters—silence was their best weapon. Gabrielle gave a reluctant nod knowing the father and son specialized in quiet lethality.
The men perched themselves at each door, and without pause, pushed through the swinging doors into the adjacent rooms. Gabrielle waited with her weapon ready, listening for sounds of gunfire. One minute passed, and then another, and another. No shots were heard. As another minute passed, Lyudmila finally lost her patience with the silence of the house.
Just then, one of the doors let out a groan as it opened. Gabrielle dropped to one knee and trained her rifle at the motion. Lyudmila also brought her pistol up, ready for a fight. Through her sites, Gabrielle saw both Gianni and Fausto standing at the entrance of the door.
The men both looked distraught. As they panted, sweat dripping from their brows, Gabrielle lowered her rifle. They were each clutching satchels in a vice-like grip with magazines for their rifles extended from under the flaps. They found supplies.
“The first floor is clear. No sign of any soldiers. We have to check the upper floor.” Gianni whispered.
“Are you two alright?” Gabrielle whispered back, concerned by the panic that shadowed their faces.
“We are fine. A little exercise is all. Come now, before any of those on the second floor know we’re here,” Fausto responded, motioning to the door his father had left through minutes before. As Gabrielle and Lyudmila approached the men, they handed them each one of the satchels.
“Fill your bags first. We already filled ours,” Gianni insisted. Gabrielle opened the flap and poured the contents into her own bag. She now had more ammunition than when they’d started this fray. With their supplies replenished, they were ready to move to the next room.
Fausto opened the door, and Gianni led the group into the next room. As Gabrielle entered what she imagined was a den, she squinted her eyes as sunlight stung her dilated pupils. Unlike the dining room, the den had large patches of sunlight beaming through huge holes in the makeshift roof.
They were below one of the rooms on the second floor that was hit by the tank round. From what Gabrielle could see, it had ripped away several sections of the ceiling and the entire wall on the next level. Gabrielle didn’t envy the person that would have been firing from this room at the time of the shot. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the sudden change as she looked around the equally disheveled room. What remained of a couch sat in the center of the room with pieces of it strewn across the old wood floor. Two upholstered chairs were nearby, one laying on its side as if the owner had gotten up too quickly.
Further examination of the room brought her gaze to two bodies on the floor near one of the remaining walls. They were perched under one of the windows that faced the field. Initially, Gabrielle thought the soldiers had been killed when they were hiding out behind the tractor across the field. As she crossed the room, however, Gabrielle noticed that both men had slash wounds on their necks. She looked at Gianni who completely ignored the bodies and Gabrielle.
As they left the room and turned down a long hallway, Gabrielle almost tripped over the body of another soldier. A chill descended on her. It was no wonder the two men were gone for so long and everything was so quiet. The prowess and ability of her friends to take lives were a constant reminder that even though they each fought for good, they were all monsters in their own ways.
Once they reached the end of the hallway, they entered another room where two more soldiers were lifeless on the floor. Gabrielle scanned her surroundings and through another doorway to her left, yet another set of boots stuck out from around the corner. A flash of déjà vu hit her at the sight, and she was taken back to when she saw her first set of lifeless feet in Alexandra’s apartment. A shiver coursed through Gabrielle at the thought, but she shook it off. Now was not the time to get stuck in the past.
Gabrielle forced her thoughts to the present and turned her attention to a stairwell that led to the second floor. Fausto signaled for her to stay put and waived his father to his side. They slowly began to make their way up the stairwell, once again leaving Gabrielle and Lyudmila alone.
It was then that it occurred to her, Arawn was smart, and he wouldn’t want to waste the life of his inside guy by letting him get blown up in a battle with the Americans. If Arawn’s inside man were here, he would be on the second floor, waiting for Gabrielle. She had to get to him before the men did. This was her fight, not theirs. Besides, she knew all too well what Arawn and his minions were capable of. What if the inside man could summon Sluagh, hounds, or Arawn himself? No. She had to get up there before something terrible happened.
With a deep breath, she marched across the room and up the stairs, quietly passing her friends. Gianni and Fausto whispered commands of “Stop!,” “Stay here!,” and “Are you mad?” as she floated past them and made her way to the next floor with her rifle out in front of her. Unable to stop her, Gianni and Fausto chose to follow with Lyudmila right on their heels.
As she reached the top of the stairs, Gabrielle found herself looking down another long hallway that seemed to run the length of the second floor. Doors lined either side of the passage, some open and others closed. She paused for a moment to consider her best plan of attack. Scanning the quiet hallway, Gabrielle decided to approach each door as if Arawn himself stood on the other side.
Gabrielle raised her rifle and took a step into the hallway. The floor groaned underneath her foot, and a shadow moved beneath one of the doorways halfway down the hall. On reflex, she picked up her pace, driving toward the room that showed signs of life.
She made her way past one door then another and another, slowly approaching the targeted room. Fortunately, all of the open rooms she’d passed were empty as she gave them each a fleeting glance and kept her rifle focused on her destination. When she came to the door, she pressed her back against the wall just outside, collecting herself before she entered. Gabrielle sucked in a deep lungful of air as a bead of sweat twisted and turned its way down her cheek.
Gabrielle stared at the aged wood of the closed door in front of her and wondered what she would do if the officer were in the room. She needed to get information out of him about Arawn, but would the group let her question him in private? Would she be able to take him prisoner?
With that thought, Gabrielle re-focused her mind, took a breath, grasped the door knob and threw herself around the corner. The light from an open window washed over her as she scanned her barrel over the empty room. Shit! Gabrielle thought as she realized her worst nightmare. This was a trap.
A set of strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her off the ground, causing her to drop her weapon. She kicked her legs and twisted her body as she was pulled backward across the hall and into the room on the opposite side.
As she was pulled through the doorway, she got a fleeting glimpse of the faces of her friends halfway down the hallway, aiming their weapons but unable to fire for the risk of hitting her. Once she was in the room, she was thrown to the floor and slid several feet. She looked up just as she was kicked in the stomach. The pain reverberated through her body as she struggled to breathe.
Gasping for air, Gabrielle watched her attacker join a second man in the doorway. They were firing at her group down the hall. Chunks of wood and wall flew past them and littered the room, but the men didn’t back down. Rolling to her side and clutching her stomach as she rose to her knees, Gabrielle brought her eyes up to
the man she was looking for.
The officer sat in a chair across from her, a wide smile on his face. His crimson eyes fixated on Gabrielle as he petted a hideous dog—something that looked like a wolf had died and was rotting before her very eyes. It wasn’t one of Arawn’s hounds, but it wasn’t an ordinary dog. Gabrielle fought to fill her lungs with air, but she wouldn’t let her eyes leave the officer’s.
“I was starting to wonder if the master was right about you. You seem to trouble him, though, I’m not sure why.” The man spat as he petted the hound. Its eyes locked onto Gabrielle. Black liquid dripped from its gaping mouth and pooled on the floor. The smell of death and decay filled the small, unventilated room and the familiar taste of bile rushed up Gabrielle’s throat.
The two men at the door continued to shoot at her friends. At least, if they were shooting, Gabrielle knew her group was still alive. How could she not see this trap coming? Had she not learned anything in the years she’d spent traveling and dealing with Arawn? If something happened to her friends, she would never forgive herself.
“You know something? I’m slightly disappointed in you. After hearing all of the tales of the sneaky and elusive Gabrielle, I expected you to really be a challenge. Look at you. You’re just a sniveling little girl! As weak as any other Sentient. Relying on foolish magic to protect you. Tell me, did your magic bracelet warn you of my attack?”
The rage that coursed through Gabrielle chilled into solid fear. She hadn’t thought of it until now, but her bangle had not warned her of this trap as it always had in the past. In fact, since she’d arrived in this life, the bracelet hadn’t warned her of anything.
Thinking back to the times when the bracelet hadn’t translated things for her, Gabrielle started to wonder if the magic that allowed her to understand people as they spoke and warned her of danger was running out for some reason, maybe the magic that allowed her to transfer into a new life was also broken. The thought chilled her to the bone, and suddenly Gabrielle felt like the scared little girl she truly was.
The Gabrielle Series Boxed Set Page 48
