by Owens, Wendy
Uri took a seat next to Seraphine on the couch. On the hike home Sera had attempted to start a conversation about the things she said in the cave, but Uri quickly put an end to the topic. The words had hurt too much the first time, hearing them again would have been more than he could stomach.
She was there now, and even if she hadn’t fallen madly in love with him all those years ago, he was certain he loved her enough for the both of them. There was obviously a connection between them, and if Uri could keep her close long enough, he thought there might be a chance she could eventually feel the same for him.
“Welcome home,” Dina called out as she entered the room. The group rushed over to greet her, sharing hugs.
Haim wasted no time asking, “Do you know what’s going on?”
“Quite a bit, my dear boy.” Michael’s voice filled the room, as he and Mirada entered, Mirada closing the door behind them. “But first, before we get into all of that, I can’t wait to hear how things went.”
Michael’s eyes shifted all around the room, landing on Seraphine’s face. “Oh, I see we have a guest.”
Sera stood, extending a hand, “Yes sir, hello, I’m not sure if you remember me, but my name is …”
“Sera,” Michael interjected. “I could never forget the young lady who saved Uri’s life.”
“Yes, thank you sir,” she replied humbly, a blush flooding her cheeks as she returned to a seated position.
Gabe eagerly retold the recent events that led up to discovering that the Guardians crown was rendered useless with Raimie’s death. As soon as he spoke Raimie’s name, the entire room looked to Dina, who now sat silent, Haim’s arm wrapped tight around her. She said nothing at the revelation.
“Well I’m glad you’re all safe. And Sera, we’d be honored if you stayed here with us at Iron Gate,” Michael offered.
“Thank you sir, I will definitely consider your offer,” she replied, shooting a sideways glance to Uri.
“That’s not all,” Gabe added.
“Oh?” Michael questioned.
Gabe peered at Rachel, who smiled in response. “We’re going to have a baby.”
“What?” Michael gasped.
Mirada rushed forward, hugging Rachel and Gabe and proclaimed “Congratulations!”
“I think you already knew, didn’t you?” Gabe asked, looking at Mirada.”
“I might have,” she said with a laugh.
“You knew?” Michael inquired, surprised his new wife had not relayed the important information to him.
“It wasn’t my news to share, darling,” Mirada explained.
“Thank you,” Rachel said softly.
“Well this is amazing news! I’m so happy for you both,” Michael continued. “Do you know when?”
“Not exactly, but it should be in about four to five months time I would think,” Rachel answered.
“That’s wonderful. Mirada, do you think you could take everyone to the kitchen and see if we can’t whip up a little celebration meal?” Michael instructed.
“Of course,” she replied, the group following her from the room.
“Gabe, can you stay for a moment?” Michael asked quietly, grabbing his arm.
Gabe looked to Rachel for approval. She nodded and smiled at him before being swept from the room by the chattering crew.
“Is something wrong, sir?” Gabe inquired.
“We can tell the others later, but I wanted to speak to you first,” Michael replied.
“What is it?” Gabe asked, staring at Michael, anxiously.
“Quite a bit unfolded in your absence, I’m afraid.”
“We got that impression.”
“Baal has formed an alliance with the US government,” Michael explained.
“What?!” Gabe exclaimed, “Why would they trust him?”
“Baal is the master of deceit; you know that better than anyone. He has presented himself as a gentleman by the name of Grant Ledger. They believe he has an army of mercenaries willing to destroy the guardians.”
“Wait … I’m confused, why would the humans want to see us destroyed?”
“Baal has convinced them that all of the attacks on the humans were from us,” Michael continued.
“That’s insane, they can’t possibly believe that.”
“Well they do. Perhaps he has them convinced or they are simply going along out of fear. Either way, he has control and has set up permanent residence in New York City,” Michael added.
Gabe sighed, shaking his head, “I never even imagined this was a possibility. What do we do?”
“Baal has sent once of his lieutenants, Valafar, to engage with the human resistance that has formed in Georgia and South Carolina. I’ve agreed to send all of the Guardian forces to rally with them. There isn’t much left of us and there are a growing number of humans joining Baal’s side; this isn’t going to be an easy fight to win,” Michael explained.
“I understand sir, but you know we are all ready to do whatever it takes. You tell us where to go and we’re there,” Gabe reassured him.
“No, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you,” Michael continued, “the prophecy says that your child will change everything. Your child will become a beacon of hope that the humans can rally around.”
“What are you saying?” Gabe asked.
“I’m going to America, and I’m taking the Guardian forces with me. But I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
“The most important thing for mankind isn’t if we win or lose this fight, it’s a savior. Your child is what they need,” Michael began.
“I just wish it wasn’t at the expense of my life. I don’t want to die, but even more, I don’t want my kid to grow up without a father. I grew up like that and it’s not what I want for a child of mine,” Gabe said somberly.
“I know son, it’s not an easy path for anyone to walk. These things have a strange way of fulfilling themselves, we have to have faith in what we’re doing,” Michael explained.
“I wish faith came as easy for me. I don’t want Rachel to know, but I’m terrified.”
“And no one can blame you for feeling that way. But there is a job for you now. You have to keep Rachel and your unborn child safe, no matter what,” Michael instructed.
“I don’t understand. What are you asking me to do?” Gabe questioned.
“I need you to take Rachel and hide,” Michael commanded.
“No!” Gabe snapped, “I can’t, not when I’m needed in the fight.”
Michael shook his head, gripping Gabe’s arm and staring intensely into his eyes, “You will be part of the fight. That child must remain safe and you’re the only one who can do that. You’ll need Dina for when she’s ready to give birth. I doubt Uri will let Sera out of his sight, so both of them will come along, as well.”
“I can tell you now that Haim isn’t going to leave Uri’s side and if you try and make Sophie sit this out you’ll never hear the end of it,” Gabe added.
“I know, I know, I already thought about all of that. I assumed it would be the seven of you,” Michael replied.
“There’s no way you can fight this, Valafar, without any of us,” Gabe argued.
“I have to. There will be an army of Guardians at my side. You have to trust in your brothers and sisters. They have trained their entire lives for this moment. The five of you are part of something very special, without each other you’re not complete. The best way to keep Rachel and your unborn child safe, is to have all of you looking out for her.”
Gabe didn’t know what to say. Michael was right. They were a team. Even when they were apart, the five of them weren’t whole. Not until they were reunited had things started feeling right again. He needed more than anything in the world to keep Rachel safe, and if Michael thought this was the only way, he would have to listen. He just hoped Michael was right and it was a journey they were willing to agree to.
Uri peered over the sandy hillside, the loose earth an
d pebbles shifting beneath his stomach. Clinging to the earth, to remain concealed, he searched for any sign of a demonic presence. The evening sun painted a picture overhead of bright pinks and purples.
Haim lay on his back next to him, and Uri wondered with his friend’s heavy nostril breathing, how they ever sneaked up on anything. “Can you be quiet?” he whispered.
“I didn’t say anything,” Haim insisted.
“No, but they can probably hear your breathing three towns over!” Uri snapped.
“Seriously? Did you just yell at me for breathing?” Haim asked in disbelief.
“Just try and do it more quietly, all right?” Uri requested.
Haim rolled his eyes before asking, “Do you see anything?”
“Not yet,” Uri replied.
“This is our fourth town we’ve checked out today. I hope we finally find a place not crawling with demons,” Haim interjected.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Uri commented, going back to his spying. He watched as a cluster of people shuffled across the main street. The way they milled about, you would never imagine the world were coming to an end. They had been on the run for months, the outbreaks of violence growing increasingly frequent, and the areas across the world growing heavier with a demon presence all the time.
When they first set out, they were able to stay in a place for a few weeks before they would be detected, one place they even were able to stay for an entire month. But now, with Rachel only a few weeks from giving birth, they seemed to be able to linger for a few days at most. In addition to this, it was becoming harder and harder for Uri and Haim to scout a clear location, leaving the rest of the group exposed for far too long.
The group of people Uri watched disappeared from his sight line. Pushing himself forward, slightly contorting his body, he stretched to see where the crowd was moving. Then he saw him. He wasn’t much to look at, and initially Uri took him for some sort of cripple, lamed from the war. Then the creature’s head came in to focus and Uri realized it was that of a Criniak, a beast they had been seeing more often in recent times, since Valafar’s legions had been starting to spread out.
They had the upper body of a human, and from a distance, it appeared their legs were missing. However, they had legs, hundreds of tiny little insect-like legs, only inches long, but they allowed them to glide over the earth with great speed and ease.
Ducking down, Uri huffed.
“What is it?” Haim asked.
“A Criniak, let’s go,” Uri replied, closing his eyes and disappearing in a puff of smoke.
A moment later they reappeared in the presence of Gabe and the others. Rachel sat in the corner, napping, while Dina tended to a batch of potions brewing. Sophie and Sera sat in the corner playing a game of cards.
“How did it go?” Gabe asked as he saw Uri and Haim reappear.
Uri shook his head in response.
“All four places?” Gabe pushed.
Seeing that Uri was in no mood to talk, Haim stepped forward. “They were everywhere.”
“Damn it!” Gabe shouted, slamming his fist on a nearby wooden table.
“So what should we do next?” Sera asked, laying her cards down and approaching Uri’s side. Running her hand over his shoulder and down his arm, she pulled him in close for an embrace.
He turned into her and let out a desperate sigh as he rested his chin on the top of her head.
The seven of them had been on this journey together for nearly four months. In that time, things had changed for all of them. It didn’t take them long to truly begin to rely on one another. Uri and Sera had become close, his wit and charm had won her over within the first few weeks of the journey. She would never talk of her past, even though several in the group asked her. Everyone knew she had been watching from a distance for years when she was the keeper. Dina never asked her about her duties as keeper and for that, Sera was thankful.
Sophie and Rachel had actually become friends; oddly enough they were extremely close. At first, the friendship made Gabe uncomfortable, but once he saw the comfort Sophie brought to Rachel he was pleased they had found the bond with one another.
Uri squeezed Sera tighter. He knew for some time that Europe was no longer safe for them, and they would have to change their strategy. “I don’t think we can stay here.”
“Of course we can’t,” Gabe huffed, “that’s why you went looking in the first place.”
“No, we have to leave this area all together,” Uri added.
“What do you mean?” Gabe asked, glancing over at his wife to see if the sudden commotion had disturbed her. It had not; she still slept peacefully.
“There have been sightings of us in recent months all over Europe and Asia. Why do you think the patrols are increasing? No matter how careful we are, they’ll eventually find us. They’re looking for us here,” Uri explained.
“Yeah, so what do we do?” Sophie asked, walking over to join the conversation.
The small dim room, lit solely by the fireplace, caused everyone’s shadows to climb eerily up the walls, dancing along with the flames.
“We go where they’re not expecting us,” Uri replied, matter-of-factly.
“And where’s that?” Haim inquired, unaware what his comrade had been cooking up in his mind on their all day scouting trip.
“We go right under their noses,” Uri answered. “I say we hide in America.”
“What?” Gabe exclaimed, “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m dead serious. They won’t think to even look for us there, we can blend in,” Uri explained.
“I don’t know,” Sophie commented. “It seems awfully risky with Rachel getting so close to her due date.”
The fire snapped and popped, a flicker of gold sparks fluttering into the room and down to the dirt floor. “We can’t stay here much longer, it’s already to the point where we can’t leave the inn to even get food. Does anyone have a better solution?” Uri posed the question.
Everyone in the room peered around at one another, hoping someone had an answer to their problem. But alas, the room remained silent until one small and unexpected voice chimed in.
“I say we give Uri’s idea a try,” Rachel remarked from her quiet spot in the corner, shifting in the uncomfortable lounge chair.
“I thought you were asleep,” Gabe said, his breath momentarily catching in his throat.
“I trust Uri and if he thinks America is the best place for us to go, I say we at least try,” Rachel reiterated.
“Honey,” Gabe began, rushing to his wife’s side and bending to one knee. “It’s like ground zero there. If his idea doesn’t work, it could leave us seriously exposed.”
“Or it could be exactly like Uri says, the last place they’d think to look for us,” Rachel answered him softly. “What we’re doing is not working.”
Gabe stood, looking at Uri directly and asked, “Do you have a place in mind?”
“Yes, Haim and I would go ahead and scout it out of course, but there’s a small college town in Ohio. Since the war broke out the school has closed its doors leaving only the townies. I think it’s isolated enough it could buy us some time,” Uri laid out his plans to his friends.
“I’m in if Rachel thinks it’s a good idea,” Sophie added.
Rachel looked around the room, her stare lingering on her husband before she looked up at Uri, “Do it.”
Uri peered at Gabe, waiting for his okay. Silently, Gabe nodded in affirmation.
Rachel woke up just as dusk was upon them. The colorful sky outside their sheer curtains slowly faded into the darkness of the evening. For two glorious weeks they remained in that sleepy little town Uri had found. Rachel had even begun to wonder if the residents were truly aware of what was happening in the world around them.
Earlier that day, she and Gabe had taken a stroll down the town’s main street, little brick shops lining the cobblestone way, sweet smells coming from the local bakery, and children playing in the small park. It
all seemed too good to be true.
Gabe had even begun to relax, which surprised her. Since he had discovered she was pregnant he tended to hover, constantly, certain they were always moments from an attack. But since they came to the little town that Rachel referred to as heaven on earth, he was a changed man.
He began sleeping more than ten-minute naps. He was eating again and actually seemed to be enjoying the company of those around him. It brought Rachel tremendous comfort to see the parts of her husband she loved return.
She looked down at him, his face still mashed into the pillow, his hand tucked between his legs, his body curled up against her. After everything they had been through, she had come to accept that she would most likely give birth to their child while running somewhere. They had reached the point where they were never staying more than two days at any one location. Strangely enough, two weeks made this place feel like home.
Their baby would be here within the week, most likely. Gracefully tracing the dark line that ran up her stomach, Rachel felt a chill run down her back and she shivered, causing the bed to rock. Gabe stirred and opened his eyes with a grunt.
“Umph ...” he huffed groggily, propping himself up to look out the window. “How long were we asleep?”
“A couple of hours I think,” Rachel replied.
Gabe reached out and ran his hand over Rachel’s bare stomach, “With all these naps I’ve been taking, you’d think I was the pregnant one.”
Rachel smiled, “They’re sympathy naps.”
“I suppose,” Gabe stated before inquiring, “How are you feeling?”
“Really good actually,” she replied. “I was thinking about baby names.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, I don’t think we’ve had enough time to slow down and even talk about something as simple as a name,” Rachel remarked.
Gabe thought for a moment, then with a smile pointed out, “We don’t even know if it’s a boy or girl, how can we pick a name?”
“A lot of people pick one out for each,” she suggested.
“Oh, I see, and what do you think a good name would be?” Gabe inquired.
Before Rachel could reply there was a knock at the door.
