“But only humans are allowed in Ericville,” objected Piper.
“Yes. Only humans can enter Ericville. Therefore, the gruock was human when it passed the gate.” Eric frowned. “Only foragers are permitted to leave these days, to collect food. One of them must have been bitten and re-entered Ericville, before the transformation was complete.”
Eric stared across the room. Then, he jumped as if he’d been hit by a hot poker. “That’s the only way he could’ve gotten past the gate. The human component in his saliva wasn’t altered yet. I won’t kill it, but I will catch it,” he said with fierce determination.
Cedric mock-laughed. “Catch it? How?”
“Bait,” Eric answered. “Let’s go. I will take you to safety.”
“I’d like to help,” said Gabriel. “I have amazing night vision. And my hearing is awesome, too.”
“We want to help too,” Piper said, elbowing Brent.
Cedric looked stunned, holding both hands to his cheeks.
Eric led them to the door. When they reached it, he turned toward them and sighed. “Gabriel, if you’re sure you want to help, we have to go quickly. My men are setting the trap. The rest of you, go with Flossie to the safe room. There’s only one way in, a steel door.”
“Can’t we help too?” Brent asked.
“You can help by taking care of my Flossie. She doesn’t like this kind of stuff much, and she can sure use some company.” Eric ushered them to a room in the basement at the end of a long corridor. The large kitchen had an enormous icebox, a wood stove, and stark-white walls. The counters sat empty, and the chill in the room made Gabriel shiver. They followed Eric to a steel door at the back of the room. When he opened it, a blast of cool air rushed over Gabriel’s face. Shelves of food lined the walls on either side.
Just as he was about to ask why Eric was getting a snack now, Eric reached behind some baskets of berries, and turned a small lever attached to the wall. The pantry’s rear wall peeled back like the top of a sardine can, revealing a round, windowless room. The only light flickered from several lanterns. Flossie paced in circles, wringing her hands.
Tratta jumped into Piper’s arms the moment she walked through the door, repeating “Danger, danger … ”
“Oh, dear me, I’ve been worried sick.” Flossie put her hand to her forehead. “What took you so long? Come now, and shut the door behind you.”
They all rushed in, except Eric and Gabriel, who turned, heading back through the pantry and out into the corridor. “Where are you going with the boy?” Flossie called out, sounding panicked.
“The others will explain, Floss,” Eric answered, as he pulled the hidden lever, sealing the door behind them.
Chapter Twelve
Eric took long strides as they continued down the corridor in silence. Although the hallway was dark, Gabriel could see everything clearly. When Eric opened the door to leave, the sound of the warning siren amplified. Two men waited outside with long spears.
“Just in case,” Eric whispered.
They handed Eric a lit torch, but it did little to light up the night. They walked to a raised platform in the center of town, which Eric explained was where they held town meetings. He pointed to the center platform. “The cage.”
On the center of the platform sprawled the cage. It stood about six feet high and four feet wide. A large black blanket concealed the top and sides. The open door at the front awaited its prey. Directly above the cage, a wooden plank elevated by thick wooden beams on each corner rose about twelve feet into the air. Gabriel eyed the ladder ascending to the plank.
Then the sirens stopped. The sudden silence was eerie. Gabriel wasn’t sure if that meant the gruock had been captured or something bad.
“The sirens run for fifteen minutes,” Eric explained. “Once the problem is resolved, music plays for five minutes to let people know it’s safe again. That’s our emergency plan.”
Gabriel nodded and gulped. Gabriel stared down every street and into every window with his super-human eyesight. “I don’t see the gruock anywhere,” he said, frustrated. “Hey, Eric, where’s the bait anyway?”
Eric smirked and pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Standing before you.”
“You? You’re the bait?”
“There’s nobody the grouck would like to capture and give the virus to more than me. I’m the best bait there is.” He pointed to the plank. “Go quickly.”
Gabriel trembled as he climbed the ladder to the top of the plank overlooking the town, wishing he’d wake up from this nightmare. He lay flat on his stomach to keep hidden. The two men with spears hid in the shadows, and Eric stood in front of the cloaked cage, like a sacrificial lamb. Gabriel’s heart pounded faster with each passing second until it careened out of control. A pair of green eyes glowed from behind a garbage can across the street. Gabriel’s stomach did an instant nosedive.
“It’s over there, Eric—behind the trash can,” Gabriel said in a low voice so he wouldn’t alert the gruock—but Eric wasn’t looking in the beast’s direction.
The gruock crept stealthily toward Eric, lurking in the shadows for as long as it could, but Gabriel could see it clearly. The screech of its nails against the pavement made Gabriel’s skin prickle. Its huge fangs dripped saliva as it skulked along, looking hungry for its prey.
“Eric, Eric!” Gabriel hissed as he scurried down the ladder. “It’s coming. To your right.”
No, no, no.
Eric nodded, but as he twisted in its direction, readying himself to jump, the beast lunged. Eric shrieked and held his hands over his face.
Time seemed to slow as Gabriel lunged forward, shoving Eric to the ground. The gruock’s stale, hot breath grazed the back of Gabriel’s neck. Gabriel shot back up on his feet, blood surging through his veins, every sense in his body heightened. The gruock’s panting, even its heartbeat, amplified under Gabriel’s powerful hearing. The two men who’d accompanied them spun into action and pushed the gruock into the cage, slamming the trap door with a bang.
Eric jumped to his feet, hands shaking. “Nice going, Gabriel. You’ve got quite a set of eyes on you. This creature here,” he pointed to the gruock thrashing in the cage like a rabid animal, “would’ve dragged me off for sure. Let’s get it back to my lab now, and we can do some tests in the morning. Poor thing is tortured by this virus, and there isn’t a thing I can do. But I guarantee I will continue to try.”
Gabriel fisted trembling hands behind his back. Not only was he freaked out, but he also found it hard to believe Eric felt any sympathy for a creature that would kill him, given the chance. Then he remembered Zigzag and how she acted when she’d been bitten by a gruock. Who knows what Ziggy would have done to him if Finley didn’t get her help. He closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh. He really hoped Leejor could make her better.
The three men lifted the cage onto a wagon and wheeled it toward Eric’s house. Eric radioed news of the capture. Soon, pleasant music blanketed the town.
They locked the gruock in the lab and rushed back to the secret room.
“What happened?” asked Brent. “Where’s the gruock?”
“Are you hurt?” Piper asked.
Flossie pulled up Gabriel’s shirt sleeves and examined his arms for bite marks, then checked Eric’s as well. She smiled, looking satisfied they weren’t harmed, and handed them two glasses filled with cool water. Cedric had fallen asleep on a chair in the corner.
“Everything is okay,” Eric said. “Everybody off to bed now.” He ushered them all back through the pantry, down the corridor, and upstairs to their bedroom.
Later that night, a bright light startled Gabriel from his sleep. Empress Malina kneeled beside his bed, a glowing light surrounding her smiling face as she spoke. “You are doing well, my darling. Continue to be brave. Be careful going forward. All is not as it seems,” she warned before disappearing.
Gabriel fell into a deep, tormented sleep. He saw himself as a little boy, walking hand-in-hand with his
mother. Suddenly, she fell into a deep, dark hole. She reached for him, but he was helpless to save her. He cried until he couldn’t see her anymore. He heard Finley’s voice, then his father wishing him good luck, before a gruock jumped through the air toward Eric. Prince Oliver lay sick in bed, staring at Gabriel with blank eyes as the majestic white tiger, Andimian, thrashed his wings. Zigzag stood beside Leejor, who laughed hysterically. As Gabriel tried to pet her, her eyes glowed bright green and her jowls pulled back over her teeth. She bit him, grabbing roughly at his sleeve.
“Wake up, Gabe. It’s just a dream.”
Gabriel opened his eyes to find Piper tugging on his arm. He groaned and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “I was having a nightmare.” Brent and Cedric’s beds were left unmade. “Where is everyone?”
“At breakfast. I just came to check on you and saw you punching your fists in the air, so I woke you.”
Gabriel stood up, yawned, and stretched his arms wide. He felt as if he hadn’t slept at all. “I had a dream about Empress Malina. She said to be careful, because everything is not what it seems.”
Piper snorted and patted Gabriel on the back. “That’s the understatement of the century. Forget about the nightmares. Let’s get breakfast. We’re going to Eric’s lab later.”
“Good morning,” Flossie said when they entered the kitchen. She hovered over the stove, cooking pancakes. “How are you feeling?”
“All right, I guess.” Gabriel sat beside Brent, and Flossie set a plate of stacked pancakes with butter and syrup in front of him.
“Eric’s in the lab,” Brent whispered. “He said to come down when we’re finished eating.”
Gabriel shoveled in food so they could get going, eager to see what was happening with the captured gruock. As soon as he finished, he jumped to his feet. “Thanks, Flossie. Can we go now?”
“Sure.” Flossie passed him a mug of tea. “Bring Eric a hot drink, won’t you?”
Gabriel took the mug, smiled at Flossie, and followed the others to the lab.
As they walked down the long hallway, Brent turned to Gabriel. “What happened last night?”
“It was pretty scary, to be honest.”
Cedric frowned. “It wasn’t fair you got to go without us. I could’ve captured that thing, no problem.”
Piper shot him a look. “In between naps, maybe?”
Cedric sneered. “Oh, shut up. I bet you wanna get home to play with your Barbies, loser.”
Brent rubbed his hands together and held them in front of Cedric; they glowed redder by the second. “Don’t make me.”
Cedric’s eyes widened. “What’s with the hands, Brent?” he squeaked, backing away. “Something you guys wanna tell me?”
Before they could answer, Eric’s familiar, muffled voice called from the other side of the thick door. “Who’s there?”
Brent lowered his hands to his sides, sighing.
“It’s us,” Gabriel answered.
The door clicked as it unlocked and Eric pulled it open “Ah, there you are. Come in then.”
In the center of the room sat the cage from the night before. It looked the same, except now the creature inside no longer resembled a gruock. It looked like a human man, huddled in a ball in the corner of the cage, whimpering.
“Meet Raymond Adams,” Eric said. “He’s one of our foragers. Just as I suspected. He was a marvelous man—the kind who always had a sentimental story to tell at the Christmas bash. The sort of man who saw the good in everyone.” Eric sighed. “During the day, you see, gruocks live in a tortured state, feeling sorrow and pain—not human, yet not fully gruock. He only looks human now.”
He pointed to Raymond, who gazed at them with empty eyes. “Their bodies become ravaged by the virus, and they can barely remember who they are. At sunset, they turn into ferocious, gruock beasts. Instinct takes over and they will attack and capture—or kill—for Malgor.”
Gabriel handed Eric the mug, too stunned to respond, and walked over to the cage to take a closer look. Raymond stared blankly back, as if he had tons of things to say, but couldn’t remember what they were. “We should go, Gabe,” Cedric said, breaking Gabriel’s gaze away from Raymond.
“Where are you in such a hurry to run off to?” Piper asked.
“A little place called home, freak,” snarled Cedric.
“Watch your mouth, Morley.” Brent flashed a crimson hand. “Or you’re gonna be barbecue meat.”
Cedric grumbled something indiscernible under his breath.
“I hate to agree with him, but Cedric’s right,” Gabriel said.
“I really hope you can come up with a cure for Raymond,” Piper said to Eric.
Eric nodded. “I certainly won’t give up until I do.”
They all climbed upstairs to pack. Flossie gave them each hugs and a bag filled with tasty treats as they said their goodbyes.
“Goodbye,” Tratta meowed, weaving in and out between their legs. Piper picked up the playful cat, snuggling her face into its furry head. When she put the cat down, she fed her a piece of cookie from her stash.
“Take care, little Tratta. Remember me.”
“Meow. Hola,” Tratta replied, prancing away with her treat. Piper laughed as she watched her go.
Eric walked the children back to the talking gate and waved goodbye as the doors began to close.
Gabriel shook Eric’s extended hand. “Thank you for everything, Eric.”
“You’re welcome. Now, take care of yourselves, children, and don’t go out at night,” Eric warned. “Remember—they come out at dark.”
Chapter Thirteen
When they left Ericville, dark clouds hung over Valta, looking like they’d been saving up rain for a hundred years, waiting to burst free.
“Oh, ain’t that just freaking awesome. Another storm,” Piper moaned.
“Ugh, this totally sucks, Gabriel replied, “but we have to keep moving.”
They walked back through the tall mountains, until they reached a clearing. There, they turned left, in the direction of the Tandem Wood. “This way to Malgor’s castle,” muttered Gabriel, eyeing the map. “We’ll get there tomorrow. First, we’ve gotta stop somewhere else for the night, though.”
Cedric quirked a brow. “Why are we going there?”
“We just have to see about something, that’s all,” Gabriel answered, reluctant to give Cedric more information.
Cedric smirked.
“What’s with the smirk, Morley? Something you wanna tell us?”
“No, butthead, I just wanna get home. You guys are the ones keeping secrets. You still haven’t told me why Brent’s hands get all crispy.”
“Don’t hold your breath, Morley. I guess we’ve all got secrets, then,” Brent said.
After a couple of hours, they arrived at a beach. Whitecaps crashed against the shore and rocks, spraying angry waves high into the air. Along the shore, a steep, narrow path zigzagged up the side of a cliff.
They edged up the path, which was no more than two feet wide. Piper looked over her shoulder toward Gabriel. “How much farther?” she asked, pulling her lip between her teeth. Gabriel knew Piper well enough to know that chewing her lip meant she was really worried. But before Gabriel could answer, Piper stumbled over a few loose rocks.
Gabriel lunged forward and caught her elbow. “Careful, Piper.”
She nodded once and blew out a breath. “Thanks.” Piper pressed her hand against the cliff face and continued walking. They climbed higher and higher, leaving the beach far below. As they neared the top, Gabriel’s foot slipped, his ankle twisting in a deep crack, and he stumbled over the edge. He yelled, barely managing to grab onto the rock face. He hung by his fingers, dangling over the sea far below.
Brent and Piper, who had walked ahead, hadn’t noticed him fall or heard his shouting. He watched them continue around a corner, out of sight. Only Cedric stood there, looking down at him, his lips curled in a mischievous grin. Gabriel dug his fingers into the stone. �
��What’s wrong with you? Pull me up!”
Cedric leaned over the cliff’s edge, and relief rushed through Gabriel. But instead of helping him up, Cedric reached his hand out toward the crystal which dangled over Gabriel’s shirt.
“Cedric!” Gabriel roared. His heart slammed against his ribs. He had known Cedric was trouble, but never in a million years did Gabriel think he could be that much of a jerk.
Piper came back around the corner just in time to see Cedric lean over too far. Cedric overbalanced and fell, and snatched the bottom of Gabriel’s pants, just as Piper caught Gabriel’s arm. Piper jolted forward, barely managing to stay on top of the cliff. She struggled to pull them up, yanking at Gabriel’s jacket until it began ripping along the seam.
“Brent!” she screamed over her shoulder. But he didn’t come. “Brent!” she yelled louder, panic flashing across her face.
Finally, Brent raced around the corner and gripped firm hands around one of Gabriel’s wrists. Together, they pulled until Gabriel’s upper body sprawled across the path. Cedric clung to Gabriel’s pants, still dangling off the edge.
“Come on! Pull me up,” Cedric moaned. Brent and Piper dragged Gabriel farther onto the path as Cedric scrambled to grasp the cliff’s edge. Cedric’s glossy eyes grew wide as Gabriel twisted around and pulled him onto the path.
“You were gonna let me fall!” Gabriel yelled.
“No, I wasn’t!” wailed Cedric. “I was trying to help! I couldn’t see, ‘cause of the rain.”
Gabriel knew Cedric was lying. He’d seen Cedric’s eyes widen at the sight of the crystal.
“No, honestly, I was just trying to help,” gasped Cedric.
Gabriel and Piper exchanged a look that said Cedric was a lost cause.
Gabriel got to his feet. He pointed at Cedric. “Let’s just go. You will lead the way.” He shoved Cedric in the right direction. As they walked, Gabriel whispered to Piper, “He was going to let me fall. I saw him. He was reaching for the crystal. He was trying to steal it!”
Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta Page 8
