Gabriel nodded and dug his heels into the ground, pressing his body forward against the rising gusts of wind, struggling to place the disc against the border wall. With one final grunt, he finally slid the key against the wall. The wall boomed. The wind sucked them like a vacuum through the wall itself.
Chapter Eighteen
It was eerily quiet except for the snow crunching under their feet and a cool wind blowing against their faces. Clouds covered the sun, making the world around them dark and cold. They faced the barrier in total amazement. From this side, it appeared to be a wall of water.
“Freaky,” said Piper. She wiggled her fingers in the liquid wall.
Gabriel pulled her back. “Piper, don’t. If you go out, you won’t be able to get back in without this.” He held up the disc.
“Right. Thanks. Hey, do you think it’s true, what Jasra said about the Tandem Wood bringing the strongest to their knees?” Piper asked, zipping her jacket up to her neck with a shiver.
Gabriel shrugged. “I bet it’s depressing for anyone. Not much sunlight here at all, and it’s so cold. Just look at the trees.” He pointed to the gray trees, lifeless, without any leaves.
“It seriously feels like death here—like we’re at a funeral or something. Let’s find a place to camp out for the night.”
They studied the map, then headed in the direction of Malgor’s castle, looking for a safe place to rest. Soon exhaustion pulled at their steps. The darkening sky, frigid air, and stony silence didn’t help their moods, either. Gabriel’s shoulders slumped, and his legs felt heavy. He could barely even raise his eyes off the ground. The others trudged on behind him through the stillness of the deserted land.
“Look,” Piper said.
Gabriel lifted his head to see a leafless tree whose trunk spread at least ten feet wide, stretching high into the foggy sky. A small hole in the trunk’s base looked just big enough to squeeze through.
Gabriel collapsed in front of it and peeked through the carved hole. He looked back at his friends, shrugged, and crawled inside.
“Is it safe?” Piper asked.
“Yeah, come on.”
Piper and Cedric crawled in behind Gabriel.
“Hey, look there,” Cedric said, pointing to a huge boulder to one side of the hole. “We should push it in front of the entrance to keep them out.”
They all knew the “them” he referred to were gruocks. Cedric and Gabriel pushed the boulder into place. While it offered them a sense of security, it also blocked out the light from their little tree cave. They sat in complete darkness, shivering.
Piper moaned. “I don’t feel good. I think I’m getting sick. I ache all over.”
Gabriel placed a protective arm around her.
“I’m hungry.” Cedric drew his knees to his chest and rolled into a tight ball, rocking back and forth.
“Me too,” groaned Piper.
Gabriel leaned against the cave wall, drifting in and out of sleep. His friends’ words echoed in the distance. He heard Piper rummaging through her backpack, mumbling about food. He shivered from the cold, and his stomach growled, as hope slipped from his veins.
Chapter Nineteen
Gabriel stirred and woke up. His breath clouded the chilly air, like smoke from a pipe. As he rubbed his eyes, his gaze fell on Piper and Cedric who still slept. He wondered how long he’d been sleeping. With a groan, he stretched his arms, every muscle in his body stiff and achy from the cold, cramped space. He shoved Cedric’s leg off of him, but left Piper’s head on his lap. Gabriel’s stomach rumbled, and there was nothing he wouldn’t have done for a piece of his mom’s apple pie, right then and there. It had been a long time since he’d had one of those, and right now would be a killer time to start.
Seriously. How was it possible for one boy to lose his mom and end up in an imploding world—all in, like, a year? He banged his head lightly against the back of the tree, angry and feeling sorry for himself. He wondered what his mom would have said about the mess he’d gotten himself into. That is, if she’d even have believed him. She’d probably have said it was just a bad dream, like all of the other stupid ones he’d had. Who’d believe this craziness, anyway? He drew in a deep breath. The freezing air sent more shivers skittering across his body.
A low growl rumbled outside the tree cave. Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, knowing it must be a gruock. He lay still, listening to the sound of sniffling outside until it faded away, and the shelter was deadly quiet again, except for Cedric’s snoring.
It seemed like he was locked in a tomb. He slid closer to Piper, hoping to warm himself up a little. A wave of depression rushed through him, threatening to swallow him whole. He closed his eyes, and drifted into sleep. Soon, another vivid dream overtook him. His face pressed up against a window. He stared while he and his friends entered Valta, as if he were watching a movie. When they reached Shataundra, the empress stood in front of her throne like before. Gabe pounded the window, but his fists made no sound against the glass. It was useless. She couldn’t hear him.
He watched them approach the empress for the first time. If I can just tell the empress about Brent and how cold and freaking miserable we are. A knot worked its way into his throat, and he swallowed hard.
Then the empress looked right past his friends, directly at him, standing behind the glass. She sees me! He smacked his palms against the glass. The empress stood up from her throne, and walked toward him. As she did, time stopped; the scene behind her froze, everyone still as statues.
Soon, the empress stood inches from him on the other side of the glass. She smiled at him with her kind eyes. Her hands reached through the glass, drawing his cold body through it to hers. She hugged him until he felt as though he was hanging out under the warm sun at the beach. She spoke to him in her soothing voice.
“You must find hope among the hopeless, courage among cowards, and in the midst of despair, you must find joy. The evil will prey upon your every fear, but only if you allow it, darling. Follow the river to the red tree that bends toward the water, the only tree that still bears leaves. There, you will find comfort.”
Again, Gabriel tried to speak, but his lips felt like they’d been glued together. Then she disappeared. He woke to the sound of Cedric and Piper arguing.
“You little thief,” spat Piper.
She stood over Cedric, who was rummaging through Gabriel’s backpack. Somebody had shifted the rock that blocked the hole, letting a few streams of light steal their way in.
“I’m just looking for something to eat,” grumbled Cedric.
Gabriel walked over, calmly took his backpack from Cedric, dug into it, and found several crackers. He shared them equally, saying nothing, then leaned back against the tree, chewing. He told them what the empress had said, and of the red tree they should look for.
“That explains why we all feel so bad. Let’s get out of here.” Piper clapped her hands together. “I could use some comfort.”
Cedric swallowed the cracker in one bite. “Sounds kinda hokey to me.”
“Out. Can we puh-lease move this stupid rock and get outta here?” fumed Piper.
When they pushed the boulder aside, a cold blast of air streamed in. Clouds hung in the daytime sky, like thick icebergs. Anxiety snaked through him.
“Freaking depressing,” moaned Piper, shivering. “I can’t stand it.”
“Empress Malina said we should try to find joy,” Gabriel said, not sure how that could even be possible.
Cedric stepped outside the cave, waving his arms at the desolate landscape. “You’re kidding me, right? Courage is one thing, but joy, in a place like this?”
Gabriel sighed. “Well, maybe we should talk about things we used to do for fun back home. Might make the walk seem faster, take our minds off things,” suggested Gabriel. “Let’s look for the river as we go.”
“All right,” said Piper. She tapped a finger against her lower lip as they headed out. “Well, remember the time whe
n we all got pogo sticks for Christmas when we were like, six, Gabe?” She giggled. “Then we all threw up the spaghetti your mom made.”
Gabriel laughed. “Yeah, and remember all the awesome cookies my mom used to make?” Gabriel smiled, remembering that his mom always let him lick the mixing bowl.
“And, hey, do you remember when we used to go trick-or-treating? Remember when Brent went as The Hulk and everyone thought he was The Green Lantern, and he got so mad?”
Gabriel and Piper’s laughter echoed through the air. Even Cedric joined in.
“Remember after trick-or-treating last year, we snuck into Brent’s rec room and watched that scary Halloween movie?” Gabriel chuckled before adding, “Well, maybe we shouldn’t think about that.”
“My mom used to make me go as Mario every year, from the video game,” Cedric lamented. “And for Christmas, Mom still makes me dress up in a green leotard elf suit and sing at the homeless shelter. Tinkling bells on your toes are fine when you’re, like, three, maybe.” Cedric tucked his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie and kicked a stone out of his path.
“Oh, I remember that costume!” said Piper. “At least it got you the fifty-dollar first prize at Santa’s Fair one year.”
“Yeah,” said Gabriel. “Then you bought all the shortbread cookies so that nobody else could buy any, and stuffed your face until you literally puked.”
Soon, they were laughing hard, remembering the good times they’d had. Not long after, the rippling sounds of water got their attention. Gabriel dashed toward it, Piper and Cedric chasing after him. When they reached the stream, they stopped for a drink.
“See? No tree. You’re kind of old to believe in fairy tales, Stone,” Cedric scoffed, breaking the lighthearted mood they’d developed while walking.
“Oh, shut up, you dork,” Piper snapped. Well, things were back to normal between them.
Cedric pointed to the amethyst ring on Piper’s ring finger. “Dork, huh? Well, who wears birthstone rings anymore?”
Piper stepped forward, squinted at Cedric’s face, and clamped her hands around her hips. “I. Do,” she bit out.
“The tree has to be here,” said Gabriel, stepping in between them, and cutting them off. He knew he needed to prevent a war between Cedric and Piper. He tugged on Piper’s wrist and pulled her away from Cedric. “Just ignore him.”
Piper grunted over one shoulder at Cedric, then returned her focus on Gabriel. “We just have to follow the river.” Piper pulled the map out of her jean’s pocket. “It’ll bring us to Malgor’s castle. So says the map.” She pointed at the mark on the map.
They continued along the river’s edge, chatting in an attempt to ward off the gloominess. Gabriel squinted at the sky. The number of orange streaks was definitely getting bigger by the hour. He brushed the thought aside, not wanting to bring it up and make everybody even more worried. They walked, arm in arm, trying to keep warm in the darkness.
Then, there it was. The red tree!
Ruby-red leaves fluttered like a burning fire. Its trunk bent toward the river, as if trying to put out its flames.
“There it is! I knew it!” Gabriel yelled.
They raced toward it. Three fur coats, three loaves of bread, and a jar of honey lay beside it. They each grabbed a coat and wrapped it around themselves, then sat under the tree to eat.
“This freaking rules!” Gabriel stuck his bread in the honey. “You know what this means, right? It means my dream wasn’t just a dream, it was real. Epic!”
Piper laughed, but Cedric ignored him and kept eating.
They began to relax as they sat under the fiery tree, eating bread and honey, and wrapped in their new, warm coats. Some of the bad feelings caused by the depressing woods peeled away.
But Gabriel worried it wouldn’t last as he watched Piper and Cedric happily munching on honey bread. He had a strong feeling the most dangerous part of their quest lay ahead. And everything in this world, and the chance of them ever making it home again, was at stake.
Chapter Twenty
“We should go.” Gabriel stood, zipping his coat against the stinging wind. Piper handed him the map. As Cedric got a drink at the river, Piper pulled Gabriel aside. “Gabe, maybe we should hide the Divinity now. What about under this red tree? We’d be able to find it easily when we’re done.”
“That’s just it, Piper,” Gabriel said. “It’s too easy. I want to hide it somewhere Malgor would never expect … like closer to his castle.” He gave a devilish grin.
“That’s kinda risky, isn’t it?”
“Think about it. The last place he’d expect us to hide it is right under his nose.”
Cedric trudged up beside them, shutting down their conversation. They headed off toward the castle. It was midday, but the chill and the fog made it feel like a cold, wintry night. They walked through a forest of leafless trees. The land was deserted, except for a few black crows that seemed to follow them. Their screams echoed from the snow-covered hills. Gabriel, Piper, and Cedric walked until they spotted a castle, towering over the trees.
Gabriel’s pulse spiked. They were so close. Just steps from where he’d face his ultimate challenge. Gabriel wondered if they’d be able to really do it. He clutched the Divinity, as if trying to draw courage from it. Then, he untied the rope from his neck and held the crystal up. The Divinity glowed brilliant shades of multi-colored lights.
“Come on, Gabe. We should hide it now,” Piper whispered.
She walked toward him, and her gaze darted over his shoulder, a look of horror crossing her face. She gasped—the last sound Gabriel heard before something slammed into the side of his jaw, and he fell to the ground. Blood filled his mouth, and he drifted toward unconsciousness.
“Wake up!” Piper screamed, shaking Gabriel by his shoulders.
Gabriel opened his eyes. His vision blurred, and the world spun. He heard humming in his ears. It reminded him of waking up from the anesthetic after he’d had his tonsils out. His mother’s was the first blurry face he’d seen then. This time, the blurry face belonged to Piper. Her panicked brown eyes widened to saucers, so big he could see them even through the haze.
“Cedric stole the Divinity!”
Gabriel eased up, the pain in his jaw intensifying. At first, he didn’t understand her words. His head ached too much to try. Cedric stole the Divinity … “Oh, no!” he moaned, patting his neck and chest, jaw gaping, then snapping his head left to right. But it was too late—Cedric and the Divinity were gone.
“We have to get it back.” With every word, fire radiated through his jaw. He tottered to his feet, feeling woozy, and touched his swollen face. Piper grabbed his arm, steadying him.
“You’re not gonna believe this, but he ran straight for the castle. I chased him, but he was too fast. I’m sorry, Gabe.”
Gabriel kicked the ground. “He’s been trying to steal it all along. I’m such an idiot for trusting him. He even admitted that he wanted it.”
“He hit you with a rock and grabbed the Divinity right out of your hands as you fell. And, like, after we totally let him come with us when we didn’t want to. I swear, if I get my hands on him—”
“I bet he thinks Malgor will reward him, like when you find a lost wallet or something. We’ve gotta get it back.”
Pain pulsated through his jaw with every step as they ran toward Malgor’s castle. The wind sent snowflakes swirling all around them, until they were enveloped in white. Gabriel’s eyesight blurred at first, by pain and snowflakes, but he managed to focus, letting his powerful vision lead the way.
They followed the river’s edge. The river, about a quarter of a mile wide, encircled the castle like a snake coiled around its owner’s neck. Malgor’s castle towered above them, so tall it reached the clouds. Moss covered lots of the enormous, gray stones of the narrow structure. The entranceway looked like an open mouth with pointed teeth for a gate, like a bear trap ready to snap. A drawbridge loomed nearby, but it was useless to them because it sto
od straight in the air. Even worse, several guards marched in front of the castle.
Taking cover behind a huge oak tree, Gabriel and Piper caught their breath.
“Just great,” Piper said. “Now what?”
Gabriel shook his head, watching the guards closely. “I’m not sure … but look! There are four guards, and two of them just walked around the other side of the castle. The other two … ” Gabriel looked at his watch, “are out of sight now.”
“What’re you doing?” Piper asked.
“Timing them.”
They waited for what seemed like forever. Then, from around the other side of the castle, the first two guards came marching back.
Gabriel jerked his head back behind the tree. “We have five minutes in between the two sets of guards. We’ll have to really move.”
“I’ll swim,” Piper said resolutely. “It’s the only way. Good thing the empress gave me the gift of the merfish.”
“But you’ll freeze in that water. Besides, how are you supposed to get over there, lower the bridge, and get me over there in five minutes?”
“We’ll have to do it in two of their trips around the castle. The first time they’re out of sight, I’ll swim across. Then, I’ll wait in the water until they’re gone again. I’ll give you a signal.” Piper peeked around the tree. “When I lower the bridge, just bring my coat.” She slipped it off and handed it to Gabriel.
“Get ready, Piper. They’re about to go out of sight,” Gabriel said as the second set of guards neared the far corner of the castle. “Ready … set … go!”
Piper dashed to the fast-flowing, frigid river, and jumped in. Gabriel watched from behind the tree. Please, let her make it safely.
The guards twisted around and ran toward the water. One guard signaled to another, who signaled to yet another. Gabriel had no idea what the signals meant, but he figured it couldn’t be good. Stay down, Piper. A huge search light hovered over the water. It paused, then slowly panned from left to right. The guards seemed to be in an uproar over whatever they were looking for. He hoped it wasn’t Piper.
Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta Page 12
