Inception

by Teal Haviland

  ‘Gabrielle, I know you don’t want to, but you should try to find more time out of your human body so you are in better control of your thoughts and actions. It will help you to make the right decisions, at the right time, when you are with Lucas or your other human friends. Otherwise, you may find yourself doing things you would never consider while thinking as you are now—as an angel.’

  ‘I will consider it.’

  Gabrielle meant what she said, and she knew he was right. It had already affected her judgment. If she continued to spend as much of her time as a human as she’d grown accustomed to, it would become an even bigger problem. It was too easy to get lost in the love and contentment she felt with Lucas.

  ‘I’m glad you knew I was thinking of you. I guess I needed to talk to you and didn’t realize it. Thank you for being my friend and confidant, Amaziah.’

  ‘You know I don’t need or desire your thanks, Gabrielle. I love you. I always will. It makes me happy to be able to be the one you turn to.’

  ‘I love you, too, Amaziah.’

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

  GABRIELLE ~ AN UPRISING

  Gabrielle could feel her mood lift as if the veil that protected Corstorphine from the outside realm also cleansed Gabrielle of her burdens. She didn’t stop to enjoy the scenery this time. She wanted to see Grayson, Rissie, and her bubble-blowing friend.

  I can’t believe I miss the grape bubblegum.

  Gabrielle smiled, and the thought of seeing her three friends made her hasten to Mareschall Castle. She received nods with accompanying smiles and some “Good mornings” from Shifters.

  I don’t know if they’d be so pleasant to me if they weren’t doing well.

  The heavy wood doors of the castle opened before she made it to them. Gabrielle laughed as soon as her gaze settled on who opened them. With a huge smile, quickly shielded by a decent size bubble, stood Phalen. She looked well and exactly the same except for a ponytail she’d never worn her hair in before and the brown and white dappled arrow fletching splaying at an angle behind her head and shoulder—making her look like she was sporting some futuristic, feathery hairstyle. Gabrielle took a deep breath, knowing the conversation she wanted to have with her friend would need to wait.

  “’Bout time ye gave the invalids a visit, sis!”

  “Ye?” Gabrielle responded in amusement at Phalen’s attempt at a Shifter’s accent. She greeted Phalen with a hug and laughter.

  “Well … you know. These Shifters have a way about them. It’s rubbing off on me.”

  “Anything else rub off on you?” Gabrielle asked as she pointed to what was on her back.

  Phalen pointed to the quiver that held about a dozen arrows.

  “What … this?” She asked with a playful smile. “I’m practicing so I can really beat Grayson when he’s better, not just barely take him. These Shifters know how to shoot!”

  Gabrielle’s laughter subsided as she considered the other two friends she was there to see. Her hopes lifted with Phalen’s comment about beating Grayson.

  He must be doing better, then.

  Phalen smiled. “He is, Gabrielle … he is. Come on.” Phalen turned and took Gabrielle’s hand. “Come see for yourself. They’re both doing fantastic.”

  Gabrielle let a hopeful smile slip across her lips as they walked through the wide stone halls of Mareschall. Large, colorful tapestries hung on its walls, alternated with intricate murals lovingly painted by talented artists among the Shifters. The halls, and their art and tapestries, told stories of each of the realms of Shifters—four realms, four sides of the castle, three levels on each side, each side dedicated to one realm. They walked along the hall for Corstorphine. It was, as far as Gabrielle was concerned, the most beautiful of the Shifter realms. She glanced at the scenes of people, battles, animals, landscapes, legends, and myths as they walked purposefully to Grayson’s quarters.

  When they reached the door to his room, Phalen gently knocked. Gabrielle heard the shuffle of soft-soled shoes on stone. As they drew closer, her stomach did a bit of a flip. She was nervous, regardless of Phalen’s nonchalance.

  He almost died because I asked him to be there for me.

  Phalen glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, and Gabrielle met her eyes.

  “Not everything is your fault, sister.”

  Gabrielle let out a slight humorless laugh and looked away. “Feels like it, lately.”

  “Sounds like we have a lot to talk about.”

  Nodding but not looking back at her friend, she responded. “Yeah.”

  The door to Grayson’s room opened, casting bright light from its many windows into the hall. An older woman that Gabrielle knew as Razz stood in front of her. Razz was a nickname. No one was free from her jokes, and all loved to banter with the jovial woman. Gabrielle wasn’t sure what her real name even was, and she nervously let herself wonder what it could be as she waited to see if Razz would hold a grudge against her for putting two Shifters in a situation that almost got them killed—one being the Shifter’s leader.

  A leader who happened to be her son.

  Gabrielle studied Razz’s face, looking for some sign of her thoughts. She was not only pleasant in humor but in looks. A head full of large, loose, blond curls was tied back in an intricate half braid. It would be difficult to recreate, but the Shifters seemed to have a way with things like that, and she wondered what they could do with her own. Razz was apparently the one responsible for Grayson’s blue eyes, though hers were darker than his, and for his smile that made her eyes to light up just like Grayson’s. It was magical when they smiled, like their eyes infected everyone with the happiness contained in their bodies at that moment.

  It’s a beautiful thing.

  It was even more beautiful to Gabrielle when she saw that smile spread across Razz’s face as she greeted Gabrielle.

  “Hello, m’lady! So good to see ye!” Razz moved in to hug Gabrielle.

  Gabrielle let out a quiet sigh of relief as she hugged her back tightly. Razz gave her one last tight, reassuring squeeze before she let her go.

  “Hello, Razz. How are you?”

  “I’m quite well, but we both know yer here to see m’son. You and I can catch up later.” Razz’s expression changed to playful and quizzical. “Less yer here to do ‘im in this time,” she said, then offered a wink.

  Gabrielle chuckled lightly. “No. I think I’d like him to live a bit longer.”

  “Good. He hasn’t given me any gran’children, yet. And I want gran’children,” she said, raising her voice and turning her head toward the room behind her. “Lots and lots of gran’children. Ye hear me?”

  “It may ne’er happen, mum,” Grayson said loud enough to carry across his large room, “if I can’t find a female who’ll put up with me.”

  Gabrielle looked around Razz to see Grayson awake and propped in bed with several pillows. An authentic smile spread broadly across his face. Gabrielle felt a huge sense of relief move through her as she fought back tears.

  ‘Thank you, Yahuwah.’

  ‘I told you he was doing well, sister.’

  Gabrielle sat carefully and slowly on the bed next to Grayson. His smile grew, and he laughed as he extended his hands to hers.

  “I’m not that fragile, m’lady.”

  Gabrielle took his hands in hers, and she leaned down to rest her forehead on them. She tried but couldn’t stop the tears from pooling and then slipping from her eyes. The cry was silent, though. At least until Grayson spoke.

  “Aww … ther’ll be none of that. I’m fine.”

  Gabrielle couldn’t help but hug him, and when he hugged her back, her crying was no longer silent. He held her and stroked her hair, whispering that he was okay.

  But his words didn’t make what had happened any better, any easier, or her any less responsible.

  After Gabrielle pridelessly cried in Grayson’s arms for several minutes, she was able to get hold of herself again. He told her that, in no time at all, he would b
e back on his feet, fighting the good fight.

  She hoped he was right.

  Gabrielle could tell he was in more pain than he let on, and he was certainly still weak. All she could do was wait for the healing process to finish. She wouldn’t feel entirely at ease until he was fully recovered.

  She checked on Rissie. Her leg had been set, the wound caused by the break stitched up. Gabrielle found her on the back lawn of the castle grounds being lifted by two muscular, rather attractive, young men. Rissie joked as she was carried into the Mareschall that being injured had its benefits, motioning to her transportation. She assured Gabrielle during their long talk that she was also doing just fine.

  Gabrielle and Phalen walked around Corstorphine. Silently. Neither one seemed to want to interrupt the other’s enjoyment of the scenery. The sun’s descent was almost complete, and the stars above them were beginning to make themselves known. The moon, always much larger and brighter in Corstorphine, was full and starting to peek over the horizon into the Shifter’s realm to begin its vigil for the night.

  A cool breeze carried the scent of dinner preparations and of wood burning in fireplaces from the village across the rolling hills. When they topped one of those hills, Gabrielle stopped and sat on the ground facing the village and the setting sun behind it. Light from candles and lanterns spilled onto the streets from the windows of homes and businesses, softly illuminating cobblestones, grass, and dirt. Mareschall was within view, perched on ground far higher than the rest of the village. There was also light coming from many of its rooms. Gabrielle could see Grayson’s from where they were sitting. It had far more windows than any other room of Mareschall except for the ones that mirrored his, each sitting on the corners of the castle. They were the largest of the private quarters and were kept for the leaders of the Shifter realms. Grayson had told her that their visits were far less frequent over the past couple of decades. Phalen made it obvious that she heard her thoughts.

  “Why aren’t the leaders from the other realms visiting, anymore?”

  Gabrielle laid flat on the ground and studied the heavens as she answered.

  “Apparently,” she began, “Grayson thinks there’s an uprising brewing.”

  “Uprising? Why?”

  “He thinks it has something to do with his family being in power for so long. There aren’t really rules about it, and they aren’t officially royalty; it’s just how it’s always been. There are other clans who feel they should have a shot for a while.”

  “Hmmm …” Phalen responded . “What does Grayson think of it?”

  “That he doesn’t want anyone who thinks they deserve power to have much of it, and being looked upon as royalty could embolden them to a level of tyranny. He says that he’s considering calling for a vote to put an official title on someone as king. That way, there isn’t any question. But he wants all Shifters to have a say in it, not just the current leaders. It will be the first Shifter election in history. That way it will set up who is royalty, and from that point on, it will be law and can’t be changed. Unless by war.”

  “Ugh … no more war.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  They listened to the crickets begin their nightly chorus, spending several minutes in silence. An owl hooting in the distance and laughter from the village broke that silence between them.

  “I hope it doesn’t come to that, sister.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Let’s change the subject,” Phalen said as she popped a piece of gum in her mouth and lay down next to Gabrielle. “What’s been going on back in the human world?”

  This subject wouldn’t prove to be any lighter, but Gabrielle did want to share what she knew with Phalen. It would help, she hoped, to discuss it with someone other than just Amaziah.

  “More deep stuff, I’m afraid,” Gabrielle said through a heavy breath. She turned her head toward Phalen and found she was already looking back at her.

  “What is it?” Phalen asked.

  “It turns out that not only will Lucas play a part in whether or not the Destroyer comes into power …” Gabrielle paused, not for dramatic effect but because a large lump had formed in her throat, stalling her words—like it thought that if she didn’t speak them out loud it wouldn’t all be real. She swallowed hard.

  “He will choose whether or not he will become the Destroyer.”

  Phalen just eyed her for several moments, mouth agape, eyes wide, and apparently having as much difficulty in understanding as Gabrielle did when Amaziah spoke the same words to her.

  “No …” Phalen finally responded.

  “Yes.”

  Phalen quickly sat up and turned toward Gabrielle, her legs crossed like a pretzel.

  “Gabrielle … I am so sorry.”

  “I am, too.”

  “What does he think about all of this?”

  “He doesn’t know.”

  “You haven’t told him?” Phalen asked with surprise.

  Gabrielle shook her head, pursing her lips.

  “You have to tell him, Gabrielle.”

  A sigh was her first response. “I know. I will … eventually.”

  Phalen studied her, silence lingering longer than before. Her friend lay back down next to her, but this time, she took Gabrielle’s hand in hers, giving it a long, firm squeeze. They stayed there, looking at the stars for a long time, watching as they became brighter and more numerous while the world around them darkened. They thought their private thoughts and listened as the Shifters began their night filled with friends and family, food and drink, laughter and music. All while Gabrielle wondered if their world, the human one, and her own would survive the Great War.

  And Lucas’s decision.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

  GABRIELLE ~ UNSEEN DANGERS

  For many weeks after Gabrielle’s big reveal to the Daniels family, everything seemed to be business as usual for Lucas, Nonie, and Nate. Gabrielle thought it was too normal. Fall had firmly claimed its time; it was the end of October, and the seconds were ticking off louder in her head every day.

  She watched Lucas and her friends looking through racks of Halloween costumes, kidding with each other about the four of them going to the school’s annual costume party as Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel from I Love Lucy. Gabrielle was amazed how they acted as if they’d never learned of her being an angel or of any of the other fantastical creatures they found out were more than imagined.

  Nonie and Nate did have plenty of questions when they all got together for pizza the night after they found out. As expected, they wanted to learn more about Yahuwah, angels, and fantastical beings. But they seemed most fascinated by Gabrielle’s powers and abilities and wanted to know what Heaven was like.

  Nothing strange or dangerous had happened since she and Lucas returned from their trip to see the Elders—not even a mosquito bite. It bothered Gabrielle, but Lucas seemed to be at ease, which was both good and bad. Good because he was able to relax and return, as much as he could, to being a regular seventeen-year-old. Bad because Gabrielle didn’t want him to let his guard down—big problems still loomed.

  Gabrielle hadn’t been able to bring herself to tell him about the decision he faced, and she felt she was betraying Lucas with every second that passed. She wasn’t sure if it was better if he knew or if he remained oblivious until the decision had to be made.

  There was no way for her to tell if knowing would have a positive or negative impact on him. He could use the information to make decisions that would keep him on the path of Light, or that same information could lead him to become angry and bitter, which could cause him to make decisions that would turn him toward Darkness.

  Gabrielle let her thoughts divert to Nonie and Nate, still kidding around with the costumes. When an employee brought more options to consider, Lucas turned his attention to Gabrielle. His face shifted from ease to concern when he saw how far off she was in thought.

  “Love, what’s on your mind?”

  Gabri
elle tried to lighten her expression as Nonie and Nate cast their attention toward her and Lucas, walking over to where they were.

  “I was just thinking how this is the first Halloween I’ll be spending as a human. It’s all sort of silly, the way you all celebrate it.”

  “What do you mean?” Lucas asked as the twins reached them.

  “Halloween is the most dangerous time of the year for a human.”

  “How is it dangerous? I mean, other than razors in candy and pedophiles, what’s so risky?”

  “It’s when the veil between this world, the Shadow World, and the Underworld is thinnest. Those who live in either of the other realms have far more power that night than at any other time of the year.” Gabrielle looked at the three staring at her with matching puzzlement. “Just because you don’t see the danger, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”

  “What is the Shadow World and Underworld? What’s the difference, and what lives in them?” Nate asked in a tone dipped in exasperation.

  “The spirits of those who can’t, or won’t, move on to the next stop of their journey—meaning Heaven or Hell—exist in the Shadow World. Their unrest can make them malevolent and troublesome. The Gentry, some of the darker elemental spirits, and other fantastical beings also live in what we call the Shadow World. But there are far too many to go into—definitely more than you’ll want to know about. The only residents of the Underworld are the Fallen, though any who live in Shadows can cross to that realm if they desire.

  “One of the bigger dangers of Halloween is that it’s easiest to see the Gentry in their true form then. It’s common for humans to be taken back to their world if they see one, and the Gentry know it.”

  “Why’s it bad to be taken back to their world?” Nonie asked.

  “The only way you’ll ever make it back is if they decide to bring you back. That’s a fifty-fifty chance. Even if you are returned, time in their world moves differently than your own, just as time in Heaven moves at a different pace. You could come back decades later, maybe longer. You wouldn’t have aged as though that time had passed, but everyone you knew might either be much older or dead.