by Kade Cook
Gabrian follows suit and cops a squat, mirroring her mentor as his continuing soft words flow across her. She hears him, his message, but she still searches for a sign of the beast she knows is in there—sharp, edgy flashes of raw fear of that thing he allowed to form, massive, alert and completely feral. The recollection strikes a chord. The comparison is much like the beast who once stalked beneath her flesh. The one who tore at the binds of her soul from the inside until it escaped and nearly devoured her best friend.
Her eyes glisten as the pain shears through her with claws manifested from sin. Its edges, painted with the poisons of guilt, fester in its swift cuts, bleeding her out in endless suffering—withholding remorse for her feelings.
Seeing the dew in her eyes, Kaleb stops his speech. “Gabrian, are you alright?”
She inhales raggedly, nodding her head. “Yes, I am fine. Long day.” Fighting back with all she has left, she forces a smile. She will find redemption, she will bring Rachael and Shane back, righting this wrong she has served them. If she does not possess a gift that can do this for her then come hell or high water, she resolves to find a way to manifest one that will.
“Listen, I know it has been rough on you—all of it. And I would absolutely love to let you off easy and call it a day. But unfortunately, it is my duty and my honour to prepare you for what I am certain will come next.”
His breath hesitates, looking out beyond her reach, then returns to his instructions. “I know the ugly in this world, and so do you. But I have seen it in nearly all its earthly forms, and I need you to be able to sort through it for yourself. Find a place just for you when it comes knocking at your door. And it will, I have no doubt.”
Gabrian’s body revolts, shivering in the levels of ugly knowledge, and releases an uneasy bout of laughter. “Way to sell this whole Silver training thing, Kaleb.”
He laughs with her, lowering his eyes to the Earth, then peeks over at the small cottage filled with hope, outrageous expectations, and bits of sadness. “Yeah, pretty bad, eh?”
“You sound more like a demented cheerleader of doom and gloom than the seller of enlightenment.”
He rubs the back of his neck and grins a crooked but cautious smirk. “I am not good at candy coating the truth. I don’t want to discourage you before we even get started. Listen, I cannot promise this journey will be easy, but I can promise you I will do my best to make it less soul-consuming and prepare you for it. Help drum down the chaos and make it sufferable. Who knows, we might even have a bit of fun in the process. Sounds exciting, right?”
Gabrian laughs, wiping away the blurry Kaleb, and looks at him with clarity. His sincerity resonates through her, and she lets go of seeking out the beast he hides, allowing the friend to take its place. “Right,” she hums.
He exhales loudly and shakes out the tension in his arms. “Alright. Now that I have managed to completely bugger that up, let’s get started.”
“Hey, at least I didn’t run away screaming.”
“I am not finished yet…give me a few days. You might change your mind.”
“Well, from what I gather, changing my mind is not an option.”
“Touché.” He points his nimble honey brown finger at her. “Well, then. No sense is burying our heads in the sand any longer. I am curious to see what I can unearth within you.” His fingers air-quote the word ‘unearth’ and his mouth twists in an impish smirk.
Gabrian cannot help but chuckle. “It is no wonder you and Ethan get along so well.”
“Oh, why is that?”
“You both suffer from the same bad taste in jokes.”
And with that, the tension is gone and training begins.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Eyes of Strangers
Kaleb and Gabrian settle into a breathing routine. He asks her to relax and feel the energy of the earth around her, to become comfortable in her surroundings, own the safe space she is quarantined to. She is to become one with the outside world in order to master the internal world he knows rages within her and would undoubtedly devour her if not kept in check.
Dangers of the gifts are unrelenting on a Mage’s soul if they cannot learn to control and regulate their desire to consume, running rampant at any given moment—something he knows Gabrian is all too familiar with, as well as himself. This is a must-learn skill for people like them. The only other alternative is oblivion.
This is not an option he will allow.
In the stretched shadows of the evening sun, Gabrian closes out the brightened world around her. All the sounds of life buzzing become nothing more than white noise, a wall of cushioned sound to help guide her inward and onward in search of her quiet space.
“Search for a place that is calm,” Kaleb hums, walking through the exercise, and keeps an eye on her facial expressions. “A space that allows for your energy to slow, to quiet, and listen.”
Having learned this parlor trick from working with Ethan, Gabrian settles in and steadies her mind. All this leads to is whispered dialogue of the Elders nearby, excitedly chattering on about her next steps of development.
Throw her in head first, trial by fire, Arramus chuckles lightheartedly. That is the way my father taught me. Nothing wrong with old school teachings.
Yes, well, I am sure that was fine for you, but…
But nothing. Coddling her won’t do her any good if the wrong sorts get wind of her being what she is and all.
He does have a point, Ethan concurs. It is not like she has never seen the darkness that is out there. Caspyous and Cimmerian have made sure of that.
Douses of loud mixed arguments going both ways pollute her eavesdropping just as Kaleb whispers her name again, for the second time. “Gabrian, can you hear it?”
Oh, I can hear it alright, she thinks. No rest for the wicked it seems.
“Gabrian?”
“What? Oh, sorry, Kaleb. I am trying.” She opens her eyes and bunches up her nose. “It is just really hard with all the energy next door buzzing like crazy.”
They both turn to peek over at Tynan’s—even he can feel the lethal and abundant gathering of Magik under the charcoal roof, wondering if it will hold.
“Mindreading, right. I forgot how sensitive that might be for you.” He returns his focus on her and grins. “Well then, I guess we will just have to work harder to ignore them.”
“Apparently so from what I hear.”
“Sorry, I am not following.”
“Never mind. Inside information I just heard.” Gabrian raises her brow and thumbs toward the huddled group.
“Ah, gotcha.” He nods, knowing the Elders’ urgent desire to move her training along as fast as they possibly can. The quicker she learns, the faster they can be assured her succession and her ability to lead her people, not to mention guard herself against those opposed to her rising. “Alright, ready to try again?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really.”
“Then yes,” she huffs out, settling herself back into position, closed eyes and all. “Let’s find this internal safe place of yours so I can prepare myself to hide from the onslaught of craziness they are planning.”
“I see you have done some planning yourself.”
“Yup, you have no idea.”
“Might want to make sure it is solid then.”
“Solid as stone.”
Kaleb laughs out loud at her unrelenting thread of defiance, something that may serve her well once she can pass the final stages of her testing. So much rests on her small shoulders and her ability to survive. So far in this world, she has been by just hanging on that thread.
Pulling herself out of the chattering in the cottage, Gabrian forces herself to focus. She has to concentrate. Time is of the essence, and she needs to find part of the old Gabrian she knows is in there somewhere. The one who used to grab hold of every learning curve with a vengeance, owned it, and made it her disease until she came out victorious as its master. She needs her help. Then her life
will be hers again.
Gabrian struggles at first, but inhales, forcing her lungs to pull hard—no longer afraid of devouring the energy of souls around her. The pull of pure life does not affect her like it had before she died. At least this she can be grateful for. This is indeed a gift.
Quieting herself once more, she trails along the colourful edges of her mind and traces their buoyant hues with her senses, becoming friends with all the dynamisms in attendance. A strange zoo of somewhat feral entities whimper and growl at her as she walks by. They crave attention, unsure of their master’s strength of will but eagerly awaiting to be chosen then set free—challenging how far they can press her before she calls them back into her control.
Gabrian feels them, all of them, even the ones she cannot see. And she knows as wild as they may seem, she is the one thing they will all die to protect. She is their preservation. Without her, they are no more, and so, it is with her they find breath to breathe and light to live.
Small strands of energy light her way and wisp out from their cages. Little stings of their tantalising yet delicate ties tickle against her as she lingers by them, trying to study them from a distance and not yet engage their claim to her consciousness. She inhales the quiet calmness as the colours of her gifts settle in their cages, drifting off to slumber in her serene presence.
Kaleb monitors her face as she drifts through her mind, guided by his soft lulling commands. Her eyes shutter gently beneath closed lids, breath soft and repetitive. She has left him behind and is searching on her own, content and calm.
Her body lurches, serenity ripped from her features, and Kaleb’s own wind catches, unsure of what to do. Gabrian shivers at a cold breath on the back of her neck and her eyes rush open to darkness. All the day’s brightness is banished, taking with it any subtle hues of her gifts. She stands alone. Cold damp grass clings to her feet, and she is merely a ghost cloaked in night’s colours.
Shouting from behind grabs her attention and spins her around. Shadows of silhouetted bodies fighting plague every measure of space around a large building crested in stone. Everything is chaotic and oddly familiar. Voices and smells, convoluted with fear and hatred, stifle her in the night air, polluting it with tension.
An eerie triumphant laugh scrapes against the inside of her ear, but the words that follow it are unclear. Thunderous pounding erupts from the trees at her back. Gabrian turns to the darkness to see glowing eyes of strangers forming between the densely stalked forest. Large forms take shape, reminding her of Erebus for a moment, but this soon sheds its appeal. Appearing in waves of royal blue and violet arches of light, drones of greyish, shaded skin cling to bulbous, furred limbs—weathered and toughened, void of light and delicate life. More creep out from the folds of water draping along the shore.
Their intent of arrival is not one of kindness and comradery. It is an army of grey knights hellbent on destruction, brought forth by a magic she has not witnessed before now. They rush forward, racing toward her. Screams erupt from within and all around her as they thrash everything that meets them.
A barrage of red, blue, white elemental Magik explodes like fireworks in the darkness in an attempt of defence against the unwanted vessels of war. Blades of fire and ice erupt, streaking across the blackness. Bodies are pummelled and sliced clean through as they close the distance.
Gabrian covers her ears at the sounds of suffering and ultimate death crashing down around her. She watches as the dreary hoard mows down familiar faces, unable to move fast enough to avoid the raised silver and crimson painted axes of their attackers. Gabrian screams just as one of them raises an axe to slay her down.
But the strikes goes amiss, and she is thrust aside by a large feathered paw as its owner’s teeth dig deep into the grey attacker’s throat, crushing it easily within its jaws. The two bodies mesh in the darkness as they thrash violently, claiming victory over the other. Gabrian clamours from the cold wet grass to her feet and witnesses final stillness as the victor is declared.
“Something is wrong,” Kaleb rises from his position on his knees and leans into Gabrian’s space. Her eyes are flat and dilated beyond normality. Her breath is ragged and irregular. The ground around her rumbles, and her hands clench into whitened fingers. “Gabrian, can you hear me?” His hands cup her jaw, and he stares into her eyes, distant and locked in another world. “Come on, get back here. This is not a good way to start our sessions. Wherever you have gone, you need to come back. Do you hear me?”
“Ethan…” Kaleb yells out over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off Gabrian’s stupefied state. “Ethan, get out here. I need you. Something is going on, and I need you to help me find her.” He rises to his knees and shouts toward the cottage. “Ethan, can you hear me?”
Golden eyes turn to capture her. She knows these eyes, wild and terrifying. The large beast made of fur and feather focuses its hunt on her, making her body shiver in fear, muscles taught, and readying for another fight. “Kaleb, no,” she screams out. “It’s me, Gabrian, your friend. Kaleb, please, you know me,” she whimpers to the beast, stumbling backward and onto the grass. “Kaleb, please, remember who you are.”
Shards of pain slice through her. Caught between space, the journey overlaps, and the two become one. The creature before her grabs hold of her face, and she cannot escape its clutches.
Hollowed words pound inside her head, over and over, bellowing like a drum without remorse. Each one smashes at her skull until it breaks through to something vivid and brings her back, thrusting her at present company, back to the soft green grass and the heat on her skin in the warm setting sun in her backyard.
She jumps back, digging her nails into the grassy floor beneath to aide her escape, and puts distance between herself and Kaleb. Extreme green and golden flares of intensity flicker as his face and form meld interchangeably with the beast. He lets her, seeing the fear in her eyes and wearing it in his own. It cuts deep, beyond the measure that any word could. He knows that she knows. He knows she can see right through him and knows there is nothing he can do but hope she is the girl he believes her to be. The leader he so desperately needs her to be.
Ethan bounds quickly from the cottage to Kaleb’s aide, trailed by the remaining Elders, and drops immediately at Gabrian’s side. He clutches her in his arms and attempts to gain command of her mind—to force her acceptance of his wave of calmness into her thoughts.
No deal.
Feeling the rebellion, Ethan clasps his hands with conviction and prepares for the worst. Gabrian, still caught in the delirium of battle, reacts to his act of entrapment and explodes with a wave of massive energy, crushing Ethan as he clings to her form. The burst of energy punches out hard, both, jolting her senses, and breaking her free the last mental strings of claim on her.
Caught in a thunderous boom of voices as they call out broken frantic commands, Gabrian blinks hard, and struggles to pull her hands over her ears. Her face contorts in her failed attempt, due to the odd and impenetrable bear hug Ethan is giving her. With her soul still piecing itself back together, and returning to her physical form, she shifts, feeling the grip around her ease. She realigns focus to her pupils, clinging to her surroundings with much relief.
Ethan’s soft words brush against her ears, feeling her return. “Are you alright now, Gabrian?”
She peeks past Ethan, and her pale Eorden tutor sitting wide eyed and edgy, and studies the space behind him. Only translucent traces of Shadow Walkers imprisoning her in the backyard can be detected.
Check.
No signs of any grey monsters armed with battle axes and glowing eyes erupting from the trees.
Check. Check.
Yup, I’m good. She exhales, nodding slowly. “I am good.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Flypaper and Hope
Lost and feeling drained from the strange trip to La-La Land she just endured, Gabrian stares for a minute, letting her thoughts gather their validity and readjust for sanity’s sake. She canno
t shake the intensity of golden eyes as they dance in the darkness of her mind, the ferocity they held as they ripped apart the grey soldier readying to steal her life.
The vividness of the whole ordeal is unsettling. Dreams are dreams. Even in their fading, she can always shake away their claim on her reality, but this is so entirely different. She had been awake when the images came to haunt her mind. She had a witness. Gabrian immediately bounds to her feet in search of Kaleb.
“Where did Kaleb go?” she asks out loud, striding toward Ethan who stands at the frayed edge of the huddled Elders—eyes seeking out his familiar form among the group cloaked in a smear of dark charcoal-colour clothing.
Something has changed. The whole slow dimension of the evening has shifted, the level of intensity thickening the air with seriousness. Someone has definitely switched on the airstrike sirens to which every Elder is in response, dressed for battle. Only there is no battle gear for her, just a loose-fitting cotton outfit and glances of concern in her direction.
Ethan’s grey aura flickers, his words hesitating as he answers, “He left, said something about wanting to gather his resources for tomorrow’s session with you.”
Gabrian narrows her eyes at this. Only half-truths are spoken here. She can hear it in the whispers of his mind. The uncertainty she witnessed in Kaleb’s eyes rubs roughly against her nerves after her weird internal journey. Ethan’s strange explanation only validates her whims of suspicion about her friend.
“Hmm,” she hums but does not press Ethan further. He does have a point. If she is to be trained in all the Fellowships’ Magik then it does stand to reason that not everything would be bombarded on her all in one day. At least she hopes. Although, so far today, they are doing a pretty damn good job of opening the floodgates on her.
