by Kade Cook
Finally, Gabrian lets go of Thomas, steps back, and smiles at the breath of fresh air standing in her kitchen. “Yes, so here you are.”
After Gabrian gets Thomas all settled in, she finds him sitting in front of the fireplace, watching the embers crackle and spark, casting a soft rose to kiss his honey brown skin.
“Are you hungry?” she calls down from the kitchen.
“No, I am good.” He turns her way and flashes her a smile.
“Alright, how about a beer?”
“Now that sounds like a plan.” He grins over his shoulder at her, holding his hands out against the flame.
Gathering two of her favourite clear bottles of beer from the fridge, she joins him on the floor in front of the fire. “So how long are you going to stay?”
Tipping the bottle, he takes a long sip and exhales a happy sigh. “I am not really sure. I hadn’t planned that far. I just packed my bag and jumped on a bus. The rest is dependent on you.”
“On me?”
“It is your home. How long I stay is up to you.”
“Well, then I have made a decision.”
“And what is that?” He laughs, taking another drink.
“I would love for you to stay for the holidays. That is, if you have no other plans.” She studies his face. A glimpse of sadness washes over him but is gone in a breath.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want you here. And besides, you can help me cook.”
“Now that I can do.”
Gabrian sighs in relief. She had wondered how she was going to pull it all together. She had helped her mom do it year after year, but this year it would only be her.
“So, tell me all about this new promotion and job you are training for. Sounds like it is quite exciting.”
“Exciting is one way of describing it.” She glances at the fire and takes a sip of her drink, pondering how she is going to explain all the special particularities of her life to Thomas. “Thomas.”
“Yeah,” he hums watching the fire.
“How good are you with weird and unusual things?”
“Pretty good I guess, I have you for a friend so—” He nudges her with his arm.
“Hey now,” she chirps at him, grinning. “No, I mean really weird and hard to explain.”
“You mean like supernatural, auras, and ghost things.”
“Yes, something like that.”
“Well, from what I can remember, my mom was a healer and helped people realign their energies. She said she could talk to the dead as well. And my dad, well it is kind of hard to describe, but he kind of dealt with more scientific things. He supported the claim there was Magik in this world, and that the mind, if open and accepting, could do anything.”
“And you?”
The firelight makes his eyes sparkle as he talks about his past. “I have seen some pretty crazy things that make you question the boundaries of your existence, so I guess, yeah. I believe there is a lot more going on then what is on the surface.”
“Good,” is all she says, sighing, and rubs her fingers over the label of the beer, hoping he keeps his open mind when it is time for her to train tomorrow.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Things to do
The morning light has barely breeched the sky when Symone is woken by a soft humming beside her bed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she grins and sits up in bed.
“Good morning, my dear. Sleep well?”
She nods and stretches her arms. “I was hoping you would stop by today.”
“Yes, well, I couldn’t miss you getting out of the hospital now, could I?”
“What? I am getting out?”
“Yes, everything is taken care of, and you are free as a bird,” Adrinn chirps, his eyes bright and cheery. “I even convinced a nurse to bring you some new clothes.”
“But I thought the doctor said he wanted me to stay for—” Symone says, pulling on one of her loose tangles of hair.
“Come now, you can’t really want to stay any longer in this drab place?”
“No, but—”
He rises from the bed and floats over to chair where the new pile of clothes awaits her. “And besides, there is something I need you to do.”
Symone hurriedly pulls back the covers of her bed, the morning chill forming goosebumps on her bare slender legs. Grabbing the small bag of toiletries from the table, she heads toward the bathroom. “What exactly am I doing?”
“You, my dear, are going to pay a visit to dear old Dad.”
Her eyes widen, and her smile vanishes, wiped clean from her face. “Are you crazy?”
“Crazy like a fox, my dear.” He grins, waving her into the bathroom. “Now, do hurry, it is going to be quite the day.”
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Wicked Grin
A light rapping outside Rachael’s door quiets the room. The sweet tender giggles of rekindled love hush as Rachael lifts from Orroryn’s lap and slips back onto the side of her bed. Hoping her cheeks are not a flushed as they feel, Rachael answers the knock. “Come in.”
Symone pushes the door open, and her mouth twist awkwardly into a knowing smirk. “Interrupt something, have I?”
Rachael peeks over at the love of her life, and Orroryn only grins, his eyes filled with his unrelenting devotion to his heart’s choice. “No, it is alright. Come in.”
Striding into the room, Symone flicks her eyebrow at the dark handsome Shadow Walker gathering to his feet. “I will give you some privacy,” he hums taking Racheal’s hand in his own and brushing his lips against her fingers. She gleams, his touch sending warm shivers through her soul.
“That won’t be necessary,” Symone says, pursing her lips. “You see, it is you I have actually come to see.”
“Oh?” Orroryn turns to face the girl.
“Yes, I am being released today, and I would like to request a visit with my father.”
“I thought you said you would be here for another couple of weeks,” Rachael chimes in, certain that is what Symone had told her yesterday.
“No, you must have misunderstood,” she quickly corrects and turns her focus back on Orroryn. “I knew that you would be here, and who better to ask then the head of the Covenant of Shadows.”
“Well, I—” The Elder rubs the edge of his jaw, contemplating her request. After the upset he was told of yesterday between Cimmerian, Gabrian, and Caspyous he is not certain about the visit.
“Oh, please say you will help me. I won’t stay long, I promise. I just need to discuss a couple things with him. Then, I will leave.”
His face lightens as he looks to Rachael. She nods her support for her new friend’s request, and his heart melts in her soft green eyes. “Alright, fine, but it must be quick. I don’t need any more upsets like the one we had yesterday.”
“Oh, of course. Trust me, it won’t take long.”
Orroryn leans down and kisses Rachael. Their lips linger in a soft tender silent vow of forever. Leaving his heart behind, he closes the space between him and the Derkaz girl and wraps his hand securely around her wrist. He looks down at Symone, and she grins. A wicked grin. Orroryn swears he can see something in her eyes that makes the hair on the back of his neck rise as they fade into the shadows, heading for the Hollows.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Into the Hollows
Symone’s heart pounds as she walks along the corridor. She squirms, waiting for Orroryn to address the Guardian of their appearance in the Hollows.
Be a good girl, Symone. No need to fret. It will be a quick in and out, he whispers to her, inside her head. I only need a moment to do what I need to do. Adrinn’s voice echoes from the place his essence is neatly tucked inside her mind.
She nods nervously, but no one notices. Orroryn turns. “This way,” he says, and she follows behind him.
“Make it quick, I don’t know how long I can stand to be here,” she mumbles under her breath.
; “Sorry, did you say something?” Orroryn asks over his shoulder, continuing on his way.
“Um, no, nothing.”
“Hmm,” is all he says, facing back to his front.
She forces a smile, striding behind, and tries to keep up. Peering into the open cages filled with the Realm’s most wanted criminals, she wonders what they did to get put here. A few more steps, and she stands before her father. Symone’s hands clench as she tries to hide her displeasure of being here. Cimmerian looks up from his book to see Orroryn and greets him with a smile, but his mouth drops as soon as the girl appears from behind the large Schaeduwe, stepping out into the light.
“Hi, father,” she grunts. “I have come to see you.”
Tears fill Cimmerian’s wide eyes, and he rushes to his feet, letting the book drop haphazardly on the bed. “Symone.”
“I will leave you now,” Orroryn announces, just before he disappears.
Cimmerian only glances quickly at the Elder and reaches out to touch her face. “You look well,” he hums, taking her in. She looks so much better than the last time he had been allowed to visit.
Just keep him talking. Let him blather on, but mind your tongue. I can’t have you being escorted out of here before I return. Although, I must say, starting an uprise here in the Hollows would be quite fun. Her body shivers as the hitchhiker takes his leave from her form.
“Come sit down,” Cimmerian says, noticing the quake in his daughter’s slender form. He clears away the book back to his table and ushers the girl to the bed. “I had no idea you had been released, I would have requested to come help you.”
Symone looks around, sporting a bored look on her face, and hopes Adrinn does not take too long. There is only so much of her father’s bland prattling she can take.
Adrinn floats unseen through the rows of incarcerated souls, and peers into each and every cell. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Three rows down, he stops, and grins, slipping inside the cell. His eyes narrow on the ex-Hydor Elder still tucked beneath his covers as he sleeps.
“Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead.”
Caspyous stirs, hearing the voice in his cell. Blinking away the sleep, he rubs his eyes. The translucent form of the man who stole Cera and killed his father leers down at him. “You,” he croaks out, “but how?”
“Well, I can’t very well tell you all my secrets. You might snitch on me, but I doubt after I am done with you that that will be an issue. I hear you are trying to take away what is mine again. Well, we can’t have that now, can we?”
Caspyous jolts upright in his bed, his eyes wide and searching the shadows behind Adrinn’s translucent form. “Listen if this is about that girl—”
“That girl is mine and Cera’s daughter. You remember her, don’t you? My Cera. And as for Gabrian, I won’t let you destroy her future like you tried to with mine. She might be above destroying you, but I can assure you that I am not.” An eerie ring of fire dances around his irises and a grin melts into pure hatred on Adrinn’s lips. “Let’s have some fun, shall we?”
Symone taps her foot on the floor as Cimmerian explains to her the events that took place yesterday. Caspyous had been taken on a tour of the shadows in a swift reminder of where inmates of the Hollows go when they do not conform to the rules—the black parts where only the dark souls are kept. She yawns and watches the opening of the cell for any traces of Adrinn.
Screams echo through the halls. On and on they continue, filling the Hollows. Inmates gather in the space between the rows as Shadow Walkers appear from within the Veil, hurrying to quiet the disruption. A familiar form of energy fills her mind, and she grins, missing his presence.
Alright, love, time to go.
Her eyebrow flicks as she rises from the bed and turns to her father. “I need to go.”
“Yes, of course.” Cimmerian rises and searches the hallway. “Ask Orroryn to take you home. Everything has been prepared.”
Moments later, Orroryn’s large form slices through the crowd of inmates as they hover the halls, chattering, and eager to get the girl out. “Visiting time is over. Time to leave.”
“What is going on?” Cimmerian asks, seeing the frustration in his friend’s eyes.
“It is Caspyous,” Orroryn frowns. “I think he has gone mad.”
Now that is truly music to my ears, Adrinn sings inside of Symone’s head, making her grin. Let’s celebrate.
Chapter Seventy
Coffee Grinds and Compulsion
Gabrian rises to the sound of gurgling, coffee already brewing in her machine from downstairs. Her mouth curls into a smile, feeling the slow wave of happiness drift over her. Lifting up on her side, she checks the timekeeper barely visible on her wall, and bunches her brow, wondering what on earth Tynan is doing in her kitchen so early.
Pulling her robe over her fuzzy giraffe pajamas, she slips on her slippers and trudges toward the smell of heaven. Hitting the bottom stairs, she stops abruptly at the sight of Ethan grinning from ear to ear at a tall familiar form standing at her kitchen counter.
That is not Tynan, she puzzles just as the remembrance of Thomas’ arrival last night surfaces in her sleepy brain. Gabrian steps out into the dim light of the morning and twists her brow, grumbling, “Good morning.”
The two men turn to her and cheer a merry good morning back to her. Gabrian cannot help but smile as she weaves her body between the two overgrown boys and grabs a cup full of coffee. She feels groggy but good. As the warm coffee dances over her tongue, she begins to welcome the day. Not sure if it is the arrival of Thomas to fill the void in her home, or the letting go of demons yesterday, all she knows is that the heavy weight has been lifted and a bounty of peace settles in her soul.
“What brings you so early in the morning? Did you fall out of bed?”
Ethan flashes Gabrian a fake disapproving look but waves her away. “Not quite. I have been to the Cov…the office.”
The sleep vanishes from Gabrian’s eyes. “Oh?”
Ethan glides an arm around her to herd her away. “It is about Caspyous.” She grinds her teeth at the sound of his name. Folding her arms across her chest, she narrows her eyes at him. “Something has happened. He has suffered some kind of mental breakdown—one of the worst cases I have ever seen—and has been removed from the open part of the...facilities to a more secure location.”
Gabrian hears the words, hollow in her ears, but that is all. She wants to feel something, but she cannot find even a small glimpse of sadness for this man. Any resemblance of compassion for him had been murdered in the Hollows that day, buried deep within the Shadows where she left it. Inhaling a deep breath, she purses her lips and gives Ethan a quick nod. The ghosted burn of the white knife tingles in her palm and her stomach flutters remembering how good it felt as she held it to his throat. “Pity.”
Ethan pats her on the shoulder, understanding where she is. He knows the walls that he has built himself in order to keep going. “Yes, well. I just thought you should know.”
“Thank you,” is all she can say.
“Of course,” he says, flashing a meager smile, and turns back toward the kitchen counter. “And, I wanted to let you know that I am officially on vacation from the office and decided to stop by with a holiday treat.” He grins, pointing at the bag of grounds from the Coffee Hound sitting beside the machine.
The heaviness in the room evaporates. Any thought of Caspyous is expelled from her existence, and she welcomes the freedom of it. “Oh, you are my hero. Thank you, Ethan.”
“Although, I was a bit surprised when this handsome young man greeted me at the door.”
A slight flush washes across both men’s faces and Gabrian grins, wondering why had she not noticed this connection before. “Yes, I got a big surprise last night, and I have convinced him to stay for the holidays.”
Ethan glances at Thomas, his eyes pinching at the edges as his smile widens. “So, I have heard.”
“Ethan has invited me to spend the day touring th
e area with him if we don’t have any plans.”
Gabrian’s eyes light up as she cheers, “That is perfect.” She can avoid explaining everything to Thomas about the Magik, at least for another day, until she can come up with a way to let him in easy. “Thank you, Ethan.”
Worst case, if he freaks out, there is always compelling the crap out of his memory.
Chapter Seventy-One
No Rest for the Wicked
Everything about Gabrian’s world over the next couple of days just seems to fall into place. Ethan has spent the days with Thomas while she trains, keeping her from having to explain the supernatural smorgasbord taking place in her snowy backyard, and Matthias has stopped pouting about her having a male friend stay in her home. Not that it is any of his concern anyway, but she knows that he is jealous. If he only knew what she could see developing, he would welcome the tan visitor with open arms.
Gabrian wakes to a bright and cheery Saturday morning. She glances at the dim light drifting into her window as a gentle cascade of snow falls like feathers just outside. Thomas and Ethan had stayed late last night to help her put up the decorations for the holiday, and it had been a joyous occasion, but now, lying in bed while the house lies quiet in the still of morning light, her mind drifts to the year prior.
Her heart sinks just a bit, feeling the loss of two special souls that will not be joining her this year. She lies silent in the memories of her mom and dad, and how much they loved the holidays. With all the strange and unusual things she has experienced, she chuckles and thinks, Who knows, maybe Santa Clause is even real here too.
