The Prophecy (The Guardians)

Chapter TEN



“Pst! Wake up.” Gabe felt himself softly shaken as he heard the voice. Startled, Gabe jumped up in an instant, taking an offensive posture.

“Shhh! Jesus man, it’s me, Uri. You’re going to wake Rachel up, be quiet. Follow me.” Uri whispered, motioning towards the front door.

Gabe struggled to process the idea that his missing friend was somehow now here in front of him. He had expected him to only be gone for a matter of days when Rachel was first left in his care. Now that months had passed, there was a part of Gabe that thought perhaps Uri had met an untimely end, yet here he was. Without a word, Gabe followed his friend outside of the cabin. The two reached the edge of the clearing where Gabe wasted no time in punching Uri’s arm.

“Ouch! What was that for?” Uri groaned as he tried to rub away the sting.

“A few days?” Gabe snapped. “Uri, it’s been months!”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“When you didn’t come back, I don’t know, I thought— Jesus, I thought you were dead.” Gabe continued, finding it difficult to control his volume. He had not verbally spoken of his fear that Uri’s delay had been due to his early demise until that moment. Hearing himself say it, he realized just how much his friend still meant to him.

“Please, you know they can’t kill me.” Uri jokingly replied.

“It’s not funny man. I don’t even know what I would have done with Rachel had you not come back.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize it had been so bad having her here. I didn’t mean for it to take so long.” Uri apologized.

“No — I mean— it’s not been bad.” Gabe replied. He paused a moment as he considered just how enjoyable it had been having Rachel as a guest. “All I meant was that it’s not safe for her to stay here forever. I knew that and I wasn’t sure what I should do if you didn’t come back. She has actually been pretty great.”

“Honestly, right now she’s probably safer here than anywhere else. I’ve had a tracker I couldn’t shake. There was no way I could come back to the valley until I knew I had lost him.” Uri explained.

“What? Are you sure—”

“I got rid of him, don’t worry. I’m not an idiot.” Uri defended himself.

Gabe didn’t respond. The thought that Rachel would be leaving him washed over his thoughts. The idea consumed him with a sadness he had not felt in a long time. He thought when the time came to say goodbye to her, that it would be a relief. Instead, all he could think about was how empty his life would be again. “Does this mean you’re back to get Rachel?”

“That’s what we need to talk about.” Uri began. “Haim and I have searched everywhere for a safe house that had not been compromised. I talked to Michael and —”

“You what?” Gabe snapped, surprised by his own reaction.

“Calm down. He didn’t even know I was bringing Rachel to you.” Uri explained.

“He didn’t?”

“No, and boy was he pissed when he found out.”

“Really?” Gabe wondered if Michael loathed him so much for abandoning the cause that he wanted Gabe to have no involvement. “He hates me that much?”

“What? What the hell are you talking about? He went on about how you made your decision and we needed to respect that. I tried to explain, it’s not like I was asking you to be the protector or anything, just keep an eye on the girl while I tried to find a place.” Uri defended himself.

“And?” Gabe urged. “What did Michael say?”

“After thoroughly reaming me for being a selfish bastard you mean? He wanted me to come back here and take Rachel to Iron Gate.” Uri added.

“What? No, that can’t be. There is no way Iron Gate is safe for her. Not after what happened with Rampart.” Gabe protested.

“That’s what I tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t listen. Told me it wasn’t fair to you to keep dragging you into this stuff and do what he says.” Uri grunted, clearly unhappy with his leader’s instructions.

Gabe felt conflicted by the swelling of emotions he found himself dealing with. He had always assumed that he had disappointed Michael when he left Rampart. It had never crossed his mind that his mentor felt the way Uri described. On the other hand, his heart felt heavy with worry for Rachel. He couldn’t tell Uri that he wanted her to stay because she filled him with joy. More than that though, he could not allow her to leave the valley if it likely meant her death.

“You’re going to have to tell Michael that doesn’t work for me. Rachel is safer here with me, so that is where she will stay until you find somewhere more suitable.” Gabe insisted.

“What? I thought—” Uri stuttered. “Okay, now I am confused. What is going on? I thought you didn’t even want her here.”

“I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean I want to send her to her death.” Gabe snapped.

Uri hesitated for a moment staring at his friend. “Michael doesn’t want you in danger. He won’t allow this.”

“Well, Michael doesn’t control me anymore. You can tell him I know full well the danger this puts me in and I am willingly accepting it. She’s staying here with me and that’s that!” Gabe growled, growing more agitated at the idea of Rachel being in danger.

Uri’s look of confusion gave way to a devilish grin as his eyebrows lifted slowly.

“What?” Gabe asked, puzzled by his friends expression.

“Oh it’s cool, I get it.” Uri snickered in reply.

“You get what?”

“You like her.”

“Of course I like her, she’s a nice girl.”

Uri leaned in close, “No, you know what I mean. You really like her.”

“What?” Gabe protested. “That is ridiculous.”

“I know this look, the smitten Gabe look.” Uri boasted triumphantly at his deductive skills.

“Shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Gabe turned to walk away from his friend who was frustrating him.

“Have you kissed her yet?” Uri prodded.

“You’re insane.” Gabe added, stopping and turning to face his friend again. “I owe her, that’s it.”

“What do you mean you owe her?”

Gabe sighed, the details that led to his injuries were long buried in his mind and rehashing them seemed less than appealing. “I had to run some errands and got into a fight while I was gone. Rachel patched me up and took care of me. That’s all.”

“Are you alright?” Uri asked, moving in to get a closer look at Gabe, inspecting him for any obvious wounds.

“I’m fine, it was nothing, really. Besides, with the way we heal I can take a lot.”

“I’ll talk to Michael again, I can’t make any promises.” Uri said.

“She’s staying, end of story.” Gabe was not lying when he said he wanted Rachel to stay because he felt like he owed her, but Uri was right as well. There was something more to Gabe’s feelings for Rachel, he wasn’t sure to what extent, but knew to say otherwise would be a lie.

“Alright, I’ll tell him. I’ll be back as soon as we find a place. Be safe.” Uri said, reaching out and grabbing Gabe’s arm before disappearing into nothingness.

Gabe watched until that last lingering bit of smoke dissipated. He took comfort in knowing, at least for the time being, that Rachel would remain here, with him.