The Prophecy (The Guardians)

Chapter NINETEEN



Pacing the length of the room, dodging pieces of furniture as he did so, Gabe studied the squares in the stone floor. Anxiety over the wellbeing of Rachel’s brother consumed him. Haim had been gone for several hours on a mission to retrieve the boy. Too frightened things would not turn out as he hoped, Gabe kept the plan a secret from Rachel. She already felt like she had lost him once, he did not want to give her hope, only to then take it away.

The scenarios ran through his mind, the countless possibilities, perhaps the boy was home, visiting his aunt when the attack occurred. What if Baal already knew he was away at college? If that was the case, what if they beat Haim there? Was is a trap, would it be an ambush? Gabe squeezed his eyes tightly shut, attempting to push the questions aside. As hard as he tried though, he couldn’t quit thinking of Haim and wishing he was there, watching his friend’s back.

That wasn’t an option for Gabe, not anymore. His only priority now was protecting Rachel; he was not willing to leave her side, to leave her safety in anyone else’s hands. Being here however, made him feel helpless.

Much to his relief, earlier in the evening when Gabe had returned to the room where Sophie had confessed her feelings, he found it empty. He now had a sanctuary, a place where he could examine maps, plan out a route for him and Rachel as they attempted to hide from Baal and his armies. A place where he didn’t have innumerable eyes peering at him, wondering how he could have run years ago, abandoning his calling, and leaving his friends to fight for themselves.

His thoughts darted briefly to Sophie, his skin growing hot in the moment. The confident and snide way she had blurted out that his wedding with Rachel would never happen left him reeling. He could understand her still having lingering feelings for him, but to just assume they would still be together, even after knowing he was to marry another, nearly made him blind with anger.

Gabe did take a measure of comfort in knowing that Uri finally seemed to get it. He understood what he had with Rachel, that she made him whole, made him find a contentment that had always escaped him.

Meeting Rachel was almost like waking up for Gabe. All the fuzziness and insecurities of his place in the world fell away. The clouds parted and the dark fields were now filled with yellow blossoms. He found himself more willing to put himself out there, no longer afraid of being hurt.

He didn’t give putting his life on the line to protect Rachel a second thought. Even though he knew he might perhaps be bringing about his own end by marrying the very woman who was destined to give birth to the prophet, he didn’t care. None of it mattered to him, except being with her.

The prophecy he had been avoiding for the past five years was staring him in the face, yet he felt no hesitation. Didn’t Sophie understand that it would have been easier for him to love her, to just stay with his friends, giving up any future with Rachel? Gabe didn’t want the easy path, he didn’t want to go back to what he had. He wanted Rachel.

“Gabe!” Haim’s voice filled the room. The man rushed in, stopping and standing before his friend. Gabe had been surprised by the physical changes when he first saw Uri, but Haim was shocking in a different way. He was still tall, towering above him, but his physique had not changed much. Haim had always been a large and muscular fellow. The biggest change Gabe noticed in his appearance when he first saw him again was the full and lush beard he proudly wore. Gabe could grow some handsome stubble, but nothing that could rival the behemoth facial growth Haim touted.

“What happened? Did you find him?” Gabe gasped.

“Bring him in.” Haim called over his shoulder. A plump girl, with wiry blonde hair entered, clad from head to toe in body armor. Behind her she pulled a boy, perhaps nineteen years in age at most. He wore a gray hoodie; the color of his hair was dark, like a raven. His nose was large, his jaw line sharp, and his head hung low. Gabe didn’t think there was much resemblance to the woman he loved so dearly until the boy looked up.

There he was, looking in to the exact same eyes that peered back at him when he was with Rachel. Oversized and brown, full of innocence and empathy. Gabe could see the boy was confused and afraid, he could only imagine what this felt like for him.

“You must be Damon.” Gabe said at last.

“How do you know my name?” the boy asked, the full sized woman retaining a tight grip on his arm. It was clear Damon had not been eager to go along with them.

“Please, release him.” Gabe instructed.

Pushing the boy forward into the room, the warrior woman did as she was instructed. Gabe flashed a look of disappointment at her before adding in a tone that relayed his feelings, “Thank you, can we be alone?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sir, this one is a runner.” The warrior woman glared at Damon as she spoke.

“And where do you presume he will run?” Gabe asked, a clever smile displayed on his lips.

“Come on, out.” Haim commanded, turning to exit the room and dragging his comrade along behind him. A moment later, Gabe and Damon were alone in the room.

“I’m sorry if she was rude to you. Some of the folks around here are— well, they’re not exactly what I would call skilled when it comes to communication. They have been trained for battle, not diplomacy; I hope they weren’t too horrible though.” Gabe offered.

“Where am I? Why am I here?” Damon replied, uninterested in Gabe’s apologies.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Let’s sit, shall we?” Gabe offered, motioning to two nearby seats. Damon watched Gabe cautiously, allowing his host to sit first, glancing towards the entry way a few times.

“Damon, you can leave, but honestly, there’s nowhere to go. You might as well get some answers.” Gabe said, not even looking at the boy as he spoke.

“How?” Damon gasped. He couldn’t comprehend how this stranger knew he was contemplating fleeing without even looking in his direction. Quickly the boy decided answers would be the most help to him at this point. Walking around, refusing to take his eyes off his host, Damon sat across from Gabe.

“So, what is this place?” Damon pushed.

“The facility we’re at is called Iron Gate. It has been here for hundreds of years.” Gabe explained.

“I don’t understand. Why am I here? These goons come and tell me I need to come with them, no explanation. Then they throw me up on — I don’t even know what that thing was, but it wasn’t natural. It flew!” Damon cried.

Gabe smiled, remembering how it felt when he first witnessed all the fantastic things this world had to offer. “Slow down, alright. Don’t worry, I’ll answer any questions you might have. That creature you flew here on was called an Alicorn. They have been the friends of Guardians for a very long time. Think of them like a cross between a Unicorn and a Pegasus.”

“What? Are you mad?” Damon snapped, unable to process the information being given to him.

“Trust me, riding on them is a much better option than transporting. Haim was actually very kind choosing to bring you back that way. And I bet I know your next question. Who are the Guardians?”

Without a word Damon affirmed with a nod, doing his best to not reveal he was frightened of what was being revealed to him.

“I’m a Guardian, my friends you met are Guardians, there are many of us, and our job is to protect humans, like yourself, from evil.” Gabe continued.

“You’re not human?”

“Well, part of me is, the other part is guardian angel. Did you hear about the attack on High Point last night?” Gabe inquired.

“Yes, of course, everyone did. I’ve been trying to reach my aunt ever since I saw it on the news, but she isn’t answering. The campus was on lock down, I was waiting for it to be lifted so I could go find her. That’s when those two came in and got me.” The distain in his voice made Gabe chuckle, he could only imagine how the initial encounter must have played out with this spirited young man.

“The attack at High Point was predicated by demons.” Gabe continued.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You can’t expect me to believe this stuff.”

“I know it seems hard to accept, but I’m telling you the truth.”

“And why exactly has nobody seen these demons until now?” Damon argued.

“They have. Throughout history you can see instances where both demons and angels have revealed themselves to humans at one time or another.”

“I’m not listening to this insanity.” Damon growled, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

“Well, the history books are full of things that can’t be explained. How do you think myths and legends start? People can’t always explain what they don’t understand, they may call us something else as a result, but it doesn’t change who we are.”

“I don’t believe you.” Damon replied flatly.

Gabe smiled. He had been the same way when he first met Uri. Gabe caught sight of a cut on the boys hand, the blood had long since dried, and he imagined it had happened in the scuffle with Haim and his lady friend. Without a word, Gabe reached out and hovered one hand over the wound. Damon stared in horror, unsure what to expect. Much to his surprise, Damon’s hand went warm. Glancing down to it, he could see a blue glow emanating from the center of Gabe’s palm. In the next moment the wound was gone.

“What are you doing?” Damon cried pulling away.

“Look.” Gabe instructed simply.

“What?” Damon asked confused.

“Your cut, look at your cut. Well, what was your cut.” Gabe answered.

Damon did as he was told. It appeared the wound had closed. Licking his thumb and rubbing away the blood stains vigorously, he did indeed confirm there was no trace of the gash that had been their only seconds ago.

“What are you?” Damon cried, pushing himself further back in the chair.

“I know, it’s a lot to take in.” Gabe continued, reaching out and touching the boy on the arm, using his skills to calm him. “It’s like I was telling you, we’re Guardians. I have the ability to heal, which I must say, I am rather good at. We all actually have abilities, some more than others. A lot depends on our bloodlines, as well as our training.”

“But— it can’t be.” Damon insisted, his tone now desperate as he tried to make sense of everything he had seen that night.

“I know it’s hard to accept, but it’s all real.”

“I don’t understand, why are you trying to hurt us?”

“That’s what you think we’re trying to do? Damon, you have it all wrong.” Gabe insisted.

“You guys came into my dorm and kidnapped me. My home was burnt to the ground and my aunt is probably dead. How can you say you’re not trying to hurt us?”

“What happened in High Point was not the Guardians. You need to understand the difference between us. The demons are not supposed to interfere with humans, so I can’t explain what happened at High Point. Don’t get me wrong, there is always the occasional demon stepping out of line, but nothing ever like this. What happened at High Point was an organized attack and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it.”

“So my aunt is dead?” Damon asked, still unsure about what he was being told, but desperate to know about his family.

“Honestly, I don’t know. We’ve been looking for her, but we haven’t been able to locate her, at least not yet.” Gabe explained, not willing to confirm the horrible news. “We won’t give up until we know either way, alright?”

Gabe watched as Damon processed everything, he saw his look shift suddenly. “Wait, I don’t understand, why would you all care about me or my aunt? Why are we so important?”

“We think High Point was chosen to send a message.”

“What? This is not making sense!” Damon exclaimed, frustrated.

Gabe knew the easiest way for Damon to make sense of any of it would be to have Rachel help, “You have a sister named Rachel?”

“How did you know that?” Damon asked.

Gabe smiled, waiting to make sure he chose his next words carefully.

Damon did not wait for him to speak. He added, “I had a sister.”

Gabe sat back. Even though he knew Rachel was alive, to hear someone refer to her in such a way sent a chill through his body. “What do you mean?”

“She disappeared a while ago. The cops don’t have any leads. They told my aunt chances are she’s already dead.” Damon explained. “My aunt wouldn’t accept it, but I knew better. Rachel wouldn’t do that to us, to me, if she was alive, she would have found a way to get word to me.”

“Perhaps it wasn’t that easy.” Gabe suggested.

“No, Rachel wouldn’t have let anything get in her way.” Damon insisted.

Taking a deep breath, Gabe prepared himself for the reaction of his next statement, “She’s not dead.”

“What? That’s not funny.” Damon snapped, annoyed by the hope this stranger seemed to be trying to dish out to him.

“No, it’s not funny—but she’s not dead, Damon. She’s here.”

Damon gasped, his eyes growing twice their normal size, “What are you talking about? That’s impossible.”

“Before tonight, would you have said flying unicorns were impossible?” Gabe questioned.

“Where is she?” Damon exclaimed.

“She’s in the infirmary, sleeping. Don’t worry, she’s fine, she’s just getting some rest.”

“Has she been here the entire time she was missing?” Damon asked, trying to figure out what exactly he found himself in the middle of.

“No, but she has been with me at my home. I’ve been protecting her from those things that attacked High Point.” Gabe explained.

“Wait, I’m confused, why would those things be after my sister?”

“It’s kind of a long story, but they know that she is very important to the future of mankind.” Gabe answered.

“Rachel? No there’s been some sort of mistake.”

“There’s no mistake.”

“How is she so important?” Damon persisted.

“It’s complicated.”

“Well un-complicate it,” Damon demanded.

Gabe hesitated for a moment; he knew how crazy the truth would sound. In the end he decided he needed to be honest with him, “She will be the mother of a great prophet.” Gabe offered.

“That’s insane, what are you talking about? That doesn’t even make sense.”

“The demons know how important her child will be to the cause.”

“But wait— she’s not pregnant.”

“You’re right, she’s not. You have to understand something, this is only one possible future for her. The choices she makes will determine her path. It doesn’t matter though, the demons want no chance of that future coming to pass, so they want to kill her and eliminate the possibility.”

“Do you realize how crazy you sound? I can’t believe Rachel would willingly stay with you people. I want to see my sister.”

“Damon, I will take you to your sister, but first there is something I must tell you.”

“So tell me.”

“My name is Gabe Harwood—”

“Good for you.”

“Will you just listen to me for a minute kid? My name is Gabe Harwood, I’m a Guardian and I’m in love with your sister. I’m going to marry her.”

Damon didn’t speak; the look on his face was blank. The awkward silence lingered between them for a bit until at last he spoke, “I’m sorry, let me see if I’ve got this straight. First a couple of guys come and kidnap me from school, and then you tell me that my aunt may be dead, killed by some demons. Let’s see, then there’s my dead sister, who you say is in fact not dead, but instead, the girl I have known my entire life, the one who has never had a single, successful, long lasting relationship, is getting married to you, a freakish half breed guardian angel who fights these so called demons. Does that about sum it up?”

“Yup, seems like you’ve got a pretty good handle on things.” Gabe answered. He could see that Damon and Rachel had similar personalities.

“Alright, I’ve had enough of this. If you have my sister like you say you do, I want to see her, now!” Damon demanded.

“Of course. She’s sleeping right now, but we can wake her if you prefer.”

“Yeah, I prefer.”

Gabe stood, motioning for Damon to follow. As they walked towards the room Rachel was resting in, Gabe continued explaining the situation to Damon, who listened silently, taking in all of the unbelievable details. He explained about how Rachel had first come to him, about her saving his life and nursing him back to health, and about the wedding in a few days. Gabe assumed the boy didn’t believe most of what he was telling him, he knew he wouldn't have. Only seeing it with his own eyes would make him accept the truth.

“In here, Rachel is being watched over by a friend, Dina.”

“But she’s alright?” Damon confirmed.

“Oh yes, of course. If you only believe one thing I say, please let it be that I would never let anything happen to your sister. I love her, with everything in me.” Gabe added.

“That’s what you say.” Damon replied in disbelief.

“She’s right over here.” Gabe knew he would have to show him how he felt about Rachel, and telling him meant nothing.

Gabe’s heart melted when Rachel came into view, she was still fast asleep. He marveled at how perfect and angelic she appeared to be while she slumbered.

“Oh my God, it is her.” Damon gasped. He took off in a full sprint towards his sister. Pulling her up into his arms, he squeezed with all his might, never wanting to let her go. He moaned, “Rachel, it’s you, it’s really you. I thought you were —. Oh thank God, it’s really you, Rachel.”

Gabe approached, coming to a stop just above his beloved. Rachel stirred from her deep, drug induced sleep. Wiping the corner of her mouth and rubbing her eyes, she attempted to push away the grogginess.

“Damon, is that you? It is you!” Rachel squealed. Pushing him back, at last she looked at him from head to toe, examining him for any injuries. “Wait, I don’t understand. How are you here?”

Gabe was happy to explain the reunion. “Haim has been keeping tabs on your little brother here. When he mentioned he was off at college, I immediately sent him out to retrieve Damon. I figured what better wedding present could I give you than him here, safe.”

“Oh, Gabe, it’s marvelous. Thank you so much.” Rachel exclaimed, reaching up for Gabe’s embrace.

“Seriously? This wedding stuff is true?” Damon inquired.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything.” Rachel began. And she did, the trio talked all night. Sharing stories of how Gabe and Rachel fell in love, who exactly the Guardians were, what they were capable of, and what they were up against. Gabe saw the beginnings of his new family that night. A family that filled him with a warmth he had not known in far too long.