The Prophecy (The Guardians)

Chapter THREE



Gabe wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm. He had managed to keep his thoughts on his work rather than the argument he had earlier with Rachel. She had disappeared from his presence hours ago and since then, he had not seen a trace of her. He smirked, pleased with himself and the fact that it took such little effort on his part to enrage the girl. He saw her as silly, and insignificant. Her reaction simply solidified his opinion of her.

No matter how much she irritated him though, he had agreed to watch over her until Uri’s return. Reluctantly, Gabe walked to his cabin to ensure Rachel was tucked away safely inside. He was not looking forward to the conversation that would inevitably ensue. She would want to discuss the argument, her feelings, and how they could correct the problem with their relationship. The problem was that Gabe wanted no sort of relationship with her, friendship or any other kind. He simply wanted her gone.

Scooping a handful of water from the rain barrel that was positioned at the corner of the cabin, Gabe attempted to cool himself before entering the door. He did not know Rachel very well, but assumed her behavior would be similar to most women he encountered. As soon as he stepped foot inside she would attack, not allowing him to get in a word, at least that was what he imagined.

Gabe inhaled, his hand hovering over the door handle for a moment before reaching out and pushing it open with a huff. Stepping inside, Gabe quickly glanced around, a look of surprise filling his eyes. Rachel was nowhere to be found. He looked under the table, the butterflies filling his stomach. He had not desired to have an argument with Rachel, but this was so much worse. Losing her was not an option; he could not let Uri down this way.

Confirming she was not in the cabin, Gabe raced to the door. Gripping the frame firmly as he leaned out, he shouted. “Rachel! Rachel!”

Waiting a moment, listening, he heard nothing. Gabe’s stomach began twisting, he feared initially it was one of his auguries, but instead discounted it as nerves. Clearly if something really was wrong, I would have felt it when it happened, right? He tried to convince himself.

Gabe raced to the table. Pushing it aside, he grabbed a small latch that was tucked away on the floor, pulling up to expose the hidden compartment. Inside rested his family sword; a piece he had not laid eyes on since he had hidden it away nearly a year ago. Gabe grasped it tightly in his hands as he rescued it from its dark hole. The sword began to glow a brilliant blue and a warmth rushed over his body. He had forgotten the feeling, the way that when he held the weapon, it felt like he was a little more complete, like a limb had been reattached.

Gabe slid the leather strap over his head, allowing the sword to come to rest on his hip. He turned, and making great haste, exited the front door. Looking from side to side for any sign of where Rachel may have gone, he decided on a path. Without anything telling him which direction to go, Gabe trusted his instincts and took off towards the south side of the cabin. He would search the woods until he reached the riverbed. Rachel was not familiar with a lot of the territory in the valley, so he decided he would visit the places he knew she was familiar with. He just hoped he could find her before nightfall. Though the wolves did not worry him, he did not think she would have the skills to fend off the wild creatures in their own territory.

“Rachel, can you hear me?” Gabe called out as he emerged from the tree line. As the water came into view, he remembered this had been the exact location Rachel had done her dance with the butterflies. Now that she was missing, Gabe was regretting that he had upset her so deeply. He didn’t know why he had to push everyone so far away from him; he had been like that longer than he could remember.

“Rachel!” Gabe cried angrily, consumed by aggravation about the situation.

Still, there was only silence in response. Suddenly all of the disastrous possibilities began to filter through his thoughts. Though his tiny valley had provided him with a shield from the demons to track him thanks to the copper in the hillsides, it posed countless other threats. The rocky areas of the cliff sides were far beyond stable from all the mining that had occurred years ago. They were also a minefield of rattlesnakes, ready to pounce. Then there were the mines themselves, recklessly abandoned air shafts. There was no way she would have ventured that far, right? Gabe told himself.

Gabe continued to search the waterside for a few more minutes until he decided it best to put his mind at ease and search the area surrounding the abandoned copper mines. He hadn’t visited the areas much. When he first had arrived to the valley, he hid away some of his belongings that he had collected and brought with him from Rampart, unable to give them up and also unable to look at them every day. Gabe approached the first mine. Pressing against the wooden slats that covered the entrance, Gabe yelled, “Rachel?”

Listening to his echo, he waited for a response. After a moment he moved on, by the time he reached the third opening he began doubting his approach. Perhaps she was already back at the cabin waiting for him. Gabe carefully climbed the steep hillside that led to the next mining cave. He remembered when he had made this same climb a year ago; this had been where he tucked away all the treasures from his past.

Grabbing a hold of a boulder, Gabe pulled his weight up onto the flat ground outside the open cave. Gabe saw the boards lying off to the side that he had pried loose when he first had discovered the place. They were now weathered and heavily rotted from lying in the dirt. Gabe leaned in, expecting to find nothing just as he had in the last two caves. The light beamed in all around his head, he opened his mouth to shout Rachel’s name, but the word stuck in his throat.

There, before him, on her knees sat Rachel. She was holding up a crystal looking through it, as if trying to figure out if it were valuable in some way. Startled by Gabe’s shadow, she jumped slightly.

“Oh, Gabe. It’s you.” Rachel said, pressing a hand to her heart. “You scared me.”

The memory of the night Gabe first saw that crystal rushed over him. He had been deep in the depths of Rampart, under the library with Sophie. He could see young Sophie in his mind for an instant, holding up the crystal and revealing its magical properties.

“What are you doing?” Gabe shrieked, unable to move at first.

“Look at all this great stuff I found.” Rachel replied, lifting the bag so he could see the magnificent find.

“You mean stole!” Gabe snapped, rushing in and ripping the bag from her hands.

Rachel dropped the crystal into the dirt, complete and utter shock washing over her. Without hesitation, Gabe scooped up the crystal and shoved it in his pocket.

“I— I— didn’t know. What it —” Rachel stammered, now trembling in Gabe’s presence. Unknowingly, he had allowed his anger to affect the temperature of the cave, causing it to fill with a chill that made their breath visible.

“You’re right, you don’t know anything! You always have to be meddling, don’t you? Jesus, woman, do you ever mind your own business?” Gabe snapped, turning his back to Rachel.

Rachel went from being afraid of Gabe to furious in an instant. How dare this guy speak to her that way? He didn’t know her at all.

“You don’t know me!” Rachel screamed, amazed by the way her voice carried in the entrance of the cave.

Gabe turned around wildly and leaned in close to Rachel’s face. “And I don’t want to know you.”

“What is your problem?” Rachel asked, clenching her fists tight.

“You are my problem. You come to my home, put me in danger, and then you have the nerve to snoop through all of my stuff. You really are quite daft, aren’t you? Hard to imagine one day you will give birth to the prophet.” Gabe’s words spit out like venom.

“Well I can’t seem to figure out why so many people have sacrificed their life to protect you. You clearly don’t care about anyone but yourself.” Rachel replied coolly, releasing her hands, determined not to allow this guy to elicit such a response.

“What are you talking about? Nobody has given their life for me.” Gabe rebutted, confused by her statement.

“Gabe, I’m not stupid, Uri told me. There was Raimie, or how about those Mursers who helped you when you first left Rampart?” Rachel answered with her own question.

“What? What are you talking about? Are you talking about Clarite? I haven’t seen her in years.” Gabe asked, consumed by confusion.

“I don’t know. All I know is Uri said he kept tabs on you during those five years, and you left a path of death and destruction behind you.” Rachel insisted.

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” Gabe shouted. “Go back to the cabin and wait there for Uri, do you understand me?”

“Where are you going?” Rachel demanded.

“Do as your told and don’t worry about me. Don’t leave the valley, stay close to the cabin and wait for Uri.” Gabe said, exiting the cave. Before Rachel could say another word, Gabe waived a hand and disappeared into a cloud of smoke. He gave no thought to the fact that he did not have his copper helmet; his thoughts were consumed with figuring out what Rachel was talking about. Clarite and his other friends had been alive and well when he left them. If something happened to them, it was not his fault.