CHAPTER 13
The command hit her like an arrow. Birdie didn’t need to taste the air to tell that the word didn’t hold any magical intention, but still the compulsion from within herself to stop might as well held all of the magic in the world for the power it had over her. She let go of Cedar and stood slowly, searching for the voice in the dark.
Just outside the boundary of the woods, Gabriel stood, shrouded by his dark cloak and shadows. He stalked forward, his eyes just minute pinpricks of light reflecting under his hood.
“Gabriel! What is going on?” she gasped, fighting the urge to run to him.
“We need to leave.” His voice seemed almost as blank as Cedar’s face, and the lack of emotion made Birdie feel like she was in danger- as if she was standing in the presence of one of the mageaters of the wilds.
“No, Gabriel, you need to stop this!”
Her heart beat wildly against her ribs as she stood and took a step back, almost stumbling over one of Cedar’s outstretched arms.
“There is no stopping it. We need to leave,” he repeated, drawing closer still.
She ducked away from his reaching hand.
“You’re being controlled! The divine in Coastlund is manipulating you, and it’s destructive! Ammi, Cedar, Brooke- they are all in danger because of him! You need to fight back, and I can help you-”
“Quiet!”
His eyes flashed as he barked, and in his proximity, Birdie suddenly realized just what it was that she was seeing. Gabriel’s eyes were not dark from the shadow of his hood, they were literally dark. It felt like she was staring at Epictus again, but instead of the divine’s white irises, Gabriel’s golden ones looked back at her from the dark sockets, glowing softly like dying embers in a hearth.
“Please!” She begged in fear, still backing slowly away as if a sudden movement would trigger a beast.
“Let this go! You don’t need to get any more involved, we can just leave!”
“I have been involved this whole time, Birdie! For the past ten years, I have been involved. I never wanted to be a Champion- I didn’t even care about going home! Killing that beast in the woods was always my purpose!”
She raised her hands diplomatically as her mouth suddenly filled with the hot taste of magic so thick that she felt that she might be able to bite it from the air.
“They will die off soon anyways! Just let them be, and stop this!”
“Not this one!” He jabbed his finger towards the woods beside them.
“He must pay for what he has done! HE IS EVIL, and if I don’t stop him, he is going to kill us all!”
“No Gabriel! You are being lied to! manipulated!” She shouted, feeling tears of her own spilling over her cheeks at the sight of her deranged friend, and at the revelation of his lies. His voice was strangled and spit flew from his lips as he screamed, he looked almost in pain. This couldn’t be true.
“Let me help you-”
“NO, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN MANIPULATED!”
He shoved both of his hands forward, and a wall of bright red light shot from his palms. It slammed into Birdie and sent her flying backwards, knocking every trace of oxygen from her system.
“AND NOW HE HAS YOU. YOU TOOK A DEAL WITH HIM, DIDN’T YOU? AFTER I TOLD YOU NOT TO!”
Birdie gasped, sucking in power-saturated air as if she were drowning.
“I CAN SEE IT! YOU’RE NOT JUST A CHAMPION- WHAT DID YOU DO?”
Birdie pushed herself to her elbows and then her feet, feeling muscle ache mix with the fury rising inside of her.
“I became his Harbinger!” She screamed back, “I took access to his well of power so I could stop you Gabriel! And if you don’t let everyone go-”
Gabriel roared in rage and sent another wave of power at her. She tried to duck away, but the edge of the attack clipped her boot and sent her sprawling into the dust again. She was able to catch herself, but a twinge of pain in her wrist made her arms give out and her face slammed into the ground when she fell.
“WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO BIRDIE? HE HAS YOU! HE TOOK YOU FROM ME! AND NOW-”
“I am my own!” She screamed, rolling back onto her behind as her voice shook. “And I am going to kill the divine who tricked you!”
Gabrield froze.
“Kill him?”
The magic in the air grew so hot that it felt heavy. She felt her stomach seize and worried she was about to be sick.
“You really think you can kill him? YOU? You're nothing Sulkah! These are gods!" He shouted the words at her like a curse, his face a twisted snarl as he stalked towards her slowly. His hand shook in rage as he pointed his palm directly at her face this time.
"You're not special! You're not strong- you are no genius, and you can't even fight! I have been working for ten years to keep you from giving yourself to that stupid demon, and now he has you convinced you can kill me?"
He stopped, staring down at her through the horrible reflective glow in his eyes. The shock of his blow had disarmed her to the point of delusion. As she scrambled back, feeling her cheekbone throb, she felt no rush of compassion or familiarity for the boy who advanced upon her like a predator. She didn't want to save him, she only wanted to get away- to take from him the chance to hurt anyone else, including herself.
"Stay back!" She shouted, trying to sound fierce and threatening, but her voice wavered as she grasped at the pasture around her in a panic. Her outstretched fingers raked through the tall grass, desperately feeling for a rock, root, branch- something to defend herself with. Gabriel wasn't fazed at all, he just eyed her down in disgust and shook his head, his anger growing more and more apparent with each act of struggle Birdie put up against him.
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"He's using you Sulkah! That divine is manipulating you and using your desperation to get back home to trick you into destroying us all! DON’T YOU SEE I AM TRYING TO SAVE US?"
"You're the one being used!" She shouted and pushed herself up on her elbows. She dug her fingernails into the earth, filling her hand with the one thing at her disposal.
"My divine hasn't asked me to kill our friends or attack innocent people!"
She chucked a fistful of dry dirt directly into his gleaming eyes and he screamed.
"Aaarg!"
He brought one hand to his face, and swiped away with his other, sending a bright curving streak like a scythe soaring right at her. Before she could react, the powerful blow caught Birdie at her center of mass and sent her sprawling back, flattened.
Her core seized and she gasped, trying to suck in air but coming up empty as pain blossomed from her shoulder diagonally to her hip.
Once again she felt like she was going to be sick. Groaning, she rolled to the side, just in time to see Gabriel standing over her, his face twisted with hatred as he stamped his foot down on the sheath at her side, pinning her sword before she could even try to draw it.
“I did all of this for you!” He hissed, his face contorted in rabid fury. “All you needed to do was listen to me! ‘Don’t go to the divine,’ That’s all I asked! But you didn’t listen! And now…”
Birdie wrenched at his foot, digging her fingers under his boot as she tried to get at her sword.
He drew his arm back, as if he was aiming a javelin directly at her heart. When he spoke next, his voice echoed and warbled in her mind. Just like when Epictus spoke through Ventas, a second voice in chorus with Gabriel's resonated in a deep, grating magnitude that shook her deep inside, sending her blood into a terrified boil.
"YOU ARE CONNECTED TO HIM NOW. THERE IS NO GOING BACK AND NO SAVING YOU. THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS GET OUT OF OUR WAY!"
Birdie froze and felt a cold realization crash over her. Whatever this was, it wasn't Gabriel. He was no longer calling the shots. The divine within him had taken control, and it was going to kill her. She had failed. In her last moment, all she could do was wish desperately that Ammi and Brooke had gotten away.
Thwang!
A sick thump sprung through the darkness and the growing light in Gabriel’s hand died as he staggered back clutching at his shoulder, releasing Birdie to scramble back. She watched him in mystified shock as a strong hand reached under her arm and yanked her bodily to her feet.
"YOU!" The Not-Gabriel shouted, clutching at a long dark feathery shaft that protruded from his shoulder.
Birdie looked up in astonished confusion to see Ventas. His hair had mostly fallen from its ponytail, and he was sporting a bleeding gash on his chin, but he looked determined as he stepped in front of her and pulled back his longbow, leveling another dark arrow at Gabriel.
"You hurt?" Ventas asked over his shoulder, keeping his eyes locked firmly on the mad mage before him, his bowstring pressing ito the corner of his cut and dripping blood down the line to his fingers.
"I'm fine." Birdie retorted, steadying herself and looking between the two boys who now stood in a deadlock. She reached out a desperate hand to Ventas’s bow.
“I gave you the sword and you didn’t even use it-” He was saying.
"Don't shoot him-"
"-It's too late for that!" Ventas snapped, tightening his draw and squinting at Gabriel in disgust.
"He was about to kill you!"
"That's not Gabriel!" she shouted, reaching again for his bow, but he was much taller than her and he danced out of the way with frustrating ease.
"Then you should be fine with me killing it!"
"ENOUGH!" Not-Gabriel snapped the long arrow off at the base of the wound in his shoulder, leaving only a few inches of dark wood stuck deep as he hurled the feathered end aside.
"YOU ARE DEAD HUNTER SCUM!"
"Funny," Ventas rolled his head and shoulders in exaggerated inspection. "You'd think I wouldn't be standing here if I was a corpse."
Gabriel roared as he pounced, and in the same instant, Ventas loosed his arrow.
Birdie’s desperate scream died in her mouth before she could properly set it free. Faster than the arrow- faster than the oppressive onslaught of power hurled at them from Gabriel- something else joined the mix and met them in the middle, blasting them all back.
Birdie's eyes filled with white light, and the strongest taste of power yet flooded her mouth. She felt the burn of heat as a strong gust of dry hot wind sent her stumbling back once more into the brush. A moment later Ventas landed beside her, his bow bouncing away as he shielded his head and neck from the sudden wave of raw energy that sent clods of dirt and pebbles flying.
Birdie coughed and sat up as the light began to fade. As her eyes adjusted, the interloper came into focus, and she felt a surge of emotion and memories wrack her mind.
Ammi stood between them and the now fallen Gabriel. She gripped her long sword Brand with both hands to her side as its shining surface blazed with fire, its tip hovering inches above the scorched grass. Birdie felt a rushing swoop in her stomach as memories came flooding back to her of watching Ammi stand face to face with the beasts of the wilds almost ten years ago.
The grass immediately surrounding Ammi smoldered, as well as a long line to their right from where the Champion used her power to streak through the pasture like a flaming arrow, landing squarely in the midst of them. Ash and scattered embers fell all around, casting a sinister glow that reflected in Gabriel's eyes as he surveyed Ammi with a look so full of loathing that it could have melted steel.
"This is not your domain."
Ammi Breathed, her shoulders heaving from the effort of casting such a massive spell.
"Nice sword." Not-Gabriel growled, his voice still grating in her mind.
"Are you sure it still belongs to you, Champion?"
"Let the boy go, and leave this place."
Gabriel stood and began slowly trying to circle Ammi, obviously trying to get a better shot at Birdie. Ammi kept up her guard though, using expert footwork to keep him in her field of engagement and stay firmly between the two. The blazing golden fire of her blade threw his face into a violent sinister light as it twisted into a gruesome smile.
"I'm afraid I can't do that Ammi," Not-Gabriel retorted. "As you know, bonds made between a divine and their thrall are not so easily broken. The boy stays with me, and I will be taking the girl as well. Stand aside."
"You broke my bond to you long ago, as you well know. I am no longer bound to your command. Leave. Now.
As fast as lightning striking the ground, Gabriel whipped his arm and a long projectile of red shot forward like a gleaming whip. Ammi lunged, rolling on her shoulder and landing on her feet, she used the momentum to push herself forward into an attack. Swinging her sword in an upwards motion from where she held it at her hip, she brought it within inches of Gabriel's face.
"Stop!" Birdie shouted, feeling her stomach lurch with the close call.
"Don't kill-"
Ventas stepped in front of her before she could dart out. Birdie slammed into his back a second after the thwang of his bowstring sounded, and she watched in horror as a second black arrow shot directly into Gabriel's heart.
"NO!"
Birdie's shout joined Gabriel's in a harmonious warble. Ammi danced back, dropping her sword to one hand, she pressed the other one into Birdie's shoulder and held her back, but she couldn't block her view of Gabriel's stagger. Birdie watched as her lifelong friend fell to one knee, saw as he glowered up at her, the golden gleam of his irises now completely obscured from the darkness streaming down his face.
Birdie felt icy terror in her gut as she watched the horrific scene play out before her. Inky black smoke, as thick as ink, came streaming from his wounds and spraying forth out of his eyes and mouth until it completely obscured him in its mounting plume.
"Hold your breath!" Ammi shouted. The woman grabbed Birdie by the elbow and wrenched her around, dragging them both away from the massive cloud that rushed after them.
Birdie had to look away when the darkness had spread so far that there was no chance of catching another glimpse of Gabriel. Instead she focused on what lay ahead as she ran with Ammi, and watched through tear blurred eyes as Ventas led the way, leaping through the grass ahead of them. His dark polished bow caught glints of the pale morning light as it finally colored the sky above, banishing the previous night to history.