Gabriel descended the stairs the next morning, looking around. “Is Joan up, Mrs. Hudson? I saw she wasn’t in her room.”

“She’s been up for an hour or so.” Mrs. Hudson told him. “She ate a quick breakfast, and then went out for a hike. Although I noticed she seemed a little lost in thought…”

“She went out by herself?” Gabriel frowned.

“Well, I’m very clearly not with her, and neither are you.” the housekeeper laughed a little.

“She oughtn’t have gone out by herself.” The elf shook his head, but sat at the table, not immediately worried. “It may not be safe out. I would give it another day or so before I would deem it safe to venture out, even into the woods around here.”

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Mrs. Hudson said, “But have some breakfast, and if you’re still worried, then go look for her, by all means! She hasn’t been gone very long. Besides, I’m sure she would enjoy your company.”

“I certainly enjoy hers.” Gabriel said softly.

“Have you ever considered marrying her?” The dear old housekeeper asked him, smiling kindly.

“Wouldn’t you know that the thought had crossed my mind?” Gabriel smiled as he accepted the plate of biscuits, bacon, and scrambled eggs that she handed him. “There is a ring that’s an heirloom in my family. I…wrote to my father, and asked him to send it a few weeks ago. It’s at Cooke Street, right now…I hope no one takes it. But I do intend to propose to her with it, someday. I…would very much like to be married to her.”

“Ah, I see.”

“And…and I hinted at a similar situation last night, as she tended to my wings...perhaps that’s why she was so thoughtful this morning. I hope I didn’t upset her, somehow.”

“She didn’t seem upset, just pensive.” Mrs. Hudson assured him.

“I hope so.” Gabriel sighed, and began to devour his breakfast.

--

The woods around the little cottage were indeed beautiful. As I hiked, I saw many little streams and waterfalls, and a few larger ones.

Up ahead, there was one towering one that had drawn my attention, and that was where I was trying to get to, wanting to see it from much more up close.

Walking out in nature helped me to clear my head. Gabriel had all but asked if we would share a bedroom when we moved to the country. And I’d basically agreed to. But I guess it would really depend on if we were married first. I didn’t want to share a bed with anyone that I wasn’t married to. The flipside is that I also knew that he wouldn’t ever push me to do something that I wasn’t comfortable with. He would never force me to do anything, and I always greatly appreciated that.

A twig snapped, and I looked around, hoping to catch sight of a deer, or another furry creature, maybe even a rabbit! When I didn’t see anything, I resumed walking, meandering really, along, towards the towering waterfall.

As I walked, a little purple flower caught my attention, and made me smile. Stooping down, I plucked it, and straightened again. But as I stood back up, something cold and tube-shaped pressed against the back of my head, and I was momentarily puzzled.

“Don’t make a move, or I’ll end you far more swiftly than I want to.” Gem Moriarty’s voice made my blood run cold, and I realized that it was the barrel of a gun that was pressed against my head. “Running away from the city could only keep you safe for so long. I can track a falcon on a cloudy day, given enough time.” She gloated.

“H-how did you find us?!” I gasped.

“Joan, Joan, Joan.” I could tell that she was shaking her head, and her tone was demeaning, “I have people everywhere, even in the train station. And then it was just a matter of finding out where you disembarked, which clearly only took me a few days.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you dead, quite honestly. But we’re going to take a little walk, first, and see that lovely waterfall up close.” She gave a cold, harsh laugh. “Now start walking. And if you even start to turn around, your brains will be gone before you can even think to use your magic.”

I had no choice, the gun was right against my skull. Sure, magic was an option, but there was no way that I could properly defend myself against her without turning around. I wasn’t skilled enough at it. Even to shoot flames, I had to be able to see the object, unfortunately, and there was no doubt in my mind that if I tried to do something, there would be a bullet in my head immediately.

We walked at a fast pace, and were silent for a while as the waterfall grew closer and closer.

“When I’m done with you, I’m going to deal with your precious detective. But I thought that us girls should talk first. After all, it was you who kept me from ending them so very nicely back on Cooke Street. I should have known better than to discount the maid, that was my mistake. I won’t make that mistake again, because of course the Locke brothers rub elbows with mages. But I can’t have you around to ruin their deaths this time. Thankfully, I know that the dear old ladies who are in that house can’t use magic because anyone who can use magic doesn't age.” Gem Moriarty clearly knew far less about magic than she realized, after all, Mrs. Hudson could be young, and simply wearing the glamour of an old woman.

“I’m a doctor, actually. A doctor and a mage. I’m not just a maid.” I bristled, but wasn’t sure why I felt the need to tell her so.

We were now at the base of the waterfall, and started to ascend.

“Oh? A woman of intelligence and ambition!” she sounded a little impressed, “Then I don’t feel so badly about my plans being disrupted by you. You have intelligence, and it’s far less demeaning to be beaten by a woman of intelligence as well as magic than just a simple little maid. Maybe you’re not so different from me. It’s a pity I’m going to kill you, maybe we could have gotten along. I would die for my own personal source of magic.”

“I can assure you that we would never have gotten along.” I snapped, angered that she would suggest such a thing. “I’m a doctor, I heal people. You’re nothing but a common criminal who just so happens to have some smarts.”

“And yet here we are, and I’m winning.” Gem laughed, her tone forever cruel and cold. “As that waterfall gets closer and closer, so does your death. So say what you will, little Joan, but you won’t hurt my feelings. After all, I’ll be the one having the last laugh.”

I swallowed hard, noting that the highest point of the waterfall was not far away, now. Gun still pointed to my head, I was forced to march on.

Upon reaching the waterfall, I noticed that there was an overhang of rock that created a sort of cave just behind the cascade of roaring water. The water was a curtain that separated the cave area from the rest of the world, thundering to the ground hundreds of feet below with a gap of about a foot between it and where the rock floor ended.

“In.” Moriarty ordered.

Entering the area behind the waterfall, she prodded me closer to the edge.

Soon, I found myself looking down into the gap between the rock and the curtain of water. It was a dizzying sight.

I felt numb inside.

There was nothing I could do, so there was really no point in being scared.

I was going to die.

--

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Gabriel finished his breakfast, and took the plate to where Mrs. Hudson was washing dishes. The tall elf pulled on his shoes, “I’m going to find Joan and make sure that she’s okay.”

“Alright dear!” Mrs. Hudson said cheerfully.

The elf put on his glamour, then left. He paused, looking around for her footprints. Gabriel had always been proficient at tracking people’s movements, especially their footprints. It was a skill that had helped him solve countless cases, and he’d gotten even better at it over the years, so it didn’t take him long at all to find her small, familiar footprints.

Gabriel walked for a little while, caught up in watching her little pace as depicted in the dirt in front of him, finding it ridiculously entertaining, for some reason, his sharp eyes scanning the soil.

Then he wasn’t alone. He could feel another person there, in the woods with him.

The elf whirled around, defensive as he realized that it wasn’t Joan, but then suddenly recognized the person who’d crept up on him.

“Myles.” He sighed, relieved.

But instead of a greeting, his brother strode quickly to his side, dropping his glamour, his expression determined and concerned. “You and Joan are in danger, what are you doing out here by yourself?!”

“Joan took a walk, and I went to look for her, I’m following her footsteps.” Gabriel blinked, dropping his glamour as well, feeling surprised at his brother.

Cold and calculating though he was, Myles did typically at least try to greet people properly.

“She should not be alone! Lead the way, I’ll explain as we walk.” Myles said, when Gabriel didn’t move, still confused, he gestured frantically, agitation on his face, “Gem Moriarty has found your location! Get moving!”

Gabriel’s blood froze, and he darted down the trail that Joan had left, Myles following closely behind, as he wasn’t as good a tracker as his little brother.

“What happened?” Gabriel asked as they ran.

“She has people everywhere. It was only a matter of time before she figured out that you had fled the city, and only a couple of days more before she found out where it was that you had gone. I tried and tried to send you messages, after getting yours by hawk, but time and time again, I realized that she had somehow intercepted it. I finally found a leak. One of my own staff that was on her payroll! It’s a grievous error that has since been remedied.” Gabriel tried not to imagine just how his brother had remedied the problem, and focused on reading the soil in front of him. “But then my own people sent word that she had located you and was already on her way to find you. Had they gotten word to me more quickly, I would have reached here first.”

Gabriel stopped, looking down at the trail of footsteps and frowning, “Someone joined her just here...and judging by the look of it, it was another woman.”

“Moriarty.” Myles’ voice was grave. “I feared as much.”

“Then she is most likely already dead!” Gabriel cried, he now bolted down the trail, hardly needing to read the footprints anymore, as he realized that the footprints of the two women led towards the waterfall that dominated the immediate landscape, towering high above them

Myles was right on his brother’s heels as they darted up the incline, now falling completely silent, as surprise was always a good friend to have on your side.

Gabriel reached the precipice of the waterfall, and looked around. There was no one there. Where were they?! They could have gone nowhere else but there, as there were no footsteps leading away from the waterfall.

Something caught his sharp ears. The elf paused from his frantic looking, and listened for a moment. The echo of voices floated through the air. His sharp eyes darted around in the direction that the voices were coming from, and saw an opening in the rock, where the overhang of the waterfall created a gap that was big enough to walk into.

The elves crept to the entrance of the little waterfall cave.

--

“I’ll do the decent thing and ask for your last words.” Gem laughed, “That way I can tell your precious detective how you begged for mercy before I killed you, right before I kill him.”

“Do you promise that you’ll tell him what I say?” I asked softly.

“It’ll be the only decent thing that I’ll do in my entire life. I promise.” Her voice was surprisingly even.

Even though I wasn’t sure if I believed her or not, I took a deep breath, knowing that the next sentence I said would be my last.

“Tell him I would have wanted to marry him before we shared that little cottage in the country, and that I’ll be waiting for him on the other side, no matter how long it takes.”

“That’s sickeningly sweet.” I heard the gun cock.

--

As they entered the cave, the sight of Gem holding a gun directly to the back of Joan’s head met their eyes.

Gabriel heard, as if in a dream, Joan’s voice saying, “…and that I’ll be waiting for him for him on the other side, no matter how long I have to wait.”

He vaguely heard Gem’s retort, and the chilling snap of her revolver being cocked.

The elf didn’t think, he simply reacted, throwing himself forward, closing the distance between himself and the criminal mastermind in an instant.

Moriarty cried out as Gabriel hit her with every bit of strength that he had in his body, and that was no small amount.

The gun went off in the criminal mastermind’s hand, but her reaction was too slow, and the gun was already pointed away from Joan’s head.

Relief flooded him as the bullet buried itself in a stone wall far away from Joan, and the gun slipped from Moriarty’s grasp as she struggled.

Then, carried by his own momentum, Gabriel felt himself overbalancing.

Horror filled him as he realized that there was no way he could keep himself from tumbling over the edge of the cliff with Moriarty.

In that moment, Gabriel realized that, given how badly his wings were damaged, he had traded Joan’s death for his.

It was an acceptable substitution.

Gem Moriarty would be torn from the world as well, and Joan would be safe.

That’s all that really mattered, in the end, that Joan was safe, and that thought gave him a sense of peace.

Craning his neck, he glimpsed the small woman that he loved so deeply. It hurt his heart.

Surprised horror was written on the young mage’s heart-shaped face as she realized that he was going to go over the edge. Those lovely, dark eyes of hers were wide, and her long, raven curls trailed lazily in the slight breeze from the waterfall that he was about to plunge into.

Joan had taken a step towards him, her small, pale hands outstretched, reaching for him, their hands just inches away, each wanting the other’s company.

Her sweet lips parted with a shrill cry, but Myles’ arms restrained the small woman as she tried to catch hold of Gabriel.

Both elves knew that Joan would go over the edge as well if she caught hold of Gabriel, and so Myles held her tightly.

Myles’ jaw was clenched, and his eyes, so typically restrained and icy, burned with pain.

This comforted Gabriel some as cold water slapped his face, clouding his vision. At least he had proof that his brother did actually have emotions, despite his best attempts to prove otherwise.

The thought then passed through his mind that Myles would probably see to it that Joan was taken care of, which made him feel content as the wind and water rushed by him.

As long as she was safe.

--

Myles held onto Joan’s small form. She struggled against him for a moment, but was unable to free herself.

“Let me go!” she screamed, now hitting his arms and clawing at his hands, tears streaming down her face. “Let me go, Myles Locke! Or go after him! Don’t you care?!”

“He’s my brother, Joan. Think what you will of me, but I did love him.” Myles’ heard his voice reply quietly.

“Then go after him! Your wings aren’t hurt!” Joan shouted, still pulling against him and hitting his arms and hands.

“It’s too late, Joan.” Myles said softly.

“No! You go after him, and bring him back!” She sobbed, but stopped struggling.

The elf felt her knees give out, and he easily caught her slight weight, supporting her. He pulled the young woman away from the edge of the cliff that his little brother had just fallen over.

“I can’t, Joan. But I’ll…make a search party and…and find their bodies. But right now, you’re in shock, I have to deal with that first.” He suddenly wished that he had some sort of blanket for her as a voice in the back of his head told him that it was proper protocol to put a blanket around a person in shock.

“I’m not in shock!” the small doctor sobbed, but let him carry her out of the cave.

Stepping out into the sunny day, a cool breeze caressed his face.

Myles sat Joan down, and she sank to her knees, having suddenly grown quiet.

He swallowed hard, and realized that he was upset. No, that…wasn’t the word. To say he was upset was a gross understatement of the pain, anger, and deep despair that filled him.

The mountainside was probably crawling with Moriarty’s men, and they needed to get to safety, but at that moment, Myles couldn’t bring himself to take another step.

For so long, the elf had locked everything away. For so long he’d believed that he’d shut his emotions off because they were a weakness. And now he remembered that he’d actually blocked them out because they hurt.

Oh how badly they hurt.

His little brother had just died, and it hurt.

Agony welled in his soul.

There was a soft sniffle, and he looked down at Joan, having momentarily forgotten that she was there. Myles saw that the small woman was hugging herself, trembling violently, tears still pouring down her face.

It struck him that she understood. She understood the pain. But unlike him, she didn’t feel the need to lock it away. Something in that thought comforted him a little, but not enough.

“Come, Joan.” The elf frowned.

She merely shook her head, but was crying too much to speak.

Myles shrugged, then bent, lifting the small doctor from the ground, and began to descend the way he’d come.