Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta (22 page)

“Where am I?” He looked from side to side. He was lying in a bed, surrounded by his friends.

Princess Evangeline squealed with happiness. Piper laughed as she squeezed Gabriel in a hug. Brent’s face lit up in a smile.

“Dude!”

“You’re alive!” Piper dipped her face close to Gabriel’s, and peered into his eyes. “Malgor almost
killed
you.”

Gabriel shuddered as he replayed the horrible moment when Malgor’s sword plunged into him. Groaning, he tapped his belly.

But the wound had disappeared. Reaching under the sheets, he checked his leg for the gruock’s bite, but it, too, had vanished. “But—but—”

Brent pointed toward the window. “Look over there.”

Gabriel turned his head. A tall, skinny man with long, black hair and a gray cloak stood with his back to him. The man stared outside at a troubled, stormy sky.
Leejor
. And next to him, the empress. She’d saved him!

“Empress Malina!” Gabriel sat up. The room spun, and he slapped a hand to his forehead. “Whoa.”

Empress Malina rushed over. “Lie back down, my love.” She eased him back. “You have to rest. You’ve been through so much, and I regret, I still must request one further thing.”

Leejor turned away from the window and looked at Gabriel with his yellow alien eyes, which seemed much more anxious than they had when Gabriel had first seen them. “Hello, Gabriel,” he said with only a quick glance, then turned his focus on Empress Malina. “You must hasten now, Empress.”

“Thanks, Leejor, for saving me,” Gabriel said. “But you … you mean the Divinities still aren’t connected? But my mother—oh my God. My mom!” He bolted up. “Where is she? I
did
get them,
right
?” He rubbed his head. “Seriously, where is she? And why haven’t you connected them yet?” His eyes darted from one face to the next, looking for an answer.

The empress sat on the bed beside him, and grasped his hand. “Listen to me, Gabriel. It was you all along. You who must decide Valta’s fate. Remember, I told you only an innocent finder of the Divinities can connect them? It is you who must connect them. And you who must decide to keep the power, or relinquish it to whomever you choose.”

“Empress Malina, I only ever wanted for things to be right with Valta, and to go home with my friends and Zigzag … and—my mom. Where exactly
are
my mom and dog, anyway?” He searched the room for any sign of them.
Had it been just a dream? Another trick?
His stomach churned, threatening to heave.

“I will get you and your friends back home as promised, if that is still your wish. I want you to know you have a choice.” She retrieved a box from the night table, and opened it. Inside sat the brilliant, triangular Divinities, placed side by side. Rays of multi-colored light shone across the room.

With a sigh of relief, Gabriel picked them up, and held them out to the empress. “Empress, I want to return these to you. Please, take them and fix your world.”

Empress Malina smiled. “Very well, Gabriel.” She placed her hands over his, connecting the Divinities by small grooves on the bottom of each. The Divinities formed a beautiful diamond shape. The room ignited in beams of magnificent and brilliant prisms. Two landscapes shimmered in midair. They joined in the middle, a mirror reflection of each other.

Brent gasped. “Awesome!”

“Valta is the mirror image of your home town—and also, its polar opposite, you could say. One Divinity’s light shows Valta. The other, Willow Creek.”

“See? That’s what we figured out with my compass already,” Gabriel said, feeling proud of himself.

The empress nodded. “Each Divinity generates a pure energy, but when joined together, they become infinitely powerful. It is the life force for Valta.”

The earth suddenly rumbled and shook beneath them, and the sky blackened to tar. Piper and Brent fell to the ground, gripping the side of the bed. The only light came from the Divinities’ brilliant hues, which illuminated the room in a dazzling light show.

“What’s going on?” shrieked Piper over the wailing wind.

“It’s not working.” Brent shouted back. “A tornado’s coming!”

Gabriel shifted his gaze from the empress to the angry, black sky. An enormous tornado headed straight for them.
What if this is just another trick? What if it’s really Malgor, shape-shifting again?

His palms prickled with sweat. Panicked, he started to release the Divinities as he searched Empress Malina’s face for some sign of genuineness. She gripped his hands until he could see into her thoughts.

Fear not, my dear child. A healing of Valta is taking place. Hold steadfastly now, and do not let go. Embrace your destiny.

Gabriel heard the words, but Empress Malina’s lips hadn’t moved. She just stared into his eyes, and smiled. Gabriel grasped the Divinities again, and pinched his eyes shut. He wanted to believe her. It had to be true. Even though complete chaos surrounded them, a sense of calm rushed through him.

“Hang on,” screamed Piper. “It’s gonna hit us!”

The mattress shifted as Brent and Piper dug their fingers into it, bracing for the worst.

But the tornado never came. Instead, sunlight flooded the room. Piper and Brent ran to look out the window at the bright, sunny sky.

Brent laughed. “You did it, Gabe! I can’t believe it!”

“
We
did it,” Gabriel said. “All of us, together.” Gabriel released the two Divinities, now combined as one, to the empress, and collapsed back onto the bed. As he lay there, he gazed over at his friends who were looking out the window, and grinning. He could hardly believe it was over. He looked back to where Empress Malina had been sitting beside him. He only caught the tail of her long turquoise dress as it flowed behind her out of the room.

“Empress!” Gabriel called.

But she was gone.

Piper hurried to Gabriel’s side. “Relax. Everything’s okay now.”

“Are you sure
everything’s
okay?” Gabriel mumbled, feeling uneasy. “I mean, I’m glad Valta’s gonna be okay, but what about
us
? What about my mom? And Zigzag, and—where’s Malgor?”

Piper looked to Brent with a puzzled expression, then back at Gabriel. “Not sure what you mean about your mother.”

“W-what? But I saw her—with Malgor.”

“You lost a lot of blood.” Piper ruffled the sheet on the bed. “I didn’t see her.”

“You didn’t see her? But she was there. I’m telling you, she was there.” Gabriel slammed his pillow over his face with a groan. He wondered if it had really happened the way he remembered, or if the gruock virus had made him see things. Maybe even the sword to the gut caused it. Or maybe it was only like what happened to him back in Willow Creek when he fell under the ice and thought he saw his mom there. He sighed and swallowed back the lump in his throat.

“You’re lucky to be alive,” Brent said, lifting the pillow away from Gabriel’s face. “You heard Empress Malina. She said she’d send us home. Try not to worry anymore, bro.”

Soon, Princess Evangeline gathered them for dinner. “A great victory feast has been prepared in your honor. Surely, you must be starving.”

The others helped Gabriel out of bed. They followed Princess Evangeline through the palace halls. Festive music and chattering filled the air, growing louder as they approached the ginormous hall. As they entered, a hush fell over the room. The entire room was full of familiar faces. Everyone turned and cast happy eyes on them.

Then, amazingly, Zigzag burst through the crowd and bounded toward Gabriel, her stumpy tail wagging wildly.

“Ziggy!” He dropped to his knees and happily received a tongue bath from his beloved pet. The crowd erupted in laughter and cheers as Piper and Brent jumped in to hug her, too.

Empress Malina’s voice rose above the crowd. “Our guests of honor: Gabriel Stone, Brent Chapman, and Piper Ramirez! Oh, and Zigzag Stone, of course. Come and eat, children.” She ushered them to their seats at a huge table, set with fancy dishes on top of a burgundy silk tablecloth. Large bowls of steaming mashed potatoes were topped with cream and exotic spices; trays of mixed carrots and sweet candied yams, curried chicken, and lamb with mint jelly made Gabriel’s mouth water.

As they ate, a twisting, burning hole seemed to grow inside Gabriel’s stomach. Piper’s words rang in his ears.
Not sure what you mean about your mother. I didn’t see her.
The memory of the words stung like an attack of angry hornets.

His gaze shifted around the room, looking at those who’d grown to mean so much to him since his arrival in Valta. Brent sat with Finley and Piper, feeding Zigzag table scraps between his own huge mouthfuls of food. Piper told the citizens of Parma about Jasra’s bravery, convincing them to erect a statue in his honor. Tratta, the chatty cat from Ericville, purred and circled Piper’s leg as Piper fed her bits of chicken. Princess Evangeline, dressed in a flowing, purple party dress, giggled at her brother, who told her stories of the battle. Eric and Flossie helped to serve the food—although Flossie had to keep shooing Eric away from a delicious-looking stew as she ladled huge spoonfuls into everyone’s bowls.

Gabriel ate quietly, a fake smile pasted on for the crowd.
Not sure what you mean about your mother. I didn’t see her.

Prince Oliver’s voice rose from the far end of the table. “Hear, hear!” Silence fell. “Here’s to the human children from another world, who valiantly came to our rescue. No mere words can express our gratitude. I wish you a lifetime of great happiness and good fortune, for all the happiness and fortune you have brought us.”

Oliver raised his golden goblet. His long blond hair streamed down over his golden vest, and he hooked one thumb into the waist of his black pants. Gabriel thought Oliver looked more regal than ever. Before tonight, Gabriel had only seen him while he was ill, and briefly again on the tiger, during Malgor’s capture. Now he was a true and capable prince of Valta. His lively blue eyes matched his mother’s as they beamed and extended their goblets in celebration.

“Hoorah! Cheers!” Everyone chimed in as goblets were raised high.

When the noise settled, Gabriel cleared his throat. “Prince Oliver … what happened to Malgor?”

The prince paused, his face growing serious. “He’s where he belongs, Gabriel. He is banished to the Tower of Doom.”

An image flashed from Prince Oliver’s mind to Gabriel’s. Gabriel saw the Tower of Doom—a tower as tall as the sky, round and narrow, with only sparse hay for bedding and no windows or doors, guarded by one of Empress Malina’s guardian tigers. The only way out was through the top where steel bars clamped closed.

“One of the great tigers dropped Malgor through the tower’s open roof,” Oliver explained. “And Mother is the only one who holds the key to the tower.”

Brent elbowed Gabriel and grinned, bits of food sticking out of his mouth. Piper laughed.
They must have been shown the same vision.
Brent stopped eating long enough to ask a question. “Will he ever be free?”

Prince Oliver shook his head “No, he won’t. It is where he will remain for his lifetime. That is a suffering far greater than death for a Zeveron such as him. He can ponder his lot for the rest of his eternity.”

Finley cuddled up to Brent with a contented sigh. “That make Finley happy. Me no like him.”

Empress Malina squeezed Gabriel’s hand. He looked into her face, again pasting on a half-smile.

I saw my mother. I know I did. Didn’t I?

You did, my darling. You did.
The empress smiled.

Just then, silence fell over the crowd. Everyone parted, creating a path from the table all the way to the castle’s entrance. Gabriel strained to see what had caused the commotion.

His mother stood in the distance, smiling at him with outstretched arms. She didn’t look sick or injured anymore. Her long, brown hair shone in the sunlight, and her green eyes sparkled with happiness.

“Mom!” Gabriel jumped to his feet. He darted around the table and flew down the hall, into her open arms. Tears fell down his cheeks. He cried like a little kid who needed a Spiderman night-light. But this time, he wasn’t embarrassed by his tears. He didn’t care who saw them. Gabriel figured most people would cry if their mom reappeared after they’d spent a whole year thinking she was dead. “Is it
really
you?” he asked, eyes wide.

His mom flashed him a bright smile. “I promise it’s me, Gabe. Do you remember the last thing I said to you back in Willow Creek? To be brave, and that I love you? You sure took my advice—maybe more than I meant!” She kissed the top of his head.

Gabriel remembered the last night he’d seen her. He’d replayed those last words in his mind for a year. “Yeah, well you were talking about horror movies. After what I’ve been through, horror flicks could never scare me anymore.”

“No more night-lights?” she whispered in his ear.

“Nope—those are for wimps.” Gabriel laughed.

His mom laughed too. “I’m sorry I’m late to your party. I was recovering from Malgor’s virus. Empress Malina came for me the first moment she could. Look at you—you’ve gotten so big!” Tears slid down her face. “I’m so proud of you.” She cupped his cheeks in her hands. “I got trapped here in Valta, and captured by Malgor. I never forgot you, or your father. I hoped one day I’d find you again.”

Gabriel’s gaze fell on a long scar on her shoulder, and he recalled Malgor striking her with his sword while she was in gruock form. He looked back up at her. “You saved me, Mom. From Malgor, I mean. He almost tricked me into giving him the Divinities.”

She chuckled and squeezed him again. “That’s what moms are for, right?” As they walked back to the table, hand in hand, the crowd erupted in cheers. Zigzag bounded along beside them, playfully nipping at the hem of Gabriel’s shirt.

“Mrs. Stone? Is it really you?” Piper asked in amazement.

“Yes, little Miss Piper, it’s really me. Just look how you’ve grown into a beautiful, young lady. And you’re so big and handsome, Brent. I’m so proud of all of you,” she said as she took a seat at the table, just as servants presented the desserts: chocolate mousse cake, and very berry-flavored Valtan pie.