Foretold (Daughters of Saraqael Book Three) (39 page)

And when her face fell into an aghast expression, it provided him with the right amount of anger to use his power against her one last time. He held his hand up and lined it up with her throat. And then he used his power to steal the breath from her lungs.

Her guardian once again surged toward him, but Grolkinei evaded. Skye writhed and clutched at her neck. Her eyes bulged helplessly.

And then Grolkinei was thrown off his feet by such a powerful force his teeth rattled when he crashed into the stone wall.

“An eye for an eye…wasn’t that what you said to Skye when you struck her while she was unable to defend herself, Grolkinei?” Gabriel asked as he strode through one of the cavern’s entrances. “Well, far be it for me to argue your philosophy with you in your own home. That would be plain rude.”

Caleb lifted Skye from where she sat gasping and crying on the ground and carried her to one of the chamber’s exits. Tomaganuk blinked from existence. Behind him, he heard the sound of steel clashing with steel and figured Grolkinei had decided to answer Gabriel’s comment with his sword.

“Breathe,” he told Skye in as calm a voice as he could manage. He paused just outside the chamber and set her on her feet. When he reached up to touch her face, his hands were shaking.

He was fairly certain he had defied some laws of physics getting to her.

“Calm down, love. That’s it. Heal yourself,” he instructed when she continued wheezing.

Finally, she closed her eyes and did as he instructed. When she had healed herself and her breathing was back under control, he hugged her fiercely. Then they turned back to the torture chamber entrance.

Gabriel and Grolkinei slashed at each other with their swords, circling the room. Caleb scanned the tunnels to ensure there weren’t any Mercesti nearby who might be foolish enough to interrupt. From the thoughts he had been receiving, it sounded like the teams led by the second commanders and lieutenants had been largely successful in routing out the remaining mountain forces, however.

He couldn’t deny that he wanted to be the one fighting the Mercesti leader. He also couldn’t deny that he wasn’t powerful enough to do so, and that the duty truly fell to Gabriel. So he would find what contentment he could watching his brother destroy their enemy.

After all of his training with Gabriel, Caleb had come to appreciate his leader’s tremendous fighting abilities. But now Gabriel made their training sessions look like lightweight sparring. With frigid focus, he lifted his sword again and again, defending and attacking, waiting for his openings. And whenever he found them, he took them. Grolkinei’s projectile shield didn’t stop Gabriel’s sword from slicing him wherever he could reach.

Grolkinei wasn’t giving much ground, either. He managed a few strikes of his own. But it quickly became apparent that he was the less skilled swordsman.

“Enough!” the Mercesti leader growled, and he waved his hand, knocking the sword from Gabriel’s grip using his power.

Gabriel countered with a blast of his own power. Grolkinei tried to maintain his grip on his weapon, but his hand smashed into the side of a table and his sword clanged uselessly to the ground. Not wasting the opportunity, Gabriel swung out with his elbow and broke Grolkinei’s nose with a solid blow to the face.

Caleb did a mental fist pump.

Grolkinei countered with a solid punch to Gabriel’s kidneys, making him stagger backwards. They transitioned from swords to hand-to-hand with seemingly mutual satisfaction.

Fists flew. Boots connected with armor and flesh. There were grunts of pain and of triumph. Blood was drawn on both sides. Once again they made full use of the chamber, circling as they punched, jumped, spun and kicked. Caleb realized Gabriel was again at an advantage. After all, he could heal himself.

And then, as they neared the far side of the chamber, something happened that had Caleb leaping into the room and tossing a blast of holy light at Grolkinei. It looked like a mile across the chamber. His motions felt impossibly sluggish.

He watched as Gabriel lurched backwards. Something protruded from his neck. He fell.

“No!”

The horrible, wrenching scream filled the chamber. And from seemingly nowhere, Kanika was suddenly there, throwing herself in front of Gabriel when Grolkinei moved in for the kill. Apparently, Grolkinei found her little threat, as he didn’t slow.

And then a sword appeared in Kanika’s hands with a flash of red light. She swung.

Blood splashed from the slice to Grolkinei’s neck all over her and Gabriel. He stumbled and dropped to his knees. Caleb finally reached Kanika—it had all happened in a matter of seconds—and took the sword she had generated with her second power from her, not even hesitating to swing again and finish what she had started.

When he turned back around, Kanika and Skye were both leaning over Gabriel. He was struggling to breathe over the blood bubbling from his lips.

“Do not remove it!” Kanika cried when Skye started to pull out the torture device that Grolkinei had grabbed from the table and stabbed through Gabriel’s neck, paralyzing him.

“I have to,” Skye said in a surprisingly calm voice, holding Kanika’s gaze. “I can help him heal, and then he’ll finish the job.”

Tears fell from Kanika’s gaze as she nodded.

Caleb knelt beside them. “I’ve got it. Take his hands.”

They did. He held Gabriel’s gaze as he swiftly removed the skewer. Gabriel’s choked scream echoed off the walls. Skye quickly reached out and placed her hands around his neck, closing her eyes and letting the healing energy flow into him.

In a matter of minutes, it was as though it had never happened.

“Except for the blood all over you,” Skye added out loud.

Gabriel reached out and ruffled her hair in appreciation. Then he turned to look at Kanika. She was kneeling quietly, his blood as well as Grolkinei’s covering her.

“You saved my life,” he said.

“I could not watch you die,” she replied. “You are the reason, however indirectly, that I converted in the first place.”

There was silence as he considered that. Caleb figured he was remembering how Kanika’s jealousy had led to Amber getting cursed by Angius’ sword.

Then Gabriel asked, “Did you support Grolkinei’s efforts to control this plane?”

She frowned. “I did what I had to do to stay alive. He allowed me to live if I gave him the answers he wanted. But I believe he was a fool.”

Gabriel reached out to touch her shoulder. “As one of Grolkinei’s commanders, you are now the highest ranking Mercesti alive, Kanika.”

Her mouth opened, but no words emerged.

“You have the ability to stop this battle right now. And in so doing, you will redeem yourself in the eyes of all Estilorians. Including me.

“So…what do you say?”

Twenty minutes later, it was all over.

Kanika flew from the mountain tunnels with Gabriel, Skye and Caleb at her side. Gabriel had sent his thoughts to the elders as well as Amber, Olivia and James, all of whom left the field of battle to join them in the sky. And with Sebastian using his power to project Kanika’s voice, she ordered the Mercesti to cease and desist.

“Grolkinei is dead, as are the other commanders,” she said when she had everyone’s attention. “I am now the highest-ranking Mercesti, and I order you to drop your arms.

“This is not our battle. This was a battle led by a Mercesti who ruled with fear and violence, and who turned his class from a group of brilliant strategists who lived harmoniously with the eight other classes into a class of murderers and outcasts. He preyed upon emotions we did not understand how to control in order to convert us. Who knows now whether our actions were our own, or provoked by influencing Mercesti such as Layla? Should we now forfeit our lives for Grolkinei’s flawed vision?”

There was a moment of shocked silence as the Mercesti on the battleground looked around at each other and considered what she said. The fact of it was, the powers of the Orculesti and Wymzesti were now freed enough that they had been able to all but diffuse the zest for fighting among the Mercesti. This made it much easier for them to absorb Kanika’s words.

“We have the chance, if we work together, to slowly repair the rift we have created between us and the other classes. We no longer have to be outcasts who are feared and abhorred. All of us have more to offer this plane than the ability to kill another. Do we not?”

Another weighty silence settled over the battlefield. The Orculesti strengthened their hold over the minds of the Mercesti.

“So let us call a truce. Drop your weapons. Leave the field of battle. And prepare to live much differently now. We can work together to rebuild our class structure and philosophy. But it has to start here and now.”

The sound of weapons hitting the ground broke the ensuing silence. And then the Mercesti did as their new leader ordered and abandoned the battlefield. It told the other Estilorians that the support beneath Grolkinei had been illusory at best.

When they landed again on the battlefield, Gabriel turned to Kanika. “You saved many lives today.”

She glanced at Amber. “It will not make up for the one I nearly took.”

Amber exchanged a look with Gabriel. She sighed. “Look, Kanika, you made a mistake. You weren’t the last Estilorian we met who reacted out of jealousy. Estilorians as a whole don’t really understand emotions. Not yet. I can see how you were led to do what you did.”

“I appreciate your words, even if I do not feel worthy of them,” Kanika said quietly. “I am sorry for the harm that came to you, Amber. I thought I knew what love was. I was wrong.”

They spent the rest of the day and well into the evening walking the battleground to help heal anyone who needed it. They also took an accounting of the dead.

More than two hundred non-Mercesti Estilorians lost their lives. At least three times as many Mercesti had died, as well. Among those Estilorians who had been killed were the sunny-haired Orculesti second commander, Dalila, the courageous Waresti lieutenant, Balera, and Xavier, the young Wymzesti who had once brought Skye flowers because he wanted to make her smile.

She grieved the loss. Caleb stood with her and held her as she wept. He thought of the senselessness of it all and hoped with everything in him that something like this would never happen again. Unfortunately, history told him there was always something someone thought was worth fighting for.

There would be a memorial built for the dead, but it didn’t lessen the pain of losing them. They all waited for the inevitable moment when the bodies dissolved to colored sand. Then Jabari addressed the crowd that remained.

“Today, we fulfilled the greatest prophecy of our time. We fought to preserve our way of life…a way of life that has become greatly enhanced by Saraqael’s daughters. In so doing, we have forever changed the path of a class that was once lost to us. Although rebuilding the bridge between them and the rest of us will take time and effort, this is a positive outcome over what has been a very difficult experience.

“We can honor those who sacrificed their lives today by making the most of this opportunity, and by conducting ourselves in a way that respects their sacrifice. We must make certain that they did not die in vain.”

It was a somber ride back to Estilorian Central.

Skye slept through most of it, as did her sisters. When she awoke, she struggled to remember where she was, why her eyes were grainy and why her head ached.

Then she remembered.

It was difficult, but she managed not to tear up again. She forced herself to think of the positive. She, Caleb and their siblings had all survived. Grolkinei and his commanders had not. They had succeeded in fulfilling the prophecy. And for all intents and purposes, they were safe.

“I expected to feel more triumphant,” she said from her position against Caleb’s chest. He was stroking her hair, so she knew he was awake.

“You will never rejoice in death,” he responded. “It’s not in your nature.”

He knew her so well.

“So, what happens now?” she asked.

“Well, I thought we could decide on a location for our home.”

She blinked as she processed that. Then she lifted her head to catch his gaze. Despite her melancholy, she felt a smile threatening.

“Yeah?” she said, hope filling the single word.

“Yeah.” He lifted a corner of his mouth. “You seem fond of Gabriel’s home on the mainland. Do you want ours to look something like that?”

“You mean…a castle?”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

Now, her smile blossomed. “You would build me a castle?”

“Of course I would.” He paused a beat. “Well, I’ll get Sebastian to do it, anyway.”

And then she laughed. The weight on her chest suddenly felt much lighter.

He rubbed his finger down her cheek. “James and Olivia are planning on building their house in the forest surrounding Gabriel and Amber’s home. I’m sure if we ask, they’d be willing to let us build nearby, too.”

“Maybe overlooking the water?” she asked.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Oh, Caleb—that would be absolutely amazing!”

“I thought you might say that.” His expression sobered as he ran his thumb along her cheekbone. “I also thought that once we’ve settled in, we could create a garden on our land. One with flowers. Like freesias and violets.”

Her eyes filled despite her efforts. She was simply overcome by her love for him. She nodded and smiled. “Yes. I think that would be perfect. Thank you for thinking of it.”

Come on, you two. Time for breakfast!
came Gabriel’s thought.

“Are you ready?” Caleb asked her.

“Yes,” she replied.

And she was…ready to start her future with him.

“It’s still not too late to change your mind, you know,” Gabriel said.

He stood with Ini-herit in the Corgloresti elder’s bedroom. Everyone else was in the family room, waiting for them to finalize the preparations.

Ini-herit raised an eyebrow. “That is at least the third time you have said as much today. I am beginning to think you do not want me to do this.”

“No, no,” Gabriel said, waving his hands to punctuate the response. “I just want to make sure you’re sure. This isn’t something to be done lightly.”

“And we have already had this discussion. Many times these past weeks.”

Gabriel sighed. “I know we have. I just…it’s hard.”

Ini-herit paused where he was closing one of his bureau drawers. “You have not said as much before, though we certainly all knew it.”

Sitting on the side of the bed, Gabriel said, “I know I didn’t. Because the ends far outweighed the means. I got Amber out of the deal. But suppressing all of your power…completely erasing everything you know about being an Estilorian and starting on the human plane as a baby...it’s actually rather terrifying. And if I hadn’t had Amber to help me retain that human awareness when I transitioned back here, it would have all been for nothing.”

“This is not what one of the girls would term a ‘pep talk,’” Ini-herit said in his monotone.

Gabriel grinned. “I know. But I wouldn’t have been able to handle the guilt of sending you off without telling you everything.”

Walking over to sit beside him, Ini-herit thought about what he had just been told. Then he said, “Gabriel, before you left this plane, we were what humans would call best friends. Now, I feel I hardly know you. What is more, I cannot begin to understand you, though I continue to try. Despite—or perhaps because of—my millennia of contact with humans, I do not have the ability to overcome the emotional barriers that I have developed. This is the only way I might possibly do that.”

“Are you sure it’s worth it?”

“You already know the answer to that,” he said, catching Gabriel’s understanding gaze. “And I will tell you now what I have not said before. Ever since the first moment I saw you and Amber together on the human plane, I have wished it had been me who transitioned that first time rather than you.”

Surprise flashed across Gabriel’s features. “I had no idea,” he murmured thoughtfully.

“You can understand why I would keep such information to myself. And you can further understand why I feel so driven to do this.”

“I do.” He smiled. “You’ll like living with Mrs. B. She won’t let you get away with much, but she’ll make sure you have a good, solid upbringing.”

Ini-herit nodded. He knew Quincy was prepared to transition, as well, so he could bring Ini-herit in his infant form to the foster mother who had raised Gabriel and, in part, Amber.

“We’ll keep an eye on you and keep you in line,” Gabriel continued, punching him companionably in the shoulder.

“I have no doubt.”

They were quiet for a moment, their gazes both moving to the bedroom door. There was nothing left to do except for Ini-herit to disrobe and lay in his bed. Then they would bring everyone in to begin the transition ritual. The Gloresti and Waresti were already in place, prepared to watch over his Estilorian form during the time he would be away. Gabriel would have paired with him himself if their baby wasn’t due soon.

“So, after I graduate high school, I will come back,” Ini-herit said at last.

“That’s the plan.”

“Amber, Olivia and Skye will most certainly have produced daughters by then,” he said, looking at Gabriel. “And those daughters will be about the same age as the sisters are now.”

His eyebrows winging up, Gabriel said slowly, “You’re certainly right about that.”

And now, Ini-herit’s mouth shifted into the closest thing to a smile Gabriel ever remembered seeing from him. “Well, that is something to look forward to, then.”

Grinning, Gabriel said, “I can’t think of anyone I would trust more with a daughter of mine. Assuming you do right by Mrs. B, you’ll have a fair chance.”

“That is good enough for me,” Ini-herit said with a nod. “Thank you, Gabriel. For everything. And now it is time to get the others. I am ready to learn to laugh…and to love.”