Staring at the heavens for a few seconds, Gabriel slumped when there was no
answer to his plea. Psychologically speaking, the voice in his head had to be the representation of some deep down, inner insecurity. Part of him didn’t believe he could save Ethos, and thought his idea was completely insane. When it came to him, he’d been so sure it would work, but the more he thought about it, the more ludicrous it seemed.
Besides, whoever went to do it likely wasn’t coming back from it. How could he do that knowing he’d never see Sam again? He didn’t have what it takes to fix things here. The Northern Sage had been wrong to send him.
“You don’t have what it takes,” Gabriel repeated his father’s words. “Why is this happening to me?”
The howling wind held no answers for him. He didn’t have what it took to risk his life for people he’d never met before.
“Hello there,” Gabriel started and almost fell off the edge of the catwalk. As he realized Kari had been watching him for some time as he argued with himself, his face began to color deeply.
*****
“Does your friend always go off alone to think,” Kari asked Sam. “He looked
kind of sick, and he smelled like his heart was about to explode in his chest.”
A glare was Sam’s only reply. There was jealousy, and then there was what Sam had rotting in her black little heart.
“Even if I was after your man,” Kari said with fond thoughts of putting Sam over her knee and spanking her for childish behavior. “He doesn’t even know I exist. Anyone can see he’s only got eyes for you.”
“That’s not what it looked like,” Sam’s scowl increased.
“You want to be blunt, fine, I’ll be blunt,” Kari pointed to her breasts. “Not to brag, but these babies are much bigger than yours. The only men that look me in the eye while talking to me are related to me, homosexual, or in love with someone else. Gabriel has always looked me in the eye, so stop acting like a silly little girl! I’ve had enough of this!”
“I have better things to do that sit around locked up with you.”
With an angry huff, Sam stood, nearly dislodging the sleeping cat on her
shoulders and strode out the door.
Turning to her brothers, Kari scowled. Sometime during the exchange they’d
jumped into each other’s arms with looks of mock horror.
“Scary.”
“Hold me.”
“Oh stop it,” Kari snapped. “You’re being obnoxious.”
“Yes ma’am!”
Shaking her head in annoyance, Kari had a growing feeling that she needed to
speak with Gabriel as soon as possible. “I’m going to find that Gabriel guy. I think he’s the one father gave us those messages for. Don’t get into any trouble.”
“That kid will eat you alive if she finds you with him,” Jonathan pointed out.
“I think I’ll risk her wrath,” Kari replied dryly.
“Jeez,” Michael said as Kari left the conference room. “Girls sure are terrifying sometimes.”
Turning left, Kari walked toward the door at the end of the hallway. It opened when she approached, letting in a blast of cold air that blew her hair backward.
Stepping into what passed for daylight on this miserable world, she found Gabriel sitting with his legs dangling over the edge of a long, wide catwalk. He seemed to be arguing with himself, but his words were lost in the howl of the wind.
“Hello there.” Raising a hand in greeting, Kari felt amusement rise as his cheeks colored deeply. She sat next to him, close enough to be heard, but far enough away that his jealous wolf pup couldn’t accuse her of anything.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” she said. “Everyone talks to themselves, even if they deny it. I hope I’m not interrupting anything important?”
“Not really,” Gabriel sighed. “Just wallowing in self-loathing.”
“This world sure is something, isn’t it,” Kari looked up at the partially eclipsed sun. “In all the worlds I’ve be to, I’ve never seen a sky like that.”
“I knew you couldn’t be from this world,” Gabriel gave a noncommittal grunt.
“Oh,” Kari raised an eyebrow.
“Your skin is dark. I mean, not dark dark, but you’ve obviously spent some time in a sun that isn’t that one.”
“It’s a natural tan, actually, from my mother. See, no tan lines. I can tell that something is weighing heavily on you. I’m willing to listen if you want to talk about it. I don’t look it, but I’m almost two hundred years old. I’ve been around, and I’d like to think I’m pretty smart when it comes to helping people with their problems.”
“That’s old.”
“Seriously. So, what’s getting to you?”
“It’ll take all day to tell it all.”
“Never know until you try,” Kari said. “But before you start I want to ask you.
Your name is Gabriel Reeve, right?”
Straightening, Gabriel finally turned to face her. Her heart began to beat a little faster as she looked into his pale blue eyes. “How did you know that?”
“A guess,” Kari said. “I have a message for you.”
“A message? From who?”
“It’s from my father, the Northern Sage.”
“I knew you three had to be related to him somehow,” Gabriel said, anger flashing across his face. “You look just like him. What did he want you to tell me?”
“He sent two messages actually. The first is that he’s watching you very closely.
And someone named Millie delivered the second to us in New Hope. He said to tell you that you have what it takes. He chose you because you have what it takes.”
Gabriel stiffened. Anguish crossed his face before he was able to smooth his
features again.
“Who is your father, really? How could he know to say that to me?”
“He’s the Champion of Heaven, god’s left hand. I don’t even know what that
really means, and I’m his daughter. There’s a prophecy that says one day he’ll face the Champion of Hell in battle for the sake of all existence, but he never talks about that sort of thing where I can hear,” Kari flicked one of her fox ears, “and trust me, these things were made for eavesdropping. I’ve seen him look deep into a person’s soul to know what they most desire. He knows a hero when he sees one, and a villain.”
“Which am I?”
“Which do you want to be? I think you were sent here to be a hero, but it’s your choice whether or not you will be. I’d like to think you’re the hero type. You look it.”
“I’m no hero,” Gabriel gave a bitter laugh. “I’m worse than the scum of the earth.
I’m the advocate for the scum of the earth. I made my living getting murderers and rapists out of prison. All I cared about were money and power, and adding to my perfect score. I never once lost any sleep over what those men might go on to do after I set them free. I’m damn good at persuading people to believe lies so elaborate that they must be true. I could convince a jury that the devil himself was innocent.
“Lately, I’ve been thinking back on my life, trying to find anything in myself worth redeeming. I haven’t done a single heroic thing since the day I was born. I wanted so badly to be a champion of justice. But when it came down to it, I really only wanted to prove that I was worth something, no matter what I had to do, or how low I had to sink. I’m supposed to be earning redemption, but all I seem to be doing is digging myself in deeper.”