Blood Oath (A Gabby Girls Adventure Novel, Book Two) (26 page)

She went on to tell me that not only were the Guardians there to protect me and to watch over me to ensure that I didn’t turn to the Underworld, but if they even suspected that I was inclined to do so, they would do what was necessary. Grandma Celeste looked at me darkly. Then I knew that "necessary" meant—that they would have to kill me. Obviously, this whole situation was not good. I would have babysitters for the rest of my life—that is, if I made it past eighteen. And that probability seemed highly unlikely.

Grandma Celeste looked at me solemnly. "But the most important part of the ceremony was to find out if the Akasha prophecy was true."

"What in the world is the Akasha? It sounds like the title to some creepy horror movie that I happen to be the star of—unfortunately." Like an annoying itch, my inky mark slightly slithered, then stopped as if it resented the mere mention of the name.

She looked at me deeply. "Everyone’s interpretation of the Akasha prophecy varies from the sublime to the ridiculous, with no one agreeing on which one is actually correct. Some say that the Akasha is a weapon that could destroy the
Eternals
and
Elementi
, and some say that she could unite us all. On the other hand, some translated the prophecy differently, that the Akasha could be used as a weapon that would bring about the destruction of the Underworld and the cleansing of the
Banished
."

I pulled my hands back with fright. This was too much responsibility for a sixteen-year-old too handle. "Well, that’s definitely not me. Goddess Ananke made a mistake. I can’t do any of those things, and frankly, I don’t want to."

"Listen to me, Gabi." She grabbed my hands quickly. "You must remember everything that I’m telling you. Your life and the lives of everyone in our world depend on it. You are the Akasha; this is the path that you were destined to walk. Goddess Ananke would not have appeared to us if it were not true. That’s why we conducted the Rite of Spirit, to prove that the prophecy of the Akasha was not a myth."

I looked at her anxiously. "But why even do the ceremony? I mean, everything was fine until the attack at Vineswell."

Her eyes narrowed coldly. "That’s exactly what started everything, the attack at Vineswell and when Pallas came sniffing around, looking for the Akasha. We knew then that the prophecy had to be true. Some members of the
Eternal
Council quickly requested that the Rite of Spirit be conducted to prove that the prophecy was a hoax, and to everyone’s surprise it was not, especially when Ananke, the spirit of chance and fate, appeared."

I blew out a fuming breath. "Great! More pressure."

Grandma Celeste touched my face softly. "Not pressure, Gabi, but destiny. Nothing in our world happens by accident, nothing—like my relationship with Queen Harmonia. Years ago, I was selected as her mentor, and for years I have continued to guide her. I know that she needs me, and I need her. It is how it has been written; it’s a connection that will never break, even in the embrace of Hallowed Eternity."

I traced the infinity mark on my neck. "What about this? Does it have anything to do with that weird dream with those horrible girls going on and on about me being the Akasha and some battle?"

Grandma Celeste touched my neck softly. "That was no dream. That was the second part of the rite." She looked at me with penetrating eyes. "Those girls are the personification of Destiny, and they summoned you to their world to see if you were the Akasha. Obviously, they believed that you are the Akasha, the fifth, the spirit element—the key to fate—and that’s why they marked you."

Her brows were now damp with trickles of sweat, which she wiped away impatiently. I stared at her solemnly, quickly grabbing her hand.

"Grandma Celeste, you are going to think that I’m crazy, but lately, I’ve been feeling like something bad is going to happen." I looked deeply into her eyes. "And it seems to surround you."

She looked at me approvingly. "You are using your gifts well. I also sense that darkness surrounds me."

I was worried, real worried. Then I picked up that real queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. That’s when I knew. "You’re sick. You never get sick. What’s wrong? And please don’t tell me it’s nothing."

She smiled quickly. "I’ve never lied to you, and I’m not going to start now. I fear that someone has cast a very dark spell on my spirit, and I cannot break away from it. Morpheus, the immortal, appeared in my dreams last night, warning me that someone was trying to destroy my spirit, but that I must stay the course."

I looked at her fearfully. "No, we can stop it. Let’s go the
Circles
now; they’ll know how to fix this."

"It is not that easy, and I cannot hide or stray from what has already been written." She looked at me solemnly. "Gabi, I am not afraid of the darkness, and no matter what happens to me, promise me that you will do what is necessary for the
Eternals
and
Elementi
. It is important that emotions don’t get in the way of doing what is right." She looked at me pointedly. "And if sacrifices must be made, then so be it."

I knew what Grandma Celeste was asking, but could I make that ultimate sacrifice and choose the
Eternals
and
Elementi
over her? I felt confused, lost.

Suddenly my body was infused with a burst of power that washed over me, comforting me, somehow making me whole.

Grandma Celeste smiled at me knowingly. "There, the spirit has decided to comfort you and stand by your side. This is a very good omen, Gabi. You will go far in your journey; after all, you are the Akasha."

I pressed my head against her shoulder, inhaling her familiar lavender scent that had comforted me on many occasions, but this time it did not. Somehow, I knew that the times ahead were going to be very hard and very lonely.

"Um, Grandma Celeste, there is one more thing. I, uh, had this weird dream right before the Vineswell attack."

She looked at me with narrowed eyes. "Really? Go on."

I anxiously plucked a huge red flower from a strange trailing vine and twirled it in my hands distractedly. "Okay, so there was this cute blond guy with two swords that kept going on and on about how I’m not the Akasha, then something about breaking some curse." I looked at her hopefully. Maybe she could sort this whole mess out, because I couldn’t.

She looked at me worriedly, then pulled me to her side, burying her chin on the top of my head. She exhaled loudly. "I didn’t think that this would unfold so fast. I thought that I would at least have a little bit more time before…"

My body tensed. "Before what, Grandma Celeste?"

She squeezed me hard before continuing. "Did he tell you his name?"

I scrunched up my nose. "He didn’t have to because it was like I knew him. And he had this fire thing going on. Fire was shooting out of everywhere."

Her body tensed. I leaned away from her to find a shocked look on her face.

"What? Grandma Celeste, you’re scaring me." I looked at her anxiously.

She smiled, but it was for show. She was very concerned. She looked into space, clasping her hands. "Karma. The law of cause and effect."

"I don’t see—"

"Don’t interrupt, Gabi" she responded sharply.

I looked at her with hurt eyes. She had never raised her voice at me before.

Her eyes softened. "I’m sorry, Gabi, but this story is very important." She grabbed my hand desperately. "Please, just listen, okay?"

I nodded, pulling my knees to my chest protectively.

"Remember when I told you about how everything in our realm and beyond is tied?"

I nodded, but remained silent.

"Well, Karma is one of the many ties that bind the
Elementi
and gods together. When an
Eternal
dies, they only achieve immortality by passing down their gifts to their children. But if an
Elementi
dies, it’s very different; it’s literally the rebirth of their soul."

I pointed over to the gold cocoon delicately hanging on to the sweet Honeysuckle vine. "Like that cocoon."

"Exactly, so when an
Elementi
has finished with their shell of a body, they discard it and allow their soul to enter a new
Elementi
body."

I looked at her with amazement. "It sounds like buying a new pair of skinny jeans. You try on a couple pairs, and you keep the cute pair that you really like."

She laughed softly. "I wouldn’t compare reincarnation to buying a new pair of jeans." She brushed my hair gently. "Well, the rebirth of the
Elementi
soul is a willing union, but in rare occasions, this union happens by brute force."

I looked at her quickly. "What do you mean ‘by force’? Like a soul just cold jumping into a body and saying, ‘Hey, I got this, and I’m not going’?"

"Pretty much."

I gulped. "But I thought that the
Elementi
were powerful beings. How could that happen?"

"Because some
Elementi
are stronger than others, strong enough to enforce his or her will on another, but to do so is not without repercussions."

"And what are the repercussions?"

"The repercussions are to never experience the freedom from the vicious cycle of repeated birth and death. It’s like being trapped on a merry-go-round and never being able to get off."

"Is that what happened to the blond guy?"

"No, he is the victim of repercussions of his family bending Karma. Karma binds together free will and destiny, and he is the constant reminder of these notions."

"But what does that have to do with me, and why was he in my dream?"

"Because your soul and his are bound by Karma. The question is why?"

Right about now, I really didn’t care about why; I cared about not wanting to be this Akasha. "I…I don’t even know where to start. I mean, why me? Am I cursed by the gods because my father turned to the
Banished
?"

"You are not cursed, Gabi. You are a gift from the gods, a salvation for the
Eternals
,
Elementi
, and yes, even the
Normals
."

"What do you mean by salvation?"

Grandma Celeste looked at me pensively. "You can stop us from destroying ourselves and the world."

I reeled back from shock. "What? How am I supposed to do that?"

She looked at me matter-of-factly. "By ending the war with the Underworld and preventing a bloody
Eternal
versus
Elementi
war."

I bit back the bitter tears that threatened to fall. "Is this some sort of bad joke? I didn’t ask for any of this. In fact, I don’t want it." I jumped up, stomping my feet like a two-year-old. "I can’t even save myself, never mind anyone else. And you’re asking me to save the world. The world? Do you realize how monumental this is?"

She stood up calmly, pressing a cool, soothing palm to my forehead. Instantly a quietness settled in my body. "The answer is yes. I do realize how monumental this all is. But you can do this, Gabi. You were born to."

"No, I can’t." I tried to pull back, but she held me steady. I hated this constant, annoying feeling of fear, of uncertainty, of no control. It was something that I had never felt in my entire life, and it rocked me to the core. It made me feel…weak.

She held my chin steadily. "Yes, you can. Where is the girl with the confidence of a lion? Where is the girl who told me that we would make it together when your parents died?"

I tried to pull away. I was ashamed.

She grabbed my face between both of her hands. "I need her front and center, Gabi. I need her to fight. Fight when things are confusing and scary. Fight when there is no hope in sight. Fight when you are the last one standing. Fight until there is but one last breath in your body. That is why the gods picked you, because you are our spirit Warrior. You are the one."

I closed my eyes, inhaling the truthfulness of her words. They awakened the fight, the rightness of it all. This was indeed what I was meant to do. And there was no escaping from it. Whether I accepted it or not.

chapter

FIFTEEN

I practically floated
back to the courtyard on a high. Grandma Celeste had done everything in her power to ensure that everything would be okay, and I momentarily forgot about the looming trouble ahead. At least she tried very hard to make me forget, and I just enjoyed the time with her as if I didn’t have a care in the world.

A frantic Jessica rushed up to me in a panic. "I thought that you would be late for third period. And Brooklyn was having a cow about being late, so I told them to go ahead and I’d wait for you."