Blood Oath (A Gabby Girls Adventure Novel, Book Two) (9 page)

My world was slipping into the crazy unknown. I could just feel it. "So now what? Do I just go on pretending?"

Grandma Celeste looked at me unhappily. "When it comes to Aether, it’s just best that you do. Gabi, you’re young, and everything seems so very complicated right now. But believe me when I say that, in time, it will all reveal itself."

I looked at her sadly. "And what if it doesn’t?"

Grandma Celeste looked at me deeply. "
Everything
reveals itself in time, Gabi. You just have to know how to read the signs."

chapter

FIVE

We were startled
awake by the loud thud of the jet landing. Greedily we looked out the window, hoping to see anything that might be familiar, but all we saw was a dry and barren land.

Chaos and Orion briskly walked down the aisle while Justice motioned to the rest of the
Ares
Warriors to hustle us out of the jet. After scrambling to our feet, we were out of the jet looking at looking around with confusion.

Chaos motioned to Justice to step ahead quickly. Justice smoothly pulled out one of his swords from one of the two sheaths strapped across his back. Using the tip of the sword to draw in the air, he muttered something that sounded ancient. The air made a loud sucking sound like air being released from a balloon.

The air shimmered as a large oval shape appeared. On the other side of it, we could see clear through to a young woman who looked impatient, with eyes alert.

The
Ares
Warriors quickly walked through the portal without a second glance, disappearing on the other side. I looked over at Jessica, Rosalinda, and Zora with a "what the heck?" look.

Zora adjusted her glasses excitedly. "Do you realize the science behind this portal is unheard of? Please"—she looked over at Justice— "it’s killing me; I’ve got to know how it’s done."

Justice looked at her silently before snorting disdainfully and stepping through the portal. Orion gestured toward the shimmering oval. "
Neophytes
, please step through the portal."

As we stepped through it was like walking through a dark tunnel. The loud sucking sound of air surrounded me, making my ears pop; my head lightened. My steps very wobbly, it was like I was walking on a bed of marshmallow. It was pitch-black, and I tried in vain to see around me. In a flash, I found myself on the other side. The whole thing took no longer than a couple of seconds to get through the portal, but it felt like time had literally just stopped and plopped us into another location. It was truly weird beyond words.

Chaos nodded at the woman waiting for us. "Greetings, Veda."

Veda’s warm cinnamon brown skin glistened as she impatiently tossed back her shiny jet-black hair that cascaded perfectly to her shoulders. She nodded curtly before stepping forward and reaching out her right hand to firmly grip his left forearm. In turn, Chaos gripped Veda’s right forearm. They held the grip briefly, then released.

Justice waited for everyone to exit before sealing the portal. He quickly walked by Veda, giving her a wicked grin. "Hi, Veda."

She smiled back wickedly. "Hi, Justice. I see that you brought them back in one piece."

He chuckled loudly. "What would they do without me?"

She looked over at Orion with a hint of humor in her eyes. "Hmm, I see that you came back in one piece."

His green eyes looked her over coolly. "Try not to look so disappointed."

She looked at him silently before turning her almond-shaped hazel eyes over at us curiously. She stood stylishly confident in a super sexy crisp white shirt tucked neatly into tight dark blue jeans that clung to her tall, curvy body.

"Well hello,
Neophytes
. Good order, justice, and peace. Let’s not waste time, for there is no time to spare," Veda said shortly before striding toward the waiting black SUVs with the throng of
Ares
Warriors following.

I didn’t know what was happening as I watched Chaos and the
Ares
Warriors pile into black SUVs, speeding away without a backward glance, leaving us standing around looking at each other uncertainly.

Veda examined us closely. "Don’t look so disappointed. You’re riding with me." She smiled slightly.

Jessica’s eyes bulged uncertainly. "Uh, thank you…"

She laughed huskily. "Yes, you can call me Veda. You’ll learn that we’re not too big on titles here." She watched with amusement as we jostled to get into the backseat. "You know you’re more than welcome to sit up here with me. I promise I won’t bite," she said wittily.

We looked at each other hastily, mentally drawing straws on who would get the privilege, and of course, I lost. Great. She didn’t look like she was mean or anything. But she had this weird vibe coming off of her that kind of made me nervous. I rolled my eyes with exasperation before jumping into the passenger seat.

Veda looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes. "See how easy that was,
Neophyte
Gabrielle?"

I didn’t even bother to speculate on how Veda knew my name without an introduction. I just sat back in the soft leather seat as she revved the SUV and sped off into the thick, soupy mist.

We sat in awkward silence for the first couple of minutes, waiting for Veda to say something, anything, to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Okay, the noise is deafening. Please try not to speak all at once?" She gave them a secretive smile.

I focused on her hands momentarily, fascinated by the design on her palms and the top of her hands, marked with hundreds of tiny dots and teardrops encased in a lacy pattern of lines and circular shapes intertwined with moons, stars, and circular patterns of every shape and size.

I cleared my throat noisily. "Your marks are truly awesome."

She looked at me quietly. "Have you learned about mystical marks yet?"

I nodded my head. "A little."

She inhaled and exhaled deeply. The marks slowly transformed, the inky moons and stars coming alive and twinkling as they moved along her arm in a circular pattern. "Veda means ‘knowledge,’ ‘wisdom.’ It’s a name that I took when I became a fully fledged
Circle
." She winked saucily. "It’s a very fitting name given my gift."

"Do we get marks?" Rosalinda leaned forward with excitement.

Her eyes narrowed. "If you’re deemed worthy. It’s a gift, not a birthright. We have to work towards the marks." She pointed to her pendant. "For
Circles
, the marks and scarlet pendant work hand in hand."

Like a shot, I looked at her. This was the first time I sensed coldness about her.

She cleared her throat. "Moving on to lighter topics…" She pointed out the window. "These are the Isles of Transcendence, one of our many
Neophyte
training locations."

Zora’s face scrunched with puzzlement. Her long auburn braids bobbed as she curiously pressed her face against the window. "I’m sorry, where?"

Veda smiled and answered slowly, "Isles of Transcendence."

Rosalinda snorted rudely. "I’ve traveled all over the world, and I’ve never heard of the Isles of Transcendence," she replied self-importantly.

"I’m pretty sure you haven’t, Rosalinda, since it’s not on any known map and its location is kept hidden by the veil of scarlet wards," she drove expertly through the mist.

I looked at her uncomfortably. "Umm, what are scarlet wards?"

A secretive smile appeared. "They’re like magic barriers. The same magic scarlet stones that are in your pendants have been strategically placed around the Isles. These stones have been cast with a powerful spell that gives the Isles a protective veil. This veil can only be lifted by permission, meaning that no one can enter or exit the wards without permission to do so."

She smiled as the mist disappeared. "This is Infinity Bridge, which leads directly to Transcendence Castle. I know that you’ll quickly grow to love the castle. It’s a very magical and ethereal place and very rich with
Eternal
history."

They all pressed their faces against the window as they crossed the semitransparent bridge that shimmered and sparkled, suspended by absolutely nothing as the river thrashed beneath it. They quickly drove across the bridge, rapidly approaching a really old castle that was surrounded by nothing but water, towering regally above the lush green landscape. This was definitely not what I was expecting to see. It looked like some Victorian style castle that most definitely did not have Internet or, for that matter, running water.

The SUV stopped at an ominous crafted stone wall that grumbled and rumbled angrily, slowly revealing tall, burly
Ares
Warriors dressed all in black and blocking the entrance menacingly, brandishing silver swords as if ready for battle. Clearly acknowledging that we weren’t the
Banished
about to go off on a killing frenzy, they curtly nodded at Veda, mumbling in unison, "Good order, justice, and peace." She, in turn, nodded back and returned their greeting in kind. Slowly they broke formation, allowing us to make our way up the graceful winding road laced with huge, gnarly trees with beautiful pink flowers drooping from its branches as if welcoming them to the castle. The end of the road looped into a circular driveway. Veda abruptly stopped and urged us to hop out.

She looked at us impatiently. "Let’s go,
Neophytes
, and get you settled."

They quickly followed her out of the SUV, looking around with confusion. This place was completely deserted and strangely silent. They looked around at the grounds that displayed a wealth of wild vegetation. On both sides of the driveway there were rectangular lakes filled with swans, ducks, and birds.

Jessica looked around uneasily at the imposing stone stairs that led up to the castle. "It seems kind of quiet. Are there any other
Neophytes
here?"

Veda looked at her quickly. "Of course, always." She glided up the stone stairs as they warily followed her.

Rosalinda looked around with disdain before quickly pulling out her iPhone. "Yes, three bars! My phone is working!"

Zora looked at her with surprise. "Are you serious? Out here in make-believe land? I doubt they even have Internet access," she whispered loudly.

Veda chuckled. "Even in
make-believe land
we have Internet access and many other essentials, like running water, indoor bathrooms, and electricity, Zora," she stated dryly. "Just because it’s a castle doesn’t mean we’re stuck in the Dark Ages."

Rosalinda looked up at the hovering mist worriedly. "Is it always so misty? It’s wreaking havoc on my hair."

"The mist comes and goes, but I should think that you’ll have more important concerns than hair issues, Rosalinda, like training, making it through your levels, and managing to stay alive," she responded coolly.

I couldn’t help the snicker that escaped my lips. I really liked Veda’s dry sense of humor.

Rosalinda huffed, then tossed her jet-black hair over her shoulders pompously.

At the top of the stairs, Veda quickly strode across the worn cobblestone pathway, through an imposing stone archway blocked by eight huge stone columns intertwined with thick ivy vines. They skirted past the columns that led to another set of stone stairs that spiraled through a huge, lush garden full of vegetation.

As soon as they entered the garden, they spotted a girl sitting patiently beside a huge bronze statue with white headphones dangling from her ears. She wore all-black skinny jeans, with studs embedded up the front of each leg, tucked into calf-length black riding boots, and a fitted black hoodie; the hood completely covered her head.

When she spotted us approaching, she jumped up quickly, her tall, thin body practically bubbling with excitement. Smiling at us with a warm, toothy grin, she quickly pulled her hood back to reveal her pretty heart-shaped faced and light green eyes. She fluffed out her shoulder-length Ronald-McDonald-colored curly hair, which contrasted sharply against her light honey skin.

"Good order, justice, and peace,
Circle
Veda," she chirped.

Veda smiled warmly. "Good order, justice, and peace,
Neophyte
Brooklyn. Thank you for waiting. Please escort your fellow
Neophytes
to their room." She looked at us quickly. "She will take good care of you and show you around." She smiled quickly before walking away with her high heels clicking on the cobblestones.

I stepped forward quickly. "Hey, I’m Gabrielle, and this Jessica, Zora, and Rosalinda. So how long have you been here?"

I didn’t know why, but instantly I liked her.

Brooklyn gave us a white, toothy grin. "I’ve only been here a month, but it seems like forever, but in a good way, you know." She quickly looped her arm through mine, dragging me along nonchalantly. "Anyhoo, how about we start with the real touristy stuff? Like right now, we’re standing in what we call the Battle Garden. You’ll always remember the name because of this statue." She pointed up to the gigantic, towering bronze statue of a
Circle
and
Ares
with rippling muscles facing each other with swords locked as if in battle.