Celtic Rose (21 page)

The enchantress held up her hand to stop his rambling. She looked at him with the wisdom and compassion of a mother. “It breaks my heart to see her pain–everyone’s pain–but there’s nothing I can do now. These are the events that must take place. This is the path you chose for yourself and all of them when you killed the witch’s son in your last life. This is the way it was meant to happen. The end of the curse is near, but steps must be taken for it to come to pass.”

“Why are they focusing on Kallisto and no one else?”

“They believe that if Kallisto is dead, then Talus will betray everyone to get her back.”

“So Talus will betray us then?” Gabriel asked angrily. He’d trusted Talus with Kallisto’s life many times throughout the years. He never dreamed Talus could ever hurt anyone truly, but it made sense that he would be dangerous in his grief, because without Kallisto, his hold on life would become meaningless, as would Gabriel’s. Gabriel could very well go insane without his anchor to life as well. With that being the reason William would be a potential hazard as well.

“It isn’t clear Gabriel. The witch’s magic is blocking my vision, but if she is focused on Kallisto, then it must be Talus or William. The prophecy only states that ‘one of the cursed will betray everyone in his madness before he, himself, dies.’ It doesn’t tell the reason for the madness or why he dies, but it will probably be self-inflicted, or one of you will get him before he’s done. There’s no way to tell. You know how these prophecies are. They are vague so they can’t be stopped, and anyone who tries will probably just bring it to pass more quickly.”

“Enchantress please, I need help. I’m lost this time, and I don’t know what else to do. She’s deteriorating quickly. Her eyes are almost completely green. It will take more time than I have to train them all and decipher the tablet before our time is up.” Gabriel dropped his head down, feeling ashamed of this weakness.

She thought for a moment. “I will give you the help you need.” The enchantress waved her hand and the door opened. Smoke flowed through the door, swirling from top to bottom like a waterfall, bright and shiny and white, like clouds or mist. A shadow appeared behind the fog and stepped through it. Standing in the doorway was a woman that Gabriel recognized immediately as Ephiny.

His mouth dropped at the beautiful woman in the white flowing gown. She looked more like a princess herself, and wore sparkles in her hair like diamonds. Her skin seemed to glow from the inside.

The enchantress rested her hands upon Ephiny’s shoulders and Ephiny opened her eyes. A blue burst of light shone through her skin, radiating from the inside out. Gabriel watched a tattoo of an angel form on the back of her hand between the thumb and forefinger.

A great growl sounded from above and Gabriel looked up to see smoke in the shape of a wolf descend and flow into Ephiny. She bent over into herself and fell to the ground, writhing with a silent scream. She cried out, just once, but it was muffled, like something was keeping it from escaping the room. After a moment, Ephiny slowly rose to her feet again and looked at Gabriel.

“There…I’m better now.” Ephiny breathed heavily, as if trying to control the pain. The breaths started to slow as she calmed down.

“She knows everything you know, Gabriel. She may not have been part of the curse before, but she is now. It shouldn’t have any effect on the prophecy since she is female, but we’re still taking a risk.” The enchantress looked at Gabriel for a moment with a worried frown on her face, then she gestured to Ephiny. “Her tattoo is obvious; she is your angel, Gabriel, sent to help and guide you. She’s also a werewolf now, as you are.” She smiled at Gabriel, then looked back at Ephiny. Gabriel noticed she didn’t have a silver necklace on.

“What about her necklace, Enchantress? She can’t be allowed to change freely; it’s too dangerous for the others to be around her then.” Gabriel felt slightly panicked. Just imagining Ephiny changing in the vicinity of Kallisto scared him. With the dangers that were already on her, to add one more would be foolhardy.

“Be still Gabriel. When I said that she knew everything about being a werewolf, I meant that she knows
everything,
including how to control her beast. If you give her the chance she can teach you, but you have to have an open mind for that to happen.” The enchantress shook her finger at Gabriel slightly, but she was smiling, scolding him like a misbehaving puppy. “From now on, if you need me, just call my name, Celeste.” She smiled wider at the shocked look on Gabriel’s face. He’d never known her name, only that she was
the enchantress. H
e knew the secret that held her to the twins, but he never even knew her name through everything that happened. He’d never needed to call her in any other life.

“Yes, Celeste, I’ll call your name when I need you,” Gabriel said, bowing.

“I must go now. I’ll leave you to your work. Be strong, and look to Ephiny for help in everything you need. If you have need of me again remember, just call my name and I will be there.” With that, she faded away.

Gabriel turned toward Ephiny, who was smiling brightly as she admired his room.

“So Ephiny…what do we do now?” He was hoping that she could tell him how to get started. She turned and looked at him.

“Well…right now I’d say that I need to find a room. Everyone else is asleep, and you need your rest as well. I know my way around. I have been watching, you know.”

Gabriel started to walk for the door, but she waved him off and walked out. He watched her walk along the balcony, peering into the rooms as she went. First she hit William’s room, and seemed to smile even wider as she saw him. She went to Kallisto’s room, turning to Gabriel and making a
shame, shame
gesture as she pointed to the room. That must’ve meant Talus didn’t leave her room. Gabriel started to walk to the room, but Ephiny waved him off again. She made a sleeping gesture, showing him they were asleep. The next room was empty but she knew it would be Talus’. The next were Kalan’s and Ramina’s, who were both fast asleep in their beds. At least they followed the rules, although once they found out Talus and Kallisto slept in the same room that could change.

Gabriel closed his eyes and shook his head, thinking of all the trouble he was going to have over the next few weeks. He opened his eyes in time to see Ephiny waving good night as she went into the far room opposite his and shut the door. He went ahead and walked down toward Kallisto’s room. Ephiny could wave him off as she stood there, but once she was in the room he could correct the situation. When he looked in the door he received a shock. Talus remained clothed on top of the covers. Kallisto was covered up lying on his chest. The scene was so innocent, nothing like what he expected, and he was relieved that he didn’t have to defend her virtue as well as her life. Just as he was about to turn away, Kallisto whimpered in her sleep. There must have been pain somewhere in her body. Talus’ arms automatically flew protectively around her. Even in his sleep, he guarded her. She sighed and nuzzled into him a bit more. His arms stayed around her and he squeezed slightly, hugging her in his sleep.

Gabriel thought maybe he wouldn’t have to worry about her so much, but then shook his head again. Who was he kidding? He was as bad as a worried father, and that would never change.

He tore himself away from the sight and trudged back to his room. He needed to sleep. The training they’d start tomorrow would be grueling and tedious. It’d take all his effort to be able to train them properly and all of his patience to deal with William.

The king came to Gabriel on the night of the full moon. As usual, he was chained to the wall. The necklace kept him from changing, but it couldn’t stop the madness of a full moon. As the king approached, a fierce growl escaped Gabriel’s lips. The king smiled–not exactly the reaction Gabriel had expected. It seemed to wake him from the madness. He looked at the king in confusion.

“
Are you ready, my wolf?” The king patted his head like an obedient dog. Another growl escaped but the king only laughed.

“
Kallisto needs you, Gabriel,” the king said, and his face turned serious as he said it.

Those words awakened a primal protectiveness in Gabriel that he didn’t understand. He pulled against the silver chains, the only thing that can weaken a werewolf.

“
Where is she?” Gabriel’s words came out in a growl. The king flinched but smiled wider.

“
She is safe, but the men that attacked her still roam the forest. I’ll set you free Gabriel, but I will not take off your necklace. I need you to find these men and at least bring one back to me. Do you understand this, Gabriel?” The king placed his hand on Gabriel’s cheek. He could have easily turned and bit him, but Gabriel realized that he was about to set him free.

“
I understand. Please let me go so I can protect Kallisto.” Gabriel pulled on the chains.

“
You are ready then.” The king chuckled. “Here, smell this. This belongs to one of the soldiers that hurt Kallisto.” The king placed the red fabric in front of Gabriel’s nose. He sniffed deeply, taking in all the scents. There was a tinge of sweat and a hint of something metallic… blood. His eyes opened with a jolt. Everything he saw was tainted with red, as though he’d been sent into a type of blood rage. He pulled the chains again and they gave slightly. He heard a sharp intake of breath. It was the king; he was looking at the wall where the chains were anchored. The stone was cracking, breaking, and soon Gabriel would be free.

The king hurried forward and unfastened the chains. As soon as Gabriel felt the chains fall he ran. The doors opened in front of him without hesitation. He ran straight through them and into the forest. Seeking out the trail that Kallisto had taken the day before, he followed her scent until the smell from the fabric mingled with it. Kallisto’s fragrance lingered strong and thick in that area. She’d fought hard for her life there. A whiff of her blood found Gabriel’s senses, and anger filled him from the very core. How dare they injure his little cub? There was no way that person would survive his attack now. He’d need massive self-control to be able to keep one alive to bring to the king, but that one was expendable.

Kallisto’s scent went on down the trail and the other smell went deeper into the forest. They didn’t give chase. From the odors in the area, Gabriel found that three had been bled, and there were four other aromas that had not. Seven in all was what it took to attack an innocent woman, but Gabriel also felt pride in the fact that she was strong enough and smart enough to get away from them.

He followed the stench of the soldiers into the deep forest. The odor got stronger as he neared a clearing. There were voices on the other side. He peered through the brush and saw a fire in the middle. The voices he heard were two of the soldiers who were walking the circle. One soldier sat next to the fire, and another stood on the other side. By the look and smell of it, two were dead, near the far west of the camp; the others apparently planned to bury them. Gabriel wasn’t going to let them get that far.

The two that had been walking the clearing came right in front of where Gabriel crouched. He ducked down a little further and waited for them to get past, then launched himself at them. He hit one and then the other before anyone even noticed he was there. Then he ran at the two by the fire. Each grabbed a burning log and jumped up, apparently assuming from all the growling that he was a wolf. They jabbed the fire in his direction, and as the light hit Gabriel’s eyes, they reflected as a real wolf’s eyes would. Gabriel smiled at the thought of being a wolf; a rabid wolf maybe. Fire had absolutely no effect on him, just as it would have no effect on a rabid wolf. As he smiled, his fang’s extended, as well as his claws.

The soldiers’ eyes went wide with shock. The one whose scent Gabriel had followed was standing there. Gabriel looked at his arm, seeing he’d cauterized it, but it bled again; it must’ve split when he picked up the log. To Gabriel it smelled like the most enticing meal. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, crouching down, ready to spring. One soldier misjudged where the fire was and tripped over it. He fell back into the fire, distracting the other soldiers. Gabriel jumped onto him first and ripped out his throat. He didn’t have time to savor the taste, and the soldier died instantly. There was no need for torture, at least not at that moment. Gabriel jumped out of the fire and onto the wounded soldier. He struggled to get up, but his injured arm made him move too slowly. He screamed out as Gabriel’s teeth sank into his arm. Steak tartar came to mind when Gabriel killed, and the wounded soldier was the most succulent steak tartar he’d had in a long while since he was only allowed animals to eat, and they tasted rather bland compared to human. Gabriel had planned to rip him limb from limb before finally killing him, but his screams were like that of a young girl. It tore at Gabriel’s heart, so he went straight for his throat. The scream turned into a gurgle as he died. The only sound left in the clearing was the sound of tearing flesh as Gabriel satiated his hunger.

The silence was disturbed by a twig snapping under foot. In that moment, Gabriel remembered that there had been seven smells on the trail. He wondered where the other soldier had been. There was a whistle in the wind a moment before Gabriel felt something bite into his arm; it was a Scottish dirk. Gabriel had a moment of wondering how the Roman obtained a Scottish dirk before smiling at the fact that it wasn’t made of silver. The wound closed almost immediately as he spun around to face the soldier. The Roman saw the wound heal and his eyes widened. Gabriel almost laughed. Recovering from his shock, the Roman ran toward Gabriel with a silver knife glinting in his hand. That could do damage to Gabriel easily.

Gabriel flipped over him, clawing his back on the way. He screamed out, grabbing his back, but turned to face Gabriel again. The first two victims started to stir. The Roman looked toward them, just long enough for Gabriel to jump on him. As he fell, Gabriel smacked his head into the ground just hard enough to knock him out. He only needed one soldier alive, but as his human mind started to come back he realized it would be better to have three. That way, if one of them lied, they would have others to check the story with. In the blink of an eye, Gabriel leapt over to where the other two stirred. He pounced on their backs, knocking them back to the ground and immediately smacked both of their heads to the ground as well, and then tied the three together and placed them on a make-shift pad that he could drag behind a horse.