Chapter Five
I turned my gaze away from them with disgust. Although the
afternoon was young the sun was on its way down, coloring the leaves on the
ground to gold and a beam hit my face. I was beautiful, as always, and I
knew how divine this made me look. But I regretted that I had clipped my
hair short, for I felt like shaking it. Even so, I laughed as I rose and
walked into the shadow of the trees again. It was time to feed, time to hunt.
And how to do it better than in my other form?
I laughed and thought of Wrath.
I laughed as I ripped the woman's throat with my ebenholz teeth
and drank her blood. She stared into my eyes in rapture. And I laughed.
It was dark night now, and so I wept. Silent tears for my Wrath,
my lost cub. Fury gripped me suddenly. How dared he? Was I not his creator?
Had I not given him the godlike powers he now hid from the world? But I would
come and we would love again, as we had aeons before. He would love me
again.
For I am Shatter! And I am the creator of gods!
And I laughed.
Gabriel lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling,
and felt utterly alone. Sweat covered his body, yet he was chilled to his
core. A hollow and mad, maddening, laugh of a demon echoed in his head. He
was panting and frightened like a child. Why these nightmares?
"Why?!" he roared, but he didn't realize that he did until
very suddenly his door was thrown open and Wrath hurried in. His long and
silvery hair was wild and his whole expression was one of concern.
Did I scream? Gabriel wondered.
His friend was frowning as he sat down and took the shattenjaeger's
hand in his own.
"What happened, Gabe? Another nightmare?" he asked in worried
tones. Gabriel nodded weakly and saw an angry flame light in Wrath's eyes
that sent a shiver down his spine, but it was gone as suddenly as it had
came. Gabriel closed his eyes, the dream haunting him. But his friend was
smiling softly again and stroking his brown hair ever so lightly.
I went closer to the house when I saw a single light
in a window.
Are you there, Wrath?
Gabriel had calmed but was still puzzled.
"Do you know what it means?" he asked his friend.
"No." Wrath answered with a light smile but then he frowned
at the sight of something gleaming on Gabriel's bedside table.
"You're not wearing the talisman. Without it, you are vulnerable
to attacks of this kind."
He reached out for the medallion that shone in the weak
candlelight.
The talisman? Impossible...
Do not touch it!
The roar that emerged from Wrath was fully one of
pain. He let go of the necklace and Gabriel grabbed it instinctively. To
his touch it was as cool as any ordinary metal would be, but it was glowing.
He looked closer at it and saw that the pictured serpent had darkened. A
sickening, black light throbbed and pulsated through the room and flowed
over them both. A wail rose from them both but the light slowly altered to
white, blinding them both and then dimmed to nothing.
Shocked, he'd never seen such a thing like this, Gabriel noticed
that Wrath was weeping softly, holding his hand to his chest, a huge stain
of red spreading on his shirt.
"I'm sorry, I'm so terribly sorry..." he whispered while shaking
his head.
"What on earth happened?!" Gabriel exclaimed as he finally
reclaimed his voice.
"The talisman. The talisman, just look at it!"
And so he did. The serpent was darker now and the lion much
lighter, but it wasn't that. The talisman was covered with blood.
Wolfgang!
"Sweet Jesus,"
Gabriel firmly gripped Wrath's injured hand. The skin that
was to protect the palm was wholly burnt off; leaving flesh and vein exposed.
The man Gabriel thought he knew howled at the touch and snatched it back.
Wrath's eyes were grim and unfocused.
"For the spawn of evil," he began to chant,
"the medallion will be as
liquid fire to the touch
It will burn and destroy
Rot and decay
Until the evil is undone..."
Gabriel shuddered. His friend was clearly in a chock.
"We have bundle that up..." he began.
"No!" Wrath burst out, coming to his senses very suddenly and
the impact of his booming voice made the shattenjaeger back up to the wall.
"No," he soothed his tone for his friend's benefit. "They couldn't
fix it."
He rose jerkily and opened the door. Just before he left he
turned and looked at Gabriel. "Wear the talisman, Gabe, and take care."
With that he left. He left the ShadowHunter stunned and frightened.
He looked at the talisman. Then at himself, his sweating palms.
A drop of blood fell on his sheets.