Chapter Thirteen
"Why didn't we take the elevator?" he asked as he pulled himself
onward with the help of the slippery mahogany railing.
"Because we don't have the time," Wrath replied and pushed
Gabriel from behind. The shattenjaeger groaned and stumbled on. They worked
their way upward in heavy silence. They both stopped when reaching the sixth
level, both feeling very dizzy.
"When we get there, Gabe," Wrath said suddenly, interrupting
Gabriels hunt for air. "There will be some things we all have to do. You
don't have to worry about Grace, Gray is probably already with her and I'll
take care of Shatter." His voice grew stern. "But you must locate the seven
shards of the talisman and re-create it."
"What? Re-create? How?"
"I don't know."
Gabriel stared at him, so Wrath hurried on.
"But I think you'll receive help from some divine, higher power.
"
The shattenjaegers voice was tense.
"I will get help from some power to re-create the talisman?"
"Yes." Wrath took three steps in one long stretch.
"You're insane."
"No. But I am an optimist." He turned and flashed a madman's
grin at Gabriel, then grabbed his arm and drew Gabe staggering after him.
"How will I know where to begin?"
"I said I don't know."
"But-"
"No buts, Gabe. All I know is that you will make the talisman
whole again, guided by your ancestors or something else. I repeat, I will
take care of Shatter and Grace is probably already safe."
"We're here."
The two stopped, entered the corridor. The room they were after
was just to their left. They looked at eachother, but none had anything to
say, nothing to spoil the almost electric feeling. Wrath laid his hand on
Gabriels shoulder and tried to smile. Then, they kicked the door open.
"It's usual to knock when you enter."
Gabriels eyes stuck on the man sitting on the floor with crossed
legs. He looked barely out of his teens, with black hair hanging in his eyes.
The eyes! He recognized their unearthly evil glare and the golden gleam of
the wolf.
"You!"
"Yes, it's me." The youngster jumped to his feet and spun around
in a circle, like a model on the catwalk showing a white dress. "Remember
me?"
"How could I forget you, you fucking bastard! Where's Grace?"
he demanded.
"Quite safe. I should guess she and Gray are far away by now.
But, dear Gabriel, isn't there something you should do?"
Gabriels hand touched the thick golden shards in his pocket.
"Yesss..." Shatter drew out the word in a hiss and took a few
snake-like steps toward him.
"Shatter, leave him alone."
With a vicious hiss, the young boy spun to face Wrath.
"So, you're here too," he spat. "I should have guessed."
Wrath took a few steps forward.
"I've tried to fend him from you, but you had to confront me
directly, didn't you?"
The smile was enough an answer.
"Why? Why must you kill him?"
"Because he bears the Power I crave!" Shatter burst out and
Gabriel, who'd been drawing closer, jumped back to the wall. Shatter turned
to look into his soul. "He has the talisman. Not before I crushed it with
my own jaws did I realize it was the source of Power I'd been looking for!
And then it was too late. Now he must re-create it for me."
"To hell with that," Gabriel managed to splutter angrily. So
it was the talisman this devil was after, not Gabe himself. Then why not
give it to him?
Don't you dare think that way! The words were spoken
in his mind and felt like a slap.
Who..? he begun to think before he felt the female taint of
the mind. It was Gray. I've got Grace, she's quite safe with me, so you
mustn't think about her. Let Wrath deal with Shatter!
But I don't know how! Gabriel protested weakly, but
he could feel her withdraw from him and he found that Shatter was eyeing
him suspiciously.
"Yes... He is indeed powerful," he seemed to murmur to himself.
Then he straightened his back and smiled in a friendly fashion. "Gabriel,
my dear friend."
"Shut up!" Wrath snorted loudly.
"Silence!" Shatter bellowed and lashed out with his hand toward
the other, who was flung into the wall with an audible crack of bone, but
Gabe couldn't say anything. "ShadowHunter, you mustn't listen to him. I don't
know what he's told you about me, but you will understand that I only mean
the best for you."
"Yeah, right." Gabriel managed to spit. "As you did to
Grace."
Shatter opened his mouth, but there was no reply and Gabriel
sniggered evilly.
"Didn't I think so. No excuses, Shatter? You are the most pitiful
creature I've ever laid my eyes on!"
Shatter frowned. This from a Ritter?
"Indeed, Shatter, did you think I would remain unknowing about
my powers?"
Gabriel amazed and marveled of what he was saying, he had no
control over his tongue.
"Are you possessed?"
It was a mighty blow that Shatter landed by psychic powers
unknown to Gabriel, but although he fell to his knees, the entity that had
him under control did not yield.
"Leave my shattenjäger alone, Shatter! Occupy yourself
with your child!" The entity roared with Gabe's voice and the beautiful boy
actually backed up a pace.
Things went dark.
Gabriel rose. What had happened?
"You were transported into your mind, ShadowHunter." A rumbling
voice replied to his unspoken question. Gabriel did not turn, but a great
lion suddenly appeared in view. It was the most fearful thing he'd seen.
It's mane was a fire eternal and the shortcropped fur was a blazing hearth
of gold. But the eyes were complete darkness, a deep void of blackness that
he could lose himself into them for all time.
"Do not look too closely at my appearance, ShadowHunter, you
might never return to your own mind."
"We're here to help you."
Another entity, Gabriel recognized it as the voice that had
spoken through him.
"Indeed it was I."
The serpent was enormous, consisting only of a long and coiled
tail and the great head, with the same black eyes as the lion. The pointed
tongue of a snake smelled the air and every time it did, it slightly bared
two blinding white fangs, dripping with venom.
"Why did you come here?" Gabriel asked the two.
"As my brother said," the lion rumbled and fixed him with its
black stare, "we're here to help you re-create the talisman."
Shatter stared at the empty void that had once held
Gabriel position, but not for long. A sudden blow caught him over the head
and he fell to the ground with a yelp of dismay. Over him stood a huge silver
bear, it's great forepaw already lifted to strike again. He managed to roll
out of the way before it came crashing down and destroyed the wooden floor.
He stretched his arm outwards and the fingers of the hand became razor-sharp
talons and he lounged at the bear with a warrior shriek.
Gabriel grasped the first golden piece and put it
into the blazing fire. It began hovering in midair, sending a yellow glow
into the dark depths of his now dark mind.
The bear drew away from Shatters talons, and the
next instant transformed into a leopard, dodging him quickly and creeping
up from behind. It punced and struck the yung man down, burrying it's claws
in his back. Shatter screamed, fell backwards in an attempt to crush the
leopard with his weight and then rolled away. He got free ground and transformed
himself into his wolven shape. The leopard stared at him as he did so and
then did the same. The two wolves stood facing eachother a while, one silver,
radiating its shine and one black, soaking up all light there was with its
fur.
The silver snarled and attacked the black, leaping to meet
it.
Gabriel gently touched the hovering piece of gold.
It was not warm, but neither was it cold. It was throbbing and felt just
like a living thing with a pulse. He stroked it gently and then grasped the
second piece and put it into the hearth of fire.
"You must unite them." The lion purred, it's muzzle touching
his right shoulder and stroking his cheek gently as it spoke.
Gabriel grasped the two pieces and they united with a small
flash of iron light.
The black wolf's teeth met warm flesh and drew away
its jaws along with a large chunk of meat. The silver expressed nothing but
rage as it tore off the black's ear with sharp canines.
Gabriel felt everything the shards could not. He
could almost hear its childlike giggling as he touched them. He drew out
the third one too. It was heavy and cold at his touch. He put into the fire
and it began glow a little. He grasped the big piece and the new shard and
united them. There was a flash of iron light once again, only bigger. He
wanted to feel its surface against his cheek, he felt so chilled.
"No, do not remove it from the fire." The serpent hissed, it's
double tongue touching his cheek in the cloudy caress of a reptile.
Instead, he took the fourth shard and put it together with
the big piece in the fire, less ritual in the whole thing now.
"This is indeed not a ritual, ShadowHunter. It is something
that has never been done before." The lion told him and it's pinkish tongue
touched the corner of his eye.
He drew out the fifth shard.
Shatters wolf opened its mouth in a canine grin.
I prevail, Wrath. I always do.
Not always. Not this time.
Wrath's wolf snarled defiantly at the black one, that had him
nailed to the floor.
You will regret your defiance, Wrath. I once was your loving
mentor, now I am your worst nightmare!
The silver wolf let out a whine of something that might have
been amusement.
What do you know about my nightmares, despised one? Nothing,
I tell you.
The eyes of the black wolf flared from gold to blood red.
You will regret that, Wrath! For I am Shatter! The creator
of gods! Know my powers and fear me!
He produced a series of memories in Wrath's mind. Staked people,
his family lying in bloody heaps of organs and limbs, heads in buckets, a
bloody guillotine. And the golden, evil, evil!, eyes of Shatter.
The demonic laugh carried forth the deep and immense pain of
fear in Wrath's heart.
"The seventh shard is in place, but still the talisman
is not yet made whole." The lion purred in his ear.
"What is left to do then?" Gabriel asked, still blinded by
the lightning of iron.
"You must sacrifice." The serpent hissed and rubbed its scaly
head on his chest.
"Sacrifice what?"
"Blood."
The craving of lust was spoken by both entities. They were
one voice, one power, one fear.
"We need the sacrifice, the blood of a heart to reign!"
"Whose blood?" Gabriel trembled.
Their voices were hushed rumbles of suppressed anger.
"Blood."
Shatter laughed at the strong fear that now shone
in Wrath's eyes.
This is how I always wanted you, he mused.
A sudden high-pitched scream made both the wolves fur stand
on edge and bristle. It came from nowhere and everywhere and elsewhere.
Shatter had let go of Wrath in amazement and now the mortally
wounded silver tried to get up. With a last vicious snarl, the black eternal
Were launched himself at his own child. The jaws met at the throat
and he ripped it with a backward jerk of his head. The ruby red blood of
life scattered a bit of everywhere and Wrath let out a gurgling howl of
agony.