PART NINE
He knew he was dreaming the minute he opened his eyes. Slowly getting off the hard floor he tried to move but found his hands were shackled by chains to the wall behind him. Looking around he found that he was in some kind of dungeon. Taking a deep breath he decided to sit and think.
"Hello Mythkeeper." Gabriel looked up suddenly into silver eyes. "You know who I am?"
"Not by name, but I know what you want." He stood again and pulled at the chains. "You won't get her. I defeated you once, and I'll defeat you again."
"Will you now." He laughed loudly. "If you want to live Mythkeeper, you will not try to stop me. She is mine by right."
"What right." Gabriel stared hard at the man. "What right do you have to take Dianna?"
"By right of destiny." The man extended his hand and waited for something. "She is mine by destiny of the Blade. I will control her." Gabriel was horrified as he watched Dianna walk toward the man in a trancelike state. "It will be so easy to take her from your weak grasp."
"Dianna, run away from him baby." Gabriel cried out as he began to struggle harder. "Dianna honey you have to get away."
"She can't hear you Mythkeeper." A smile formed on the man's lips. "She is in another dream of my making. I just wanted you to see her before I take her from you."
"NO!" Gabriel screamed as the man took Dianna's hand and led her away. "Come back here with her! Dianna!"
"No!" Gabriel blurted out as he suddenly opened his eyes and found himself back in his own bed. He sat up carefully and looked at Dianna who was still sleeping but seemed to be in the throes of a nightmare. Gently he touched her small shoulder, shook her carefully and whispered. "Dianna, wake up baby, you're having a bad dream." She moaned pitifully as she slowly sat up, her long blond hair falling over her face. "Wake up baby. It's all just a bad dream."
"I don't want to go with that man Gabriel." She whimpered as she laid in the crook of his arms, almost instantly falling back into a deep sleep. "I want to stay with you."
"You can stay right here Dianna. I won't let anything happen to you baby." He brushed her hair off her face and kissed the top of her head, holding her tightly. As he rocked her, the phone began ringing. Careful not to wake the sleeping child, Gabriel laid her back on the pillow and shuffled to the phone. "Hello?"
"Is this Gabriel Bowman?" The soft male voice spoke into his ear.
"This is Gabriel Bowman. Do you know what time it is?" He tried to sound irritated but polite.
"Ahh, no, sorry. This is Raphael Rainer, Dianna's uncle." There was a pause as the words sank into Gabriel's tired brain. "Mr. Bowman? Have I lost you? The connection is kinda iffy at this location."
"Mr. Rainer. My friend in the police department said it would take a week to even get in touch with you." He didn't hide the suspicion.
"Yes, well, if my wife hadn't had such a bad feeling and insisted I check our messages, it would have." Raphael sounded sad. "Is it true? Is Lilith dead?"
"I'm afraid so Mr. Rainer. Murdered."
"How's Dianna? Was she hurt?" Gabriel could hear that the concern was sincere.
"Dianna is fine at the moment. She's sleeping actually. Would you like me to wake her, let her talk to you?" Gabriel moved to the child and shook her slightly, causing her to stir and sit up.
"I don't want to be a bother, but I would like to hear that she is all right for myself. Not that I doubt your word." Raphael began to stammer.
"It's all right." Gabriel waited till the child looked up at him quizzically. "There's someone on the phone that would like to talk to you honey."
"'Bout time." She grabbed the phone with a smile. "Hello Uncle Rafe." She grinned as she listened. "I just knew it was you. Where is Aunt Lydia?" She sighed deeply and nodded. "Okay, I don't mind staying with Gabriel. He's one of the good guys you know." She smiled broadly. "I love you too Uncle Rafe." She handed the phone back to Gabriel. "He wants to talk to you again." Once Gabriel had the phone, Dianna was laying back down and almost asleep.
"Mr. Rainer, I'm here." Gabriel watched in astonishment as the child curled up and was practically snoring before he had even spoke his first words.
"Please, call me Rafe. My niece seems to like you." There was a soft laugh. "That means a lot to me."
"She is becoming more and more special to me and some others too." Gabriel remembered the way Ian had reacted when Dianna gave him the silver dragon. "She has made quite an impression on many people."
"Well, I wish I could say we would be there tomorrow, but I don't know if I can get transport here before the scheduled time. All I can tell you is once I disconnect with you, I will start trying to get us off this mountain."
"Mountain?" Gabriel asked out loud without thinking.
"Lydia's idea, not mine I assure you." There was a pause. "I don't know how I am going to tell her that her sister is dead. They were very close you know."
"They were? Did she know that Dianna and her mother were living on the streets?" Gabriel asked harder than he had intended and suddenly wished he hadn't.
"They were what?" Genuine concern filled Raphael's voice. "Mr. Bowman, I promise you that if I had known that, Lilith would have been under my roof before she knew what happened. We did not know they were homeless." There was another pause. "Lilith had to have a good reason to put herself and my niece in that situation. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Quite a bit, but I think most of it can wait till you get here." Gabriel fought the urge to tell the man on the other end of the phone about the dreams and visions that apparently surrounded the child. "I do think you should know that the police think the man that killed your sister-in-law, is after Dianna for some reason."
"Oh sweet Goddess." Raphael whispered softly. "Okay, I gather you have custody of her because you can keep her safe? Of course you are, that was a stupid thing to say."
"Mr. Rainer, Rafe, I would lay down my life to keep this child safe, so would others. That I can promise you." He decided not to talk about the book that had been stolen earlier.
"Thank you Mr. Bowman." Raphael seemed to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Goodnight Mr. Bowman, I will get back with you when our travel arrangements are made."
"All right. Thanks for the call, and I look forward to meeting you and Lydia." Carefully he hung up the phone and turned to the bed, longing for a peaceful sleep but not knowing if he would get it until Dianna was safely with her family. Instead he opted to lie quietly next to the sleeping child and just watch her.
Ian hadn't moved for what seemed hours. He had watched in silence as Gabriel had helped Mr. Suez place the two statues into the SUV from the shadows. Now he simply looked through the window as Gabriel hung up the phone and sat by Dianna.
"Thought I would find you here." Ian turned, pulling back his fist as he heard the voice in his ear. "Whoa there big guy." Sara smiled as Ian slowly put his hand down and looked at her angrily. "I thought you might like a cup of coffee." She brought out a thermos from a backpack. "I also made sure there were some sandwiches for you. I doubt that you have taken the time to eat."
"I have been watching the Child and the Mythkeeper." He slowly turned toward the window again, fingering the silver dragon around his neck. "And you shouldn't sneak up like that. You could get hurt.'
"Funny, seems like I am always telling you the same thing." She raised an eyebrow as she opened the thermos and poured the hot liquid into a cup. "Here, take a break. I can do what you are doing for a few minutes." After a moment he took the drink gratefully and began to sip slowly. Sara pulled one of the sandwiches out and handed it to the man. "Ian, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course Sara. You can ask me anything." He took a bite and watched her.
"Do you think Dianna could be a Wielder?" She frowned slightly as she looked at the bracelet. "I mean, if she is, then that means that the Witchblade is destined to abandon me."
"Anything is possible." He knew the words were of no comfort to her, but he found he could not lie. "Maybe you will abandon the Witchblade."
"That's what Gabriel said." She found an old box and sat on it, watching Ian eat. "I know sometimes I don't seem to appreciate what this thing is, but I can't even imagine my life without it now. Does that make sense?"
"Do not put too much dependence on the Blade Sara." Ian shrugged. "Mr. Irons always said that it was as fickle as any woman he had ever met."
"Yeah well." She trailed off as she watched through the window as Gabriel lay back down turning toward the girl. "What will you do if that happens? I mean, will you suddenly become Dianna's protector?" She didn't look at him, but he heard what almost sounded like jealousy in her voice.
"I don't know Sara." He finished the sandwich and sipped the coffee slowly. "Maybe I will not be her protector." He shrugged softly looking past Sara. "If the Blade abandons you or you it, I don't know what will become of me." As the thought of Sara suddenly not being the Wielder imbedded itself in his mind, he closed his eyes slowly. "I was created solely for the protection of the present day Wielder, you Sara. I do not know if that responsibility will be given to me with another Wielder."
"I see." She nodded slowly. "So we carry on as usual?"
"We carry on as usual." They both lapsed into silence, watching through the window and thinking about the possibilities that might lie ahead.
He knew he was dreaming the minute he opened his eyes. Slowly getting off the hard floor he tried to move but found his hands were shackled by chains to the wall behind him. Looking around he found that he was in some kind of dungeon. Taking a deep breath he decided to sit and think.
"Hello Mythkeeper." Gabriel looked up suddenly into silver eyes. "You know who I am?"
"Not by name, but I know what you want." He stood again and pulled at the chains. "You won't get her. I defeated you once, and I'll defeat you again."
"Will you now." He laughed loudly. "If you want to live Mythkeeper, you will not try to stop me. She is mine by right."
"What right." Gabriel stared hard at the man. "What right do you have to take Dianna?"
"By right of destiny." The man extended his hand and waited for something. "She is mine by destiny of the Blade. I will control her." Gabriel was horrified as he watched Dianna walk toward the man in a trancelike state. "It will be so easy to take her from your weak grasp."
"Dianna, run away from him baby." Gabriel cried out as he began to struggle harder. "Dianna honey you have to get away."
"She can't hear you Mythkeeper." A smile formed on the man's lips. "She is in another dream of my making. I just wanted you to see her before I take her from you."
"NO!" Gabriel screamed as the man took Dianna's hand and led her away. "Come back here with her! Dianna!"
"No!" Gabriel blurted out as he suddenly opened his eyes and found himself back in his own bed. He sat up carefully and looked at Dianna who was still sleeping but seemed to be in the throes of a nightmare. Gently he touched her small shoulder, shook her carefully and whispered. "Dianna, wake up baby, you're having a bad dream." She moaned pitifully as she slowly sat up, her long blond hair falling over her face. "Wake up baby. It's all just a bad dream."
"I don't want to go with that man Gabriel." She whimpered as she laid in the crook of his arms, almost instantly falling back into a deep sleep. "I want to stay with you."
"You can stay right here Dianna. I won't let anything happen to you baby." He brushed her hair off her face and kissed the top of her head, holding her tightly. As he rocked her, the phone began ringing. Careful not to wake the sleeping child, Gabriel laid her back on the pillow and shuffled to the phone. "Hello?"
"Is this Gabriel Bowman?" The soft male voice spoke into his ear.
"This is Gabriel Bowman. Do you know what time it is?" He tried to sound irritated but polite.
"Ahh, no, sorry. This is Raphael Rainer, Dianna's uncle." There was a pause as the words sank into Gabriel's tired brain. "Mr. Bowman? Have I lost you? The connection is kinda iffy at this location."
"Mr. Rainer. My friend in the police department said it would take a week to even get in touch with you." He didn't hide the suspicion.
"Yes, well, if my wife hadn't had such a bad feeling and insisted I check our messages, it would have." Raphael sounded sad. "Is it true? Is Lilith dead?"
"I'm afraid so Mr. Rainer. Murdered."
"How's Dianna? Was she hurt?" Gabriel could hear that the concern was sincere.
"Dianna is fine at the moment. She's sleeping actually. Would you like me to wake her, let her talk to you?" Gabriel moved to the child and shook her slightly, causing her to stir and sit up.
"I don't want to be a bother, but I would like to hear that she is all right for myself. Not that I doubt your word." Raphael began to stammer.
"It's all right." Gabriel waited till the child looked up at him quizzically. "There's someone on the phone that would like to talk to you honey."
"'Bout time." She grabbed the phone with a smile. "Hello Uncle Rafe." She grinned as she listened. "I just knew it was you. Where is Aunt Lydia?" She sighed deeply and nodded. "Okay, I don't mind staying with Gabriel. He's one of the good guys you know." She smiled broadly. "I love you too Uncle Rafe." She handed the phone back to Gabriel. "He wants to talk to you again." Once Gabriel had the phone, Dianna was laying back down and almost asleep.
"Mr. Rainer, I'm here." Gabriel watched in astonishment as the child curled up and was practically snoring before he had even spoke his first words.
"Please, call me Rafe. My niece seems to like you." There was a soft laugh. "That means a lot to me."
"She is becoming more and more special to me and some others too." Gabriel remembered the way Ian had reacted when Dianna gave him the silver dragon. "She has made quite an impression on many people."
"Well, I wish I could say we would be there tomorrow, but I don't know if I can get transport here before the scheduled time. All I can tell you is once I disconnect with you, I will start trying to get us off this mountain."
"Mountain?" Gabriel asked out loud without thinking.
"Lydia's idea, not mine I assure you." There was a pause. "I don't know how I am going to tell her that her sister is dead. They were very close you know."
"They were? Did she know that Dianna and her mother were living on the streets?" Gabriel asked harder than he had intended and suddenly wished he hadn't.
"They were what?" Genuine concern filled Raphael's voice. "Mr. Bowman, I promise you that if I had known that, Lilith would have been under my roof before she knew what happened. We did not know they were homeless." There was another pause. "Lilith had to have a good reason to put herself and my niece in that situation. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Quite a bit, but I think most of it can wait till you get here." Gabriel fought the urge to tell the man on the other end of the phone about the dreams and visions that apparently surrounded the child. "I do think you should know that the police think the man that killed your sister-in-law, is after Dianna for some reason."
"Oh sweet Goddess." Raphael whispered softly. "Okay, I gather you have custody of her because you can keep her safe? Of course you are, that was a stupid thing to say."
"Mr. Rainer, Rafe, I would lay down my life to keep this child safe, so would others. That I can promise you." He decided not to talk about the book that had been stolen earlier.
"Thank you Mr. Bowman." Raphael seemed to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Goodnight Mr. Bowman, I will get back with you when our travel arrangements are made."
"All right. Thanks for the call, and I look forward to meeting you and Lydia." Carefully he hung up the phone and turned to the bed, longing for a peaceful sleep but not knowing if he would get it until Dianna was safely with her family. Instead he opted to lie quietly next to the sleeping child and just watch her.
Ian hadn't moved for what seemed hours. He had watched in silence as Gabriel had helped Mr. Suez place the two statues into the SUV from the shadows. Now he simply looked through the window as Gabriel hung up the phone and sat by Dianna.
"Thought I would find you here." Ian turned, pulling back his fist as he heard the voice in his ear. "Whoa there big guy." Sara smiled as Ian slowly put his hand down and looked at her angrily. "I thought you might like a cup of coffee." She brought out a thermos from a backpack. "I also made sure there were some sandwiches for you. I doubt that you have taken the time to eat."
"I have been watching the Child and the Mythkeeper." He slowly turned toward the window again, fingering the silver dragon around his neck. "And you shouldn't sneak up like that. You could get hurt.'
"Funny, seems like I am always telling you the same thing." She raised an eyebrow as she opened the thermos and poured the hot liquid into a cup. "Here, take a break. I can do what you are doing for a few minutes." After a moment he took the drink gratefully and began to sip slowly. Sara pulled one of the sandwiches out and handed it to the man. "Ian, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course Sara. You can ask me anything." He took a bite and watched her.
"Do you think Dianna could be a Wielder?" She frowned slightly as she looked at the bracelet. "I mean, if she is, then that means that the Witchblade is destined to abandon me."
"Anything is possible." He knew the words were of no comfort to her, but he found he could not lie. "Maybe you will abandon the Witchblade."
"That's what Gabriel said." She found an old box and sat on it, watching Ian eat. "I know sometimes I don't seem to appreciate what this thing is, but I can't even imagine my life without it now. Does that make sense?"
"Do not put too much dependence on the Blade Sara." Ian shrugged. "Mr. Irons always said that it was as fickle as any woman he had ever met."
"Yeah well." She trailed off as she watched through the window as Gabriel lay back down turning toward the girl. "What will you do if that happens? I mean, will you suddenly become Dianna's protector?" She didn't look at him, but he heard what almost sounded like jealousy in her voice.
"I don't know Sara." He finished the sandwich and sipped the coffee slowly. "Maybe I will not be her protector." He shrugged softly looking past Sara. "If the Blade abandons you or you it, I don't know what will become of me." As the thought of Sara suddenly not being the Wielder imbedded itself in his mind, he closed his eyes slowly. "I was created solely for the protection of the present day Wielder, you Sara. I do not know if that responsibility will be given to me with another Wielder."
"I see." She nodded slowly. "So we carry on as usual?"
"We carry on as usual." They both lapsed into silence, watching through the window and thinking about the possibilities that might lie ahead.