The usual disclaimers. The story is mine. The characters are not. Batteries not included. Some restrictions may apply.
***
The characters belong to Top cow and TNT as do all their toys, accessories and appliances, including the Witchblade.
The Tome and Key are mine.
*warnings, apologies and excuses*
***
Reference to violence and copious amounts of blood.
Bathroom muse is still down for the count. I kinda miss it's shenanigans.
*words typed within asterisks signify thoughts*
***denotes specific POV
Tenebrous
Part 3
chapter 10
*****************************************
Sara Pezzini was utterly perplexed and disconcerted.
Nottingham's behavior, while usually enigmatic was becoming outright eccentric. Judging by his actions she couldn't decide if he was insanely jealous of Gabriel or herself. She couldn't believe he'd shoved her out of bed. Of course, if Nottingham had knocked Gabe out of bed she would have slaughtered the assassin. The dog collar and spreading Gabe over his knees still confused and disturbed her, as did his insistence of watching over her friend.
Gabriel's soft voice brought her out of her speculations. "Sara?... What's going on?" he asked tentatively.
She turned to consider his pale and bewildered countenance. It was framed by a dark mane in utter disarray. The poor kid looked beat. He needed rest to recover and Nottingham's antics surely hadn't helped that cause. "Nothing amazing, there's been no sign of the Sufult, Nottingham is deranged and you've got a bad case of bedhead," Sara answered lightly. "You need to get some sleep," she urged.
"The Sufult?" Gabriel inquired as Sara leaned over to tuck him in. She tried to calm his disheveled hair but it was a lost cause. By now Gabriel had deduced that he was in Sara's bedroom. He'd been pondering how he'd gotten there, what the assassin had been doing in the room and why Sara was on the floor when Sara mentioned the Sufult.
"So they still exist?" he questioned, not very pleased that this grave news was spoiling his enjoyment of being petted by the Wielder. Gabriel's brow furrowed in dismay. This was not good.
"Nottingham said it was the name of the sect that's after the Tome," Sara confirmed. Noting Gabriel's expression, she grew concerned. "What's wrong? Who are they?" Sara implored.
"They're the one's who stole the Tome from the Wielder," he replied while struggling to sit up despite Sara's protesting hands. "Where is the Tome?" he asked as he scanned the room for his backpack. There was a slight panic in his voice.
Sara didn't understand why Gabriel was suddenly upset. She wished she'd not mentioned the Sufult now, it was bad enough that Nottingham had alarmed him. "Gabe, the pages are fused, it's safe so don't worry about it. I'm here and the crazed assassin is guarding the place, probably pining for a fight," Sara assured. But Gabriel would not be appeased.
"I need to seal it," he complained as Sara forcefully held him down.
"Take it easy, Gabe," She admonished. "It's under the bed." She had nudged Gabe's backpack under her bed after Nottingham's last deviant intrusion. For some bizarre reason she'd pictured the assassin rifling through Gabriel's belongings and it bothered her.
"I need to lock and seal it," he implored. "please let me see it."
"Okay, okay," Sara relented, releasing him and fetching his bag.
When she handed him the backpack Gabriel peered inside and heaved a sigh of relief before looking back up at Sara. "Could I have a glass of water?" he asked before adding that he was thirsty and wanted to put some clothes on.
"Sure thing, kid," she replied before heading to the kitchen for a glass. She was curious about the sudden change of subject after all of his fuss over the Tome but decided he was probably too frazzled from the chaotic evening to keep a straight line of thought. She gave a warning knock on the door before reentering the room.
Gabriel was sitting on the bed, wearing pajama bottoms and a T-shirt with the Tome in his lap. When Sara handed him the glass of water she noticed that the face of the lock had changed slightly. He'd already used the Key.
She watched as he gently stroked the surface of the Tome, seeming to draw out the panels magically. For a moment her mind took a detour and she quickly slammed on the brakes.
Focusing on his messy hair, Sara wondered why he seemed to be hiding the key from her. She had planned to tease him about its chosen packaging but now she felt guilty for snooping. It also struck her as odd that her friend would hide something from her.
Sure, she hid lots of things from him. But that was her and he was Gabriel, open, honest, faithful. The bracelet on her wrist warmed slightly and she felt a sudden pang of loss.
An image of Gabriel lying lifeless in a pool of blood suddenly took her by surprise and she heard her own voice release a horribly pained, blood-curdling scream. She blinked and saw her friend alive and ensconcing the Tome.
No, the Gabriel she saw now was not the one she'd seen in the pool of blood. His hair was much shorter and he looked slightly younger than the man in the vision did. She suspected it was a vision from a long lost past but at the same time it seemed terribly near.
Gabriel had apparently finished sealing the Tome and was eyeing her with a worried expression. "You look disturbed, time traveling again?" he chided with a chuckle, but the humor did not reach his eyes.
Sara reached over to assure him but the moment her hand made contact she was assaulted with visions. Vividly horrific images revealing the vicious slaying of the man who resembled her friend flashed through her mind. When the Blade finally released her she was filled with horror and grief. Seeing Gabriel alive but holding the same object, she reacted by capturing him in a death grip and bursting into tears.
Gabriel was unprepared for this sudden and slightly painful display of emotion. He worried the state of his ribs. If he thought she was freakishly strong before, he had underestimated her strength. He wondered what had caused this sudden outburst. He would have tried to reassure her with words, but she'd squeezed the breath from him. Struggling to remain conscious he managed to stroke her back soothingly until her grip loosened.
"Tis okay, it's okay," he heard himself murmur once he'd gotten air into his lungs.
It took the Wielder a minute to recover. "Sorry," she muttered while releasing her friend and wiping her tears, "maybe we both need some sleep." Embarrassed by her conniption, Sara wondered if maybe she was the one whose nerves were frayed by the evening's events.
"Scary vision?" Gabriel asked, wondering what she'd seen that had upset her so badly.
"The scribe," Sara whispered. "I saw them kill him."
She couldn't bring herself to tell him that the man had looked exactly like him and she definitely did not want to tell him about the brutal and sadistic manner in which the Sufult had claimed the scribe's life.
The scribe hadn't even tried to defend himself. He just kept struggling to get the Tome sealed. They must not have realized that he was sealing the their prize. When all signs of life had left the young scribe, the Sufult seized the Tome. But the panels had been slid into place, obscuring the lock.
Sara stared hard at Gabriel, wondering if he knew something that he wasn't telling her. It seemed odd that at the mention of the sect he became so insistent on sealing the Tome. But Gabriel wasn't looking at her, he seemed deep in thought. The Wielder gingerly tilted his chin to read his expression.
"Don't worry Sara, that was a long time ago. It's over," he soothed, but his features were schooled, his eyes unreadable.
***
Averting his eyes, Gabriel pulled Sara into a comforting embrace to obscure the fear that was threatening to show on his face. History was about to repeat itself and he was scared. He cursed Iron's wicked ploy.
tbc
*****************************************
Thank you for all the wonderful reviews.
Riyallyn; thanks for the recommendation. I couldn't figure out what OT was, so I couldn't post. I'm not too bright, I guess.
***
The characters belong to Top cow and TNT as do all their toys, accessories and appliances, including the Witchblade.
The Tome and Key are mine.
*warnings, apologies and excuses*
***
Reference to violence and copious amounts of blood.
Bathroom muse is still down for the count. I kinda miss it's shenanigans.
*words typed within asterisks signify thoughts*
***denotes specific POV
Tenebrous
Part 3
chapter 10
*****************************************
Sara Pezzini was utterly perplexed and disconcerted.
Nottingham's behavior, while usually enigmatic was becoming outright eccentric. Judging by his actions she couldn't decide if he was insanely jealous of Gabriel or herself. She couldn't believe he'd shoved her out of bed. Of course, if Nottingham had knocked Gabe out of bed she would have slaughtered the assassin. The dog collar and spreading Gabe over his knees still confused and disturbed her, as did his insistence of watching over her friend.
Gabriel's soft voice brought her out of her speculations. "Sara?... What's going on?" he asked tentatively.
She turned to consider his pale and bewildered countenance. It was framed by a dark mane in utter disarray. The poor kid looked beat. He needed rest to recover and Nottingham's antics surely hadn't helped that cause. "Nothing amazing, there's been no sign of the Sufult, Nottingham is deranged and you've got a bad case of bedhead," Sara answered lightly. "You need to get some sleep," she urged.
"The Sufult?" Gabriel inquired as Sara leaned over to tuck him in. She tried to calm his disheveled hair but it was a lost cause. By now Gabriel had deduced that he was in Sara's bedroom. He'd been pondering how he'd gotten there, what the assassin had been doing in the room and why Sara was on the floor when Sara mentioned the Sufult.
"So they still exist?" he questioned, not very pleased that this grave news was spoiling his enjoyment of being petted by the Wielder. Gabriel's brow furrowed in dismay. This was not good.
"Nottingham said it was the name of the sect that's after the Tome," Sara confirmed. Noting Gabriel's expression, she grew concerned. "What's wrong? Who are they?" Sara implored.
"They're the one's who stole the Tome from the Wielder," he replied while struggling to sit up despite Sara's protesting hands. "Where is the Tome?" he asked as he scanned the room for his backpack. There was a slight panic in his voice.
Sara didn't understand why Gabriel was suddenly upset. She wished she'd not mentioned the Sufult now, it was bad enough that Nottingham had alarmed him. "Gabe, the pages are fused, it's safe so don't worry about it. I'm here and the crazed assassin is guarding the place, probably pining for a fight," Sara assured. But Gabriel would not be appeased.
"I need to seal it," he complained as Sara forcefully held him down.
"Take it easy, Gabe," She admonished. "It's under the bed." She had nudged Gabe's backpack under her bed after Nottingham's last deviant intrusion. For some bizarre reason she'd pictured the assassin rifling through Gabriel's belongings and it bothered her.
"I need to lock and seal it," he implored. "please let me see it."
"Okay, okay," Sara relented, releasing him and fetching his bag.
When she handed him the backpack Gabriel peered inside and heaved a sigh of relief before looking back up at Sara. "Could I have a glass of water?" he asked before adding that he was thirsty and wanted to put some clothes on.
"Sure thing, kid," she replied before heading to the kitchen for a glass. She was curious about the sudden change of subject after all of his fuss over the Tome but decided he was probably too frazzled from the chaotic evening to keep a straight line of thought. She gave a warning knock on the door before reentering the room.
Gabriel was sitting on the bed, wearing pajama bottoms and a T-shirt with the Tome in his lap. When Sara handed him the glass of water she noticed that the face of the lock had changed slightly. He'd already used the Key.
She watched as he gently stroked the surface of the Tome, seeming to draw out the panels magically. For a moment her mind took a detour and she quickly slammed on the brakes.
Focusing on his messy hair, Sara wondered why he seemed to be hiding the key from her. She had planned to tease him about its chosen packaging but now she felt guilty for snooping. It also struck her as odd that her friend would hide something from her.
Sure, she hid lots of things from him. But that was her and he was Gabriel, open, honest, faithful. The bracelet on her wrist warmed slightly and she felt a sudden pang of loss.
An image of Gabriel lying lifeless in a pool of blood suddenly took her by surprise and she heard her own voice release a horribly pained, blood-curdling scream. She blinked and saw her friend alive and ensconcing the Tome.
No, the Gabriel she saw now was not the one she'd seen in the pool of blood. His hair was much shorter and he looked slightly younger than the man in the vision did. She suspected it was a vision from a long lost past but at the same time it seemed terribly near.
Gabriel had apparently finished sealing the Tome and was eyeing her with a worried expression. "You look disturbed, time traveling again?" he chided with a chuckle, but the humor did not reach his eyes.
Sara reached over to assure him but the moment her hand made contact she was assaulted with visions. Vividly horrific images revealing the vicious slaying of the man who resembled her friend flashed through her mind. When the Blade finally released her she was filled with horror and grief. Seeing Gabriel alive but holding the same object, she reacted by capturing him in a death grip and bursting into tears.
Gabriel was unprepared for this sudden and slightly painful display of emotion. He worried the state of his ribs. If he thought she was freakishly strong before, he had underestimated her strength. He wondered what had caused this sudden outburst. He would have tried to reassure her with words, but she'd squeezed the breath from him. Struggling to remain conscious he managed to stroke her back soothingly until her grip loosened.
"Tis okay, it's okay," he heard himself murmur once he'd gotten air into his lungs.
It took the Wielder a minute to recover. "Sorry," she muttered while releasing her friend and wiping her tears, "maybe we both need some sleep." Embarrassed by her conniption, Sara wondered if maybe she was the one whose nerves were frayed by the evening's events.
"Scary vision?" Gabriel asked, wondering what she'd seen that had upset her so badly.
"The scribe," Sara whispered. "I saw them kill him."
She couldn't bring herself to tell him that the man had looked exactly like him and she definitely did not want to tell him about the brutal and sadistic manner in which the Sufult had claimed the scribe's life.
The scribe hadn't even tried to defend himself. He just kept struggling to get the Tome sealed. They must not have realized that he was sealing the their prize. When all signs of life had left the young scribe, the Sufult seized the Tome. But the panels had been slid into place, obscuring the lock.
Sara stared hard at Gabriel, wondering if he knew something that he wasn't telling her. It seemed odd that at the mention of the sect he became so insistent on sealing the Tome. But Gabriel wasn't looking at her, he seemed deep in thought. The Wielder gingerly tilted his chin to read his expression.
"Don't worry Sara, that was a long time ago. It's over," he soothed, but his features were schooled, his eyes unreadable.
***
Averting his eyes, Gabriel pulled Sara into a comforting embrace to obscure the fear that was threatening to show on his face. History was about to repeat itself and he was scared. He cursed Iron's wicked ploy.
tbc
*****************************************
Thank you for all the wonderful reviews.
Riyallyn; thanks for the recommendation. I couldn't figure out what OT was, so I couldn't post. I'm not too bright, I guess.