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By Robert B. Hazelton
Disclaimer: The characters within are used without permission for the sheer non profit enjoyment of fans of the Gabriel Knight genre.Chapter 6
Lights. Phantasmal mists, shifting and twining about like fog obscuring the glow of the moon, shrouding senses conquering willpower and forcing thoughts to drift so far away. Conscience wanes, eyes flutter. Hands tense to fists then stretch extended, physical pain erupts within... Throat constricts, like a vice clamping on the tender trachea, grinding flesh and muscle. A cough, retching irritation. Sweat beads then amasses, sliding down hot flesh to mingle with soaked hair. Blood rushes back, a battle fought against an unknown foe comes to an end-- the victor emerges from unconsciousness.
"Grace?" Gabriel's voice was weak and broken. "What's up?" "Gabriel," She began, her voice shaking. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," He lied, sitting up while rubbing his eyes. He felt like he'd been beaten over the head with a crow bar. "What's wrong?"
She stared at him a moment, uncertain how to proceed. She wrung her hands and pursed her lips, looking down at her feet. "I had something to tell you so I came in to wake you up and... and I saw... something."
He frowned as his eyes finally focused on her fully. "Something? Specifics, Grace?"
She shook her head and looked him in the eye. "There was a light... and something... it looked familiar." She took a deep breath. "Gabriel, I saw Malia... Malia Gedde?"
The color left Gabriel's face and he nodded slowly. "It wasn't a dream." He murmured, running a hand through his hair. "What did you learn?"
The change of subject caught her off guard but she took it in stride. "Gerde found something, she hurried over to the curtain and collected the pages from the fax that she had dropped when she saw the strange light and specter hanging above Gabriel's bed. Riffling through the pages, she sat on the bed. "Let me find it here..."
Gabriel smiled at her despite his condition. There was something that his older self never really noticed and even the newer Gabriel, the traumatically changed Gabriel hadn't picked up on it. He always had acknowledged her skills, even if it was more to himself than to her but she was strong and she genuinely cared. Perhaps even more than he did.
The thought almost amused him and he wondered for a moment if she wouldn't have made a better Shattenjager than he had been. He had to admit that his success was in no small part thanks to her.
He shook his head. His talents were there... They had been proven. Where did his strange pessimism come from? It seemed to be concerning himself more than anything else. A self-loathing built up by the creature? Possibly. If that were the case, it would only be getting worse.
"Here it is." Grace placed a page on the top of the rest and turned to regard him. "It says--
"Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to get you on this bed, Grace?" His tone was low, an attempt to be seductive with the physical exhaustion to make it sound utterly unappealing.
"What?" She looked at him with an expression partly from confusion and partly from irritation.
He shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "My God Grace. I'm... I'm sorry." He sighed. "Go on, please."
She gave him a final look before proceeding with reading her document. "This is from Gerde. She found it in one of the Shattenjager journals. It seems that while Clause didn't bother to write down how he got rid of the Maliphrae, one of your other relatives went through the journals and found such inconsistencies and explored them, either through direct communication with the person involved or through his own research.
"In this instance, he did both. He contacted Clause and was able to get some information and researched more about the affair on his own. It seems that Clause used the talisman along with an exorcising ceremony. It required that one of his men both maintain contact with the talisman and hold the ring, essentially channeling the creature through him into the ring."
She took a moment to search through some of the papers before continuing. "It was a dangerous prospect. Any sort of breach of concentration could've just sent the thing into the vessel ignoring the ring."
"Do you have a copy of that... ritual they performed?"
Grace looked through the pages again and frowned. "Here it is... It looks like it's in Latin."
"How long would it take to translate?" Gabriel pushed himself to his feet.
She shrugged. "I really don't know. SIDNEY can do it but I have no idea just how long it--"
"Are we talking days or hours here?"
"I can't see it taking days, Gabriel." Grace scanned the page. "It's only one page."
"Get it started. I'm going to get cleaned up." He walked toward the bathroom. "Figure out what we need to do this right." Grace left the room and he stumbled up to the sink, staring into his bloodshot eyes, his face drawn. Left to his thoughts they strayed away from the business of exorcising the monster, away from the Shattenjager responsibility. Thoughts of mortality brushed his conscience a sudden notion of age wore on his soul. He shook it off. 'Not long now Gabriel.' He told himself and wondered again if it was really him that made the comment.
"What in the hell?" Mosely thrust his hand into the pocket of his brown polyester slacks and frowned. His brown tie flapped with the wind, the wisps of hair on his head rustled unnoticeably. The moonlight that brushed his features made him look more like a surreal black and white movie character than real. "What kinda crap you tryin' to pull with me, Knight?"
Gabriel bit his lip his patience for his friend wearing thin. "I've told you what I need from you. Will you help me or not?"
"What is it you want me to do again? I don't think I understand."
"That figures." Gabriel's typical sarcasm was embittered with a touch of malice. "All you have to do is touch the talisman and hold the ring. That's it."
"And this is going to help you remove a demon that's taken up residency in you?" Mosely tilted his head. "You know how stupid this sounds?"
"And you can honestly tell me that you don't believe it after what we saw below Jackson Square?" Gabriel fumed while pacing. "Mosely, it's really simple but I need you to help me. I don't care if you believe me I just need you to trust me."
Mosely regarded Gabriel for a long time. There was an unfamiliar tension in the man's face, perhaps even a tint of fear. All things considered, it scared him a bit and also made him sad. As annoying as Gabriel could be, he always loved the more easy going sarcastic version. This angst ridden parody of his friend disturbed him. Taking a somber tone, he nodded. "Sure Gabe. I'll help."
Gabriel smiled for the first time and clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks man." He looked back into the shop and called out to Grace. "When can we perform the ceremony?"
Grace was donning her trench coat and held a clipboard in her hand. "SIDNEY finished the translation. We're ready to go."
The three left Saint George's and headed out for the bayou... the site of where Gabriel witnessed the Voodoo ceremony. Memories flooded back to him and he found it ironic that he would be cleansing his soul in a place that taint reigned years before. A place where he saw Malia.
Taking a deep breath, he looked around at the looming trees and finally up at the moon. "Alright," He said. "I'm ready."
Grace handed Mosely the silver ring while Gabriel examined the talisman intently. "Everything relies on us tonight." He whispered, hoping it was enough. Mosely came to stand beside him, looking confused or perhaps even a little embarrassed.
"I have no idea what we're doing." He muttered.
"Be quiet!" Grace hissed, clicking on her flashlight and positioning it over the page for Gabriel to read. "Okay Gabriel. Let's go."
The silence was oppressive. Fear gripped at his heart mercilessly and he felt a restlessness build within him demanding that he run away. Demanding that he escape whatever horror he was about to induce upon himself. Closing his eyes, he calmed himself with a discipline he was surprised he had. He thought of Claudia and what the creature had done to her. It had to be destroyed even if his soul was the cost.
With little comfort, he looked at the first line on the page and cleared his throat. "Stance. Humanity maintains stance upon the ledge of evil... To fall is to burn, to rise is to purify, to stagnate is commonality, to die is to fail. Life eternal through mindless flames, promise naught granted, forsaken, distraught. A soul shredded, ripped from bleeding heart.
"Ali Nocht, lord of fearful light, lord of disease ridden decay, lord of the Maliphrae and servant of the wicked and cruel. Thy court stands forsaken, thy minions all for lost." Gabriel began to feel a horrible burning sensation in his stomach and the talisman grew hot. He grimaced painfully, exercising all of his will to continue reading. Mosely was transfixed on the talisman, the subtle glow seemed to have hypnotized him.
"Ali Nocht, thy fire's done. Maliphrae's path severed again. Thy cord burns bright beneath God's own light, the light of darkness... the moon." He began to have trouble seeing, a twisting started in his organs like he was being ripped a part. A voice called out to him from some ether realm, far away but so close. Recognition... It was Malia.
"Gabriel!" She called. "Don't do it! You'll banish me forever! I'm so close!"
Tears welled in his eyes and he couldn't tell if it was a result of pain or the severe depression that racked his body mercilessly. "Farther pushed so far away. The demon's will contaminates but purest fire..." Interrupted again, the voice! It cried out again. 'Can't... break... the... spell.' He refocused his will again, squinting at the page, his body trembling near an epileptic episode. "...reinitiates, blackens fate... blackens souls. Reassures. The purity of silver incarnate... transference, regenerate... Ali Nocht..."
"Gabriel! NO!!!" The voice as screaming, a mixture of Malia, of Wolfgang, Claudia. A smile crept on his face. 'Growing desperate?' He thought, continuing the incantation... the last line.
"...I return..." The screams were overwhelming, his eyes could barely stay open. "...your..." Pain, so much pain. How on Earth could anything take so much pain? "...fallen... son!" The last word he practically screamed, emphasizing the formation of the vowels as well as his own emotional outpour into the incantation. A bright flash erupted from the talisman, Mosely tried to fall back but his hand was stuck fast to the golden amulet, eyes wide with horror.
Gabriel's body rocked back on its heels, head back to face the moon. The expression on his face bore agony, depression. Insane spasms erupted throughout his muscles, hands clenched to fists, then dug into his coat. It was a miracle that he maintained his footing.
The glow from the talisman grew to encompass his entire body, his hair waved back with a non existent wind. The light seeped away from him, flowing left to right into Mosely's arm. The cry of alarm and fear from the detective was barely audible by the loud screech that sounded as soon as Gabriel's body was released.
The silver ring burst to light, as the light continued through Mosely. Gabriel collapsed to the ground lifelessly, his arms contorted strangely. His face was at peace, quiet and finally lacked the strain that was so prevalent earlier. The pale complexion was disconcerting however and Grace rushed to his side, checking his pulse.
After a moment of holding her breath, she smiled brightly at Mosely. "He's alive!" She cried, trembling from the excitement of the situation. The clearing was once again silent. All that remained was the warm silver ring, untarnished or blemished lying on the ground beside Mosely as he looked incredulously at his best friend.
"My God, Gabe," He sounded sorrowful, his voice filled with remorse as he regarded the sleeping form. Memories of his past, the enjoyment of youth... All of the games, the fun. It all rushed to him with a force. "What have you become?"