Gabriel next opened his eyes to see Lamar's face above him. "Your watch," the small man whispered, so as not to wake the others. Gabriel nodded groggily, and rolled from his bundle of blankets. The cold night air was a harsh awakening to his tired body, and he blearily shook the sleep from his mind.
Lamar softly moved to his blankets, and Gabriel looked over in time to catch his smile. Ben and Ned were huddled together for warmth, the dog's snout lying across the boy's neck and breathing into Carl's face, where he was curled up on the boy's other side. Lamar nestled into his own blankets, pressing his back against Carl for warmth. Ben's face was half-buried in the black fur, and the sight made the hunter grin.
Quietly, he paced across the lean-to's opening, stretching and using the cold to wipe the cobwebs from his brain. After a few moments, he sat off to the side, putting his back against on of the trees which supported the half-roof above their heads. The pine was old and sturdy, the lower branches long since sheared away and used to form the small structure.
The hunter began checking his jacket, the force of habit impelling him to make certain that any weapons he might need were close to hand. Finding all satisfactory, he opened his satchel, removed a small whetting stone, and began to sharpen the blades on his knives, replacing each back in their secreted locations when he deemed the edge keen enough for his purposes.
It was an hour into his shift when he heard the noise – not outside, but within the lean-to. A soft whimpering, and the rustling caused by agitated movements in the blankets, caught his attention. He quickly turned, and found that Ned was twitching in his sleep. Thinking nothing of it, he would have disregarded the dog's dreaming if Ben hadn't gasped at that very moment. The towheaded youth's sleep was becoming uneasy, and he cried out softly.
Gabriel realized almost immediately what was happening.
When he had first seen Ben, the boy had sparked a memory, one that harkened back hundreds of years. In 1620, the Fleiger Hollander had set sail from Copenhagen on her last voyage. Captain Vanderdecken had been merely a man, yet one whose actions and those of his crew had earned eternal damnation. Vanderdecken, driven by greed to round Cape Horn in his furious journey to Valparaiso, had preformed a black mass before setting sail. Twice defeated by the seas of the Tierra del Fuego, his temper and sanity had buckled before the force of his greed, and the evil powers he had called up to aid him on his journey were unleashed. He turned his fury on the crew, on nature, and finally, attempted the impossible – to strike out against God.
Gabriel had felt the gathering forces from far away, and knowing his duty, he had brought himself to the spot, his presence alone turning Vanderdecken's evil back on the captain and his crew of murders, rapists, and thieves. Yet two innocents had been caught in the crossfire.
A mute young boy, born thirteen or fourteen years before in Copenhagen, had run away from his abusive stepfamily. Thrown into the wharf during the final confrontation with his brutish stepbrothers, he had been dragged aboard the Flying Dutchman and used as a galley slave. The dog had also made its way onto the Fleiger Hollander in Denmark, coaxed aboard by the boy then known as Neb, during the last supply stop made by the cursed ship.
The two were hard-used during the voyage, in constant danger and fear for their lives. Gabriel had been unable to save them from the backlash of Vanderdecken's evil, but recognizing the goodness in their souls, he had called on the Power of God to alter the curse, to save the young ones.
While Ben and Ned were bound to remain in the world until the second coming, as Vanderdecken and his crew were cursed to sail the seas, the youths were called to a different destiny. The boy and his dog roamed the earth through the years, never growing older in face or body. Gabriel had continually guided the two from afar, protecting them and leading them to where they could do the most good. However, this was still a difficult life, as the young ones were constantly forced to move on rather than suffer the pain of watching loved ones grow old and die while they remained unchanged. The sound of a bell always heralded their departure, and the boy and dog had grown to anticipate and mourn that sign.
To lessen their difficulties, however, when he had delivered them from the curse, Gabriel had also gifted both with speech. The boy, mute from birth, received the ability to speak any language, while he and the dog were connected, able to hear one another's thoughts. The gifts had saved their lives several times, aiding them in their quest to help others. Unlike Gabriel's battle with the forces of darkness, which was direct and deliberate, Ben and Ned aided people who needed help, those who could not do for themselves. They had helped others like themselves escape slavery and tyranny, aiding in reuniting families and even something as simple – and complex – as simply being friends to those who needed it.
But the scars these youngsters had gained throughout the years haunted them, the horror of their time on the Flying Dutchman ranking foremost among terrible memories. And so the hunter had an idea of what was disturbing Ben's sleep as he knelt next to the boy, sitting on his heels and gazing over him with worried eyes for a moment.
Placing a hand on the troubled brow, Gabriel softly soothed, "It's alright, Ben. Shhh, Ben, it's just a bad dream. Hush now."
The boy slowly quieted under Gabriel's gentle hand, and Ned also began to calm. The dog heaved a doggy sigh, lifting his head just as Ben's eyes blinked open.
"Are you alright?" Gabriel asked quietly, his eyes flicking over to make certain his two companions were still soundly asleep.
The blue eyes staring up at him were clouded with sleep and memory. Ben rubbed his eyes, nodding wordlessly. Opening his mind, Gabriel caught the quick thought sent to Ned. "What happened?"
"We were dreaming again – about -"
An image of the Dutchman and her ghostly crew sailed into Gabriel's mind from the youth, bathed in the green, otherworldly light of St. Elmo's Fire. Firmly, Gabriel banished the image, replacing it with a memory of his own, one of light and life and family. "Ben, are you alright?"
The boy sat upright, clutching the dog's fur tightly as he nodded his head. "Yes, sir." Gabriel cocked a brow at the formality, but said nothing. "It was just a bad dream."
The hunter checked the boy over. "Yes, I would imagine so."
Ben blushed, lowering his voice. "Did . . . did we -"
Ignoring the betraying 'we', the hunter looked at Carl and Lamar. "No, they're still asleep." Moving over to the fire, the hunter added more wood. Sparks flew into the air, small fireflies whirling towards the heavens before the cold pulled them back to earth.
"Your watch is still an hour or so away," Gabriel pushed his hair back from his face. The flames he tended were hot on his skin, and slowly he pulled away. "Do you think you'll be able to go back to sleep?"
Ben shrugged. "I can try." The gamesome smile made another appearance.
Sitting back against his tree, Gabriel closed his eyes, turning fully away from the fire. He waited a few moments for the afterimages to fade, before gazing out at the nighttime forest. He listened to the conversation taking place between the boy and his dog.
"What d'you reckon, Ned?"
"I reckon you can let go of my fur, if you please. Handsome fellow such as myself can't be sporting any bald spots, now!"
"Why, you great furry fraud!"
Gabriel stifled a chuckle, coughing lightly into his hand to disguise the laugh that broke loose at the boy's indignant thought.
Boy and dog looked at him, and the next thing he heard was, "Do you think that . . ."
The hound gave a mental shrug. "Many things are possible in this world. Remember Dominic?"
The Facepainter of Sabada had the gift of seeing into a person's soul, the ability to divine the core of a person's being with just a look. A gift, he had confided to Ben, that felt like a double-edged sword at times.
"Do you want to try calling, and see if he can hear you?" Ned inquired, scratching at the blanket beneath him as he stood and turned, trying to get comfortable.
Ben shrugged, and said, "It's worth a try." Taking a steadying breath, he sent the thought out into the night. "Gabriel?"
Deciding to keep the surprise minimal, the hunter replied softly, "Yes, Ben?"
There was a shocked silence, and Van Helsing shifted slightly so that he would be able to see the boy out of the corner of his eye.
Both Ben and Ned were staring at him, and out of politeness, Gabriel closed his mind to their conversation.
Ben's eyes were wide with excitement.
"Yes, I can hear you," Gabriel gently replied. "But not unless I listen, intentionally, or you call out to me."
"Why? How?" This time, the boy spoke aloud, though his voice was barely above a whisper.
Although he had been anticipating the question, Van Helsing didn't quite know what to say. "You, Ned and I are a little alike," he managed finally, knowing that he could only fully explain when they had reached Boxborough, and he could speak privately. "If only in that we are different from other people," he qualified. Other than that however, the youngsters had nothing in common with him; they were innocent, while Gabriel knew that there were many scars on his soul, simply from being what he was. Hunter. Destroyer – perditor, in the old Latin. The Left Hand of God.
It was not something he thought about very much, which might have surprised Carl. It wasn't so much that he had remembered, but had discovered something he'd always known. It gave him no reason to hesitate, and it was not something that ever made him doubt his abilities or past actions. Rediscovering what he truly was, rediscovering his destiny on Earth, had been like healing a part of himself he had known was broken, but hadn't been able to do anything about. He had gained understanding, rather than just knowledge alone, and understanding led to acceptance.
He had not changed, not really. He had simply become complete, in a way beyond which most mortals would be able comprehend.
"Can you - "
"I would like to explain everything to you, Ben," Gabriel said quietly. "But I'm afraid that it must wait until a better time. Can you accept that?"
The boy and dog held a silent conversation, and at length, Ned nodded while Ben solemnly replied, "We can wait."
"Do you think you'll be able to sleep until your watch?" Gabriel asked gently, not expecting so.
Ben glanced at Ned, and shook his head. "Not after that, mate!" he grinned somewhat shakily, and Gabriel smiled softly at him. In all his years, the boy had never come across another such as himself – and with good reason. Gabriel was the only one of his brothers on Earth. His particular duty required it – he was the protector, the destroyer, the messenger.
"Tell me, Ben, what brings you to Boxborough?" Gabriel inquired gently.
The boy scooted towards the fire, dragging his blanket with him. Ned joined him, pressed close; but the dog's attention remained focused outside.
Quietly, Ben began to speak. He spoke of the angel that had descended from stormy skies to bring a halt to Vanderdecken's evil, and of his and Ned's purpose for wandering the world. He told Gabriel that he had been staying in Boxborough for several years now, which was a surprisingly long time. No one had as-yet commented on his seeming inability to age.
That was not surprising to the hunter in the slightest. Boxborough was the only community in the world whose every member was part of the Order, aware of both their existence and duty. Even children were raised with the knowledge of the Church's true mission. "I see," the hunter murmured when the tale was done. He thought a moment before continuing. "Ben, would I be correct in guessing that you remember Maguda Razan?" He asked the question very carefully, afraid of the scars the boy might be carrying.
Ben's eyes widened. "How do you know about her?" Ned stilled, his warm brown eyes latched onto the hunter's dark form.
Maguda Razan had been the leader of a tribe of a vile folk who lived in the mountainous border between Spain and France. Her people had reveled in murder and thievery, rejoicing in kidnapping and torture. Ben and Ned, on a quest to rescue a young man kidnapped by the Razan, had come face-to-face with the witch. The twisted sorceress had thrived on evil, and had used her hypnotic powers to see into Ben's memory, delving for a vision of the Flying Dutchman and her cursed crew. But the memory of the angel's descent, and triumph against Vanderdecken's evil, had reached out and struck down the witch, stopping her heart in her chest.
Gabriel shook his head, holding up a hand to forestall the questions he could sense flying through the air. "I promise you I will tell you once we are in Boxborough," he vowed. "But let me simply explain something to you. Maguda Razan was a witch – in the ultimate sense. She bowed before evil, thriving on it as animals thrive on water." The boy's face paled, horrific memories playing behind his eyes, and Gabriel gently settled a hand on his shoulder.
The memories of capture, of being forced to relive his time on the Dutchman and under the heel of terrible evil, raged through Ben's mind. The towheaded youth shook from the force of his recollections, his Labrador doing all he could to pull the youth from his terrifying reverie. Gabriel summoned the smallest part of himself, and opened his mind just a crack, reaching out to the boy.
Light and warmth seemed to surround Ben and Ned, gentling the maelstrom of rampant emotions flying between them, bringing a sense of peace and soothing happiness to the younglings. For the first time, Gabriel spoke to them. "Are you all right? Ben? Ned?"
His voice chimed sweetly in their minds, somehow different than anything they had felt before.
" 'Course," the dog replied, a little indignant. He pushed his head under Gabriel's hand, however, and the human smiled. Taking the hint, Gabriel rested his hand on Ned's head, scratching behind the animal's ears. Huffing a contented sigh, Ned propped his head on the hunter's knee, undoubtedly also sending mental reassurances to his master.
"Yes," Ben answered, somewhat shakily.
"Will you be alright?" Gabriel was loathe to continue if the memories alone were so overwhelming to the youth.
Ben nodded bravely. "I'll be fine."
Gabriel kept his mind open, passing light reassurance to the two, as he resumed speaking. "She was only a witch, one of the lesser evils present in this world. There are others like her, and some worse; creatures that court the devil's power to do their own evil in this world. Carl and Lamar, as well as all the people of Boxborough, are members of an Order that opposes such evil, wherever it is found."
"What about you?" Ben jumped in quickly, taking advantage of the slight pause as Gabriel decided what to say next.
The hunter smiled, pushing back a lock of dark hair that had fallen in his eyes. "I help," he offered simply. "But I am no longer a member of their Order. If I ever really was," he added under his breath. "I am a hunter," he stated baldly, unafraid of what Ben's reaction might be. "There are evils in this world that prey on humans, with names you've probably heard in children's stories. It is my duty to destroy such evils, wherever I find them."
Surprisingly, the youths didn't seem unnerved by this knowledge. After a moment of reflection, Ned pressed his flanks closer to the hunter and Ben seemed to relax. Stormy blue eyes demanded truth from the hunter.
"Do you kill?"
Without hesitation, Gabriel replied, "When I must."
Ned glanced at Ben, and the two stared at one another for a long moment in silent communication. Ben looked back at Gabriel, and then asked, "Are you here because -" He seemed unsure how to finish the question.
Gabriel smiled reassuringly. "The leader of the Knights of the Holy Order recently stepped down, and his successor is learning his role and coming into his authority. His name is Gaspar, and he is concerned about Boxborough. There were rumors, for the past several years, of strange happenings in the area. Although none were confirmed, communication from the town was cut down to the bare minimum last summer. The leaders of the Order became concerned at this, and sent Warren Gray to investigate."
Ben sat up straight at the name.
"However, he could detect nothing – though his messages indicated that he sensed something seriously wrong," the hunter continued, noting the boy's response. "We lost contact with him, and our former leader feared the worst. Gaspar is concerned primarily because this is the only village in the world where every person is a member of our Order, and has knowledge of our mission." Gabriel shrugged. "I'm simply here in case something goes wrong, or there is something unexpected in the town."
Ben glanced at the dog, snugly ensconced between them, before he spoke. "Ned remembers Warren Gray." His voice was low, though through fear or in deference to their sleeping comrades, Gabriel couldn't tell. "I do too. We were told he returned to his home in Kent when he disappeared, about four weeks ago. Ned remembers though, the night before he left, he smelled like fear."
This news was not good.
"Far be it for me to gainsay Ned's nose," Gabriel said lightly, though he could tell that Ben and Ned were more reflective than anxious. "But no, he did not return to Kent; or if he did, he did so without informing the Order. We're simply here to discover his whereabouts."
Ben bit his lip, and Gabriel deliberately glanced away, towards the forest. It had lightened as they talked, and dawn was slowly approaching. Following his gaze, Ben smiled wryly. "It looks as if you took my watch with me," he observed. Gabriel had been planning to do so regardless, but he smiled along with the boy.
"It seems that way," he replied amiably. He gave Ned one last rub on the head before standing and moving to Lamar and Carl. After hauling a grumpy inventor from the warmth of his blankets, he was relieved to find that Lamar, while no more talkative, was quite compliant about rising from sleep.
Breakfast consisted of leftover sandwiches, coupled with the last of the provisions brought from Rome. After the meal, Lamar was markedly more cheerful. Carl, however, continued to mumble imprecations against the sun.
Packing up their belongings took little time, and soon they were on their way. The only sounds that came from the previously talkative pair, however, was a barely-audible remark about how any decent morning didn't start until noon. Stifling his smile, Gabriel saw Ben wink at Ned, and the dog insinuated himself between Lamar and Carl with a happy bark.
Outside the lean-to it was clear to see that the sky was harsh and cloudy. While the sun still shone, it filtered weakly through the trees and Gabriel could only hope that they would reach the village before the heralded storm broke. With that in mind, he kept a close watch on the group as they neared their destination. A slow foreboding, lamenting what was to come, washed over him the closer they came. Different from his more attuned senses, this feeling was harder to pin down – an utterly human jumpiness that was surprisingly hard to ignore. Taking note, Gabriel could only grimly acknowledge that they were walking into a storm more dangerous than they had known.
(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-(-
All information about the Flying Dutchman, as well as references to Maguda Razan, has been taken from Brian Jacques' Castaways of the Flying Dutchman and The Angel's Command. I have no license on these 'truths'.