Gabriel (31 page)

Michael approached Devdan,
but he pushed Michael away.

“
I allowed him to die. I will suffer. Don’t touch me.” He crumpled
to the floor with one pant leg missing and red blisters covering that leg.

Chander sat down and cradled
his brother. “It was not your fault. You can’t blame yourself. If it had been
you who died would you blame Rama for your death?”

“
No, but he is not here. I am.”

“
That is true, and I thank the Almighty and Michael that I didn’t
lose both of my brothers today. As much as losing Rama breaks my heart, if I
had lost you both I, too, would have died this day.”

“
I should have saved him.”

“
If you were supposed to save him, he would still be here. There is
a reason for everything. The Almighty doesn’t abandon us in our time of need.
He sends those who are stronger to our aid so we may lean on them.”

“
Why are you not full of grief, brother? Which god aids you in this
time?”

“
My heart aches, but we both can’t grieve at this moment. It’s your
turn, and I will be strong for both of us. When the time is right, I will
grieve for our little brother.”

“
Thank you, Chander. If I hadn’t asked you both to help me get Esa,
we wouldn’t be here. I’m so sorry.”

“
Shhh.” Chander stroked his head. “You didn’t force us. We came of
our own free will. This is not a burden I will allow you to carry. Release it,
brother.”

Devdan sobbed, and his brother rocked him.

Gabriel listened to every
word as did everyone else.
Please forgive
me, Father. Thank you for bringing Chander into my life. My heart still aches,
and I am grieving, but I am beginning to understand.

Michael wrapped his arms
around Gabriel. “I am here for you. I lend you my strength in your time of
need.”

“
I love her. I do not know how I will go on.” Fresh tears flowed
down Gabriel’s face, and Michael held him closer, tighter.

“
You will go on because doing any less will tarnish the sacrifice
she made. She chose your life above her own. I know now why you loved this
woman. I love her, too.”

“
Thank you.”

“
Ah, guys, I hate to bother you, but look.” Robert pointed to the
humans who lay naked on the floor.

Where the Captain had been
was a little girl curled in a ball. The other two Kematians were replaced by
two men. One appeared to be in his mid-twenties, dark hair just above his ears,
brown eyes and muscular stature. The other man was older in his late forties
with black, gray-streaked hair down to his waist and eyes of pale blue.

Maree started to approach the
girl, but Gabriel stopped her.

She peeked over her arms, and
her face remained hidden. Gabriel knelt before her and spoke in a soothing
tone. She ducked her head, her eyes no longer visible. He placed his hand on
hers, and she began to glow. The other two new humans watched as well as
everyone else.

“
Rise, little one,” Gabriel said.

The girl didn’t move.

Maree pulled her shirt off,
leaving only a t-shirt in its place and handed it to Gabriel. He wrapped it
around the little girl and lifted her. She rested her head on his shoulder.
Gabriel placed a kiss on her head while rubbing her back.

How could this child have
once been a creature who took the life of his soul mate? How could such evil be
replaced with an innocent soul? He started to hand her to Maree, but when he
tried to lift her she hugged him tighter.

“
You are safe, little one,” Gabriel whispered. He held her tight
for a moment and placed another kiss on her head.

She didn’t release her grip.

Gabriel glanced at Michael,
who shook his head. Gabriel wasn’t sure to what question he was answering, but
he saw the relief on his face. Michael had almost taken this life, and Gabriel
had almost allowed it to happen.

Michael walked over to the
men and placed his hands on their heads. They didn’t move as they began to
glow.

“
What has happened?” the younger man asked. “What is this language
I speak?”

“
It is English. You have been trapped for some time,” Michael said.

Ajeet and Tre stood behind
the new humans. Devdan was still in Chander’s lap. Neither of them looked up to
see the three humans.

The older man didn’t speak.
He stared at the ceiling, then the walls, and to the people.

Gabriel spoke to the little
girl. “I am Gabriel. What is your name?”

She peeked out and raised her
head until she met his eyes.

“
Alisha,” she whispered.

“
Your name means Protected by God, and I think it fits you,” he
said with a light smile.

She gave him a tentative one
back and looked around the room.

She saw Tre and squealed,
suddenly struggling to get down. “Father!”

Tre heard Alisha and ran to
her. She wiggled from Gabriel’s grip and bolted into her father’s arms.

“
My baby girl, I have missed you,” he wept.

Gabriel watched them. The
ache in his heart began to lessen.

Tre glimpsed at Gabriel, and
his face paled. “Oh Gabriel, I’m so sorry, please forgive her. She didn’t know
what she was doing. We have no memories from the time we spend in those
bodies.”

Gabriel nodded. “I know.”

“
What is wrong, Father?”

“
Oh baby, nothing and everything. I’m just so glad to have you in
my arms.”

He walked over to Maree and
Robert, approaching with caution. “Please forgive her, Robert. She didn’t know
what she was doing. I’m so sorry you lost Calla.”

Robert placed a hand on his
shoulder as tears rolled down his cheeks. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’m glad
you found your daughter.” The last words were muffled by sobs.

Maree wrapped her arm around
his waist.

The two men remained on the
floor.

The older man spoke. “Where
am I?”

Chander raised his head.
“Father?”

The older man turned around.
“Chander, Devdan?”

Devdan sat up. They both went
to help their father up.

He embraced both of his sons.
“Where is Rama?”

Chander released his grip and
pointed to Rama’s body.

“
Did he die a good death?”

“
Yes,” they said together.

“
A warrior’s death that is filled with honor is all we can ask
for.”

They both nodded.

The young man still sat on
the ground. He looked around the room. “Do I have any family here?”

“
Yes, you are surrounded by family,” Michael said.

“
I don’t understand,” he said.

“
We have a lot to explain,” Ajeet said as he approached the man and
offered his hand. “I believe you are familiar with your Prince.”

The man watched Tre and
Alisha. As Tre faced the young man realization crossed his face, and he dropped
to his knees and placed his head to the floor. Tre walked over to Gabriel and
handed Alisha to him. She wrapped her arms around Gabriel’s neck and pressed
her face into his chest.

“
I would ask if you mind, but at this point I don’t think it
matters,” Tre said with a partial smile.

“
I agree.”

Tre went to the man and
knelt. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Please stand.”

The young man raised his head
and began to stand, and Tre stood up with him. “What is your name?”

“
Narsi, my Prince.”

“
Narsi this is a new time, and there is much to learn. We are equal
in this time.”

He motioned for Ajeet to come
over. When Ajeet moved to a fighting stance, Tre placed his palm on Narsi’s
chest. “That is enough. This is my friend, Ajeet.”

“
But he is our enemy.”

“
He
was
our enemy. He is
now an ally. Much has changed, and we have to change with the times. There is
much to learn, and we will teach you; but for now, we have lost two of our
family members and must have time to grieve, for they have left holes in our
hearts.”

“
I do not understand, but I will learn. I will be faithful to my
Prince.”

“
That is a good start.”

Gabriel and Michael exchanged
a smile. With all the loss they had suffered today it was good to see something
positive come out of this. Gabriel raised his head and said another silent
prayer.
Father, please help me to
remember this day and everything good. Let me not forget your grace and love.

He handed Alisha back to Tre.

“
I will take care of this and bring Rama’s body back to the house,”
Michael said.

Gabriel walked over to
Robert. “Will you be okay to drive?”

“
Yeah. As long as I keep moving, it keeps me from thinking. I will
think and grieve tomorrow and every day after that.”

Gabriel nodded. “Will
everyone fit in the car?”

“
We’ll make it work.”

“
I will be back soon. I need some time.”

“
I’ll understand as long as you come back.”

“
You have my word.”

Gabriel exited the warehouse
and flew away.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Calla opened her eyes; she
was lying on her back, in the grass. She sat up and looked around. Her mind
raced. The last thing she remembered was—

“
Oh, my God, Gabriel,” Calla gasped.

“
He is alive, thanks to you,” a woman’s voice said.

The voice sounded like a
chorus, sweet and soothing at the same time. Calla stood up, trying to find the
voice. No one else was there not, even her dog, Max.

She appeared to be at her
grandparents’ place, but that was impossible. That house had become a parking
lot like all the other houses on the block. The hospital had offered her
grandmother, Ella, a fair price, and she had accepted. It was getting too hard
for her to attend to the property once her grandfather, Charles, passed away.
Ella had moved into Calla’s place for a few months before she, too, passed
away.

Calla knelt next to a tree
and brushed her fingers against the carved letters. She was too young to
remember her father marking the tree with their initials, but she remembered
her grandfather telling her the story of how upset her grandmother was when he
had defiled the tree. Calla remembered her grandmother sitting next to that
spot drinking tea for years after her parents died.

A cool breeze carried the
scent of the lilac bush next to the front porch, and it filled the backyard.
She loved that smell. She used air fresheners at home, but that never came
close to the real deal. She walked along the row of flowers, the woman’s voice
nagging at her thoughts, but she was so happy to be back here that she just
wanted to enjoy the moment.

Calla came to the gate,
opened it, and walked into her apartment. The transition from her grandparents’
yard to her apartment didn’t feel odd or bother her. She just accepted it as
normal. She went upstairs, to her room, undressed and climbed into the shower.
When she was done, she stepped out and was met with the scent of lilacs. She
was shocked at how much they smelled like the ones in her grandparents’ yard.
She accepted this as perfectly natural, too.

She dried off and got
dressed. Her stomach began to ache, so she opened her bedroom door and walked
into the kitchen. She turned back.
That’s
odd. My kitchen is downstairs. Oh well, this is better and more convenient.

Calla opened the fridge, and
all her favorite foods filled the shelves already prepared. She grabbed a slice
of pizza, which was warm, and sat down, in her comfy living room chair.
This chair belongs in my living room. I
wonder who moved it here.

Happy that someone had
thought to put it here, she never gave it another thought. Calla finished her
pizza and walked to the sink. The woman’s voice was now a distant memory, as
was the memory of everyone else she knew and loved. She had a feeling she was
forgetting something, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

She wasn’t tired, but unsure
what to do next. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was supposed to be
somewhere else, but couldn’t remember if it really was important. Why couldn’t
she remember? She went back over to the chair and sat down and tried to
remember what happened from the time she woke up until now.