Renegade Reborn (61 page)

“What, what’s happening?” Gisbo asked.

“I don’t like to admit this, but on that day, the day the Goat Man came, he beat me, beat me terribly . . .” Nora said.

“I know, but,” Gisbo started.

“No. I don’t think you do. He, outright, defeated me, as if I were one of these snowflakes, but don’t think I just bent over and took it. No. Your mother stood tall, and proud, and even in my final moments, I never gave in to that man. I went to the grave, cursing, and spitting in his face.” Nora said. Gisbo smiled at this, feeling a bit relieved. “But, this man, Gisbo, he was filled with so much hate, so much malice . . . it was practically dripping off of him, I could feel it, like a burden, weighing down upon him, and every time he hit me, every time he struck me, I felt it grow lighter, and lighter . . .”

Gisbo swallowed hard, then gritted his teeth.

“But, it was what came after, after I was gone, is what you had to witness, something, no little boy, should ever, ever see, but we won’t talk of that, and you, you won’t think of that. You understand? Ever. What I want to talk about, is what happened before . . .” Nora said.

“Before?” Gisbo asked. He turned, to see the pathway was now half gone, just, melting away, joining the blackening void.

“It’s ok, we have time. My soul, right now, is wrapped around you. To everyone else, you are garbed right now in a bright, green light, untouchable, unbreachable . . .” Nora said.

“But, how?” Gisbo asked. Nora took in a deep sigh.

“It’s not easy, Gisbo, for a warrior to know, he or she, is going to die. It’s rightfully, terrible, but this, this was different. This young man, he explained things to me, his whole plan, why, he was doing this to me. He wanted me to know everything, and to realize that it was all because of you, something you would do in the future to wrong him, and how he now had come back, to change you, and your destiny, forever . . . lock away your Phoenix power, so you wouldn’t be able to use it when you needed it most, and well, your mother wasn’t about to let him . . . so, I cut him, and with each cut, I put inside him, pieces of my soul, so that when the time came, I could arrive, like a good mother should, and give her son a fighting chance . . .” Nora said. She then looked around at her fast, deteriorating world, and smiled. “My soul, once the scenery fades, will be complete, and I, I can finally move on, but not before, we have a little talk, mother, to son.”

Gisbo saw that now, even the sky was fast becoming black. Nora quickly put two hands upon his cheeks.

“Don’t look at that. Look at me, honey.” Nora said.

“Ok,” Gisbo stammered.

“This man, I don’t know the specifics between you two, but from what I gather, it’s over a woman, over a lost love, and whew boy, that, that can lead to some very powerful feelings, feelings, that through the Dragon, has made him a literal juggernaut, but, even back then, I could see the toll it’s taken. He’s done things, seen things no mortal man should ever see. He’s played with Time in a way Drakearon would never dream of, due to the risks, and now, his mind, his sanity, it’s hanging together by literal threads . . . but, for him, it’s better than the alternative, a life filled with pain, and sorrow. He’s in pain, Gisbo, terrible pain, and yes, he blames you, but mostly, he blames himself . . .” Nora said.

“You make it seem like I should feel bad for him, empathize with him, I . . . I can’t do that . . .” Gisbo said. “Not after what he did to you, to us!”

“Honey, I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to stop him, but to do that, you need not make this personal. If you do, then he’s already won.” Nora said.

“But, how? How can I not make this personal?” Gisbo asked.

“By stop being selfish.” Nora said.

“Selfish?” Gisbo asked, surprised.

“You think it’s all about you, but it’s not. If he wins, then Drakearon wins. This anger, that you feel inside you . . . I know it all too well. You get it from me, sweetie, and the worst advice anyone can give you is to tell you to calm down, and take a deep breath. That anger of yours, it’s not going anywhere, and if that’s the case, you may as well learn how to use it . . . properly . . .” Nora said.

Gisbo said nothing.

“This is why you need to stop being selfish, and with selfishness, comes pride. And honey? You’re full of it, just as I was. Pride, it is a dangerous thing. The more pride you have, the more you see it, and feel it in others. You have to let it go, and either forget yourself entirely, or think of yourself as a very small, worthless thing. When you do that, when you let go of your own pain, and focus on the pain of others, and let your anger rise over their mistreatment, that is anger being used properly! That is righteous fury, and that’s what the Phoenix Fire runs on! It’s easier said than done, I know, but you must learn, or everything ends, right here, right now. You’ve felt righteous fury before, haven’t you?” Nora asked.

“Yeah, yeah I have . . .” Gisbo said.

“Then you’ll find it again.” Nora said.

“I feel so stupid . . . it all feels so simple, like it was right in front of me all along. Why? Why do I forget such simple things?” Gisbo asked.

“The most important virtues in life, are the simplest, and yet, always need reminding . . .” Nora said.

“Mom?” Gisbo asked.

“Yes?” Nora asked.

“Thank you . . .” Gisbo said, as he moved in and gave her another hug.

“You’ll never be alone, honey, never, because, you made me that promise, right here, so long ago . . .” Nora said. Gisbo pulled away from her.

“What promise?” Gisbo asked.

“You don’t remember? Shame on you . . . you’re just going to have to promise me again, one last time, just to be sure,” Nora said. She then grabbed both of his hands in hers, and squeezed tightly.

“Gisbo, can you promise me that no matter what, even when things seem hopeless, when things get darkest, and they will, that you’ll stand strong, plant your feet, and never, ever give up?” Nora asked. Gisbo smiled at this.

“Oh, that promise . . . you know, deep down, a part of me remembered that I think. You’re probably the reason I never backed down from a fight . . .” Gisbo said.

“We’re McCarley’s, Gisbo, promise or not, we just don’t run, or, give up. Pride, is something we’ll always struggle with, but for now, promise me, promise me again . . .” Nora said.

“I promise, Mom,” Gisbo said.

“We will see each other again,” Nora said.

“I know.” Gisbo asked. “Mom?”

“Yes?” Nora asked.

“I love you.” Gisbo said.

“I love you too, sweetie.” Nora said, as she caressed his hand. “Now, go, and for your mom, focus on the pain that bastard has caused everyone, let it fill you up, and then kick the ever living crap out of him!”

Gisbo grinned, then the ground began to shake beneath his feet and Gisbo staggered back as the ground split between he and his mother, and they found themselves on two separate islands of snow, quickly drifting apart from one another. The black void was all about them. The two stared at one another now, their hands extended out, tears falling from their faces, as they drifted away, into the darkness.

“Body . . .” Nora said, as she thrust out a fist into the air. Gisbo did the same. She then pulled it backward, and raised two fingers to her forehead. “Mind . . .” Gisbo followed in suite. Nora then lowered her fingers, formed a fist, and brought it back up, stamping it over her chest. “Heart . . .” Gisbo finished with her.

“You finally got it right . . .” Nora said, then, she was gone.

Gisbo returned in a flash of green Naforian energy, his mother’s energy, to a startled Malik.

“What, what the hell was that?!” Malik demanded.

Ignore him, Gisbo. Focus. You know who you are, now think about why you’re here, focus, do not let Mom, down! If you don’t stop him, no one else will, no one else can. He will kill everyone here, and, and he’ll do to them, ruin them, just as he did me . . . me . . . me . . . that’s all he’s been focusing on. It’s not about me, it’s about them! It’s about Thera! It’s about why I do what I do, why I wanted to be a Renegade in the first place! I hate when innocents suffer, because, I know what it’s like to suffer . . . and I, if I can help it, I won’t let him cause any more! How many? How many more people are going to suffer at the hands of Malik Strife? Say it, say with your own words . . .

“No . . . more . . .” Gisbo said, and with that, his eyes burst into fire, and the flames of the phoenix wrapped about him, and exploded outward and up, until two, beautiful, blue white bird wings, Phoenix wings, graced Gisbo’s back.

“So, you’re finally taking things seriously? Good, I . . .” Malik asked.

“RAHHHHHH!!!” Gisbo screamed, as he flew at Malik with a speed, power, and ferocity that Malik couldn’t have predicted.

Chapter Thirty: Gisbo Falcon vs. The Goat Man

Gisbo flew at Malik and connected with a fierce right hook across Malik’s chin, opening it up like a cherry tomato, and sending Malik shooting across the grounds like a stone loosed from a slingshot, and just as fast, if not faster, Gisbo pursued, screaming, embracing not only his hurt, but the hurt of others, as he caught Malik in midflight by the throat with his left hand, while Malik was able to do the same, and together they hit each other across the face, the chin, the eyes, over and over again, flying through the air, until they crashed into the north side of the wall, blew right through it, and shot out the other side.

A large oak separated the two fighters now as they went rolling, bouncing and tumbling through the forest, hitting rocks, falling trees, and scattering angry, recently awoken, squawking birds from the trees. Gisbo was the first to regain his composure, and using his energy, he spied a still tumbling Malik, pushed his Phoenix essence into the back of his heels, and used his wings to steer him as he soared at the Man-Dragon like a battering ram, digging his right shoulder into Malik’s stomach, and cutting off his air supply. Gisbo, now in control, lifted him up and up until they were beyond the tree tops, and that’s when he released his cousin, and let him have it. Using his body like a juggling ball, Gisbo swung right, then left, hitting Malik higher, and higher into the air, until they were both soaring through the clouds.

Now flying above him, and with Malik fighting for consciousness, Gisbo interlocked his hands into, and like a hammer, slammed them down into his cousin’s stomach, sending Malik flying downward, and again, Gisbo caught up with him, this time, grabbing Malik by the sides of his head, and gripping his hair like handlebars, Gisbo brought his own head down, over and over again, like a bull ram, into Malik’s forehead, and continued head butting him viciously all the way down, until they both hit the center of the courtyard with a loud CHOOM noise, spraying up dirt, and grass, as if an underground landmine just went off, but the salvo didn’t stop there, it kept going . . .

Through the haze of the dirt, the yells and screams of a mad man could be heard, and with every yell, there was a flash of blue and white, followed by explosion after explosion, as Gisbo unleashed upon Malik’s fallen body with series upon series of blows, pushing him deeper and deeper into the ground, until everyone present felt the blows connections deep in the earth, coming up through the balls of their feet, then vibrating up through their bodies.

“HOLY! LOOK AT HIM GO!” Grandfield screamed, his fists balled up, a wide grin on his face. “GET HIM GISBO!”

“What is he doing!? No strategy, no nothing! It’s . . .” Glinda started.

“They stopped fighting with their heads long ago. It is a fight made up entirely of animal instinct, of opposing forces.” Jackobi said.

“I’ve never seen anything like it . . . such, passion, such, rage, as if nothing else even matters . . . I want to be there! I want to feel what he’s feeling right now . . .“ Rake said, pure awe washed across his features.

And then they watched as another yell pierced the air, a cry of desperation, then a boom, and Gisbo was shot clean out of the hole, up into the air, and collided with the east side of the castle wall with a crash, then, fell flat on his face.

Malik was on him now, speeding into him like a runaway skeet sword with a rising knee that went right up into his sternum. Gisbo hacked out blood, but ignored the pain, and in a desperate maneuver to keep from rising up into the air, hugged Malik’s knee, then, swept his cousin’s one standing leg out from under him, felling them both to the ground. Malik then pushed out his Dragon power through his heels, just as Gisbo had done earlier, and shot them across the ground, up into an incline, their hands intertwined, as they fought and struggled for leverage, and before they knew it, they were rising back up into the sky, flying through the scraping treetops, and running into a cluster of screeching bats, bursting most of them into meat, and sinew, but before that happened, in the confusion, Gisbo managed to free one of his hands from Malik’s grasp, pluck a bat from the air, and while it was still thrashing, jammed it straight into Malik’s open mouth, and down his throat.

Beyond surprised, Malik’s eyes went wide, and he puked outright, his cheeks blowing out and filling up with stomach fluids. He was forced to let go of Gisbo, and pull the enraged bat from his mouth, which served as a plug, so he could drain his filled mouth, that stung with stomach acid. Once the bat was out, it spiraled downward, then, righted itself, and flew away, possibly more horrified than Malik, and that’s right when Gisbo rewarded him with a huge back fist that sent the Goat Man flying back down to the earth, landing next to the first hole he had made, as he skipped like a stone across water, until the east wall stopped him, just as it did Gisbo.