"We used to tell each other everything Sophie. Now I feel like we barely talk," Dina continued, her lips turning downward as her eyebrows lifted.
"I know, I don"t even know what to talk about anymore a with anyone," Sophie explained.
Dina took her friend"s hand and guided her to a set of chairs at the back of the hall. "Come on, let"s sit down and actually talk like we used to."
Sophie smiled; the idea of it did give her some comfort. "Do you ever feel like everyone is destined to find love except us? I mean look, even Michael found it."
Dina smiled, "He did wait a long time for it. Maybe you have to be patient."
Sophie paused, debating whether or not she should say the next statement that was on her mind. Finally curiosity outweighed her better judgment. "Do you think you"ll ever be with anyone again?"
Dina shook her head, "I"m different."
"What"s that supposed to mean?" Sophie pushed, puzzled by her friends statement.
Dina hung her head, "I"ve actually given this a lot of thought. For me, no, I won"t ever be with anyone again. But you have to understand, it"s a choice I made because of what I did."
"But it was an accident. You didn"t mean for any of that to happen. n.o.body blames you," Sophie argued.
Dina squeezed Sophie"s hand; she wanted to make sure she was aware that she had made peace with her decision. "You"re right, I never meant for any of the bad things that happened to happen. But that doesn"t change the fact that I knew right from wrong, I made the choice to bring Raimie back, and as a result a young girl lost her life. She will never have that chance to fall in love. Knowing something I did took that from her, I couldn"t live with it."
"I think you"re being too hard on yourself," Sophie noted.
"There are some things in this life that can"t be undone, we simply have to live with the choices we make," Dina replied plainly. Her statement reminded Sophie of the conversation she and Gabe had at Rampart recently. He had told her almost the exact same thing.
"I don"t want to love him anymore," Sophie said.
"Love who?" Rachel asked, as she approached with one of the centerpieces.
"Umm ..." Sophie stammered, she was at a complete loss for words.
"Damon," Dina quickly chimed in, trying to save Sophie from total embarra.s.sment.
Rachel tilted her head considering what she had just been told, "I"m not really sure what to do with that information."
Sophie blushed, though the conversation was awkward, it would have been far worse if Rachel had discovered that even now, Sophie still carried a torch for Gabe. "You shouldn"t do anything with that information, because you weren"t supposed to hear it," she said continuing with the farce.
Rachel wasn"t pleased with Sophie"s reply. "Well, too bad he"s my brother, and that"s what sisters do. First off, I didn"t realize you guys were so serious. I had no idea you loved him. Second, if you love him, why on earth would you want to stop loving him? He"s such a great guy, and he really seems to like you."
Sophie hopped to her feet, as if outraged by the questions. "I said I wasn"t going to talk about it with you." And with those words she stormed out of the hall.
Rachel looked down at Dina, her mouth hanging open. "All right. Come on, there is no way she should have reacted like that, am I right?"
Throwing both hands up in the air defensively Dina answered, "Hey, it"s none of my business."
"Oh no, not so fast. Unless you want me discussing this with my brother, you"re going to tell me why she doesn"t want to love him," Rachel demanded, aggravated with the sidestepping.
Dina felt her chest flutter. This was about to blow up into a much bigger issue than it needed to be. "You promise if I tell you you"ll let this drop."
"Scouts" honor," Rachel said lifting her fingers in a salute.
Dina smiled, she could see why Gabe loved her so much, she was quite adorable. "Things are getting real now. We"re at war and Sophie can"t deal with losing Damon if he was hurt or something. Or worse, what would it do to Damon if he lost her."
"Oh my G.o.d, I had no idea she cared for him that much. I feel like such an idiot. I"ve been so hateful to her. I should apologize," Rachel commented.
"No!" Dina exclaimed. "I mean, she didn"t want you to know, and, well a you promised me you wouldn"t say anything. I"m the one she"ll be mad at."
"No, of course, you"re right," Rachel said shaking her head. "I won"t say anything to her. Thank you so much for confiding in me. It"s comforting to know Damon has someone who cares so much about him."
Dina feigned a smile and watched as Rachel walked away, placing the centerpiece in the middle of the table and heading back to the front of room to retrieve another one. Walking to the back of the room, Dina turned and looked at the festive styling of the hall. Her heart ached. What she didn"t tell Sophie was that even though she had reconciled herself to being alone, she missed love. She missed the conversations with that special person. She missed the smell of them, the one that made you relax as soon as it filled your nostrils. She missed a lover"s embrace. This was her burden now though, a prison of her own making.
The stars were high in the sky, the night lit by magical floating lanterns. Just outside the grand hall the ma.s.ses were gathered, too many to possibly have seats. There was a mixture of refugees and Guardians, throngs of people, grateful for how Michael had touched their lives at one point or another.
"Wow, you clean up nice," Mirada heard Clarite"s voice behind her.
"I was wondering when you"d show up," Mirada remarked, turning around to get a better look at her sister.
"I wasn"t sure if you"d want to see me," Clarite replied hesitantly.
"What? I thought you were mad at me," Mirada replied.
"Not for a very long time. In fact I missed you. So the dress fits well," Clarite continued.
"You"re the one that sent it to me? It showed up in my room and there wasn"t a note." Mirada said, smiling, her heart full at the gesture. "I thought once you found out I was marrying Michael you"d be furious."
"I realized a long time ago, that was a girl"s infatuation, nothing more. If he makes you happy then, I"m glad. Since I"ve come to Iron Gate he has actually been ... pretty great. I know the council was pressuring him to lock me up, but he stood up for me," Clarite explained.
Mirada reached out and pulled her sister in close. It was a feeling neither had felt in more time than they cared to remember.
Pushing herself away and straightening out her dress, Clarite wiped away a stray tear with the corner of her hand. "Okay, that"s enough of that, let"s not get all crazy here."
Looking out at the scene in front of them, Mirada grabbed hold of her sister"s wrist, her legs going weak for a moment. "I can"t believe this is happening."
"I can"t believe Michaels"s crew can put something like this together so quickly." Clarite laughed.
Mirada laughed, "Yeah, same here. I"m a little blown away by it all. All the lights look like tiny little crystals scattered throughout the sky."
"You deserve this," Clarite added softly, squeezing her sister"s hand. As the music began, signaling the wedding march, a tear ran down Mirada"s cheek.
"Will you walk me down?" she asked Clarite with a smile, who gladly nodded in the affirmative, and Mirada took that first step towards her new life with her family at her side.
Stepping from side to side, shifting his weight between his feet, Michael wiped his sweaty palms on the back of his suit jacket. He never imagined when he had asked Mirada to marry him early that afternoon, that he would be standing there that very evening, preparing to say his "I dos."
Only a week ago he was going throughout his day, the knowledge that he would never be with Mirada again a fact he had accepted and come to terms with. If it meant keeping her safe then he would die alone. There was, after all, n.o.body else for him out there. She was his one true love.
"You look quite dapper, sir," Sophie said softly, coming up behind her mentor, briefly touching her hand to his shoulder.
Michael looked down at her, a smile beaming across her face. A navy colored dress with a vintage cut to it hugged her frame, and her auburn hair was pinned up away from her face. "Thanks, you look quite lovely, too."
"I just wanted to say congratulations," she offered, before turning to leave.
"Wait, Sophie, won"t you talk with me for a moment?" Michael inquired. "I"m afraid I actually am quite nervous."
"You? I don"t believe it," Sophie smiled as she replied.
"No, really. I feel like there"s an anvil on my chest," Michael added. "Either this is nerves or I"m having a heart attack.
Sophie furrowed her brow, "Let"s hope nerves." Sophie hesitated then added, "You know sir, you can still get out of here if you"ve changed your mind."
"What?" Michael gasped, before laughing slightly. "I haven"t changed my mind. I think it"s all happening so fast I"m a little overwhelmed, that"s all."
"Of course. Well this is a rare side of you indeed," Sophie commented. "You"re always the rock to us, the dad that we can come to for support. And now a well a you"re a hot mess."
Michael smiled. "Thanks. But seriously, I"ve always thought of you like a daughter. I couldn"t imagine this day without you and the others here. And by the way, I saw the hall, you and Dina did a great job."
"Thank you," Sophie said softly, looking away. It felt like her insides were being shredded. On one hand she was excited a man who had raised her and taught her everything she knew had at last managed to find love. On the other hand, with each happy union she witnessed, she could feel her chance slipping away.
Michael could see the distressed look on her face. "Are you all right?"
Sophie smiled up at him, hesitating for a moment, and then the wedding march began. "Show time," she chimed, relieved for the opportunity to exit.
Sophie stepped to one side, blending in with the crowd. She watched silently as Mirada came walking down the stone path, her eyes locked with Michael as she glided. Across from her she caught site of Gabe, he and Rachel were staring into one another"s eyes. The romance that lingered in the air had clearly swept them up in it.
She wasn"t able to look away, captivated by their display. Rachel"s eyes seemed to actually be sparkling. Gabe looked entranced by her gaze. Since Gabe and Rachel"s wedding day, Sophie had been telling herself she would let Gabe go if Rachel made him happy, the problem was she didn"t believe she did. How could Rachel make him happy if deep down he still loved Sophie? She thought that, until now. With a deep exhale Sophie forced a smile. Her beloved was truly happy, and somehow, she would have to learn to make that be enough for her.
The nine people filed into Michael"s office, one at a time and gathered into a circle near the oversized stone fireplace. Gabe noticed the way Mirada still gazed at everything in amazement. It was all still so new to her, the way the Guardians worked. He remembered when he first came to Rampart and the feeling he had of being overwhelmed. Michael"s office there had been even more extravagant in style with the domed ceiling and mural.
The previous commander at Iron Gate, Patina, had been relocated, given a full time position on the council. After Michael convinced the council he would do more good at Iron Gate, than residing with the council, he returned and moved into Patina"s old office. It was very similar to his s.p.a.ce at Rampart, except the room was absent of the dome.
"All right everyone, quiet down, we have some important information I need everyone to hear," Michael commanded and instantly the room fell silent.
"As you all know," he continued. "Gabe has decided he would like to go search for the Guardians crown."
Gabe tilted his head, puzzled by Michael"s choice of words. "Has something changed? Do you not think this is the best course of action?" Gabe inquired.
"I don"t think Michael meant that, it"s just that these are stories. The history of the Guardians crown and its location has all been pa.s.sed onto us by word of mouth. I think all he meant is that, even though this could be like searching for a needle in a haystack, you"re of the opinion it"s a worthwhile venture," Mirada quickly explained.
Picking up on the oddness of the conversation Uri chimed in, "So do you think this is a waste of time, Michael?"
Michael looked over at his new wife and then back at the wide-eyed expression of his former student. "I wouldn"t say it"s a waste of time. It"s a lead, and we don"t have many of those right now."
"I"ve been doing a little digging," Mirada began, trying to change the topic from Michael"s opinion and back to the discussion of the quest. "And apparently, on the north side of the mountain there"s a cavern inside which you can gain access to the core of the mountain from."
"You mentioned that the mountain was basically decaying from the inside out. I take it this is going to be dangerous?" Gabe inquired, looking over at Rachel for a moment, and then placing his hand around hers.
Mirada stared at Gabe, making sure there was no misunderstanding in what she was about to say, "the people who hid this weapon wanted to make sure it wouldn"t be found, I think it is more than safe to a.s.sume that it will be dangerous."
"That"s not all," Michael added. "We"re not operating the same way we used to. There was always a veil of secrecy for us to conduct our business behind, but now that the demons are out in the open, the humans know what we are. A large number of them are even working for Baal, though it seems like it"s out of fear for the most part."
"Then I think this needs to be only the essential people needed to get in and out. Myself, Uri, and Haim," Gabe replied.
"Excuse me?" Sophie snapped, flashing Gabe a sharp glare.
"I"m sorry, but it just seems absolutely pointless to involve more people than we have to. The three of us will be able to sneak in and out undetected a lot easier than a huge group."
"Well, I already agreed to help Peter with the perimeter fences this week so I"m out," Damon remarked.
"I can"t be spared from the infirmary, so I guess you can count me out, too, not that I"d be much help," Dina added.
"There!" Sophie exclaimed. "It"s only one more person. It won"t be an issue."
Rachel furrowed her brow and leaned forward, then spoke. "Wait a second, two more people."
"What?" Gabe asked, peering at his wife.
"I married you because I want to be in all of this with you. That means in the hard parts, too. This weapon means as much to me as it does to any of you," Rachel pointed out.
"She"s got a point," Mirada said.
"This is crazy, don"t get me wrong, I like you Rachel, but you"re not exactly a fighter," Uri argued.
"No, I can agree with that, but I"m sure I can help in other ways," Rachel offered, before adding. "And I won"t take no for an answer."
"Sis," Damon pleaded. "I don"t think it"s a good idea."
Rachel rose to her feet, becoming increasingly aggravated by the room full of people who were telling her what she couldn"t do. "I chose this life, a life married to a Guardian, and I"m never going to be able to protect myself or our family if I don"t start learning a few things. I"m going."
"Rachel"s right, let her go if that"s what she wants," Sophie defended, surprising even herself as the words left her mouth.
Gabe looked around at all the sets of eyes staring at him. At last he relented, "Fine, but we"re taking the Alicorns there, and at the first sign of trouble I"m transporting you out of there."
Rachel nearly squealed, "That"s perfectly agreeable. Thank you so much baby!" Looking over at Sophie, Rachel mouthed the words "thank you." Sophie nodded in response with a half smile.
Sophie wasn"t sure why she defended Rachel, perhaps, she thought, there was a part of her trying to let go of the feelings she still had for Gabe.
Rachel leaned back, allowing the wind to sweep her hair away, dancing on the air behind her. Digging her fingers tight into Gabe"s shirt, she closed her eyes, for a moment she lost herself in the flight. The smooth glide of the amazing animal beneath her was something she thought she would never get used to; she could ride upon them all day long.
The Alicorns were one of the first beings that Rachel had bonded with. Most Guardians take years to develop the ability to speak telepathically with them, but since she found herself with child, this was suddenly an ability she possessed, as well.
When she first told Gabe she was able to hear their thoughts, he was in such shock he instantly ran to tell Michael about the development. It was at that time she had considered telling him of her pregnancy, but then decided not to. A human being had never been able to link with the Alicorns, which made Gabe certain she must have had some sort of magical ancestor. She wished now she would have told him that it was their Guardian child in her womb that gave her the ability.
"Almost there!" Gabe called over his shoulder. Rachel could feel the animal begin to descend.
She watched over Gabe"s shoulder as the mountain came into sight. Its snow-covered peak was so majestic she couldn"t imagine that a volatile volcano resided within. Prior to leaving Iron Gate, Rachel had read all of the research material she could get her hands on about Mount Rainier. The activity within the mountain had created the largest network of volcanic caves, allowing for unlimited hiding places for the weapon. The search would not be easy.
Mirada had given them the coordinates for the location for the north side cave entrance that would hopefully allow for a more direct route. The problem they now had was that the Alicorns could not land anywhere near the entrance of the cave. They would have to put down around two miles east of the cave and hike to the entrance. This, however, put them dangerously close to a small village. They decided it was a risk they would have to take.
The land came speeding at them as they ducked down beneath the clouds. This was the part that Rachel did not care for. Instead of flying, she always had the sensation she was falling. Burrowing her head into Gabe"s back, she closed her eyes and held her breath.