Gabriel Elder book II of the Warlock Series

“Not the same,” Apollo said in Gabriel’s head.

“What are you talking about? What’s not the same?” Gabriel asked the grey wolf.

Apollo simply stared at him. Gabriel knew what the wolf was talking about, ever since he had been given the gift by Grandfather, he was feeling things he’d never felt before. No, the truth was he’d felt them, but he’d managed to suppress them. The anger of being abandoned as a child, the fear there would never be a home for him, even the frustration over the way everyone lied to him. Why couldn’t they see it was his life?

“Bad can bring good,” Apollo said.

Gabriel thought on that for a moment. Then he began to see the truth in the wolf’s thought. Apollo was wiser than most of the men Gabriel had known. The bad things that had happened to Apollo and Gabriel as orphans, had brought the two of them together. It had made them what they were and it had brought them together with Breena as well.

Gabriel was aware he might be the only one on the planet who could stop the white Alpha, but he also knew he would need help to do it. It had proven in the cemetery it wasn’t interested in a ‘fair’ fight, one on one. No, the creature would use anything it could to win, including an army of shifters.

Gabriel wasn’t sure what he might become if he tried, but he wasn’t going to let the white Alpha get away with destroying his family. He might not have ever know his parents and his relationship with his grandfather was barely a relationship at all, but all of that had been caused by the white Alpha.

In a moment of total clarity, Gabriel suddenly understood!

His mission wasn’t to lead the Scythians, nor to be a master warlock. His one mission, the thing he’d been created for, was to bring down the white Alpha. The creature had inadvertently created the perfect storm of events that led to the creation of Gabriel and Apollo. Now, he had to convince Breena.

Gabriel wasn’t sure exactly how she’d take it, but he was willing to bet she wouldn’t like it. As he was thinking about how to break the news to Breena, both she and Yellow-mane walked out of the cave together. Breena saw Gabriel and rushed to him. She hugged him and kissed him on the lips. Neither of the young adults were embarrassed that Yellow-mane was watching.

Suddenly, Apollo began to growl and Yellow-mane was instantly transformed into a giant Saber-toothed lion. Oddly enough, neither Gabriel nor Breena changed. They broke their embrace and watched as both Apollo and the giant lion paced back and forth facing the woods on the east side of the cave. After several minutes, both seemed to calm down and Yellow-mane reverted to his human form.

“What was it?” Breena asked.

“Not sure,” Yellow-mane began, “There was definitely someone trying to sneak up on us in the woods over there. They didn’t make a sound, but they were definitely there.”

“Apollo knew they were there as well,” Gabriel added.

“What I don’t understand is why you two weren’t affected? Anything that was a possible danger, should have triggered your Scythian responses the same as ours,” said Yellow-mane.

“I never felt threatened,” Gabriel said.

“Nor I,” added Breena.

Both were considering the fact they had been holding each other when the event occurred. Could that have been enough to distract their natural defenses? Gabriel asked Yellow-mane for his opinion.

“No, it doesn’t work like that,” Yellow-mane began, “It’s like blinking your eye just before a raindrop flies into it. There is nothing you can do to turn off your Scythian defenses, they are always there for you, even in your sleep.”

“That’s true, I’ve awakened and found myself in my wolf form,” said Breena.

“The only explanation is whatever was out there, wasn’t a danger to either of you, only myself. The wolf just knew there was someone out there, he might not have felt threatened by it either,” said Yellow-mane.

“Could it have been Oz or Zeus?” Breena asked.

“Apollo wouldn’t have responded to either one of them that way, besides, Oz would have come on in and talked to us and Zeus wouldn’t be out tonight,” Gabriel answered as he looked up at the full moon.

Gabriel’s mind was racing trying to figure out who or what it could have been. Everything was moving so fast. He didn’t know what was happening in the new village with the rest of the clan and Banchara. He had no idea what was happening back at the compound either. On top of that, he also had many questions for Yellow-mane and Breena about the Scythians.

“You said the Scythian defenses were automatic, but I’ve seen Breena control other Scythian’s and keep them from changing forms,” Gabriel said, “How could she do that?”

“Even I didn’t know I could do that. I’m not even sure I am. It just started happening since we got the gift from Grandfather. I don’t how I’m doing it,” Breena added quickly.

“Breena, how many other air elementals have you known?” Yellow-mane asked.

Breena already knew the answer to the question. “None, only me,” she said.

“That’s because your elemental form is extremely rare. Earth elementals are plentiful, water elementals, such as myself, are the second most common. Fire elementals are very, very rare, but air elementals are so rare, it was believed the ability had been lost. I knew of one in Asia when I was a child, but she died a long time ago.

Until you exhibited your abilities, there was no known air elementals left on Earth. That’s why Grandfather had you keep your ability hidden from the other clan members. He was afraid the news would draw too much attention to his clan and he knew something was coming. Not only is the ability extremely rare, but I’ve never heard of one who was a clan elder. Who knows what abilities the gift has given you,” Yellow-mane explained.

Gabriel didn’t know what to make of all of this. His animal form, whatever it was, was so rare it had only been known to have existed twice before. Both times, it almost destroyed all life on Earth. Now, he finds out Breena may be the only air elemental left on the planet as well.

“How come my animal form hasn’t shown itself yet?” Gabriel asked, “It seems like most of the Scythians change to their animal forms first and then to their elemental forms later.”

“That’s true in most cases, but not when your animal form is as powerful as yours is. The form you take depends entirely on what your spirit feels is necessary at the time. You Gabriel, have only seen a situation which would require your fire form. Your spirit knows how powerful your animal form is and it will not bring it forth unless it is absolutely necessary,” Yellow-mane answered.

Gabriel was worried, he had just accepted it was his mission, his purpose for being alive, to destroy the white Alpha. But, if what Yellow-mane said was true, that might be the very thing which triggered him to become the creature who destroyed all life, not just the white Alpha.

“What’s wrong?” Breena asked.

From the look on Gabriel’s face, she could tell he was worried about something.

“Truth, always,” Apollo urged.

Gabriel took a deep breath and told Breena and Yellow-mane his decision to bring down the white Alpha. He waited as the two Scythian’s looked at each other for a long minute.

“Then I’ll have to help you so you don’t feel the need to become anything more than a fire-being,” was all Breena said.

With that, she walked over and began adding more wood to the fire. Gabriel was shocked. He wasn’t sure exactly what he thought Breena would say or do, but that wasn’t it. Even Yellow-mane seemed to accept it. Seeing the confused look on Gabriel’s face, Yellow-mane tried to explain to him.

“If we tried to keep all the possible dangers of life away from you, it could be even worse than your plan. Without continuing to hone your skills, you will become complacent. You might be forced to change to your animal form just because you walked up on a bear in the woods. As long as you feel you have the skills to take on a situation, there is little chance of your spirit calling forth your animal form. That way, if you are stressed, it will call forth your fire-form first. The key is to make sure we train your elemental form to be strong enough to handle any situation,” stated Yellow-mane.

“Why did it take so long for my elemental form to appear?” asked Gabriel.

“More than likely it’s because you just started coming into contact with the gift. Those who leave the clan for more than a few years lose their ability to change. Your body wanted to change, but it didn’t have the energy needed to complete the process. At least not until after you met Grandfather. It seems you absorbed the energy of the gift very quickly though. My guess is it has something to do with the drugs in your system,” Yellow-mane answered.

“Drugs?” asked Gabriel.

“Yes, whatever you and the wolf have been given. I can smell it coursing through your body. It is not like anything I’ve ever smelled before,” answered Yellow-mane.

“Oh, you must mean the injections we were given. A concoction developed by my other grandfather, the master warlock Zeus. One component is silver nitrate, it makes us poisonous to shifters and hopefully immune to the shifter virus,” Gabriel explained.

“As a Scythian, you are already immune to the shifter virus. Still, it might be beneficial if you both leave a bad taste in a shifter’s mouth should they attack you. The wolf is immune as well, the virus only affects humans,” said Yellow-mane.

“If Scythians are part human, part animal, and part element, shouldn’t they at least be partially susceptible to the shifter virus?” asked Gabriel.

“No, in fact it is our belief the shifter virus was created by a human. He was conducting unholy experiments on a Scythian long ago. We believe this scientist unleashed the virus on humanity through his work with a Scythian who took the form of a wolf when attacked. Scythians have had our share of run-ins with shifters and we have never seen a clan member infected with the virus. It is believed that since the virus has been synthesized from our unique genes, we cannot be infected by it,” answered Yellow-mane.

“So, what you’re saying is, my training as a warlock may have kept me from feeling threatened and taking my fire form?” Gabriel asked.

“When did you first see, or feel, your body change,” asked Yellow-mane.

Gabriel thought for a moment, “In the cemetery, when I was fighting the white Alpha. I felt…larger, stronger than ever. I didn’t know what was happening,” Gabriel answered.

“Was that before you had met Grandfather and been exposed to the gift?” Yellow-mane asked.

“Yes,” answered Gabriel. “I had met Breena, but no other Scythians.”

“That first time, when you got larger, that was your body trying to change to its elemental form in order to save you from the white Alpha. Unfortunately, you didn’t have enough energy to make the transition. Instead, your body used all of its adrenaline and stored energy to make you bigger and stronger,” Yellow-mane said.

“It wasn’t until I was threatened by the giant unicorn in the village, I took my fire-form,” Gabriel added.

“By then, you already had the gift inside you and all the energy you would ever need to make the transition to either of your other forms. Unless you’re caught completely off-guard, you will be able to master your fire form and use it at-will. It will take a serious threat to force you into either of your other forms. Unfortunately, the fact you grew larger and more powerful is a serious indication the white Alpha is such a threat. It almost caused you to achieve one of your other forms and you didn’t even have the energy of the gift. It is very serious threat indeed,” said Yellow-mane.

“How can I prevent myself from assuming my animal form?” asked a very worried Gabriel.

“It’s important for you to understand you are a Scythian. That means your spirit will use your abilities to protect you. It will use whatever form it feels is necessary to keep you safe. It is automatic when it comes to defense, but you must train, and train hard, to be able to call forth your fire form when you need it,” said Yellow-mane.

“I’m not sure what that means,” responded Gabriel.

“If you tried to change to your fire form to attack a deer grazing in the woods, your spirit would fight it. However, if you are truly in danger and in need of one of your more powerful forms, it will come to you quickly and without effort. Breena could use her elemental form on the other elders because her spirit knew they were a danger to you, and therefore a danger to her. But she could only do so because of her extensive training,” Yellow-mane answered.

“I know when Banchara had the villager attack me in the form of a unicorn, I suddenly found myself in my fire form. I didn’t do anything to cause it. So why was the villager able to use his animal form to attack me?” Gabriel asked.

“Because he was convinced by Banchara you were a threat to the safety of the clan. His spirit believed you were a threat and allowed it. You can train your fire form to come forth when you call for it, but only when it is truly needed, not just to roast hot dogs, and never to harm another creature maliciously” answered Yellow-mane.

“How do I train something like that? I mean, I don’t have any real control over it, do I?” Gabriel asked.

“You will. Each time you assume your elemental form, you gain a little more control over it. The trick is to learn how to call it forward when you want it, not just when it shows up on its own,” Yellow-mane answered.

“And how do we train for calling one’s other form forward? I didn’t even know I had another form in me until yesterday,” Gabriel said.

Yellow-mane looked at Breena. She nodded and walked over to Gabriel to explain it.

“The Key is to make a mental image of something which causes your adrenaline to surge. I used to think about someone taking my family away. I never knew my parents so it was easy to make myself believe someone stole them from me, rather than think they might have abandoned me,” Breena said quietly.

Gabriel realized Breena knew even less about her family than he did his own. Three orphans: Breena, Apollo and Gabriel. There had to be a reason why fate had brought the three of them together.

As they stood there, Gabriel suddenly burst into flames. The entire forest lit up. Breena, Apollo and Yellow-mane moved back to the edge of the woods to avoid the searing heat and blinding light coming off the young warlock. Apollo whined, worried about his brother.

As he stood there looking at the red flames dancing across his body, Gabriel tried walking around. Instead of walking, he ended up gliding along the forest floor. He reached down and picked up a round rock, about the size of a coffee cup, as he glided above the ground. As he held the stone, it turned white hot and then exploded in his hand. He continued to hover around the clearing. He was amazed he didn’t feel any heat at all. Even his clothes were untouched by the flames and yet they were covering him. They seemed to shoot forth from deep beneath his skin almost like some ghostly apparition.

After less than a minute, he began to feel tired, very tired. He could hear Yellow-mane yelling at him, but it was hard to understand what he was saying. The big Scythian seemed very excited about something. Why was he yelling?

A few seconds later he felt a black mist descend over him. As the oxygen was removed from the air, it became almost impossible for Gabriel to keep burning. Finally, he was in human form and he fell to the ground. Instantly, the black mist was gone and he could breathe again.

As he knelt on the ground taking in big gulps of air, Gabriel looked up to see Breena there holding his face. She had saved him by removing the oxygen from the air around him. He knew he needed to change back to human form, but he didn’t know how.

“That was too close, I thought I was going to lose you,” Breena said with tears rolling down her cheeks.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Gabriel said weakly.

He tried to stand, but there wasn’t enough strength left in him to make it happen.

“You should rest,” Yellow-mane suggested. “I have never heard of a fire elemental being able to hold their form so long.”

“You mean a minute is a long time in the Scythian world?” asked Gabriel.

“A minute?” Breena asked. “You were in your fire form for more than ten minutes! I saw you start to collapse and decided I was going to have to try to put you out.”

“Ten minutes?” Gabriel asked.

How was that possible? Somehow, the laws of physics as he understood them didn’t seem to apply to his elemental form. He was certain he had only been a fire creature for a minute at the most. Now, he was both intrigued and scared.

Part of Gabriel wanted to know more about his elemental form. Things like, just how hot was he when he was a fire being? What could he do with all that heat? But, he was also afraid. What if Breena wasn’t with him the next time? For that matter, how does one even go about turning back into a human?

Slowly, his strength was coming back. As he stood, he was suddenly very thirsty. Yellow-mane retrieved a canteen from the backpack at the cave’s entrance and handed it to Gabriel. He watched as the young warlock drank the entire container down in one gulp. Yellow-mane had very little experience with fire elementals, but he had read all about them in the scrolls of his own clan. He knew more than most about their abilities and their weaknesses.

“What were you thinking which allowed you to become your elemental being so quickly?” Yellow-mane asked.

“I was thinking about the white Alpha standing over…well, over my family, preparing to kill them,” Gabriel answered.

“Just like I do?” Breena asked.

“Sort of…it didn’t work when I tried using my parents. I guess I just don’t know enough about them to make that work. So, I used my real family instead. As soon as I imagined you and Apollo, I could feel the blood in my veins burning and the next thing I know, I was on fire,” Gabriel explained.

Breena hugged him. If she had ever had any doubts about how he felt about her, they were gone now. The only way for Gabriel to make the shift to his fire creature was for him to convince himself he needed to save something he loved more than himself.

“That’s enough training for a while,” Breena said.

“No, I have to learn how to return to my human form without you putting me out. I have to keep training until I can make the change as fluidly as you do,” Gabriel said to Breena, “As soon as I’ve rested we’ll try it again.”

“Uncle, tell him he should rest,” Breena implored Yellow-mane.

“Oh no, I’m not getting between a fire elemental and an air elemental! You two work this out between yourselves,” Yellow-mane started and Gabriel smirked, “I do agree Gabriel needs to work on it until he can master the change. On the other hand, I also agree with Breena, you need to rest. We all agree you need to learn how to come back to human form on your own as well. Don’t forget, there’s always the chance you will burn yourself out if you’re not careful.”

Yellow-mane watched as the two young Scythians fell into each other’s arms and sat down by the fire. As they sat there, he draped a blanket over both of their shoulders and told them he’d be back with something for them to eat. As he slipped through the trees on his way to the new Scythian village, he knew he was going to have to confront Banchara.

She had threatened the entire village with her treatment of Gabriel. It was time for her to go, but it would be at the cost of part of the village’s gift. Unless… he could find someone in the village willing to challenge her for it. Why did it have to be so difficult?

As Yellow-mane departed and Gabriel and Breena were enjoying the quiet night and being in each other’s company, Apollo walked silently into the woods. The watcher from the woods, who had been spying on them earlier, was still out there somewhere. The grey wolf was still confused by what he had felt. His hearing told him someone was there, just beyond the clearing, but his instincts were telling him much more. So much so, he was thoroughly confused.