"And you have no weaknesses, is that it?"

"I didn't say that," Uri defended himself carefully. "I just don't want being a fool to be one of them."

"You think humans are fools? Why protect them?"

"No, I didn't say that- well- at least that's not what I meant. I was trying to say I love being a Guardian because I'm blessed with the truth."

"Well, in answer to your question, I don't know how I feel about being a keeper. Since it's all I can remember, there really isn't anything I can compare it with. It's simply who I am." she explained.

"I have to say, Seraphine, I am very glad you are a keeper."

"Oh yeah? Why is that?"

"Because I think otherwise, I may never have met you."

"Oh, Uri," she said before leaning in and giving him a peck on the cheek. "You really might be the sweetest boy I have ever met."

"Probably," Uri replied with a grin before falling silent, enjoying the momentary peacefulness and her presence.

Sophie stared at the spell book sprawled out before her; she wasn't sure how long she had been looking at it. The evening had become a bit of a blur. Initially, she couldn't stop worrying about Dina, but her focused shifted to Raimie when the healers came in to check on him. She overheard them talking. He was getting worse and there wasn't anything else they could do for him. It could be anytime now. Sophie was certain Dina would not forgive herself if she missed her chance to say goodbye to her beloved, but what could she do? She had promised her friend she wouldn't reveal her plan.

Unable to sit alongside Raimie any longer, Sophie made her way to the library at Iron Gate. It had been one of her favorite places to be at Rampart. Now that her home had been ripped away from her, being surrounded by the books at Iron Gate gave her a small piece of comfort. The library was full and bustling with loud refugees who clearly a.s.sumed the crisis warranted an exception to the natural library rule of silence. Sophie hadn't thought about what she would do once she found the book that contained the tracking spell, she just felt compelled to find it. Now, here it was, the spell she needed to find her Gabe staring her in the face.

Dina wouldn't waste a single moment of her life with Raimie, not now, not knowing how things would end. Sophie kept asking herself, what if Gabe was hurt? What if in the chaos Gabe had been captured, or worse? The scenarios continued playing out in her mind. Sophie was certain she had to know; she had to be sure he was all right. What she couldn't decide was what else to say to him.

Sophie knew she broke his heart when she kissed Uri. Had she been herself, it never would have happened, of that she was certain. Part of her thought that she would simply tell Gabe that she remembered everything and she was sorry, that that would be enough and things would be like they were. But how could things ever be like they were? Rampart was gone, and now Ramie would soon be leaving them, as well.

Hopping up and scooping the book into her arms, she clutched it close to her chest and took off, dodging through the people and making her way out into an even fuller hallway. Lowering her head, she pushed through the mob, making her way to a small spiral stair case only wide enough for two people. Fleeing the ma.s.ses, she climbed the narrow, dimly lit stone stairs. At last she reached the top and much to her delightful surprise, what met her was a small sitting room. On one side of the tiny room sat two chairs and on the other was a circular window. Looking out, she saw it overlooked the packed court yard below. She had found her own private hideaway in the chaos of it all; desperately, she hoped no one else would. The idea of having a place to escape to seemed priceless at this point.

Sophie looked at the chairs once more and decided the rug on the floor looked more comfortable than their antique wooden frames. Plopping down on to the carpet, she dropped the book in front of her. As it landed, a puff of dust rose, sending her into a coughing fit. When at last she managed to get her breathing back under control, she flipped the pages open to the tracer spell.

Sophie pulled the folded parchment from her pocket, opening it, she flattened out the ridges. She quickly realized it was an ancient map containing all the realms, earthly and not. Sophie decided she would have to choose her words once she saw him, for now, she just wanted to make sure he was safe. Carefully, she unclasped the necklace from around her neck, a small crystal dangling from it. The spell called for anything that would easily carry energy and a crystal was as good a thing as any. Dangling it over the map, Sophie closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and attempted to focus her thoughts on the spell.

The one who is lost, carries a charm He is loved, please protect him from harm Reveal a path, show me the way So I might save him on this day She opened her eyes, staring at the crystal for a hint of movement, but there was nothing. It simply dangled from her fingertips, no indication of where Gabe might be. Just as she was about to repeat the spell, it happened. The crystal began to circle counter clockwise, speeding up and increasing in intensity. At last it pulled itself from her fingertips and slid across the map, coming to rest on the far corner. Sophie leaned forward onto her knees and peered at the location, holding her breath in antic.i.p.ation.

Much to her surprise, Gabe was not anywhere she expected him to be. She a.s.sumed he may return to New York, to where his home had once been, or at least the closest thing he had to a home. Though he had no strong connections with his past or any of his foster families, it was the only exposure he had to the world. Instead, Gabe had chosen to leave the earthly realm all together, speaking to the hurt and betrayal he must have felt. In fact, according to the spell, he was now in the Underworld, in a place called Baynar.

Falling back on her bottom, Sophie absorbed the information. Even though his location came as a shock, it did not change her resolve. She was going to find him and see him. When she did, she knew it would come to her, what words she should say.

Sophie wasted no time. Closing her eyes and mumbling the words for the transportation spell, she disappeared; evaporated and rea.s.sembled to another realm. Opening her eyes, she was relieved to see she had been reappeared in an alley way, well concealed from prying eyes. Not many had the ability of transport and if anyone saw her using her powers, it would not take long for them to figure out she was likely a guardian, not the safest thing to be right now.

"Invisibilis," the word rolled off her tongue elegantly. She looked down and watched as she faded away, no evidence of her being there, except the footprints she left in the gravel.

Careful to step lightly, Sophie made her way to the street, looking around frantically for her precious Gabe. The town wasn't huge, but searching it for a Guardian, who himself was likely trying not to be discovered, would be a difficult task. Sliding along the faces of the buildings, staying clear of the walkways, she watched for anything that might seem suspicious.

Sophie was never one who enjoyed visiting the Underworld. In fact, she found it very unsettling, she always had, a fact Uri often had made fun of her for. Like Gabe, she was one of the older students when she had arrived at Rampart. Growing up in a world where the only thing that existed were animals and humans, the Underworld seemed to always rock that logic in a way she could not handle.

Sophie recalled once, a long time ago, when she had been sent on a mission with Uri. She was still very green and when they were told to find information out about a demon who had been harming humans, she didn't know where to begin. Sophie recalled thinking Uri had gone mad when he asked a nearby buck if he had seen anyone matching the demon's description. When the creature stood on its hind legs and answered him, she was convinced that in fact, she was the one who was crazy.

"This way, the body is over here," Sophie heard a stranger's voice shout.

"Oh, he's dead for sure. Someone go and get the magistrate," another voice answered.

Sophie felt her heart sink. She couldn't see what was happening, but had a terrible suspicion that it involved Gabe. Just as she was about to push her way through the crowd, something caught her eye. Half a block away, a cloaked figure was standing with an oversized, burly creature in an ap.r.o.n. The hooded one was looking around uneasily when a young girl approached them, immediately causing Sophie to be suspicious of the behavior. She watched as the girl and oversized man whispered amongst each other.

In an instant the girl took off, the cloaked figure on her arm. Sophie held her breath as the burly man in the ap.r.o.n, made his way to the door where she stood. Lingering for a moment, he looked around one last time before slipping inside the door. From the security of her invisible hiding spot, she looked up to see she was standing in front of the inn. He must work here, she thought.

Sophie looked back to the alley way where the mob had grown even larger in size. Whatever had happened, she wasn't going to be able to see anything right now. Making the decision to stay with the two suspicious characters she had seen moments before, Sophie followed them. They moved quickly, and Sophie found it difficult to keep up. When they reached a business at the edge of town, both paused for a second outside of the door, exchanging words. Sophie was still too far away to hear anything. As they entered, the cloaked figure glanced back towards the town. That's when Sophie caught a glimpse of his face ... it was Gabe.

A chill flooded over Sophie's body, all of her hair standing on end when she saw him. A piece of her had resigned itself to never finding him. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why there was place inside her that could give up so easily. Without much effort, there he was in front of her. Sophie quickened her pace, making her way to the outside of the gritty looking shack. Glancing at the sign, she saw she was standing outside a blacksmith's establishment and wondered if perhaps he sought weapons. Still invisible, Sophie decided to observe for a moment longer before revealing her presence to Gabe. She had to know, who were these people? What had brought Gabe to them?

Careful not to reveal herself, she made her way into the hut and towards a sheer curtain hanging at the rear.

"I don't understand, Clarite, what does this have to do with us?" a burly voice asked.

"Everything. You always say these Wintoks are coming in here and acting like they own our town, about how if you had a chance you would fix things, set them straight," the girl pleaded. From where Sophie stood she could see nothing, only hear voices. At last, there was a familiar voice.

"I don't want to be any trouble; I'll just be on my way." Sophie held her breath, prepared to see him walk through the doorway at any moment, but he didn't.

"No, sit." the man's voice commanded. "Just until I figure out what's going on."

"It's simple. If we don't hide him, they are going to kill him," the girl that she a.s.sumed was Clarite answered solemnly. Sophie felt panic fill her from head to toes. She knew Gabe would be in danger if he was not under the protection of the guardians, and apparently she was right.

"Slow down, tell me who is after him and why they want him," the man instructed.

"Kryn, Baylor killed a wintok to keep him from being discovered," Clarite explained.

"d.a.m.n it! Where?" the man the girl had called Kryn asked.

"Just outside the inn," Sophie heard Gabe interject. She remembered the mob and realized she had been right about that situation as well, the corpse did involve Gabe.

"Don't talk, boy," Kryn commanded. "If I have a question I want you to answer, I'll ask you. What was Baylor thinking? This is just going to make things worse for the entire town. How could he be this stupid?"

"He did it because he was trying to protect a guardian." Clarite replied.

"What? A Guardian? No, why would a guardian be here, especially alone? They're never alone," Kryn argued.

"I'm just telling you what Baylor told me," the girl defended her words.

"Boy, is this true? Are you a Guardian?" Kryn asked.

"I was," Sophie's breath caught in her throat when she heard his response. In only a couple days had he already decided he was not one of them.

"You either are or you aren't. A human can't stop being a human any more than a guardian can stop being what he is. So answer me, and be sure before you do. Are you a guardian or aren't you?"

"I suppose I am," Gabe replied reluctantly.

"Then what are you doing here? Do you realize every gun for hire in the Underworld would kill you without a moment's hesitation?" Kryn asked.

"I do, sir."

"Then answer me, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing was left for me where I came from, I suppose I'm just trying to figure out what to do now."

"You picked a h.e.l.l of a place to do it!" Kryn snapped.

"I'm sorry. I'll be gone before nightfall. I wouldn't want the trackers to trace my thoughts here if I were to fall asleep."

"What? Where in the h.e.l.l is your helmet?" Kryn asked.

"My what?"

"Boy, what rock have you been under? Didn't anyone teach you anything where you came from? Clarite you can go, I'll take it from here, and you can check in on him later. Go and make sure Baylor is all right," Kryn instructed the young girl.

Sophie moved to one side to ensure the girl did not b.u.mp into her invisible body hidden outside the doorway.

She listened, waiting for the man and Gabe's conversation to come to an end and for them to part so that she could reveal herself. She would beg him to come home, the clerics spells would keep them safe as they slept, and they could pick up where they left off.

Instead, she heard something much worse. At first, the man explained who he was and some survival things Gabe could do to help protect himself, surprisingly some things even new to Sophie. But then the conversation turned, Gabe began talking about Rampart and his experiences. He did not retell the incidents that happened with the fondness Sophie a.s.sumed he would. His words were accusatory and full of pain. Before long, it became clear Gabe was not as happy at Rampart as Sophie thought he was.

His words were full of hatred and venom; each story he shared was worse than the last. She was having trouble believing it was even him saying them. He went on about how Michael was a murdered, killing one of his own friends in cold blood. Her heart sank, wondering how he could be capable of viewing Anthony's death in such a way. Sophie didn't wait to hear the rest of Gabe's new found ideas about where he came from. She closed her eyes, wasting no time returning to the spot she had transported from.

Sophie wasn't sure what to do with the information she had just witnessed. She debated on telling her friends, but that would also mean she would have to reveal that her memories had returned, something she wasn't ready to do until she sorted her feelings out about Gabe.

She decided she would keep it all to herself, at least for now. Scooping up the spell book, she made her way to the library, returning it from the shelf she had originally retrieved it from. She would continue checking in on Gabe, and if the Gabe she had fallen in love with seemed to resurface, she would ask him to return with her.

Pushing past the cold, stiff branch, Dina paused, attempting to regain her bearings. She had never ventured so far into the woods outside of Rampart. With the demons looming so close, she found herself on edge, waves of anxiety washing over her. Every snapped twig or strange animal cackle had her holding her breath with antic.i.p.ation. She a.s.sumed by now she would have found the witch's cabin, but not knowing in fact how far within the forest the woman dwelled, she could not be confident.

Students at Rampart were always warned to stay away from the witch, hearing tales of her dark magic and how it can only lead to disaster. For Madame Laveau and casters like her, there was no black or white, good or evil. For her, the line was much more blurry. The grayness which she existed in, gave her the freedom to dabble in any kind of magic she preferred. Magic fueled by the light is far different than dark magic.

Dina remembered her magical defenses cla.s.s very well and the lessons that were heavily stressed. In cla.s.s they learned practical things, like how to defend yourself from evil creatures, but they also studied the dark arts and details about the people who practiced them. There were always the curious students who would ask too many questions, causing the professor to continually stress the forbidden nature of the craft for guardians.

When one uses dark magic, there is always a consequence, a price. Just as with good magic, the source of power that fuels the spell has to come from somewhere. With the guardians and their magic, they were given abilities that were a blessing from G.o.d, and therefore their magic was divine. There was no such power source able to fuel dark magic. Instead, with each spell, a price is paid; a price that varies based on the intensity of the spell. This can lead to unimaginable powers, but with devastating repercussions.

One story which had stuck with Dina all these years, and haunted her, especially now, was about a timeless romance. A woman had fallen madly in love with a handsome young man. Though she was thirty years his senior, the man was equally in love. For him, age did not matter.

However, as time pa.s.sed, the woman became obsessed with the gap in their age. She was sure that as she grew older, her handsome young lover would find someone closer to his own age to shower his attentions on. This obsession led her to seek out a spell from a woman in her town who was known to dabble in witchcraft.

Though she was warned that a price would be paid for her youth, the woman insisted she needed the spell. Given a concoction, she was thrilled to think she had found the answer, the fountain of youth. She guzzled the elixir down without a thought and peered into the mirror for hours, waiting for any sign of the sands of time flowing backwards. Much to her disappointment, nothing happened; at least not until she cried herself to sleep, for when she awoke the next day, half her years had disappeared.

Thrilled with the transformation and elated to show her beloved, she went to seek him out. Much to her dismay, he was not at any of the places he should have been; concerned he might be ill, she went to his home. There she found the withered body of an elderly man in the bed of her beloved. It quickly became clear that for every year which faded from her, two were added to his life. While she slept, the wrinkles faded from around her eyes, the skin on her neck tightened, and the spots on her hands disappeared. While she slept, her one true love was changing, aging to the point where he pa.s.sed away from old age. Ravaged by guilt and losing the only chance at happiness she had because she sought answers in dark magic, the woman took her life.

In a way, the cautionary tale kept reminding Dina of Raimie. She feared she might be doing just the same, bringing herself more pain by seeking an answer. But the alternative is unbearable, she thought. An existence without Raimie wasn't something she could even bring herself to think about. She had given her life to fight for mankind, for the greater good; she tried to a.s.sure herself that this meant the price would not be as great. Dina only needed a healing spell, and if Raimie were well, he would be protecting people. That had to justify the use of dark magic.

"Stop right there or I will blow a hole through the back of your head," a woman's thick, Cajun-accented voice called out from behind Dina.

She froze. Thinking quickly, she began to raise her hands, open palms into the air. "I'm sorry, I got turned around in these woods, I'm afraid I'm lost."

"Shut your mouth and turn around very slowly," the woman demanded.

Dina did as she was told, careful to make sure she made no sudden movements. With the swipe of a hand she could render the woman unconscious, but she thought it would be best to not create any unnecessary signatures of magic with so many demons nearby.

"I didn't mean any harm, If you'll just let me be on my-"

"Do you take me for an idiot? Child, I could tell you were a Guardian from a mile away."

Dina's stomach sank as she realized she was staring directly at the woman she had been seeking. The daylight had slipped away and the moon now hung in the sky, lighting the witch's eerie features. Her hair was raven black, matted with large knots and tangles. Her eyes were sunken, almost appearing hollow in the evening light. The witch's lips were so thin they almost disappeared, and her skin glowed blue it was so pale. Though her appearance was unsettling, there was something hauntingly beautiful about her, as well.

"Madame Laveau?" Dina said after clearing her throat.

The woman lowered the rifle to her side, placing her free hand on her hip. "Not like this will do any good against one of you."

"You're her, aren't you?" Dina attempted to confirm.

The woman didn't answer; instead she turned and began walking away from Dina.

"Wait, where are you going?" she asked, giving chase.

"You're welcome to stay out here, but with all the dark lord's creatures roaming about, I'm not."

"So, you know what happened to Rampart?"

"d.a.m.n fool I was, some plan that turned out to be." the woman responded, though Dina felt she was more talking to herself than anyone else.

Dina followed silently until a tiny shack came into view. There was a small door in the front and only one window along a side of the structure.

"What do you mean? If you don't mind me asking, that is," Dina finally interjected into the silence.

"Do you think people would want to meddle with some crazy old lady when she has an army of Guardians camped out in her backyard?"

"Wait, I don't understand. You live here because you want our protection or something?"

"Have I ever asked for protection, child? Not very bright, are ya? Sometimes all you have to have is the appearance of protection for people to let ya be." The old witch entered her home, not turning around or saying anything else to Dina as she did.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, may I enter?" she asked, standing on the pathetic excuse for a porch.

"You're a Guardian, seems to me you can do anything you want," the woman replied, stoking the embers of her fire.

Dina entered cautiously, unsure what to make of the woman's remarks. "You don't think a lot of us, do you?"

"Suppose I don't think about you either way. I don't really care; I concern myself with my own business. Can't live as many years as I have if you mess in other folk's affairs."

"How old are you?" As Dina asked the question, she wondered if the same don't ask a woman's age rule applied to magical beings.

"You sure do ask a lot of questions." the woman remarked, looking Dina up and down.

"I'm sorry, was that rude?"