"Oh yeah?" Uri pushed. "So, Raimie's the only reason you're still here then?"

"Well, I guess not the only reason," she smiled coyly.

At the mention of his name, Uri couldn't stop his thoughts from shifting back to his friend that was lying motionless in the nearby room. "He's going to be fine, you know." His words were said more to convince himself than anyone else.

"I hope so."

"He will be. He's been through worse than this."

"Well, it does appear that he's being well taken care of," Sera looked at Uri, his concern weighing on his face. His small stubble had grown into a full but short beard during his recovery. Though he looked a bit disheveled, he was undeniably handsome. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"Yes, please," Uri hopped to his feet without hesitation.

"I mean- are you feeling up to it?"

"Are you kidding me? I just want to be any place but here," Uri confirmed.

"Great, then follow me," Sera said, reaching out a hand. Uri was surprised at first, but then happy to grab hold, comforted by the warmth and tenderness of her touch. She led him out of the congested room, weaving around the endless rows of cots. They didn't speak while pa.s.sing hundreds of people milling about, consumed by the importance of their own immediate surroundings.

The world was a different place now. Before, Uri had been someone people stood and took notice of. He was the commanding hand of Michael, the one trusted to carry out the important missions that needed doing. None of it seemed to matter now. All that mattered was tending to the injured and the hundreds of refugees, there were no heroes in times this full of desperation. He didn't mind though, as his friend was dying nearby, the last thing he felt like was a hero.

Sera continued walking outside. Uri never let go of her, feeling the softness of her palm with his fingertips. They walked until they reached the woods at the edge of the grounds; the memory of the oracle and the hunt for a cure to Sophie's curse came back to him. He stopped, finding it quite unsettling. His tight grip pulled Sera backwards as he halted, causing her to stumble.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, regaining her footing and pulling her hand free.

"Let's not go that way."

"What way? Into the woods? Are you afraid of the woods?" she asked laughing.

"No-" Uri had no desire to explain certain areas of his past, especially the failed attempt to save a friend. Sophie was forever changed because he had not been able to help her quickly enough, and now Gabe was gone too because of him. The continuing loss of friends was more than he could bear to talk about it. "I'm just starting to feel a little fatigued, could we find a place to sit?"

"Oh, yes, of course. I'm so sorry," Sera exclaimed, leaping forward to grab hold of Uri's arm due to his false claims. She led him to an oversized tree, a.s.sisting him into a seated position. Sera took a seat across from him, looking at him with concerned eyes.

"Better?" she inquired.

"Oh, I'm fine. I only need a moment to rest."

"It's quiet here," Sera said, looking around them as she noticed it was the first time they had been completely alone since arriving at Iron Gate.

Uri didn't reply to the observation, instead he focused his attention onto the divine being before him. Uri wasn't new to relationships with the opposite s.e.x. In fact, he had been involved with more love interests than he cared to recollect, and they often ended badly due to his loss of interest. Seraphine was different; she held his attention in a way none of the others had. It was an immediate attraction, an infatuation that seemed to only intensify the more time he spent with her.

"So, tell me more about this keeper gig."

Sera laughed. "Gig? Really? Is being a Guardian something you call a gig?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I guess. I already told you how the keeper stuff works. Why the question?"

"No, you didn't. The only thing you told me is that a keeper is a sort of protector. That doesn't tell me anything. What do you protect?"

Sera looked away, the question obviously unnerving her. "I don't get it, what's bringing these questions up?"

"Wow, usually girls complain when I don't ask enough about them. Is it so terrible that I've taken an interest in what you do?"

"Well, no- I don't know. I'm just not sure I'm comfortable talking about it, we're really not supposed to."

"You do realize I'm a Guardian. There aren't many secrets that are kept from us."

"Oh," Sera's tone took on a devilishly snarky bite. "I didn't realize I was talking to royalty."

"That's not what I meant. You told me before that the keepers are overseen by the elders. I was just trying to point out that they wouldn't mind if I knew what your a.s.signment was."

"Is that right? Because now you speak on behalf of the elders?"

"Well, no, but-"

"If they wanted you to know about me, they would have already told you about me."

"Jesus, fine!" Uri snapped, annoyed by her resistance.

"Don't get angry at me."

"I'm not angry. I just don't see what the big deal is."

"It's not a big deal, I simply didn't like the way you asked." Sera grinned, pleased with the torment she was putting Uri through.

"So, what if I say please?" Uri asked with a sigh.

"Oh, how do you already know me so well?" Sera laughed. "Please is the magic word for me."

"So, you'll tell me?"

Sera considered her words carefully. "Let's just say, I protect a very valuable weapon."

"Seriously? What is it? Do you have it on you?"

"Not exactly. And please, don't ask. I know I'm not allowed to say anything about it."

"Fine-" Uri replied, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't just leave it alone. "Can you tell me what kind of weapon at least?"

"Uri," Sera said firmly.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry."

Sera could see his disappointment. "Grr ... you're going to end up getting me in trouble, I can already tell. All I can say is that I'm protecting something very important, something that could possibly be used to shift this battle in good's favor permanently."

"Really? You're going to toss me that after telling me you can't say anything?"

"Well, I must admit, it's fun to torture you with the information. I could tell you I suppose ..." she added, watching him lean forward in antic.i.p.ation. "But then I would have to kill you."

"I doubt that," Uri scoffed.

Sera grinned. Casually opening her palm, a flame ball formed. Moving her hand elegantly, she allowed the fire to dance about before extinguishing it as magically as she made it appear.

"Impressive," Uri congratulated.

"Seriously, though, I can't say anything else."

"Okay, okay. I'll stop asking about the weapon, although, I really do want to know. Can you tell me other stuff?"

"Like what?" she inquired.

"Who are you?"

"Me?" the vagueness of the question bothered her.

"Yeah. I want to know everything about you. Where did you grow up? What was your family like? When did you become a keeper?"

"Whoa, slow down. You sure do ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

Uri smiled. "Only when I find the subject so interesting."

Sera blushed. It was nice to have someone say such sweet things to her, it didn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes either. She hoped her years of solitude hadn't made her naive. "You're a charmer, aren't you?"

"I don't know about that, but some people say I can be pretty relentless, so you might as well start sharing."

"Honestly? I don't know who I am."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I have no memory of who I was, of a family or a home. h.e.l.l, for all I know, I never had a history to remember."

"That doesn't make sense, everyone comes from somewhere," Uri argued.

"I agree, but what I'm saying is that I have no idea where I come from. I woke up in a cave; the keeper who trained me is the only person I saw for years. She had no idea about my past, but she said she could offer me a future, a reason to be alive. At the time, that seemed better than nothing at all."

"And now?"

"Now? I don't know - I don't think about it very much. I guess sometimes I think about how I wish I could find someone to love me until I'm old, but that isn't the path of a keeper."

"What? Are you serious? Keepers are forbidden from finding love?"

Sera stumbled over her words, "No - I -well, that's not exactly right. It's not like it's a law or something, but our work keeps us consumed. There isn't a time that we are not focusing on our objective. My mentor trained me; she taught me everything I needed to know to make sure I would be able to carry on the torch. Then one night I went to sleep and when I awoke, she was gone. I like to think she left to find a different life, one with a husband and full of laughter. But I can't help thinking she simply faded away into nothing."

"You can't think like that. You have no idea what happened to her. For all you know she's kicking it back on a beach right now, living up the high life."

"I hope so," Sera whispered.

"So, where do you live now?" Uri attempted to change the depressing tone of the conversation.

"Nowhere, I guess. I go wherever I'm needed in order to make sure the weapon I keep is safe."

"What about friends?"

"I don't really have any."

"I don't understand-"

"I interact with people, like you for instance, but I don't tend to stay in one place long enough to really make friends. Unfortunately, I spend most of my time alone."

"That's about the saddest thing I've ever heard," Uri said, trying to make it sound humorous, but failed in doing so.

Sera rocked forward onto her knees, slapping Uri gently on the arm, "Will you hush, I'm just fine with the way my life is. Friends would get in the way of what I have to get done."

"How would you know if you've never had any? My friends are always there to help me and I know they have my back."

"I can tell Raimie means a lot to you," Sera added, moving in to sit directly next to Uri, linking her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder. He liked the way it felt to have her so close and didn't dare say anything that would risk her moving.

"He does. It's not just Raimie though; I have Dina, Sophie, Haim, and Gabe. They're all there for me when I need them and I'm there for them." Suddenly, the situation with Gabe came rushing back. "d.a.m.n it, Gabe!"

"What's wrong?" Sera asked, lifting and c.o.c.king her head to the side to stare at him.

"My friend, Gabe, we got into a big argument over a misunderstanding and he stormed off just before the attack. h.e.l.l, I don't even know if he's alive or dead at this point.

"Gabe's fine, don't worry about him," Sera rea.s.sured Uri.

"What? How would you know?"

"I don't- what I meant is that he's a Guardian, I'm sure he can take care of himself," Sera clarified.

"Yeah, I suppose. But I would feel better if I at least knew he was okay; he may not even know about Rampart."

"I'm sure it will all work itself out with Gabe."

"I guess. I just know he would want to be here for Raimie. So, do you like being a keeper?" Uri inquired, shifting his focus.

"That's an odd question. Do you like being a Guardian?"

"Are you kidding? I love it. The rush of adrenaline just before battle, wiping demon sc.u.m off the face of the earth, I don't think there's anything else like it."

"I'm not sure all Guardians would agree with you," Sera prompted him to explore his feelings deeper.

"All that is bull. Who would want to live as a regular human? They live in darkness, never knowing what really is going on around them. I couldn't stand to live a life of such blind ignorance."

"Ignorance can be bliss," Sera offered.

"I don't agree with that, ignorance is just a weakness."