Immortal Ties

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

• Gabriel •

The sound of distant knocking followed by the click of the door opening broke through my dreamless sleep. I groaned into my pillow, tugging the covers over my head. I silently prayed that whoever just entered would leave, but received my answer when I heard the curtains open, filling the room in rich warm light.

“Gabriel,” I heard my little sister say. Her light footsteps resonated on the wooden floorboards as she walked about the room. Her steps seized as she approached my bed, the mattress shifting under her small frame. Lydia tugged on the covers, trying to pull them away from my face.

“Gabe wake up,” she said shaking my shoulder with her small hands relentlessly. “Daddy wants you in the chamber. Have you forgotten?”

Forgotten?

Forgotten what, exactly?

“What’s today’s date?” I asked, my voice coming out muffled.

“The thirteenth.”

I racked my mind for any indication of what today signified. There wasn’t anything I could find to make this day seemingly special. After a few moments of silence I uncovered the sheets from my face and asked, “What’s today?”

Her eyes widened. “The day Fairmore takes his position in our Council!” she exclaimed, hitting my arm. “How could you have forgotten?”

I sat up, rubbing my arm in mock hurt. “I’ve been back for a couple of days, squirt. Give me some slack.”

She smiled, her eyes dancing with glee as she leaped into my arms – engulfing me in a hug. “I’ve missed you. I was worried that they’d get you, but knew your angel would protect you.”

I pulled her back, looking at her soft bluish-green eyes that mirrored my own. “Do you have so little faith in me that you feared I wouldn’t return?”

She looked down, biting her lip as if I had reprimanded her. “No, but I still worry. It’s hard not to.”

I titled her chin up and tapped her nose, bringing a small smile on her lips. Lydia had grown a lot during my year absence. She had grown a few inches, three inches tops – making her stand at 4’10. Her brown curls were tamed in tresses that ran down her back like a cascading waterfall over the ridge. She was only twelve, but held more wisdom and alertness than most Keepers my age.

Lydia was so young – one of the youngest Keepers who had received their gift at a ripe age. She was only seven when her sight appeared. We all thought that it was the workings of a highly over imaginative child, but later we were proved to be wrong.

“They are getting worst, Gabe,” her voice was soft with a note of urgency. “The angels fear that they are getting close to their ultimate goal.”

“Whatever they are trying to achieve, they won’t, Lydia. Do you hear me? Not as long as I’m still breathing. You have nothing to worry about.”

She nodded, her curls bouncing in every direction. “I’ll leave you to get ready. He’s expecting you in half an hour.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later, squirt. We still on for training later, right?”

She grinned. “Right!”

Lydia jumped off the bed and headed towards the door, but stopped, spinning around to face me. “You know what’s strange?”

“What?” I asked, my brow rising in curiosity.

She cocked her head to the side, casting a glance around the room – her gaze finally settling upon the drawn curtains where beams of sunlight streamed through.