Then Ivy stepped into the room wearing a bathrobe. She looked surprised by the commotion and Gabriel quickly dropped his hand, his face returning to its usual impassive mask. A moment later Molly bolted from the room, silent tears still streaming down her face.
Ivy shot him a sympathetic look. “I wondered how long it’d be before that conversation happened.”
“You knew? Why didn’t you say something? It might have helped me handle it better.”
“I doubt that,” said Ivy with quiet insight. If there was anyone who could hope to understand Gabriel it was her. While he remained complex and unreadable to people and angels alike, Ivy had always had the uncanny ability to read his thoughts.
“What should I do now?” It was rare for Gabriel to seek counsel on any matter, but the nature of teenage love was a complete mystery to him.
“Nothing,” Ivy replied. “These things happen. She’ll get over it.”
“I hope so,” my brother replied in a voice that made me wonder if it was only Molly he was thinking about.
Ivy lay down and turned out the light. Gabriel sat on the edge of his bed, chin cupped in his hand, staring into the darkness. He sat there, unmoving, long after Ivy had fallen asleep.
28
Misery Loves Company
RETURNING to the constraints of my physical body came as a rude shock to me. Being with my family and feeling like part of their lives again had made me forget my current predicament. Now I was back in my cramped cell in the reeking chambers of Hades, where the space was so tight I couldn’t stand up. As if to add to my woes, the air around me was filled with the acrid stench of sulfur and continuous lamentations for help. I had no idea how long I’d been projecting, but I knew it must have been a while because all my joints were stiff and my muscles ached when I moved.
Someone had thrust some dry crusts and a tin cup of water into my cell. I sat in my nightgown, so besmirched by muck that its original color was almost undetectable. I tried to slow my breathing to fend off the escalating panic in my chest. I huddled in the corner with my head tucked up against my shoulder. Several times a shadowy warden walked past to further torment the captive souls. He was identifiable only by the fiery embers of his eyes and the metal prongs he rattled along the bars. For some reason he didn’t stop at my cell. Once I was sure he’d gone I pushed myself over to the tin cup and took a long gulp of water. It had an unpleasant metallic taste. My whole body was sore, but the sharpest pain was coming from behind my shoulder blades. Now that I couldn’t even stretch anymore, my wings ached worse than ever. I thought if I didn’t release them soon I would go insane.
To distract myself I thought about Molly and Gabriel. My heart went out to them both. Whatever strange connection existed between them had no hope of developing. Molly didn’t fully grasp the concept of divine love. This was love in its purest form, unaltered by human interpretation and encompassing all living creatures. It was a celebration of creation. Although he might be confused by the intensity of Molly’s emotions, I knew Gabriel would be fine. He would not deviate from his purpose. He wouldn’t even need to think about it. Molly on the other hand would suffer badly from the perceived rejection. I hoped Xavier would help her through it. He’d grown up in a household full of sisters — he’d know what to say.
I knew Jake would show up eventually and sure enough, his silhouette appeared a moment later, hovering in the darkness. His face emerged from behind the bars lit by the long torch he carried. I could smell his spicy cologne and I noticed that his presence no longer had the usual alarming effect on me. In fact, it was the first time I was actually relieved to see him.
I inched forward, scraping my skin on the concrete floor of the tiny enclosure. I would have liked to send him away, but I couldn’t. I would have liked to express my anger, but I wasn’t strong enough. We both knew I needed his help if I didn’t want to perish in this hole in the wall, buried alive until my body wasted away and my spirit was crushed.
“This is an outrage,” he hissed under his breath when the torchlight revealed my condition. “I’ll not forgive him for this.”
“Can you get me out of here?” I asked, hating myself for my lack of stoicism. But seeing as I’d survived a burning at the stake, maybe I wasn’t meant to be a martyr.
“Why do you think I came?” he said, looking pleased with himself. He touched the lock on the cell and it turned to ash and crumbled to the ground.
“Won’t Big Daddy find out about this?” I asked, surprised to hear myself casually using his nickname.
“Only a matter of time.” Jake sounded unconcerned. “There are more spies down here than there are souls.”
“And then what?” I needed to know what the future held. Was Jake only offering a temporary reprieve? He seemed to read my thoughts.
“We’ll worry about that later.”
He tugged at the cell door and it shifted a little, enough for me to squeeze through.
“Hurry,” Jake urged, but I didn’t move. Moving in any direction was difficult.
“How long have I been here?”
“Two days, but I hear you slept through most of it. Here, give me your hand. I’m sorry things turned out like this.”
His apology caught me off guard. Jake was not in the habit of accepting responsibility for the damage he’d caused. He looked at me intently and I could see he had something on his mind. His brow was creased and a look of preoccupation had replaced his usual expression of scornful detachment. His hawk-like gaze didn’t leave my face.
“You’re not well,” he observed at last. I wondered what made him think I’d be well given the circumstances. Jake was like a chameleon; he could change his manner to suit his own agenda. Right now his solicitous behavior was unsettling me and I couldn’t resist a sarcastic reply.
“Being kept in a cage doesn’t do much for the complexion,” I muttered.
“I’m trying to help you here — you could at least show some appreciation.”
“Haven’t you helped me enough?” I said, but when he offered me his hand again I took it.
Slowly and by using his arm to support my weight I managed to wriggle out of the compartment. I found that although I could stand I couldn’t take more than a step or two without my legs giving way. Jake took one look at me before handing me the torch and lifting me into his arms. He strode out of the chambers with a regal confidence and although I was sure I saw eyes like burning coals watching us through the gloom, no one made any attempt to stop us.
Outside the chambers Jake’s motorbike was waiting. He deposited me carefully on the back before mounting and switching on the ignition. Seconds later I was pressed against him as the suffocating chambers of Hades disappeared behind me.
“Where are we going?” I whispered, seeing unfamiliar surroundings.
“I have an idea I think might make you feel better.”
Jake drove without stopping until we reached the entrance to a deep gorge with steep cliff walls and black running water that seemed to flow into a channel underground. Jake dismounted lightly, watching me with growing agitation.
“Are you in pain?”
I nodded mutely. There was little point withholding information from him now. There was nothing he could do with it that could possibly worsen my situation. Jake seemed to have anticipated what was happening to me and seemed more informed than I was.