Chapter Six

Nadia found herself once again sitting in a dark, windowless room. A single naked light bulb hung from the ceiling, its light flickering as it threatened to abandon her to the shadows. The air was cold, and Nadia hugged herself to keep warm. There was no sign of Gabriel, no salvation from the gloom this time, as he had been dragged away from her when they had reached the central temple of Kaos. Josh had been released, and Nadia prayed he had the sense to run.

The door to her cell suddenly swung open, and Nadia blinked rapidly against the sudden light. A woman dressed in the red robes of a Questioner came in, her long brown hair hanging in loose curls just past her shoulders. She had blue eyes that avoided looking at Nadia as she closed the door behind her.

“My name is Ariel,” the woman said. “I’m to take you to the High Questioner.”

Nadia felt her heart sink like a stone. “My friend, where is he?”

Ariel lowered her gaze. “He is being questioned.”

“If I go with you, and if I tell the High Questioner everything I know, will you release my friend?” Nadia asked.

Ariel shook her head. “Most likely not. We have been looking for your friends for quite some time. Please come with me. I would hate to have to call the guards.”

Reluctantly, Nadia nodded and rose from the cold metal chair to follow the Questioner. Ariel gave her a slight smile and took her firmly by the arm as they walked through the metal corridors and passed dozens of locked metal doors.

“Where are we?” Nadia found herself asking.

“The detention centre below the central temple,” Ariel replied. “It’s where the Questioners do their work.”

Nadia bit her lip to keep from asking the question she was sure she did not want answered. Ariel picked up the pace, nodding to the armed guards they passed. Nadia found herself growing more anxious as her inevitable meeting with the High Questioner drew near. She had heard the rumors about the man, that he was cold and cruel and without compassion. People said that those who met the High Questioner were changed, if they managed to come out alive at all.

Ariel opened a door that was as featureless as all the others and brought Nadia inside. The room was strangely pleasant, with plump armchairs and thick carpets on the ground and a roaring fire in a fireplace against the wall. An oak desk was towards the back with a large window behind it that most likely showed the floors below it and not the outside world. Seated at the desk was a blonde man dressed from head to toe in a robe as red as blood. He rose to his feet as Nadia and Ariel entered.

“Ms. Nichols,” he said in a deep voice.

Ariel brought Nadia to the desk as the man stepped out to grasp her hand and shake it warmly. He had twinkling green eyes that hardly seemed cold or capable of what the rumors said, but Nadia remained wary. She was, after all, a prisoner here.

“I am Matthew, the High Questioner,” the man introduced himself. “Please, have a seat. I wish only to talk with you.”

He gently propelled Nadia to one of the armchairs by placing his hand on her back. Ariel stood next to the desk, her hands clasped in front of her. Matthew sat on the opposite chair and offered Nadia a glass of water.

“Let me apologize for the way you’ve been treated, Ms. Nichols,” the High Questioner began. “It is – difficult to impose on certain people the degree of respect one should give, is it not? I assure you that your imprisonment was an unfortunate error and that those responsible have been dealt with.”

Nadia said nothing as she held tightly onto the glass of water. Matthew smiled at her and sipped his drink, before placing it on the small table next to his chair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and tenting his fingers before his face. His green eyes stared at Nadia as if trying to peer into her soul.

“I understand, Ms. Nichols, that you have been keeping some unsavory company lately. Were you aware that your friends were wanted criminals?”

Nadia shook her head, not trusting her voice.

“Then the fault is not yours, but you have been told about their activities, have you not? How the are planning a revolution with you at the head?”

“A revolution?” Nadia repeated.

Matthew nodded. “These traitors no doubt filled your head with tales of treachery and deceit, but it was they who were the traitors to you, not Kaos. He always has been, and continues to be, your loyal servant. Why else have the people worship you along side him?”

Matthew reached out with one gloved hand and turned Nadia’s face, so her star shaped birthmark was visible. He inhaled with a slight hiss that made Nadia’s hair stand on end, but released her chin and leaned back in his chair.

“Let me tell you the truth, Nadia. It is true that you are the incarnation of Noctis, the goddess who instructed and nurtured the gods and goddesses of darkness. It is also true that you had a sister, Lucis, who did the same to for the gods and goddesses of light. But the battle started by Kaos was by your command, and your followers rallied to you against your sister. It was Lucis who struck you down and made your mortal, to live and die until your powers may somehow be restored. It was your disciples who hid you and kept you safe, who reformed the world for you so your power would never be lost.”

Matthew leaned forward again. “Did your so-called friends tell you their true names and natures?”

Nadia nodded. “They were gods of the sun, Helios, Ra, Amaterasu…”

“No gods of darkness?”

Nadia said nothing, her eyes falling to the drink on her lap.

“Lucis, your sister, sent those sun-gods to you to keep you from regaining your powers.”

“No,” Nadia whispered, thinking of Amy and Ray.

“Your disciples are here, fighting for you, and you are being held by your enemies and twisted by their words.”

“It can’t be,” Nadia shook her head, thinking of Eli.

Eli.

“I don’t believe you!” Nadia exclaimed, throwing her glass of water onto the ground. It shattered, but Matthew kept his eyes firmly on Nadia.

“You would do well to reconsider, Nadia,” Matthew remarked as Ariel stepped forward to gather up the broken shards of glass. “Lord Kaos would hate to have you die and wait another lifetime for you to be reborn.”

Nadia rose to her feet and backed away from the High Questioner. Ariel, kneeling on the ground, watched with sad eyes as Nadia pressed herself against the wooden desk. Matthew rose as well, but only pointed to the window.

“I will make another offer then,” he said. “Your life for his.”

Turning, Nadia peered out the window. It overlooked what appeared to be a laboratory, with people in white coats scurrying around. In the centre of the room was a figure strapped to a metal table, wires and tubes running in and out of his body. Nadia gasped and pressed herself against the glass.

“Gabriel,” she said. “GABRIEL!”

In response, Gabriel’s body arched on the table and his mouth opened in a scream as the scientists around him continued their work. Nadia heard nothing but felt his pain as deeply as if it were her own as she pounded on the glass.

“Interesting, isn’t it?” Matthew remarked, moving to stand beside Nadia. “That machine is quite painful, I assure you. It’s draining his essence, his godly powers. It’s killing him, Nadia, and only you can stop it.”

She had thought there were no more tears to cry, but they came streaming from her eyes as she watched her friend below. Strong, silent Gabriel, who had always been so distant and untouchable. He had always been around, standing in the background of Amy’s exuberance and Ray’s fiery temper. Nadia remembered him being with them, rarely speaking but always present. He had saved her from the darkness, had watched over her as she slept the night Eli was hurt, and had come from nowhere to save her again. Strong Gabriel, her protector.

“Stop it,” Nadia said firmly.

Matthew laughed. “Do we have a deal, then?”

“Stop it!” Nadia cried, striking the glass with both fists.

The glass shattered, raining sparkling shards down on the scientists. Many of them ran, sheltering their faces and head with clipboards. Nadia stepped forward into the air, seeing Matthew reach for her as she moved. She would not fall, and she felt herself being held aloft by something as she drifted to the ground.

Gabriel was watching her, his eyes weak with pain but glimmering with hope. Nadia pointed to the machine that held him, and it exploded in a near blinding light. With strength she did not know she possessed, she broke open the restraints that held Gabriel to the table and helped him sit up.

“My Lady,” Gabriel whispered. “We’ll have to go flying together sometime.”

Nadia blinked in surprised and glanced over her shoulder to see two large black feathered wings had sprouted from her back. She gave them an experimental flick and Gabriel laughed, his chuckle dissolving into coughs.

“How do we get out of here?” Nadia asked.

“I’m afraid that will be quite impossible,” Matthew replied, as dozens of red robed Questioners surrounded them.

Whatever power had been flowing into Nadia suddenly stopped, and she felt herself grow suddenly weak. She saw Gabriel’s eyes widen in surprise as she fell to the ground and the world around her went dark.

*~*~*~*

Nadia felt something damp and cool on her forehead as she made her way slowly back to consciousness. She was lying on a bed, not a particularly comfortable one, but she felt the mattress beneath her and a thin blanket covering her. Moaning against the strange pain she felt all over her body, she opened her eyes. The first face she saw was that of Ariel, looking very relieved.

“Thank goodness,” she said. “I was worried you wouldn’t wake up.”

“Gabriel,” Nadia muttered.

“I’m here, Nadia,” his steady voice rushed to her ears and she felt someone grip her hand.

“What happened?” Nadia asked as she sat up.

Ariel helped her, holding the cloth that had been on her forehead in her hand. She adjusted the pillows so Nadia could lean back and smiled gently. Nadia was still trying to work through the fog in her mind, but remembered at that moment who Ariel was and tried to move away.

“Easy,” Gabriel said, releasing Nadia’s hand as her vision swam.

“You were unbelievable, my Lady,” Ariel said. “You destroyed the glass and flew down on black wings to rescue your friend. It was inspiring.”

“It feels like a hangover,” Nadia remarked. “Where are we?”

“Still in the detention centre,” Gabriel replied.

Nadia looked over to where his voice was coming from and gasped. Gabriel was sitting on the ground near her bed, chained to the wall by his neck. He had stretched out his arm to reach Nadia’s hand, but that was the extent of his ability to move.

“Don’t worry,” Ariel said quickly as Nadia tried to stand and reach her friend. “You’re both safe for now.”

“For now?” Nadia repeated, pressing her hand to her head.

“You destroyed Lord Matthew’s machine,” Ariel explained, putting the cloth that had been on Nadia’s forehead into a basin of water that rested on the floor. “Until it’s repaired, all we can do is hold you here.”

The Questioner rose to her feet and did her best to smile encouragingly at the two captives. “I’m sure I’ll see you again soon, my Lady. Please rest until then.”

She left, and Nadia heard the metallic thunk of a deadbolt being firmly embedded into the door. They were locked in, not that Gabriel could escape anyway while chained to the wall. Nadia turned to him, swinging her legs out of the bed and moving closer so he would not have to strain himself. Gabriel leaned back against the wall and sighed.

“Now what?” Nadia asked.

Gabriel shook his head. “We wait.”

Nadia sat next to her friend, noticing in the dim light that he was breathing hard and had a thin shimmer of sweat on his skin. She gently placed her hand to his forehead and he turned his head away from her touch.

“Are you okay?” she asked, full of concern. His skin felt cold and clammy.

“Fine,” Gabriel replied. “You stopped the machine before any real damage could be done.”

Nadia pursed her lips, not believing her friend for a moment. She wanted to know more about this strange machine that Matthew prized so highly, but thought that this wasn’t the time to ask. Instead, she stood up and took the thin blanket from her bed, draping it over Gabriel. He said nothing as she adjusted the covering over his shoulders.

“Can you tell me about the others?” Nadia asked. “Eli said I was the fourth incarnation that you found.”

Gabriel grunted. “It’s best not to talk about such things.”

“Please,” Nadia said. “I need to know what happened to them.”

Gabriel was silent for so long that Nadia thought perhaps he had fallen asleep. She was about to speak, to apologize for bringing up bad memories, when she heard Gabriel’s voice.

“We found the first one not long after Kaos seized control,” he began in a quiet voice. “Her name was Sarah.”

“How long ago?” Nadia couldn’t help but ask.

Again, he hesitated before speaking. “About five hundred years ago, in England. Sarah was eager to join with us, and trained hard every day to fight Kaos. We were so certain of victory that we didn’t even consider defeat.”

Gabriel lowered his head, his chains rustling. “She was killed by one of the turned-gods in our first battle. Her death nearly destroyed us, and it was two hundred years before we started looking again.

“The second incarnation we found was a child named Katherine. Perhaps Eli mentioned her to you. They were very close. She caught an illness and died before she could be of any use in our war. Two defeats, and Kaos only grew stronger.”

Nadia reached out and placed her hand on Gabriel’s. He didn’t move, sitting as still as a statue.

“Eli said I was the fourth,” Nadia pressed. “Who was the third?”

“Rachel,” Gabriel spoke her name in a soft sigh. “Rachel who dreamed of changing the world, of becoming a warrior. She was more energetic than Sarah and had a mastery of her powers that none of us expected.”

He trailed off again, clearly not wanting to continue this conversation. Nadia waited patiently, knowing that Rachel had turned on them, but wanting to hear it from Gabriel’s mouth. Instead, her protector raised his head and tried his best to smile.

“You should listen to Ariel’s advice and get some rest,” he said at last.

Nadia opened her mouth to protest, but Gabriel had already lowered his chin to his chest and fallen asleep. Realizing that the day had been especially hard on him, Nadia returned to the small cot where she had woken up and lay down. She could not sleep, but stared out the small, barred window at the moon high overhead, thinking of the three girls who had come before her and failed.