Chapter 30 - You Can’t Stay... I Can’t Go

“Serves you right,” Shela said as she sat down next to Gabriel on the couch.

“Pain never felt so good,” Gabriel retorted, both grinning and wincing at the same time.

He had sprained his hand punching one of the Russian mafia metas. Franklin had managed to trace their whereabouts and the Guardians had set a trap for them. Gabriel had been way too hard on them, and Shela would have put him on suspension if not for the fact he seemed to have gotten it out of his system. He had been getting progressively angrier and reclusive ever since he had regained consciousness. But now, with the metas in the hospital under IPOSST guard he seemed to be back to his normal self.

“You should have let the Warlord take him down,” she said, feeling the need to chastise him anyway. What she received was a predatory glare in response.

“I should have hit him again with my left,” he sneered.

“You wanted to kill him?” she asked.

Gabriel hesitated, “Nope. Just want him to remember my face.”

“I doubt he’ll be able to remember his own name.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said, relaxing again against the arm of the couch, “He’ll remember mine.”

“Illusion, Gabriel,” said Franklin’s voice excitedly over the intercom, “We have an intruder.”

“Where?” Shela asked as they both got to their feet.

“In Gabriel’s quarters,” he said, sounding like he was going to jump out of his skin, “And you’re never going to believe what it is.”

Both Shela and Gabriel noticed Franklin had said ‘what’, and not ‘who’.

“Send us a visual,” Shela said.

A second later, the news program they were watching flickered; and the view from the security camera in Gabriel’s living room displayed.

It was a female centaur.

“Oh... my... god,” exclaimed Gabriel, “She’s real.”

“You know her?” asked Shela, startled.

“Noliea...” said Gabriel, the stunned expression still on his face, “She’s real!”

Gabriel bolted towards his room.

“Gabriel wait! It might be a trap!” But he didn’t listen to her.

“Franklin!” Shela yelled as she ran after the archangel, “Get everyone up to Gabriel’s room now. I don’t know what the hell is going on.”

“Got it,” he replied.

If she had ever wondered why Gabriel was frightened in her world, she wondered no more. The panic attack had been instantaneous. Her knees were locked and her head felt dizzy. She nearly snapped the wand in her hand in half out of fright.

‘Blessed Goddess, where have you sent me?’

But there was no answer. The Goddess hadn’t lied; she was completely alone.

The medallion in her hand felt cold in her grip. Should she put it on now? Should she wait until Gabriel got here? Should she go looking for Gabriel? How was she going to find him? No. She was sure the Goddess would put her some place where they would meet.

The room was like nothing she had ever seen before. The walls and floor were obviously made of wood, but the smoothness was so fine it shined like it was wet with sap. The roof was white, flat, and covered with what looked like white crumbs. She recognized some of the furniture. It too was made of dark wood and polished to a fine smoothness. The hint of familiarity calmed her just slightly.

The doorway to the room was carved from a single piece of wood. But before she could examine it further the door suddenly moved, and Gabriel came running into the room.

The feelings he had assumed were only false memories came flooding back a thousand fold. She no longer looked starved and ragged; her hair was long and full and she had gained some much needed weight. He fell in love with her all over again.

Had she been calm she would have noticed he had frozen in his tracks. But the relief of seeing someone familiar overwhelmed her and she found herself rushing into his arms.

Sometime later Gabriel vaguely became aware that someone was speaking to him.

“Earth to Gabriel,” said Shela.

He felt like he was holding a real angel. The aroma of woodstone soap and beautiful mare was intoxicating. She had folded her arms and was huddled against his chest and he was stroking her mane with his good hand. It occurred to him this was the first time he had actually touched her. She was as warm and as soft as he had always imagined she would be.

“Who is she?” asked April.

“What is she?” asked August.

“Her name is Noliea,” Gabriel said, still not believing what was happening, “She’s a centauress.”

“Actually, she’s a female centaur,” Franklin clarified, “There’s no such thing as a centauress.”

“Shouldn’t you be in the security room, mister “I’m-on-probation-for-the-rest-of-my-life”?” glared Shela.

“And miss seeing this?” he said, “No way.”

“Let him stay,” Gabriel said as he and Noliea remained embraced.

“Gabe,” said Jon, “At the risk of sounding like I’m about to tell a bad joke; why is there a centaur in your room?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, even though his mind wasn’t registering the conversation, “But she’s here.”

“Oh boy,” said April, stating the obvious, “He’s got it bad.”

‘I’m acting like a frightened girl,’ Noliea thought to herself as she realized she was pressed against Gabriel’s chest. But she was frightened. It occurred to her she was seeking comfort from the same man who only a season ago had terrified her. She could feel the strength in his chest. She could hear his breathing and one of his heartbeats. Did he still feel the same way about her? He was running his fingers through her hair; something her parents always did when she hugged them.

Regaining a bit of her composure she lifted her head off his chest and looked into his eyes. The look she received was more reassuring than any words he could have possibly said.

There were several other people in the room, and the first thing she noticed about humans was their size. They were much smaller than she had envisioned. Including Gabriel, there were five males and four females. They had been speaking in their native language and the only thing she recognized was Gabriel’s mentioning of her name.

She looked down at her hands and realized she still had a death-grip on both the wand and the amulet. Should she put it on now? Would it hurt? ‘No,’ she told herself, ‘the Goddess wouldn’t do that. You’re just acting like a child.’

She lifted away from Gabriel’s embrace and took a step back. He must have seen the nervousness in her because his expression looked concerned. Showing him the medallion, she hesitantly held it up in front of her. Mistaking her actions Gabriel reached up to take the amulet from her. But instead she placed it around her own neck.

The transformation was instantaneous. Nothing flowed, nothing shifted, nothing shrank or changed. There wasn’t a strange noise or a flash of light or even an eerie feeling. Noliea the centaur simply ceased to exist and Noliea the human was standing in her place. Everyone in the room, including Noliea, gasped in surprise.

The first thing she noticed was her vision. The colors in the room had changed slightly. Blues seemed washed out while reds appeared brighter. Everything in the room appeared larger but she knew it was just an illusion. She had lost a lot of height. Looking down she saw she now had an extra finger on the outside of each hand. They made the palms her hands look too wide. But the sight that was just below her hands startled her the most; her forelegs had no coat! And even more startling were the two stubby-fingered hands that had replaced her hooves.

“Noliea?” asked Gabriel hesitantly, “What happened?”

“The... Goddess... gave... me... a... amulet,” she replied. The words were not Zeffra, and her voice sounded alien to her own ears.

The mention of the Goddess brought Gabriel out of his stupor. “The Goddess! Is she okay? What happened?”

“She... is alive,” said Noliea, realizing the words came easier if she didn’t concentrate on the translation, “You saved her, and... she is free of the box.”

“How did you get here?”

“Gabriel,” interrupted Shela, “Why don’t we get your friend a blanket before she catches a chill?”

It was as if Gabriel suddenly realized there were other people in the room. “Wha?”

“Valkyrie, Franklin, get back in the security room; I want a full sweep of the grounds to the smallest detail. Terrain, you and the twins scan the news services and see if any other ‘guests’ have shown up. Xerox, contact Fire & Ice and see if we can get them up here stat. And I want the Warlord around on the slim chance this might be the work of a telepath. Let’s move people.”

Everyone hesitantly followed their assignments. Noliea wasn’t sure what was happening. The shortest of the humans with almost no hair was making everyone leave. She looked to Gabriel for guidance.

“It’s okay,” he said, seeing the worried look on her face, “We’re just making sure you’re safe.”

“Did I do something... wrong?” she asked.

Gabriel shook his head. “No. We’re all just a little shocked to see a centauress. Especially me.”

He kneeled down on one leg to be eye level with her, “I thought you were only a dream.”

“I asked the Goddess to send me here,” she said, looking at him and smiling. She tried to take a step forward but the moment she lifted her leg she started to fall. Gabriel had been expecting it and caught her before she toppled.

“Why?” he asked, holding her to keep her balance.

“Do you remember fighting with Kennek? When Shahira held the Goddess in the box?”

“Yes.”

“The Goddess gave Shahira some of her magic. She used it to help you stop Kennek.”

“I remember,” said Gabriel, recalling Shahira slapping Kennek so hard it knocked him farther than a football field. “But how do you know that? You were still near the other city.”

“My herd made it back to Lendoren. The Goddess sent the masters back to their world and she brought back to life those who had been killed while she was imprisoned.”

Gabriel looked shocked, “You’re mother? Shalynnda? They’re alive?”

“Alive and well,” she said, “Shahira still has some of the Goddesses magic within her. She-”

Shela placed a blanket around Noliea’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Is something wrong?” asked Noliea.

“You’re not wearing any clothes under your poncho,” Shela said matter-of-factly, “You’re going to be cold if you don’t cover yourself up.”

Noliea had assumed her shivering was simply because of her nerves. But the short woman was right; she was feeling cold.

“You are kind to me,” Noliea said.

Shela smiled, “You seem very nervous.”

Noliea nodded, “I did not know what this world would be like.”

Her grip tightened on the wand and she looked back at Gabriel, “I’m scared.”

Gabriel stepped a little closer and embraced her again, “Nothing can happen to you here. These people are my closest friends and I trust them with my life. But why are you here? Is the Goddess in trouble?”

“When Shahira brightened you she gained all your thoughts and memories. And using the magic of the Goddess she shared some of those with me.”

Gabriel was mortified. He had killed thousands of Klidz in a murderous rampage and slaughtered thousands of death worms without remorse.

She saw the look that came over him. “Shahira shared three moments with me. The first was when you and I met; when Shaniddia was brightening Henna after the masters had whipped her. The second was when we were walking towards the gates in the rain, and I told you my name. And the third was when we were out in the fields. When I called you ‘master’.”

Even now she could see the word still upset him.

“Gabriel,” she said, looking him straight in the eye, “I know you love me.”

Gabriel was overwhelmed with emotion. He had come to grips with the fact that everything that had happened in her world was nothing more than a dream. And now, not only was she standing here in his arms, she knew of his feelings for her.

“And the amulet the Goddess gave you?” he hesitantly asked.

“Its magic allows me to become one of your people; to be human.”

“What do you have in your hand?” asked Shela.

Noliea raised the wand up and looked at it. She still clung to it as if it were the only thing keeping her alive. “The Goddess also gave this to me. She said that if I wanted to return home I should break it.”

Her hand trembled as she loosened her grip. “She said it will only work for one day, and after that I would remain in this world forever.”

She slowly released the wand. It fell to the carpet without a sound.

It felt like something inside her had died. Her parents, the Goddess, her herd... all gone. She had left those she had loved all her life without even having a chance to say goodbye. She felt totally alone in a world filled with people she had nothing in common with.

‘What have I done?’ she asked herself, staring at the wand lying on the ground, ‘What have I done?’

“Shela,” Gabriel said to the short woman, “I need to speak with her alone.”

Shela nodded and quietly left the room.

“Noliea,” he said, taking the blanket off of her, “Give me the amulet.”

She looked up at the man kneeling in front of her. A look of terrible sadness was etched across his face.

“If I take it off I will become a centaur again.”

“I know,” he replied.

Her hands felt awkward as she reached up and pulled the amulet from around her neck. Again, the transformation was instantaneous; and the world, although still alien, looked normal.

Gabriel stood up and placed the amulet around his own neck. “Can you understand me?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied, feeling slightly better at the sound of her own voice.

Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment, and swallowed hard. “Noliea, did the Goddess tell you why I love you?”

The question struck her as awkward. “I... I never though there was a reason to love someone. It just happens, doesn’t it?”

Gabriel smiled, “I guess it does sometimes. But the reason I love you is because you’re perfect.”

She looked back down at her hands; happy to see ten fingers. “Gabriel, I’m far from perfect.”

“I don’t mean perfect in the sense you never make mistakes,” he said, feeling a twinge of déjà vu at the conversation, “I mean perfect in the sense that you’re my concept of perfect. You’re intelligent. You’re independent. And you’re so beautiful...”

He hesitated, looking at the woman standing in front of him, “There isn’t a word in your language or mine that describes how I feel about you. I fell in love with you, Noliea. I’m in love with you as you are; as a centaur.”

“I just wanted you to be happy,” she said, “I thought I could make you happy by becoming one of your own.”

“You make me happy just by being yourself,” he said.

“Do you think the people of your world will accept me as I am?” she asked.

Gabriel though about that for a while. As he stood there, Noliea saw something change in his demeanor. When he looked back into her eyes she could tell something was very wrong.

“Noliea,” he asked, his voice shaking, “what season were you born in?”

The question caught her completely off guard, “The season of spring.”

“And how many times have you seen the season of spring since then?”

Her parents had always asked that question of her whenever she tried to assume responsibilities that were meant for more mature people. “I am old enough to accept responsibilities for my own actions,” she said defensively.

“How many seasons?” he insisted.

“Five hundred and ten,” she huffed.

“And if you live an average life span how many will you see?”

“Maybe two thousand, five hundred. But what does that have to do with anything? I am not a child.”

“No, you’re not,” he agreed, “In fact, you’re the oldest living person on the planet.”

Noliea was shocked. That was the last thing she had expected to hear from anyone.

“How old are you?” she asked.

Gabriel smiled, although it held no warmth. “Many, many seasons younger than you. But more important is the number of seasons I have ahead. Noliea, you have thousands of seasons to look forward to, but humans age much faster than centaurs.”

“How much faster?” she asked.

“Much faster.”

“How much faster?” she insisted.

Gabriel held up his bandaged hand and looked at it, “This is a very dangerous world, Noliea. My friends and I fight people that make the Klidz look like harmless fruitpickers. I broke my hand in a fight two days ago, and since we have no healers in this world, I have to wait until it mends on its own.”

“Gabriel,” said Noliea, stepping closer to him, “How much faster?”

He looked back at her and saw the worry in her eyes, “If I live to see the season of fall thirty more times it will be a miracle.”

The news hit Noliea as hard as if he had slapped her. She wanted to call him a liar. She wanted to believe the amulet had mistranslated his words. But she knew neither of those were true.

“No!” she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder, “No...”

“I’m sorry Noliea,” he said as he held her in his arms. “In this world we have no healers. People die from illness and injury every day. If you stay here...”

They stood there for a long time, simply holding one another in each others arms. Neither of them saying a word, but speaking to each other none the less.

“Noliea,” he finally whispered in her ear. She looked up at him with tears running down her face. She saw that he too had been crying.

“Yes?”

“You said Shahira showed you how much I love you. Would you believe me if I told you I love you more right now than I ever though I could possibly love someone?”

She looked into his eyes, and suddenly she felt the same feelings sweep over her he had felt the moment they met. She knew, at that very instant in time, that he was the perfect man for her.

“Yes,” she barely whispered.

Reaching up, she cradled his face in her hand and pulled him to her. Their lips met, and for the second time in all creation, everything literally stopped. Throughout all eternity; throughout all known space; everything paused as the two shared their true feelings for each other. Then, just as before, time resumed its endless trek forward.

“I will love you like no one has ever loved another person before,” he said as they finally broke the kiss, “I hope one day you will understand why.”

Noliea opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Why? Why what?”

Gabriel brought the heel of his shoe down on the wand that was still on the carpet. There was a sharp ‘crack’, and Noliea was gone.

He was sure the sound was his very soul shattering.

Noliea was inconsolable. When she reappeared in her grandparent’s house, both of them were gone. And to make matters worse not even Shalynnda knew where they were. They had simply told Lenora and Dustin “We’ll be back later” and disappeared. That was sixteen days ago.

She also assumed her own parents would have given her a two-day lecture for leaving without saying goodbye. But when Noliea explained what had happened they knowingly looked at each other and dropped the subject. Neither of them had spoken a single word on the matter since.

Shaniddia didn’t know what to do. She tried to avoid talking about Paul in front of her, but then something would slip out and she would become flustered and wind up making everyone feel uncomfortable. Noliea tried to assure her she was happy they had declared themselves mates, but they could tell her heart wasn’t in it.

Shahira avoided her all together. She seemed just as miserable as Noliea herself.

So while her parents were out performing some task that kept them out of the house for most of the day, she sat in the middle of the floor and busied herself weaving a new poncho. It was the third one she had made today.

“Noliea!” came a voice from far off in the distance. She could hear the pounding of hooves and knew someone was coming towards her fast.

Getting to her own hooves, she went to the reception area. Barry came running up to her and skidded to a halt.

“The Goddess,” he panted, wiping the sweat from his face, “She’s in the library. She-”

Noliea never heard the rest of the sentence. She ran towards the Goddess’s castle in a full sprint.

By the time she arrived at the castle, she was a rollercoaster of emotions. Pain, anger, frustration; they all swept through her like a river. She entered the castle through the side entrance and trotted up the hallway towards the library.

‘Get a hold of yourself,’ she mentally chastised, ‘All you have to do is explain to her you weren’t the one who broke it.’

But as she came near the entryway to the library, she could hear someone was already having a conversation with the Goddess.

“So you sent me back to the same point in time I left?” asked an unfamiliar voice.

“Yes,” replied the Goddess, “It was the best course of action if she hadn't made her choice.”

“If you say so. You’re the boss.”

“And don’t you forget it,” the Goddess quipped, “Meanwhile; there is someone I want you to meet. Noliea, would you stop lurking in the hallway and come in here please?”

Noliea entered the library but stopped when she saw who was speaking. Standing across from the Goddess was an incredibly handsome stallion. His coat was the same dark brown as hers but his mane and tail were dark blond. She reflexively looked at the rim of his poncho and saw there were no colors displayed. He had no family or herd.

“Noliea, this is David,” the Goddess said. She noticed David flinched at the mention of his own name. “David, this is my beloved granddaughter Noliea, daughter of Queen Lenora of Lendoren.”

“An honor to meet you,” David said hesitantly, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for some time.”

Noliea knew her grandmother was up to something, and she wasn’t about to fall for it.

“It’s nice to meet you, David,” she said smoothly, “But I’m afraid I need to speak to the Blessed Goddess privately. It is a most pressing matter.”

“David is from Colorado,” the Goddess said before he had a chance to reply, “It is a place far away from here.”

“You must be tired after your long journey,” Noliea said as pleasantly as she could through her frustration. “We have several excellent welcome centers located very close to here.” Then, turning to her grandmother, she added “Goddess, I must speak with you alone.”

“David traveled all the way here just to meet you,” said the Goddess, looking perturbed, “The least you can do is give him a moment of your time.”

“Time?! I don’t have any more time!” Noliea yelled, her temper going way past the breaking point, “Nobody told me humans had such short lifetimes!”

“Noliea,” said David quietly.

“I finally meet someone who truly loves me, then find out he has only a few seasons left to live and he sends me back here while you decide to go who-knows-where!”

“Um, Noliea?” asked David.

Noliea kept going, oblivious to David’s remarks. “And now that you’re back you try and introduce me to someone as the queen’s daughter? Do you think you can just drag some good looking man in here and expect me to fall for him?”

“You think I’m good looking?” asked David.

“You think I would introduce my own granddaughter to someone ugly?” asked the Goddess.

“I don’t want to talk about him!” shouted Noliea, feeling like she was being ignored, “I need to talk about Gabriel!”

“Gabriel is gone,” said David quietly.

The remark quelled Noliea’s rant instantly.

“What do you mean ‘gone’?” she snapped, “Did you know him?”

David and the Goddess exchanged glances. He slowly walked up to Noliea and whispered, “I didn’t just know him, my love; I was him.”

Noliea couldn’t have made a more confused expression on her face if she tried.

David looked at the Goddess.

“Okay,” she said, “But just this once.”

He reached beneath his poncho and pulled out a golden medallion. The moment he lifted it off his neck he instantly transformed into Gabriel.

“Remember me?” he asked in English.

The embrace he received was an obvious ‘yes’.

“Bless the Goddess!” she repeated over and over as she held him in her arms.

“I missed you too,” he said, feeling her mane flow between his fingers.

“Gabriel?” said the Goddess.

“Yes ma’am?” he replied.

“Your promise?” said the Goddess in English.

Gabriel grinned and stepped back from Noliea. Donning the medallion once again he transformed into David.

“You told me you would never allow Gabriel into this world,” Noliea said to the Goddess.

“True,” she replied, “That’s the reason Gabriel is gone and David is here. I offered to let him stay as long as he remains one of us.”

Noliea was stunned. This was beyond her wildest imagination. “You would do this? For me?” she asked.

“Without a moment’s hesitation,” he smiled.

“What about your family? Your herd?”

“When they saw how miserable I was without you they told me to come,” he said, “When I came back to your world your grandparents met with me and agreed to let me stay so long as I promised to live as a centaur. For the past several days they’ve been teaching me some of your customs.”

“And I expect you to keep that promise,” the Goddess said, “There are only three reasons for you to take the amulet off.”

“Three?” asked David.

“First, I doubt anyone would be able to convince you stand by and do nothing if an emergency situation should arise. Once a hero, always a hero.”

David smiled, “Hard habit to break.”

“Secondly, I know a smidgen about human behavior. You’re going to want to see the sun every now and then or you’ll go stir crazy.”

“True.”

“What is the ‘sun’?” asked Noliea.

“It's the bright light above the clouds,” David said.

“And finally,” continued the Goddess, “There is a little girl named Elena still waiting for you to teach her what a ‘loop’ is.”

“Elena!” David exclaimed, “I’d forgotten she was alive again!”

“That can wait,” said Noliea, putting her arms around his neck and touching her nose to his, “First I need to show you something.”

“Oh?” he said, gently brushing his lips to hers, “What's that?”

“Everything.”

-- The Beginning