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I couldn’t believe it. Solomonarul agreed to help Gabriel without knowing the reason behind it.
Gabriel’s body lay lifeless, still tied to the plank. She didn’t even have the mercy to untie him. The deed was done, and now I wept at the grave of my beloved. For the one I loved so dearly had sacrificed himself for an undetermined future together. How I wished I could’ve been there to stop this from happening. But it was too late. My love had sealed his fate for eternity. And one thing I knew, fates could never be broken.
“Eh, you’re still bleeding. She could’ve at least stopped the bleeding. How did you convince me to help you is beyond me,” Solomonarul said as he untied Gabriel. “I even had to face the witch from hell for you. Only I know how much garlic I rubbed on me to avoid this very thing. And look at me now, playing magic with the queen of darkness.” Solomonarul dragged Gabriel’s lifeless body to the horse and laid him on the saddle. “We’ll have to trot, my old friend.” He petted the horse. “I’m not even sure if I am bringing home a man or a body.”
The next time I blinked, I found myself in Solomonarul and Teodora’sbordei.
“What happened?” asked Teodora as she helped Solomonarul get Gabriel off the horse.
“I don’t know much myself. Gabriel has been like this since the ritual.”
“You didn’t say anything about a ritual,” said Teodora.
“I found out when I arrived at the meadow. I even saw her,” said Solomonarul.
“You did? Did she hurt you?”
“No, but he got two slashes on his forearms and a zap from Cloudy,” said Solomonarul. “I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen. The stubborn bastard.”
“Let’s get him inside and bandage his wounds,” said Teodora as two children emerged from the house.
These were their sweet, adorable children. The chance to meet them, even in such tragic circumstances, tugged at my heart. Both of their children had brown hair, so they had yet to produce a Solomonar.
I followed them into the house and saw how they laid Gabriel on a wooden bed. Teodora wrapped his wounds in clean cloth though they would turn scarlet instantly. Then she checked his forehead for a fever. “He’s burning up. What did you do in the meadow?”
“I’m not sure. It was probably nothing,” said Solomonarul as he took a sip of water from the cup Teodora handed him. I walked closer to Solomonarul and touched him. In his mind, I heard: “Please don’t let him become thevampyr. Please don’t let him become thevampyr.”
So he knew about the existence of vampires but didn’t want to worry Teodora. Instead, he chose to worry himself to death.
A knock resounded at the door. Solomonarul opened it to let Anca enter. “Where are my dear godchildren? Aunt Anca’s here.” She halted as soon as she entered the hut. “What is Gabriel doing here? And why does he look ill?”
“Something happened,” said Solomonarul as he rubbed the back of his head. “You see…”
But I couldn’t hear the rest. The image, along with the sound, became distorted, and I could catch only glimpses of their words, but I wasn’t sure who spoke.
“What did you do?”
“He only has one chance…”
“We must save him…”
“No one can save those who step in the darkness…”
“He will die soon…”
Truth be told, Gabriel indeed looked as if he was dead. No life seemed to flow through him. Not even a breath. The man lying on the wooden bed did not resemble the man I met in my future.
The next time I blinked, it was dark. Anca probably left long ago, and Teodora and the kids went to sleep in the adjacent room. Only Solomonarul stayed watching over Gabriel. I looked at his ashen face and wished, once more, to hold his hand. I kneeled beside his bed and touched him. A flood of emotions inundated me: anger, fear, desire, anguish, hunger. Then nothing. My mental images turned blank. I looked at Gabriel and couldn’t believe it. He opened his eyes. Except they weren’t a dark brown but a bright glowing silver. He had begun transforming into a beast. The entire body contorted into a massive four-legged animal of some sort, with sharp fangs and long claws. The beast began sniffing around, which immediately awoke Solomonarul.
“Who are you?” he asked, still sleepy. “Is it you, Gabriel? I thought you were that monster who stalks me when I cannot wake up.”
But the beast didn’t pay attention to him. Instead, he turned to the bedroom where Teodora and the kids slept. Oh, no.
“Leave this instant, Gabriel. We have nothing to feed you here,” said Solomonarul, hoping the human side still lingered within the beast.
But the four-legged monster didn’t budge and stayed on its target.
“I’ll unleash a tornado if you do not obey.”
