Gaviels Return

         Chapter 1

    The October air grew warmer as my power flowed around me, wrapping around me like a child's blanket. It radiated warmth, protection, and familiarity. I pulled it, coaxed it, and quickly began to reshape it. It grew even warmer as lights of sapphire, ruby and other rare colors flowed freely around me. A clear goop began to seep from the bows of the mother earth. I shoved my hands into the goop and using my mind shaped it into what mildly looked like a small skinny figure. With one last surge of power I implanted a consciousness and a more solid and real shape.  Then it was done and my manifestation sat staring at me. A small green creature no bigger then a cat lay before me. It stood and regarded me with surety and a fierce intelligence.
         "Yes Master Reinhardt, what is it you command," it croaked, not quite used to the human vocal cords it had. I stared at it a moment regarding how it glowed with my own magic. How it glowed and cast a frenzying shadow that never sat still.
I smiled and replied, "Why Gaviel, how I have missed you so." I regarded my long lost imp with a sort of morbid fascination. Three long years had past since my familiar, my imp, had been jumped and quickly dispatched with a lightning bolt. I had grown accustom to not speaking with him for hours and asking his advice. Now he was here and it was my magic that had made it so. He had lost all memory of me unfortunately and would always regard me as a master until I taught him otherwise.
    "Come my good friend don't regard me as master, that's for slaves or Thralls, certainly not for my familiar," I chirped and turned motioning for him to follow. I took three rather exaggerated steps and turned. My imp took a wavering step not sure of his skills yet and then another and another. Each step became more confident until he strode next to me with a surety no three minute old creature should have. I could feel my smile deepen and I turned back to my Sanctum.
My Sanctum had once been an early Victorian style house converted to a three floor apartment complex. Luckily it was filled with my kind. People with power, wielder of fire or water, even those who wielded magic. My house was not just a sacred place among my kind but a safe haven for those who had nowhere to go. I regarded two new arrivals with a wary sense of unease. I did not trust all those in my home.
    The first, a sickly green fellow by the name of Roan, was able to transform into any animal or creature he touched at a whim. He sat staring at me with eyes full of malice for anything remotely human. Many shifters of the flesh gained this look of disdain from there overstay in there other form. I smiled which only made the frowns in his face deepen till it looked like it hurt.
    The second, Monica Hydren, was a pretty young blond blue eyed girl, and perhaps one of the most promising Hydrokinetic ever, regarded me with a sensuous smile. She had fist come here after drowning a bully at her school. I taught her control to an extent with her power. We grew close but I feared her power greatly. Not every creature you come by can drown you using the water in your body. However, she still harbored a young love for me that I never could quite bring myself to destroy.
Just then, my life long friend Adriana Cruz appeared from her room. She stood at a dainty height of 5 foot nothing. Brown hair cut boyishly short with breast that fit her frame perfect. I wasn't fooled, I had seen her take a three hundred pound Ogre hand to hand and came out on top with little more then a bruise. She knew more martial arts then I could count and had hidden, and if desperate measure called, empowered muscles.
    She turned and a smile broke across her face highlighting her fragile features and causing her to be even more stunningly beautiful. "Why Gabriel Reinhardt, are you trying to sneak up on a helpless woman," she joked. Then her face broke into a somewhat lost happiness. I followed her gaze to find her staring at Gaviel. She let out a somewhat subdued gasp and then went on one knee and lifted a hand in greeting to the imp. "Gaviel my little green one...how can this be?"
    She turned her head up to me and her eyes were filled with questions and pains long buried. I nodded and she hugged me furiously. I wasn't the only one who had missed Gaviel. At twelve my imp and I had gone out on a routine training exercise, only to find Adriana under attack by three rather angry vampires. With a little team work and magic we quickly dispatched the vampires and found a place to question Adriana. From there we found out she had come into her inborn strength as the master, of the three now dust vampires, was attempting to feed on her. She killed him to her surprise and had been on the run since.
    From then on we vowed to stick together and Gaviel began training us both and most importantly teaching us the value of family. Adriana had taken it harder then I when she had found out Gaviel had been slain by some power-hungry sorcerer. She had devoted herself to finding him and within a week she had tracked the sorcerer down. The cops found his corpse the next day, hanging from the ceiling with quite a few things missing. I never did ask and she never did tell me what she did to him.
    Gaviel stared at the hand then raised his own in greeting. "I remember this gesture vaguely," he croaked. That look of sheer loss filled Adriana's face. "Does he not...," she began. I just nodded solemnly and helped her to her feet.
    "What are you so sad about?" Roan, the green man, growled. "It's just some imp." My body suddenly tensed. The anger and pain from the loss of Gaviel suddenly rushed to the surface pulling my power along for the ride. I quickly threw my inner shields up and swallowed my power before it could strike at Roan. Unfortunately for Roan, Adriana wasn't as willing to not harm him. In a blur almost too fast to see, Adriana pivoted and slugged Roan in the jaw. I heard something crack right before Roans wide eyed face disappeared in a wash of blood. Suddenly his body was airborne and the gold blur of Adriana followed him. Before his body landed on the ground she caught him miraculously by the throat and held him in the air effortlessly.
    "Never speak of Gaviel that way, again," she said coldly. Then without much regard, she dropped him and turned back to me. As she paced back to us, Roan lay on the ground staring at her backside with a glare suited to kill. His skin flowed. That's all I could say. It was like his skin was water that had just been disturbed and rippled. He stood still transforming and by the time he was fully upright he was a hulking twelve foot, one-eyed, green ogre. He opened his newly healed jaw, flashing fangs that would do any predator proud and let loose an almost deafening roar.
    "You dare strike me mortal!" he roared down at Adriana. I went to intercede but was stopped before I could move more then a foot. Another ogre rounded the corner hefting a club about as tall as me and as wide as I was tall. It swung, its muscles tense, and the blow landed squarely on Roan's head. The shape shifter fell, his body rippling again. When he landed it was simply Roan lying on the ground.
    My gazed shifted from Roan to the new ogre. Ragnor was twelve feet of pure muscle and rage. He was about three of me wide and his skin was as dark as midnight. His eyes were a startling red as if he saw the world through a veil of blood. He growled showing off his mouth full of sharp fangs. His elf ears tilted back which was the basic sign of anger among most ogres. He was the King of the ogres and a friend of Adriana and me. "Next time little green one I will not stay my hand," his voice rumbled down the hallway.
    "If you call that staying your hand, then don't do me any favors," I said through a grin. I strode towards him and we locked forearms in greeting. He shook me once hard and then released my arm. He picked up roan with three fingers and held him limp in the air.
    "Explain to me why this one should strike out at you," he asked.
    "He spoke ill of Gaviel in Adriana's presence," I whispered to him. His eyes widened uncharacteristically. He turned to Adriana and rumbled, "My child, are you well?"
    Adriana turned suddenly and stormed into her room. Ragnor stared at the door a moment before glancing back at the limp form in his fingers. He snarled loud and even from three feet away I could feel the vibration. I watched as his muscles tensed and then he chunked Roan into the wall beside him. The wood creak and made a loud popping sound but did not fall. "You, little green man, are lucky that I stand in the house of a peaceful friend or your entrails would already be upon my lips," he growled loudly and then hunched into Adriana's room.
    Monica shifted her weight nervously obviously trying to avoid a fight. Her eyes were averted to the floor in a submissive gesture. I had to give the girl credit. She knew how to stay out of Ragnor's wrath. Show a little submissiveness and you were basically spared. She glanced up, perhaps feeling my gaze on her, and smiled shyly.
    "I take it Gaviel meant something to her," she gestured toward Adriana's door. I stared at her debating on divulging any information then thought what the hell.
    "A long time ago he helped save, raise, and love her," said I. "A long time ago he meant more to her then anything would, he was like her father."
    I shook myself of the rising emotions and started walking to the head of the stairs. Monica shouted after me, "Hey wait! What about Roan?"
    "What about him," I responded. "He's still unconscious and I can't carry him all the way upstairs," she replied. I didn't care I was too tired and angry to deal with Roan conscious or not conscious.
    I stared back up the stairs a moment willing my mind towards Adriana. Emotions flooded my senses. For a moment I was afloat in a sea of grief, anger, and pain, before I pulled myself away from her mind. I shook the lingering magical overload, willing it to disperse. I looked down to find Gaviel staring at me then back up the stairs. Yes, I had brought my old friend, mentor, and father back. Unfortunately, he wasn't the same Gaviel. In body he was, but in mind he was someone new. Adriana would never forgive me for reopening her old wounds.
    I grimaced wondering how much getting reattached to the little imp would make me remember. I swore to myself and Gaviel that I would not fall apart on my family. I sighed loudly and whispered, "Forgive me Adriana, I only meant the best for all of us." I willed my words to her and felt the tug of emotions on me again. I pulled away before they could drown me, hefting my new familiar into my arms I decided to go downstairs and cook some breakfast. Some days, it's just wasn't worth the effort to bring back the dead.














Chapter 2
    Lucky me, someone already decided they would cook breakfast. My dining room was large enough to fit fifteen comfortable. It was done in earth shades of green and brown. Most of the cabinets were made of wood and the ten foot long table was made of varnished mahogany. I smiled at the top two people I liked in my house besides Ragnor and Adriana.
    The first one I saw was Jenna Mason. She was a regular human thankfully. She was most likely the strongest sorceress I had ever met, but she was still human. She stood about 5'2 and had her hair cut short and spiked. Each spike was a different color giving her a head full of rainbow goodness. She wore a blue mid-waist tank top that showed off her smooth stomach and dragon tattoo and boldly stated "I'm hot so get over it!" Her jeans were like a second skin on her and she wore no shoes. Her smile was permanently plastered on her face. It was like every little thing made her happy and filled her with a joy she couldn't hide.
    The second was Marcus Irving. He was boyishly good looking half-elf. His features were on the slim side and slightly pointed. His ears were a bit broad but pointed at the end like all mixed elf ears. As he moved all the untold muscles showed and his skin was a perpetual tan. His eyes were shining emeralds that at the right moment and light glowed with power. He wore no shirt, flashing Pecs and abs any magazine would love take photographs of, and only a pair of blue jean pants. His hair was in the style of the crazy rocker, and he moved about the table setting eggs, bacon, sausage, and other assorted goodies of breakfast.
    "Mmmm, I bet that smells great," I joked. Marcus looked up and smiled showing off pearl whites any super star would love to have.
    "Trust me if you could smell my friend, your mouth would be a flood with saliva," he chuckled. I smiled, "What do you mean? I see all this food and my mouth is already flooded." I walked to the cabinet and grabbed an armful of plates and began setting them around the table.
    "How do you two always seem to read my thoughts," I asked as I set the last plate. Gaviel hopped on the table and began peculiarly to set the silverware among the plates.  Marcus looked at the imp for a second and then smiled. He must have made a noise because Jenna turned and the smile for once disappeared and was replaced by a look of pure sadness. She nearly dropped the food she was carrying but managed to land it all on the table.
    "By the gods, Gabriel, when did Gaviel return to us," Marcus said. Jenna just sat stunned staring at my imp. I stood back a second and then, "This morning."
    Jenna took a step towards Gaviel. Her eyes suddenly flooded completely purple and her face contorted into a look of pure rage. She snarled something in infernal and let loose a bolt fire towards Gaviel. Gaviel without even thinking moved his hands into the shape of a club. A shield of red formed in inside his hands and then enlarged to just a little over his size. The bolt struck the shield rebounded and scorched my ceiling.
    Marcus and I were suddenly moving to stop Jenna but she put up her hands up halting us. She grinned and nodded. "I just had to make sure that he had enough power to protect himself," she said simply. Marcus glanced at me and I nodded. The slow thrum of energy that had been building in the room suddenly plummeted when Marcus released his magic. I let my breath out and relaxed.
    Gaviel stared at Jenna and then cocked his head to the side. "Why is it that you strike at me," he asked calmly. He truly hadn't cared they she had attacked her. He had only been alive for about ten minutes why should he care? I made a mental note to explain sooner or later that he was alive and that was something he needed to cherish.
    "Your counterpart had been unable to protect himself and died because of it," her eyes flashed back to some memory I did not care to glimpse. "It caused much grief in this house and I just don't want that to happen again," with that she sat and started making herself a plate. Gaviel seemed satisfied and chose to sit down and grab a biscuit.
    Marcus sat and began filling his plate with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and other assorted goodies. "Well if its any consolation, I am glad you are back Gaviel," Marcus managed to say before he began stuffing his mouth. I sat at my place at the table and began to eat the wondrous breakfast. Oh. My. God. I would have sold my soul to eat the food Jenna had cooked up. After a while of no one speaking, Gaviel took it upon himself to start a conversation. "Why do I understand so many things yet be so young?"
    We all kind of stared at him. I managed, after clearing my throat, "What is it you understand?" Gaviel sat for a few moments obviously deciding how to word his answer. "The food I eat I understand that I must eat. The table the chair the air all the basic knowledge in life fills my head," he finally answered. I smiled. Many will workers could make working sentient beings but few could instill basic knowledge into their creations. I admit it. I took some pride in that one comment.
    "Simply put: I put the knowledge there," I responded. Marcus cleaned his plate off stood and began collecting all the dirty dishes. "While I was molding you I put a piece of myself in you which in turn gave you my knowledge and some memories," I explained further. Gaviel fiddled with his fork before saying, "Does that mean I will regain my memory?"
    I sat stunned for a second. Sure, remade familiars sometimes got there memories but no one knew exactly why they got their old memories back. Most the of will workers who's familiars had gained there memories said it was their power that brought it back. I just considered it a rarity that happened in the spell. I shook my head, "I don't know for certain but you might gain it back."
    "I think I will get it back," he said to me. "I can already feel some memories prying at my mind." I examined him. I closed my eyes and drew my will towards my eyes. When I opened them I not only opened just my eyes but also the Inner Spectrum. The Inner Spectrum A.K.A The Sight A.KA The Inner Eye was the sight people never used. It was the spectrum that only magic users and will workers could see from. It allowed one to see the inner being, see through spells, and sometimes read a person's soul. My imp glowed with a soft green light. The light was a resonance of my personal magic. A sort of fingerprint I left behind. I watched as his mind slowly formed complex thoughts. At first glance I didn't see anything strange, then I saw it. A small magic bubble that floated just above the part of the brain that dealt with memory.
    I closed my sight and slumped. Using the Inner Spectrum put a strain on the user and drained them of useful energy. I smiled, "If what I saw is true, which I'm sure it is, then yes, it seems you will regain your lost memory." At that moment my phone decided to ring. I slid out of the chair and dragged myself over to it. I picked it up and mumbled something into the phone.
    Adriana's voice crackled, "I'm going out with Ragnor, I need something to do I can't stay in the house with Roan around." With that she hung up the phone and left me, mouth hanging open and confused. I put the phone down and turned back to the room. Marcus sat up and walked into the kitchen juggling dirty dishes in his arms. "Well, who was that," Jenna asked. I shook my head and started heading upstairs. I was concentrating on tracking down Roan when he bumped into me. I caught myself on the wall and uttered a curse.
    "Hear me well, Gabriel, you have made an enemy of me and mine," he said angrily. "You need to control some of the people of your home a little more Shova," he stormed out of my house leaving the door open. "Yes buttercups," I muttered while I closed the door.
    "What did he mean when he called you a Shova," a voiced asked from behind me. I whirled around startled to find Monica standing less then five feet away from me. Her eyes glistened with curiosity as she cocked her head. I glared at her, "I would rather you never say that in my presence."
    She smiled wickedly, "Is it an insult," she asked. "Please tell me."
    I pushed passed her and said back, "I only tell those that I truly trust with my life and you haven't earned that much trust yet," I entered my room and sat down at my desk. As I dropped my shields the fatigue settled in. My body ached, my head pounded, and on top of all that my skin felt as if a hundred small ants had assaulted me. I slumped in my chair and allowed myself a moment to rest. All the human magic had drained me and all I wished to do at the moment was sleep.
    My back exploded into a starburst of pain. I grimaced and concentrated on keeping my natural form from taking over. By the time it had faded my body was drenched in a coat of sweat and I was seeing double.
    "Gabriel, you know better then to let all your shields down," Marcus spoke into the room. I glanced up to see him in my doorway his eyes gleaming with power. "What's with the fancy light show," I inquired. He smiled off his pearl whites and stepped further into the room. "Keeping the sudden burst of power from wrecking the attic," he replied.
    With that comment I looked around my room. My bed had decided to flip over and most of the small items were scattered around the room. One beam had actually been singed off its support beam and my window had a huge crack running down the middle of it now. I grimaced at the thought of what could have happened if Marcus had not been there to save my attic. "Thank you," I said.
    He shrugged, "Just for curiosities sake, what was all that power," he asked as he strolled further into my room. I rubbed my head where it burned like a hot coal. "Nothing my old friend," I answered back to him. "Gabriel, I have known you for four years and have heard Gaviel and now Roan call you a Shova," he stated plainly. "Humor an old elf and tell him what a Shova is."
    I slouched further into my chair. I sighed loudly then started building up my inner shields. When I was as sure of my shields as I could get I stood and tested my body. Every inch of me ached and my right arm felt like I had plunged it in a bed of a thousand nails. With a little help from Marcus I flipped my bed and collapsed onto it. I didn't want to tell someone else what I was. I was tired of retelling the loss of my people and our power.
    "If you haven't noticed I'm not fully human," I stated. "I am half human and half Shova," I continued. "We are the beings of pure magic that brought the legends of Gods, Angels, Demons, and Dragons. We are the things of legend that humans have all but forgot." I let that sink in for a second then, "Up until about a hundred years ago we were some of the fiercest old magicks still alive and then we began losing power." My voice trembled and I fought to control my emotions. "Then in a last attempt to keep ourselves alive, we cast a spell of binding upon all newborns, in the hopes that they would retain our magicks and one day rise in power again."
    "Are you one of the..." Marcus began. I nodded and stood up. I lifted my shirt and showed him my back where a small winged creature lay tattooed on it. He hissed loudly, "That is an ancient rune of binding." I put my shirt back on. "Yes my people created it long ago before I was ever born," I said.
    He stepped back from me. "So does that mean that a monster is inside you," he asked bluntly. I smiled, "No it simply means that my inner self is trapped and wishes to release itself." Marcus cocked his head to the side, "Why not let it out then?" my arm exploded into a mass of pain. I fell cradling it against myself. The seal on my back burned with the very fires of magic. "You aren't asking the right question," I managed to grunt between small explosions of pain.
    He stood for second in thought then, "How were you fading in power?" I smiled at his quick wit. "We thought our power limitless...we were wrong...the more magic we used the less Shova we became," I half-screamed. The pain began to subside and soon become a dull ache. I lay on my bed a few minutes trying to catch my breath. After a few minutes more of silence I said, "The Gods that blessed us with power saw fit that we fade like the great Dragons of old. We didn't take a liking to that and fought back. They began siphoning our magicks in retaliation."
    "Why don't you simply fade or ask your Gods for your power back," he questioned further. I stared at the ceiling a moment before responding, "Because my old friend, we wish to live almost to the point of losing that which makes us different." After that I refused to answer anymore questions and asked that he leave. He left with only a glance back at me. I closed my eyes and sleep took me.
    I woke to the sound of arguing. I could vaguely hear two feminine voices arguing. I groaned as I sat up and the soreness took hold of me. I stumbled my way downstairs to see Adriana and Monica in one another's face. They were screaming about Roan when Monica turned towards me and screamed loud. I stared at them wide-eyed and try to decide who to talk to first. Monica made my decision for me, "Gabriel you better get a leash on her or I'll see that she learns some respect." Adriana laughed obnoxiously and said, "You teach me something? Yeah right when hell freezes over."
    "What in the name of Hades," I screamed. "I am trying to sleep and you both are arguing over the Gods know what," I glared at them both. "If you two don't be quiet I will put a silence spell on you," I threatened. They both stared at me, clearly shocked. Monica decided to just leave it alone and left to her room. Adriana sat staring at me in shock and then slowly the look in her eyes filled with anger. "You're taking her side now Gabriel?" I hunched my shoulders in sheer exhaustion. "No Anna, I'm not I am just tired from the magic and holding everything in check," I mumbled as my legs finally gave out.
    She caught me and cradled me against her. "You blockhead, why didn't you phone me," she asked. Her voice had been reduced to a whisper. I shook my head trying to clear the sound of wings from my ears. I saw, through my closed eyes, my skin begin to glow gold all over. Adriana gasped and let go of me. I opened my eyes and watched the sudden fear run through her. Some small part of me enjoyed the fear I saw in her eyes. The rest of me was too worried to care about what that part of me felt. "Gabe you can't lose it here," Adriana said.
    "I don't think I can...," before I could finish my sentence the seal on my back exploded in a flash of white light. A beam of power raced down the hallway scorching everything it burnt. I screamed long and loud as the pain racked my body. I began rolling on the ground as the power engulfed my body in celestial white flames. I shrieked in every language I knew and was reduced to crying for the pain to stop. My skin felt like it was burning and tearing at the same time and all I could do was roll on the ground. The last thing I heard before the darkness took me was the sound of the very earth ripping in half.
    My last thought was, "where did all the flapping go?"















Chapter 3
    I woke to the sounds of people talking in harsh whispers. One was complaining of the damage done while the other argued that I had no control over what happened. I sat listening to the two arguing when the sounds of moaning and pain caught my attention. "Who was moaning, and...wait moaning?" I sat up and the world swam in colors. I laid back down and decided on using just my neck.