The Samhain Chronicles: Ch. 19

Danny just sat there, gobsmacked, as he tried to process Mother Abigail's statement. "Th-The End of Days?" he squeaked, "What-... What d'ye mean by that?"

Penelope was calmer, but just as stunned. Her face was arranged in a pensive frown when she spoke, "A horseman... Mother Abigail, that wouldn't be a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, would it?"

Mother Abigail stood shakily with a helping, gentle hand from Danny, "Y-Yes, My Child. I'm afraid it does. Thank you, Danny." She eased herself back into her chair with a deeply disturbed look in her eye, and both hands began absent-mindedly wringing the handle of her cane, "The first four out of the Seven Seals each correspond with the releasing of one of the Four Horsemen: Conquest - or Pestillence as he's sometimes known - is the first, followed by War, Famine... and then Death itself is the last."

Danny wet his lips as he studied the scroll in his lap, and a sinking, queasy feeling began settling over him, "M-Mother Abigail, I have very few memories of my youth... hardly any at all, actually. I can't remember by birth parents - assuming I have any - nor do I e'en know my given name. Is... Is it at all possible that-..." He finally raised his eyes to meet the Mother Superior's, "...that I am one of these fabled Horsemen?"

Mother Abigail cupped his chin tenderly to study his fear-filled heather grey eyes a moment, then pressed a comforting kiss on his cheek, "I don't believe so, My Child. According to the Scriptures, the Horsemen bring about wonton death and destruction upon the Earth. All I sense in you is a purely good soul, with the noblest of intent. You are a healer and a scholar, Dear One; not an agent of devastation."

"Quite Right," Dr. Horace's voice chimed in from the doorway. The aging therapist looked weary and bedraggled, but genuinely pleased to see Danny was awake, "Hello, my Dear Boy; how are you feeling?" Danny managed a smile and adjusted on the bed, trying to get more comfortable, "A might sore... but I believe I'll live. I understand I owe much of my healing to ye, Dr. Horace. Thank ye."

Penelope snorted in disdain, "Hardly! All he did was wrap you up as if he intended to mummify your remains. Any actual healing you did completely by yourself, Daniel!"

"It's alright, Penny Blossom," Dr. Horace smiled tightly, "I am under no illusions when it comes to my skills as a nursemaid... or lack thereof, to be more precise. Now, what's this I hear about a-... A man on a horse, did you say?"

Mother Abigail stood and grasped Dr. Horace gently by the arm, "Yes; I'll tell you all about it later. For now, I believe it is best that Daniel get some rest. You could do with some as well, from the state of you. Come, Horace."

Once Mother Abigail steered Dr. Horace from the room, Penelope sighed and stretched out on the bed with Danny. "I'm glad he's gone. I know you trust him, Daniel, but something about that man just makes my skin crawl."

Danny adjusted again, trying his best to cover a grimace as Penelope put pressure on his still-tender ribs, "He has his quirks, aye... but I stand by my belief that he's trustworthy." He brought his left hand up slowly, then, and started raking his fingers lightly through Penelope's short brown hair. It was softer than combed silk strands, and smelled faintly of peaches. "Penelope," he murmured, "there's something I think I should tell ye... but I dunno if I can, truthfully. Every time I've tried to in the past, I-..." He sighed heavily, burying his nose in her soft brown tresses. Yes, it was definitely peaches he smelled... with a tiny bit of sage.

She snuggled a bit closer for warmth, but tried to be mindful of his ribs, "Go on; I'm listening."

Danny took a deep breath, breathing in her scent, and felt the remnants of fog begin to clear from his mind. "Dr. Horace believes that... y-ye may be an enemy agent. Of course, I told him that was a ridiculous notion, but-"

"Are you bloody serious?!" Penelope barked, sitting straight up to glare at him, "Me, an enemy agent?! I knew he was older, but I never thought he was senile!" She took Danny's left hand in both hers, and stared deeply into his eyes, "Daniel, you don't actually believe that... do you? I'm on your side, I swear it!"

Danny felt his Adam's apple swell a bit, creating quite an uncomfortable lump in his throat. "No, Dearest," he murmured, "I never believed it for a moment... not really." He pulled his hand from hers to rub his temple, "Dr. Horace can be quite convincing, however, when he wishes. I canna explain it really. I admit he had me quite worried for a day or two."

Penelope laid back down with a sigh, and planted a kiss on the corner of Danny's lips, "Well, you shouldn't worry... about me, anyway. I think it would behoove the both of us though to have a long chat with Dr. Horace, when you're feeling better."

Danny winced and tried to stifle a grunt as Penelope accidentally nudged his right elbow, "Yes; although that may take some time. Careful, Dearest, please... that hurts."

Penelope gave an apologetic wince and ran her fingers delicately over his injured arm, "Sorry; you did fall nearly a hundred kilometers out of the sky onto solid ground. Even though your wings helped to cushion the landing, a drop from that height could easily have been fatal. You're lucky to be alive."

A snorting chuckle from the corner of the room made both Danny and Penelope nearly leap from their skins. "Amen to that, Sister." The same scruffy-looking bicycle messenger from the chapel was perched rakishly on the top of Danny's wardrobe. The door was closed, as was the window, which left them both perplexed as to how he'd gotten into the room without their notice. With a grin, the messenger hopped down and alighted gracefully onto the floor, creating barely a sound when his grubby trainers touched it, "Sorry; I get a kick outta that." He extended a hand cordially to Penelope then, "Hi there. I'm Gabe. Nice to meet ya."

Penelope accepted the handshake with a nervous laugh, "H-Hello... Archangel G-Gabriel... it is an extreme pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Gabe pulled a face and shrugged, "Eh, I'm not big into standing on ceremony. Just Gabe is fine." He turned to Danny next and sucked in a hissing breath through his perfectly white teeth, "Ooh, yowtch... that's gotta smart. Here, lemme get that for ya. It's the least I can do." Danny bit back a soft cry as Gabe carefully lifted his arm from its sling by the elbow with one olive-hued hand. The Archangel's other hand - which was surprisingly warm - slowly made its way down Danny's injured limb from shoulder to wrist. His crystalline blue eyes glimmered with a soft gold light, and his unruly dark curls stood on end as if the atmosphere had suddenly been charged with electricity. Danny's entire arm felt hot from shoulderblade to fingertips, but not uncomfortably so. He could feel his bones sort of melt and re-fuse themselves together under his skin, a process that should have been incredibly painful but wasn't. Suddenly, the heat left his limb and the charge in the air seemed to disspate the moment Gabe's hands lifted from his arm.

Danny realized he was holding his breath and let it out all at once in a whoosh, then gingerly flexed his right arm. The pain was completely gone and the bones within it perfectly sound, as if it had never been broken to begin with. Even the small bruises and abrasions on it - and along the entire right side of his body - were totally healed over. He looked up at Gabe in awe and appreciation, but no words could express his gratitude or amazement. Gabe's eyes lost their golden glimmer as he gave Danny a wink, "Not bad, eh? Granted, not my best work, but I think Raph would be pleased."

Penelope, who had been watching with her mouth agape, looked at Danny's arm in sudden bewilderment. She ran her cool fingertips over one of Danny's scars with a frown, "Incredible... but, his scars are still there. Can't you heal those as well? I mean, if you can mend broken bones, surely it should be easy in comparison."

Danny's eyes lit up with hope, but that hope was quickly dashed by the saddened look in Gabe's eyes. "One would think," the Archangel sighed, "but nah. Sorry, Buddy; those scars are there forever. No amount of Angel's Touch could remove them, I'm sorry to say."

Danny sighed heavily and nodded, flexing his arm again, "That's alright... I'm used to them, for the most part. Thank ye anyway."

Penelope looked up at Gabe quizzically, "Why can't they be healed? Are they magical or something?"

Gabe fluttered to the footboard and perched on it in a squat, snickering, "Magic? Uh, no, not exactly. That's a good one, though." He cleared his throat and adopted a more serious tone, but was still smiling, "How can I put this? They're... a reflection, kinda, of his soul. It's a little too complex for Mortals to understand, no offense, and I don't exactly have the time to explain it." He leaned backward then, reclining in midair with his hands behind his head, "Now, if we've had enough of the witty banter, maybe we can get down to the knitty gritty here. It seems to me, Daniel, that you've got one heck of a problem."

Danny uttered a humorless laugh, "Pardon my frankness, but I appear to have several! I've no idea really who or what I am, nor do I know why my life is currently being threatened by an organization I've ne'er heard of before. And what does any of that have to do with the Opening of the First Seal?"

A low rumble of thunder rolled over the convent, so deep and ominous that it rendered Danny mute for a second or two. Gabe sat up attentively at the sound, his eyes raised to the ceiling and his head tilted slightly to the side. It appeared he was listening to the thunder intently, as if there was a voice hidden within the rumbles that only his ear could detect. After a few minutes, he nodded and looked at Danny with a sigh. "There's so much I wish I could tell you, Daniel," he said, "about the Seals, the Horsemen, everything. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or permission to do so right now." He hovered closer to sit on the edge of the bed closer to Danny, and his eyes burned with the intensity of a pair of blue flames. "What I can tell you is that you're very special," he smiled, "and also in grave danger. Pestillence is coming; you have to leave the Convent while you can, and believe me, sooner is much better than later."

Danny shook his head, "Leave-? Gabe, I can't! If I leave, then-" Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention to the window, where the inky black mass was hovering just outside it. It even bumped impatiently against the glass, as if it wanted to break through but couldn't.

Gabe glowered at the mass, bringing the golden light to his eyes once more, and it slunk back toward the roofline. "Yeah, I know," he muttered, "Nasty little friend you got there. We'll do what we can to protect you from it, Daniel. I promise." He reached out and looped a finger under the chain holding the crucifix around Danny's neck, then cupped his opposite hand under the silver cross gently, "This alone should help a ton, as is. Remember, you're never alone." He closed his hand around the crucifix, holding it for a moment in reverence, then let it go slowly. Danny gasped softly as he examined the cross again; the simple silver design shimmered with a faint white light, and had become studded with tiny pearls and nuggets of gold. Gabe smiled at his astonished face, "That should add a little oomph, though."

Danny nodded his thanks, then shook his head anxiously, "Where am I supposed to go, when I leave? I'm not even a hundred percent sure where we are. If the convent isn't safe, then... where is?"

Gabe took Danny's hand comfortingly, "Hey, don't sweat it, Bro. We'll be looking out for you. There is a Plan, Daniel; all you gotta do is trust it. You can do this, and you have absolutely nothing to be afraid of."

The thunder rumbled again, and Gabe huffed out a resigned breath, "I know, I know. I'm working on it." He hurried toward the window and opened it, then held out his hands in front of him. In an instant, a Scwinn bicycle made completely out of pearl and silver appeared next to him, which he gripped the handlebars of immediately.

As Gabe was buckling the chin strap of the helmet he pulled from the ether, Danny started sputtering, "W-Wait! Don't go yet! I still have so many questions!!"

Gabe looked over at Danny sympathetically, "I know, and I'm sorry. I've already stayed longer than I should have, Daniel. You will get the answers you seek, in time." He swung his leg over the bicycle to mount it, then gave Danny one more serious look. "A war is coming, Daniel," he warned, "and you need to be ready for it. Make sure you leave by first light tomorrow. Understand?"

Danny had to shield his eyes as a brilliant golden light began shining around Gabe, "A war? What war?! What do ye mean?!" The light grew brighter and hotter, then suddenly there was a loud "snap" like the sound barrier had broken. When Danny lowered his hands and blinked the spots out of his eyes, both the light and Gabe were gone.