on with you. I’m not kidding around anymore. Haim didn’t do anything to you, for that matter, none of us has, but you’ve been a real ass since the transport.” Uri demanded.
“No I haven’t.” Gabe insisted.
“I think Uri’s right. You’re kind of being a jerk,” Haim added nervously as he went about building the fire.
“I don’t know what—” Gabe started before Uri cut him off abruptly.
“Don’t give me that crap, Gabe! You know exactly what we are talking about, now what is going on?”
Gabe hesitated for a moment. He looked back down at Rachel, who still slept peacefully in his arms. Brushing her hair away from her face, he at last broke his silence. “We’ve been gone from Iron Gate all of what? Two days? Did you guys not see what happened back there? What if we hadn’t gotten out of that? What would have happened to Rachel? I’m her husband, she trusts me to keep her safe. Now I’m going to go to an Oracle, one of the most untrustworthy beings I have ever encountered, and put my faith in them. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Man, I’m sorry, I didn’t think about what this must be like for you.” Uri offered.
“Yeah, but we’ll keep her safe, don’t worry.” Haim added innocently.
“And how’s that going to happen, Haim? Back there on the street we were able to kill a handful of mercenaries, but what happens when it’s an army? What then?” Gabe argued.
“We’ll find a way, we always do.” Haim said.
“Like you found a way when Raimie died? Or like the Guardians found a way when Rampart was destroyed? I don’t have an option to fail.” Gabe’s words trailed off as the fire grew, the soft glow warmed his cheeks. He leaned in close to the flames with Rachel, allowing the warmth to envelop her.
Nobody else spoke after that. Gabe wasn’t sure if it was because he was right or because they were busy thinking of their fallen comrades. Either way, all he was concerned about was Rachel. He would look after her until she awoke, and then they would go and see this Oracle together. He wasn’t sure if it was the right move, but she was right, he couldn’t simply be idle.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Rachel shifted, realizing she was lying on someone’s shoulder. Pushing her weight up onto her elbow, she glanced up, where she saw her husband smiling back at her.
“Good morning.” Gabe said.
“What happened?” Rachel asked puzzled.
“You set a new record for transportation recovery.” Uri growled from across the campfire.
“Huh?” Rachel moaned.
“Don’t listen to him.” Gabe answered softly, shifting to sit up next to her. “He’s just not a morning person.”
“Wait,” Rachel said, contemplating the time that had passed. “I passed out again from the transportation? How long was I out?”
“Long enough, do you feel rested?” Gabe questioned, still smiling.
Realizing she was not going to get a straight answer out of Gabe, Rachel looked to Uri. “How long was I out?”
Purposefully avoiding the disapproving glare of his friend, Uri responded quickly, “Two days!”
“What? I don’t understand. I thought I was only supposed to be out for a few hours. I should be getting better at this, not worse.” Rachel argued.
“Actually, darling, you’re human, we really have no idea how magic will affect you. It can be different every time. Also, the further distance we transport, the harder it is on your body. It’s not that big of a deal though, don’t worry about it.”
Uri huffed in response to Gabe’s statement, clearly he did not agree about the delay not being an issue.
“What about the Oracle? What did she say?” Rachel asked.
“Your husband insisted on not going to see her until you woke up.” Uri added in a snarky tone.
“Gabe? Why would you do that?” Rachel squealed.
“What do you mean? It was your idea for me to go and see the Oracle, I wasn’t about to see her without you. Besides that, what was I supposed to do? Just leave you here with Haim?” Gabe argued.
“Yes!” Rachel snapped. “I’m not some delicate flower you have to always be worried about.”
“Well, actually, you are kind of delicate,” Uri corrected her, scrunching his face as he did so.
“Oh will you shut up?” Rachel quipped. “I’m serious, how are we ever going to be safe if you don’t trust your friends to be able to take care of me?”
“Whatever, it wasn’t like that.” Gabe snarled, hopping to his feet. Kicking dirt onto the flames he commanded, “Let’s go.”
Gabe left the