Page 64 of The Fifth Soul

“Huh?” His question comes out more like a grunt. I can tell without looking that he hasn’t opened his eyes either.

“I’m pretty sure I saw a baby deer in the bushes to the left.”

I feel movement to my right and try to open my eyes again. I watch as he tentatively sits up and looks around.

“No, this looks right. According to what Jesse and Roman have told me.”

“It doesn’t look like an island.” I sit up too.

The sun has set. Gray granite canyon walls surround us, the green pine trees create stunning contrast. Off on one side of the Granite Canyon, I see a waterfall. A strong, free, flowing stream falling into the abyss, creating a rainbow. It doesn’t even look real. Something so beautiful it could only exist in a picture or drawing.

“Do you think this is what heaven looks like?” I ask with a sigh. It must be. If this is the only place on earth angels call home, it must resemble their home.

“Not what I pictured would be there,” Brandon says. He takes a deep breath as he watches the view.

I’ve seen a million sunsets, some in far more ideal situations, but there’s something incredibly stunning about this one. We haven't fixed or done anything yet, but being here feels like the right place.

“Is your gift on?” Brandon asks me while looking around.

“No.”

I look around too. Nothing other than a few new deer seem to be around. We’re currently sitting on the top of a small cliff. It shouldn’t take us over five minutes to walk down to the dirt route I spot. The route looks wide enough for a vehicle. It spreads between tall pine trees deeper into the forest.

He scratches his head. “No one is around.” He cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Hello!”

I yank his hands down. “What do you think you are doing?”

I look around to see if anyone heard him, but the space still looks empty. As the sunset light drizzles out, I spot something between the trees. A faint glow illuminates a small cluster of buildings. It is at least a few miles away from our spot.

“Did you expect Gabriel to be sitting around the portals?”

“No, but I expected someone to be. And I would expect them to take us to Gabriel.”

I drop his sleeve and stand. I shake my head as I dust my pants off. “The plan is to talk to Gabriel by getting caught on purpose?”

“What easier way to find him than to let him find us?”

His know-it-all tone irritates me.

“That’s it. You will explain yourself,” I utter each word between clenched teeth.

“Let’s walk and talk.” He rests his arm around my shoulders and points toward the glow. He leads the way into town. “This is going to be a long night.”

CHAPTER 24

BIANCA

As we make our way into town, Brandon tells me all about his childhood and growing up with his brothers. Jesse and Roman never truly felt left behind by not being chosen. They loved their brother and helped as much as they could. Regardless, as teenagers, they still did dumb things. One of their favorites was using a spell to make themselves look like Brandon and showing up places. The one place that always caught up to them was Luzes. Unlike all other places, Luzes never cared to cater to Brandon Oscuro.

The brothers were, without fail, apprehended and put in jail cells. Twice, they dared come here. Breaking in and trying to go as long as possible without being caught was the game they played. The Grant Chief guard of Luzes would always take it upon himself to contact the Guard General of the Royal Force to come and collect the trouble boys. This only happened a handful of times, but it fired up the entire inspiration of our plan.

It was simple and straightforward. We get caught and placed in a jail cell. The Grant Chief Guard Gabriel will get called to meet us. He will contact Roman, the Royal Force General, and he will collect us.

Brilliant, if it wasn’t for the fact that almost every single variable from this equation is based on the actions of someone who’s no longer here. Everything is new. Gabriel is not the same Grant Chief, and Roman is not the same Guard General. Brandon is not his teenage brother sporting a shitty spell. Everything could go sideways in an instant. We could get caught and accused of espionage.

We walk for about an hour before we finally reach the edge of a town. Home porch lights are the only sign that anyone lives here. It sounds and feels like a ghost town. The entire place looks to be deserted. No nightlife here, apparently. After we walk deeper into the town, we hear signs of life. The center square has a few establishments open. I shove my shoulder lightly into Brandon’s and gesture to the building that looks like a diner bar.

“Let’s go.” He nods.

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