The Protector

Chapter Thirteen: The Problem and The Answer

3 days have passed since Kara last layed eyes on Gabriel. And while she was hurt and felt betrayed, she also felt a sense of independence. With Gabriel being out of her life, she would be able to finally start doing things on her own which is something she had honestly always wanted to be. Strong, independent, and smart with how she approached things. Having Gabriel in her life made her feel safe though. She did feel like he brought out a side of her that she was becoming fond of rather quickly. An aggressive side. A side that would punch Victoria and make her pay for what she did.
"Kara Darling, come on. We have to get started" Aurora called out to Kara from outside her bedroom door. This had happened every morning since she asked Aurora to train her. And the training was going well so far. Up until this point, they had been working on her form, and proper posture which Kara had finally gotten the hang of. Some spells would release an immense amount of force and if she did not having her footing perfect, she would more than likely hurt herself.
Though today was going to be different. Aurora had promised Kara that she would teach her to harness here energy and how to cast for the first time today. This left Kara thrilled. She had been waiting this. " Fireballs, here I come" she smirked proudly as she gathered her things and headed out of her bed room and down the hall, making at left at the end which led into a giant Courtyard. It was surrounded by beautiful flowers with some cherry blossom trees sprinkled around the edges. It was actually quite lovely and peaceful.
This is where she had been training for the past 3 days and she was more than eager to get started. Kara began doing her daily stretches, wearing a black tank top and gym shorts which Aurora had custom made for her. Her hair was up in ponytail and Kara was more than ready for action.

" Okay. So to start, I want you to calm yourself as best as you can. Once you have, I want you to imagine your energy flowing through you. I want you to picture in your mind. And as you do so, focus on that energy coming to one circular point within your chest. From there, slowly channel the energy through your arms and down to your hands" Aurora explains.
" But don't rush it. This is not a race. You have all the time in the world" Aurora reassures Kara who does as she is told. Inside, Kara can feel a warm sensation building. Burning hotter and hotter by the second. She takes a deep breathe and pushes that warmth down her arms and to her hands. Allowing it to flow but making sure to maintain absolute control over it.
"Good Darling..now release it" Aurora encourages as Kara nods as Green Flames blast from her hands into a giant flame tunnel stretching out a few hundred feet. And if Aurora had not side stepped this as quickly as she did, she would've been incinerated.
" Close it off " Aurora calls out and Kara closes here eyes which makes the flames extinguish. Kara proceed to jump up and down in the air with joy. " I DID IT! I FREAKING DID IT! I FUCKING MADE FIRE. THAT WAS AWESOME " Kara runs to Aurora and almost tackles her to the ground, hugging her tightly which made Aurora smile.
" I'm so proud of you" She hugs back tightly. " You did so well. I knew you were going to be a fast learner"

Meanwhile, Gabriel and Victoria are reaching the Lycan Kingdoms lands. Gabriel has a hard time recognizing it from the sight but the smell is all too familiar. " I've missed this place so much" he thinks to himself. He hasn't spoken to Victoria at all the entire trip and has no plans to do so. Everything had gotten so complicated so quickly and he still wasn't sure what he should do about the way Victoria acted. She was always prideful but she was also out of line for the things she did.
The Castle is in the distance and that is all Gabriel wants to focus on. His head hurts as well as his heart. There is an emptiness there that he was not quite sure how to fix. He missed his parents. He missed his home. And most of all, he missed Kara. Be this long without her was eating him alive and yet it had only been three days.

It doesn't take long before they arrive at the castle but when they do arrive, Gabriel is welcomed to a sight that he had never expected. His people, the people he loved so dearly. The people whom his parents died for...were sparse. There were very few if anyone at all around. And that were in the line of sight looked like nothing but skin and bones. " This is worse than I imagined" he said as even more sadness and despair entered his heart.
The town that surrounded the castle smelled of filth and excrement. The streets were dark and muddy brown, and smoke from lone fires choked out the bit of clean air that was not stained with the wretched oder.
As they make their way to the castle, it seemed to only get worse. More and more people looked sick and on the verge of death.
The Castle was tall and made from thick Grey bricks. It was not as shiny as the Witches castle but it was strong and firm. Just like the people the castle was meant for. Thick carved dark wood doors led into the massive throne room where a roundtable sat that Gabriel does not remember being there from his childhood. 7 men and one woman sat in the chairs at the table and stood up to greet him.