Nephilim Quest Book 1: Shadowhunter

30. The Gatekeepers 2/3

She left the words hanging in the air for a while for maximum effect, and then continued.

"There's a difference between the permanent and temporary gates. The permanent gates are connected to the higher frequencies of the buffer zone, so it is not very likely the Immortals could find their way to them from there. If they were "high" enough to reach that level in the first place, they would have achieved a state of existence that meant they most likely wouldn't want to go back to their lower energies any more. So to reach the permanent gates on their own level they would need to find them in our ordinary world, in our denser frequencies. Having achieved that they could try locking the gates to the lower frequencies on the other side as well, and that would mean to the City of Immortals. There is a way to do that, but it requires Nephilim skills. Daniel knows how this is done, but does not share the knowledge, so it won't leak out."

I pondered, visualising the permanent gate that I knew about here in the Centre.

"Ok, I think I've got the general idea..."

"Good. These temporary gates made with the Keys, on the other hand, open to the lower levels of the buffer zone and that means the very level that the Immortals live in. And the dark Nephilim, who are not like our Daniel."

I swallowed nervously. Whether it was the reference to the bad Nephilim or Daniel that made me nervous, I wasn't altogether sure.

"But how could anyone stop them from using the temporary gate made with the Keys? If the Nephilim are strong, can't they just force their way through...?"

"They could," Mrs Olanda agreed. "First of all, the gate needs to stay open at our end, because the Time Walkers will have to use it when they return. If they don't, they may land in the wrong place - and the wrong time, even when they have experienced Weavers with them."

I was going to ask about the Weavers, but decided not to. I would learn the whole thing in time.

"You saw how Lilith opened and closed the gate?"

"Yes, I did."

"Very well then. She uses the Key to both open and close the gate she creates. But it can be closed in another way too. You simply need to draw the edges of the slit together and press them until they merge together. The more recent the cut is, the easier this is. After a week it requires real strength. I will show you."

Mrs. Olanda gestured for me to approach the slit Lilith had made for us before leaving the classroom.

"Peek in, if you want to," Mrs. Olanda said good-humoredly. "I know you are curious."

Her smile was catching, and I grinned back at her and put my head through the slit. I only saw grey mist, and a vague impression of a path, solid in the midst of the swirling mist.

"That is the path that starts from this classroom. We have entered on our journeys so often from here that our steps have begun to mold the buffer zone's material into something more solid that looks like a real path. That is also why this classroom has outrun its purpose. We don't want the path to reveal our whereabouts, so we'll move to another classroom from this one after this group has returned. The path will dissolve pretty soon, when no one walks on it anymore," Mrs. Olanda's voice came from behind me. "Now, come back."

I stepped backwards. Mrs. Olanda raised her arms theatrically, and took hold of the sides of the gap. She gently pressed the ends together, squeezing the edges between her fingers, and then stepped back. The slit was still there, but the spot where her hands had touched, was shimmering slightly. After a while it lost brightness and dissolved into nothing. The opening was slightly shorter as a result.

"Now you try."

I raised my hands and touched the edges. It was the oddest feeling. It was not of real physical matter, but I could feel static prickling my palms, and a somewhat similar feeling to the one that Daniel's wings had caused in my hands. I grabbed the nothingness and almost reluctantly it followed my hand. I felt like a mime, pretending to do something imaginary. I pulled the sides together, having the slightest impression of a silky fabric in my fingers, and squeezed. Little blue sparks shot from under my fingers.

"Not so hard," Mrs. Olanda smiled.

I let go and looked at what I had done. The same scar-like shimmering line appeared in the air as had done with Mrs. Olanda's hands, and after a while it dissolved.

"So that's the closing part. Now to the guarding of the gate... may I introduce Jason?"

"Hello!" said a deep voice from behind me. I whirled around with my heart in my throat. I had not noticed anyone entering the room.

Jason obviously spent a lot of time at the gym - he was not very tall, but looked as though he could bend steel bars. His hair was carefully gelled into fashionable spikes. He was a little over twenty years of age, I estimated. He shook my hand, but did not crush my fingers to show his strength, as I was expecting.

"Hello!" I smiled back at him and he grabbed his heart theatrically and pretended to faint.

"Ooo... we are in the presence of beauty! Be still, my heart!"

Mrs. Olanda chuckled.

"Behave, Jason! We need to tell Dana here how the Gatekeepers use their skills to fight the Nephilim when required."

"It's all in the technique. They are very strong, and very fast," Jason switched to seriousness in an instant. "If they are in their human form, we use ordinary fighting skills. That means just about anything under the sun. We learn as many fighting techniques as possible, both Oriental and Western - boxing, kick-boxing, sword-fighting..."

"And if they are in their angel form?" I wanted to know.

"Then we attack the wings. Daniel taught us how," Jason explained. "You can kill a Nephilim by attacking their wings. It has to do with their breathing process. If they don't have time to withdraw their wings, and you cut to the base of them - right where the wings come out of their shoulders and backs - it's like cutting their windpipe. They suffocate, or at least they are badly crippled and will have to withdraw. It seems it is difficult for them to switch back quickly to their human lungs, if the wings are outstretched."

I suddenly understood there must be a lot more to the wings than I had imagined. I really must have made some unforgivable blunder when I stroked Daniel's wings. I had no right to feel hurt because he was avoiding me.

xxxx

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