Stone by Night

There were hours yet before dawn would finally break, time enough to find and slaughter the Vikings once and for all, avenging their fallen clan and putting their souls to rest. The second's eyes narrowed as she recognized where they were heading…the Vikings had made their camp in and around the ancient cave that Archmage had called his home after his exile from the castle. Somehow, it made some small kind of sense that these vermin would hide here in the lair of the deceased Archmage, humans could be so predictable.

The five Gargoyles let out an unearthly mixture of howls and screeches as they descended on the Vikings' camp site. The second swooped down on the panicked soldiers and seized one of them in her grasp before soaring through the air again and releasing him to plummet to his death. The sound of his bones snapping reached her ears as she alighted on the ground again and brought a small sense of satisfaction to her, the clan would be avenged this night, the Vikings would all pay dearly for each of her brothers and sisters that they had shattered. She would have blood for blood, each one of them would suffer a thousand times over before she was through with them.

The second's eyes lit with a crimson light as she snarled and hissed at the Vikings within range, raking their bodies with her talons as she grappled with those who got too close and attempted to take her on. Her surviving clansmen and herself were a whirlwind of death, even the Gargoyle beast had finally caught up with them and was partaking in his share of the slaughter. The old leader had managed to rest a sword from one of the Vikings and was engaging whatever foes came against with all the skills and knowledge that came with age. Of Goliath, there was no sign though, she had thought she'd seen him winging his way off toward the cliffs shortly after the battle began, but if he had she had no idea why, nor did she care.

Despite their terror, some of the Vikings attempted not to fight back, but to slaughter the humans that they had kidnapped from the castle. In spite of her own thoughts on the humans, the second did her best to keep the Vikings from slaughtering the former allies of the clan, it was not entirely their fault that they had failed in their duty to protect her kind, it was entirely the captain's…and she thought bitterly, her own. Her own clan was beyond saving, but she owed it to these humans for at least this one night, she could save them.

It wouldn't even come close to making up for what she had done, but nevertheless she owed them. Though if she chanced upon the captain this night, she would slay him herself; he had no place in this world any longer. His betrayal would cost him dearly. Despite their superior numbers, the second knew that she and her kin had more skill and strength by far, it would not take much to route these pigs. True to her predictions the surviving Vikings were soon turning and fleeing off into the night, completely routed and demoralized.

Her blood was up and pumping, this is what it truly meant to be alive, the thrill of the fight and the destruction of one's enemies, she breathed deep the aroma of battle, the stink of sweat, blood, and fire, she would have pursued the survivors and continued the fight all throughout the night but for the sudden weariness she felt, her clan had been avenged, but it had not brought her peace. Still, she would savor their victory while it lasted, they were alive, and their enemy was not, right now, that was all that mattered.

"You fools!" the voice of the Magus broke the newfound stillness, the white haired man glared at the five Gargoyles, the Grimorum Arcanorum clutched tightly under his arm, "She'd be alive if not for you, if you hadn't come here!"

"Uh, what's he talking about?" the smallest the three youngest Gargoyles asked, his green face taking on a bemused expression.

"The human has obviously damaged his brains," the second remarked scornfully, waving her hand dismissively, "Ignore him."

"They would have ransomed us both," the Magus continued angrily, ignoring the Gargoyles and their conversation and focusing on the Grimorum, frantically searching through its pages his face distorted with an almost deranged expression, "But you invaded their camp, and now-"

"What's all this?" the old leader interrupted, hurrying forward to the developing confrontation, "Where's the princess?"

"Dead!" the Magus shouted at them angrily, "And it's all your doing. Could I but wield a sword I would send you all to join her! But this will have to do instead." The magician planted his finger firmly on one of the pages, his eyes glimmering with delight at what would be the fate of the Gargoyles who had inadvertently destroyed the life of Princess Katharine. The second tensed, preparing herself to leap at the distraught human. She recognized the Grimorum Arcanorum for what it was, the Archmage himself had possessed it before and she had seen him use it a great many times whilst still serving as his apprentice, the magics it wrought almost always harmful, and she would never let herself be subjected to them.

Before she could make her move however the Magus had begun reading from the page and the swirling energies of the spell being cast through the book blocked her way and kept her in place. "Dormiatus dum castellum super nubes ascendat!" The words the Magus read off sent chills running up and down her spine, she had never learned to understand much Latin, but these words she could understand well enough, and the thought of what they would do terrified her. The Magus was basically killing them! The meaning, "may you sleep until the castle rises above the clouds", was as good as a death sentence, while not physically slaying them, until the terms and conditions of the spell were met, the five them would slumber in stone sleep…but the castle rising above the clouds? It was impossible, and even if it were not and could eventually be done, they would be shattered long before that could ever come to pass.

The second's thoughts turned to her mate as the spell began to take its hold on her, an oppressive weight spreading throughout her body as she slowly turned to stone as drowsiness and sleep began to overtake her…never again would she see Goliath, the thought was too much to bear, one silent tear slipped from her eyes as the spell completed…leaving the five once living Gargoyles in stone sleep for all of eternity.

Beneath him Goliath saw three figures running towards the cliff, one of them was unmistakably the human princess, and one of her pursuers was no doubt the leader of these Vikings, Hakon. The leader of the Gargoyle clan let loose a low growl, the other survivors could handle the rest of the Vikings for the moment…his business lay with these three.

He would rescue Princess Katharine, and then he would have his vengeance. Against all hope his, his Angel of the Night had survived, but that was a cold comfort against the deaths of all the rest of his rookery brothers and sisters and their spilled blood crying to him for vengeance, to slay their murders and put the spirits of his kin to rest. He slammed into a hard landing on the ground behind the three humans assuming a battle stance and preparing to deal with them…he was brought short as they all three whirled to face him. Not for any fear or hesitation, but from sheer shock, the third human was none other than the captain of the guard of Castle Wyvern.

"You? You were the betrayer?" he shouted angrily at the human, he had once regarded the captain as a friend, a loyal comrade in arms…the betrayal stinging all the more now, his fury taking a hold of his mind and pushing all else aside.

"It was nah supposed ta be this way," the captain protested in fear, he knew he was damned the minute Goliath worked past his initial shock and laid hands on him.

"All of my kind are dead," Goliath roared, his eyes flashing white in the darkness and bearing his fangs and clenching and unclenching his fists, "And now, now you two will join them!"

"I told ye to take the other Gargoyles with ye!" the captain protested, growing more desperate in his bid to hold off the enraged Gargoyle and possibly talk him down, "If ye'd only listened none of us would be here now!"

The Viking leader looked fearfully between the leader of the Gargoyle clan he had just shattered and his partner in crime, the one who had betrayed the castle into his hands and who he had intimidated into submission in order to smash all of the Gargoyles. He hit upon a possible solution, "He's the one!" he shouted frantically pointing at the captain and attempting to force all of the blame there, "He's the one who shattered them all. It's him you want!"

Before Goliath could do anything further the captain leapt at the Viking, "Why you lying scum!", his voice bristled with anger and fury at the accusation. The two of them grappled with each other, each attempting to seize control over Hakon's sword and slay the other. There was a slight rumble and suddenly ground beneath the three humans, the captain, Hakon, and the princess, gave way and sent each of them tumbling over the edge of the cliff toward the angry surf breaking over the rocks at the bottom of the cliff below them. Goliath was shocked to his sense by the sight of the princess tumbling over the edge and toward her death below, lunging forward onto his stomach the large Gargoyle seized hold of the ropes binding the young human and hauled her up onto firm ground once more.

With one quick yank the ropes binding the princess were snapped and his eyes were drawn down to the bottom of the cliff once more, the treacherous captain and the leader of the Vikings had already vanished from sight, drawn beneath the waves of the see and never to be seen again. His chance at vengeance had slipped his grasp, the traitor and the murder or his people were both dead…but not by his own hand, it was not the same, somehow the victory felt hollow.

"Goliath," the princess remarked sadly, bending down by the leader of the Gargoyles, she had no idea what to say, what comfort could she possibly give to a Gargoyle? The two species, human and Gargoyle were like enough, but so many differences, what could she possibly say to express her sympathies, it was not her people who had been massacred and destroyed, "I-"

The two of them were interrupted by a young boy calling out, "Goliath, you've got to help your friends, please, come quickly!" He recognized the lad as one of the refugees that had recently arrived at the castle, and the boy from the other night who had tried to befriend the three young gargoyles had sent down to the Rookery. Whatever it was obviously something desperate. Without a moment's further thought the leader of the Gargoyles raced after the boy back toward the camp of the Vikings. Hundreds of horrible scenarios ran through his mind as he followed, but none were as awful as the sight that beheld him upon reaching the others. All five of them, his mate, his mentor the old leader, the three rookery brothers, and the lone Gargoyle beast that had survived; all five of them frozen in stone sleep though the dawn was yet hours from arriving. How could this be?

"Stone? By night?" he reached gingerly toward the face of his Angel of the Night, now frozen in stone and unmoving, cold to the touch, "What sorcery is this?" He demanded angrily, though he knew not who he was speaking to.

Silent footsteps approached behind and the familiar voice of the Magus addressed him coldly, "Sorcery indeed. And now you too shall join them." Goliath turned to see the man facing him, his face set in grim determination as he prepared to read off his spell from the Grimorum. He was frozen in shock, how could the magician do this to them? What had they done to deserve this? Had he been in on the betrayal as well? The Magus was stopped short as Princess Katharine stepped out quietly from behind the Gargoyle and took a hesitant step toward the statues that had moments ago been six living, breathing beings. "Princess?" his voice was quiet, almost remorseful as he comprehended what he had just done, and been about to do once more.

"Oh, Magus," Katharine whispered mournfully, turning from the stone Gargoyles to her friend, "What have ye done?"

The book fell heavily from the Magus hands as collapsed to his knees before the opened book, "I-I-I I thought you dead, your highness," he stammered, the full weight of his actions hitting him full force, what he had just done was unspeakable, "I-I was mad with grief. I thought to avenge your death in the only way I knew how…"

Goliath stomped forward and dragged the miserable magician up into the air by the front of his robes and held him aloft, "Reverse the spell!" he shouted shaking the startled Magus briefly, gesturing at his fellow Gargoyles, "Bring them back!"

"I cannot," the Magus protested in fright, "the page with the counter spell was destroyed by Hakon."

Goliath dropped the human on top of his book lying open on the ground, "Then I am truly alone…"

"Ye turned them ta stone forever?" Katharine asked weakly, helping the magus to his feet from where Goliath had dropped him.

"The terms of the spell were that they would sleep until Caster Wyvern rises above the clouds," the Magus replied, "They may as well be forever stone…the condition is impossible to be met." Goliath bowed his head, closing his eyes and exhaling bitterly, the Magus was right, what hope was there of ever resurrecting his sleeping kin, the condition could never be met, not even in a thousand years. He was truly the last of his clan…he was truly alone.

"Goliath, what will ye do now? Where will ye go?" Katharine asked, placing a hand on the large Gargoyle's shoulder, "If there is anythin' we can do, anythin' at all, ye have but to name it."

What could he do? His clan was all gone, all but lost to him for all eternity, the only thing left were the eggs within the Rookery, but he could scarcely care for 36 hatchlings all on his own, there had to be a solution, "Help me move what remains of my clan back to the castle…once we're there, there is one last favor you can do for me."

"Ye have but to name it," Katharine promised solemnly, "After the wrong we've done ye and all tha's happened this night, it is the least we can do."

"The eggs in the Rookery, my clan's children, all that remains of them," Goliath gazed forlornly once more at his mate and the others the Magus had cursed, "They will be hatching soon. They will need both protection and guidance…something I cannot offer them. And then, Magus, there is one last favor you can do me…cast your spell one last time."

"It will be done, Goliath," the Magus acknowledged, "We will look after your children as if they were our own." The Gargoyle nodded once and then turned to help the rescued humans to gingerly and carefully place the statues his clan had become into the carts, the road to Castle Wyvern was not a long one, but it would be too close to sun-up by the time they got there, speed was of the essence, soon, he would be united with the other survivors in what would be an eternal sleep, only time could decide their fate.

Author's Note: Well, next chapter will be the time skip up to 1994 and now the fic can really get going :D