All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Rosebud1773.

Winds of Change: Season Two

Chapter Seven

Demona poured over ancient tomes, crumbling scrolls and plastic encased pages looking for anything she could find that bore even a remote reference to the Dracona Cycle. It was an ominous prophecy, not just for the human vermin, but for gargoyles as well. After witnessing Goliath and his human pet in the skies over Central Park, the prophecy plagued her as did the violation of her senses. The images of her former lover engaging in sexual gratification with her most hated adversary paled next to the annihilation some of the text hinted at. Those images of Goliath and Elisa were forevermore burned into her mind, however. There was no escape from them even in sleep. She would have given much to obliterate both the images and the pair who had created them. If she had not known better, she would have sworn Goliath had flashed their most intimate connection at her deliberately. She knew him better, however. He went out of his way to seek a great deal of privacy.

Elisa Maza, the name made her blood boil every single time she heard it, thought it, spoke it. Few things in her immortal existence were capable of leaving scars. Maza had left a number of them upon her flesh as well as her psyche. The regenerative effects of the link between Macbeth and herself had taken what seemed an eternity to finally heal the damage done to her hands when the woman had burned them. Even after more than a year the joints were still vaguely stiff. And now, she thought venomously, the bitch has been granted the gift of change without the price of pain! The woman might have changed into a gargoyle, but that did not change the fact that she was human-born. Things were much worse than that, however. Elisa Maza bore the blood of Avalon in her veins as well. She was no better than Xanatos' mongrel son in that regard. There was something, she was sure of it. Something she had read centuries ago regarding such a creature mingling with gargoyle kind. She was certain it was connected to the Dracona Cycle. That particular subject was a complex series of prophecies and conditions. Each fulfilled arc brought about a dozen new branches. There was no way to know for sure which branch might be the true arc of the prophecy. In some arcs the future was not so grim. Humanity was simply wiped away like so much dirt on a tiled floor. She prayed for that outcome with the rising and setting of the sun every day. In others, both Fae and human alike were destroyed. She would not grieve for Puck or his ilk. In still other branches there was no future at all, for any race. Everything that was or might be simply ceased to exist in the wake of Dracona's coming. Those were the branches that left her lying wide-eyed and awake during her all too brief periods of rest.

The destruction of the human race was something Demona longed for, dreamed of during her long days in their disgusting form, but not at the expense of her own much more superior race. She had found mention in over a dozen text of the Dracona Cycle. Many of them spoke of the Destroyer; the one who would purge the world. Dracona's destruction would not be limited to humanity. All would be lost in oblivion. That was not what she wanted for her kind. She intended to see her people rule the earth. It was their destiny and it was her destiny to lead them. The Dracona Cycle was not the answer she had hoped it might be. If the Destroyer emerged the earth would be a vast graveyard filled with the ruins of crumbling buildings. They would mark the only remnants of civilization.

Demona thumbed through another heavily bound volume in deep thought. There were too many possibilities, too many branches the prophecy might take. If the Redeemer emerged, gargoyle kind might reign over the world or they might crumble to dust. The Redeemer would judge all who came before her. If any were found lacking, they might well be destroyed. The fragments she had found were unclear.

Picking up a tome that seemed nearly the twin to the Grimorum, she gingerly turned a few pages. Within those pages she found a fragment of the archaic text she sought and began to translate as she read…

"In a time of uncertainty and strife, when the world teeters on the brink of cataclysm…a force of nature shall be born. Dragon's fire shall walk the earth in the guise of flesh. Born of a union neither human, gargoyle nor Fae, but a blending of the three. All the world shall quake before this united trinity of power. Redeemer and Destroyer, Guardian and Betrayer, Dracona will come again…," she turned the page. The rest of the text was missing, ending in an ancient smear of something that might have been blood.

Looking up from the book in horror, Demona put a taloned hand to her lips and whispered. "Oh, Goliath,…what have you done?"

There was no doubt in her mind that Dracona would be reborn of the pair she had witnessed over Central Park. Her contact inside the Eyrie had already made mention of the wind ceremony little more than a year ago. Could the human conceive again so soon? She did not know. Gargoyles were bound by infrequent breeding seasons. If her own daytime form was any indication of human reproduction then she was fairly certain they could breed anytime they wished. That would explain their overpopulation of the planet.

Demona closed the book with a heavy thump. Her head spun, mind struggling to grasp the full implications of what she had just read. She tried to come to terms with what she had seen over Central Park, what Goliath seemed determined to bring about. Did he know that he and his human slut might well bring about the end of the world? She doubted it. They were simply consummating their unnatural attraction.

Taking a shuddering breath, she glanced down at one of the many scrolls that littered her desk. There had to be an answer in one of them. They were all that was left of Atlantis and the Atlanteans had managed to contain the 'guardian', after all. She knew now that they had somehow managed to trap what might one day become the goddess of destruction. There had to be a way to put the proverbial genie back into the bottle.

/

"Oh c'mon! As much as I love being like this, there has to be a way to change back. I can't face my parents like this! I'm not going to get their blessing to marry Goliath if I show up on their patio as a gargoyle. When hell freezes over, maybe. If they think he had anything to do with this it will never happen!" Elisa yelled at Owen, waving her hands vaguely at her current form. Fury flashed in her eyes in the form of faint green energy.

The man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a sniff. "I've already explained that I can't help you, Miss Maza. Puck has told you you're on your own in this. You must undo what you have done."

"That's just great! I have no idea how to change back. If I did, don't you think I would have by now?" Elisa snapped. Owen's oatmeal tone was seriously getting on her last nerve. She glared at him and her eyes flashed red with her anger.

"Don't you have a lesson with Puck and Xander later tonight? Perhaps you might consider bringing your concerns up then." Owen grumbled and tapped the edge of the small stack of papers he was sorting on the desk to align their edges. A mundane task, to be sure, but one made much easier with Titania's gift. She had released his stone hand from its encasement not long ago.

Elisa sighed and continued to glare at him a moment longer. He met her gaze evenly, unflinchingly as she grumbled something under her breath. "Fine, but I want some answers then or I swear I'll cuff you and stuff you in a cruiser myself."

"Oh yes, that will work out marvelously, don't you think, Miss Maza? Haul me into the station in the guise of a gargoyle..." Owen's tone suggested the puck was laughing hysterically at the idea within him.

"Gah!" Elisa threw her hands up and headed for the door. As she opened it, she glanced back at Owen and snarled. "Just make sure Puck is in the great hall at midnight like we agreed."

"With bells on..." Owen actually chuckled before he caught himself and sternly went back to his paperwork.

/

Owen sat shuffling papers for a moment more and stifled the chuckle that had escaped. The detective's threat was ludicrous. She knew as well as he that she could not show up at the precinct in her current form. True, the rest of the clan was attached to the department task force via Chavez' orders. Most of the force was growing accustomed to seeing and/or dealing with them by this point. The real problem with her empty threat was explaining how she, a known human, had suddenly become a gargoyle. She could not do it and they both knew it. Her appearance might lead to panic among the more sensitive officers. They might begin to question how many of their colleges could suddenly change. Then there was the chance that someone might toss in the idea that being a gargoyle was somehow contagious. Anyone might suddenly turn into one just by being too close.

Another chuckle escaped him and he sighed, shaking his head. Humans, he thought, they really will believe anything...even if it's not true. That compunction of the species had lead him on many a merry adventure over the centuries. He wondered what new adventures it might lead to in the current century. Then he remembered sadly that he was currently bound to human form. Without little Xander to teach, and perhaps Maza to torment, he might eventually lose the ability to release the puck. He realized that would be a sad day in deed. His mind turned toward the 'guardian' in the alchemy tower. No, Puck will not be bound to human form forever, he vowed. Dracona is the answer.

/

Elisa sat in the dining hall in irritation waiting on the Puck to show himself. Young Xander was already there toying with his Rubics Cube. The boy seemed engrossed in the annoying puzzle toy. She knew it was not the puzzle that held his interest. There were ripples of magic wavering off the object. He had infused it with enough energy to leave a crater where Manhattan Island now stood if it had been a bomb. She decided he did not need that idea seeded in his young mind. Instead of voicing her fears of what he was doing, she remained silent. Her wings twitched in agitation as time dragged on.

When Elisa had finally had enough of the waiting game, she began to fidget. Dawn was a few hours off and she could think of any number of things more worthy of her time than waiting on the irritating trickster. This would be her first real lesson with him since he had forced her to burn through her humanity to reach the core of magic hidden within. She was not thrilled with him being the only one she could turn to for training.

Picking a talon, she sighed in frustration. Xander must have noticed her growing anger as he walked over to her and set his cube down on the bench beside her. He eyed her inquisitively until she locked eyes with him. Then he smiled, the freckles stretching across the bridge of his nose. It was the smile of a child who knows something the adult does not.

"Uncle Puck will be here. He promised." he said simply.

"I don't trust your uncle." Elisa sighed.

"He likes you, Auntie Elisa." Xander said as he climbed up on the bench beside her and resumed toying with the cube.

"He's got a funny way of showing it." she grumbled.

"Uncle Puck does what he knows is best. If we gotta wait to start a lesson, then it means the lesson is gonna take time to learn." the boy was only half focused on her as he spoke.

"I don't know. I still don't like it." Elisa crossed her arms with a sigh.

Both their heads shifted upwards, eyes snapping toward the ceiling when they heard the sounds of bells. Puck tip-toed along the rafters dangling a cluster of slay bells. He smiled wickedly at Elisa and shook the bells directly at her before dropping to the floor. The Fae flipped half way down and landed delicately on his feet.

"The bells are a dashing touch, don't you think? Given your oh so frustrating chat with Owen earlier...," Puck just seemed to drip sarcasm.

"Unbelievable...," Elisa growled under her breath.

"Oh come on, it's fun, it's festive..." Puck hooted gleefully.

"Maybe for Christmas...," Elisa grumbled to herself.

"I heard that." Puck appeared inches from her face and whispered.

Elisa gasped and leaned back, nearly falling off the bench in the process. She glared at the trickster and pursed her lips in irritation. It was going to be a long night. That realization hit her along with thoughts of sunrise. She wondered how many more days she would be forced to endure stone sleep. Granted, she enjoyed the wings, they had their advantages, but she did not relish the sensation of being petrified. She had no idea how Goliath and the clan dealt with it. It was their nature, she supposed. They knew no other form of sleep. She, on the other hand, had been born human. For her, there was a significant amount of terror involved with being frozen in stone every morning. She feared she might not awaken at sunset.

Now Elisa sat glaring at Puck, balling all of that anxiety and fear up into the look of death she gave him. It must have worked. The Fae backed off looking much paler than he normally did. The way his mouth worked soundlessly for a few seconds told her it must have gone dry. Good, she thought, let him worry.

"Well then, shall we get started?" Puck stammered after zapping himself back to the center of the room. He had made sure he was well away from Elisa before he opened his mouth again.

The Puck would not admit it, not even to himself most days, but there was something unsettling about Elisa Maza the last few days. She had developed a raptor's gaze that seemed to pin him to whatever spot he occupied when she locked it on him. Her magic was growing closer to the surface much faster than he had anticipated. At her current rate of growth, she might well discover how to change herself back to her human form in a matter of days. He had been counting on weeks. The time table of his plans would have to be hurried along then. Maza needed to remain in her gargoyle form for the first stage. After that, she would be free to return to her human form. He would grant her request if she was unable to figure it out herself at that point.

After less than an hour of parlor tricks, Puck realized he would not need to grant Maza's request after all. She need only learn to focus her will and speak the word in order to return to her human form. In fact, he was fairly certain she would be able to change at will once she learned the all important focus. He would need to have a word with her and soon. Her form needed to be stable for a few more days at least or she might miscarry Dracona's vessel. He had no desire to see her go through that again nor did he wish to lose the dragon goddess. She must be reborn in this age or all might well be lost.

/

Pregnant... She was pregnant. The moment Puck had cornered her and spoken to her about not pushing the issue of her current form, she had suspected it. She had confronted him about the possibility and he had confirmed it. Elisa had wasted no time in seeking out Dr. Sato. She needed to know for sure, needed to know that the baby was ok. Her fears of another miscarriage set her nerves to jangling on high alert. It was enough that she had dropped all argument regarding her transformation. If a gargoyle form was what her baby needed for a solid start, then she would gladly remain so.

Dr. Sato, unfortunately, was not available when she first sought him out. He had been called away to care for a long time patient and would not return for several weeks. Elisa was left to stew for a time. Her nerves and hormones made her edgy and she caught herself taking it out on those around her more than once. Even Goliath seemed to irritate her more than normal and so she secluded herself in Goliath's chambers as she had directly after she had been freed from Sevarius.

The weeks went by quickly and finally Dr. Sato returned to the Eyrie. Elisa no longer needed him to confirm her pregnancy. It had made itself abundantly clear in that time. Her gargoyle body had begun to show signs of the pregnancy within the first couple of weeks. By the third week, Puck had finally proclaimed it safe for her to return to her human form. He had made it clear to her that those weeks had been vital to ensuring Dracona was safely ensconced within her new vessel. Her change would not longer affect that vessel or the pregnancy.

/

"Well," Dr. Sato breathed as he looked at the monitor, his hand deftly running the ultrasound doppler over Elisa's decidedly swelled belly. "there's definitely a soft shell of sorts forming around the fetus."

"An egg? Nobody said anything about me laying an egg.." Elisa grumbled.

"Gargoyle eggs are soft until their first dawn..." Goliath said absently. He was still absorbing the fact that Elisa was truly carrying his child. His fears of the mishap that ended her last pregnancy forefront in his mind.

"One egg...," Sato continued as if he had not heard them. He moved the doppler around as he turned a small dial on the unit it was attached to. "...two babies..."

"What?" Goliath breathed.

"Excuse me?" Elisa hissed as she attempted to twist around to see the monitor.

Sato pulled the monitor around on its wall bracket so that she might see it. He began pointing out defining shapes as he circled them with a stylus. "There's one head and it appears to have a faintly ridged brow forming." he paused as he moved the doppler an inch over. "Here's the other. Again, what appears to be a ridged brow forming. This chain of pearls is twin B's spine and there is certainly going to be a tail."

"They share the same egg?" Elisa asked, concern written clearly on her face.

"Twins are rare among gargoyles. When it does happen, it is easier on the mother if there is only one egg to clutch." Goliath said, his tone still one of shock.

"But doesn't that put them in danger? I mean an egg is only going to have just so much room for them to grow in." Elisa's concern was growing with each passing moment.

"Wait..." Sato mumbled and held up a hand as his focus returned to the monitor.

"Don't you dare tell me there's a third baby." Elisa snapped.

"No, I stand corrected. There are, in fact, two eggs. Each anionic sack has its own soft shell forming. Twin B already seems to be full of mischief. He was hiding the fine line that defines the edges of the second sack." Sato said as he moved the device around a little further.

"He?" Elisa asked. "I thought Dracona's vessel was supposed to be a girl."

"Oh yes, twin A is a girl. Twin B just politely sat on the doppler a moment ago. There's no doubt what he is." Sato paused long enough to wipe the gel from Elisa's belly and looked at her seriously for a moment. "The development of your twins is much more than a couple of months. These babies are closer, in human terms, to a four or five month fetus. I'd say they'll be full term in a matter of weeks, not months. Not exactly."

"Gargoyles are pregnant for six months before clutching." Goliath supplied automatically.

"Well, that explains it then. They are very definitely proceeding along a gargoyle gestation...for the moment." Sato noted.

"So what are you saying?" Elisa asked quietly still trying to grasp the enormity of the situation.

"Twelve weeks, maybe less, and you will deliver them. At a guess, I'll say they may remain inside those egg shells for another three or four months post-delivery. My guess is they'll develop along the normal human rate at that point." he held up a finger as she opened her mouth to speak, "Again, that is my best guess. There has never been a human/gargoyle hybrid to my knowledge."

Goliath did not miss the pointed look the doctor shot at him. He shook his head in negative. In all of history, no stories spoken by the elders of the past made mention of such a birth. Rare was the mention of twins. Rarer still were twins hatched from two separate eggs. His eyes slid to Elisa's decidedly rounded belly and he knew a fear like no other. Females sometimes died during clutching and Elisa had not been born a gargoyle. Could her all too human body handle such a birth? He wondered if it might not be better for her to remain in her gargoyle form until after the clutching. Surely her body might handle the eggs more easily in that form.

The lavender behemoth moved to suggest it, but one look in her eyes stilled his words. She would insist she should be in human form to give her parents the news. He had heard the arguments a number of times over the last weeks. She was determined that her parents would not give them their blessing to bond if she were anything but her human self. He had made every effort he could to convince her that they would love her no matter the form she took. She had insisted that they would believe him responsible for her transformation. On numerous occasions he had stalked off to steam lest he rip his hair out. Pregnant Elisa Maza was even more impossible to reason with at times than 'normal' Elisa Maza.

To his surprise, Elisa asked the doctor one last question. The one that burned hottest in his mind. "Will transformation hurt them this far along?"

"You mean returning to your human form? I couldn't say. The pregnancy is well established at this point, but I would advise caution. Being in gargoyle form for delivery might be a better idea. The gargoyle female pelvis is designed to spread wider than that of a human. That would have some advantages given the circumstances." Sato answered in a matter of fact tone. As an afterthought, he added, "Better to ask your friend Puck about the particulars of transformation, however."

"I'll do that..." Elisa said as she slid off the cot. She was still digesting the fact that she was not only pregnant, but that pregnancy was going to produce hybrid twins. She would have the son and daughter she had thought would never be when she had committed to Goliath. Part of her was overjoyed. The other part was absolutely terrified.

/

Goliath watched Elisa head for Owen's office when they parted in the corridor. He knew she meant to be human when they made their vows to each other. Her pregnancy worried him. Though the doctor had assured them that the twins were fine and developing well, it still left him felling greatly concerned. Their first child had been lost due to an accident, something that should never have caused the loss in the first place. What if she changes and this pregnancy ends as well? How will she cope? How will I, for that matter? He did not think he could bare to watch her go through that again. To lose one child had nearly destroyed them both. But to lose two together? That was the stuff of nightmares.

Elisa disappeared around a corner and Goliath heaved a heavy sigh. He would seek out Xanatos. Surely the man had news by now whether Judge Roblyn would preside over their commitment ceremony or not. Hudson would officiate, but it was Roblyn who would fulfill the legal portion for his alter-ego, as it were. With a little luck, Gordon Liath Wyvern would be a married man in a very short time now. The final name change had been made official and the deed to the castle in the clouds had been updated to reflect it, as had all of the assets Xanatos had established along with his human persona.

/

Xanatos had been waiting for Goliath to make an appearance for a couple of days now. It had given him time to put the last details of the wedding in order. If all was going well, Puck should be having a chat with the detective even as Goliath entered the office. As he watched Goliath approach the desk, he could not decide if the look on his face was sore or contemplative. He hoped for the latter. It would not bode well if the betrothed pair had a falling out now. They had been through so much together, he very much doubted that even the end of the world could tear them apart at this point. Still there was that look on the gargoyle's face to contend with.

"Goliath... I was wondering when you were going to make an appearance." Xanatos said cheerfully as he laid a file folder aside.

"Has there been any word from Roblyn?" Goliath asked straight out.

"Right to the point then," Xanatos mumbled as he stood and straightened his suit jacket. "As a matter of fact, he contacted me just this morning. He was a little concerned at first given the nature of the last wedding conducted here, but I convinced him. He understands that this ceremony will be much more...shall we say...unique."

"Without magic or the interference of the Phoenix Gate for a certainty." Goliath stated more calmly than he felt.

"Yes, I've assured him that the Phoenix Gate, at least, will not be a factor this time. I'm not sure he believes me though." Xanatos said as he came around the desk. "I'm guessing your impending nuptials are not the only reason for your visit..."

"You are aware that Elisa is pregnant?" Goliath began hesitantly.

"Ah, yes. The thoughts of fatherhood giving you cold feet? I thought you'd be over all that by now. After all, you did recognize Angela as your offspring. I suppose this must be a bit different. You'll actually be able to hold this one as an infant. There's nothing in the world more powerful than holding that tiny baby in your arms for the first time." Xanatos smiled at the last, remembering when he had held Alexander for the first time. That tiny baby had changed something in his heart for the better in those first few moments.

Goliath stared at the man for a moments. It was clear that he was completely oblivious to the situation. True, he knew of the pregnancy and seemed happy for them, but he did not seem to understand just how delicate it truly was. The man had no idea of the true nature of the pregnancy. Only he, Elisa and the doctor knew of the twins. Twins, the idea still frightened him from his crown to his tail tip. What was he, a warrior, a leader, a gargoyle to do with twins? And babies at that. He knew next to nothing about children and even less about babies. During the last hatching, he had been too young to be seen as more than an older rookery sibling to the clan's children. Never once had he been involved in their care. He had never even seen a newborn. Alexander Xanatos was three months old when he had first seen him. The child was also half Fae, which made an enormous difference in his development. Angela had been an egg when he and the rest of his clan were frozen in stone. Hatchlings had always remained in the rookery, for their own safety, until they were near Gnash's age.
"Twins..." Goliath finally found his voice through the turmoil of his own thoughts, but this was not the true reason he had come to see the human.

"What?" Xanatos' face cracked in a giant smile as a laugh barked out of him. The man could not resist, he slapped Goliath on the back, careful to avoid the wing-strut. "I didn't think you had it in you..."

"Elisa has gone to speak with Puck." Goliath blurted after a moment. He deliberately ignored the hand on his shoulder and the crude comment.

Xanatos sobered abruptly as the implications struck him, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Puck is deeply invested in the success of this pregnancy."

"That is what concerns me. I fear what he may deem worthy of sacrificing to save this Guardian of his." Goliath paused and gave the human a stony look, "I do not wish to lose Elisa or...my son."

"I see your point. Perhaps we should have a word with him before he does anything rash." Xanatos said as he headed for the door. It was clear he expected Goliath to follow him.

/

Twins... Puck had never dreamed Dracona might bring another hybrid into the world with her. And a boy at that! They would be enough to spawn a whole knew race. After all, it was not unheard of for a new species to come into being in such a way. Brother breeding sister was the way it had been done in ancient Egypt as a practice to keep the bloodlines pure. It was a brilliant concept so long as one did not look too closely at the genetic defects that were bound to arise.

Puck considered the gargoyles for a time. Their clans were closed off, isolated and forced to inbreed to survive. Many of the less than human looking specimens were, no doubt, the result of long term inbreeding. How they had managed to survive as long as they had without outside influence, he would never understand. They were a dying race. The infrequency of their breeding cycles spoke to that. The Guardian and her twin would represent a fresh bloodline to be infused into the gargoyle race. Perhaps that was why the boy had come into being. If he survived. Then there was the question of their fertility. Would they be able to breed human as well as gargoyle? Would they be able to breed at all? Only time would tell with that.

The first thing Puck realized he must contend with was Maza's request. She wished to return to her human form, at least for awhile. The conditions of the Dracona Cycle were muddy in that area. It said nothing about the mother's abilities to transform. He found only a fraction regarding her hybrid nature. In millennia he had spent studying the prophecy, he was shocked that he had never stumbled on that particular piece. He had merely assumed the mother would have some faint trace of Fae blood at best. She would be human otherwise. Now he had a whole new section of the prophecy that made mention of human, Fae and gargoyle. No doubt, the best of the three worlds and now Dracona herself curled safely slumbering within Maza.

After careful consideration, Puck saw no harm in granting her request. She would merely figure it out in a matter of days anyway. Better that he be the one to cast the revert spell than she. He could ensure that it did not interfere with the pregnancy. After all, he was the most experienced of those present with magic. He had too much riding on that tiny scrap of life growing within Maza to screw things up now, at any rate.

/

Goliath stepped into the great hall mere seconds before Puck cast his spell. He gasped audibly as Elisa's form shimmered and shifted. The wings receded and the tail disappeared before his eyes as she took on human characteristics once more. She swayed once it was done and he was at her side to steady her in a blink.

A stern look pinned itself to his face as he glazed down at her. His mouth a tight line as a muscle in his jaw jumped. He could not say he was happy to see her in human form again, but he knew it had been her choice. She would have found a way to change herself. Perhaps it was better that Puck had done it for her. At least he would have been mindful of the children she carried and he had the power to protect them. It irked Goliath to admit that, but admit it he did.

"That was a reckless decision." Goliath said softly.

"You know why I chose it." Elisa replied just as softly.

"Yes..." he drew the word out as was his custom, "but perhaps you should have waited."

"I need to do this now. My parents deserve to know they're about to become grandparents. They should know that what their grandchildren will be." Elisa sighed tiredly. She had not realized the toll her pregnancy was taking on her until that moment.

"You need rest. We should return to our chambers." Goliath said with only a heartbeat of hesitation. They had shared those rooms for months now. A part of him still feared she would return to her human life now that she wore the form she was born to once more.

"Yes, go rest, Maza. You lesson for tonight is to sort out exactly how the transformation spell works. The threads of magic will linger for a time." Puck hooted from his place on a windowsill.

Elisa nodded and staggered just as she was about to turn toward the door. Goliath caught her and lifted her easily into his arms. She did not protest. Instead she yawned with a loud crack of her jaws. She was more tired than he had originally realized. The protests he had expected never came as he headed for the door and their chambers deeper in the castle. She needed sleep and he was going to see to it that she got some.

/