Chapter 6: A Shadow of a Doubt
"Great Gallopin' Gummies!" Gruffi hollered. "You mean to tell me there are more of those things around here?!"
"Exactly!" Ursa replied, still pointing her sword at Brooklyn.
Brooklyn tore his eyes away from Ursa's sword for a moment. Annoyed as he was at being referred to as "more of those things," the full meaning of the words suddenly dawned on him. "You've seen another gargoyle around here?" He asked in excitement, taking a step closer to the Gummies.
Ursa tightened her grip on the sword. "Don't move!"
Brooklyn stopped in his tracks, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his wing. "Please, I won't hurt you…"
At that moment, Sunni and Cubbi finally broke free from Grammi's hug and hurried back to Ursa and Gruffi. "No, don't hurt him!" Sunni cried out. "He's not dangerous!"
"Get away from him!" Gruffi grabbed the cubs' arms.
"But Gruffi, he saved our lives in the forest!" Cubbi protested.
"He… what?" Gruffi asked, caught off guard. He glanced at Brooklyn again, and saw the gargoyle giving him an innocent smile.
"Yes!" Sunni explained. "Something attacked us on the way home, and he saved us!"
"What attacked you?" Gruffi asked.
"Excuse me," Brooklyn interrupted from inside the trap. "But would you mind letting me out of here first?"
"I'll decide when and if I'll let you out!" Gruffi glared at Brooklyn.
"Gruffi Gummi!" Grammi scolded, moving toward him. "A wild boar can give you lessons in manners! This gargoyle just saved our cubs!"
"Yeah, and just last night one of his kind was about to kill us!" Gruffi shot back.
"Gruffi, that doesn't mean he's in league with her!" Zummi intervened. "If he saved the kids, the least we can do is give him a fair hearing!"
As the bears argued, Brooklyn's mind was racing. Another gargoyle had appeared there the night before. Now he was sure of it. And it was a female. He did not imagine that gargoyle at Dunwyn. But from the sound of it, that gargoyle was no friend. Perhaps it was some gargoyle banished from her clan. Or, a horrible thought crossed his mind, a gargoyle that was now used to operating alone…
"No, it can't be…" Brooklyn whispered to himself. He forced himself to remain calm. An angry outburst would not make the Gummies trust him. Besides, he still had no proof his most hated enemy was the gargoyle in question.
"Fine!" Gruffi finally gave in. "We'll hear him out, but I'm not letting him out of the trap without being sure it's safe!"
Grammi rolled her eyes. "I guess that's the best we can do right now."
Gruffi took a step closer to the trap, but Zummi held him back. "No, I'll talk to him first."
Gruffi eyed him in suspicion, but Zummi ignored him. He headed for the hole and gave Brooklyn a small smile, hoping he didn't look afraid. The other Gummies gathered behind him. They couldn't see well into the hole, but they listened intently.
Zummi cleared his throat. "What's your name, please?"
"Brooklyn," the gargoyle replied softly, pleased that this bear was trying to be polite to him.
"Okay… Brooklyn," Zummi continued, trying not to give away how strange the name sounded to him. "Please, can you tell us exactly how you found Sunni and Cubbi?"
"I was in the forest, and I saw the kids being attacked by this shadowy figure. I've seen something like that before. It belonged to an evil man. I saved them and brought them home."
"An evil man?" Zummi asked in concern. "Who is he?"
"He's called the Shadow Man," Brooklyn replied. "He's somewhere in Dunwyn, and I know he's up to no good. That's why the kids let me bring them home. I didn't think it was a good idea to let them go off alone."
Zummi stared at him for a moment, then glanced at Sunni and Cubbi, who nodded in affirmation. "Okay," Zummi turned back to Brooklyn, feeling a bit more reassured. "But why did you come to Dunwyn in the first place?"
Brooklyn knew this question would come sooner or later, but he still wasn't sure how to answer. If these bears didn't trust him, telling them about the Phoenix Gate might frighten them more. Who knew how they regarded magic? "I was sort of sent here on a mission," he finally said. "The way things look, I have to stop the Shadow Man before he attacks Dunwyn…"
"You didn't know he was going to be here?" Zummi asked.
"No," Brooklyn answered.
"Who sent you on this mission?" Zummi asked.
Brooklyn smiled in embarrassment. "Uh… It's complicated."
Zummi gaped at him for a moment, his reassurance fading slightly. "But whoever sent you must've known the Shadow Man was going to be here."
"Well, I guess so…" Brooklyn answered. "But I'm not exactly sure how." At that moment, Brooklyn wished he had simply said the mission was secret. Ironically that would've lead to less awkward questions.
Zummi stared at him, trying to decide if it were safe to ask his next question. "Are you here alone?" He finally asked.
"Yes," Brooklyn told him, determined to at least get the evil gargoyle matter straightened out if nothing else. "I heard you guys mention another gargoyle, but she didn't come here with me."
At that moment, Gruffi lost his patience and headed for the hole himself. "Right. And I suppose it's just a coincidence the two of you showed up here one after the other?" He asked in a somewhat condescending tone.
"Gruffi, stop it," Zummi told him, though a bit meekly. He had to admit Brooklyn's story didn't sound very convincing. He turned back to the gargoyle. "It's not a usual thing for gargoyles to travel alone, is it?" he asked, trying to keep his voice gentle, but he could not hide his suspicion.
Brooklyn sighed. "It's true, we usually stay with our clans, but… I got separated from mine some time ago. I've been on my own ever since."
The bears seemed to be debating what to do next. Gruffi gave Brooklyn an untrusting glare, while Zummi seemed confused.
Brooklyn sighed in slight frustration. If he didn't get out soon, who knows what the Shadow Man will do to Dunwyn. And if there was another threat around, a threat in the form of a female gargoyle…
"Who was the gargoyle that attacked you last night?" Brooklyn finally asked.
"Why should that matter to you?" Gruffi snapped. "I thought you were here alone?"
Brooklyn glared at him. "But she might be someone I know… did she have a name?"
"We're asking the questions here!" Gruffi told him.
Before Brooklyn could respond, Zummi said, "Her name's Demona."
It was probably just as well Gruffi shot Zummi an angry look that moment, and missed the rage that momentarily flashed in Brooklyn's eyes. "Demona…" he hissed under his breath.
"So you know her?" Zummi asked. Unlike Gruffi, he had noticed Brooklyn's reaction to hearing about Demona, and it did little to reassure him about the gargoyle.
"She's my clan's worst enemy," Brooklyn replied, trying to control his temper. "Please, if she's around here, she could be attacking Dunwyn as we speak. You've got to let me out of here!"
Zummi looked around nervously at the other Gummies, and knew most of them were just as confused as he was about letting Brooklyn go. He turned back to Gruffi. "I think we should free him," he said softly.
"Nothin' doin'!" Gruffi hissed. "He could be just playing along with Demona. We release him, he'll just help her attack us!"
"I wouldn't play along with Demona if she were the last gargoyle on earth!" Brooklyn fumed. "Because of her, most of my clan was destroyed!"
"Gruffi," Zummi insisted. "We can't just leave him in this trap. He saved Sunni and Cubbi…"
"Yes, and we did hear him out, now I trust him even less!" Gruffi answered firmly.
It took Brooklyn all his strength not to roar in fury. Instead, he lunged at the trap's wall and began clawing at the logs as fast as he could, angry at himself for not doing so sooner. He had lost so much moonlight already trying to get the bears to trust him.
"Stay back!" Gruffi ordered the other Gummies, who instantly backed away as Brooklyn broke more wood, enough to allow him to escape.
Brooklyn just shook his head at them, looking disappointed. He could not glide away on his injured wing, so instead he got down on all fours and ran into the forest without saying a word.
"Gruffi!" Sunni piped up. "How could you treat him like that?"
"Great," Gruffi glared at the direction Brooklyn had gone to, ignoring Sunni. "He'll be reporting our trap to Demona now. We'll need a new plan. As if trying to catch one gargoyle wasn't bad enough."
"Are you sure about that?" Grammi asked. On other circumstances she would've been furious with the way Gruffi had treated someone, though she had trouble making her mind about Brooklyn herself. "Maybe he was telling the truth about Demona being his enemy."
"He really did seem to hate her," Zummi agreed.
"We've got to go after him!" Cubbi announced. "He was wounded from that trap, and if there's trouble in the forest…"
"You're not going anywhere!" Gruffi snapped at him. "Haven't you learnt yet never to lead strangers to our home?"
"He saved our lives!" Sunni reminded him.
Gruffi shook his head. "Look," he began, trying to force his voice to calmness, "I know you two weren't here last night, and you didn't see Demona, but she's an evil monster! Whatever what's-his-name told you, we can't just assume he's trustworthy!"
Sunni glared at him. "His name's Brooklyn, and he's not working with her! Didn't you just see for yourself that he didn't know she was here until you mentioned it?"
"He's probably lying," Gruffi told her.
"Gruffi!" Grammi scolded. "We can't assume he's dangerous just because he happens to be a gargoyle like Demona!"
"How bad can he be if he saved Sunni and Cubbi's lives?" Tummi piped up.
Gruffi glared at him. "Didn't it occur to you he did it to gain our trust? Demona couldn't get us to help her, so she sent someone else for the job!"
"She was alone when I met her," Ursa intervened. "It didn't look like she had a gargoyle clan with her."
"It was probably a trick!" Gruffi insisted.
"Or it could've been true," Zummi replied. "I know Demona's evil and wants to destroy humans, but until last night, she had no reason to harm us, so why would she try to deceive us beforehand?"
"So you trust the other gargoyle?" Gruffi asked.
Zummi sighed in slight frustration. "I'm not sure," he answered grudgingly. "He seemed very sincere when he spoke against Demona, and I don't like doubting him after he saved the kids, but…" He lowered his eyes. "The story he gave us doesn't make much sense. I mean, there hasn't been a gargoyle around here for probably centuries, but suddenly two show up almost at once, they know each other, but didn't know the other was going to be here… and how did he know he had to stop the Shadow Man without knowing he was going to be here too?"
"Exactly why we can't trust him!" Gruffi said firmly. "He and Demona probably wanted us to think the Shadow Man was an enemy to turn us against humans!"
"The Shadow Man exists!" Sunni told him. "We saw him in Dunwyn. Brooklyn knew he had to stop him because he met him before, and he said he was evil."
"He tried to convince you a human was evil, then?" Gruffi asked.
"That human was evil!" Cubbi argued. "His shadow isn't normal, it tried to attack us when Brooklyn saved us. And he didn't try to turn us against all humans!"
"And even if he wanted to, those gargoyles may also have good reasons for hating humans!" Gritty argued.
"Something else doesn't fit here," Ursa spoke up, suddenly remembering something. "Demona told me humans destroyed her kind, and this Brooklyn said she was responsible. If he's trying to help her turn us against humans, why didn't he tell us the same thing?"
"Because he knows we already don't trust Demona, obviously!" Gruffi replied, annoyed.
Grammi shook her head. "I think Demona's got you shook up about gargoyles."
Gruffi glared at her, but before he could reply, Sunni spoke up. "This isn't helping. He's out there in the forest, and he's hurt."
"Don't worry about him, Pumpkin," Grammi told her softly. "Gargoyles can look after themselves, and he'll heal at sunrise."
"Are you sure?" Cubbi asked in concern.
"Gargoyles turn to stone during the day," Zummi explained. "And they are rejuvenated when they sleep."
"Speaking of sleep, we'd better all get going to bed," Gruffi said. "We'll take turns keeping watch in case one of those gargoyles shows up tonight."
"But Gruffi…" Cubbi argued.
"But nothing!" Gruffi insisted. "That gargoyle's long gone now, it won't do any good standing here."
"What about that Shadow Man?" Sunni asked. "He might attack Dunwyn tonight!"
"We have no reason to think that!" Gruffi replied, grabbing Sunni and Cubbi's arms and leading them back to the tree stump. "Just some poor evidence from a gargoyle."
The other bears followed, somewhat hesitantly. Before going inside, Grammi grabbed Zummi's arm, holding him back a moment. "You really think we can't trust Brooklyn?" she asked.
Zummi lowered his eyes again. "I really don't know. He seems like a good guy, but…"
"It's all just too strange," Grammi agreed. "And the Shadow Man?"
Zummi thought this over. "We don't know anything about him to do any good," he said. "I'll try and find something about cursed shadows in the Great Book."
Grammi nodded, a bit relieved. "Alright. I'd better help the Barbics settle in for tonight."
With that, both bears climbed into the holes in the tree stump and disappeared into the Glen.
Brooklyn rushed through the forest, his injured wing trailing behind him. He hoped he was going the right way to Dunwyn's courtyard. It was hard to tell on foot. He glared back at the direction of Gummi Glen. Because of their trap, he'd probably lose a whole night and day where he could be stopping the Shadow Man, or, just as importantly, find out what Demona was up to.
He sighed in frustration. It was not as though he could really blame the Gummies for not trusting him. He knew the story he gave them was weak, and they had every right to protect their home from strangers. It was the fact that Demona was the reason they didn't trust him that irked him.
"That phoenix must hate me," Brooklyn grumbled. "Demona and the Shadow Man in the same time and place?!"
He headed deeper and deeper into the forest, when he heard familiar voices some way ahead. He could not make out the owners or what they were saying, but this was as good a lead as any. He followed the sounds, trying his best to remain silent and stay out of sight.
Facilier leaned against an oak tree at the edge of a glade in the forest, clutching his talisman and staring at it hatefully. The once red and black coloring had faded to brown and crimson over the years. His debt had certainly taken a toll on his powers. He growled and placed it back around his neck. "Are you absolutely sure we don't have enough time to attack tonight?" he asked Demona in frustration.
"I'm sure," Demona replied coldly. "The nights are too short this time of year, and if the sun rises during the attack, there is nothing I can do. We'll need a strategy first."
Facilier sighed. "The sleeping powder I sold the locals will probably only last another couple of nights or so. I was counting on doing the job and getting away fast."
"Foolish human," Demona scoffed at him. "Why didn't you prepare enough powder in the first place?"
Facilier glared at her. "My friends on the other side only allow me to use so much magic at a time these days," he answered.
Demona glared back at him. "You are going to regain enough power to keep your promise to me, aren't you?" she asked in fury.
"Sure, assuming we succeed," Facilier said dismissively. "But we've got to act fast."
"One full night is more than enough time for me to attack a castle, if your shadow friends help," Demona told him.
"That's not what I meant," Facilier said. "Earlier this evening, someone broke into my tent. I couldn't catch whoever it was, and I have no idea what he or she heard. If the intruder's on to me, we might not get a chance to operate."
"Intruders?" Demona asked. "When did this happen? You told me you sold bags of powder by your tent all day."
"I did," Facilier answered. "The culprit must've sneaked in during."
"You fool!" Demona yelled, striking at Facilier with her claws, knocking him to the ground.
By this time, Brooklyn had reached the scene, taking care to remain hidden for as long as he could. He crouched behind a nearby bush and carefully peaked from above it, and saw Demona shouting at someone she was apparently towering over, whom he could hear groaning in pain.
"How could you not notice someone breaking into the tent right behind you?!" Demona yelled, her eyes flashing red.
Instinctively, Brooklyn lunged at her from behind the bush, all thoughts of caution forgotten. He knocked Demona her off her feet, his eyes flashing white as he growled at her.
It took a moment for Demona to realize what had happened. "You?" She asked, too shocked to see Brooklyn to fight him back. "What are you doing here?!"
"What a gargoyle is supposed to do!" Brooklyn snarled in fury, not realizing that in the meantime Facilier had gotten to his feet, and drew a sword from his belt. "I'm protecting!"
Before Demona could react, Brooklyn suddenly let go of her, howling in pain as he clutched the side of his body. Demona looked up and saw Facilier standing over the two of them, grasping a blood-stained sword she now recognized. The human was looking a little too smug.
Demona pushed Brooklyn aside and jumped to her feet, snatching the sword from Facilier. "What do you think you're doing?!" She hissed.
Brooklyn looked up at his attacker and nearly cursed out loud. Once again, he had let his hate for Demona override his better judgment, and because of that, he had helped the Shadow Man rather than stop him.
"I'm only looking out for my best warrior," Facilier answered Demona smoothly.
"I need no protection from a human!" Demona snarled, shaking her fist at him. "I won't stand for you raising a weapon to a gargoyle!" With that, she headed for Brooklyn's side.
"Drama queen," Facilier hissed under his breath.
Demona laid the sword beside Brooklyn and pulled his hands away from his side to check his wound. "This looks deep."
Brooklyn's first thought was to pull away from her, but he couldn't. The pain made it too difficult for him to move. He reasoned with himself that Demona wasn't likely to attack him at that moment. "Why did you…?" He began, but at that moment his eyes fell on the sword at his feet. "Hey, that's my…"
"I know," Demona answered coldly. "I remember."
Brooklyn tensed a little. If Demona remembered the last time they had encountered each other on his time travels, she remembered how he had stolen the Grimorum Arcanorum from her. And there he was, lying wounded on the ground, at her and the Shadow Man's mercy. But Demona did not seem able to decide whether to attack him or help him.
Facilier used this opportunity to approach the gargoyles. "I sense you're at war with yourself again," he said silkily to Demona. "You are angry with me, and this gargoyle was one of your clan. It's only natural that you'd want to help him now."
Demona glared at him, and then turned her gaze back to Brooklyn, whose eyes gave away a mixture of hate and fear.
"But don't forget," Facilier went on, "he has robbed you and deceived you once. You really trust him more?" He knelt beside Demona and put his lips very close to her ear. "I also sense he has a bitter grudge against you. You can see it in his eyes. He will not help you with what you want."
Brooklyn looked from Demona's hesitant expression to Facilier's sly smile and back again. "You two are working together," he realized, his voice heavy with disgust. He glared at Demona. "You've always hated humans, but you'll ally yourself with this human?"
"It's a means to an end," Demona told him, forcing herself to regain composure.
Facilier's smile broadened. "Then I can assume you're still working with me?"
Demona snarled at him, but turned back to Brooklyn. She touched his shoulder, trying her best to appear gentle. "You have time traveled here, haven't you?" she asked. "I remember the phoenix flame coming for you."
"Yes," Brooklyn answered reluctantly. His pain and blood loss were making it too hard for him to resist Demona.
"Have you met Dr. Facilier?"
Brooklyn felt a bit confused, but suddenly realized she meant the Shadow Man. He turned his glare to him. "So you made it to France, huh?" he hissed. "How many people did you have to kill to live this long?"
Facilier smirked. "Please, I'd hate to intrude on your family reunion by making this about me."
Demona glared at him in annoyance before addressing Brooklyn again. "I know you have good reasons not to trust him," she said softly. "But he can help us. There is a castle here, much like Castle Wyvern. But it's infested with humans. If we can only get rid…"
"No!" Brooklyn snarled. "I'm done helping you."
Demona glared at him now. "I defended you from him!"
"But you're still going to work with him!" Brooklyn managed to say, his fury giving him some of his strength back. "You were right about one thing. I don't trust him. But it's for the right reasons."
Demona's eyes flashed red momentarily, yet a moment later she calmed herself and got to her feet. "Come," she told Facilier. "He's useless to us."
Facilier stared at Brooklyn. "Wouldn't it be safer to finish him off?" He asked Demona. For all his previous smugness he did not dare attack Brooklyn again in front of her.
"No," Demona said heatedly.
"He knows about our plans now," Facilier pointed out to her.
"There's nothing he can do about it," Demona insisted. She bent down and picked up Brooklyn's sword. Brooklyn tried to make a grab for it, but his strength had left him again. Demona stood up, towering over Brooklyn and looking satisfied. "He can't face us alone."
Facilier shook his head at her, but got to his feet nonetheless. "You take too many chances," he whispered, more to himself than to her. Still, he followed her away from Brooklyn, and the two disappeared into the thicket.
Brooklyn looked back at his wounded side and wing. His blood was already dripping down his leg, and his upper torso felt warm and sticky. There was nothing he could do now but wait for the sun to heal him. Only a few more hours to go…
His heart was pounding. Now, at least, he knew for sure why the phoenix had sent him to Dunwyn. But Demona and Facilier were both, as Goliath might say, formidable enemies. With no one on his side, what could he do?