Chapter 8: Tempest

Author's Notes: PLEASE REVIEW.

Lord Penderghast scowled as he approached the monastery. He could already see the "demons" moving into positions on the abbey roof. He had spoken with Bryce Canmore late last night and had resolved to find out if his son was indeed dwelling among these monsters.

Bryce had told him to rendezvous at Captain Freed's camp. The soldier's were apt to be more receptive to the wisdom of Canmore and himself. The villagers appeared to be without reason. Each one insisted that the gargoyles were no danger unless threatened, and each one seemed just as adamant that the village could not survive without the gargoyles aid.

The pair of them had given up in disgust. Clearly the whole town was under demonic influence…perhaps a spell of some kind.

He watched each of the monsters climb into place, and waited till after the sun had risen and petrified the creatures. Only while they rested in stone did he feel safe around them.

The porter was a red-haired man who observed Penderghast with an air of suspicion but let him in anyway. Prior Goel approached him as he entered.

"What can I do for you milord?" Goel asked bowing his head.

"I am seeking my son," Lord Penderghast said as he dismounted. "I have strong reason to believe that he has come here with a peasant girl. Presumably to be married. I intend to stop him from such foolishness."

Goel smiled and gave him a smug knowing look. "Aye…I've been expecting you Lord Penderghast. MacClavish warned me you were in town, and Mathias said you might come to call."

Penderghast frowned. "Then where is he?"

"You cannot have him," Goel said, "He and that 'peasant girl' have been married already. I officiated. And the lad has claimed Sanctuary here; both are sacred laws and you cannot defy them."

"Sacred laws mean nothing in a den of demons," Penderghast spat, glaring at Skyler who rested nearby in stone.

"Watch yourself," Goel said in a caveat tone. "Gargoyles are not demons, they do not like being called demons and the ones here especially do not like it. They dwell in a church, the hallowed house of God."

Penderghast looked as though he were going to say more.

"I think you should leave," Benu said frowning. "You are not going to get your way here."

Penderghast's face contorted with rage, but snatched his horse's reigns from Benu and stormed off through the gates.

"I fear he may be trouble later," Goel said watching the noble leave.

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"As I suspected," Bryce Canmore murmured to himself. "The Demon has taken refuge with others of her filthy kind."

He sat mounted on horseback not far from the abbey. He had been scanning each of the stone gargoyles atop the monastery walls. It hadn't taken him long at all to spot "the Demon".

Penderghast approached where Bryce stood. The English lord pulled his horse up next to Canmore's

"The monks are without reason," Penderghast said coldly. "They would not give me my son, and they would foreswear the demons."

"A sure sign of demonic influence," Canmore said. "Let us go to the soldier's camp. I feel confident that they at least will be open to persuasion."

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"How long are you going live in a demon's nest before you realize the danger your in?" Canmore demanded loudly. "When the fiends swoop upon you in the night to feast upon your flesh?"

"Or perhaps when they follow you home," Penderghast said. "To feast upon the flesh of your children?"

There were murmurs of agreement from the various soldiers. Captain Freed stepped out of his tent, glaring at the two intruders in his camp.

"This is ridiculous," he snarled. "The gargoyles haven't done anything of the like to anyone. They don't eat human flesh, and if it weren't for them we would have starved over the winter."

"Are you demon-possessed?" Canmore demanded of the captain. "Or perhaps even a witch! Why do you leap to their aid?"

Freed scowled as the eyes of his men turned towards him. Being accused of witchcraft was a serious thing indeed.

"Very well," he said scoffing and looking away from the others. "Do what you will with the gargoyles, but do not include me. I wash my hands of this evil."

He turned and returned to his tent as Bryce smiled. He'd won a great victory in that moment. He'd won an army of men to destroy the gargoyles with.

"We shall attack them at dawn tomorrow," Canmore said smiling.

"Why not attack now?" someone called out.

"Because there are many," he said. "We must ensure that we have the largest amount of time to deal with them. What happens if we destroy half now, but the sun sets before we get the other half?"

"Then it is a good plan," Penderghast said. "Let us not tarry in this camp anymore. Let us move into position now, so that we can destroy them the moment the sun rises."

There was a massive cheer that went through the camp, and Canmore smiled again.

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Goel yawned loudly. Being in human form as a cross-bearer had one major disadvantage: he needed human sleep. He didn't get much either. He and Benu usually had matters to attend to during the day, ones that he couldn't handle at night. He sometimes had Riathamus and Thestral aid him, but they were still young, and new to being cross-bearers. They couldn't yet handle the full burden of being human nearly 24 hours a day. It would make them go mad.

Still, it was worth it. For nearly 900 years Aria monastery had stood the test of time. And for nearly 600 years they'd had a strong alliance with the human villagers, a testament to what humans and gargoyles could do if they worked together.

As he watched the sun set, a sight he never tired of, he noticed a horseman approaching the monastery gates, galloping at rapid speed.

Goel furrowed his brow and then rushed down to the abbey gates, opening them and allowing the horseman in.

"Jon," Goel said in surprise. The lad was young Jonathan Oaks; MacClavish's tyro. There was brief pause as Jonathan attempted to catch his breath, followed by a loud cacophony of roars as the gargoyles awakened from stone slumber.

"It's…the Empress Maud…," he gasped. "She knows…or at least her forces…they know about Freed's training camp…they march even now…they will be upon us within the hour…"

Demona, Thestral, and Riathamus had landed next to Goel. The blue elder gargoyle frowned.

"They'll assume that the villagers were complacent with the soldiers," Riathamus said.

Goel nodded. "It'll be a slaughter."

"I'm not going out of my way to save humans," Demona said. Her eyes flashed and she spat out the word human as if it were some sort of curse.

"Benu," Goel said. The Orange gargoyle stepped forward. "You will stay here with Demona, Madison, Aquilla, Priscilla, and two night-hounds. Sodom and Gomorrah are a good choice. Protect the abbey—protect the hatchlings. Thestral, Riathamus, go and gather the rest of the clan. We will protect the humans this night."

The two gargoyles nodded and loped off. Goel turned to Jonathan. "Go and tell Captain Freed what you just told me."

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"What are they doing?" Canmore wondered aloud. The soldiers all waited just out of sight in the forest by the monastery.

The over two hundred gargoyles were leaving the abbey and gliding out towards the village.

Panic leapt into Bryce's heart. He nudged his horse forward, out of the forest. With a quick look he could see that the Demon had remained in the monastery, as she and a few other monsters resided on the abbey's outer wall.

He smiled and pulled on the Hunter's Mask. Sliding it on and moving forward.

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"So each symbol represents a sound," Madison said staring at the tablet that Demona had found for her.

She flushed. "I guess I thought it was more…complicated than that. To stare at symbols and instantly have knowledge."

"Well it can be," Demona admitted. "Sometimes two letters together make a different sound, but basically yes…each letter represents a sound."

Madison smiled.

"A human has exited the forest," Aquilla commented. His blue-furred mate nuzzled against him for a moment.

Demona glanced over at the man who had departed the forest. He smiled looking directly at Demona. He then pulled a black mask over his head, marked by three red slashes.

Rage filled Demona's head. Her eyes flashed crimson. She had been tolerant of humans in the monastery up till now. She could not be tolerant of this human. Not when his presence here threatened her new clan.

"The Hunter!" and without another word she flared her wings and took off from the wall, sweeping into a low glide after him.

The Hunter smiled beneath his mask; he rapidly urged his horse into the forest, intending to lure her into combat where her wings would be of no use.

"Demona?" Madison called out after the older gargoyle.

"What is she doing?" Aquilla asked. He turned to his mate in confusion. A moment later Benu glided down and joined them.

"Aquilla go after her," the second in command said. The gryphon-like gargoyle nodded, then stroking Priscilla's mane he turned, and leapt off, gliding in the same direction that she had.

"Be careful my love," Priscilla said.

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The clan had arrived just in time, for Maud's soldiers were upon the village when the gargoyles started swooping out of the night.

Thestral knocked one off of his horse, flaring his wings and landing. He saw Dagda out of the corner of his eye do the same to another soldier.

Thestral grinned and his eyes flashed white.

The soldier looked at the white gargoyle in terror. Suddenly he heard a gravely barking and turned to see Solomon leading the other gargoyle-beasts in a charge.

He let out a scream and ran. Some of Maud's soldiers were doing the same; others were attempting to fight the gargoyles.

Kaigen was locked in combat with one soldier, the soldier using a sword, while Kaigen parried with his katana.

Rita was using her size to handle more than one soldier at once, quite literally 'Throwing her weight around' she did not utilize any combat techniques but simply used brute force.

Skyler was doing the opposite, using his small size and nimble actions to dodge each and every blow that his opponent used.

Riathamus and Erin were gliding down and snatching up night-hounds before dropping them on soldiers, an activity that the gargoyle beasts found amusing and fun, as each one was grinning with their tongues lolling out after their task was done.

Rachel, Riathamus's twin sister was doing just the opposite, gliding down and snatching humans off of their horses, gliding up high, and then dropping them.

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"Now!" Penderghast yelled. It was almost dawn and the gargoyles were returning to the abbey at last. Canmore had not returned, but that was not Penderghast's problem. The soldiers began charging out of the forest carrying a tree that they intended to use as a battering ram.

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The battle had lasted most of the night, the gargoyles were returning to the monastery tired, and looking forward to rest in stone sleep.

Thestral had just glided over the main gate when he caught sight of movement below.

"What?" he said. Freed's soldiers were rushing out of the forest carrying a battering ram.

Thestral and Riathamus alighted next to Goel and Benu. They transformed the moment their talons sank into the earth, and they had been wearing their crosses in the battle, as had Solomon, who resumed his wolfhound form.

"What is going on?" Riathamus asked. The other gargoyles were land on the ground behind the abbey gates. There came a pounding sound as the soldiers outside the gates attempted to knock them down.

"It is Captain Freed's men," Benu said looking scared. "They move against us."

"Retreat to the rook—" Goel started to say, but the gate burst open. Madison, who had been closer to the gate then she had realized, screamed and stumbled backwards into the nearby well, landing at the bottom with a splash. No one noticed her plight however, as all attention was on Penderghast and his men, who were rushing into the monastery.

Several gargoyles, including Priscilla, Dagda, and Kaigen rushed forward in an attempt to stop the gatecrashers.

Riathamus glanced at the eastern sky, seeing how bright it had become.

"Erin," he said turning towards his intended. "Always know that I love you."

With this he removed the cross from his neck, and threw it around Erin's. There was a brief pause as the two gargoyles began changing. Riathamus back into his gargoyle form and Erin into a human.

This was done not a moment too soon, for the sun broke the horizon a moment later.

"No the sun," Skyler cried out as he hardened into rock. Several gargoyles attempted to resist the transformation, including Kaigen; he had raised his katana above his head about to strike a soldier.

The stone sleep crept up his body, and he let out several growls and snarls, eyes flashing as he changed. The stone slithered up past his head, up his arms, and transformed his sword as well.

The soldier he was going to strike was cowering in terror, but he looked up and smiled as he saw the fate of his opponent. He raised his mace and shattered the gargoyle then and there.

"NO!" Benu screamed. "Murderer!" The gargoyle-turned-human rushed towards the man who had smashed Kaigen. He never made it; another soldier stabbed him through the heart. The loyal gargoyle collapsed, Goel and Erin rushed to Benu's side. Thestral just looked on in shock.

"I told you," Penderghast snarled, drawing his sword and stabbing the man who had stabbed Benu. "The monks are victims; they were not to be harmed."

"He got in the way," a third soldier stammered. Penderghast glared at him and he fell silent.

"Take the monks and refugees and lock them within the chapel," Goel said. "Except my son, bring him to me."

Several soldiers lunged forward, grabbing Thestral, Erin, and Goel. Solomon and Brooke rushed forward to help them, both snarling at the soldiers. One soldier stabbed Solomon, who whimpered and retreated limping.

Penderghast raised his own sword to strike down Brooke.

"NO!" Mathias screamed. Penderghast turned towards his son.

"I'll go with you," Mathias said. "Just don't harm any more gargoyles."

Penderghast shook his head, "These demons deserve to die. And as for you; you're not in any position to be making bargains."

Thestral attempted to fight the soldiers, but just as he'd been unsuccessful fighting Riathamus a week earlier, so was he this time as well.

They shoved the three humans into the chapel, Solomon and Brooke scrambled inside after them. The last thing that Thestral saw outside before they closed the chapel doors was the soldier who had smashed Kaigen, raising his mace over Priscilla's stone form. "No," Thestral whispered.

Solomon was bleeding profusely from the large gash in his chest. Goel gently removed his cross. The wolf became a watch-beast once again, but only for a moment before turning to stone.

Erin sat in the corner hugging her legs, as Brooke attempted to nuzzle up against her.

"What do we do Goel?" Thestral asked.

"The only thing that we can," Goel said shaking his head. "Wait for sunset."

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Several miles away Aquilla's stone form rested in the forest, unaware of the slaughter taking place back at the abbey. He had been unable to track Demona efficiently, she knew how to hide her trail.

He had trailed her most of the night, but had decided to head back before sunrise, he hadn't made it though and was forced to turn to stone here in the forest.

Ignorant of the fact that Demona's stone form resided less then 300 feet away, standing over the remains of Bryce Canmore, his blood still dripping from her talons.