Chapter 11: Beneath the Cobra's Cowl
Author's Notes: Nothing new right now except: be sure to pick up Gargoyles Comic Issues 1-8 and Gargoyles: Bad Guys Issues 1& 2 as the series lives again. Also please review. Storyseeker is my only consistent reviewer, (and he gets a metaphorical cookie for that) but I would love to hear from some more reviewers. Also I'm looking for a Beta if anyone is interested.
Oh, and FYI I haven't forgotten about Demona or Madison (or Goel) but this is not their story yet. This is about Thestral, Erin, Aquilla, and Solomon.
Suparna Temple; India—1154 A.D.
"The curry will be done in 15 minutes," Ganesh said grinning. The enormous gargoyle turned towards his mate and smiled. "What can we do in fifteen minutes?"
Kali grinned and slipped forward, and at this Kama rolled her eyes and began climbing up the side of the temple. She'd known her rookery siblings long enough to know when they were feeling amorous and did not wish to stay for the act.
Unfurling her wings she glided out towards the river, and then banked to the right. Not too far, just far enough so that she wouldn't hear Ganesh and Kali in the throws of passion.
She alighted in a tree, scattering several Rhesus Macaque monkeys. She sighed and looked out over the river. She saw a pair of tigers on the opposite bank bend down and begin drinking from the river.
She felt so lonely. It wasn't the first time either. Ever since they had found the scroll, Ganesh and Kali had been mates. Each of them focused all of their thoughts on each other, and Kama got shuffled to the side over and over again. A she had been a third wheel for five years.
And then there was Naga…every time they encountered him, he insisted the same thing. That they were the last gargoyles…that there weren't any left in the world…that Kama would have to be his mate or their kind would die out.
Kama would sooner glide into the sunrise. Still, the loneliness was starting to get to her. Ganesh and Kali had each other…what did Kama have? No one.
She sighed loudly and continued watching the river. She frowned as she saw mist starting to rise off of the river. She glanced around, the weather didn't seem quite right for mist. She stared hard at the mist trying to pierce it with her vision.
To her surprise the mist began to part almost as quickly as it had arisen. As it parted she saw a small vessel appear as if from nowhere. There were passengers on the little dinghy…and one of them was an actual MALE gargoyle.
And he was handsome, possibly the most handsome male she had ever seen, though she hadn't had a large sampling. White skin, glider-wings—but with feathers on the outside— twin raked back horns, and a beak; yes this was one handsome male gargoyle. Her skin began to prickle and her heart began beating rapidly as she began to fantasize about this male…this Deva-like male who just couldn't possibly be real.
Where had he come from? His craft was still semi-surrounded by the mists…had he appeared from the mists? Had Shiva answered her prayers and simply created a mate for her out of mist? Who was she to question the gods?
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It had taken Erin weeks to find a copy of the Good Book. Ever since they had arrived on Avalon, Erin had been having day-mares about the clan massacre, and Riathamus's death.
She was the one who should have died—not him. At Aria, Erin would usually devote an hour before dawn perusing scripture, unless circumstances prevented it. It gave her clarity and peace of mind.
But Avalon did not seem to have a copy anywhere in the library at the palace. This was to be expected she supposed. Thestral had said that the Third Race was on poor terms with The Most High—but it still frustrated her to no end.
Eventually she found a single leather-bound copy, hidden away on a shelf behind several other books. She supposed that some elf had been secretly reading it behind Oberon's back.
She and Princess Katherine had been sharing the book, Katherine had it during the day, and Erin at night.
Erin was still reading when Princess Katherine entered the library (which was a small chamber compared to what Aria used to have) fifteen minutes before dawn.
"Are ye all right, Erin?" the princess asked, as she observed Erin's facial expression.
Erin jerked with a start.
"Oh princess," she said in surprise. "I didn't hear you come in. Is it dawn already?"
"Soon, but are ye alright? Ye seem introspective."
She sighed and slammed the bible shut. "I just don't see why Thestral left. We're safe here. God gave us a sanctuary when we needed and he chooses to abandon his clan!"
"I see," Katherine said as Erin got up from the reading chair and began pacing. "Could it be," the princess asked. "That you dinnae feel like he abandoned you, but you abandoned him?"
Erin flicked her ears as if what Katherine had said annoyed her.
"Thestral was never truly at home here," Katherine continued. "He just wanted respite and safety for a time. Fifteen years have passed, he probably feels that the respite ye needed has passed."
Erin looked down.
"Dinnae forget the most important institution that God puts forth in that book," Katherine said pointing to the bible that Erin left on the chair.
Erin frowned. "The Church?"
"Family"
This was the last word Erin heard before the dawn broke, turning her to stone. Katherine smiled and picked up the bible and began reading it.
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Leaving Avalon was a lot different than going to it. After the incantation was cast Tom had had enough time to explain his whole story before they arrived on the island. About the betrayal and massacre at castle Wyvern 200 years before. About the vow that Tom had made to protect the gargoyle eggs. About Constantine III's coup and King Kenneth's murder, and about the Weird Sisters.
Thestral had been uncomfortable when he'd heard about them, having studied the Children of Oberon at Aria, he knew how nasty they could be, and the Weird Sisters were probably among the worst. Selene was vengeance, like the furies or the wraths—Phoebe was grace, and could wait a long time before enacting said vengeance—and Luna was Fate…inevitability, she always spoke the truth.
Thestral half expected to see them in the cool mists, but he didn't.
He thought he saw other shapes vaguely defined in the mists…islands perhaps…or something.
Then the temperature shifted…the air became hot and humid. On Avalon it had felt like early summer, cool nights with warm breezes coming from the volcano.
Wherever they were now it was very warm and very humid. He didn't like it. The mists began to part around them, and a luscious jungle could now be seen beyond the mists.
Solomon let out a low growl at a pair of tigers lapping up water from the river that they had arrived on.
Thestral was already beginning to regret leaving Avalon when something warm small and surprisingly strong tackled him and slammed him to the bottom of the boat. She moved quickly and straddled his waist. Solomon, Mathias, and Brooke all just watched in stunned silence.
"My love," Kama declared. "Mate with me and we can be together forever."
Thestral stared at her for a moment…then screamed quite loudly.
"AAAAHHH!" he jerked back gently pushing her off of his waist and scrambling to the back of the boat.
Brooke giggled, as this strange female gargoyle seemed not the least bit dissuaded by Thestral's reluctance to mate with her. She simply slid across the boat and latched on to his arm.
Thestral seemed to have gotten over his initial shock and was staring with panic in his eyes at the female attached to his arm.
"I don't even know you," Thestral said jerking away from her, she did not loosen her grip.
"Shiva sent you to me," Kama responded. "What else do I need to know?"
"Who launches themselves at people and demands marriage?" Brooke wondered out loud.
Thestral looked at his new shadow appraisingly. She was younger than him, though not by much, she was perhaps 35 years old, which would have put her in the 1118 rookery, but thanks to Avalon's time dispersion, their ages weren't that far apart. Thestral at 42 and this female at 35 placed them equivalent to humans of 21 and 17.
She had very light-blue skin more blue than anything else, but with subtle purple shades as well. Twin horns curved backwards through her jet black hair, these horns were very thin and delicate, no thicker than a human pinky. She had a very human-like face, and a pair of glider-type wings with three wing-fingers, and wing spars as well.
She was not wearing much…a red and gold halter-top, and a similar loincloth. He clothes hugged her body and accentuated her features. Despite the terror he was feeling, Thestral found himself very attracted to this female.
"Well," came a deep voice from the shore. "Looks like our little Kama has finally bagged herself a male."
Thestral turned and looked towards the shore. Standing there was the largest gargoyle Thestral had ever seen in his life. Ten, perhaps eleven feet tall, with deep rich mud-red skin. He was portly, but also well muscled. His tail was long and thick, and his wingspan had to easily be eighteen feet.
His most unusual feature however, was his head. Thestral had never seen an elephantine gargoyle before. True many gargoyles had animal-like features, Kaigen looked similar to a winged wolf, and the London clan consisted of the heraldic ethnicity which bore resemblances to griffons, lions, stags, unicorns, boars, hippogriffs and horses. Heck; Solomon looked like a heraldic lion-beast, but elephants?
He had large ears, though not as large as an actual elephant, two nubby horns protruding from his prominent forehead, and distinctive brow ridges too; and an actual fully functional trunk and a single tusk protruding from the right side of his mouth.
He was wearing a large silk loincloth.
He hesitated for a moment and splashed into the water retrieving the skiff and dragging it to shore.
Thestral noticed temple ruins behind them, partially overtaken by the jungle. It was only a moment later that he noticed a third gargoyle…a female. She had dark grey skin and black hair. She had large thick horns that wrapped around her head. Her wings were unusual, as she possessed no wing fingers or wing ribbing. She had a second pair of smaller wings in a split-wing style not unlike Madison. She wore a tiger-skin loincloth and nothing else, not even a halter-top like Kama wore.
Ganesh lifted Solomon out of the boat, and gently helped Brooke out as well. He then grinned and lifted Thestral and Kama out and gently set them on the ground. Kama still latched onto his arm.
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"Centuries ago this temple was sacred to Shiva," Kali said, she had put on a tiger-skin wrap over her top, but it was clear that she didn't mind bearing her chest. Indeed all of this clan seemed to feel that clothing was optional and had only dressed because Thestral and Brooke seemed embarrassed.
"He and many other Devas were fond of gargoyles, so he instituted us as protectors of this temple," she continued as they all sat in a circle around the fire.
Ganesh was handing out several bowls of a food that Thestral did not recognize, he began eating it out of politeness. It was very spicy, but he enjoyed it, Brooke however was coughing as the pachyderm like gargoyle rushed to get her some well water.
"On the temple grounds was a vault," Kali said, ignoring the human and her mate. "It was sealed by Shiva himself and enchanted. Only the leader of the clan could open the vault. Over time various treasures began to accumulate in the vault. Eventually the humans abandoned the temple, but we stayed and guarded the treasures within the vault."
Thestral finished his curry and Ganesh gently took his bowl and refilled it as Kali continued.
"Fifteen years ago, Naga, one of the clan, from the generation before ours," Kali said gesturing to herself, Kama and Ganesh.
My generation Thestral thought bemused. And fifteen years ago was around the time of our massacre.
"Anyway Naga got into a huge argument with Garuda, the clan leader," Kali said gesturing. "An argument that led to an outright fight. Apparently Naga wanted something in the vault, and Garuda wouldn't give it to him. They got into a terrible fight, and both were badly injured. The whole clan saw the fight, though we don't remember it well as we were only 19 at the time. Naga slithered off into the forest, and Garuda stayed here in the temple. Naga came up with another plan to claim whatever he wanted in the temple vault.
He attacked a nearby village and slaughtered several children. The villagers retaliated and—believing that the clan was responsible—massacred the clan while the slept.
The three of us were playing games in the forest when the dawn came, so we were spared the slaughter." Kali's voice broke.
"When the sun set and we returned to the temple," Ganesh said stepping forward. "We surmised that Naga was responsible. He figured if he was the only member of the clan left that would make him leader, and he could claim the vault."
"But he hadn't counted on us," Kama said nuzzling against Thestral's shoulder.
"We elected Ganesh leader," Kali said. "And waited by the vault. When Naga showed up to claim the prize, we officially banished him from the clan. That way even if we were slain, he still wouldn't get in."
"So he left," Kama said. "Foiled, he lives in the jungle nearby, we've run into him occasionally when hunting."
"Recently he began a new tactic," Ganesh said. "You see our clan practices arranged mating, and about five years ago we found the scroll with the list of mates that were selected from our generation."
"Ganesh and Kali were betrothed," Kama said. "And they wasted no time in consummating their mating. In fact they consummate every night."
Ganesh nodded. "Naga came to us shortly after Kali and I mated, I think he had been watching us and waiting for this moment. He told us that there weren't any gargoyles left in the world, and that Kama would have to be his mate."
"His plan is simple," Kali said. "During the breeding night we would have to temporarily lift the banishment. He kills us, and gets the vault."
"That doesn't make sense," Thestral said. "You wouldn't have to lift the banishment."
"Have you ever been around a female gargoyle in heat?" Kali asked frowning at the white gargoyle.
Thestral bowed his head. "Er…no, when I was 19 all of the mated pairs went and mated in the forest during the breeding night."
"They didn't do that here," Kama said. "A female gargoyle cannot help but attempt to mate with the nearest male to her."
"Unless they are already mated," Ganesh said. "Then their desire is for their mate and him alone. That is why your appearance here is such a blessing. If you are Kama's mate, then Naga cannot claim her, and his plan is foiled once again."
Thestral flushed pink, very noticeable against his white complexion.
"Who boy," he murmured looking at Kama. She was very beautiful, he had to give her that, but he didn't even know her...but what choice did he have…if he rejected her, he was all but condemning this clan to death…but if he chose her, then he might be condemning himself to a lifetime with a mate he did not love.
"The dawn comes," Kali said pointing to the predawn sky. "Our clan rests in the nooks on the outer edge of the temple.
Kama gently led Thestral by the hand to the nooks on the other edge of the temple.
"We'll be fine right here," Brooke called out after Thestral.
Solomon hopped into the first nook on the outer wall and yawned, smacking his lips.
Thestral climbed into the next one and Kama the one after that.
"Till sun set my love," she said as Ganesh and Kali climbed into two more nooks. She blew him a kiss.
Thestral took a fierce pose and prepared for the dawn.
"No my love!" Kama exclaimed with a note of fear in her voice. "Here at the Suparna Temple we adopt peaceful poses, so that should a human stumble upon us during the day, they will not see us as a threat and leave us be."
Thestral blinked as Kama sat cross legged with her tail wrapped around her, adopting a meditative pose.
When in Rome, Thestral thought, then after reflecting for a few moments folded his hands in prayer and kneeled in his nook. Solomon curled up, as if he was taking a nap.
The sun rose and the five gargoyles froze, locked into their peaceful poses.
And Thestral locked in thought.
