Sil knew he would have to take it easy with touching things the next few days because of his burned hand. This time, there would be no essence to heal it. It would have to heal on its own. Proper cleans and bandaging kept it healing.
Sil's own clan always thought he was a big baby when it came to his injuries, how he reacted to pain. And maybe he was. He just really wanted to keep his body fully intact, compared to what had happened to some of his other fellow Skeksis back on Thra. Ones like SkekNa and SkekTek. They both had lost their an eye to a peeper beetle as punishments. SkekNa had even lost an arm. SkekTek had also amputated one arm and one leg for his science studies. That was ridiculous. Sil definitely didn't want to end up like them.
…
The clan began to wonder if the Chamberlain staying here at all was a good idea anymore. He had come a long way in the time he had been here, learning many Earth secrets and laws, but with some other humans and one of their own out there that might wish to do him harm for being what he was, it might be better if he went back to his own world soon. It lingered in their minds.
…..
Not long after, there came a night where Goliath, Broadway, and Lexington were patrolling and had caught up to a gang that was trying to rob a downtown jewelry store. The gang got away and the three gargoyles tried to get away too. Goliath and the two brothers split up.
Goliath ended up in a bad spot, getting hit back a big semi and stunned, but was found and arrested.
Lex and Broadway made it back to the castle, but their leader was nowhere to be seen. They thought he would catch up, or that he would find a safe place to sleep during the day.
Sil's hand had healed enough by now that he could go without the bandages on it, but there was still some scarring there.
Sunrise came and went for the gargoyles. At sunset, Sil was up there to greet them awake, then Elisa greeted him.
"Elisa, not see for while." Sil said.
"I'm here on accord that Goliath was arrested last night." she replied.
Sil flinched at that. "Arrested? How? Gargoyles usually good leaving scenes before police come."
"Not last night. They were seen running away from a jewelry store heist. Goliath said he saw street people in an alley that might be able to help clear his name." Elisa explained.
The sun finally went down and the clan roared to life.
"Hudson, Goliath's been arrested." Elisa exclaimed.
"I told you we should have stayed with Goliath!" Broadway said.
"I wanted to stay with him. You said he's a big boy, he can take care of himself." Lex retorted.
"I'll show you who's a big boy!" Broadway growled.
"Stop it you two. Save your fighting for when we go to rescue Goliath." Hudson ordered.
Sil didn't see the brothers at each other's throats very often. At least not Lex and Broadway.
"Goliath doesn't want to escape. He wants to stay till the trial and let the system prove his innocence." Elisa stated.
"That crazy! They'll crucify him!" Lex exclaimed.
"We got to bust him out!" Broadway agreed with him.
"NO! We must respect Goliath's wishes." Hudson declared.
"But what can we do? There must be something we can do to help." Brooklyn offered.
"Goliath said that there were street people near the store that saw what really happened. Maybe we can track them down." Elisa declared.
"Can Chamberlain help? Hand is better and want out of castle again." Sil said.
"If you can find a way to help track down witnesses." Elisa said.
Sil smiled.
Bronx was left to guard the castle. Sil got on Brooklyn's back after he went and got his sword, should it be needed. Lex and Broadway searched. Angela and Hudson searched together too.
On Brooklyn's back, Sil wondered something. "Brooklyn, just what sort of humans we be looking for?" he asked.
"Elisa said street people. Ones who live in alleys. They're really homeless people. They might be wearing tattered clothing. Torn up clothing, things like that. They don't bathe much either because they don't have access to such a fine home that we do. A lot of folks like that end up down in the Labyrinth." Brooklyn explained.
"You good at knowing what they look like." Sil said.
"I know because I've seen many on the street. I even once ran away when I felt unwanted here. I ended up making friends with some kids living on the street. I did what I could to protect them and we dealt with a bad guy who wanted to sell me for a profit to a science person somewhere. But we beat him and the kids went home to their parents. I could introduce you to them sometime when this isn't going on. I know where they live. I come by from time to time." Brooklyn explained.
"Hmm, sound good. Maybe."
Lex and Broadway led the way to the location where any possible leads to could be with the street people. The gargoyles looked for street people from above. They started to split up to find more witnesses that way.
Likely, even the ones that were near the jewelry store the next night might have moved on by now, not staying in one place.
The clan hoped that Goliath was alright.
And because the news had announced about a trial at night, and there were possible witnesses out there, the men who had done the robbery would likely be looking for the witnesses too. It made it all the more desperate to track them down.
…
The clan looked for a week to track down the witnesses, and most were so afraid to speak up or stick their necks out for a gargoyle.
One time, Brooklyn and Sil came upon a street person. Sil was told to stay back in case of back up. Sil did just that. Brooklyn went around the block and came in that way.
"Hey, Mister." Brooklyn greeted. The man was dressed warm out here in the cold, huddling around a fire barrel.
"Aah! Stay away from me, monster!" the old man panicked and started to run the opposite way.
Brooklyn hated that humans still saw them as bad guys. That man was headed toward Chamberlain.
The man ran down the alley. There were a second pair of eyes watching him and silently made a move.
The man came to a stop further down the alley. He saw he wasn't being followed. But suddenly, he was grabbed from behind. He struggled in the captor's grasp.
"You, street man, answer some questions." Sil spoke.
"Let me go!"
"You answer, or not let go." Sil growled in his ear. He bared his teeth at him.
"Fine, what do you want to know?" the man asked.
"You might have hear of gargoyle in trouble, in jail for jewelry robbing. You see anything that might help him out?" Sil demanded.
"That story again?"
"Did you see anything?" Brooklyn asked as he came forward. He saw Sil had a good grip on the man's arms.
"No! I didn't see anything. Now let me go, monsters!"
Sil yanked on one of his arms for that statement.
"Sil, if he doesn't know anything, he doesn't." Brooklyn said.
"And just how do we know that? If you being plain coward, you could pay." Sil warned the man.
"I don't know anything, I swear. I was way over near Brooklyn Bridge the other night!" the man cried, terrified.
Sil looked at Brooklyn. "Let him go, Sil." the red gargoyle ordered.
Sil frowned and released him. The man immediately ran the other way, past Brooklyn.
"Threatening them is not the best way to get out helpful information." Brook said.
"Just keeping him till you get here. And sometimes does work. He just seem too cowardly to tell." Sil declared.
"I know. But these people are so scared of us often times, that's why we can't do it that way." Brooklyn explained.
"Fine." Sil said.
….
None of the clan had fared any better. They just couldn't find the right witnesses, and tonight was the start of Goliath's trial at the courthouse that had been picked.
Both Brooklyn and Hudson had stepped in again as leaders for the week to direct how the clan would do things.
In the court, there just wasn't much to work with without any witnesses. But Goliath tried to explain that gargoyles were not like humans, with not having a need for money or material possessions. He did everything in his power to try to convince them he was innocent.
Margo Yale was also in the courtroom and she was very unbelieving of Goliath's story. She had always been truly terrified of gargoyles ever since her first encounter of seeing them.
…..
Later, Elisa tracked down a street guy, and he didn't come forward either, though he actually was one of the witnesses.
Then Elisa caught a man threatening him. She tried to defend him and fought him, and got ambushed by the whole gang. The gang that should rightfully be in jail instead of Goliath.
When it looked like Elisa's life was in danger, luckily, Hudson and Angela showed up to help her. Most of the gang got away, but the main boss man was captured and arrested. Elisa wanted to interrogate him so bad.
….
Elisa later interrogated the man in jail, the same prison where Goliath was being kept.
Goliath was back in there now, awaiting the jury's judgment of his story. He was worried of the outcome, but remained as calm as he could be.
Elisa informed the clan that now they had to wait for the final answer on their leader's trial. Tonight, they were going to watch the jail to see that things went as smooth as possible.
But when they got there, there was a mob attacking a truck out back.
"What going on down there?" Sil pointed out.
"We don't know, but if it's Goliath, give him a chance to get out of it first. But we won't let harm come to him from them." Brooklyn said as the current leader.
They watched and Goliath broke out of the truck, having been provoked angrily by the mob, that they had no right to do this. He would much rather use some simple scare tactics versus actually harming anyone if he could help it.
The clan watched, and then, they saw Goliath pull a brown haired woman out of the truck too and he put her on his back and he took to the wall, climbing it.
Goliath heard a voice. "I know that voice. The robbery gang is part of that mob. They must be using the mob as a way to break their leader out of jail." he reasoned.
"Can we discuss this on the ground somewhere?" the woman, Amy, pleaded.
Goliath continued to climb to the top of the jailhouse. Then, Amy hopped off his back.
The clan was going to go down and see what was going on. Sil was on Brooklyn's back.
"I've got to break in and catch them in the act." Goliath said.
"What can I do to help?" Amy asked.
"You can let me borrow your tape recorder." Goliath said.
She handed it over to him. "Why do you need a tape recorder?"
"Goliath!" Broadway's voice came out of nowhere.
Amy and Goliath looked up and there was Goliath's clan coming down to see him. Amy gasped.
"We've been watching the jail, lad. We wouldn't let that mob have you without a fight." Hudson declared.
"I am not going. I am going to stand trial and be proven innocent." Goliath explained.
"Have you gone stir crazy? Have you seen how much they hate gargoyles?" Lex demanded.
"I have seen it. That is why I cannot run away. I must show that we respect their laws. The same goes for all of you. Get Amy to the courthouse, and no matter what happens, do nothing to help me. This is a problem I must solve, on my own." Goliath proclaimed.
The clan was mystified why he wouldn't want any help in this case. The only help they could do was help Amy.
Goliath took off for inside the building. There was an explosion inside. Likely, the gang was already breaking in the joint.
"Alright. You heard our leader." Hudson said. Then he saw the new woman. "Oh, you must be Amy. This must be strange for you?"
"Strange? Yeah, you could say that. You don't know the half of it." she stuttered a little. Being around the biggest gargoyle had been hard enough, but had grown used to him enough. Now she was dealing with his whole clan.
Sil saw how Hudson picked up the woman. He certainly didn't want to be picked up like that. He got on Brooklyn's back and they were off to the courthouse.
Angela was the last one to take off. She was worried about her father.
Inside the jail, Goliath fought off the gang and knocked them unconscious for the police that would be up soon. Then he turned his attention to the leader, who was the real culprit.
He convinced the man to speak that he was the rightful one who had done the robbery, and made the man think he was on his side.
They went to the roof and were going to 'escape' together.
The man was scared on the takeoff part. It was safer than facing the cop guns.
…
The clan got Amy to the courthouse and she went inside. She could only hope her client was there soon. She knew that he planned to be there with the real evidence that he was innocent.
The others got on a rooftop across the street from the courthouse and could only watch patiently. Elisa had joined them too, hoping Goliath was going to be proven innocent.
Soon, they heard a swoosh in the air, and it was Goliath and that man. Goliath broke through the roof to get there in a hurry. They could only marvel at what the judge had to say to that.
"I really hope Goliath knew what he was really doing." Elisa said.
"Us too. If he gets sent to jail, I'll be leader again." Brooklyn declared.
"You remember how you led us last time?" Broadway asked.
"Yes. I was nervous at first, but got over it." Brooklyn replied.
Angela had gotten a taste of Brooklyn's version of leading over the week. He was good at it when his mind was focused.
It wasn't long though before the big doors came open down below and there were bright flashes from cameras going off, taking pictures of Goliath and his lawyer. Then he turned his back to them and he talked to Amy and that he was grateful that she had believed him.
She was too, for him believing in rightful justice.
Goliath then jumped to the wall and climbed. He was free to go.
"Does that mean he's proved innocent?" Sil asked.
"Yep. Looks like he did it." Elisa replied.
"I knew all along he'd win." Lex said. His brothers and Sil looked at him in a smug way. "I did! I really did." Lex grinned innocently himself.
"Perhaps he was wise to trust the human system after all." Hudson declared.
"Or maybe he just got lucky." Elisa said.
"Hm. Lass, as long as I've known Goliath, he's had a habit of making, his own luck." Hudson remarked happily.
Goliath took off into the night and flew across the full moon.
It was time for the others to join him to go home. Home would no doubt feel good to their leader for sure. He hadn't been there for a week.
"I know I'm going to make a big celebrity meal for him when we get home." Broadway declared.
"We all could use one." Brooklyn agreed, patting his stomach. He was indeed hungry himself.
"Me too." Sil said.
It had been hard to eat and glide all last week.
…
Once at home, Angela and Elisa both ran and hugged Goliath. They were so glad he was home at last.
"How does it feel to be home?" Elisa asked.
"It feels great. I missed all of you." Goliath replied with a smile.
"Are you hungry, Goliath? I could whip up a victory feast." Broadway stated.
"That would be great, Broadway, thank you. And the rest of you, thank you for trying to help me out." he proclaimed.
"We tried to track down the witnesses, but no luck. They're still too scared of us." Brooklyn said.
"Nothing new there." Lex said.
Broadway and Angela left together, hand in hand. She wanted to help.
Goliath and Elisa went off on their own for a little while.
Bronx rushed up to greet the others. He jumped on Hudson first. "Hey there, boy. It's good to see you too." he declared happily.
Hudson and Bronx left to go to the TV room.
Lex went off to go play with Alex. He hadn't been here much all week. David and Fox had known because of Goliath missing. Even Sil had been out there too, and hadn't bothered them. Now, Lex wanted to spend time with him.
That left Brooklyn and Chamberlain alone.
"What do you want to do?" Brook asked.
"Kind of want bath before dinner." Sil replied.
"Alright. I'm gonna go with Hudson." Brook stated.
Sil went off to his room to have a much needed bath. He had mainly been home for sleeping, small meals, a little work, and more searching for witnesses all week and was exhausted.
The bath felt so good on his aching joints. He liked baths and being clean. His hand was doing fine.
…..
Brooklyn entered the TV room to be with Hudson and Bronx until dinner was ready.
A little while later, Sil came into the TV room as well. He was freshly dressed and smelled clean for sure. He sat down on the couch in the room. Brooklyn was over by the window.
Soon, Angela came and got them for dinner. It would be the first real meal in a week's time together, as a whole clan again.
Everyone came to the feast. Even the Xanatos family.
There a great big roast, some veggie mix, some chopped pineapples, some bread, and some vanilla cake for dessert. It was a delicious looking dinner. It made all their mouths water and stomachs grumble.
They all got their fair share of food on their plates and sat down to a wonderful night of being one whole family again before moving on to other things before sunrise.
Sil thought that he might be able to fully sleep again in the morning. He hadn't gotten much all week long. Then, neither had Elisa, having been worried about Goliath.
This had been a historical night for gargoyle kind.