4/20/01
X & The Single Gargoyle
Part 6
A Dragon's Heart
Chapter I: Writhe
Chap. II: Metathesis
Chap. III: Dauntless
Chap. IV: Turn About Is Fair Play
DISCLAIMER: GARGOYLES BELONG TO BUENA VISTA TELEVISION/ DISNEY. X-MEN BELONG TO MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP. TACITUS, ADRIENNE, ARMAND ALL BELONG TO THE DENIGODDESS. I AM WRITING THIS PURELY FOR THE LOVE OF X-MEN AND GARGOYLES, NOT FOR PROFIT. SO, PLEASE! DO NOT SUE.
WHAT HAS GONE ON BEFORE: ADRIENNE, A MUTANT MEMBER OF THE X-MEN SAVE GOLIATH'S LIFE FROM A DOGFIGHT WITH THE FRIENDS OF HUMANITY. THEIR FRIENDSHIP OVER TIME BLOSSOMED INTO LOVE. THEY BECAME MATES AND HAVE DECIDED TO MARRY. WOLVERINE HAD FEELINGS FOR ADRIENNE AND ATTACKED HER IN FULL COMBAT IN A FUTILE ATTEMPT TO CHANGE HER MIND REGARDING GOLIATH. OWEN TOLD ADRIENNE ABOUT AN ANCIENT BOOK WRITTEN BY THE ROMAN GARGOYLE TACITUS (FAMED ROMAN MAGE & HISTORIAN) THAT WOULD RESTORE DESTROYED GARGOYLES TO LIFE.
XANATOS,OWEN,ADRIENNE AND THE CLAN ARE NOW AT CASTLE MORTIMER IN SCOTLAND WHERE SECRETS ARE REVEALED AND THINGS HAVE GONE AWRY!
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: I DON'T LIKE THE TERM "GARGESS" FOR A FEMALE GARGOYLE. THEREFORE, THE MALES ARE CALLED SIRES AND THE LADIES ARE CALLED DAMES.)
[Bracketed words indicate thought or telepathic transmissions]
Chapter I
Writhe
Adrienne enjoyed every minute of the flight to Scotland. Because of her motherhood-to-be status, she couldn't indulge in spirits from the wetbar. Her stomach flared with nausea only once during the trip. David Xanatos and Goliath insisted she seek medical attention after her psionic combat with Wolverine.
"I don't need it." She rebelled. "I'm fine."
"My Love, if not for yourself then, please, do it for the sake of the baby." Goliath implored her. He brushed his brow against hers. "Both of you are precious to me. I want no harm befalling you."
"Goliath, trust me. I'm fine." She reiterated firmly. Besides, I have ways of dealing with physical injury."
"Adrienne, you mustn't go into Slumber." Goliath exclaimed. "We don't know what it will do to the baby."
"Dames go into Stone Slumber when their 'with egg,' don't they?" She asked.
He silently nodded.
"Look, I'm a little beat." She admitted. "What I want is some warm milk and a warm bagel and peach preserves. I'm so hungry that I could eat a horse."
"Ah, Laddie, are ye in for a treat!" Hudson happily exclaimed. "The cravings have already begun."
"Dames have cravings too?" Adrienne's curiosity made the elder Gargoyles smile.
"Aye, Lassie, that they do." He chuckled. "I hope ye won't be having typical Gargoyle cravings during your...uh term."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"I hope you don't be desirin' tender horse flesh or any other rare item."
"Uh, no! When I say I'm hungry enough to eat a horse, I'm speaking figuratively." She reassured him. "What did you eat when you were at Castle Wyvern a thousand years ago? You couldn't order out for Chinese or Italian."
"Well, Lass." Hudson stumbled with the words. "If the Laird were generous, we might feast upon beef or freshly roasted mutton."
"And if he weren't?"
"Then we were left to fend for ourselves." He told her.
"Like what?" She inquired.
"Wild boar, fresh deer....that sort of thing." Hudson smiled.
"Hey, I cooked some pretty good dishes with dog." Brooklyn exclaimed merrily.
"Dog?" Adrienne's face went ashen. "You actually ate DOG?!"
"You bet, especially if they were-"
Adrienne covered her mouth and rushed to the bathroom. The sound of her retching caused Hudson to stare sternly at his son.
"Ye can't be goin' and just blurtin' out whatever comes to ye mind, boy. Adrienne is a lass with a sensitive constitution and she mayn't understand all our ways."
"Yeah, but c'mon, Hudson. Humans eat dog."
"Not very many and not amongst her people." He gently explained. "Lad, she's nay prepared for the bonnie wee one soon to be enterin' the world. Let's not imperil her or the babe with talk that cause Adrienne fretfulness."
"You're right." Broadway conceded. "I didn't mean to upset her. I'll apologize."
She came out a few minutes later looking most ashen. She sat down next to Goliath and looked at him with soulful eyes. "I hope it isn't like this all throughout my pregnancy. I can't take this. I have a very low pain threshold."
"We shall be there with you ever step of the way." He pressed a gentle kiss into her charcoal tresses. [It must be a mutation to have be consistently gray as slate.]
His subtle smile and knowing nod caused frissions of liquid sunshine to warm her body. She looked at the one whom she called mate, lover, and friend. So much had happened in so little time. They had met in the skies above the Aerie Building. The first night they met they had saved each other's lives.
Adrienne drank in the striking and otherworldly masculine magnificence of Goliath. She treasured his pure heart and noble character. No entity, gargoyle of human, had more impeccable integrity or honorable principles than her Archangel. He would give her the world if she asked and she knew it. If she could give him the stars, she'd gather them one by one and present them to him.
She hoped one day they would share a sunrise, a picnic on a Saturday afternoon. She knew he wished that she would share with him the excitement of a Mating Moon. He wanted to have Hudson officially recognize them and their joining before the entire clan. She knew that a part of him wished to see her with fang, wing, tail and talon. Adrienne knew she possessed the metamorphic ability to assume a Gargoyle form. She grudgingly acknowledged that it was her own inhibitions about her Humanity that prevented her from giving Goliath his unspoken wish.
[My Love, what troubles you?] His brows rose with his growing concern.
[My thoughts are my own.] She refused to easily give away her secrets. She found that with the bond between them, she shared his aptitude for shielding her mind from his inquiries. [I am looking forward to our trip and how this will enrich the lives of the clan.]
"Why are you two so quiet?" Broadway asked cheerfully.
"Just lost in each other, Lad." Hudson laid a hand on his son's shoulder.
"They're lost an awful lot."
"Who needs to speak when we can almost guess what the other's thinking?" Adrienne said as she gave a sly wink to her fiancé.
Goliath wondered about his child's appearance. Would the baby have the charcoal curls of his mother or her large brown eyes. He thought that the child would resemble him very little. There were five digits on hands and feet and they thought there were no wings. Would the child turn to stone at sunrise or would he be like his brother, Darius?
[If by some miracle we revive the clan, what will become of them? I will see brothers and sisters nay but memory to me for over one thousand years.]
We shall be landing at Edinburgh within a few minutes." David informed them. "Adrienne, are you all right?"
"For the most part. The stone sleep with Goliath gave me more energy had I tried normal sleep to recuperate."
"What is the Professor going to do about Logan?" David asked.
"Charles thinks that there might be some truth to Logan's words; that the void left by the link's abrupt disconnection may have left him mentally unbalanced." Adrienne brushed a stray curl from her face. "Most likely, Logan will allow Chuck and Jean inside of his head to restore balance."
"Do you mean mind control?" David asked sharply.
"Uh, not exactly. In past cases where someone's mind is imperiled, the Professor can usually reach the true person. With that person's permission, he can telepathically 'fix' the problem. It's quick, but not easy. It puts the Professor at risk."
"Hmm. I see."
The quiet disapproval of Xanatos disappointed Adrienne. He didn't understand that the X-Men worked on a different level than other individuals. They were a close-knit group that had few resources apart from themselves to deal with problems of such gravity. They used whatever was available to neutralize the situation.
"So what are both of you doing for the wedding?" Broadway asked. He wanted nothing more than to clear away the tenseness between Adrienne and Xanatos. He had a precarious talent for asking sensitive questions.
"Wedding? We truly haven't given it much thought." Goliath looked to his Ladylove. "Whatever the lady desires she shall have it."
"We could be married here in Scotland." She suggested.
"Here?' Goliath eyes widened in mild astonishment. "You would want that?"
"Why not? I hear the Highlands have their own rugged beauty." She looked at her mate. He had a rugged beauty all his own. "What a wonderful place to begin our new lives together."
"Who will be giving you away?" David asked.
"Well, the Professor is otherwise indisposed with Logan." She replied. "Perhaps, Hudson would do the honors?"
She turned her attention to the elder of the clan. He mild and nodded his agreement. "Lass, 'twil be an honor.'
"I think I would like it best if it were simple without all the trappings." Adrienne replied. "Right now, I'm just looking forward to touching down on Scottish soil."
*******
Chapter II
Metathesis
Under the light of a Scottish moon the party departed from the jet. The enthusiasm sweeping through the group left Adrienne feeling giddy and jubilant. Her cheery anticipation of walking where Goliath had been hatched caused her to want to move faster.
She consciously ignored the growing fatigue threatening to have her fall asleep there at the Edinburgh International Airport.
With their new bracelets functioning, the party of Gargoyles flickered from view. Standing beside her was a towering man of flawless physical perfection. Long thick black hair fell straight and true down his broad back. His skin stood in stark contrast to hers. Adrienne saw that her pale skin seemed unremarkable to the flawless copper complexion of Goliath. She looked to see dark, simmering fires burning brightly in human eyes.
"Ohmigod." She whispered in reverent awe. "I never realized you were so gorgeous as a human."
"You prefer this appearance to that of my true self?" He asked in carefully modulated articulation. His neutral tone seemed to indicate that he was wary of her reaction to his illusional Humanity.
"Honestly? I am rather taken aback!" She let her eyes travel freely along Goliath's tanned, toned form. "I could get used to this very easily."
"Would you prefer this?" His low words resounded around her. "Is this the man you want in your bed each night?"
[Yes, I wouldn't mind it.] She thought to herself. She cursed her own prejudice for Human beauty. She knew that a part of her never fully embraced the profound variances between Goliath and herself. Still, she recognized that her desire for Goliath's human appearance bellowed selfishness and superficiality. No matter his form, she loved him above all others.
"I just want my Goliath." She said simply. "But, you can understand that I find you ...entirely striking in your human appearance."
"He is quite the looker, isn't he, Ms. Westfall?" Owen said with a ghostly smile. "Would you like it if he were like this all the time?"
"Why wish for something Goliath wouldn't want?" She responded. "I fell in love with Goliath the Gargoyle ...not this new and mysterious human standing beside me."
She studied the others and found their human semblances uncannily close to their Gargoyle demeanors. Hudson still had a full, thick beard and flowing white hair like Father time. His stocky figure was a comforting sight to the apprehensive mutant. Broadway's appearance was a complete stupefaction to Adrienne. He appeared with healthy skin that had a rosy glow. His curly blond hair and portly form seemed strangely huggable and cuddly. Brooklyn's persona caused Adrienne to shake her head and gawk at him. The beak was gone. Instead there were deep-set eyes of hazel, high cheekbones and an aristocratic nose. His flowing white hair was abundant as it fell down his back. Lexington caused Adrienne to smile. He was still shorter that she by four or five inches. His slight, wiry form seemed akin to his Gargoyle alter ego. His hair was short, straight and chestnut.
Angela's beauty seemed magnified by her new form. She had the same sable tresses as her father. She had her mother's exotic comeliness with her willowy elegance and svelte curves. Adrienne knew that Goliath and Brooklyn would be beating away the hopeful suitors with a stick; a very big stick.
"Your scent lingers about you of desire and want." Goliath whispered darkly in her ear.
"It's all for you, Goliath." She replied. "You know that and what you do to me."
"I know what I want to do with you later." He pulled her to him. "We could have such fun with this illusion."
Goliath was being playful? She looked at him twice to make sure he hadn't been taken by Body Snatchers.
"Promise?"
"I burn for you, Adrienne Westfall." He growled. She watched those dark eyes flicker with a pale golden light that betrayed his desire for her. "I shall spend the rest of the night proving it to you. Never doubt a Gargoyle's vigor."
"I'm looking forward to it." Waves of excitement caused tingling along her sensitive skin at the very thought of her lover seducing her as only he could.
She scoured the crowd for any sign of whom they were supposed to meet. Armand DeVoe was to be waiting for them in the airport. She didn't know quite what to expect. The Professor had described him as enigmatic. Little more had been said about the man since that brief conversation.
"I'm looking for the Wyvern Party." A voice cried out from the crowd. Adrienne's head cranked in the direction that she heard the articulate voice.
There stood a man holding a sign with the word "Wvyern" written upon it. Holding it was a man with classic features. With black hair and bright turquoise eyes framed by glasses, she thought he bore a striking resemblance to Owen. Yet, there was something that sparked when his gaze met hers.
"Are you Armand DeVoe?" Owen asked the man. It was then when the two stood side by side that she recognized that particular spark.
"Indeed." He merrily declared. "Chuckles said that you'd be a striking group." Adrienne stifled a giggle as she watched Armand's eyes carefully scrutinized Owen.
"Owen Burnett." The majordomo offered his hand to the man across from him. "Allow me to introduce you to the rest of us."
Formalities were exchanged and soon everyone was headed off for DeVoe's estate. They rode in a long black stretch limousine that reeked luxury and wealth. Adrienne noticed that Armand DeVoe seemed quite accustomed to such trappings. With those classic good looks and that aristocratic air, she was positive there were several ladies that would like to do the same.
"So, m'dear, did you bring the tome?" His voice sliced through her thoughts.
"Yes." She answered simply. [What is it about this guy that sets my instincts into overdrive? Is it his accent? Is it his personality or his demeanor? Why does Armand DeVoe cause my mind to real?]
The she recognized the accent. It was neither British nor French, it was Cajun. Obviously diluted with a Continental education and polish, but, Bayou French nonetheless. Adrienne was thoroughly intrigued by the person sitting across from her. She studied him through veiled, sooty lashes.
She knew the Professor's philosophy on the ethical use of one's psionic abilities. Adrienne used her abilities when it suited her and without remorse. While she didn't possess Telepathy per ce, her empathic abilities allowed her to "see" and "feel" what a telepath oftentimes missed; the emotions. She slowly closed her coffee-dark eyes and let her empathy drift around Armand.
She sensed great expectation and hope from this man. She felt his growing happiness at something wonderful about to occur. His nerves were twitching with heartfelt agitation. He was a bouncing ball of pure joy. She thought she heard a babbling brook and the singing of songbirds in tall birch elms.
[He's a Child of Oberon. Sheesh! I should have seen that one a mile away.] Adrienne noticed that he seemed unaware of her gentle scan. Perhaps, he simply didn't care. Little matter to her she thought. Intrigued, she probed further into the emotions he emanated from his mind.
She sensed joy and heartache. She perceived rapture tinged with bittersweet elation. Pain danced behind the front of indifference. She felt love. It was ardent and fervent. It was a carnal desire hopelessly tangled amidst unfaltering affection. She followed the ebb and flow of the Elvin emotions and where their psionic currents led them. The strong sensations encircled and embraced ....OWEN!?
Armand DeVoe and Owen Burnett had a connection! [Juicy.]
Adrienne's eyes met with Owen's. She laid a gentle hand his. He sharply drew it away but it was in vain. The usual dance of floating flashing orb swirled around her and Owen. She saw an aura of rose radiance surrounding the tense, worried form next to her. She thought her sensitive hearing caught the rushing of a mountain stream and the gentle Western Zephyr teasing her hair. Adrienne looked upon the stoic, stiff persona of Owen Burnett standing before her. Unlike their first psionic encounter, he carried no smirk, but a burning glare of anger in his stormy blue eyes.
Inside her mind's view she watched the Puck, Child of Oberon. She watched dull gray mist settle like heavy fog at Puck's feet. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she watched him sink slowly to the ground. Her eyes met his and he lack his joy and michevious demeanor. His heart seemed so heavy that he lost his ability to float.
She dared look inside Owen Burnett's truest heart. There, Adrienne found pain, anger, betrayal, heartbreak sent her mind into a violent spiral of raw emotion. Behind the rage and the bitterness lurked longing and adoration.
[You two were lovers!] The revelation screamed inside her mind.
"Holy Guacamole!" She felt her hands fall to her lap.
" Ms. Westfall." She heard Owen's voice. She heard how controlled it seemed. She looked to him and found his eyes narrow in suspicion. "Are you all right?"
[Oh, Jalapena!] Owen's eyes scrutinized her with great scorn. [He's on to me!]
She turned to see Armand's gaze stare blankly out the window. She cast him a sympathetic glance. His pain was a beacon on the empathic plane that she saw with crystalline clarity. The man nursed a tender a broken heart. Adrienne knew that Owen played a crucial role in somehow bring about Armand's devastated plight of heartsickness.
"I'm fine." She coyly looked at Owen through sooty, veiled lashes. "How about you? How about Armand?"
She watched the majordomo squirm uncomfortably in his seat. His eyes met hers. Cerulean consternation clashed cruelly with coffee contumacy. Owen awkwardly straightened his plain burgundy necktie. "I am ....well. Why don't you ask Laird DeVoe for yourself?"
The tension sizzled between the polished demeanor of Owen Burnett and the heartfelt concern of Adrienne Westfall. His withering glance silently conveyed the message ...stay out of this, it's none of your business.
She knew that was the proper thing to do. It wasn't her right to meddle in the privacy of others. She knew how much Owen prized his solitude. She knew that too well. She watched as Armand looked at her with almost frightened eyes. Realization hit him as he saw the tautness mount between Owen and Adrienne.
Adrienne understood that she snooped and should politely withdraw. Her dark eyes met Armand's. Her concern for his well-being overrode her good judgment. "Laird DeVoe, are you well?"
He gave her a slight smile. He nodded and took her hand. "Your concern for me is touching. I appreciate your kindness. However, be assured than I am of good health and strong heart."
"You're not in harms' way are you?" She boldly asked.
"Of course not!" He declared. "Simply preoccupied with thoughts."
"All right then."
The rest of the ride continued in strained stillness. Owen shuffled the paperwork in his briefcase. Armand stared into the night. The other gargoyles were too involved with checking out the various gadgets in the limousine. Goliath seemed content to feel Adrienne in his arms.
As they stepped from the limousine, she felt Owen catch her arm. "Might I have a word with you, Ms. Westfall?"
Goliath looked at her quizzically. "Go on, Handsome. I'll be along soon."
"I anticipate our reunion." Goliath gallantly bowed and joined the others walking inside the castle.
"Accursed Kiari, don't you ever know NOT to meddle?!" Owen muttered.
He returned his gaze to a very stunned and confused Adrienne. She closed her eyes to still her own hurt feelings. She looked at Owen and released his hand. "You know, Owen, I didn't mean to pry. It simply came to me.
"Your talents are admirable, Ms. Westfall, but aren't warranted." He replied in his slightly nasal tone.
"Fine. I apologize." She turned her attention the castle.
"Owen, why are you holding this delightful young lady at bay?" An articulate voice cut through the night air."
"Laird DeVoe, she and I were simply discussing a private matter-"
"Involving me." He finished. "Yes, I know. Her abilities are most acute. She is young and her curiosity will often lead her down primrose paths. You needn't be so intimidating with her. Gently remind her that it's bad manners and be done with it."
"Owen, don't ever attempt intimidation with me." She growled. His eyes widened as they blazed aglow with violet fire.
"All you need are wings." He quipped.
"Mademoiselle Westfall, I assure you no harm is done." The charming voice of Armand cut through her indignation. "
"My curiosity will be my downfall."
"As will your lack of discretion." Owen muttered through gritted teeth.
"Owen, please!" Armand chided him. "Adrienne's abilities sometimes run amok but no harm was done. Frankly, I truly don't care."
"I apologize again, Mr. DeVoe." Her cheeks stained from humiliation of being caught abusing her abilities. "Sometimes, I have little control over my abilities or my words."
"I see." He replied. "Charles told me that you're a very gifted young woman.'"
"The Professor is both kind and flattering in his description of me." She hedged. Since being around Goliath, she made it a point to emphasize eloquence.
"I look forward to talking with you once we reach Castle Mortimer." He replied graciously. "He sang your praises loudly to me."
"He was quite generous." She replied.
"Has no one tutored you in you abilities?" He inquired.
"I've received extensive training at the Xavier Institute." Adrienne told him. "Until a recent event, I trained three times a week."
"No, no , no! M'dear, has anyone instructed you in the use of your Magick?"
"I don't have any Magick." She thought that perhaps he was somewhat a can short of a six pack. "I'm a Mutant."
"What planet have you been on?" His suave French accent shifted to that of a California Valley girl. "Owen, haven't you taught her anything?"
"I'm restricted in my instructional capabilities." He replied tersely. "Oberon saw to that."
"Well, thank Avalon, I'm not!" He saucily declared. "M'Dear, you are Kiari. You are Fae. Your kind were precursors to Oberon."
"I know this. Let me explain it to you. I'm Human. I'm a mutant. I am not some superficial, temperamental, fickle fairy like Puck that gets a kick out of meddling in other people's affairs."
"Oh really?" Owen drawled. "Kiari are the most meddlesome of the Scottish fair folk. You've proven that this evening."
"She may be right, my tantalizing trickster.." Armand responded. "Humanity obviously dominates her configuration. But, that one little strand of genetic information that screams "Fairy" is just enough to tweak your abilities beyond those of mere mortals and many fairy. If properly tutored, those powers and abilities could be honed into easily mastered areas."
"I wish." She lamented.
"Come speak with me after sunrise and we'll talk." He squeezed her shoulder warmly. "Charles told me you needed additional teaching. Now, I see why he sent you to me."
"There's more to it than that-"
"It doesn't matter now, Adrienne." Armand interrupted her. "You're here and I shall teach you what you need to know to realize your full potential. Now go get some sleep and we'll speak of this tomorrow."
"Of course."
Once inside, the castle truly was magnificent. Tall steepled towers loomed above the dark, stormy night of the Highlands. Once inside, she felt quite at home because it reminded her much of her new home at Castle Wyvern. Tapestry after tapestry adorned the ancient stone corridors. Suits of armor stood gallantly in the halls. Adrienne wondered what tales the stones would tell her. The scent of the storm, the rain, and the ancient aroma of the castle mingled with the sound of thunder. [This place certainly doesn't lack ambiance.]
"Let me show you to your rooms." Laird DeVoe offered. "I'm sure that your clan has little wish to repose before daylight."
Goliath and Adrienne settled into their bedchamber. With it's heavy walnut four-poster bed and musty, damp smell, it seemed very befitting in an eleventh century castle. She looked at the stranger beside her dressed in tailored black slacks and a crisp white Henley dress shirt. Long flowing hair somewhat dampened by the rain hung down his back. Those brooding eyes looked at his fiancé.
"Goliath, you look good in whatever form you take." Adrienne muttered appreciatively. "I just never realized how gorgeous you are as a human."
Goliath felt a faint stab of regret when he heard those words fall from her lips. Long ago he had said something quite similar to a particular police detective that captured his wounded heart. Had such words caused Elisa bruised feelings during those halcyon days long past?
Now, somewhere in this sensitive, clever young woman lay the inner sanctum of his heart. He stared into coffee and amber eyes and longed to feel her soul brush his with gentle love and affection. Hence afresh she restored his tormented soul to wellness. Her devotion and loyalty adhered to the fractured shards of his shattered heart. Her tenderness refreshed him so that his Gargoyle fortitude prevailed unfettered.
She was not Elisa Maza. Goliath knew that. She never would be. She was Adrienne Westfall.
He knew he cherished his ladylove.
'.....Elisa is as much a part of me as the castle or my clan. You are as much a part of me as my mind or my heart. Separate, yet you both are distinctly essential to who and what I am." Goliath remembered uttering those words to Adrienne after the first time they mated. He understood now the distinctions of those loves. Elisa was a haven and a serenity his heart never before had known. Adrienne was a vital component of Goliath's internal essence. One was around him, the other came from within. While Elisa had been the salvation of his heart that reached out to him, Adrienne had been the spark from within that sparked him to life.
She loved him in whatever form he assumed.
Yet, her words inspired thoughts in him he thought long left behind him.
"If only we were allowed the days together as well as the nights." He lamented as he drew her to him. He pressed a small switch on the bracelet that turned off the inducer. He wrapped his wings about her to draw her more inside him.
"I've been studying some Magickal theories from some of the books in Xanatos' Library." Adrienne told her lover. "I think it's possible we could do something about it."
"Magick is not your realm of expertise." Goliath said slowly.
"Not usually." She admitted. "However, there are two kinds of Magick. Mortal Magick usually requires a conduit such as object, relic, or some other Magickal item. However, Fae Magick is internal. Tacitus' Tome is full of spells. One of them is to allow a Gargoyle to be awake during the day. If I were to recite it and use our link, think of what we could accomplish."
"You trifle with things not of your knowing." Goliath warned her. "Adrienne, we mustn't talk of such of things."
"Why not?" She asked. "I know more than I thought about magick and not as much as I should I admit. But, if we were to reverse the energy of the link between us, I think you might stay awake during the day. After all, that link has taken me into stone sleep with you twice."
"It's too dangerous." Goliath rebutted her gently. "My Raven, I wish no harm to befall you."
"Goliath, I just know that it's possible for me to cast a spell where you will remain awake with me during the day." Adrienne's excitement prompted her to retrieve the large black leather tome from her suitcase. She set the large tome on their walnut four poster bed. She opened the colossal volume and searched diligently from the first page.
"Aha!" She declared in delight and pointed her finger to a carefully scripted stanza. "This is what I was thinking of! Don't read it aloud, just read silently."
Goliath saw nothing but blank pages. "They are unmarked, My Raven."
Damn! She had forgotten that only Kiari could read the words. She longed to share a sunrise with her mate. Yet, she knew the dangers he spoke of were quite undeniable. To cast a spell and possess no knowledge of Magick may well cement his destruction.
Abide in Wakefulness During Helios' Vigil
"Of stone and egg be they made
awake during Nyx's masquerade
from moon and star thou surely doth know
their silver beams and subtle glow.
Now let Helios' orb warm thy back.
Let slumber now thus thee truly lack.
Let thy stone form not take during light of day
let thy fleshed form supplant stone during it's astiring stay."
"The sun will rise soon." Regret crept into his voice. "I must join the others at the castle wall."
"Would it be so horrible if you could spend one day with me?" She asked in a small voice. "What if I could give you that?"
"Then, I would want you to show me all the wonders of a sunlit world." He smiled at her as he planted a sweet kiss to her brow. He cradled her face in his gigantic taloned hands. "I know of no greater wish than to feel the warmth of the sun upon us. I would worship you with words and touch if but given the chance."
To make love with Goliath in the sunlight was a far-fetched dream indeed! She felt a solitary tear threaten to spill down her cheek. She wiped it away.
"It just the way things are." Resignation fell from her lips.
He walked to the balcony. He assumed a position meant only for her. He knelt on one knee and looked up at her. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He brushed his lips lightly against her sensitive skin. "Until Twilight, My Raven..."
"Until Twilight, Goliath." She did her best to force a bright smile. "I love you."
"And I you, Sweetling." With those words, she watched him stiffen. The Golden rays of the sun peaked through the clouds above the Eastern Horizon. They beamed down upon his perfect silhouette. His massive form darkened from lavender to slate. She watched smooth flesh be replaced by lightly textured stone.
Tears fell freely from her eyes. She pressed two fingers to his lips. "You won't dream sweet dreams today, Archangel."
Chapter III
Dauntless
She caught a few hours sleep. When Adrienne awoke, she felt the strong urge to find Armand. She grabbed the tome and began her search for the Library. She wandered anxiously through the long, stone corridors hunting for him.
[Use you Magick, Adrienne.] His voice urged her. She heard it from within and knew that it was part of her training.
She closed her eyes and turned her attention to his voice. Nothing appeared before her mind's eye. She recalled his feelings from the previous evening. She visualized turquoise eyes full of heart ache. She recalled his distant demeanor for most of the ride. She saw him through his emotion. It almost seemed to create a scrying window to allow her full visage of the Library.
[Now, come to me.]
BOMPT! She dared to teleport to sight unseen. [I must be nuts! What if I end up inside a wall or underground?]
When she felt solid footing beneath her she let for a sigh of relief. She looked around to find herself in the Library that she had seen in her vision. "Laird DeVoe?"
She heard a single round of applause from behind her. "Bravo, M'Dear. You teleported and successfully found your mark."
"No easy task I assure you." She replied.
"Easier than you thought." He retorted.
"This is true."
"Let us begin, we have little time." He told her.
Armand spent the next three hours explaining the difference of Mortal Magick and Fae Magick. Adrienne's mutant abilities were hopelessly entangled with her Elvin heritage. One never would know where powers ended and Magick began. It only mattered that she learn to use them properly.
Laird DeVoe vividly construed how to cast a spell. For her, it turned out to be a combination of word and gesture. Until she was ready to ascend to the highest levels of casting, she'd have to rely upon memory, word, and gesture.
"Also, M'dear Adrienne, the Tome of Tacitus has spells that can be cast from its pages."
"I know. I found one this morning." She showed him the one called 'Abiding Wakefulness During Helios' Vigil.'
"Not a difficult spell at all." Armand described.
"I also know that how a spell is worded doesn't guarantee it's manifestation." She pointed out to him. "I"ve heard how Demona was tricked by Puck because he had the ability to play with words."
"Dear, that is simply Puck's nature." He gave her a smile. "That is not yours. You are a woman of deep heart. Your Magick is rooted in compassion, not mischief. You are not a trickster. You are a guardian. Your nature lies in protection, not deception."
"You make me sound so simple."
"Hardly." He guffawed. "You're simply a different kind of fairy. The key to casting your personal Magick is motivation and cognizance. You must know what you want. You must be able to see it inside your mind. Then you must believe that it is possible. You know that you can alter Darkforce through strength of will. Now, you must learn to harness your Magick the same way."
"Could I truly do it?" She asked.
"Oh, yes." He chuckled. "You're a keg of dynamite. Just be careful not to let your own desires cloud your casting."
"Be careful what I wish for, I just might get it?" She surmised.
"Exactly, M'Dear." Armand stroked his finely trimmed goatee. "That is where your downfall lies. Your Magick is based upon your emotion and compassion; your will. It will influence the outcome. So, it is wise to detach yourself emotionally before you cast any spell."
"Not unlike the psychic defenses I erect to keep from empathically bonding with everyone I touch." Adrienne knew that concept well.
"By Jove, I do believe you got it!" Armand happily declared. "Oh, you go, girl. You just get on with your bad self Ms. Thing."
His mercurial nature caused her laughter to fill the room. She looked at the tall man dressed dashingly in his white linen suit and black silk shirt. His straight black hair fell to his shoulders and he had a fairly debauched air about him with those arched black brows and finely trimmed goatee.
"What do you truly look like as an elf?" She found herself asking.
"Not much different actually." He smiled that disarming smile. "Would you like to see?"
"Will it hurt?"
"Not at all, M'Dear." He shook his head at the ingenue.
"With rounded ear and heavy frame
let me no longer remain the same
let Elvin blood through my veins flow
let human form forsake me! Go!"
She watched those familiar columns of smoke rise about him. She heard the crackle of lightning as it danced around him. He spun about within the column of light as though he were a top. His speed increased to such a point that he became a blur.
[I'll never be used to this! If nothing else, Armand is a showman.]
The spinning stopped and the pyrotechnics calmed themselves. There floated before her a Child of Oberon with pointed ears and delicate features. His eyes were the same vivid brilliance of turquoise. Dressed in a bright teal tunic, he darted around her.
"Wow." She whispered.
"I take it, you approve?"
"Definitely." She watched him dance in the air. "Why is it that all the Fae seem so...playful."
"You humans are such a dour race. You never take time to enjoy life."
"We do."
"I've seen Gargoyles with more gaiety." He scoffed.
"You make it look simple." She admitted.
"It is, Adrienne." He exclaimed in pure frustration. "You need only have confidence in your abilities. You've shapeshifted before haven't you?"
"On occasion, but, it's not something I do just for fun." She told him. "It's draining."
"Because you're under the assumption that it will be."
"And it is."
"Now, try it from the perspective of ...just wishing it so."
"Right." Adrienne shook her head. "It doesn't work that way for me."
"Have you heard NOTHING I have told you?" He covered his face in his hands. "Give them tome and give them tomes and they RIP out the pages...."
"Okay, Okay!" She wanted him to stop his melodramatic display. "You probably right."
"Try one simple incantation and see if you can."
"I don't dare, I'm pregnant." She told him.
"No harm will come to your child, I assure you." Armand DeVoe stood before her rather than Armand the Elf. "I realize that you take most seriously the safety of the life growing within you. On my word, no harm will come to your child. No harm will come to her."
"Are you sure?"
He placed two hands upon her shoulders. "No duplicity or mischief here. Above all else, the Fay value life. Now, focus and allow your true self to come about."
She nodded and licked her dry lips. She felt her hands tremble. She wanted to see this. She let him silently lead her to a mirror standing suddenly in the middle of the library. Tall and ornate, it reminded her of the old mirror's from Victorian times.
"It's been in my family for centuries, it belonged to my mother, Titania."
"This is Titania's mirror? I thought it was destroyed." She shook her head.
"My mother is a female." He shrugged. "She does have more than one."
"Don't let the Gargoyles know that."
"Of course. Goliath would truly be at odds with you if he knew." Armand gave her a sly wink. He turned Adrienne to stand squarely in front of the mirror. "Now, let the words flow from you. Cast your spell. See your Elvin form."
She inhaled slowly. She held it for several seconds. She felt beads of sweat form upon her fevered brow. Her hands tightly grasped the tome to her chest.
"Relax, M'Dear. I'm with you." He soothed her. "I'm not dallying with you. I speak truth."
"I don't know what to say..." she started.
"Just let the words come. Rhyme and poetry is your gift. Use them." He urged.
She stared at herself in the mirror clad in her favorite boot-cut jeans and peach halter top.
"Adrienne Westfall I now am...
this is the form I see...
Let this mirror real the truth
of whom I truly be."
She watched fog cross the mirror's glass. She watched intently as a figure walked to the other side of the glass. The reflection staring at her was a woman with straight black hair, verdant green eyes garbed in the classic gold and blue uniform of the X-Men. Adrienne knew at once that the likeness in the looking glass was that of Jaye Morgan; Logan's late wife.
She took a step back, but, Armand's firm hands on her shoulders stayed her. The vision melted away to be replaced by a petite woman with bronze skin and large brown eyes. Dressed in black jeans and a red bomber jacket, she brought her hand to the glass. It reached out beyond the glass into the Adrienne's world. Adrienne reached out and touched the hand. It was warm and real. Adrienne knew it was Elisa Maza.
"Are you me?" Adrienne asked.
"I don't know." Elisa replied with a casual shrug. "I know I'm part of you."
"Are you dead?"
"I'm at peace." She replied.
"Goliath misses you so much." She whispered to Elisa. "He needs you."
"He has you." She remarked.
"Don't you want to come back?"
"I never left."
"But, I'm not you." Adrienne admonished the phantasm staring at her. "Aren't you dead?"
"I'm no longer alive in the truest sense of the word. I'm on the other side. But a part of me is always with you. You're not me. I am a part of you. You are your own person."
"I don't understand."
"When kids are born, they have two people as a part of them; Mom and Dad. But, they aren't their mom and dad. The kid is a newly created human being independent and separate of his parents. He has things he may inherit from them. He may develop similar tastes, but, in the end, he's his own person."
"I think I understand. You're in a sense, my mother."
"In that sense, yeah." Elisa gave her a hug. "But, not in the normal way of mother/ daughter relationships. Hey, I have to go. I never meant to come here."
"Will I ever see you again?" Adrienne asked.
"You see me everyday when you look in the mirror, Kid." Elisa walked into the mists. "One some advice, have faith in yourself and just trust your heart when everything else falls to shit. And love Goliath well for me."
"I will." She whispered.
"Adrienne, Adrienne!" She felt a violent shaking of her shoulder. "Wake up!"
"Huh?" She mumbled. She looked around to find herself sitting in the middle of the library.
"You had me worried, M'Dear. One minute, you're staring at the mirror. The next, you're reaching for and you vanish."
"I've been here the whole time. It was just a minute or two that you showed me the mirror."
"Not quite." He said ominously. "I showed you that mirror an hour ago. Where did you go?"
"I spoke with Elisa."
"Who's Elisa?"
"Elisa Maza." Adrienne clarified.
"You traveled INTO the mirror?!" He cried.
"No, she came to me."
"Don't ever cast that spell again." A voice came from behind them. There stood Owen with arms crossed. "To do so would cause you to bring forth someone no longer of this world. Elisa Maza may not be so quick to return to her proper realm if she knew that she could have stayed here and been with Goliath."
"Point well taken." Armand replied. "Yet, now do you know who you truly are?"
"Yes, I've seen my true self. I'm Adrienne Westfall." She gave them a cryptic smile.
"Armand, what have you told her?"
"I simply gave her a quick lecture of the basics."
"You've put a nuclear arsenal in the hands of a toddler." Owen's rising indignation almost caused Adrienne to smirk. She covered her mouth to conceal her mirth.
"No, all he did was show me my true form." She amended. "Armand, you have proven to me that anything is possible."
"Wonderful." He winked at her. "Just be careful, please?"
"I will." She took the tome and quickly exited the library before Owen could further lecture her. With newfound confidence, Adrienne returned to the bedchamber that she and Goliath shared.
She grabbed the book from the bed and stood in front of the statue cloaked in humility and abiding love. She opened the book and flipped to the page of the incantation.
"Goliath, I know I can do this." She whispered to his granite form. [I didn't realize I could have all the long.]
'"Of stone and egg be thee made
awake during Nyx's masquerade
from moon and star thou surely doth know
their silver beams and subtle glow.
Now let Helios' orb warm thy back.
Let slumber now thus thee truly lack.
Let thy stone form not take during light of day
let thy fleshed form supplant stone during it's astiring stay."
The air fell silent. The birds ceased their morning song. The wind stood still. She waited in great trepidation of the action just done. Then the breeze blew again. The birds resumed their chirping. Disappointment coursed through Adrienne. Yet, a part of her breathed a sigh of relief that nothing had happened.
She decided to return the book to their chamber and not dwell on her failure. She heard a crack behind her.
Adrienne hurriedly spun around to see cracks forming in the statue on the balcony. She watched the wings fall and turn to ash and dust.
"Omigod! No. What have I done?" She clasped her hand over her mouth. "Owen! OWEN!!!"
Eyes glowed as the stone shards flew the expanse of the balcony. She watched them fall to the ground as brittle autumn leaves during a windstorm. Dust flew everywhere from the twin piles of gravel that were once Goliath's wings.
She heard a growl somewhere in the dust cloud. A figure stepped forth from the thick, gray cloud. The figure was flawless in contour and musculature. His complexion was without blemish. Its hue was that of the finest bronze. Lush, sable tresses flowed down his bare, broad back. Eyes of obsidian enlarged in wonder. With his mouth agape, the graceful figure moved toward Adrienne.
"Goliath?" She squeaked.
"Yes, My Love?" He asked. He saw her ashen expression. "What is wrong? Are you ill."
"No." She looked at him dumbfounded. "Uh...everything is...uh..fine."
"Then why are you staring at me like that?"
"It didn't go quite the way I planned." She shrank away from his towering figure.
"What didn't go quite the way you planned?" He asked pointedly.
"You're awake and it's daylight." She told him in a small voice.
"Indeed." He looked sternly at her with arms folded at his chest. "You cast the spell against my wishes."
"I'm sorry." She said contritely. "I seem to be letting my impulses impede my judgment. I wanted you to be with me and I just went ahead and did it.?"
"I don't know, My Raven." He opened his arms to her. "Yet, you've accomplished something wonderful."
He saw his hands. He noticed his arms. They weren't lavender, they were the burnished copper made dark by the sun. Instead of four taloned digits, he noticed each hand had five fingers. He looked down to notice that his feet had five toes. He stood there dumbstruck and stared at Adrienne.
"I'm human!" He cried out with surprise. She saw those eyes flash. That didn't diminish with his human form. "ADRIENNE!"
"I noticed." She replied. "I don't believe it. Goliath, what are we going to do?"
She expected his wrath. She anticipated a roar and a burst of temper. She wanted to cower in the closet and hide from his rage. Instead, he stepped forward and brought his lips to hers. A slow smile crossed his lips. She thought she saw his eyes flash with their familiar white lightning.
"Can the spell be undone?"
"I know it can be. For every spell cast there is an equal and opposite counterspell. Armand told me that this morning." She told him. She flipped to the page in the tome of Tacitius. "The counter spell is listed right here under the one I cast."
"Adrienne...." He growled. "I have one thing I wish to do before you revert me my true form."
"What?" She shivered half in fear and half in desire as he stepped toward her.
"This...Beloved." He murmured against her.
His full, sensuous lips teasingly enticed his mate to open her mouth and allow him to taste her fully. His kiss was very different in this guise. She opened her mouth to protest when he deepened their kiss.
"I want to share the day with you. This is what I want to do with you first, My Love." He whispered lovingly in her ear.
They spent the next hour on the cool stone of the balcony worshipping one another with kisses and caresses. Their fervid cries of release floated above the morning breeze.
***********
Later that morning, she brushed a stray sable tendril from Goliath's face. "We need to remedy this. I shouldn't have done this. I was selfish and now you're Human."
"My Love, for every spell there is an equal and opposite counter spell." He gently reassured her. "I'm sure that you'll find it."
************
Chapter IV
Turn About Is Fair Play
Goliath reveled in the sun's brightness in his eyes. He basked in it's warmth. The bright blue of the sky brought a sense of renewal to his soul. The smell of the Highland air and the heather invigorated him.
He never thought he would return to his home. How he had missed Scotland. Now, his homecoming he shared with his beloved mate. Yet, her curiosity had made him Human. At Sunset, she had promised to read the counterspell and return all to normal.
It brought Goliath some amusement when Xanatos saw him this way. As the sun began to sink below the horizon, Goliath gathered with the others in the courtyard. Soon, it would be time to be restored to his full form.
"I've enjoyed seeing you ...like this." Adrienne whispered quietly. "I don't regret it for a moment."
"Nor I, Sweetling." He touched his brow to hers. "But I am what I am. If I were meant to be as such so would I have been born."
Adrienne notice his speech had assumed a more poetic eloquence with the passing of the day. She had noticed the light hint of Scottish burr flavoring his words. He seemed a bit more dashing and much more lighthearted than his usual doleful, stern self. She like this particular version of Goliath with his hair blowing behind him in the Scottish breeze. Adrienne wasn't so sure she wanted him to return to his Gargoyle form.
[Don't be so selfish!] She rebuked herself. [I know I wouldn't care for it if someone turned me into a slug or a pig against my will.]
"Oh, let's get on with this, shall we?" Armand with his newly taken uppercrust British accent.
[He changes speech patterns more than I change my socks.] Adrienne shook her head in silent disbelief at his antics.
"Read the spell, M'Dear." He beckoned.
She looked once at David. He quirked an eyebrow that indicated his keen interest. Owen stood beside him with feet planted firmly shoulder-width apart and arms folded. His neutral expression screamed volumes of disdain of Adrienne's seemingly irresponsible use of her gifts. Goliath had donned his loincloth and stood ready to take his true form at Sundown.
She looked longingly at his godlike physique one final time. She opened the page and began to recite the counterspell.
Transmutation of Human To Gargoyle
"Of flesh and womb were thy new guise
and saw the orb of Helios through new-sprung eyes
return to moon and star thou truly doth know
feel their silver beams and subtle glow.
Let Nyx's caress bless that back
and bestow thee with the wings thou dost lack
Let my flesh and blood be thy form at night
and know thee stone hence at first dawn's light."
The sun dipped below the Highland horizon. The clouds darkened and madly sped across the twilight sky. The loud crash of lightning clamor overhead. The eyes of the Gargoyle statues lit with their unholy fire as the wind crashed around them.
"Oh, dear." Armand gave Owen a dispairaging look. "I think the spell has been miscast."
"You never should have encouraged her to cast the spell in the first place." Owen admonished his lover. "She wasn't ready. She needed more time."
"We don't have time." Armand hissed. "Her power will be at it's zenith on the night she weds the Gargoyle. That is when she must cast the spell to revive the clan. Otherwise, the window of opportunity will pass. She needed training long before this."
The wind howled as the stone shards flew from the clan. They yawned, roared and stretched as they spread their wings and greeted the night. Their looks of waking changed quickly to disorientation as Brooklyn ducked. He almost was hit by a flying lawn chair.
"What the hell is going on?" He yelled.
"Ms. Westfall's spell has gone awry." Owen yelled as best he could above the howl of the wind.
"Oh, shit." Mouthed Brooklyn as he looked and pointed upward.
Everyone turned to see Adrienne rises several feet off the ground and slowly turn in a clockwise rotation. She tried to scream but no sound came forth from her lips above the deafening roar of the wind. She curled into a fetal position as though she were in great pain. Goliath called out to her but his voice was lost in the maelstrom.
Her skin that was once light darkened to a hue akin to the clouds dark and foreboding over their heads. Her skin took on the shade akin to the pale stark sheen of white. Her charcoal curls took on a bluish tint of cobalt. now complimented her complexion. From her back two bolts of lightning exploded into twin flags of azure. Extra appendages grew rapidly as these flags swiftly from into gliding wings not unlike that of Brooklyn or Demona. Her delicately rounded ears became grew somewhat and became pointed. She felt the jeans she wore rip at the seams as her form contorted. New, stronger powerful muscles burst free from the constraining denim. A prehensile tail grew to good length in only a few seconds. On the end it had a triangular spade adorning it with two small spike near the tip. Her eyes flashed a vivid lavender as she screeched in agony. Goliath stood there dumbfounded as his ladylove transformed before him.
The roaring ceased as she dropped to the ground. She lay there taking long, labored breaths. The sky cleared and the first stars shone brightly overhead.
"Armand, I think our problems have multiplied themselves." Owen said quietly.
Goliath the Human dashed to the side of Adrienne the Gargoyle. "Adrienne, are you well? Answer me!"
"I feel..." she paused to take another deep breath. She struggle to set upright. Unable to find the strength to do so, Goliath aided her. "Like I've been hit by a mac truck."
"I can only imagine." He said grimly.
"I see the spell didn't work." She gave him a glum reply. "I accidentally said ' Let my flesh and blood be thy form at night' rather than 'let thy flesh...' I didn't realize it until halfway through the sentence. I'm sorry."
"Um...My Love." Goliath stuttered. "The spell cast did work. It worked in a way neither of us anticipated."
"What do you mean?" She shook her head in confusion. "You're still human. You've been through this before. We just need to change you back; no big deal. Demona did it, I can do it."
"Adrienne, when you misspoke the word, it altered the casting." Owen spoke softly. "It altered your form, not Goliath's."
There was a quietness in the courtyard at Owen's words. Goliath was still human. Yet, she had been changed. She slowly held up her hand and counted one-two-three-four-five fingers....four snow-white talons. She gulped but said nothing she looked over her shoulder. Her face collided with a dark blue webbing of her wings.
"Oh shit!" She muttered. She felt around her back until her talons made contact with her tail. She noticed the white spade and the two small, but razor sharp spikes near the tip. "Oh, nooooo. No...this can't be. Tell me this is just some really bad practical joke, Owen."
"I'm afraid not Ms. Westfall. You are a Gargoyle."
"I'm NOT a Gargoyle." She reiterated. "I'll simply shapeshift-"
She let the familiar tingling rush over her skin. She felt her body ripple and contort. She felt her original shape dominating. Yet, it stopped. She couldn't complete the transformation. She looked down at her hand. There were five snow-white talons. She reached over her shoulder to find a wing. She felt at the end of her spine to discover her tail still intact.
"Bring me a mirror." She growled through gritted teeth.
"Lass, calm yerself." Hudson walked to her side. "Ye look like a vision of loveliness."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Hudson." She said tersely. "But, this isn't me. This isn't right for me. This isn't natural. This is supposed to be Goliath's form. He was supposed to revert to being a Gargoyle. I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BECOME ONE."
"Your mirror?" Owen said blandly as he and Armand rolled the one from the library in front of Adrienne. There stood Goliath beside her. His handsome human physique put any god to shame. Every muscle was flawlessly sculpted on that perfect bronze body.
"By the Dragon, you are lovely." He told her softly as he held her hand. The cobalt ringlets stood in stark contrast to her milky complexion. She experimentally unfurled her wings to their full expanse. She like the bright hue of blue that became the inner folds. She thought that it was nice to have five digits on each hand instead of four. She smile. Instead of her small, square human teeth, she had the delicate fangs like most Dames.
"I look like a gargoyle dumped in Clorox bleach." She smirked. "I look like Snowman meets Batman."
"Can you change us back?" He asked.
"I don't know. Let me look at the page." She glanced down at the tome. She grabbed it and she dropped it.
"It burned me." She screamed. She held her hands up for him to see. They were covered in read welts.
"You have desecrated the Magick of the Tome." A voice bellowed from everywhere. "You have abused it Primogenitor of the Fae. Let this be your punishment for one hundred days and nights to remain as you are. Think wisely before you so glibly recite the spells again."
"Who the hell are you?" She demanded. "What gives you the right to judge?"
"I am the one who begot the Magick of this tome. It is gift to the Children of Stone. A Child of the Celestial Realms shall bestow it on them. Yet, you have committed a heinous crime using it wrongly."
"Your mate has transgressed with you. Let he and you share your punishment for one hundred days. Use the book as you will, but, know this. If you do not come to truly understand the tome's true meaning much will be lost and so shall you remain as such for the remainder of your days."
"Who are you?" She cried out.
"Let you bear the answer upon your hands." Was the distant reply as it faded away into nothingness.
She looked down to see the burns upon her palms. Instead of burns and welts, there were two perfectly formed dragon tattoos. One was on each hand.
"Jalapena." Goliath and Hudson said in unison. "The Dragon!"
Adrienne swooned.
*************
Chapter 5
"Here, give her this." A soft voice said near Adrienne. She felt something wet and warm across her brow. She slowly reached her hand up feel a small horny ridge across the top of her hairline. [Great, I have Goliath's little horns. Wonderful.. Yippee...]
She gradually opened her eyes to find Angela pressing a washcloth against her skin. "Hey, how long have I been out?"
"One night." Angela told her. "We were worried sick. Goliath has been a prowling maniac ranting about how Armand duped you into casting a spell."
"It was my idea." Adrienne turned her head to face her friend. "He offered me the apple and I was the one who chose to take a big bite."
"How is she?" Hudson poked hiis head into the bedchamber.
"Her fever has broken." Angela replied.
"Didn't I become stone?" Adrienne asked.
"You did and Goliath remained flesh." Hudson replied. "Owen told me that he remained steadfast and vigilant by your side the entire time. He's asleep in the room next to here."
"I want to see him." She bolted upright. A wave of dizziness cause her to waver. A throbbing headache pounded at her temple. "Ach! This HURTS."
"You hit your head when you fainted. You have a nasty concussion." Xanatos spoke from the door as he entered the room. "How are you feeling?"
"Beaten, bruised and utterly stupid." Adrienne snapped. "I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?"
"You've done just that." David replied. "Armand has apologized profusely for his impetuous role in your behavior."
"It wasn't entirely his fault."
"I know. He misunderstood Xavier. He thought Charles had glowing reviewed your Magickal potential when in truth he meant your Mutant abilities." David sat down beside her. "Not all is lost. We think the answer to this may lay in the tome."
"I'm not going near it!" She exclaimed strongly. "No way in hell! I've caused enough trouble with that damn book! I'll just wait out my hundred days and Goliath and I will revert to normal. I don't like knowing that I could be cobblestone for somebody's patio if a body had a mind to take a whack at me during the day."
"Adrienne, looking at the book may be the only way to find out why this happened in the first place." Angela pleaded. "We don't know who that voice belonged to. It might help revert you to normal."
"Doubtful." The white dame remained skeptical.
"Please." Angela said in a quiet voice. "For my father."
She looked into his daughter's dark eyes. She saw the compassion and nobility of her mate reflected there. Armand had also told her. "Trust your heart". Adrienne knew that she was the only would could reverse this absolutely FUBAR situation. "Bring me the tome."
"Right here." David conveniently lifted the tome from the side of the bed. Adrienne opened the tome and scanned its pages.
Of stone and egg be they born
of tail and wing, talon and horn.
Protectors of night do they ever toil
so mote it be the saga of the Gargoyle.
When in the cradle of this world
light and darkness were unfurled
Children of Eve's womb walked in the light
Children of the Dragon glided at night.
"Let The Emperor- Beyond-The- Sea
grant the life from the Great Ash tree.
Let thy sister's roar fall upon a distant shore.
Let they fiery breath and claw draw once more.
Let children noble, brave and true
walk the night with life anew.
Watch over the progeny of Adam and Eve.
Let no more them be deceived.
Let the Dragon's heirs to the night
seek to keep that which is right
to keep the Serpent's' wiles at bay
and from the human heart keep them away.
Of stone and egg be they born
of tail and wing, talon and horn.
Protectors of the night do they ever toil
so mote it be the saga of the Gargoyle.
Angel keeping with His command
let flame loose upon the land
eggs begotten by scale and claw
became sentinel's of Almighty law.
The Dragon spread his wings fare and wide
as he did Almighty's bidding and didst he guide
the Children of Stone in their fray
to keep evil serpent's temptation at bay.
Dragon blessed them with heart and wing
with talon and claw and roar that doth sing.
With eyes aglow with their righteous might
to rescue Humanity from their plight.
Tail that crushes with mighty blows
and through the vein doth Dragon's blood flow
yet they shall forever remain alone
of egg begotten, Children of Stone.
Of stone and egg be they born
of tail and wing, talon and horn.
Protectors of the night do they ever toil
so mote it be the saga of the Gargoyle.
"What does it mean?" Xanatos asked.
"By the Dragon!" Hudson gasped. "I haven't heard those rhymes since I was but a hatchling."
"Exactly, by the Dragon." Adrienne explained. "We've heard that term come more than once from a gargoyle. I always chalked it up to some tenth century exclamation equal to 'jalapena' or 'holy guacamole.' Not even close! The Dragon is the god of the Gargoyles. She gave birth to the Gargoyle race. They were created to protect the humans from further onslaughts from the Serpent...the Devil. The Dragon was a servant of God. The serpent must have been some kind of enemy."
"I had no clue." David realized.
"Nor did I." Hudson agreed.
"It's written down all in here." Adrienne's growing excitement fueled her energy. "In the tome, Tacitus wrote that he thought he was the last of his kind from Rome. Because of the flood, the Gargoyles lost their knowledge and became cliff and cave dwellers until discovered by the Romans."
"Fascinating." David looked over her shoulder. "How can you gather that by looking at a blank page?"
"The page isn't blank to me." Adrienne explained. "I see the writing there as clearly as I see you beside me."
"Lass, how can that be?" Hudson asked. "Magick?"
"He gathered the lost legends of his kind and put them down all in here. But, he knew that his rookery brothers and sisters weren't ready for this and neither were the Romans. He encrypted the tome once by writing it in a language only known by the Kiari. Then, he cast a spell making the writing unseen by all but the Kiari."
"Incredible." David gasped. "The power of that book must be immense."
"It's a sacred text, diary, biography, and spellbook all rolled into one. It's not only a history of the Gargoyle race and culture. It's also a account of the Kiari." She flipped through the pages.
"Gargoyles stand as eternal stone
because of Magick's influence from Caledonian throne.
Let not there be shed a single tear
but let there be one thousand to mark each year.
Stand alone those of Caledonia.
Stoic and majestic, but still alone.
For millennia wrapped in granite shroud
until thou doth rise above the clouds.
Sound familiar?" She asked.
"That sounds like the spell cast by the magus that made us stone for a thousand years." Hudson replied.
"Exactly. These were prophesies written almost two thousand years ago." Adrienne nodded.
"Let the Hellenist merchant restore life
and bring the hearth and give the strife.
Let thy new home be far from fortress tower
and let thy dwelling be marked by passing hours."
"Hellenist merchant I take to mean myself." Xanatos looked at Adrienne.
"And the dwelling marked by the passing of hours to be the clocktower." Hudson added.
"You're getting the idea." Adrienne flipped through a few more pages. "The spell and prophesies in here tell us how to restore clan Wvyern to life. However, because of my impetuousness, I abused the power of the Book. That was what the Dragon was telling me."
"She said that you had desecrated the Magick within the Tome." Angela thought aloud.
"And I'm being punished for it." Adrienne replied. "No fae or human can read the spell to bring back the Wyvern clan. The words are only seen by Kiari. Yet according to the Tome, a gargoyle shall cast the spell. Guess who?"
"You've fallen into the Dragon's plans?" Hudson asked with great concern.
"Most likely." The young mutant looked at her hands. "Until she sees fit to change us back, Goliath and I are stuck this way."
"Have mercy." Hudson muttered.
-Fin
Author's note: No one has ever truly explained the religion behind the phrase "By the Dragon. Greg Weisman has hinted at it. I've yet to see any author talk about it in detail. I've drawn upon some earth-based faiths to try and do the concept justice. The quotes from the Tome can also be found more in depth in Part IV of "X and The Single Gargoyle: Heart Of Glass, Heart of Stone."
X & The Single Gargoyle
Part 6
A Dragon's Heart
Chapter I: Writhe
Chap. II: Metathesis
Chap. III: Dauntless
Chap. IV: Turn About Is Fair Play
DISCLAIMER: GARGOYLES BELONG TO BUENA VISTA TELEVISION/ DISNEY. X-MEN BELONG TO MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP. TACITUS, ADRIENNE, ARMAND ALL BELONG TO THE DENIGODDESS. I AM WRITING THIS PURELY FOR THE LOVE OF X-MEN AND GARGOYLES, NOT FOR PROFIT. SO, PLEASE! DO NOT SUE.
WHAT HAS GONE ON BEFORE: ADRIENNE, A MUTANT MEMBER OF THE X-MEN SAVE GOLIATH'S LIFE FROM A DOGFIGHT WITH THE FRIENDS OF HUMANITY. THEIR FRIENDSHIP OVER TIME BLOSSOMED INTO LOVE. THEY BECAME MATES AND HAVE DECIDED TO MARRY. WOLVERINE HAD FEELINGS FOR ADRIENNE AND ATTACKED HER IN FULL COMBAT IN A FUTILE ATTEMPT TO CHANGE HER MIND REGARDING GOLIATH. OWEN TOLD ADRIENNE ABOUT AN ANCIENT BOOK WRITTEN BY THE ROMAN GARGOYLE TACITUS (FAMED ROMAN MAGE & HISTORIAN) THAT WOULD RESTORE DESTROYED GARGOYLES TO LIFE.
XANATOS,OWEN,ADRIENNE AND THE CLAN ARE NOW AT CASTLE MORTIMER IN SCOTLAND WHERE SECRETS ARE REVEALED AND THINGS HAVE GONE AWRY!
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: I DON'T LIKE THE TERM "GARGESS" FOR A FEMALE GARGOYLE. THEREFORE, THE MALES ARE CALLED SIRES AND THE LADIES ARE CALLED DAMES.)
[Bracketed words indicate thought or telepathic transmissions]
Chapter I
Writhe
Adrienne enjoyed every minute of the flight to Scotland. Because of her motherhood-to-be status, she couldn't indulge in spirits from the wetbar. Her stomach flared with nausea only once during the trip. David Xanatos and Goliath insisted she seek medical attention after her psionic combat with Wolverine.
"I don't need it." She rebelled. "I'm fine."
"My Love, if not for yourself then, please, do it for the sake of the baby." Goliath implored her. He brushed his brow against hers. "Both of you are precious to me. I want no harm befalling you."
"Goliath, trust me. I'm fine." She reiterated firmly. Besides, I have ways of dealing with physical injury."
"Adrienne, you mustn't go into Slumber." Goliath exclaimed. "We don't know what it will do to the baby."
"Dames go into Stone Slumber when their 'with egg,' don't they?" She asked.
He silently nodded.
"Look, I'm a little beat." She admitted. "What I want is some warm milk and a warm bagel and peach preserves. I'm so hungry that I could eat a horse."
"Ah, Laddie, are ye in for a treat!" Hudson happily exclaimed. "The cravings have already begun."
"Dames have cravings too?" Adrienne's curiosity made the elder Gargoyles smile.
"Aye, Lassie, that they do." He chuckled. "I hope ye won't be having typical Gargoyle cravings during your...uh term."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"I hope you don't be desirin' tender horse flesh or any other rare item."
"Uh, no! When I say I'm hungry enough to eat a horse, I'm speaking figuratively." She reassured him. "What did you eat when you were at Castle Wyvern a thousand years ago? You couldn't order out for Chinese or Italian."
"Well, Lass." Hudson stumbled with the words. "If the Laird were generous, we might feast upon beef or freshly roasted mutton."
"And if he weren't?"
"Then we were left to fend for ourselves." He told her.
"Like what?" She inquired.
"Wild boar, fresh deer....that sort of thing." Hudson smiled.
"Hey, I cooked some pretty good dishes with dog." Brooklyn exclaimed merrily.
"Dog?" Adrienne's face went ashen. "You actually ate DOG?!"
"You bet, especially if they were-"
Adrienne covered her mouth and rushed to the bathroom. The sound of her retching caused Hudson to stare sternly at his son.
"Ye can't be goin' and just blurtin' out whatever comes to ye mind, boy. Adrienne is a lass with a sensitive constitution and she mayn't understand all our ways."
"Yeah, but c'mon, Hudson. Humans eat dog."
"Not very many and not amongst her people." He gently explained. "Lad, she's nay prepared for the bonnie wee one soon to be enterin' the world. Let's not imperil her or the babe with talk that cause Adrienne fretfulness."
"You're right." Broadway conceded. "I didn't mean to upset her. I'll apologize."
She came out a few minutes later looking most ashen. She sat down next to Goliath and looked at him with soulful eyes. "I hope it isn't like this all throughout my pregnancy. I can't take this. I have a very low pain threshold."
"We shall be there with you ever step of the way." He pressed a gentle kiss into her charcoal tresses. [It must be a mutation to have be consistently gray as slate.]
His subtle smile and knowing nod caused frissions of liquid sunshine to warm her body. She looked at the one whom she called mate, lover, and friend. So much had happened in so little time. They had met in the skies above the Aerie Building. The first night they met they had saved each other's lives.
Adrienne drank in the striking and otherworldly masculine magnificence of Goliath. She treasured his pure heart and noble character. No entity, gargoyle of human, had more impeccable integrity or honorable principles than her Archangel. He would give her the world if she asked and she knew it. If she could give him the stars, she'd gather them one by one and present them to him.
She hoped one day they would share a sunrise, a picnic on a Saturday afternoon. She knew he wished that she would share with him the excitement of a Mating Moon. He wanted to have Hudson officially recognize them and their joining before the entire clan. She knew that a part of him wished to see her with fang, wing, tail and talon. Adrienne knew she possessed the metamorphic ability to assume a Gargoyle form. She grudgingly acknowledged that it was her own inhibitions about her Humanity that prevented her from giving Goliath his unspoken wish.
[My Love, what troubles you?] His brows rose with his growing concern.
[My thoughts are my own.] She refused to easily give away her secrets. She found that with the bond between them, she shared his aptitude for shielding her mind from his inquiries. [I am looking forward to our trip and how this will enrich the lives of the clan.]
"Why are you two so quiet?" Broadway asked cheerfully.
"Just lost in each other, Lad." Hudson laid a hand on his son's shoulder.
"They're lost an awful lot."
"Who needs to speak when we can almost guess what the other's thinking?" Adrienne said as she gave a sly wink to her fiancé.
Goliath wondered about his child's appearance. Would the baby have the charcoal curls of his mother or her large brown eyes. He thought that the child would resemble him very little. There were five digits on hands and feet and they thought there were no wings. Would the child turn to stone at sunrise or would he be like his brother, Darius?
[If by some miracle we revive the clan, what will become of them? I will see brothers and sisters nay but memory to me for over one thousand years.]
We shall be landing at Edinburgh within a few minutes." David informed them. "Adrienne, are you all right?"
"For the most part. The stone sleep with Goliath gave me more energy had I tried normal sleep to recuperate."
"What is the Professor going to do about Logan?" David asked.
"Charles thinks that there might be some truth to Logan's words; that the void left by the link's abrupt disconnection may have left him mentally unbalanced." Adrienne brushed a stray curl from her face. "Most likely, Logan will allow Chuck and Jean inside of his head to restore balance."
"Do you mean mind control?" David asked sharply.
"Uh, not exactly. In past cases where someone's mind is imperiled, the Professor can usually reach the true person. With that person's permission, he can telepathically 'fix' the problem. It's quick, but not easy. It puts the Professor at risk."
"Hmm. I see."
The quiet disapproval of Xanatos disappointed Adrienne. He didn't understand that the X-Men worked on a different level than other individuals. They were a close-knit group that had few resources apart from themselves to deal with problems of such gravity. They used whatever was available to neutralize the situation.
"So what are both of you doing for the wedding?" Broadway asked. He wanted nothing more than to clear away the tenseness between Adrienne and Xanatos. He had a precarious talent for asking sensitive questions.
"Wedding? We truly haven't given it much thought." Goliath looked to his Ladylove. "Whatever the lady desires she shall have it."
"We could be married here in Scotland." She suggested.
"Here?' Goliath eyes widened in mild astonishment. "You would want that?"
"Why not? I hear the Highlands have their own rugged beauty." She looked at her mate. He had a rugged beauty all his own. "What a wonderful place to begin our new lives together."
"Who will be giving you away?" David asked.
"Well, the Professor is otherwise indisposed with Logan." She replied. "Perhaps, Hudson would do the honors?"
She turned her attention to the elder of the clan. He mild and nodded his agreement. "Lass, 'twil be an honor.'
"I think I would like it best if it were simple without all the trappings." Adrienne replied. "Right now, I'm just looking forward to touching down on Scottish soil."
*******
Chapter II
Metathesis
Under the light of a Scottish moon the party departed from the jet. The enthusiasm sweeping through the group left Adrienne feeling giddy and jubilant. Her cheery anticipation of walking where Goliath had been hatched caused her to want to move faster.
She consciously ignored the growing fatigue threatening to have her fall asleep there at the Edinburgh International Airport.
With their new bracelets functioning, the party of Gargoyles flickered from view. Standing beside her was a towering man of flawless physical perfection. Long thick black hair fell straight and true down his broad back. His skin stood in stark contrast to hers. Adrienne saw that her pale skin seemed unremarkable to the flawless copper complexion of Goliath. She looked to see dark, simmering fires burning brightly in human eyes.
"Ohmigod." She whispered in reverent awe. "I never realized you were so gorgeous as a human."
"You prefer this appearance to that of my true self?" He asked in carefully modulated articulation. His neutral tone seemed to indicate that he was wary of her reaction to his illusional Humanity.
"Honestly? I am rather taken aback!" She let her eyes travel freely along Goliath's tanned, toned form. "I could get used to this very easily."
"Would you prefer this?" His low words resounded around her. "Is this the man you want in your bed each night?"
[Yes, I wouldn't mind it.] She thought to herself. She cursed her own prejudice for Human beauty. She knew that a part of her never fully embraced the profound variances between Goliath and herself. Still, she recognized that her desire for Goliath's human appearance bellowed selfishness and superficiality. No matter his form, she loved him above all others.
"I just want my Goliath." She said simply. "But, you can understand that I find you ...entirely striking in your human appearance."
"He is quite the looker, isn't he, Ms. Westfall?" Owen said with a ghostly smile. "Would you like it if he were like this all the time?"
"Why wish for something Goliath wouldn't want?" She responded. "I fell in love with Goliath the Gargoyle ...not this new and mysterious human standing beside me."
She studied the others and found their human semblances uncannily close to their Gargoyle demeanors. Hudson still had a full, thick beard and flowing white hair like Father time. His stocky figure was a comforting sight to the apprehensive mutant. Broadway's appearance was a complete stupefaction to Adrienne. He appeared with healthy skin that had a rosy glow. His curly blond hair and portly form seemed strangely huggable and cuddly. Brooklyn's persona caused Adrienne to shake her head and gawk at him. The beak was gone. Instead there were deep-set eyes of hazel, high cheekbones and an aristocratic nose. His flowing white hair was abundant as it fell down his back. Lexington caused Adrienne to smile. He was still shorter that she by four or five inches. His slight, wiry form seemed akin to his Gargoyle alter ego. His hair was short, straight and chestnut.
Angela's beauty seemed magnified by her new form. She had the same sable tresses as her father. She had her mother's exotic comeliness with her willowy elegance and svelte curves. Adrienne knew that Goliath and Brooklyn would be beating away the hopeful suitors with a stick; a very big stick.
"Your scent lingers about you of desire and want." Goliath whispered darkly in her ear.
"It's all for you, Goliath." She replied. "You know that and what you do to me."
"I know what I want to do with you later." He pulled her to him. "We could have such fun with this illusion."
Goliath was being playful? She looked at him twice to make sure he hadn't been taken by Body Snatchers.
"Promise?"
"I burn for you, Adrienne Westfall." He growled. She watched those dark eyes flicker with a pale golden light that betrayed his desire for her. "I shall spend the rest of the night proving it to you. Never doubt a Gargoyle's vigor."
"I'm looking forward to it." Waves of excitement caused tingling along her sensitive skin at the very thought of her lover seducing her as only he could.
She scoured the crowd for any sign of whom they were supposed to meet. Armand DeVoe was to be waiting for them in the airport. She didn't know quite what to expect. The Professor had described him as enigmatic. Little more had been said about the man since that brief conversation.
"I'm looking for the Wyvern Party." A voice cried out from the crowd. Adrienne's head cranked in the direction that she heard the articulate voice.
There stood a man holding a sign with the word "Wvyern" written upon it. Holding it was a man with classic features. With black hair and bright turquoise eyes framed by glasses, she thought he bore a striking resemblance to Owen. Yet, there was something that sparked when his gaze met hers.
"Are you Armand DeVoe?" Owen asked the man. It was then when the two stood side by side that she recognized that particular spark.
"Indeed." He merrily declared. "Chuckles said that you'd be a striking group." Adrienne stifled a giggle as she watched Armand's eyes carefully scrutinized Owen.
"Owen Burnett." The majordomo offered his hand to the man across from him. "Allow me to introduce you to the rest of us."
Formalities were exchanged and soon everyone was headed off for DeVoe's estate. They rode in a long black stretch limousine that reeked luxury and wealth. Adrienne noticed that Armand DeVoe seemed quite accustomed to such trappings. With those classic good looks and that aristocratic air, she was positive there were several ladies that would like to do the same.
"So, m'dear, did you bring the tome?" His voice sliced through her thoughts.
"Yes." She answered simply. [What is it about this guy that sets my instincts into overdrive? Is it his accent? Is it his personality or his demeanor? Why does Armand DeVoe cause my mind to real?]
The she recognized the accent. It was neither British nor French, it was Cajun. Obviously diluted with a Continental education and polish, but, Bayou French nonetheless. Adrienne was thoroughly intrigued by the person sitting across from her. She studied him through veiled, sooty lashes.
She knew the Professor's philosophy on the ethical use of one's psionic abilities. Adrienne used her abilities when it suited her and without remorse. While she didn't possess Telepathy per ce, her empathic abilities allowed her to "see" and "feel" what a telepath oftentimes missed; the emotions. She slowly closed her coffee-dark eyes and let her empathy drift around Armand.
She sensed great expectation and hope from this man. She felt his growing happiness at something wonderful about to occur. His nerves were twitching with heartfelt agitation. He was a bouncing ball of pure joy. She thought she heard a babbling brook and the singing of songbirds in tall birch elms.
[He's a Child of Oberon. Sheesh! I should have seen that one a mile away.] Adrienne noticed that he seemed unaware of her gentle scan. Perhaps, he simply didn't care. Little matter to her she thought. Intrigued, she probed further into the emotions he emanated from his mind.
She sensed joy and heartache. She perceived rapture tinged with bittersweet elation. Pain danced behind the front of indifference. She felt love. It was ardent and fervent. It was a carnal desire hopelessly tangled amidst unfaltering affection. She followed the ebb and flow of the Elvin emotions and where their psionic currents led them. The strong sensations encircled and embraced ....OWEN!?
Armand DeVoe and Owen Burnett had a connection! [Juicy.]
Adrienne's eyes met with Owen's. She laid a gentle hand his. He sharply drew it away but it was in vain. The usual dance of floating flashing orb swirled around her and Owen. She saw an aura of rose radiance surrounding the tense, worried form next to her. She thought her sensitive hearing caught the rushing of a mountain stream and the gentle Western Zephyr teasing her hair. Adrienne looked upon the stoic, stiff persona of Owen Burnett standing before her. Unlike their first psionic encounter, he carried no smirk, but a burning glare of anger in his stormy blue eyes.
Inside her mind's view she watched the Puck, Child of Oberon. She watched dull gray mist settle like heavy fog at Puck's feet. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she watched him sink slowly to the ground. Her eyes met his and he lack his joy and michevious demeanor. His heart seemed so heavy that he lost his ability to float.
She dared look inside Owen Burnett's truest heart. There, Adrienne found pain, anger, betrayal, heartbreak sent her mind into a violent spiral of raw emotion. Behind the rage and the bitterness lurked longing and adoration.
[You two were lovers!] The revelation screamed inside her mind.
"Holy Guacamole!" She felt her hands fall to her lap.
" Ms. Westfall." She heard Owen's voice. She heard how controlled it seemed. She looked to him and found his eyes narrow in suspicion. "Are you all right?"
[Oh, Jalapena!] Owen's eyes scrutinized her with great scorn. [He's on to me!]
She turned to see Armand's gaze stare blankly out the window. She cast him a sympathetic glance. His pain was a beacon on the empathic plane that she saw with crystalline clarity. The man nursed a tender a broken heart. Adrienne knew that Owen played a crucial role in somehow bring about Armand's devastated plight of heartsickness.
"I'm fine." She coyly looked at Owen through sooty, veiled lashes. "How about you? How about Armand?"
She watched the majordomo squirm uncomfortably in his seat. His eyes met hers. Cerulean consternation clashed cruelly with coffee contumacy. Owen awkwardly straightened his plain burgundy necktie. "I am ....well. Why don't you ask Laird DeVoe for yourself?"
The tension sizzled between the polished demeanor of Owen Burnett and the heartfelt concern of Adrienne Westfall. His withering glance silently conveyed the message ...stay out of this, it's none of your business.
She knew that was the proper thing to do. It wasn't her right to meddle in the privacy of others. She knew how much Owen prized his solitude. She knew that too well. She watched as Armand looked at her with almost frightened eyes. Realization hit him as he saw the tautness mount between Owen and Adrienne.
Adrienne understood that she snooped and should politely withdraw. Her dark eyes met Armand's. Her concern for his well-being overrode her good judgment. "Laird DeVoe, are you well?"
He gave her a slight smile. He nodded and took her hand. "Your concern for me is touching. I appreciate your kindness. However, be assured than I am of good health and strong heart."
"You're not in harms' way are you?" She boldly asked.
"Of course not!" He declared. "Simply preoccupied with thoughts."
"All right then."
The rest of the ride continued in strained stillness. Owen shuffled the paperwork in his briefcase. Armand stared into the night. The other gargoyles were too involved with checking out the various gadgets in the limousine. Goliath seemed content to feel Adrienne in his arms.
As they stepped from the limousine, she felt Owen catch her arm. "Might I have a word with you, Ms. Westfall?"
Goliath looked at her quizzically. "Go on, Handsome. I'll be along soon."
"I anticipate our reunion." Goliath gallantly bowed and joined the others walking inside the castle.
"Accursed Kiari, don't you ever know NOT to meddle?!" Owen muttered.
He returned his gaze to a very stunned and confused Adrienne. She closed her eyes to still her own hurt feelings. She looked at Owen and released his hand. "You know, Owen, I didn't mean to pry. It simply came to me.
"Your talents are admirable, Ms. Westfall, but aren't warranted." He replied in his slightly nasal tone.
"Fine. I apologize." She turned her attention the castle.
"Owen, why are you holding this delightful young lady at bay?" An articulate voice cut through the night air."
"Laird DeVoe, she and I were simply discussing a private matter-"
"Involving me." He finished. "Yes, I know. Her abilities are most acute. She is young and her curiosity will often lead her down primrose paths. You needn't be so intimidating with her. Gently remind her that it's bad manners and be done with it."
"Owen, don't ever attempt intimidation with me." She growled. His eyes widened as they blazed aglow with violet fire.
"All you need are wings." He quipped.
"Mademoiselle Westfall, I assure you no harm is done." The charming voice of Armand cut through her indignation. "
"My curiosity will be my downfall."
"As will your lack of discretion." Owen muttered through gritted teeth.
"Owen, please!" Armand chided him. "Adrienne's abilities sometimes run amok but no harm was done. Frankly, I truly don't care."
"I apologize again, Mr. DeVoe." Her cheeks stained from humiliation of being caught abusing her abilities. "Sometimes, I have little control over my abilities or my words."
"I see." He replied. "Charles told me that you're a very gifted young woman.'"
"The Professor is both kind and flattering in his description of me." She hedged. Since being around Goliath, she made it a point to emphasize eloquence.
"I look forward to talking with you once we reach Castle Mortimer." He replied graciously. "He sang your praises loudly to me."
"He was quite generous." She replied.
"Has no one tutored you in you abilities?" He inquired.
"I've received extensive training at the Xavier Institute." Adrienne told him. "Until a recent event, I trained three times a week."
"No, no , no! M'dear, has anyone instructed you in the use of your Magick?"
"I don't have any Magick." She thought that perhaps he was somewhat a can short of a six pack. "I'm a Mutant."
"What planet have you been on?" His suave French accent shifted to that of a California Valley girl. "Owen, haven't you taught her anything?"
"I'm restricted in my instructional capabilities." He replied tersely. "Oberon saw to that."
"Well, thank Avalon, I'm not!" He saucily declared. "M'Dear, you are Kiari. You are Fae. Your kind were precursors to Oberon."
"I know this. Let me explain it to you. I'm Human. I'm a mutant. I am not some superficial, temperamental, fickle fairy like Puck that gets a kick out of meddling in other people's affairs."
"Oh really?" Owen drawled. "Kiari are the most meddlesome of the Scottish fair folk. You've proven that this evening."
"She may be right, my tantalizing trickster.." Armand responded. "Humanity obviously dominates her configuration. But, that one little strand of genetic information that screams "Fairy" is just enough to tweak your abilities beyond those of mere mortals and many fairy. If properly tutored, those powers and abilities could be honed into easily mastered areas."
"I wish." She lamented.
"Come speak with me after sunrise and we'll talk." He squeezed her shoulder warmly. "Charles told me you needed additional teaching. Now, I see why he sent you to me."
"There's more to it than that-"
"It doesn't matter now, Adrienne." Armand interrupted her. "You're here and I shall teach you what you need to know to realize your full potential. Now go get some sleep and we'll speak of this tomorrow."
"Of course."
Once inside, the castle truly was magnificent. Tall steepled towers loomed above the dark, stormy night of the Highlands. Once inside, she felt quite at home because it reminded her much of her new home at Castle Wyvern. Tapestry after tapestry adorned the ancient stone corridors. Suits of armor stood gallantly in the halls. Adrienne wondered what tales the stones would tell her. The scent of the storm, the rain, and the ancient aroma of the castle mingled with the sound of thunder. [This place certainly doesn't lack ambiance.]
"Let me show you to your rooms." Laird DeVoe offered. "I'm sure that your clan has little wish to repose before daylight."
Goliath and Adrienne settled into their bedchamber. With it's heavy walnut four-poster bed and musty, damp smell, it seemed very befitting in an eleventh century castle. She looked at the stranger beside her dressed in tailored black slacks and a crisp white Henley dress shirt. Long flowing hair somewhat dampened by the rain hung down his back. Those brooding eyes looked at his fiancé.
"Goliath, you look good in whatever form you take." Adrienne muttered appreciatively. "I just never realized how gorgeous you are as a human."
Goliath felt a faint stab of regret when he heard those words fall from her lips. Long ago he had said something quite similar to a particular police detective that captured his wounded heart. Had such words caused Elisa bruised feelings during those halcyon days long past?
Now, somewhere in this sensitive, clever young woman lay the inner sanctum of his heart. He stared into coffee and amber eyes and longed to feel her soul brush his with gentle love and affection. Hence afresh she restored his tormented soul to wellness. Her devotion and loyalty adhered to the fractured shards of his shattered heart. Her tenderness refreshed him so that his Gargoyle fortitude prevailed unfettered.
She was not Elisa Maza. Goliath knew that. She never would be. She was Adrienne Westfall.
He knew he cherished his ladylove.
'.....Elisa is as much a part of me as the castle or my clan. You are as much a part of me as my mind or my heart. Separate, yet you both are distinctly essential to who and what I am." Goliath remembered uttering those words to Adrienne after the first time they mated. He understood now the distinctions of those loves. Elisa was a haven and a serenity his heart never before had known. Adrienne was a vital component of Goliath's internal essence. One was around him, the other came from within. While Elisa had been the salvation of his heart that reached out to him, Adrienne had been the spark from within that sparked him to life.
She loved him in whatever form he assumed.
Yet, her words inspired thoughts in him he thought long left behind him.
"If only we were allowed the days together as well as the nights." He lamented as he drew her to him. He pressed a small switch on the bracelet that turned off the inducer. He wrapped his wings about her to draw her more inside him.
"I've been studying some Magickal theories from some of the books in Xanatos' Library." Adrienne told her lover. "I think it's possible we could do something about it."
"Magick is not your realm of expertise." Goliath said slowly.
"Not usually." She admitted. "However, there are two kinds of Magick. Mortal Magick usually requires a conduit such as object, relic, or some other Magickal item. However, Fae Magick is internal. Tacitus' Tome is full of spells. One of them is to allow a Gargoyle to be awake during the day. If I were to recite it and use our link, think of what we could accomplish."
"You trifle with things not of your knowing." Goliath warned her. "Adrienne, we mustn't talk of such of things."
"Why not?" She asked. "I know more than I thought about magick and not as much as I should I admit. But, if we were to reverse the energy of the link between us, I think you might stay awake during the day. After all, that link has taken me into stone sleep with you twice."
"It's too dangerous." Goliath rebutted her gently. "My Raven, I wish no harm to befall you."
"Goliath, I just know that it's possible for me to cast a spell where you will remain awake with me during the day." Adrienne's excitement prompted her to retrieve the large black leather tome from her suitcase. She set the large tome on their walnut four poster bed. She opened the colossal volume and searched diligently from the first page.
"Aha!" She declared in delight and pointed her finger to a carefully scripted stanza. "This is what I was thinking of! Don't read it aloud, just read silently."
Goliath saw nothing but blank pages. "They are unmarked, My Raven."
Damn! She had forgotten that only Kiari could read the words. She longed to share a sunrise with her mate. Yet, she knew the dangers he spoke of were quite undeniable. To cast a spell and possess no knowledge of Magick may well cement his destruction.
Abide in Wakefulness During Helios' Vigil
"Of stone and egg be they made
awake during Nyx's masquerade
from moon and star thou surely doth know
their silver beams and subtle glow.
Now let Helios' orb warm thy back.
Let slumber now thus thee truly lack.
Let thy stone form not take during light of day
let thy fleshed form supplant stone during it's astiring stay."
"The sun will rise soon." Regret crept into his voice. "I must join the others at the castle wall."
"Would it be so horrible if you could spend one day with me?" She asked in a small voice. "What if I could give you that?"
"Then, I would want you to show me all the wonders of a sunlit world." He smiled at her as he planted a sweet kiss to her brow. He cradled her face in his gigantic taloned hands. "I know of no greater wish than to feel the warmth of the sun upon us. I would worship you with words and touch if but given the chance."
To make love with Goliath in the sunlight was a far-fetched dream indeed! She felt a solitary tear threaten to spill down her cheek. She wiped it away.
"It just the way things are." Resignation fell from her lips.
He walked to the balcony. He assumed a position meant only for her. He knelt on one knee and looked up at her. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He brushed his lips lightly against her sensitive skin. "Until Twilight, My Raven..."
"Until Twilight, Goliath." She did her best to force a bright smile. "I love you."
"And I you, Sweetling." With those words, she watched him stiffen. The Golden rays of the sun peaked through the clouds above the Eastern Horizon. They beamed down upon his perfect silhouette. His massive form darkened from lavender to slate. She watched smooth flesh be replaced by lightly textured stone.
Tears fell freely from her eyes. She pressed two fingers to his lips. "You won't dream sweet dreams today, Archangel."
Chapter III
Dauntless
She caught a few hours sleep. When Adrienne awoke, she felt the strong urge to find Armand. She grabbed the tome and began her search for the Library. She wandered anxiously through the long, stone corridors hunting for him.
[Use you Magick, Adrienne.] His voice urged her. She heard it from within and knew that it was part of her training.
She closed her eyes and turned her attention to his voice. Nothing appeared before her mind's eye. She recalled his feelings from the previous evening. She visualized turquoise eyes full of heart ache. She recalled his distant demeanor for most of the ride. She saw him through his emotion. It almost seemed to create a scrying window to allow her full visage of the Library.
[Now, come to me.]
BOMPT! She dared to teleport to sight unseen. [I must be nuts! What if I end up inside a wall or underground?]
When she felt solid footing beneath her she let for a sigh of relief. She looked around to find herself in the Library that she had seen in her vision. "Laird DeVoe?"
She heard a single round of applause from behind her. "Bravo, M'Dear. You teleported and successfully found your mark."
"No easy task I assure you." She replied.
"Easier than you thought." He retorted.
"This is true."
"Let us begin, we have little time." He told her.
Armand spent the next three hours explaining the difference of Mortal Magick and Fae Magick. Adrienne's mutant abilities were hopelessly entangled with her Elvin heritage. One never would know where powers ended and Magick began. It only mattered that she learn to use them properly.
Laird DeVoe vividly construed how to cast a spell. For her, it turned out to be a combination of word and gesture. Until she was ready to ascend to the highest levels of casting, she'd have to rely upon memory, word, and gesture.
"Also, M'dear Adrienne, the Tome of Tacitus has spells that can be cast from its pages."
"I know. I found one this morning." She showed him the one called 'Abiding Wakefulness During Helios' Vigil.'
"Not a difficult spell at all." Armand described.
"I also know that how a spell is worded doesn't guarantee it's manifestation." She pointed out to him. "I"ve heard how Demona was tricked by Puck because he had the ability to play with words."
"Dear, that is simply Puck's nature." He gave her a smile. "That is not yours. You are a woman of deep heart. Your Magick is rooted in compassion, not mischief. You are not a trickster. You are a guardian. Your nature lies in protection, not deception."
"You make me sound so simple."
"Hardly." He guffawed. "You're simply a different kind of fairy. The key to casting your personal Magick is motivation and cognizance. You must know what you want. You must be able to see it inside your mind. Then you must believe that it is possible. You know that you can alter Darkforce through strength of will. Now, you must learn to harness your Magick the same way."
"Could I truly do it?" She asked.
"Oh, yes." He chuckled. "You're a keg of dynamite. Just be careful not to let your own desires cloud your casting."
"Be careful what I wish for, I just might get it?" She surmised.
"Exactly, M'Dear." Armand stroked his finely trimmed goatee. "That is where your downfall lies. Your Magick is based upon your emotion and compassion; your will. It will influence the outcome. So, it is wise to detach yourself emotionally before you cast any spell."
"Not unlike the psychic defenses I erect to keep from empathically bonding with everyone I touch." Adrienne knew that concept well.
"By Jove, I do believe you got it!" Armand happily declared. "Oh, you go, girl. You just get on with your bad self Ms. Thing."
His mercurial nature caused her laughter to fill the room. She looked at the tall man dressed dashingly in his white linen suit and black silk shirt. His straight black hair fell to his shoulders and he had a fairly debauched air about him with those arched black brows and finely trimmed goatee.
"What do you truly look like as an elf?" She found herself asking.
"Not much different actually." He smiled that disarming smile. "Would you like to see?"
"Will it hurt?"
"Not at all, M'Dear." He shook his head at the ingenue.
"With rounded ear and heavy frame
let me no longer remain the same
let Elvin blood through my veins flow
let human form forsake me! Go!"
She watched those familiar columns of smoke rise about him. She heard the crackle of lightning as it danced around him. He spun about within the column of light as though he were a top. His speed increased to such a point that he became a blur.
[I'll never be used to this! If nothing else, Armand is a showman.]
The spinning stopped and the pyrotechnics calmed themselves. There floated before her a Child of Oberon with pointed ears and delicate features. His eyes were the same vivid brilliance of turquoise. Dressed in a bright teal tunic, he darted around her.
"Wow." She whispered.
"I take it, you approve?"
"Definitely." She watched him dance in the air. "Why is it that all the Fae seem so...playful."
"You humans are such a dour race. You never take time to enjoy life."
"We do."
"I've seen Gargoyles with more gaiety." He scoffed.
"You make it look simple." She admitted.
"It is, Adrienne." He exclaimed in pure frustration. "You need only have confidence in your abilities. You've shapeshifted before haven't you?"
"On occasion, but, it's not something I do just for fun." She told him. "It's draining."
"Because you're under the assumption that it will be."
"And it is."
"Now, try it from the perspective of ...just wishing it so."
"Right." Adrienne shook her head. "It doesn't work that way for me."
"Have you heard NOTHING I have told you?" He covered his face in his hands. "Give them tome and give them tomes and they RIP out the pages...."
"Okay, Okay!" She wanted him to stop his melodramatic display. "You probably right."
"Try one simple incantation and see if you can."
"I don't dare, I'm pregnant." She told him.
"No harm will come to your child, I assure you." Armand DeVoe stood before her rather than Armand the Elf. "I realize that you take most seriously the safety of the life growing within you. On my word, no harm will come to your child. No harm will come to her."
"Are you sure?"
He placed two hands upon her shoulders. "No duplicity or mischief here. Above all else, the Fay value life. Now, focus and allow your true self to come about."
She nodded and licked her dry lips. She felt her hands tremble. She wanted to see this. She let him silently lead her to a mirror standing suddenly in the middle of the library. Tall and ornate, it reminded her of the old mirror's from Victorian times.
"It's been in my family for centuries, it belonged to my mother, Titania."
"This is Titania's mirror? I thought it was destroyed." She shook her head.
"My mother is a female." He shrugged. "She does have more than one."
"Don't let the Gargoyles know that."
"Of course. Goliath would truly be at odds with you if he knew." Armand gave her a sly wink. He turned Adrienne to stand squarely in front of the mirror. "Now, let the words flow from you. Cast your spell. See your Elvin form."
She inhaled slowly. She held it for several seconds. She felt beads of sweat form upon her fevered brow. Her hands tightly grasped the tome to her chest.
"Relax, M'Dear. I'm with you." He soothed her. "I'm not dallying with you. I speak truth."
"I don't know what to say..." she started.
"Just let the words come. Rhyme and poetry is your gift. Use them." He urged.
She stared at herself in the mirror clad in her favorite boot-cut jeans and peach halter top.
"Adrienne Westfall I now am...
this is the form I see...
Let this mirror real the truth
of whom I truly be."
She watched fog cross the mirror's glass. She watched intently as a figure walked to the other side of the glass. The reflection staring at her was a woman with straight black hair, verdant green eyes garbed in the classic gold and blue uniform of the X-Men. Adrienne knew at once that the likeness in the looking glass was that of Jaye Morgan; Logan's late wife.
She took a step back, but, Armand's firm hands on her shoulders stayed her. The vision melted away to be replaced by a petite woman with bronze skin and large brown eyes. Dressed in black jeans and a red bomber jacket, she brought her hand to the glass. It reached out beyond the glass into the Adrienne's world. Adrienne reached out and touched the hand. It was warm and real. Adrienne knew it was Elisa Maza.
"Are you me?" Adrienne asked.
"I don't know." Elisa replied with a casual shrug. "I know I'm part of you."
"Are you dead?"
"I'm at peace." She replied.
"Goliath misses you so much." She whispered to Elisa. "He needs you."
"He has you." She remarked.
"Don't you want to come back?"
"I never left."
"But, I'm not you." Adrienne admonished the phantasm staring at her. "Aren't you dead?"
"I'm no longer alive in the truest sense of the word. I'm on the other side. But a part of me is always with you. You're not me. I am a part of you. You are your own person."
"I don't understand."
"When kids are born, they have two people as a part of them; Mom and Dad. But, they aren't their mom and dad. The kid is a newly created human being independent and separate of his parents. He has things he may inherit from them. He may develop similar tastes, but, in the end, he's his own person."
"I think I understand. You're in a sense, my mother."
"In that sense, yeah." Elisa gave her a hug. "But, not in the normal way of mother/ daughter relationships. Hey, I have to go. I never meant to come here."
"Will I ever see you again?" Adrienne asked.
"You see me everyday when you look in the mirror, Kid." Elisa walked into the mists. "One some advice, have faith in yourself and just trust your heart when everything else falls to shit. And love Goliath well for me."
"I will." She whispered.
"Adrienne, Adrienne!" She felt a violent shaking of her shoulder. "Wake up!"
"Huh?" She mumbled. She looked around to find herself sitting in the middle of the library.
"You had me worried, M'Dear. One minute, you're staring at the mirror. The next, you're reaching for and you vanish."
"I've been here the whole time. It was just a minute or two that you showed me the mirror."
"Not quite." He said ominously. "I showed you that mirror an hour ago. Where did you go?"
"I spoke with Elisa."
"Who's Elisa?"
"Elisa Maza." Adrienne clarified.
"You traveled INTO the mirror?!" He cried.
"No, she came to me."
"Don't ever cast that spell again." A voice came from behind them. There stood Owen with arms crossed. "To do so would cause you to bring forth someone no longer of this world. Elisa Maza may not be so quick to return to her proper realm if she knew that she could have stayed here and been with Goliath."
"Point well taken." Armand replied. "Yet, now do you know who you truly are?"
"Yes, I've seen my true self. I'm Adrienne Westfall." She gave them a cryptic smile.
"Armand, what have you told her?"
"I simply gave her a quick lecture of the basics."
"You've put a nuclear arsenal in the hands of a toddler." Owen's rising indignation almost caused Adrienne to smirk. She covered her mouth to conceal her mirth.
"No, all he did was show me my true form." She amended. "Armand, you have proven to me that anything is possible."
"Wonderful." He winked at her. "Just be careful, please?"
"I will." She took the tome and quickly exited the library before Owen could further lecture her. With newfound confidence, Adrienne returned to the bedchamber that she and Goliath shared.
She grabbed the book from the bed and stood in front of the statue cloaked in humility and abiding love. She opened the book and flipped to the page of the incantation.
"Goliath, I know I can do this." She whispered to his granite form. [I didn't realize I could have all the long.]
'"Of stone and egg be thee made
awake during Nyx's masquerade
from moon and star thou surely doth know
their silver beams and subtle glow.
Now let Helios' orb warm thy back.
Let slumber now thus thee truly lack.
Let thy stone form not take during light of day
let thy fleshed form supplant stone during it's astiring stay."
The air fell silent. The birds ceased their morning song. The wind stood still. She waited in great trepidation of the action just done. Then the breeze blew again. The birds resumed their chirping. Disappointment coursed through Adrienne. Yet, a part of her breathed a sigh of relief that nothing had happened.
She decided to return the book to their chamber and not dwell on her failure. She heard a crack behind her.
Adrienne hurriedly spun around to see cracks forming in the statue on the balcony. She watched the wings fall and turn to ash and dust.
"Omigod! No. What have I done?" She clasped her hand over her mouth. "Owen! OWEN!!!"
Eyes glowed as the stone shards flew the expanse of the balcony. She watched them fall to the ground as brittle autumn leaves during a windstorm. Dust flew everywhere from the twin piles of gravel that were once Goliath's wings.
She heard a growl somewhere in the dust cloud. A figure stepped forth from the thick, gray cloud. The figure was flawless in contour and musculature. His complexion was without blemish. Its hue was that of the finest bronze. Lush, sable tresses flowed down his bare, broad back. Eyes of obsidian enlarged in wonder. With his mouth agape, the graceful figure moved toward Adrienne.
"Goliath?" She squeaked.
"Yes, My Love?" He asked. He saw her ashen expression. "What is wrong? Are you ill."
"No." She looked at him dumbfounded. "Uh...everything is...uh..fine."
"Then why are you staring at me like that?"
"It didn't go quite the way I planned." She shrank away from his towering figure.
"What didn't go quite the way you planned?" He asked pointedly.
"You're awake and it's daylight." She told him in a small voice.
"Indeed." He looked sternly at her with arms folded at his chest. "You cast the spell against my wishes."
"I'm sorry." She said contritely. "I seem to be letting my impulses impede my judgment. I wanted you to be with me and I just went ahead and did it.?"
"I don't know, My Raven." He opened his arms to her. "Yet, you've accomplished something wonderful."
He saw his hands. He noticed his arms. They weren't lavender, they were the burnished copper made dark by the sun. Instead of four taloned digits, he noticed each hand had five fingers. He looked down to notice that his feet had five toes. He stood there dumbstruck and stared at Adrienne.
"I'm human!" He cried out with surprise. She saw those eyes flash. That didn't diminish with his human form. "ADRIENNE!"
"I noticed." She replied. "I don't believe it. Goliath, what are we going to do?"
She expected his wrath. She anticipated a roar and a burst of temper. She wanted to cower in the closet and hide from his rage. Instead, he stepped forward and brought his lips to hers. A slow smile crossed his lips. She thought she saw his eyes flash with their familiar white lightning.
"Can the spell be undone?"
"I know it can be. For every spell cast there is an equal and opposite counterspell. Armand told me that this morning." She told him. She flipped to the page in the tome of Tacitius. "The counter spell is listed right here under the one I cast."
"Adrienne...." He growled. "I have one thing I wish to do before you revert me my true form."
"What?" She shivered half in fear and half in desire as he stepped toward her.
"This...Beloved." He murmured against her.
His full, sensuous lips teasingly enticed his mate to open her mouth and allow him to taste her fully. His kiss was very different in this guise. She opened her mouth to protest when he deepened their kiss.
"I want to share the day with you. This is what I want to do with you first, My Love." He whispered lovingly in her ear.
They spent the next hour on the cool stone of the balcony worshipping one another with kisses and caresses. Their fervid cries of release floated above the morning breeze.
***********
Later that morning, she brushed a stray sable tendril from Goliath's face. "We need to remedy this. I shouldn't have done this. I was selfish and now you're Human."
"My Love, for every spell there is an equal and opposite counter spell." He gently reassured her. "I'm sure that you'll find it."
************
Chapter IV
Turn About Is Fair Play
Goliath reveled in the sun's brightness in his eyes. He basked in it's warmth. The bright blue of the sky brought a sense of renewal to his soul. The smell of the Highland air and the heather invigorated him.
He never thought he would return to his home. How he had missed Scotland. Now, his homecoming he shared with his beloved mate. Yet, her curiosity had made him Human. At Sunset, she had promised to read the counterspell and return all to normal.
It brought Goliath some amusement when Xanatos saw him this way. As the sun began to sink below the horizon, Goliath gathered with the others in the courtyard. Soon, it would be time to be restored to his full form.
"I've enjoyed seeing you ...like this." Adrienne whispered quietly. "I don't regret it for a moment."
"Nor I, Sweetling." He touched his brow to hers. "But I am what I am. If I were meant to be as such so would I have been born."
Adrienne notice his speech had assumed a more poetic eloquence with the passing of the day. She had noticed the light hint of Scottish burr flavoring his words. He seemed a bit more dashing and much more lighthearted than his usual doleful, stern self. She like this particular version of Goliath with his hair blowing behind him in the Scottish breeze. Adrienne wasn't so sure she wanted him to return to his Gargoyle form.
[Don't be so selfish!] She rebuked herself. [I know I wouldn't care for it if someone turned me into a slug or a pig against my will.]
"Oh, let's get on with this, shall we?" Armand with his newly taken uppercrust British accent.
[He changes speech patterns more than I change my socks.] Adrienne shook her head in silent disbelief at his antics.
"Read the spell, M'Dear." He beckoned.
She looked once at David. He quirked an eyebrow that indicated his keen interest. Owen stood beside him with feet planted firmly shoulder-width apart and arms folded. His neutral expression screamed volumes of disdain of Adrienne's seemingly irresponsible use of her gifts. Goliath had donned his loincloth and stood ready to take his true form at Sundown.
She looked longingly at his godlike physique one final time. She opened the page and began to recite the counterspell.
Transmutation of Human To Gargoyle
"Of flesh and womb were thy new guise
and saw the orb of Helios through new-sprung eyes
return to moon and star thou truly doth know
feel their silver beams and subtle glow.
Let Nyx's caress bless that back
and bestow thee with the wings thou dost lack
Let my flesh and blood be thy form at night
and know thee stone hence at first dawn's light."
The sun dipped below the Highland horizon. The clouds darkened and madly sped across the twilight sky. The loud crash of lightning clamor overhead. The eyes of the Gargoyle statues lit with their unholy fire as the wind crashed around them.
"Oh, dear." Armand gave Owen a dispairaging look. "I think the spell has been miscast."
"You never should have encouraged her to cast the spell in the first place." Owen admonished his lover. "She wasn't ready. She needed more time."
"We don't have time." Armand hissed. "Her power will be at it's zenith on the night she weds the Gargoyle. That is when she must cast the spell to revive the clan. Otherwise, the window of opportunity will pass. She needed training long before this."
The wind howled as the stone shards flew from the clan. They yawned, roared and stretched as they spread their wings and greeted the night. Their looks of waking changed quickly to disorientation as Brooklyn ducked. He almost was hit by a flying lawn chair.
"What the hell is going on?" He yelled.
"Ms. Westfall's spell has gone awry." Owen yelled as best he could above the howl of the wind.
"Oh, shit." Mouthed Brooklyn as he looked and pointed upward.
Everyone turned to see Adrienne rises several feet off the ground and slowly turn in a clockwise rotation. She tried to scream but no sound came forth from her lips above the deafening roar of the wind. She curled into a fetal position as though she were in great pain. Goliath called out to her but his voice was lost in the maelstrom.
Her skin that was once light darkened to a hue akin to the clouds dark and foreboding over their heads. Her skin took on the shade akin to the pale stark sheen of white. Her charcoal curls took on a bluish tint of cobalt. now complimented her complexion. From her back two bolts of lightning exploded into twin flags of azure. Extra appendages grew rapidly as these flags swiftly from into gliding wings not unlike that of Brooklyn or Demona. Her delicately rounded ears became grew somewhat and became pointed. She felt the jeans she wore rip at the seams as her form contorted. New, stronger powerful muscles burst free from the constraining denim. A prehensile tail grew to good length in only a few seconds. On the end it had a triangular spade adorning it with two small spike near the tip. Her eyes flashed a vivid lavender as she screeched in agony. Goliath stood there dumbfounded as his ladylove transformed before him.
The roaring ceased as she dropped to the ground. She lay there taking long, labored breaths. The sky cleared and the first stars shone brightly overhead.
"Armand, I think our problems have multiplied themselves." Owen said quietly.
Goliath the Human dashed to the side of Adrienne the Gargoyle. "Adrienne, are you well? Answer me!"
"I feel..." she paused to take another deep breath. She struggle to set upright. Unable to find the strength to do so, Goliath aided her. "Like I've been hit by a mac truck."
"I can only imagine." He said grimly.
"I see the spell didn't work." She gave him a glum reply. "I accidentally said ' Let my flesh and blood be thy form at night' rather than 'let thy flesh...' I didn't realize it until halfway through the sentence. I'm sorry."
"Um...My Love." Goliath stuttered. "The spell cast did work. It worked in a way neither of us anticipated."
"What do you mean?" She shook her head in confusion. "You're still human. You've been through this before. We just need to change you back; no big deal. Demona did it, I can do it."
"Adrienne, when you misspoke the word, it altered the casting." Owen spoke softly. "It altered your form, not Goliath's."
There was a quietness in the courtyard at Owen's words. Goliath was still human. Yet, she had been changed. She slowly held up her hand and counted one-two-three-four-five fingers....four snow-white talons. She gulped but said nothing she looked over her shoulder. Her face collided with a dark blue webbing of her wings.
"Oh shit!" She muttered. She felt around her back until her talons made contact with her tail. She noticed the white spade and the two small, but razor sharp spikes near the tip. "Oh, nooooo. No...this can't be. Tell me this is just some really bad practical joke, Owen."
"I'm afraid not Ms. Westfall. You are a Gargoyle."
"I'm NOT a Gargoyle." She reiterated. "I'll simply shapeshift-"
She let the familiar tingling rush over her skin. She felt her body ripple and contort. She felt her original shape dominating. Yet, it stopped. She couldn't complete the transformation. She looked down at her hand. There were five snow-white talons. She reached over her shoulder to find a wing. She felt at the end of her spine to discover her tail still intact.
"Bring me a mirror." She growled through gritted teeth.
"Lass, calm yerself." Hudson walked to her side. "Ye look like a vision of loveliness."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Hudson." She said tersely. "But, this isn't me. This isn't right for me. This isn't natural. This is supposed to be Goliath's form. He was supposed to revert to being a Gargoyle. I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BECOME ONE."
"Your mirror?" Owen said blandly as he and Armand rolled the one from the library in front of Adrienne. There stood Goliath beside her. His handsome human physique put any god to shame. Every muscle was flawlessly sculpted on that perfect bronze body.
"By the Dragon, you are lovely." He told her softly as he held her hand. The cobalt ringlets stood in stark contrast to her milky complexion. She experimentally unfurled her wings to their full expanse. She like the bright hue of blue that became the inner folds. She thought that it was nice to have five digits on each hand instead of four. She smile. Instead of her small, square human teeth, she had the delicate fangs like most Dames.
"I look like a gargoyle dumped in Clorox bleach." She smirked. "I look like Snowman meets Batman."
"Can you change us back?" He asked.
"I don't know. Let me look at the page." She glanced down at the tome. She grabbed it and she dropped it.
"It burned me." She screamed. She held her hands up for him to see. They were covered in read welts.
"You have desecrated the Magick of the Tome." A voice bellowed from everywhere. "You have abused it Primogenitor of the Fae. Let this be your punishment for one hundred days and nights to remain as you are. Think wisely before you so glibly recite the spells again."
"Who the hell are you?" She demanded. "What gives you the right to judge?"
"I am the one who begot the Magick of this tome. It is gift to the Children of Stone. A Child of the Celestial Realms shall bestow it on them. Yet, you have committed a heinous crime using it wrongly."
"Your mate has transgressed with you. Let he and you share your punishment for one hundred days. Use the book as you will, but, know this. If you do not come to truly understand the tome's true meaning much will be lost and so shall you remain as such for the remainder of your days."
"Who are you?" She cried out.
"Let you bear the answer upon your hands." Was the distant reply as it faded away into nothingness.
She looked down to see the burns upon her palms. Instead of burns and welts, there were two perfectly formed dragon tattoos. One was on each hand.
"Jalapena." Goliath and Hudson said in unison. "The Dragon!"
Adrienne swooned.
*************
Chapter 5
"Here, give her this." A soft voice said near Adrienne. She felt something wet and warm across her brow. She slowly reached her hand up feel a small horny ridge across the top of her hairline. [Great, I have Goliath's little horns. Wonderful.. Yippee...]
She gradually opened her eyes to find Angela pressing a washcloth against her skin. "Hey, how long have I been out?"
"One night." Angela told her. "We were worried sick. Goliath has been a prowling maniac ranting about how Armand duped you into casting a spell."
"It was my idea." Adrienne turned her head to face her friend. "He offered me the apple and I was the one who chose to take a big bite."
"How is she?" Hudson poked hiis head into the bedchamber.
"Her fever has broken." Angela replied.
"Didn't I become stone?" Adrienne asked.
"You did and Goliath remained flesh." Hudson replied. "Owen told me that he remained steadfast and vigilant by your side the entire time. He's asleep in the room next to here."
"I want to see him." She bolted upright. A wave of dizziness cause her to waver. A throbbing headache pounded at her temple. "Ach! This HURTS."
"You hit your head when you fainted. You have a nasty concussion." Xanatos spoke from the door as he entered the room. "How are you feeling?"
"Beaten, bruised and utterly stupid." Adrienne snapped. "I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?"
"You've done just that." David replied. "Armand has apologized profusely for his impetuous role in your behavior."
"It wasn't entirely his fault."
"I know. He misunderstood Xavier. He thought Charles had glowing reviewed your Magickal potential when in truth he meant your Mutant abilities." David sat down beside her. "Not all is lost. We think the answer to this may lay in the tome."
"I'm not going near it!" She exclaimed strongly. "No way in hell! I've caused enough trouble with that damn book! I'll just wait out my hundred days and Goliath and I will revert to normal. I don't like knowing that I could be cobblestone for somebody's patio if a body had a mind to take a whack at me during the day."
"Adrienne, looking at the book may be the only way to find out why this happened in the first place." Angela pleaded. "We don't know who that voice belonged to. It might help revert you to normal."
"Doubtful." The white dame remained skeptical.
"Please." Angela said in a quiet voice. "For my father."
She looked into his daughter's dark eyes. She saw the compassion and nobility of her mate reflected there. Armand had also told her. "Trust your heart". Adrienne knew that she was the only would could reverse this absolutely FUBAR situation. "Bring me the tome."
"Right here." David conveniently lifted the tome from the side of the bed. Adrienne opened the tome and scanned its pages.
Of stone and egg be they born
of tail and wing, talon and horn.
Protectors of night do they ever toil
so mote it be the saga of the Gargoyle.
When in the cradle of this world
light and darkness were unfurled
Children of Eve's womb walked in the light
Children of the Dragon glided at night.
"Let The Emperor- Beyond-The- Sea
grant the life from the Great Ash tree.
Let thy sister's roar fall upon a distant shore.
Let they fiery breath and claw draw once more.
Let children noble, brave and true
walk the night with life anew.
Watch over the progeny of Adam and Eve.
Let no more them be deceived.
Let the Dragon's heirs to the night
seek to keep that which is right
to keep the Serpent's' wiles at bay
and from the human heart keep them away.
Of stone and egg be they born
of tail and wing, talon and horn.
Protectors of the night do they ever toil
so mote it be the saga of the Gargoyle.
Angel keeping with His command
let flame loose upon the land
eggs begotten by scale and claw
became sentinel's of Almighty law.
The Dragon spread his wings fare and wide
as he did Almighty's bidding and didst he guide
the Children of Stone in their fray
to keep evil serpent's temptation at bay.
Dragon blessed them with heart and wing
with talon and claw and roar that doth sing.
With eyes aglow with their righteous might
to rescue Humanity from their plight.
Tail that crushes with mighty blows
and through the vein doth Dragon's blood flow
yet they shall forever remain alone
of egg begotten, Children of Stone.
Of stone and egg be they born
of tail and wing, talon and horn.
Protectors of the night do they ever toil
so mote it be the saga of the Gargoyle.
"What does it mean?" Xanatos asked.
"By the Dragon!" Hudson gasped. "I haven't heard those rhymes since I was but a hatchling."
"Exactly, by the Dragon." Adrienne explained. "We've heard that term come more than once from a gargoyle. I always chalked it up to some tenth century exclamation equal to 'jalapena' or 'holy guacamole.' Not even close! The Dragon is the god of the Gargoyles. She gave birth to the Gargoyle race. They were created to protect the humans from further onslaughts from the Serpent...the Devil. The Dragon was a servant of God. The serpent must have been some kind of enemy."
"I had no clue." David realized.
"Nor did I." Hudson agreed.
"It's written down all in here." Adrienne's growing excitement fueled her energy. "In the tome, Tacitus wrote that he thought he was the last of his kind from Rome. Because of the flood, the Gargoyles lost their knowledge and became cliff and cave dwellers until discovered by the Romans."
"Fascinating." David looked over her shoulder. "How can you gather that by looking at a blank page?"
"The page isn't blank to me." Adrienne explained. "I see the writing there as clearly as I see you beside me."
"Lass, how can that be?" Hudson asked. "Magick?"
"He gathered the lost legends of his kind and put them down all in here. But, he knew that his rookery brothers and sisters weren't ready for this and neither were the Romans. He encrypted the tome once by writing it in a language only known by the Kiari. Then, he cast a spell making the writing unseen by all but the Kiari."
"Incredible." David gasped. "The power of that book must be immense."
"It's a sacred text, diary, biography, and spellbook all rolled into one. It's not only a history of the Gargoyle race and culture. It's also a account of the Kiari." She flipped through the pages.
"Gargoyles stand as eternal stone
because of Magick's influence from Caledonian throne.
Let not there be shed a single tear
but let there be one thousand to mark each year.
Stand alone those of Caledonia.
Stoic and majestic, but still alone.
For millennia wrapped in granite shroud
until thou doth rise above the clouds.
Sound familiar?" She asked.
"That sounds like the spell cast by the magus that made us stone for a thousand years." Hudson replied.
"Exactly. These were prophesies written almost two thousand years ago." Adrienne nodded.
"Let the Hellenist merchant restore life
and bring the hearth and give the strife.
Let thy new home be far from fortress tower
and let thy dwelling be marked by passing hours."
"Hellenist merchant I take to mean myself." Xanatos looked at Adrienne.
"And the dwelling marked by the passing of hours to be the clocktower." Hudson added.
"You're getting the idea." Adrienne flipped through a few more pages. "The spell and prophesies in here tell us how to restore clan Wvyern to life. However, because of my impetuousness, I abused the power of the Book. That was what the Dragon was telling me."
"She said that you had desecrated the Magick within the Tome." Angela thought aloud.
"And I'm being punished for it." Adrienne replied. "No fae or human can read the spell to bring back the Wyvern clan. The words are only seen by Kiari. Yet according to the Tome, a gargoyle shall cast the spell. Guess who?"
"You've fallen into the Dragon's plans?" Hudson asked with great concern.
"Most likely." The young mutant looked at her hands. "Until she sees fit to change us back, Goliath and I are stuck this way."
"Have mercy." Hudson muttered.
-Fin
Author's note: No one has ever truly explained the religion behind the phrase "By the Dragon. Greg Weisman has hinted at it. I've yet to see any author talk about it in detail. I've drawn upon some earth-based faiths to try and do the concept justice. The quotes from the Tome can also be found more in depth in Part IV of "X and The Single Gargoyle: Heart Of Glass, Heart of Stone."