New Beginnings Part Two
"New Beginnings
-- Part Two"
by Lisette: Lisette_1@lycos.com
Created on: 8/20/98
Revised on:
7/20/98
Legalese: Nothing
here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and
Disney while some of the
words used within are taken from "An den Mond" (To the Moon) and
"Wenn ich ein Vögel wär" (If I a Bird Could Be), two German folk
songs that were arranged by William Bausano. In no way will a profit be made from this.
Author's Note: This
story is the second part of the fifth installment to the Talika Series and a thanks to Skydancer
for some of the quotes used within.
Brief Summary: The
forgotten past is about to
resurface its ugly head for Talika and the clan.
Rating:
PG-13 due to
language and content
New
Beginnings -- Part Two
Castle Wyvern – sunset
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the eight
gargoyle statues began to crack and then slowly explode with light as they awoke
to greet the dark night. Yawning, Lisette marveled once more in the
feeling of her stone skin exploding off of her; something that was only
experienced once before under more serious circumstances. Turning, Lisette
saw that the expression that Brooklyn had carried into sleep was still plastered on his
face.
"Lisette?!" Brooklyn asked in amazement
as he stumbled down from his perch and away from his new friend in shock.
In place of Lisette's lithe human form now stood a very gargoyle counterpart --
the most beautiful gargoyle Brooklyn had ever seen. He
couldn't help but notice the beauty: her long blond hair billowing out
behind her and the moon light caressing her pale blue skin.
Ignoring Brooklyn's gasp, Lisette hopped down
from the parapets and turned her attention to her wounded shoulder.
Slowly, she gently ripped the tape that held the bandage in place.
Turning her shoulder into the moonlight, all that was revealed was smooth, pale
blue skin. "All better, she murmured in relief.
"But.. how?" Brooklyn gasped as he
continued to stare unabashedly at the gargoyle before him, barely aware of the
others gathering behind him.
As her smile widened, Lisette couldn't help but
fill the dark night with her soft and tinkling laughter. "What better
way to heal a wound then to rest in stone hibernation?!"
"You can change yourself into a
gargoyle?!" Angela asked.
Turning around quickly, Lisette realized for the
first time what a crowd she had gathered. Smiling, she nodded and then
replied, "Yes, at a young age I taught myself how to change.. so eager I
was to join the other gargoyles gliding in the night air."
"Do you.. do you change often?"
Lexington spoke up from her other side as he stared up at her in awe.
"Well, to be honest, last night was the
first time that I had changed since I awoke..."
"Very interesting."
Surprised at the unfamiliar voice, Lisette turned
quickly and saw a stranger standing slightly behind Goliath and Hudson.
The human was tall for human standards with long brown hair tied back in a band,
a brown goatee, and black clothing. He was a handsome man with a beautiful
red head with a tattoo around her eye standing beside him.
Noticing his young guest's surprise and
nervousness, Xanatos quickly stepped forward and extended his hand.
"I am David Xanatos, the owner of the castle."
"I am pleased to meet you,
Monsieur
Xanatos," Lisette said shyly, smiling slightly as she changed her form back
to her human counterpart and stepped forward to take his offered hand.
Trying to hide his surprise at the quick change,
Xanatos shook the young woman's hand firmly. He had been correct. A
beautiful gargoyle made for a beautiful human.
"And my name is Fox, David's wife," Fox
spoke up, elbowing her husband to the side so that she could get a good look at
their new guest.
"Hello," Lisette replied, taking Fox's
hand next. The handshake was all that she needed to feel the strength that
was well hidden behind the beautiful face.
"Xanatos," Goliath interrupted,
stepping forth into the circle, a wary look on his face. "Is there
something that you wanted?"
"Just to meet and welcome our new guest to
the castle, Goliath," Xanatos answered smoothly, eyeing Lisette out of the
corner of his eye.
"Well, if you're done welcoming her, we
should probably go on patrols now, right Goliath?" Brooklyn asked,
unconsciously stepping in between Lisette and Xanatos as he eyed the
billionaire.
"You're right, Brooklyn. We can't
forget our duty to the city," Goliath agreed, surprised at the sudden
commitment to patrol that Brooklyn never quite had before.
"Lexington and I will patrol to the North. Brooklyn, I want you,
Broadway, and Angela to go on patrol in the East..."
"And what about me?" Lisette spoke up,
worried that his instructions were heading where she thought they were.
"You may stay here with Hudson and Bronx
to.. help protect the castle and rest up. We should be back by three or
four..."
"Goliath, I am completely healed and more
than capable of going on patrol with you and your clan.. if you'd let me,"
Lisette quickly broke in, knowing that it was rude but knowing all the more that
she didn't want to spend the evening locked up in the castle.
"Besides, I would like to see some more of this New York City -- and I always helped
my old clan out with patrols, so I might as well help your clan as well,"
Lisette pleaded.
Growling slightly in indecision, Goliath stared
at her frail human form. Unable to see anything but her smallness and
unable to think about anything beside the fact that she would just get in the
way.
Seeing this, Lisette quickly spoke up in her
defense, "Goliath, just give me this chance to prove myself.. to prove that
I can be of assistance to your clan..."
"Goliath, I hate to get involved in your
clan's business," Xanatos interrupted Lisette, sending an apologetic glance
in her direction, "but there's already enough rumors and stories flying
around about you guys. If you started to become associated with magic and
the like.. well, let's just say that it wouldn't be any good for the PR."
Sighing, Goliath smiled sadly at Lisette and
said, "I hate to say it Xanatos, but you may be correct on this one."
"But I can handle myself and anyone else
just fine without using my magic. Will you let me go if I promise only to
use it in emergencies?" Lisette prodded, crossing her fingers behind her
back and pleading with Goliath with her large blue eyes.
Growling in indecision, Goliath looked back and
forth between Xanatos and Lisette, unable to decide if he could trust her.
Seeing his leader's indecision, Brooklyn decided
to speak up. "Listen, Goliath, why don't we give her a chance?
I mean, I'll go on patrol with her and keep an eye on her, judge her
capabilities at handling herself, and take responsibility for her."
Sighing, Goliath grudgingly began nodding his
head. "Fine. Broadway, I want you and Angela to still cover the East
end of town, and I want Brooklyn and Lisette on the West end."
Lisette couldn't help the large smile that lit up
her face as she turned to Brooklyn and mouthed her thanks before quickly
changing her form once more back to a gargoyle.
"Don't forget that if anyone needs any help,
to just radio for assistance," Goliath reminded everyone, sending a special
look at Brooklyn before turning and gliding off into the night sky, Lexington on
his heels.
Shrugging their shoulders, the remaining
gargoyles dove into the night sky together before breaking off in opposite
directions. Shaking his head, Hudson murmured something to himself before
he turned and headed back into the castle, Bronx at his heels.
Smiling at the old warrior, Fox turned back to
her husband and noticed that same calculating look on his face that she hadn't
really seen since Goliath and he had settled the score and became allies.
Instantly she became alert and asked, "David, what are you thinking
now?"
Not missing the condescending note in his wife's
voice, Xanatos smiled at his beautiful wife. "Nothing quite yet, my
love, but after Puck gets a reading on Mademoiselle Lisette's power level, we can always
work from there."
"David, it took you so long to regain
Goliath's trust... I wouldn't do anything foolish to betray that now," Fox
warned as she linked arms with her husband and began moving back into the
castle.
"Don't worry, I promised myself and Goliath
that I would never again do anything to harm or betray Goliath or his clan
again..."
"That's good.."
"But then again," Xanatos broke in,
interrupting his wife, "Lisette isn't a part of that clan and what Goliath
doesn't know won't hurt him."
Somewhere over Manhattan
As the warm wind carried the two gargoyles high
into the night sky, a comfortable silence fell between them. The night was
beautiful, the breezes just right, so what else needed to be said? Smiling
softly to herself, Lisette couldn't help the occasional glances that she kept
taking in Brooklyn's direction. Not only did this gargoyle save her life
the other night, but he was also kind, handsome, and brave enough to stand up to
his leader in her defense. It was because of him that she was to be given
this chance to prove herself to the clan tonight. And because of that, she
would do her best to prove to everyone that she was more than capable of taking
care of herself -- without the aid of her magic.
Turning her head, Lisette decided to question
Brooklyn about the thing that had been foremost on her mind all evening:
his relationship with Angela. It was obvious to her from the start that if
something wasn't going on between the two right now, then it had in the near
past. If that was the case, she didn't want to be trudging on delicate
territory... what was she thinking? Such a question was unnecessary,
because even though Brooklyn was showing interest now, that didn't mean that it
wouldn't change soon enough. After all, love had never panned out for her
before.. and plus no one could forget how horribly she had let down her last
clan. Still... there was no harm in asking. Gathering all of her
courage, Lisette turned her head once more towards Brooklyn and said, "What
is..."
Just as Brooklyn turned to her and stated,
"Were you..."
Both of the gargoyles stopped immediately, the
color rising in their cheeks. Finally, they both broke into
laughter. "I am sorry, Brooklyn, what were you going to say?"
Lisette asked, smiling shyly.
Smiling, Brooklyn was about to reply when
they heard a cry from down below... a woman's voice screaming out for
help. With glowing eyes and without another word being said between the
two, they both immediately began to dive to a nearby rooftop.
Straining, they both leaned dangerously far over the side of the building and
into the alley below. There they saw a group of punks that were surrounding a
helpless young woman in the alley. The fear was evident on her face.. as
well as the look of perverse pleasure of the gang.
Turning, Brooklyn quickly looked over at Lisette
and whispered, "You wanted to prove yourself to the clan? Well, now's
the time!" Then, without another word or look to see if Lisette was
following, Brooklyn dove down to the alley, landing right behind the gang.
As he pounded to the pavement, the group jumped
and turned around in surprise, weapons ready. For a moment, they paused in
indecision, staring at his sharp talons and glowing eyes. Then, an evil
grin lit up one of their faces as he called out to his buddies, "Looks
like we get to do a little exterminatin' for the city, boys!"
At their friend's call, the group all began to
smile and advance slowly on Brooklyn, swinging their weapons back and
forth. Suddenly, they heard another thud on the pavement, once more from
behind them. Surprised, they turned and saw another of the demons
behind them -- this one was definitely a female judging from the curves.
Still, that didn't stop her from looking ferocious with red glowing eyes and a
fierce stance. Turning back and forth, it didn't take long for the group
to realize that they were now boxed in. Turning as one, they all stared at
their leader, who was now busy holding a gun to the young woman's head.
Noticing their reluctant look, the leader quickly barked, "Three of you go at
the red one and the other three can take the female! Now attack!"
Without another word, the punks did just as
ordered as they closed the distance between them and the demons. But like
any untrained warrior, their first mistake was attacking one at a time. As
Lisette stood her ground, the first of the punks charged her, brandishing his
knife as he ran. Sighing, Lisette realized that fighting tactics
evidently hadn't changed much in the last thousand years.. at least not out in
the streets. As the guy drew closer, she easily dodged the attack by
moving quickly to the side and then used her tail to knock the guy in the back,
effectively sending him and his knife flying to the ground.
Without missing a beat, another one took the cue
and began to charge. Seeing the attack coming, Lisette quickly used her
powerful leg muscles to jump right over him. While in mid-air, she also
managed to reach down and snatch the chain he was swinging at her as she landed
gracefully behind him. Startled, he turned around quickly and
stared in amazement as she proceeded to break his chain in two pieces.
Before he could launch another attack, she then punched him in the face, sending
him flying across the alley where he hit the wall and fell to the ground
unconscious.
Grinning, Lisette watched as the
guy slumped to
the ground when suddenly her sharp hearing picked up a sound from behind
her. Acting on reflexes, she quickly ducked to the ground and turned, just
missing the lethal swipe of a lead pipe that the remaining punk swung at her
like a bat. Growling at the close call, Lisette reached forward and pulled
the pipe from the guy's hand, bending it in half before she swished her tail
around and swiped his feet out from under him, causing him to fall to the
ground. Before he had a chance to react, she then quickly lifted him up
from the ground and threw him into a nearby dumpster with enough force that the
lid fell shut on top of him.
Though once again before she could congratulate
herself too much, another shuffle of feet from behind her caused her to turn
quickly. Surprised, she saw that the first punk that she had dealt with
was now on his feet with his knife once more in hand. Seeing that he no
longer had the advantage of surprise, he lunged quickly with the knife.
Gasping, Lisette quickly did three backflips in a row, putting her out of harms
way. Roaring, she then jumped up, catching the brick wall in her strong
talons before pushing off of that and into the punk. With fangs bared and
wings stretched out, Lisette caught him in the front and landed on the ground on
top of him. While pinning him to the ground with one hand, she then reached
forward and squeezed the hand that held the knife until the punk dropped it, his
hand aching -- possibly even broken. Seeing that he was already on the edge
of hysteria, Lisette growled once more, her eyes glowing red, scaring him into
fainting and unconsciousness.
Smiling a smile full of fangs, Lisette climbed
off of the punk and saw that Brooklyn was just finishing up with his last punk
as the kid fell to the ground unconscious. Moving cautiously over, she
watched as he then put a talon tentatively to the punk's throat as though
checking something. Curious, Lisette was about to comment when a sudden
whimpering came to her ears. Surprised, Lisette turned quickly and saw
that the leader was still standing against the wall, the young woman in front of
him with some sort of metal device pressed firmly to her head. She had
forgotten about him. Suddenly, her eyes began to narrow as she watched him
then shift the device -- no doubt a weapon of some sort -- till it was
pointed at Brooklyn's crouched back. Seeing his intentions, Lisette
quickly launched herself at the man, her talons digging into his arm as she
pushed it back against the wall. As the device smacked against the wall,
the arm jerked suddenly as a loud bang was heard, causing Lisette's ears to
ring.
Surprised, Brooklyn turned quickly at the sound
of the gun going off. The first rule of fighting -- never turn your back on
an enemy -- and he had forgotten. As he faced where he last saw the leader,
Brooklyn expected to see the worst.. either Lisette or the innocent woman lying
bleeding on the ground from a gun shot wound. Boy was he surprised.
Instead, he saw the young woman sitting on the ground, staring up in horror as
Lisette took the gun out of the man's hand and crushed it in one of hers, the
other hand at his throat, her talons piercing his skin as little trickles of
blood trailed down.
Staring up at the demon before him, the leader
mustered up all of his courage before stating, "You bitch!"
Growling some more, Lisette flared up her wings,
felt her eyes glow an even brighter red, and flashed her sharp fangs at the
leader. Just like before, that was all it took for the man to faint in
fear. Smiling, she once again cloaked her wings around her and felt her
eyes go back to normal as she released her grip on the punk and watched him fall
to the ground. Turning, she looked at the frightened woman and knelt down
slowly beside her. Smiling her kindest smile and making sure to hide her
fangs behind her red lips, Lisette whispered, "Are you okay, Miss?
They did not hurt you, did they?" When she got no response, she
instantly became worried. "Miss?"
Suddenly, the woman snapped out of it as she
focused on her savior. All she saw was a demon as she screamed
in terror.
Startled, Lisette jumped back against the wall,
tripping over the leader and falling on her back as she watched the young woman
jump to her feet and run screaming from the alley and into the lighted streets
beyond. Panting, Lisette could only stare at where the woman disappeared
into the street in shock until Brooklyn stepped into
view. Smiling sadly, he extended his hand and pulled Lisette to her feet.
"All right... did I miss something
here?" she murmured, her soft French accent belaying her surprise.
Smiling at Lisette, Brooklyn merely shrugged and
muttered, "Human gratitude."
Laughing softly, Lisette just shook her head as
she turned to survey the gang of humans lying around in the alley. "So what
do we do about them?"
"We call the police station from the air and
report what happened... oh, and great job," Brooklyn said, smiling softly
at her before turning to climb the wall, quickly taking to the air.
Smiling at the compliment, Lisette once more
surveyed the pile of punks laying about before climbing the wall and launching
herself into the night sky after Brooklyn.
NYPD 23rd Precinct
Sighing, Elisa stared blankly at the pile of
papers and reports piled on her desk, not seeing them or anything
else. Try as she might, she just couldn't get focused on her work
tonight. Instead, her mind kept wandering back to the mystery of Lisette
and her mother. It was driving her crazy... who could the mother be?
Suddenly, a flash of movement in front of her eyes caused her to break
her reverie and focus on her surroundings. Looking up, she saw that the
culprit was none other than her beloved partner, Matt Bluestone.
Seeing that he had finally caught her attention,
Matt moved back until he was once again comfortably slouched in his chair in his
desk across from hers. "You know partner, if you would start focusing
on the pile of paperwork in front of you that we're supposed to be doing and not the thing that you've been thinking about all night,
we may actually get out of here by sunrise," Matt broke in lightly as he
began working on his computer once more.
"I'm trying," Elisa sighed, trying once
again to work on the dreaded paperwork.
"Well what
has been on your mind the whole
night?" Matt asked, not even looking up from the screen in front of
him.
Sighing once again, Elisa leaned forward across
her desk and whispered, "Last night we gained a new addition at the
castle.."
"Huh?" Matt asked,
finally giving Elisa his
full attention.
Making sure that no one was around, Elisa quickly
filled Matt in on everything that had happened the night before until he was up
to date. As soon as Elisa finished, Matt leaned back slowly
in his chair and whistled softly. "Wow. Looks like you did have
quite a night last night.." Matt trailed off, sorting though the story in
his mind. "But what about Lisette's mother?" he asked, his
detective skills causing him to focus in on that particular subject as
well. "Do you guys have any idea about her?"
"That's what I'm going to find out,"
was Elisa's vague reply.
"Yeah, well you can find it out later,
'cause
right now I'm star-"
"Uh
Matt," Elisa broke in vaguely, her thoughts swirling around her as she
stood from the desk and grabbed her jacket, "I need to go to the bathroom..."
"Hey! But I thought that we were going
to go and get some food!" Matt complained as his stomach growled, as if
proving his point.
Smiling at her good fortune, Elisa patted Matt on
the back and said, "Go ahead and get your food.. I'll stay here and try and
catch up on some book work."
"But.."
"Just bring me back something!" Elisa
called over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs. When she reached
the right floor though, she quickly detoured away from the bathroom and instead
found the door to the Supply Closet. With that same strange smile on her
face, Elisa quickly climbed into the ruins of the clock tower. There, in
the privacy of the night, she raised her hands above her head and cast one of
many transportation spells that would take her to the throne room of
Avalon. "Vocate venti fortunate ex ripae Oberonis et hic navis flugem
regate ad orae Avalonis." As she finished casting the spell, the green
mists quickly surrounded her and then seconds later dissipated, leaving her
exactly where planned.
"Lady Talika, what a pleasant
surprise," Titania greeted from her position on the throne as she stared at
her old friend, back in her normal garb of a halter top of old and a skirt made
of billowing veils.
"Queen Titania, Lord Oberon," Talika
greeted, smiling up at her old friends.
"Surely this is not a social call?
What may we help you with?" Oberon asked, his voice full of regal dignity
as he got right down to business.
"How true, Lord Oberon," Talika
acknowledged, sending a small smile in his direction. "I come to you
today with a question that you may be able to help me with," she said
softly as she held up her hand and brought up a foot high hologram of Lisette in
her human form. "This is Lisette -- a young woman that stumbled upon my
clan last night."
"And you tell us this because.." Oberon
prompted, raising his eyebrow in a gesture that clearly said 'get to the point.'
"Because Lisette is only half human..."
"Half? Well what is the other
half?"
"That is what I ask of you. I believe
that she is half fey."
"What?!" Oberon asked, disbelief
clouding his features as he studied the hologram closer.
"Now I ask you.. which of your children
mothered this woman by a human male back in 979 AD... or perhaps not one of your
children but you yourself, Titania?" Talika asked, raising her eyebrows in
Titania's direction.
"How dare you..."
"Hush my husband..." Titania soothed,
laying a gentle hand on her husband's clench fist in order to restrain
him. "Talika, the child belongs not to me or one of Oberon's children
of Avalon... if anything, I do believe that the woman seems to resemble you more
than any of us."
Instantly Titania resented her words as a deep
look of sadness covered Titania's face. "How easily you forget my
infertility, Titania," she murmured, trying to bury the pain once more.
"I don't forget anything... that or the fact
that this was not always so."
"But it was so at the time of this woman's
birth."
"Well I doubt that she is the child of any
of my children.. why would you even think this? I assume that she has
magical capabilities?" Titania asked, letting the other issue drop -- for
now.
"Yes, but she was trained by a human
wizard..."
"A
human wizard?" Oberon scoffed.
Quickly Talika raised her hand in the air and
continued. "Yes, a human wizard. Because of that, her power is
not at the level that it should be, but already she has taught herself to change
forms at will and is able to sense my magic..."
"Very interesting, Lady Talika," Oberon
interrupted, yawning to show that he wasn't that impressed. "Anything
else?"
"Well as I said, she just came into the
picture last night, and I haven't had the chance to test her power and find
their true extent yet.."
"And you came to us with so little
information? Lady Talika, I'm surprised at you.. perhaps we can be of some
more assistance when you have some more information for us," Oberon said
haughtily.
"Perhaps.." Talika sighed, frustrated
that the trip earned her nothing.
Seeing her
friend's frustration, Queen Titania
leaned forward and said comfortingly, "I am sorry that we could not aid you
Talika, but if this is any assurance, I am almost positive that the mother is no
child of mine. None the less, I shall do a little checking with my
children. If anything comes of it, you shall be the first to know."
"And for that I thank you Titania,"
Talika replied, forcing a small smile. "And if I learn
anything new, you shall hear from me as well. Oh, and may I use the aid of
the Puck in my search?" Talika questioned, raising her eyebrows at Oberon.
"But.."
"Yes, Talika. Puck may aid you with
his full capabilities whenever you deem necessary," Titania answered with a
smile, interrupting her husband in mid-sentence.
Nodding her thanks, Talika then raised her hands
above her head one last time and reversed the spell, transporting her back to
the ruins of the clock tower and into her work clothes once more. Sighing,
she then moved slowly back down the ladder and into the hallway, her thoughts
drifting over the puzzling question. As she entered the ever busy squad
room and crossed it to her desk, she decided to push the question
from her mind for the time being. Sighing, Elisa sat once more at her desk
and began working once again.
"Okay, first you disappear for the whole
night and then, when you get back, you sit down and go to work like nothing
happened?!"
Surprised, Elisa looked up from her work and
across the desk space to Matt sitting opposite of her. "Huh?"
she asked, confusion written all over her face.
"Where have you been all night?!" Matt
asked again, snapping the folder shut that he was working on.
Confused, Elisa looked
at the clock mounted on
the wall across the squad room. "Three o'clock!" she whispered,
groaning at the same time. "Uh, Matt.. I.." Elisa mumbled,
racking her brain for an excuse. Looking up, she watched as Matt's scowl
turned into a small smile as he chuckled quietly.
"Don't even bother," he laughed, loving
the look of panic on Elisa's face. "I guess that fair is fair after I
stuck you with all of the paperwork last night! In any case, I'm heading
home for some shut eye."
"But.."
"Don't worry, I left you some paperwork as
well."
"But.."
"It should only take you a half hour to an
hour!" Matt interrupted quickly as he turned and began walking away.
Groaning, Elisa slid further into her chair, her
head in her hands.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Matt called
out, turning around quickly. "When I got back from getting our food,
I found this lying on your desk!" he called out as he dug in the inside
pocket of his trench coat. Finding what he was looking for, he took out a
small box wrapped in silver paper and threw it to Elisa.
Surprised, Elisa merely stared at the box in her
hands as Matt left. Remembering the rose from last night, Elisa smiled
softly as she quickly opened up the paper wrapping and then gently opened the
box. Inside on a bed of cotton lay a beautifully carved angel ornament
made out of crystal. Breathing in awe, Elisa picked up the
delicate angel and held it up to the light, watching in amazement as the light
played off of the crystal and splashed across her desk. Smiling, she
looked back into the box and saw that inside lay a piece of paper underneath the
cotton. Setting the angel aside, she quickly took out the note and read
the scrawlings slowly:
To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a
wild flower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an
hour...
"Goliath," Elisa murmured, smiling even
bigger. She didn't know how he did it, but he always did have a way of
amazing her. With the scrawled words on her mind, Elisa quickly picked up
the angel and put it gently back into the box. Humming a small little
tune, she then quickly turned off her computer, shut all of the folders, and
then grabbed her keys. She had a certain lavender gargoyle to visit and
thank.
Castle Wyvern -- 3:30am
"Broadway, Angela," Goliath called out
as he glided closer to the open courtyard of Castle Wyvern. With Lexington
at his side, he allowed the night breezes to carry him further and further down
until his large taloned foot touched gently onto the hard stone floor of the
courtyard. Walking closer, he and Lexington joined Broadway and
Angela, making a sort of circle against the night air. "How was
patrol?"
"Ah, it was normal," Broadway scoffed
as he patted his tummy unconsciously. "We foiled three muggings and
two robberies," he bragged, wiggling his eyeridges at Angela.
Shaking her head, Angela just laughed at his
obvious attempt to impress his leader. "Father, how did you and
Lexington fare?"
"Ah, same old same old," Lexington
broke in, excitedly jumping from one foot to the other.
Noticing this, Goliath turned to his young friend
and eyed him closely. "Lexington?" he questioned.
"Ah, Goliath? Are we almost done
here.. I kind of promised someone that I'd meet them on-line in a chat
room," Lexington said, looking down at the ground in embarrassment.
Smiling, Goliath just shook his head and chuckled
quietly. "Go ahead Lexington, you did well tonight."
Nodding, Lexington quickly scampered off in the
direction of the computer room, no doubt eager to meet his friend.
"Where is Brooklyn and Lisette? Have
they already returned?" Goliath asked, looking around the courtyard for his
second and new friend.
"No, we haven't.." Angela began to
answer when a sudden peal of laughter could be heard on the night
air. Surprised, all three gargoyles turned quickly and watched as
Brooklyn and Lisette glided down to the open courtyard, large smiles on their
faces. Smiling to herself, Angela couldn't help but think how right they
looked together. Not only did they seem to make each other happy, but they
just looked like they were made for each other.. a very handsome couple.
"Brooklyn, Lisette," Goliath
acknowledged with a hidden smile, also noticing the bright tint of Brooklyn's
eyes.. something that he and the others hadn't been seeing as much of lately.
"Hey Goliath!" Brooklyn nodded.
Then, without another word, he quickly grabbed a hold of Lisette's taloned hand
and began leading her towards the Great Hall. "You've just got to see
this!" he was busy saying to her, completely missing the large smiles on
everyone's face and the shrug and small smile that Lisette threw to the rest of
the clan.
"Uh, Brooklyn!" Goliath called out to
his second, causing him to pause in mid-stride.
"Yeah Goliath?" he asked innocently,
stopping to turn and face his leader.
"May I speak with you for a minute?"
Goliath asked, pointedly informing everyone else that the talk was to be between
just the two of them.
Nodding, Brooklyn let go of Lisette's hand and
began walking back towards Goliath, not missing the lost look that covered her
face suddenly.
Noticing this as well, Angela quickly left
Broadway's side and bounded up to Lisette. "Come on! You have
to see the library!" she called out with a large smile, grabbing on to her
taloned hand.
Smiling at the kindness that Angela was
demonstrating to a stranger, Lisette nodded her agreement, and then began
running towards the entrance to the castle with Angela, changing back to her
normal form in mid-step.
"Hey.. uh, wait for me!" Broadway
yelled after realizing that he was being left alone with Goliath and
Brooklyn. Turning, he quickly began to run after the two females.. a sight
that would cause anyone to laugh.
Shaking his head, Goliath turned back to his
second in command. "Brooklyn, how did Lisette do this evening?"
Instantly a large smile lit up Brooklyn's face as
he started gushing about the adventures they had during patrol. "Oh
man, she was awesome! First we broke up this mugging, and man.. she took
three punks out in a matter of minutes, and then she took out the leader who had
a gun and a hostage and in the process saved my life cause he was going to shoot
me, and then we found..." Brooklyn said, panting as he went through every
single thing they did and how great of a job she did.
Hearing this, Goliath tried to hold back for the
longest time. Finally, he couldn't any longer. To Brooklyn's great
bafflement, suddenly his serious and mighty leader broke into a huge smile and
started to laugh. Confused, Brooklyn stared at Goliath until finally he
couldn't stand it any longer. "Uh, was it something I said?"
Unfortunately for Brooklyn, this question just
caused Goliath to laugh even harder. A few minutes later Goliath finally
gained control of himself and wiped the tears of laughter away -- it had been
quite some time since he had ever laughed that hard. Smiling at Brooklyn,
Goliath laid a hand gently on his shoulder and said, "It sounds as though
our new guest did an impressive job this evening. Still, I think it may be
wise for the clan to.. ah, test her further -- seeing as how the report that you
just gave may be the slightest bit biased."
Finally understanding why Goliath laughed so
hard, Brooklyn began to blush fiercely. "Ah, Goliath.."
"Goliath!" Elisa called out,
interrupting Brooklyn as she jogged into the light of the moon.
"Elisa, what are you doing here so
early?" Goliath asked, surprised to be seeing his love so early in the
night.
"I.. kind of left early," Elisa said
with a small smile, thinking of how mad Matt would be tomorrow night when he
found those reports that he had left for her unfinished. Shaking her head
at the thought, Elisa smiled up at her big love and said, "Besides, I need
to talk with you."
Taking the hint, Brooklyn quickly turned around
and started heading towards the doors to the Great Hall, calling back over his
shoulder, "I'm going to go and find Lisette and Angela!"
At this, both Elisa and Goliath smiled at each
other. Shaking his head, Goliath turned back towards his human love.
"You wanted to speak with me?" he asked, unable to resist running a
talon through her soft, black hair.
Smiling, Elisa quickly stood up on tip toes and
leaned forward, planting her soft lips against his. Surprised, Goliath
merely stood there for a minute before finally reacting by wrapping his own
large arms around Elisa, lifting her closer to him. A few minutes later
the kiss ended as Elisa pulled away and hopped back to the ground.
Breathless, Goliath stared at his love for a few moments more before saying,
"What was that for?"
Shaking her head, Elisa felt yet another smile
lift up the corners of her lips. "It's a thank you," she
whispered as she stepped up to her love and took his hand gently in hers, her
eyes never wavering from his.
"For what?" Goliath breathed, his eyes
caught in her own gaze.
"For your gift, silly!" Elisa called
out with a laugh, breaking the spell as she punched Goliath lightly on the arm.
"What gift?" Goliath asked, staring
down at her in confusion.
Thinking that it was all some sort of a joke,
Elisa laughed. "For the roses last night and the crystal angel
tonight..." she trailed off, her smile faltering as she noticed the
continued blank expression on Goliath's face. "You did send me the
gifts, right?"
"I am sorry, Elisa, but I
did not send anything."
"Well then, who would have..."
"It seems as though you, my love, have a
secret admirer!" Goliath called out with a small smile.
Shaking her head, Elisa punched Goliath lightly
on the arm once more. "Where's Lisette?" she asked, getting
back to the other matter that brought her away from the precinct this early.
"She's in the library with Angela...
Brooklyn took her on patrol with him tonight..."
"Are you sure that was wise?!" Elisa
broke in quickly, worry covering her beautiful face.
"Don't worry Elisa. Lisette promised
not to use her magic unless it was in an extreme emergency," Goliath
soothed, taking her hands in his.
Smiling at his warmth, Elisa said, "Well,
how did she do?"
"Apparently well."
"And who was judging her?" Elisa asked,
starting to get the feeling that she already knew the answer to that one.
At Goliath's look of innocence Elisa groaned and said, "Well, if Brooklyn
was judging her capabilities, it was no wonder that she did well!"
Laughing, Goliath said, "Don't worry, Elisa,
I'll be testing her tonight anyway."
"Maybe we both can test her tonight... I
want to see the extent of her magical capabilities first, and then the clan can
have a crack at her physical ones."
Nodding his head, Goliath said, "A good
idea.. we can gather the clan and then meet in the Great Hall."
"Okay, but I need to find Owen first.."
Elisa began when she heard a shuffling of feet behind her. Turning
quickly, she watched with shielded amusement as Owen walked into the light of
the moon.
"I am ready.." Owen began to say when a
sudden flash of green blinded Goliath and Elisa. When their eye sight
returned to normal, they found Puck floating in place of Owen, "whenever
you are!" he finished with a large smile. "I trust that you
okayed this with Daddy Oberon first?" he asked, the tiniest bit of fear
entering his eyes.
Rolling her eyes at the little fey, Elisa nodded
her head. "Yes Puck, I spoke with him earlier this evening.. although
it was actually Queen Titania that made your help a possibility."
"That's my momma for ya!" Puck called
out gleefully as he quickly zipped through the open doors of the Great Hall and
into the large room beyond.
Looking at Goliath, Elisa shrugged her shoulders
wearily and followed him into the large room. "Well, I guess that
I'll go and get Lisette and the others..." Elisa trailed off as she turned
to begin collecting the clan.
"Why Elisa," Puck broke in as he zipped
across the room to hover before her. "To think that with that magic
that I accidentally gave to you, you would have figured out how to transport
whomever you wish into a room by now!" Puck finished with a large wink.
Groaning once again, Elisa moved next to Goliath
and watched as Puck murmured a spell quietly and began to spin in place
rapidly. Suddenly, in a flash of green light Hudson and Bronx appeared in
the room.. and then Lexington and Broadway, Xanatos, Fox, and Alex, and then
Angela, Brooklyn, and Lisette. All appeared in a matter of seconds and
then stood where they appeared, dumbfounded by the sudden change of
scenery. Amazingly, Hudson was the first to snap out of it and notice the
unusual guest they had with them. "Puck! What are ye doin'
'ere?! Ye're not teaching young Alex, are ye?"
"Well, no.." Puck answered truthfully,
"but Mommy Titania okayed for me to perform a little test this
evening."
"Mother actually let you run free as
Puck?" Fox broke in, arching an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Hey, I'm here aren't I?" Puck asked,
showing his annoyance.
"Well, what is your test that you want to
perform?" Xanatos asked, getting to the matter at hand, all the while
pretty sure that he already knew what the answer would be.
"I'm here tonight not only to bless everyone
with my presence..." Puck began, ignoring all of the groans of protest,
"but also to test and find out young Lisette's magical capabilities."
"What?!" was the general response
throughout the room.
"Come on!" Puck yelled
defensively. "I'm sure that we're all more than just a little bit
curious as to see how powerful our new guest really is... not that she could
ever be at her full potential right now seeing as how she was only taught by a
human wizard," he amended, sending an apologetic look in Lisette's
direction.
"Puck, I don't think that this is something
that you should be deciding to do. It's Lisette's choice!" Brooklyn
broke in angrily, his eyes flashing white as he stood protectively in front of
Lisette.
"Brooklyn," Elisa interrupted, stepping
in front of the trickster, "don't get upset with Puck.. the testing was my
idea."
"What?" Brooklyn asked in disbelief,
remaining in front of Lisette.
"All we'd find out is how strong magically
she is right now in comparison to other magic users," Elisa explained
calmly, understanding Brooklyn's concern.
"Brooklyn, it is all right," Lisette
broke in quietly, smiling at his kindness as she gently pushed him aside.
"I would be honored to be tested by the great Puck."
Blushing slightly at the compliment, Puck
couldn't help but like the new person on the block even more, all the while
trying his best to ignore all of the smirking going on by the rest of the people
gathered. "Heh, finally someone who respects being in the presence of
greatness!" Puck laughed as he floated up to Lisette and grabbed her hand,
pulling her gently into the center of the room. Turning, he called out for
Elisa to join them there.
"Why do you need Detective Maza?"
Xanatos asked quickly in surprise.
"Because she now contains a lot of magic due
to the mirror fiasco, magic that will help me to determine the power
level," Puck answered matter of factly.
Nodding his head, Xanatos decided that the reason
sounded plausible enough.. besides, why would Puck lie to him? Turning, he
then watched as Detective Maza left Goliath's side and joined Lisette and Puck
in the center of the room.
Smiling, Puck landed on the ground in front of
Lisette and said, "This will only hurt a little." As the shock
of his words covered Lisette's face, Puck's smile grew as he quickly put his
small hands up to Lisette's temples. Immediately, green energy began to
arc out and around between them, his eyes glowing green.
Seeing this, Elisa quickly stepped up beside them
and placed her hands over Puck's, causing the energy to arc between her as
well. As everyone watched in amazement, the green energy filled the space
around them, till their eyes glowed green and their hair, a mixture of white,
blond, and black flowed round. Soon, their feet lifted off the ground as
the three as one lifted higher into the air until they were floating near the
tall ceiling some fifteen to twenty feet up in the air.
"Wow," Lexington whispered quietly in
awe, his eyes riveted to the three figures floating above them all.
Amazed like his clan, Goliath only managed a
small smile at the younger gargoyle till his sight as well returned to the
spectacle before them. There they floated for seconds, minutes, hours.. an
eternity for all anyone knew. Time crept by and at the same time flowed by
in an instant. All they could think about or see was
the sight of the fey trickster, their beloved detective friend, and the new
mystery that had popped into their life; all connected by the green energy that
marked the third race.
Soon the people and gargoyles gathered realized
that the show was coming to an end as the energy began to lighten in
intensity. With their eyes riveted to the sight, everyone watched in awe
as suddenly the green energy stopped and all three, Elisa, Puck, and Lisette
began falling quickly to the ground. Reacting on pure instinct, three
people quickly jumped into action. Moving as fast as he could, Goliath
positioned himself underneath the three and easily caught Elisa in his
arms. Turning, he watched as Brooklyn did the same and caught Lisette in
his. Smiling, Goliath turned to see who had caught the last of the magical
three.. and was surprised to see Xanatos sprawled on the ground, Puck lying on top of
him.
Groaning, Xanatos pushed the heavy fey off of
him, all the while muttering, "Get off of me!"
Trying to hold back his laughter, Goliath calmly
asked, "Xanatos, is there anything hurt?"
"Just my pride," David Xanatos muttered
with a small smile as he climbed to his feet with the aid of his wife.
Shaking his head, Goliath turned his attention
back to his catch. "Elisa, are you alright?" he asked quickly,
concern covering his face.
Laughing slightly, Elisa motioned for Goliath to
put her down and said, "Just fine Big Guy.. oh, and nice catch!"
Blushing, Goliath quickly complied, noticing that
Brooklyn still held Lisette in his arms. "Are you okay?" he
whispered quietly to her, his red face slightly pale from the scare he got when
he watched her plummet to the stone floor so far below.
"Oui.. I just don't think that any of us realized that we were floating that high up when they stopped!"
Lisette answered with a small grin.
"Uh.. Brooklyn?" Goliath asked, nudging
his second lightly in the side.
"Huh?" Brooklyn asked, turning quickly
towards his leader. It was at that point that Brooklyn and Lisette
realized that the entire room was staring at them, smiles vainly hidden on their
faces. Turning an even darker red, Brooklyn quickly and gently put Lisette
on her feet and turned back towards the room, trying his best to ignore Broadway
and Lexington who were snickering off behind them.
Shaking his head, Xanatos was the first to break
the silence as he dusted off his, no doubt, expensive suit. "I trust
that you found out what you were looking for?" he asked, throwing a
semi-dirty look at Puck who was slowly climbing to his feet.
Nodding his head, Puck snapped his fingers and
shifted forms back to his alter ego, Owen Burnette. "Like we assumed,
Lisette's power is very formidable. Even with just the training that she
received from the human wizard, which has hampered her capabilities, at this
point and time she is slightly below the level of the Puck and the Weird
Sisters..."
"Uh.. is that good?" Lisette broke in,
noticing the astonished looks that the rest of the clan were giving her.
Ignoring her question, Owen continued in his same
dry and bored voice, "With the proper training, Lisette will be able to
gain her full power level..."
"Which is?" Xanatos asked, arching his
eyebrow in curiosity.
"Second
only to the King and Queen of Avalon," Owen finished calmly as he slowly took off his glasses and began
polishing them on a handkerchief that he always kept handy.
For a few minutes there was a dumbfounded silence
as the clan turned as one to look at their young guest in a new light. But
Lisette didn't like this new light. It made her different, even more so,
from the others than she already was. It made her even more of an
outsider. "Would all of you please stop staring at me like I am a part of some..
some.. ugh, what is the word?" she whispered, frustrated by her loss.
"Circus?" Elisa asked as she stepped
forward and placed her hand gently on the young woman's shoulder.
Turning, Lisette smiled faintly at the look of
amusement on the detective's face. "Oui, circus."
"Lisette, we all know that you are not
a part
of some circus or freak show.. but you must understand that as it is, the
children of Oberon are extremely powerful with magic. To know that you.. a
woman that has only had 19 years to practice her magic, is already almost equal to the
most powerful of the children.. well, it's unbelievable," Elisa finished
quietly, shrugging her shoulders at the thought.
"I think I understand that.. but you all
must understand as well that I am the same person that I was before this silly
test! If I had known that you all would look at me with.. well, with
different eyes... I would never have allowed myself to be tested," Lisette
finished quietly, her eyes dropping to the ground as small tears clouded her
vision.
"Lisette?" Brooklyn asked quietly,
drawing next to her side as Elisa silently backed away. As her dizzying
blue eyes lifted to meet his, Brooklyn smiled. "Lisette, we still
look at you in the same light and know that you are the same person.."
"But.."
"The new light that you are seeing in our
eyes is just a furthered level of respect that we hold for you and your magical
abilities.. that's all!"
"Aye lass," Hudson broke in, smiling a
rare smile at the young woman. "Before, we all figured that it would
nay be a good idear to 'ave it out with ya.. but now we all know tis for
certain!"
Lisette couldn't help the smile that quickly
lifted the corners of her mouth, nor the tinkling laughter that filled the room,
along with the laughter of everyone else present. "I do not think
that you need to worry of getting into a fight with me!"
"You are probably right.. but that does
bring up another question," Goliath broke in quietly. "What
exactly is your level of fighting at?"
"But Goliath, I already.." Brooklyn
broke in, confusion written all over his face.
"Yes, yes, Brooklyn, from what you've said,
Lisette is very skilled when it comes to dealing with humans.. but what of other
gargoyles?" Goliath asked, arching his eyeridges at Lisette.
"I doubt that I would ever be fighting any
of you..." Lisette began quietly, a small smile on her face.
"Yes, but what of Demona? Wouldn't you
rather be prepared the next time you meet up with her?" Goliath asked.
Smiling, Lisette quickly changed forms and then
smiled a fang-filled smile at Goliath. "Does anyone care to find out
what would happen to this Demona if I do ever meet up with her again in gargoyle
form?"
Nodding at her belief in her abilities, Goliath
instructed clan member after clan member to fight against her; urging for
everyone to give it their all and not to hold back anything. Astonished, Goliath then watched as clan member after clan member was
put through the runner as the girl demonstrated that she could indeed hold her
own against a gargoyle. Not only was Lisette an excellent fighter, but
she also had a way of using every single thing to her advantage; constantly
rotating back and forth from using her brain, reflexes, strong muscles, powerful
jumps, strong kicks, hard punches, sharp talons, strong wings to anything else
that she could use last minute -- including the wall, ceiling and floor.
Soon, all that remained standing of his clan was Hudson and himself.
Before the next round could begin, Elisa stepped forward into the ring.
"Very impressive indeed, Lisette, but now I have a new challenge for you...
change back into your human form and try fighting against one of the clan."
"What?!" Lisette asked in confusion,
turning to watch as the clan gathered behind her, smiles on their faces.
"But a human is no match for a gargoyle.. there would be no chance!
Gargoyles have a height, speed, weight, and muscle advantage over us!"
Lisette called out as she shifted back to her normal form, clad once more in her
jeans and shirt.
"That's true, but you're wrong about having
no chance," Elisa replied with a small smile. "I've known many a
human that have put up quite a fight against a gargoyle with all of these
advantages!"
"But.."
"Well how about a human? It's true
that you should fight well as a gargoyle, but your true form is that of a
human.. how well do you fight against another human?"
"I.."
"Good then, let's try it!" Elisa called
out with a smile as she quickly took off her red jacket and tossed it over to
Goliath. As Lisette stood there stupefied, Elisa slipped down into a
fighting stance.
Noticing that she wasn't going to get out of
this, Lisette sunk low, trying her best to imitate Elisa. Without warning,
Elisa darted forward and jumped in the air, her foot catching Lisette in the
mid-section and sending her flying across the room and onto the stone
floor. Gasping, Lisette tried to regain her wind, her hand wrapped
protectively around her abdomen as she tried to get to her feet.
Smiling apologetically, Elisa was instantly by
her side and reached down a hand to help her up. "You never have
tried hand to hand combat in your true form, have you?" Elisa asked
quietly, a small smile on her face.
"No," Lisette agreed, wincing slightly
at a flare of pain in her side. "Craigen barely consented with the
idea of letting me help out the gargoyles and train with them in gargoyle form..
never would he have let me have the same training with the humans or
guards. In that time, a woman's place was to be protected in the château while
the men did all of the fighting.. there would have been serious consequences if
I was seen fighting."
"Well,
then I think that it's about time
for you to learn.. times have changed."
Smiling at the thought, Lisette nodded quietly.
Turning, Elisa moved to stand beside her
love. "Goliath, with your permission, I'd like to make a ruling of
sorts."
With an idea in mind of what Elisa was about to
say, Goliath tried to hide his smile as he nodded for her to go ahead.
Smiling in thanks, Elisa turned towards Lisette
and said, "If you are to stay with the clan in the castle, then you must
take up responsibilities like the rest of them."
"I would be honored to patrol with
them," Lisette spoke up quickly, a sparkle in her eye.
"That, as well as.. well, for instance, do
you know how to read?"
"Yes, Craigen taught me.."
"Good, then you can help Angela with
teaching some of the others. Also, each night you will train in magic with
Puck."
"But.." Xanatos broke in quickly, a
small frown appearing on his face.
"Don't worry, Xanatos. You will still
have the normal aid of your manservant. She will only be taught when your
son, Alex, is taught," Elisa said with a smile, knowing already the
complaint that he was about to lay. "Also, each night you will train
to enhance your fighting skills in your human form."
"Train with who?" Lisette asked, taking
all the rules in stride.
"With either me or.."
"Me," Fox broke in, speaking for about
the first time that evening. Smiling at the beautiful young woman, Fox
strode across the room to stand before her. "We'll have a chamber
near the gargoyles' rooms set up for you so you have a place to sleep
during the day. Also, you can join my family and I for meals as well
as.. training."
"Training?" Lisette asked, raising her
eyebrow in disbelief.
"Well, David and I prefer to keep our
fighting skills sharply honed. Therefore, each morning or evening we
practice in the gym.. if Detective Maza is unable to train you one night, you
could always join us in the gym."
Smiling, Lisette impulsively reached forward and
hugged the older woman. "Thank you!" Lisette cried out happily.
Smiling at Lisette's warmth, Fox gently pulled
away and said, "You're welcome."
"Well," Elisa broke in loudly, clapping
her hands to get everyone's attention. "With that settled, what are
we all sitting around here for? Let's get started!"
"You mean right now?" Lisette asked in
amazement.
"No time better but the present," Elisa
replied quickly with a smile as she brushed a stray strand of her blue-black
hair out of her eyes.
"But.."
"Well, I suppose that I might as well get
started on getting that room prepared for our new guest," Fox interrupted
with a bright smile as she left the room, cell phone in hand.
"And Broadway, it is time for your reading
lessons," Angela spoke up quietly, grabbing Broadway by the arm and
dragging him from the room.
Groaning, Broadway immediately followed.
"Yeah, no time better but the present," he griped, sending a look at
Elisa.
"Aye, that program that Robinson was telling
me 'bout should be on 'bout now anyway," Hudson agreed as he slowly turned
to leave the room.
"But Robinson is blind!" Brooklyn broke
in, confusion written on his face. "How does he know what's on
tv? Does he have a tv guide written in Braille?" he asked in jest.
"Aye, he does," Hudson agreed, wiping
the smile completely off of Brooklyn's face.
"Great! Hey Brooklyn, we should have
just enough time to start up that new program I was telling you about!"
Lexington broke in quickly, eagerly grabbing his rookery brother by the arm.
"Okay, Lex! I'm coming! Just
don't pull my arm off!"
"And I do suppose that it is time for young
Alexander's lessons," Owen agreed as he gently took the child from his
father's hands. "Lisette, would you care to join us?"
Smiling at Elisa and the remaining people,
Lisette nodded her head and began following the manservant from the room.
Shaking her head, Elisa watched as Owen turned to
Lisette and said, "As the Puck once said long ago, 'Everyone has a
talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place
it leads.'"
"Did Puck really say that?" Lisette
quickly asked, raising her eyebrow at the manservant.
"Well, no, but.."
Laughing, Elisa turned back to Goliath and was
about to say something when she noticed that they weren't quite alone yet.
"Um, don't you have something that you should be doing, Xanatos?" she
asked pointedly to the billionaire.
"Well, I do suppose that I could be hatching
some horribly evil plot to take over the world, Detective," Xanatos
answered with a bright smile, ignoring the dirty look she sent in his direction
as he turned to saunter from the room.
"You know what Goliath, I
really don't
like him," Elisa muttered quietly as she watched him go.
"He is harmless now. Xanatos just
enjoys.. how does Brooklyn put it? Ah, pushing your buttons?" Goliath
asked, raising an eyeridge at his love.
Smiling, Elisa punched his shoulder
lightly. "Very funny, Big Guy. Seriously though, you're not mad
at me for.. well, for kind of taking charge a minute ago, are you?"
Laughing softly, Goliath smiled down at his love
and tenderly brushed his hand across her smooth cheek. "Of course
not, Elisa. The decisions you made were wise ones.. plus, you always have
been slightly bossy..."
"Hey!" Elisa laughed, pulling away from
him in mock anger.
Smiling, Goliath just pulled his love closer to
him, holding her forever close to his heart. "Things have finally
settled down once more, my love."
"Perhaps. And perhaps things
will go
back to normal.. although I'm afraid that the excitement has just begun-"
"I love you, my Elisa," Goliath
interrupted as he held her closer.
And I you, Big Guy.. always and
forever."
Castle Wyvern -- two months later
As the clouds shifted in the early darkness of
the afternoon, one could barely see the bright fiery ball of light as it finally
dipped over the horizon. This was the only indication to those who watched
that night was to fall, for already during the day the darkness of night had
fallen. Starting slowly, one drop at a time, the rain began to fall on the
stone statues just as they began to crack; strange light filtering around
them. As the torrent of the storm was unleashed, all seven gargoyle forms
finally broke free of their casings and woke to the dark night, each
unleashing their own roar to shatter the storm darkness.
Yawning, Brooklyn stretched his stiff muscles as
he stared out into the night, rain pelting his body. Turning, he easily
jumped down from his perch, ready to greet the guest that was always there when
they awakened. To his great surprise though, she was no where to be
seen. "Hey Broadway, do you know where Lisette is?" Brooklyn
asked, concern entering his voice as he turned towards his rookery brother.
"Oh yeah, I've only been sleeping for the
past day, but despite that I know exactly where she is!" Broadway cried out
with a laugh, trying his best to dodge Brooklyn's swipe.
"Uh Brooklyn, maybe she's waiting inside and
just didn't want to come out into the storm?" Lexington asked as he brushed
off the water that was already running down his face.
"Which is a very smart idea!" Angela
agreed as she turned to hurry into the Great Hall and out from under the
weather.
"Yeah, but she stood outside in a rain storm
before waiting for us to awake.." Brooklyn mumbled, really worried
now. Suddenly, his sharp hearing detected a noise behind him.
Turning quickly, Brooklyn looked up into the towering frame of his leader,
Hudson and Bronx behind him.
"If you are
so concerned, why don't you go look
for her?" Goliath asked, a small smile on his face as his second in command
turned a darker shade of red.. something very common as of late.
"Uh.. good idea," Brooklyn replied
quickly as he turned and walked from the parapet. Shaking his head, he
couldn't help but laugh at himself as well for his behavior. After all,
it's not like he could expect for Lisette to stand outside and be there when
they woke every night! Chuckling to himself, Brooklyn quickly reached
the door to her private chambers. He then took a minute to compose himself
and attempted to dry himself off as best as possible before knocking gently on
her door. When there was no answer, he gently turned the knob and pushed
open the door.
Walking in, he looked around quickly at the drab stone
walls and floor that were somehow transformed by the appearance of several paintings and
tapestries, the floor made soft by beautiful throw rugs. Turning, he saw
her canopy bed made and fluffed, the small teddy bear he gave her a while ago
lying on top of the pillow. The vanity table beside it was neat as always,
as well as the armoire closed and everything in its place.. as well as
all of her own books on their proper shelf. Shaking his head, Brooklyn
couldn't help but be amazed at how neat Lisette always seemed to be. When
he asked her about it before, she had said that it was a habit brought on by
Craigen. Smiling, Brooklyn quietly left the room, closing the door behind
him. Standing in the dark hallway, he looked left and then right,
trying to decide where to look next. Then an image of her perfectly
stacked books came into mind. "The library!" Brooklyn groaned,
slapping himself in the head as he turned and hurried down the hall.
Without a doubt, that would be where he would find her.
Sure enough, as he drew closer to his
destination, Brooklyn's sharp hearing quickly detected sounds within the large
room. But the closer he got the more and more the sounds sounded like
crying. With his worry escalating and afraid of what he would find,
Brooklyn quickly rushed forward...
The Library
"What to read? What to read?"
Lisette murmured as she walked around the massive library. She still had
some time to spare before the clan awoke, and what better way to spend it than
reading a good book? Smiling, Lisette finally settled on a book that had
caught her eye earlier. Grabbing the book off of the shelf, she quickly
moved over to one of the throw rugs in front of the roaring fire that she had started, making the
room warm and snug away from the growing storm outside. Smiling, she read
the cover of the book, "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul," she
murmured. Well, she liked soup, and until July of next year, she would
still be considered a teenager.. it sounded as though the book was made for
her. Her smile growing, she quickly closed her eyes and opened the book to a random
page in the middle.
"Somebody should have taught
him, retold by Jane
Watkins," Lisette whispered reading the name aloud. "I went to
a birthday party but I remembered what you said. You told me not to drink
at all, so I had a Sprite instead," Lisette murmured, reading the poem out
loud.
"Hmm, but having a Sprite is drinking," Lisette murmured,
confused by the words. Shrugging her shoulders, she quickly
continued. "I felt proud of myself, the way you said I would, that I
didn't choose to drink and drive, though some friends said I should. I
knew I made a healthy choice and your advice to me was right as the party
finally ended and the kids drove out of sight. I got into my own car, sure to get home in one piece, never knowing what was
coming, something I expected least," Lisette whispered, fear tightening
her throat. Unable to stop, she quickly continued.
"Now I'm
lying on the pavement. I can hear the policeman say, "The kid that
caused this wreck was drunk." His voice seems far away. My own
blood is all around me," Lisette whispered, tears clouding her vision, "as I try hard not to cry. I can
hear the paramedic say, "This girl is going to die." Oh God,
no," Lisette whispered, shaking her head, wanting to stop but unable as the
tears came faster and faster.
"I'm sure the guy had no idea, while
he was flying high, because he chose to drink and drive that I would have to
die. So why do people do it, knowing that it ruins lives? But now
the pain is cutting me like a hundred stabbing knives," Lisette murmured,
her heart clutching painfully as she sobbed and tried to continue.
"Tell my sister not to be afraid, tell Daddy to be
brave, and when I go to heaven to put "Daddy's
Girl" on my grave," Lisette whispered, flashes of her own faceless
father clouding her mind. "Someone should have taught him that it's
wrong to drink and drive. Maybe if his mom and dad had, I'd still be
alive. My breath is getting shorter, I'm getting really scared.
These are my final moments, and I'm so unprepared. I wish that you could
hold me, Mom, as I lie here and die. I wish that I could say I love you
and good-bye," Lisette finished, the tears pouring down her face as deep
sobs wracked her slim form. "That poor person is dead.. dead because
someone was not told not to do that.. and they never got to say goodbye to their
dear sister, their beloved father... or hold their mother," Lisette
whispered as the tears began to fall even faster and faster, the words choking
in her throat. "I never had a mother to hold me.." she whispered as
another sob ripped its way up from the depths of her heart.
"Lisette! Are you okay?! What's
wrong?!" Brooklyn asked quickly as he burst into the library and saw her
sitting dejectedly on the floor, her legs crossed and her head buried in her
hands.
Surprised, Lisette looked up quickly to see
Brooklyn standing in the now open doorway. Sniffing back her tears,
Lisette watched as their eyes slowly connected. As she stared into his
dark and caring eyes, Brooklyn slowly moved across the room till he knelt beside
her. "What's wrong?"
Laughing quietly, Lisette attempted to brush back
more tears, the color rising in her cheeks as she pointed down to the book lying
at her feet. "I.. I was reading this poem.. and.." she
stuttered, trying to push down her feelings of sorrow.
Breaking away from the hypnotic stare of her
eyes, Brooklyn looked down to the indicated book. Sighing, he recognized
it instantly, having walked in on a similar incident with Angela a few weeks
ago. "Oh Lisette, I.." Brooklyn trailed off as he shut the book.
"Brooklyn," Lisette interrupted,
meeting his stare urgently once more, "what does it mean to 'drink and
drive?'"
Sighing, Brooklyn sat next to her and gently took
her hands in his. "Do you know what alcohol is?" he asked
quietly, not quite sure how to begin.
"Al-co-hol?" Lisette asked slowly,
trying the new word out on her tongue, her French accent sliding over its
unfamiliar tone. "No," she whispered, crinkling her large blue eyes
in
confusion.
Sighing once again, Brooklyn scratched his head
slowly. "Well, it's a kind of liquid that the humans drink that makes
them.. well, it makes them act strange and different.."
"It changes them?" Lisette asked
quickly, fear entering her eyes.
"Well, no.. not in the way that you
mean. You see, it's not permanent.. just temporary."
"But why would anyone want to change
themselves? Are they forced to drink it?" Lisette asked quickly,
shock covering her face.
"No.. it's actually very accepted in today's
society... adults tend to drink quite a bit of it while they're at parties..
like I've seen Xanatos, Fox, and even Elisa have some now and then.. even saw
Fox have quite a bit of it which caused her to be drunk.." Brooklyn said
with a smile, remembering how funny it was to watch Fox make a fool of
herself and stumble about. "But people that are under the age of
twenty-one aren't allowed to have
any."
"But this person here had some and they were
not over.."
"I know.. just because it's a rule doesn't
mean that everyone follows it. Also, you're never supposed to drive after
you have had alcohol.. which is what this person did," Brooklyn
explained. At her continued look of confusion, Brooklyn quickly took out
the French/English dictionary he now always tried to carry with him for just
these such instances. "Okay, what I meant is.. do you know what l'alcool is?"
"Ah, l'alcool? Oui, I have heard of it
before... but have never had any.. but what was Fox? What does 'drunk'
mean?" Lisette asked, still not completely sure that she understood.
"Ah, Fox? Well.. elle..
était..
ivre," Brooklyn said slowly, trying to remember the little bit of French
that Lisette had taught him, looking up the French word for 'drunk' quickly.
"Hmm, I think I understand now.. but it is
so sad.. that this young girl had to lose her life so that another young person
could have fun by doing something that only adults should be doing.. that he
would enjoy losing control of himself," Lisette whispered, understanding
now what had happened, but not understanding why.
"I know it's sad.. but why are you reading
something so sad anyway?" Brooklyn asked suddenly. Quickly, he jumped
to his feet and rushed to one of the many walls of books. "Here, you
should be reading stuff like this!" he called out as he grabbed the book
that he was looking for and moved over to sit on the couch.
Smiling, Lisette quickly got up and walked over
to Brooklyn, pushing his tail aside so that she could lean up against him.
Grinning, Brooklyn wrapped his arms around her
and held the book in front of them. "Hope is not pretending that
troubles don't exist, it is the hope that they will not last forever, that hurts
will be healed and difficulties overcome. It is faith that a source of
strength and renewal lies within, to lead us through the dark -- to sunshine."
Smiling, Lisette leaned back contentedly into
Brooklyn's arms. "That was beautiful," she whispered.
Nodding, Brooklyn quietly showed his agreement. "So, how was the movie that you and Angela saw together
last night?" he asked innocently.
"Oh, it was wonderful!" Lisette gushed
as she absently stared into the flickering flames of the fire.
"Yep.. sure wish that I could have seen it
as well," Brooklyn prompted quietly, his smile growing.
"Hey, we told you both that it was going to
be just a girls' night out anyway!" Lisette laughed, elbowing him gently in
the side.
"Yeah, yeah.. you and Angela do seem to have
gotten really close the last couple of months.."
"We have," Lisette agreed with a small
smile. "It's like having the sister or best friend that I've never
had. And then there's Fox and Elisa," Lisette replied with another
smile.
"Fox and Elisa?" Brooklyn asked,
raising his eyeridge at Lisette's golden hair.
"Yes.. it is like they have taken me in as
their little sister as well.. it is kind of nice... and then there is
Puck.."
"Puck?" Brooklyn groaned as he too
stared into the fire.
"Hey, he is not that bad.. actually, he is
kind of sweet," Lisette conceded, thinking back to all of the different
lessons she had been taught. "Not to mention a good teacher.."
"So you're learning some new stuff?"
"Oh Brooklyn, you would not believe all the
new tricks and spells that I have been taught!" Lisette murmured.
"I mean, Craigen was a wonderful teacher, but as a human wizard, he just
did not know all of the different ideas of the fey.. the training is a whole new
level!.. but wait, let us not sit here and allow me to bore you with such
things," Lisette quickly amended, a smile on her face as she snuggled
nearer against Brooklyn's chest.
Sighing, Brooklyn felt her warmth against him..
the warmth of a human. Who would have ever guessed the attraction and
emotions that he would feel.. could be felt for a human?.. well, half
human. Smiling, Brooklyn lifted up the book once more in front of them and
turned a couple more pages until he found what he was looking for.
"I want to say I love you, but I'm so afraid you'll laugh," Brooklyn
read quietly, his soft voice whispering by her ear. "And if you
laughed when I told you it would break my heart in half. I want to do more
things with you because I love you so. And if I asked you to do these
things I'd die if you said no."
Smiling and blushing at the same time, Lisette
snuggled further towards him. Staring into the flickering flames, she
listened to Brooklyn's words, his warm breath fanning softly against her skin.
"I want you to love me as much as I love
you. And if you said you hated me I don't know what I'd do. My love
for you is like a stream that runs forever true. And my stream of love
will never run dry as long as I have you," Brooklyn finished softly.
Before
he could say another word, Lisette
quickly turned the book a couple of pages further, familiar with the work.
"Personally, I prefer this one," she whispered quietly. "A
kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become
superfluous," she whispered before turning slowly to meet Brooklyn's fiery
gaze. Smiling, both slowly leaned towards each other until her lips met
his beak -- together sharing their first kiss.
"Hey Brooklyn, I..." Lexington broke
off suddenly as he ran into the library, surprised to no end to see Lisette
practically sitting on Brooklyn's lap, their lips connected. At the sound
of his voice, both quickly jumped apart -- not quick enough. "Uh..
sorry to interrupt.. uh, I was.. working on something but I.. uh.. realized that
I left an important disk at.. at Elisa's apartment.. and I, um.. was wondering
if you'd go and.. get it for me?" Lex finished quickly, embarrassed
about what he obviously interrupted.
Embarrassed as well to be interrupted, Lisette
quickly jumped to her feet.. too quickly, and announced, "Oui, we would
love to go and get that for you.. uh, would we not Brooklyn?"
"Um, yeah," Brooklyn quickly agreed,
his face burning red as Lisette and he quickly rushed from the room.
Laughing, Lexington watched them go before
turning and heading back towards the computer room. "Yep, I think
that they like each other," he muttered with a large smile.
Elisa's apartment
As Lisette and Brooklyn landed on the balcony to
Elisa's apartment, it was easy for them to see that no one was home.
Smiling at his companion, Brooklyn quickly moved forward and opened the latch to
the darkened apartment and indicated for her to step inside. "Ladies
first," he quipped quietly, whispering due to habit.
Smiling, Lisette nodded to Brooklyn and then
climbed inside the window and into the dark room. She had been to Elisa's
apartment many times before.. but never in the dark. The lack of light had
a way of transforming the whole room into something mystical and
mysterious. Shaking her head at her own silliness, Lisette quickly set to
work searching the apartment for Lex's disk. Fortunately for them, the apartment wasn't
very big, and in a matter of minutes it became apparent to them both that the
disk was no where to be found. Sighing, Lisette turned dejectedly towards
Brooklyn and whispered, "I guess that it is not here after all. Come,
let us head back to the castle.."
"Wait.. we still haven't checked Elisa's
bedroom," Brooklyn said, nodding his head towards the closed door.
"Do you think that we really should? I
mean, I have never been in her bedroom before.." Lisette trailed off
uncertainly as she eyed the closed door.
"Neither have I, but it's not like we're
going to snoop around or anything.."
"Snoop?" Lisette asked, unfamiliar with
the word.
Sighing, Brooklyn grabbed her taloned hand and
moved towards the door. "We'll just look in and if we don't see it,
we'll leave."
Nodding her head uncertainly, Lisette watched as
Brooklyn slowly opened the door and then turned and flicked the light
switch. Shielding her eyes, Lisette watched as one lamp against the far
corner of the room turned on with dim light. "Brooklyn, you have to
move over and let me in as well!" Lisette hissed, pushing Brooklyn gently
to the side so she could join him in the room. The minute she did though,
she too stopped in her tracks as she stared in amazement around her.
Everywhere she looked she saw angels ranging in size, color, and material.
There were angel dolls, figurines, ornaments, carvings, statues, and even
pictures. They were made of anything from glass, stone, cloth, wood to
paper.
"Uh.. a month or so ago I heard Matt mention
something about Elisa having a secret admirer who gave angels as gifts.."
Brooklyn muttered as he stared in amazement at the hundreds upon hundreds of
angels.
"This looks like less the work of a secret
admirer and more of the work of someone deeply obsessed with her," Lisette
murmured as she turned, her eyes alighting upon a box filled to the brim with
notes. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she tentatively reached
out a hand and picked up one of the notes. Slowly she opened the
letter and read it aloud:
"Life without meaning cannot be borne.
We find a mission to which we're sworn-
or answer the call of Death's dark horn.
Without a gleaning of purpose in life,
we have no vision, we live in strife-
or let blood fall on a suicide knife."
-The Book of Counted Sorrows
"That was one of the letters she was
given?" Brooklyn asked in disbelief, peering over her shoulder.
"Yes.. and listen to this one," Lisette
said, putting down the disturbing note and grabbing another:
"Living in the modern age,
death for virtue is the wage.
So it seems in darker hours.
Evil wins, kindness cowers.
Ruled by violence and vice
We all stand upon thin ice.
Are we brave or are we mice,
here upon such thin, thin ice?
Dare we linger, dare we skate?
Dare we laugh or celebrate,
knowing we may strain the ice?
Preserve the ice at any price?"
-The Book of Counted Sorrows
"Uh.. are we seeing a pattern at all
here?" Brooklyn asked in disbelief.
"Besides the fact that they all are negative
and sound threatening?" Lisette asked sarcastically as she grabbed another
one.
"Life is a gift that must be given back,
and joy should arise from its possession.
It's too damned short, and that's a fact.
Hard to accept, this earthly procession
to final darkness is a journey done,
circle completed, work of art sublime,
a sweet melodic rhyme, a battle won."
-The Book of Counted Sorrows
"Lisette, I found the disk!" Brooklyn
cried out quickly as he spied it on a dresser across the room. Rushing
across, he quickly scooped the disk up and ran back to Lisette's side.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" he cried out as he grabbed her arm
and drug her from the room, hitting the light switch and closing the door behind
him. Hurrying, the two gargoyles quickly left the darkened apartment and
once more joined the breezes in the dark and stormy night sky. Never to
look back and watch as one stray moonbeam entered the apartment and glistened
off of the cold and dark eyes of the angels gathered within.. the dark angels of
the night.
NYPD's 23rd Precinct -- a few weeks later
Sighing, Elisa trudged wearily across the busy
squad room, her destination the safe haven of her desk. Yawning, she
tripped over a pencil lying on the floor and then stumbled across to her
awaiting chair. Groaning she leaned dangerously far back and yawned once
more.
"If you keep yawning like that, then I'll
never make it home and will have to sleep right here!" Matt complained as
he tripped over the same pencil before sliding into his chair opposite of her.
Trying to muffle another yawn, Elisa grinned
sheepishly and muttered, "I can't help it.. these late nights are really
starting to get to me!"
"Yeah, you and me both!" Matt agreed,
nodding his head wearily. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he focused on
something across the desk space. Lifting his hand, he pointed out a small
box nearly hidden under the pile of papers on Elisa's desk. Groaning, he
shook his head slowly and said, "Please tell me that's not what I think it
is!"
Confused, Elisa leaned forward and shoved the
papers aside, revealing the perfectly wrapped box lying underneath.
Sighing, she slowly drug the box towards her and then gently ripped open the
packaging. Lying on yet another pile of cotton was an older movie titled
"My Guardian Angel."
"What is with this guy's fascination with
angels?!" Matt cried out as he saw the title of the movie.
"Beats me," Elisa muttered as she set
the movie aside and picked up the note that was lying underneath it.
Seeing what Elisa held, Matt got up quickly and
darted around the desk till he was standing behind her. "Let's see if
it will be a romantic or a threatening poem this evening!" he cried out
eagerly, trying his best to make the statement funny.
Laughing weakly at the attempted humor, Elisa
slowly opened the note, revealing the contents within:
"Guter Mond, du gehst so stille
an den Abend wolken hin,
Bist so ruhig und ich fuhle,
Dass ich ohne Ruhe hin.
Traurig folgen meine Blicke
Deiner stillen, heitern Bahn,
O wie hart ist das Geschicke
Dass ich dir nicht folgen kann!"
After a few minutes of looking at the note, Matt
finally shook his head and spoke up. "Okay, I give up. I can't
read this thing! It must be in Latin or something!"
"German, actually," Elisa spoke up
slowly, her eyes trained on the note. "It says, 'Gentle moon that
shines so brightly through the cloudy evening sky, oh so peaceful do you not
wonder what makes my sad eyes cry? I am longing for my loved one who is
far away from me, O my heart is nearly breaking that she cannot be with
me,'" Elisa murmured, her soft voice lilting through the translation.
Amazed, Matt stepped back a few paces before
turning again to look at his partner. Sensing his gaze on her back, Elisa
turned around slowly, a small smile on her face. "I had no idea that
you spoke German!" Matt said suddenly, his eyes wide.
Laughing, Elisa shrugged it off and muttered,
"There's a lot you don't know about me, partner."
Giving Elisa a weird look, Matt finally shrugged
his shoulders and stepped back to her side, staring at the note lying on her
desk. "Well, he's written in every other language so far.. English,
Spanish, French... why not German? There's a first for everything!"
he muttered quietly, unable to believe that Elisa's secret admirer was that
worldly known that he was able to be fluent in all of those languages.
"Second, actually," Elisa broke in as
she opened up her desk drawer and took out another crumpled note and handed it
to Matt.
Curious, Matt took the note and asked, "When
did you get this?"
"Sometime last week."
"Hmm," Matt grunted as he opened the
little note and read the scrawled words within:
"Bin ich gleich weit von dir,
Bin ich doch im schlaf bei dir
Und red mit dir;
Wenn ich erwachen thu'
Bin ich allein."
"Uh.. translation please?" Matt asked
after a few moments.
Smiling, Elisa took the note back and read it
through once. "It says, 'Yet though I'm far away from thee, Still in
my sleep I see and kiss my own, but, when I wake again, I am alone.'"
"Wow, that's deep," Matt muttered
sarcastically as he took the note back from his partner and stared at the
foreign language. "You know Elisa, you really should be
careful," he said quietly as he turned to look at his partner and
friend. "I mean, it's obvious that this guy is more than just a
little obsessed with you... have you told Goliath?"
"No.." Elisa whispered quietly, her
vision focused on something far away. "He knew about the first ones,
but I haven't mentioned it since.. I didn't want to worry him over
nothing..."
"Elisa," Matt broke in quietly as he
laid a hand gently on her shoulder, causing her to turn and focus on him.
"I don't think that this is nothing anymore. I'd be worried if I were
you..."
Taking Matt's words to heart, Elisa quickly
jumped to her feet and grabbed her jacket from the chair behind her.
"I need to go! See you tomorrow!" Elisa yelled out quickly as
she ran across the room, leaving her befuddled partner behind.
"But.. what about my ride home?" Matt
sputtered as he watched her raven locks disappear out the door.
Castle Wyvern -- gym
Sighing, Lisette slowly entered the empty
gym. Closing her eyes, she bent over and began doing some slow stretches,
working on clearing her mind and trying her best to slow her breathing.
Standing straight once more, she then straightened her short gray cotton shorts
and matching sports bra before she reached her hands up and swept her long blond
hair into a high pony tail.
Turning, she moved towards the punching bag
set up in the center of the room, a determined look on her face. Slowly,
she began the routine, starting out with easy punches until they became faster
and harder. Soon, she began to practice her kicks as well, using her
powerful round house kick that Elisa had taught her, literally flying through
the air. As her punches, kicks, and overall movements became faster and more
and more violent, images of her shattered clan began flooding her mind. As
her anger and guilt built up, and the feelings of helplessness consumed her, she
began to kick and punch harder and faster, ignoring the stabs of pain in her
limbs.
Suddenly, the
leader's face flashed before her mind's eye.. the look on
his face in the final seconds before his death as he was told that Lisette did
nothing to save his beloved clan... the look of betrayal. Even though
Lisette knew that she could do nothing to save the clan, that the words were a
lie, the guilt at not being able to save the clan.. the guilt of sitting
there and watching as her loved ones were killed before her eyes filled her very
being until all that she was was guilt and mindless fury as she punched and
kicked harder and harder.
As the tumult overwhelmed her, Lisette stepped
back and then jumped forward, turning in mid-air and landing a hard kick to the
bag.. so hard that the heavy chain that held the punching bag aloft broke into
pieces and the bag tumbled to the ground. Sobbing brokenly, Lisette
followed the bag to the ground; nothing but her tears to comfort her.
Grumbling to herself, Elisa rushed through the
dark hallways, badly wanting to talk with Goliath before the sun's rays captured
him in stone, but knowing that she only had minutes to spare. "What
kind of people are causing traffic jams this early in the morning, anyway?"
Elisa whispered to herself as she mentally cursed the people
that kept her from arriving at the castle sooner.
Turning down another hallway, she quickly passed
by the brightly lit doorway that would lead into the gym when the sounds of
someone sobbing came to her ears. Stopping quickly, Elisa turned back and
looked at the open doorway and debated quietly to herself. She really
needed to talk with Goliath about the letters before she lost her nerve.. but
then again, she couldn't just pass by without knowing who was crying and why.
Sighing, Elisa allowed her conscience to turn her
around and make her leave the dark hallways for the brightly lit room
inside. There in the middle of the room was a sight that she never thought
that she'd see: Lisette sitting in the middle of the hard gym floor, her
legs drawn up to her chest as she sobbed against them, a punching bag lying on
the ground beside her.
Goliath completely forgotten, Elisa quietly
stepped across the floor till she knelt on her knees beside the girl. Very
gently she reached up and touched Lisette's shoulder. Without hesitation,
the young woman turned quickly and fell into Elisa's arms, burying her tear
stained face into the soft red material of her jacket. Surprised, Elisa
sat for a moment before quickly holding Lisette tightly against her.
"Lisette, what's wrong?" Elisa whispered slowly as the woman sobbed
against her.
In between wracking breaths of air, Lisette
slowly whispered, "My clan.. my clan is all dead because of me! I.. I
sat there and watched as they were being destroyed.. they're dead because I
failed them," Lisette sobbed as she drew away from Elisa and blinked back
the tears.. her guilt ridden blue eyes meeting Elisa's sympathetic brown.
"But Lisette, surely you know that it wasn't
your fault!" Elisa broke in quickly. "You said so yourself.. you
were bound in iron! There was nothing you could have done!"
"Tell that to the Leader," Lisette
muttered darkly as she brushed away the tears with one hand, the horrible
memories darkening her vision.
Sighing, Elisa sat back on her knees. From
her vast experience, she knew that no matter what she said, she wouldn't be able
to erase the feelings of guilt that her friend was obviously feeling..
comforting words would do nothing for her. "I know how it feels to
lose someone," Elisa whispered slowly, her eyes focused far away on another
time. "And how it feels to carry the guilt of their death on your
conscience... time will help but it will never erase your memories."
Closing her eyes, Lisette slowly shook her head, feeling bitterness well up
within her. "Thank you for your words Elisa.. but how could
you possibly understand what I am feeling?" she dead-panned as her bright
blue eyes seemed to pierce into Elisa.
Smiling sadly, Elisa turned and focused once more
on Lisette. "Trust me, my friend, I understand," she whispered
quietly, trying to force back her own memories. "As someone once
said, 'Cold steel may penetrate the flesh, the wound may throb and smart, but
far more are the wounds inflicted on the heart. Soothing balms may cease
the pain that body blows impart, but what can heal the deep cut wounds inflicted on the
heart? Yes -- the mark upon the flesh will fade, forgotten with the pain but
when the heart is wounded thus the scar will long remain.'"
Shocked, Lisette stared up at Elisa in awe.
Nodding to herself, she then realized that Elisa really did understand her
pain. She didn't know how someone like Elisa could possibly know the pain
she did.. but she really did understand. And for some weird reason, just
knowing that someone else shared a pain similar to hers was enough to ease the
pain somewhat for that night. Smiling sadly, Lisette slowly reached forward
and hugged Elisa once more. Both remained that way, clinging slowly to
each other as their own horrid memories bombarded their minds. Shaking her
head, Lisette slowly pulled away and climbed to her feet. "Thank you
Elisa.. for listening," she murmured before turning and walking slowly from
the room.
Turning, Elisa watched her go. Sighing, she
slowly shook her head and turned to leave herself. Sighing, she lifted her watch and then
cursed quietly -- the sun had risen ten minutes ago, meaning that her love was
already captured in stone. Shaking her head, she quickly turned and began
heading back, realizing that it was probably for the best seeing as how it would
be better for her to just return home and sleep off the memories that now
plagued her mind.
In her many years of existence, she had lost many
a loved one and friend due to no one else but herself... the guilt of losing a
loved one would always stay with her.. especially when the pain and guilt was
due to that of losing your only child... Holding back tears, Elisa quickly
rushed through the remaining hallways, eager to find her way back home.
Castle Wyvern -- three weeks later
Smiling, the young baby gurgles in her mother's
warm grip, the arms safe and protective as she stares across the room. It
was the same room.. always the same room in the same dream with the same
view: grimy dirt floors, a hearth with a small fire burning, a rickety old
table with wooden benches, an old bed made out of lumber pressed
against the far corner, and the pale and cold sunlight seeping in through the
open doorway. No, look at her face.. please look at her face! Lisette
begged of her mind's eye.. it wasn't to be. Every time it was the same
dream with the same view.
Laughing, the baby gurgles some more as she is
gripped tighter by the hands as she rises higher in the air, moving with the
mother as she stands up from her chair quickly. This isn't a game!!
Look at her face! Lisette urged, knowing that the baby wouldn't do any
different than usual.. too young to understand.
Suddenly the room begins to tilt as the baby is
lowered quickly to the floor and then laid on the cold dirt. The cold
upsets the child, and she quickly begins to scream with tear filled eyes.
Turning her small head, the young infant watches through blurry eyes as the
mother walks towards the open door, never once looking back.
Then she stops. Holding her breath, Lisette
urged for the dream to go on. As the baby continues to cry, the mother
stops by the door and weakly reaches one tan hand out and rests it against the
door, the hand trembling. Ever so slowly she begins to turn. Just as
the corner of the woman's face reaches the light, the dream slowly fades to
black.
No, Lisette sobbed in her mind's eye as darkness
once more reigned over her world. I need to see her face... mama..
mama...
"Mama!" Lisette cried out as she sat up
quickly in her bed, a single tear dripping down her face at the thought that not
once had she ever seen her mother's face... all she ever wanted since the dream
first started occurring all those years ago was to see her mother's face just
once.
Shaking her head in order to clear the troubling
and reoccurring dream from her mind, Lisette looked around the familiar walls of
her room... her room. With Fox's help, the two had quickly transformed
the drab bed chambers that she had been given to her own little hideaway
decorated in her own tastes -- a tasteful mix of the tenth century with the
twenty-first.
Smiling to herself, Lisette stuck one arm out
from under the covers and felt the air outside of her warm cocoon.
"Ah, I see that despite the many conveniences of modern life, the
chilliness of a castle remains," Lisette murmured. Without a thought,
she turned her head to the brick fireplace opposite of the bed and added a spark
of fire to the wood sitting ready. In a matter of minutes, a large fire
was started and the room began to gradually warm.
Laughing in delight at the aid of magic, she then
looked over to the alarm clock sitting on the ancient bed stand. "Oh zût! It is almost time for breakfast!" Lisette murmured as she
quickly tossed her covers aside and jumped out of bed and headed for her private
bathroom for a quick shower. Five minutes later, she stepped back into
the room and opened up her ancient armoire which was filled to overflowing with
everything ranging from ratty jeans to the latest fashions. Groaning,
Lisette noticed some more of the expensive clothing that she detested.
"It looks as though Fox has gone shopping for me again," Lisette
muttered with a small smile as she quickly
bypassed the expensive clothing and slipped into a pair of
her favorite blue jeans and a comfortable long sleeve shirt. Smiling, she
quickly sat at her vanity table and brushed through her wet blond hair and then
turned to slip into her shoes. All set to go, she quickly turned
out all of the lights and headed for breakfast.
A few minutes later, she emerged from the twisty
hallways of the castle and entered the dining hall. Like usual, she was
late for breakfast and already Xanatos sat at the head of the table, eating his
supper while reading a newspaper with Fox to his right, eating while she read
as well. Shaking her head, Lisette quickly moved to her seat
opposite of Fox's and sat down. Within a matter of seconds, a plate of
steaming scrambled eggs and pancakes was set before her by Owen.
"Thanks," Lisette said quickly before lifting up her fork and digging
in.
At the sound of Lisette's voice, Fox glanced up
from her paper and frowned slightly. "I wonder if I'll ever break you
of this jeans fetish that you have and be able to introduce you to some modern
fashion," Fox commented idly as she turned her attention back to her paper.
"Not likely," Lisette said with a small
grin, used to the comments seeing as how it was sort of a tradition between the
two.
"Hmm, and I don't suppose you'd be
interested in going shopping with me after you finish your breakfast and I my
supper?" Fox asked, turning her paper down to raise an eyebrow at the
younger woman.
"Why Fox, you of all people should know that
all of the stores that you usually shop at would be closed by now.. the sun will
be setting, after all, in less than an hour."
"Yes, but.."
Sighing, Xanatos lowered his own paper and mock
glared at the two women sitting beside him. "Must I sit here and
listen to you two women argue over clothing every single night?" Xanatos
asked pointedly as he quickly picked up his paper once more and continued to
read.
Surprised, Fox and Lisette looked at each other
for a minute before both broke out into laughter.. soon, not even Xanatos was
able to withstand it as all three laughed together. Shaking her head,
Lisette quickly focused back on her food and polished off the remainders.
"Lisette, would you care to join David and I
in the gym after we're all finished eating, seeing as how the clan won't be
awake for a while yet?" Fox asked as Lisette pushed back her chair and
stood before them.
Smiling, Lisette shook her head. "No
thank you.. I think that I would rather go and try to walk off breakfast
instead. If you will excuse me."
Nodding, Fox and Xanatos watched the newest
addition to the castle go. "She has adapted to castle life well,
hasn't she David?" Fox asked with a small smile as she turned to her
husband.
"Yes, she has," Xanatos agreed as the
door closed behind the younger woman. "I must admit that it is
refreshing to have some new blood around the castle again... a new player to be
added to the game."
Elisa's apartment
Noting the time on the wall clock, Elisa hurried
throughout her apartment turning off various switches as she went.
Suddenly, a soft and furry object darted against her leg. Gasping, Elisa
jumped back a couple of feet before realizing who her attacker really was.
"Cagney!" Elisa gasped as she tried to
calm her racing heart. "You bad cat! You startled me!" she
muttered as she reached down and lifted the pile of fur into her arms.
Immediately the cat began to purr like a fine tuned engine. Smiling, Elisa
gently began to stroke her pet as she moved into the kitchen and looked into the empty bowl on
the floor. "Ah, so this is why you've become so friendly all of a
sudden.. you're hungry!" Elisa muttered with a small smile as she placed
the gray cat on the floor and turned to quickly pour some more cat food into the
empty bowl. Suddenly, the front door opened behind her, the creaking
alerting her. Reacting on instinct, Elisa dropped the bag of cat food,
causing it to spill all over the linoleum floor as she drew her gun and pivoted
quickly till she was aimed at the front door.
"Hold it, hold it! Don't shoot!"
Matt yelled out quickly as he held his hands out in defense.
"Goddammit Matt!" Elisa cried out in
frustration as she slowly holstered her gun so that it was hidden beneath her
red jacket once more. "Can't you learn how to knock?" she asked
as she turned to survey the mess of cat food all over the kitchen floor.
"Sorry," Matt muttered as he joined
Elisa in the kitchen, trying his best to hide his smile at the mess.
"I was just coming in, though, to tell you that I found this sitting outside
your front door," he continued, his gaze turning serious as he withdrew a
silver wrapped box from one of the many pockets of his trench coat.
"Another one?" Elisa groaned as she
gingerly took the box from Matt.
"Yeah, another one at your home!
Elisa, he's always left them at the station.. but now he knows where you
live!" Matt cried out, worry creasing his tanned face.
Shrugging off Matt's worry, Elisa just repeated
to herself slowly that there was no reason for her to be afraid.. after all,
what could this person possibly do to harm her.. the protector of the human
race?! Besides harm her in some way in front of someone.. an act that
would surely blow her cover when she began to heal almost immediately.
Shaking it off once again, Elisa quickly tore open the packaging and opened the
box within. Almost immediately, her voice caught in her throat as she saw
what lay upon the white cotton.
"What is it?" Matt asked as he leaned
forward, trying to gain a better view. "Wow, that's nice," he
muttered as he saw yet another carved angel.. this one completely black.
As the cold and slimy tendrils of fear wrapped
its way around Elisa's spine, she slowly reached a hand forward and took the
statuette into her hand, her face becoming pale. The angel countenance was
unmistakable.. but the utter blackness of the statue was threatening.
Rubbing her finger over the smooth surface, Elisa quickly decided that it must
have been carved from obsidian.
Noticing how pale Elisa had gotten at the sight
of the gift and how tightly she held the angel, Matt slowly reached forward and
unclenched her fist from around it and then placed it on the counter.
Worry covering his face, Matt turned towards his partner and gently took her
hands in his. "Elisa, what's wrong?" he asked slowly.
"It's... it's a dark angel," Elisa
whispered, her mind flooring at the indications of that simple gift.
Praying to God that it wasn't true, but all the pieces falling into place
nonetheless, Elisa let go of Matt's hands and picked up the empty box once
more. Like always, underneath the bed of cotton lay a single, hand
scrawled note. Her hands shaking, Elisa gently picked up the note and
opened it, allowing the light to shine forth onto the words. "With
love all things are possible, forever...." Elisa whispered, reading the
words aloud.
"Elisa?"
"Matt.. I know who it is.. oh God, I know
who it is," Elisa whispered as her eyes widened in disbelief and
fright. Turning, Elisa dropped the note quickly and pretty much ran from
the room and out into the hallway beyond.
Confused, Matt quickly hit the light switches and
closed the door behind him as he chased after his partner. "Where are
we going?!"
"We have to get to the clan.. oh God, we
have to get to the clan before it's too late!"
Castle Wyvern
Humming softly to herself, Lisette moved slowly
through the open air courtyard of the castle and then into the luscious gardens
beyond. Sighing, she admired the towering plants and flowers that all but
obliterated everything but the sun sinking slowly in the horizon beyond.
As the heady scents of the flowers filled her mind, Lisette entered the middle
most part of the gardens and sank down onto the stone bench -- relaxing and taking
in the sight of the bright flowers fading into the darkness of twilight...
twilight?
Gasping, Lisette quickly
shot to her feet as she realized that
the others would be awakening soon. True, it was beautiful here and she
would like to see the rest of the sunset in this setting, but
Brooklyn would worry. Shaking her head at the thought, Lisette's smile
grew as she turned away from the bench and began making her way back. But
before she even left the center of the large gardens her senses began
warning her of something not quite right. Instantly cautious, Lisette
turned back in the direction where she had been and saw a stranger sitting on the bench she had
just occupied.
He was very attractive, with short,
curly blond
hair, large blue eyes, a strong jaw, and an obviously well muscled physique hidden under the thin dark blue sweater and khaki pants he wore. He seemed
to be older than her.. about Elisa's age.. but his eyes bespoke of a wisdom
far older than he looked. Regaining her control, Lisette
turned her fiery blue eyes to his and stepped slowly back into the center of the
gardens. "Who are you?"
Smiling at the question, the man slowly stood up
and began advancing towards her. "Someone," he whispered
quietly, a toying smile on his lips.
Maintaining the hard line of her lips, Lisette's
eyes narrowed slowly. "How did you get up here? What do you
want?" she asked slowly, showing no fear as she planted her hands firmly on
each hip.
Ignoring
her questions, the man continued to
advance slowly. "Has anyone ever told you how very lovely you
are?" he asked quietly, his piercing blue eyes never leaving hers.
"A goddess of sorts," he continued, his dark gaze latching onto hers,
mesmerizing her with their intensity as he finished off the distance between
them.
Lost in his gaze, Lisette stared up into the
stranger's eyes as he slowly reached one warm hand up and rubbed it gently
across her cheek and then trailed it down her neck and shoulders.
Shivering at his touch, Lisette reached her head toward his as magic seemed to
take place: the moon light in the gardens making everything glowing and
beautiful as their lips came closer and closer.. as magic.. magic? The
word snapping her out of it, Lisette quickly stepped back and glared up at the
stranger.
Smiling even though his trick didn't work like planned,
the stranger quickly began advancing again, causing Lisette to dart around and
head back towards the center of the garden. Seeing this, the stranger
quickly darted forward, intending to capture her in a bear hug of sorts.
Falling back into the training that Fox and Elisa
had been giving her, Lisette easily sidestepped his grasp and then did a
roundhouse kick, her foot smashing into the back of his head and sending him
flying towards the stone bench where he hit it with a large crack.
Breathing heavily, Lisette watched as the stranger slowly turned around and
pulled himself up from the ground.
His eyes trained on her, he slowly and
deliberately reached up and wiped a smear of blood away from a large cut on
his chin. "I'm impressed with your skills," he replied simply,
watching in amusement as Lisette's eyes widened in amazement as the wound on his
chin healed right before her eyes.
"What are you?" Lisette asked quickly,
a large knot of fear beginning to form in her for the first time.
"Your worst nightmare," the stranger
ground out as his eyes began to glow a bright green. Before Lisette had a
chance to duck or run for cover, he then released a powerful magic bolt that
caught her straight in the stomach.
Crying out, Lisette quickly fell to the
ground. Holding her stomach delicately, she felt her anger build so
quickly that it overpowered her fear. Climbing to her feet, she quickly
called upon her magic. As the wind built around her and caused her hair to
swirl, her eyes began to glow the same green color. With an angry cry, she
quickly lashed back at him with her own magic, throwing him against a brick wall
of the castle.
Climbing to his feet once more, the stranger
quickly began his magical attack on her -- an attack that she was ready for.
Both began to concentrate most of their energy on shielding themselves from the
blows as they tried to outsmart and outpower the other one as they began to circle and turn against each other. As a heavy sweat
filmed Lisette's skin, she realized for the first time in her life that her
magic was no match for the fight that she was in. Suddenly, one of the
stranger's blows broke through her shield and threw her against the same wall he
had just visited. Crying out, she slowly got to her feet and looked up
just in time to watch as the stranger shaped some sort of large glowing
horseshoe in his hands and then fired it at her. Having no chance to react,
the horseshoe easily wrapped itself around her before imbedding itself straight
into the stone, pinning her hands tight against her sides. After a few
minutes of struggling, it quickly dawned on her that not only was the metal too
impossibly strong for her to free herself, but it was also made of iron, making
her magic useless. Looking up, Lisette watched in horror as the stranger
slowly drew closer towards her, causing her to struggle all the harder.
"How does it feel to be the one
bleeding?" he asked slowly as he noted the trickle of blood that trailed down
her face from a small cut on her forehead.
Ignoring him, Lisette continued to struggle,
knowing that it was useless but not understanding the concept of giving up.
Laughing at her attempt, the stranger slowly
reached down and withdrew a wickedly long blade from a sheath that had been
hidden under his sweater. Turning suddenly serious, he slowly pulled the
blade up until the sharp edge of the knife was pressed tightly against the
delicate skin of her long, tan neck.
Gasping in fright, Lisette immediately stopped
struggling and tilted her head back against the stone wall, the knife moving
with her -- always remaining tightly pressed against her soft skin.
"Is tonight your night to die?"
Castle Wyvern --
Parapets
As the sun finally dipped over the horizon, all
seven gargoyle statues quickly began the awakening process: stone skin
cracking, an eerie light revealed, stretching and roaring as the skin burst away
and they awoke into the night. Out of all, the loudest and fiercest roar
to be heard came from Goliath as he greeted the night like he greeted all
others. As the last of the stone shards dropped away, Goliath turned with
his clan away from the bright lights of the city and jumped from the parapets to
greet those who awaited.
"Xanatos, Fox," Goliath nodded,
acknowledging the Lord and Lady of the castle.
"Good evening, Goliath," Xanatos
greeted, a small smile on his face. "I trust that you slept
well?"
"As always," Goliath growled, wondering
if the billionaire would ever get to the point as the rest of the clan assembled
around them.
"Right," Xanatos replied with a slight
frown. "In any case, Fox and I were just wondering if.."
"Goliath!" Elisa yelled as she raced
out from one of the many doors leading into the castle.
"Elisa?" Goliath asked quickly, turning
to face his love, the panic in her voice causing his to rise quickly.
"Wait up!" Matt yelled out as he exited
from the same door seconds later, panting and trying to regain his breath.
Ignoring all, Elisa ran quickly
to Goliath and
grabbed his arms urgently. "Elisa, what's wrong?" Goliath asked
quickly, trying to read the expression on her face.
"Goliath, I know who has been sending the
gifts and letters.. Goliath I knew who it is!" Elisa cried out
breathlessly, completely missing the surprised looks that she was
receiving from all gathered.
"Gifts.. notes.. what are you talking
about?" Goliath asked, his confusion growing.
Sighing in frustration, Elisa shook her head
quickly. "Goliath, there's no time! He's back! Caleb's
back! You guys are in danger!"
"Caleb?" Goliath asked, staring at
Elisa as though she were mad.
"We may already be too late!! He may
already be here!" Elisa cried out, frustrated that no one was understanding
the caliber of what was going on. "Is everyone here? I need to
get you guys out of here!" Elisa muttered quickly as she surveyed the
group. "He's going to try and hit me where it will hurt most,"
she murmured, so quietly that only Goliath heard.
His eyes widening, Goliath too looked to make
sure that everyone was here. As far as he knew, Elisa as her counter part,
Talika, was unstoppable -- but if something had her this worried, then that
something had to be.. bad.
"Someone's missing," Elisa murmured,
her eyes narrowing. "Lisette!" she shouted suddenly, fear
gripping her tightly. "Brooklyn, where's Lisette?" she asked
quickly, turning to the second.
As fear and worry tore at Brooklyn's insides, he
too realized that this must not be an ordinary threat. Never before had he
seen Elisa so frightened.. not even with Mozenrath. And his fear was ten
times worse when he realized as well that Lisette wasn't with them.
Before he had a chance to answer though, one of
the doors leading to the castle crashed open as Owen ran outside and to the
group. "Sir, Security has picked up a disturbance in the
gardens..." Owen muttered quickly to Xanatos. "I believe that
Lisette was seen heading there last..." he trailed off, the closest thing
to worry covering his emotionless face.
Fear tightening its hold, Brooklyn didn't wait
for another word to be said before he was off like a bolt of lightning. Please
let her be okay, please let her be okay, please let her be okay, was the
mantra that he began chanting in his mind as he hurried to the castle gardens.
Castle Gardens
"Do you want to die?" the stranger
asked slowly as he teased the knife slowly across Lisette's throat.
Trying her best to ease her breathing, Lisette
fought the tidal wave of fear that was enveloping her, refusing to give
in. Still, the feel of the sharp knife against the delicate layer of skin
at her neck was a powerful weapon. As the tears built in her eyes, Lisette
sobbed out one word: "No" as the knife continued to dance.
"Then call them.. call your friends to
us," the stranger whispered as he tightened the knife against her flesh.
"What?" Lisette asked in confusion,
looking into his blue eyes.. his cold blue eyes.
"Scream bloody hell for all I care, just
call them over here," he whispered again, taking the knife back a little
from the neck.
Suddenly, realization dawned on her. She
was to be the bait that would gather her clan to her... so that he could either
capture or kill them -- or worse. "No," Lisette whispered slowly,
determination building within her.
Frowning, the stranger pressed the knife tighter
once again, the sharp edge nicking her skin and starting a thread of
blood. "Call to them or die," he whispered, his voice turning
hard.
Sobbing, Lisette tried her best to ignore the
stinging pain. She didn't want to die.. not now or in this way. But
never again would she be the cause of her friends' death... she would play no
willing part in this game. Determination strengthening her limbs and
drying her tears, she spoke again, this time her voice as hard as her
will. "No," she stated, her blue eyes as cold and hard as his.
Suddenly, a sole voice broke the night
quiet. "Lisette!" Brooklyn yelled as he entered the maze of the
garden.
Smiling, the stranger turned back to his
captive. "It seems as though you won't be needing to call to them
after all," he whispered with a sneer, completely distorting his handsome
face.
At his words, fear once more tightened its cold
hands upon her heart -- fear no longer for herself, but for her friends
instead. "No, Brooklyn, run aw.." Lisette began to yell before
the stranger's hand clamped down over her lips, shoving her head back hard
against the wall.. so hard that her vision dimmed briefly as the sharp pain
flared in the further regions of her skull.
Angry at her words, the stranger smiled at the
look of pain that flashed across the woman's beautiful features as she sagged
against the wall. Still, her words may have cost him. Anger filling
him once more, the man quickly placed the knife tight against her throat.
As her eyes opened and focused on him once more, he slowly whispered, "It
seems as though you, my love, have just made it your night to die."
As her lovely blue eyes widened in fear, the stranger prepared himself to bring
the knife that was held so tight against her throat in one quick swipe.
A sudden rustle of leaves and branches off to his
right alerted the stranger of a new player in their little game. Careful
to keep the knife tight against the woman's throat, the stranger took his other
hand away from her mouth and placed it at the base of her neck.. a place where
if he so chose, could choke the life out of her with one tight squeeze. A
smile flitting across his handsome face, he then turned to watch as one of the
demons, a brick red one with wild white hair, ran out from behind the
bushes. "Come no further, creature, or this woman will die," the
stranger whispered, stopping the creature in its tracks.
"Lisette," Brooklyn gasped out as he
located the body that accompanied the soft timber of the stranger's voice.
There was his worst nightmare come true.. his first real love in the grasp of a
strange lunatic, blood dripping down her face, with a knife pressed against her
throat. Then again, wasn't that everyone's worst nightmare come true?
"Brooklyn, get the others and go!"
Lisette called out quickly.
Angry at her words once again, the stranger
quickly grabbed her head by the hair and pulled it forward before smashing it viciously back
against the stone wall, once again causing the darkness to try and grab her in
order to drag her down, a soft cry escaping her lips.
"Stop it!" Brooklyn yelled out
urgently, his eyes flaring white in anger, but not daring to move another step
forward with the knife pressed so tightly against her throat. Suddenly, he
felt movement behind him as the rest of the clan gathered behind him.
"Like I told the red one, don't any of you
take a step closer or else she dies," the stranger said as he tightened his
grip on Lisette.
Suddenly, the crowd of creatures parted as
someone stepped fully into the garden. Smiling, the stranger noted that only the largest
of the creature tried to stop her.
"Caleb, let her go," Elisa ground out
fiercely as she took in the knife pressed against Lisette's throat.
Nodding at Elisa, Caleb slowly stepped away from
Lisette, placing the knife back in its sheaf. "As you wish, my
love."
Eyeing the stranger, Brooklyn only waited till he
stood a few feet away before he gave up all restraint and rushed up to Lisette's
side. Almost immediately he began tugging fiercely on the iron horseshoe
that held her tightly against the wall. A few seconds later, the iron
slowly grade out of the wall, causing Lisette to tumble into his
arms. Relieved, he held her protectively as his angry glare returned to
the stranger.
Seeing this, Caleb nodded slowly at
Brooklyn. "What sort of creature is that anyway?" he asked
slowly as his eyes narrowed. Not waiting for an answer, he turned quickly
and sent a magical blast at Lexington, enclosing him in a glowing orb of magic
that slowly drew the smallest gargoyle towards him.
Without even thinking, Elisa turned quickly and
sent a blast of her own at the connecting light, breaking it easily. As
the magic dispersed, Lex fell from the orb and back to the ground. Shaking
his head slightly, he grabbed Angela and Broadway's hands as they pulled him
quickly back with the clan, shielding him with their larger bodies.
"Leave them out of this, Caleb," Elisa hissed fiercely, her eyes
fading from the green glow back to her normal brown color.
Completely ignoring Elisa's statement, Caleb
continued to carry the same questioning look on his face. Turning back
towards Elisa, he slowly muttered, "How puzzling.. they are a separate
species that show traces of our and Oberon and Titania's magic... how can this
be?"
Ignoring his question for the time being, Elisa
slowly fixed her large brown eyes on Caleb. Her voice hard, she finally
asked the question that had been on her mind ever since the final gift gave away
the giver. "How did you escape?"
Waving a hand in the air as though to brush off
the question, Caleb shook his head slowly. "You shouldn't have left
that entrance that led to the surface, my Dark Angel," Caleb admonished
slowly, a small grin on his face as he used his pet name for her. "A
human stumbled upon it and was so kind as to remove the angel that you left to
restrain me."
Confusion clouding her lovely features, Elisa
shook her head slowly. "But there was no entrance to the
surface...."
Not missing a beat, Caleb's smile grew even
more. "Perhaps the Creator's plan for me isn't so cut and dry then."
At his words, Elisa's smile slowly faded into a
frown as her expression became troubled. Shaking her head, Elisa decided
to focus on that later as she turned her eyes once more to Caleb.
"What are you doing here?" she asked slowly, afraid that she already
knew the answer.
Almost immediately Caleb's expression softened as
a large smile lit up his face. "I've come back to regain my love, of
course.. my Dark Angel -- my wife.." Caleb whispered as he closed off the space
between them and then went on one knee before her, taking her hand in his.
"I still love you, Talika my love, and forgive you for what you did.. for
your betrayal," he whispered, a frown flitting across his face briefly. "I want my
queen back at my side to rule over what is ours..."
Shaking her head sadly, Talika slowly squeezed
the hand that she held. "I'm sorry Caleb, but I'm no longer your love
and I no longer want to rule... for a long time now the humans have lived on
their own, not knowing anything about this; making up their own minds, settling
their own disputes, and living in their own way..." Talika stated quietly,
her eyes never leaving his.
Growing angry, Caleb quickly released her hand
and backed away. "How can you let them rule themselves! They're
too dangerous and evil for that.."
"No they're not!" Talika disagreed
quickly, shaking her head in denial. "It's true that some of them do
have evil hearts.. but not all of the humans in the world have evil in
them..."
"How can you possibly believe that?!
After what they did to our child?!" Caleb cried out angrily. But as
the tears welled up in Talika's eyes, he instantly regretted his harsh words.
"You mean what I did to our child..."
Talika whispered quietly, her hands balled up into fists. "It was my
fault.."
"No, my love," Caleb disagreed
quickly. "We have gone over this before.. it wasn't your fault!
The humans are the ones who did it! I know that it's hard for you to
believe it, but the ones that we were created to protect have turned against
us! For the crimes that they have done, they must be punished... and as
King and Protector of the human race, I declared long ago that they shall die
for their actions!" Caleb hissed quickly, his face turning into an ugly mask of
rage and hate.
As Caleb's words rang through the courtyard,
Talika's face grew hard and stony. "I see that all your millenniums
of rest did nothing to make you see the light," Talika whispered
coldly. "Your ravings and proclamations are the reasons why we used
our one weakness against you so long ago.. why Oberon, Titania, and I turned
against you... because you turned your back on the Creator and on our purpose...
you began killing every human that crossed your path! You turned evil when
our purpose was light!"
"And you betrayed your husband!" Caleb
broke in quickly, anger rising within him.
"You are no longer my husband or my
love!" Talika whispered harshly. "Long ago the Creator gave me
your power as well as mine -- giving me the power to protect the first race by
myself!"
Drawing back as though he had been slapped, Caleb
shook his head slowly. "By yourself? For so long?" he
asked, a new emotion popping onto his face. An emotion that could be
read as pity. "Come back to me Talika, my love.. my Dark Angel.. the
sole protector of the human race... come back to me and all will be
forgiven. Together we can give the humans what they deserve for what they
did to Hope..."
"I love another."
The color draining from his face, Caleb lifted
his hand slowly and pointed it at Talika. "A human?! You dare
love a human after what they.."
"No," Talika broke in quietly.
"A gargoyle."
"A what?!"
"The creatures that stand before you,"
Talika whispered quietly as she motioned to the clan standing behind her.
By now, all wore looks of shock upon their faces as more and more of the story
unfolded before them. Shock and confusion. All except Goliath.. he
too looked shocked but for a different reason. For never in his time with
her had Elisa ever mentioned this Caleb or this portion of the story.
"Long ago," Talika continued, her eyes trained on Caleb, "the
Creator gave me visions of this time and of my love. With Titania and
Oberon's help, we created the second race: the gargoyles," Talika
finished proudly, a large smile on her face as she indicated the clan standing
behind her. "And after all this time, my love is here to stand beside
me," Talika finished as she stepped back and took Goliath's hand in hers,
drawing him forward to stand beside her. "Goliath is destined to be
by my side and rule with me.. in time, he shall take on your powers and together
we will be the protectors of both humans and gargoyles, who in the future shall
live together in peace."
Turning, Goliath looked over at his love, shock
written upon his face as well as the faces of his clan and friends. This
was the first time that he had ever heard this -- he knew that Elisa and he would
be together as long as Elisa maintained the spell between them.. but he had no
idea that she planned on giving him half of her mighty powers and
naming him as ruler beside her.. plainly, it was just too overwhelming of a
thought for him to grasp.
Stricken, Caleb slowly backed away.
"The Creator would never turn his back on me..."
Sighing, Talika slowly shook her head.
"You turned your back on the Creator first, Caleb."
Speechless, Caleb turned and looked at the group
of gargoyles and humans gathered behind his ex-love. Sneering at them all,
he felt his heart grow cold once more. "Your friends look
shocked," he commented idly as he began pacing back and forth.
"Did they not know that they have been standing in the presence of
greatness all this time? Did they not know that before them stands the
mighty Talika, protector of the human race?.. Or do they just know you as the
weak human detective, Elisa Maza? Even though you stand before them as
that name, do they know that even now you're inhabiting nothing other than your
true form? That if they wound, cut, or maim you, that your wounds will
heal right before their eyes? Do they actually think that you are just
twenty-eight years old? Don't they know that you are one of the oldest things on this
planet? Hell, you're probably even older than the planet itself!
That you have lived countless lives masquerading as you did in human form with
countless other lives and loves... possibly other children as well?" Caleb
asked, his expression growing pained. "Did you even know that the
woman you knew as your precious Elisa Maza had a child once? And that she
was murdered by the humans that we were sworn to protect?! Huh, did you
ever know that?!" Caleb yelled crazily as he quickly sent a fiery bolt of
magic at Talika that surrounded her in green mist.
Gasping, all assembled watched in fear as the
mist dissipated from around their friend's form, revealing Talika in the way
that Caleb remembered her last: the same body clothed in a dark blue
halter top and skirt made completely out of veils, lined in gold, that began
below her belly button; a golden tiara on her head; a gold bracelet on her right
wrist; a golden ring on her left ring finger; and a golden anklet on her left
ankle above her bare foot. Without missing a beat, he then did it to
himself: while retaining the same form but now wearing matching dark blue
baggy silk pants with a single blue sash across his bare chest, lined in gold
with a gold staff in hand and a golden crown on his head.
"Enough Caleb!" Elisa yelled, watching
helplessly as all hope for a future with her clan disappeared before her very
eyes. Who was she kidding? The minute that this all began and they
began speaking the clan learned too much.
"If you will not stand by my side then you
shall take my place in that resting spot you created for me in the pits of
hell!" Caleb yelled as he sent a powerful bolt of magic at Talika.
Unprepared for the sudden attack, the magic
easily caught her full force in the chest, throwing her to the ground in
pain. Even worse, because of their link, Goliath quickly fell as
well. Turning quickly, Talika saw that Goliath was indeed hurt and now
unconscious. Groaning, she turned quickly to the clan. "Watch
over him!" she ordered quickly as she turned to soar off into the night
sky, Caleb quickly joining her.
As they both flew back and forth, firing at each
other almost constantly, it quickly became apparent to them both that they were equal
in power once more. Apparently, as soon as Caleb awakened from his sleep,
the power that once belonged to him deserted Talika and reverted back to its
rightful owner. With both being equal to each other, that also meant that
neither could really get ahead in the battle. Crying out in frustration,
Caleb decided to change tactics. Looking down towards the ground, he
checked out his selection and then with an evil grin selected his victim.
Without warning to those below, he then sent out an extremely powerful bolt down
to the ground, striking Lisette where she stood and causing her to fall quickly
to the ground. The split second of time that it took for everyone to turn
in fear to watch Lisette fall to the ground was all that Caleb needed for a
distraction before he swished down out of the night sky, grabbed the red haired
man around the neck, and then soared into a ball a flame, disappearing
completely from sight.
Without wasting another second on watching the
ball of flame disappear into the night sky, Brooklyn quickly dashed over to
Lisette's side and knelt beside her. Worry clogging his throat, he tried
shaking her gently, his worry growing when he got no response. Turning, he
looked over at the clan and felt his hope lift as Fox left her husband's side
and ran over to join him.
With the precision of a medic, she quickly
reached a hand out to check Lisette's pulse. "Weak pulse, labored
breathing.." Fox muttered as she tried her best to assess the
situation. Turning, she quickly yelled over to the stunned people behind
her. "David, alert the infirmary!" she yelled out quickly, her
voice urgent.
But before Xanatos could take a step Brooklyn's
voice broke the hushed quiet of the night. "Oh God, she's not
breathing!" he yelled out frantically. Not knowing what else to do,
he turned quickly and looked up into the night sky and met Talika's eyes.
Nodding slowly, Talika quickly soared back down
to the ground and pushed Fox aside. Stepping closer, Talika knelt beside
her friend and assessed the damage herself with her magical senses.
Shaking her head, Talika muttered two words quietly, so quietly that only
Brooklyn heard: "She's dying."
Shaking his head in disbelief, Brooklyn quickly
turned his large eyes towards his friend. "Elisa.. Talika.. whoever
you are, please,
you've got to help her," he whispered desperately, tears clouding his
vision.
Nodding her head and doing her best to smile
encouragingly at the young second, Talika focused her attention back on her
dying friend. Gritting her teeth, she slowly leaned forward and placed her
tan hands on Lisette's still form. "Forces of magic that I call upon,
to undo this horrible and mighty wrong. This person before me should not
be in pain, so now I take it and thus do contain," Elisa chanted quietly,
preparing herself for what she knew would follow. Biting her lip, she
watched as the green energy left her hands and grew around Lisette's still
form.. and then as it gathered together and entered her once more. Unable
to hold it in, Talika cried out softly, holding her bare stomach in her hands as
she fell away from Lisette and slowly lay back on the soft grass. As Fox
quickly knelt above her, Talika felt the pain spread and her breathing
slow. "Don't worry," she whispered quietly before darkness
enveloped her.
Smiling, Brooklyn kept his eyes trained on
Lisette as her breathing slowly increased. "She's breathing!
Elisa, she's breathing!" he called out happily, turning to where his friend
once knelt.
As tears formed in her eyes, Fox met Brooklyn's
eyes instead. "She's dead," Fox whispered, not believing it
herself as she took her hand away from Elisa's still warm skin.
Smiling, the young baby gurgles in her mother's
warm grip, the arms safe and protective as she stares across the room:
grimy dirt floor, a hearth with a small fire burning, a rickety old table with
wooden benches, an old bed made out of lumber pressed against the far corner,
and the pale and cold sunlight seeping in through the open doorway.
Laughing, the baby gurgles some more as she is
gripped tighter by the hands as she rises higher in the air, moving with the
mother as she stands up from her chair quickly.
Suddenly the room begins to tilt as the baby is
lowered quickly to the floor and then laid on the cold dirt. The cold
upsets the child and she quickly begins to scream with tear filled eyes.
Turning her small head, the young infant watches through blurry eyes as the
mother walks towards the open door, never once looking back.
Then she stops. As the baby continues to
cry, the mother stops by the door and weakly reaches one tan hand out and rests
it against the door, the hand trembling. Ever so slowly she begins to
turn. Crying, the young baby holds out her hands towards her mama as she
looks over her shoulder once and meets the child's young eyes. For the
first time, the face is revealed: long, silky black hair cascading over her
shoulders, large caring brown eyes now filled with tears, a strong chin and a
beautiful tan face. It would be impossible for her not to recognize this
face.
"Elisa!" Lisette screamed as she jolted
awake, turning back and forth quickly. Everything came rushing back at
once as she saw that she was still lying in the same place she must have fallen
in the gardens. Turning, she looked quickly to her right and saw her worst
nightmare come true: Elisa's body lying beside her.. and she obviously
wasn't sleeping. Screaming, Lisette quickly tried to back away from the
body, only to encounter warm flesh beside her. Turning, she found none
other than Brooklyn kneeling behind her. As the tears streamed down her
face, Lisette quickly buried her head into his chest, his strong arms wrapping
protectively around her.
"Oh God Brooklyn.. Elisa," Lisette sobbed, the
tears streaming down her tan face -- tan like her mother's. "What
happened?" she asked quickly, pulling away to look up into his sad, sad
face.
Sighing, Brooklyn met her strong blue eyes.
"After Caleb hit you with that blast.. he grabbed Matt and disappeared...
you were dying," Brooklyn whispered, tears entering his eyes at the thought
of losing her so soon after he had just found her.
"But.. but Elisa," Lisette whispered,
glancing back over at the body lying behind her.
"She absorbed the blast from you and into
her.." Brooklyn mumbled quietly, guilt filling him to the core. After
all, he was the one that asked for Talika to help, knowing deep down what it
meant.
Shaking her head in disbelief, Lisette buried her
head back into his chest. "No," Lisette sobbed, the truth of the
matter breaking through. "No, she can't be dead!" she cried
quietly as the rest of the clan left their unconscious leader's side and formed
a circle around their fallen friend, tears filling most of their eyes.
Suddenly, Talika's body arched up as she gasped
for air, her eyes popping open. Surprised, the group stepped back
quickly. A large smile appearing on Angela's face, she rushed forward and hugged Talika to her. "Oh Elisa! We thought that
you were dead!" she gasped.
Coughing, Talika smiled weakly and then pulled
away from Angela gently. "I'm immortal.. I can't die, remember?"
she laughed quietly. Suddenly, the picture of Goliath tumbling to the
ground flashed through her eyes. Fearing the worst, she quickly jumped to
her feet and ran to his side. Relieved, she saw that, although his
breathing was ragged, he had a strong pulse.
"What's wrong with him?" Angela asked
slowly as she joined Talika at her father's side.
Sighing, Talika gently rubbed a hand through his
hair. "About four or five months ago I connected him to me -- kind of
like MacBeth and Demona."
"But why?" Angela asked, confusion
covering her face.
"So I'd never have to worry about him dying
again," Talika answered truthfully, the love she felt for him shining on
her face. "That shot that Caleb took at me was felt by him as
well. I was able to shrug it off, but it was too strong for his system to
be able to handle it.. and then with the blast that I took from Lisette.. but
don't worry, he'll be just fine," Talika finished with a smile as she
slowly reached forward and snapped the magical bond between her and her love
with her powers. Deep down, she knew that there was a chance that Goliath
would be safe here.. and that if she did happen to fail in the coming battle,
she didn't want to take him with her. Unlike the spell with Demona and
MacBeth, they didn't have to kill each other in order to die. The spell
only kept him alive as long as she lived... she was supposed to be immortal with
no chance for death, ensuring that Goliath would then live forever. While
the temporary death caused by taking Lisette's blast slowed her down
temporarily, it was only temporarily. But with the current spell, if she
should ever perish for good, so would her love. If things worked out here
tonight, she could always relink him to her later.
"Why don't you just help him like you did
with Lisette?" Angela asked, unaware of what Talika just did but still
concerned about her father.
"Because I'm going to need all the energy I
can gather for the coming battle..."
"Speaking of which, what the hell just
happened here?" Xanatos interrupted, stepping forward to face Talika.
Standing up, Talika faced the group and sighed
wearily. "Back in the beginning, the Creator created the two
races: humans and fey. He then created four beings to protect these
two races... Oberon and Titania were created to protect the fey and Caleb and I
were created to protect the human race," Talika explained slowly.
"He was a protector?" Lexington asked,
raising an eyeridge in disbelief.
"Yes... at one time he was a very good
person; all love," Talika whispered, a far away look entering her
eyes. "Long, long ago he and I had our first child together.. a
precious little girl named Hope. At the time we were the rulers of the
humans, and then one day, when Hope was just four years old, the unthinkable
happened," Talika stated, a strange light entering her eyes.
"Caleb was out taking care of a dispute and I was watching over Hope in the
gardens. I thought I heard a noise out front and left her side for just an
instant... when I returned I found her dead, a human standing over her
still holding the bloody knife," Talika whispered, a single tear dripping
down her face.
"Devastated, I killed the man and knelt by my
Hope. I was still kneeling there when Caleb returned... even though I
blamed myself, he never did," Talika said, trying to regain control of her
emotions as a thoughtful expression flitted across her face.
"Instead, he blamed the human.. and from there his grief and anger changed
until it covered all humans and he believed that all were evil and that
all must die. He went on a killing rampage -- murdering every single human
that he came across -- young or old, good or bad. As his equal, I knew that
there was no way that I could stop him alone, so I went instead to Oberon and
Titania. Together, we captured my love..."
"How?" Broadway interrupted, hanging on
her every word.
Smiling at the large blue gargoyle, Talika
replied, "As you all know, the weakness of Titania and Oberon is iron.. the
children of Oberon have nothing to fear from it besides the fact that it makes
their magic useless.. or under the control of someone else..."
"Like Lisette," Brooklyn added as he
turned to his love.
"Yes, like Lisette. For example,
remember Angela, when the Magus imprisoned the three weird sisters in
iron?"
"Yes.. it didn't harm them, but it caused
for us to be able to tell them what to do," Angela agreed, a thoughtful
smile upon her face.
"Like when Puck was in iron chains and
controlled by Demona!" Lex called out eagerly, a similar smile on his face.
"Correct," Talika replied with a
smile. "For Caleb and I, it is dark matter..."
"But there's no such thing as dark matter..
it's just a myth," Xanatos broke in quickly, disbelief covering his face.
"No, dark matter is very real.. and Oberon
and Titania gathered it up and formed it into an angel... a dark angel that was
laid upon his shrouded form in a cavern located near the center of the Earth...
forever imprisoning him..."
"Till now, it seems," Xanatos broke in
with a frown.
"Till now," Talika agreed slowly, a
frown upon her own face.
Throughout the story, Lisette remained in
Brooklyn's arms, her thoughts and emotions swirling wildly throughout her mind. Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer and slowly parted from him
and stepped up to Talika. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked slowly, a tear
dripping down her face.
"About this?" Talika asked quickly,
surprised at the sudden question.
"No.. why didn't you tell me before that you
were my mother?" Lisette asked quietly, her eyes remaining fixed on
Talika's.
"What?!" was Talika's astonished reply.
"Why did you leave father and I? Don't
you even remember us?" she asked quickly, a deep hurt becoming evident in
her voice.
"But Lisette, I'm not.."
"You masqueraded as Jasmine and then married
my father, Jean-Marc, didn't you?!" Lisette asked quickly, growing frantic
and ignoring the strange stares she was receiving from the group.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not your mother,"
Talika replied quietly, sorry to be doing this to her friend. "I have
been unable to have any children since Caleb.. I didn't have any children
since Hope died," Talika whispered, a knot forming in her heart.
"You're lying!" Lisette accused as
tears began filling her eyes. "I saw your face in the dream!"
"What dream?" Talika asked in
confusion, baffled by the sudden turn of events.
"Ever since I was a child I've had the same
dream... of when my mother left me... I've never been able to see her face
because the dream always ended before then... but just now after you took the
hurt away... the dream continued and she turned around.. it was you!"
Lisette accused, the tears falling down unchecked.
"But.. but I wasn't even in France at the
time of your birth!" Talika muttered in confusion.
"I know you're her, that you're my
mother! You just don't love me! You've never loved me or else you
wouldn't have abandoned me!" Lisette cried as the tears poured down her
cheeks. Turning, Lisette stumbled away from Talika, ignoring her and the
clan's cries for her to stop. Here she had grown up with the knowledge
that her mother had disappeared shortly after her birth. When faced with
the choice of believing that her mother had either abandoned her or had died,
Lisette quickly opted for the death of her mother; for the pain would be far
easier to handle than the thought that her mother had abandoned her; in other
words, her mother didn't love her. Sobbing, Lisette allowed the pain to
fill her.. the pain of being unloved, before she cast a spell and then
disappeared in a flash of green light.
"What in the hell just happened?"
Xanatos asked slowly, breaking the stunned silence that had fallen over the
group.
"I have no idea and no time to find
out," Talika muttered as she shook her head sadly. Turning, she
slowly began walking away from the group, changing her form to that of a
gargoyle in mid-stride.
"What? Where are you going?"
Brooklyn asked quickly as he turned and followed his friend.
"After Caleb and Matt..."
"But how? They just disappeared... how
can you possibly follow them?!" Brooklyn asked in confusion as he looked
back at the assembled clan worriedly.
Sighing, Talika stopped to stare at
Brooklyn. "It only appeared that they disappeared. Really, he
just traveled with Matt so fast that it was impossible for our eyes to follow
them. It may take a little time, but as long as I go while the trail is
still fresh, I should be able to track them."
"But why would he do that?" Brooklyn
asked quickly.
"Because he wants me to follow them,"
Talika whispered grimly as she neared the edge of the castle. "Matt
is his bait for me and I need to get there before Caleb kills him."
Stopping dead in his tracks, Brooklyn looked
quickly at the grim expression on his friend's face. "If Matt is the
bait, why would he kill him?"
"Because Caleb has never really seen the
difference between live bait and dead..." Talika whispered, refusing to
believe what she just spelled out so carefully to Brooklyn.
"But.."
"When Goliath wakes up," Talika
interrupted quickly, sparing one last minute to look at the current leader
seeing as how her love was out of commission, "tell him what's going on..
please ask him to wait here till I get back!" Talika pleaded quietly.
"But, Lis.."
Shaking her head, Talika turned back towards the
night sky. "Look for her if you have time.. otherwise we'll have to
deal with that later.."
"No, I'm coming with you!" Brooklyn
interrupted as he jumped up to join her on the parapet.
"What?" Talika asked quickly, turning
in surprise to face the temporary leader of the clan.
"She's got a point, lad, why would ye be
goin' wit' her?" Hudson asked slowly as he moved up next to the two
gargoyles. "Wit' Goliath down, even fer awhile, it be yer job ta lead
us."
"You know as well as I do that Goliath
wouldn't let Elisa.. er, Talika go alone!" Brooklyn broke in quickly.
"Besides, as my first order as temporary leader, I declare that the rest of
you shall stay here and look after Goliath -- I'm going with her!"
As a slow smile spread across his face, Hudson
began to nod slowly. "Very well then.. good luck," he replied as
he slowly walked back to the clan.
"Oh no you don't," Talika interrupted
as she watched the elder walk away. "You are not going with me
Brooklyn! No offense, but you'd just get in the way!"
"Well, I'm coming with you whether you'd
like it or not!" Brooklyn broke in smugly as he jumped off of the parapets
and began to soar into the night sky.
Sighing, Talika quickly followed her
friend. "Just promise me to not get involved.. there really is
nothing that you can do to help!"
"I promise," Brooklyn replied as he
crossed his fingers behind his back. "Now let's get going!"
Smiling, Talika nodded her head and soon they
were off, heading in the direction that Caleb and Matt had gone.
After a few minutes of silence, Brooklyn couldn't
handle it any longer and finally voiced the question that had been foremost in
his mind. "Why didn't Caleb die when you placed the dark matter on
him?"
Sighing, Talika paused in her tracking and turned
towards her friend. "We can only be killed by the dark matter if it
enters our blood stream.. that's lethal for us. By just having the dark
matter touching our skin or on top of us, that causes for our power to leave
us.. most likely draining into the dark matter itself.. the darkness being the
opposite of our light. It's a painful process.. one that will soon cause
for us to fall into a coma-like state," Talika explained, only knowing
these facts because she watched it first hand with Caleb.. the hardest thing she
ever had to do.
"What do you think happened to the human
that released Caleb?"
"If the human really did remove the dark
matter from Caleb, then he's undoubtedly dead," Talika said grimly as she
continued to use her magical senses to pick up the faint trail.
"You think that Caleb killed him?"
Brooklyn asked quietly as his thoughts drifted to Matt, their other detective
friend.
"Well, the dark matter most likely caused
the man's death, but if he was still alive by the time that Caleb awoke.. then
yes, Caleb did finish him off without a doubt," Talika whispered slowly,
her eyes flashing red at the thought.
"The dark matter would kill a human?"
Brooklyn asked slowly, confusion crossing his face. "But I thought
that it would.. well, it would just do something to them like it causes the
faes' powers to go away..."
"But the humans have no powers to take
away," Talika rebutted quickly. "Like us, the dark matter drains
their only power.. in essence, it's their strength, knowledge, awareness... even
if the contact is only brief, the person will surely die within a few hours
after falling into the coma-like state."
"Oh," Brooklyn gulped as he followed
closely behind his friend.
Sensing the trail coming to an end, Talika dipped
quickly and landed on a large rooftop.
"Where are we?" Brooklyn whispered as
he looked around the deserted area.
"The Natural History Museum," Talika
whispered back as she recognized the familiar building. Turning, she
looked around to see where she should turn to next. As her eyes caught a
hold of a flickering light that could be seen from one of the many skylights
that lined the large roof, Talika knew that the answer was obvious.
Holding her fingers to her lips, she slowly turned and tiptoed across the roof
till she was able to kneel beside the glass. Looking down, she found what
she was looking for. Below lay a large room that was lit by flickering
candles. Everywhere she turned she saw object after object that seemed to
be from the medieval times.
"It's a medieval exhibit," Brooklyn
whispered from her side.
Nodding, Talika looked past the large wooden
dinner table, the ancient bed, the cage hanging in mid-air with many a wicked
looking spike pointing inside, the stretcher, the large stone coffin covered
with strange symbols to rest upon an ancient golden throne that housed none
other than Caleb, gold staff in hand. Before him lay Matt on some sort of
medieval torturing device. His arms were chained tightly above him and his
feet were pulled tight and chained below; his mouth sealed shut by a large piece
of tape. Even from her distance, she could see his eyes wide with fear as
they traced the path of a large blade that swung back and forth over his body, each swipe causing it to drop a notch closer to his
middle. At the progress of the blade, it was obvious to Talika that in a
matter of minutes her partner would soon be cut in half. Anger building
inside of her, she felt her eyes glow a mixture of red and green as she turned
to Brooklyn.
"Wait here," she hissed before turning and diving
through the glass skylight and gliding to the floor far below. Changing quickly
back into her normal form dressed once more in her royal garb, Talika turned
quickly and snapped her fingers, causing the long and sharp blade to disappear
just before it would have cut Matt into two pieces. Meeting his eyes, she
quickly flashed a worried look.
Seeing this, Matt nodded back as relief flooded
through him, his head dropping back against the hard wooden table.
Turning, he watched as his partner turned away from him to face the evil that
had taken him.
"What is the point in this, Caleb?"
Talika asked slowly, her anger dying down as the green light faded from her
eyes. "Why make me come after you when we both know that we can't
beat one another?"
"Maybe you can't, but I can," Caleb
answered as he snapped his fingers. In a flash of green light, a bright
white stone suddenly appeared on a gold chain around his neck.
"Has geology become your new hobby?"
Talika muttered quietly as she looked at the stone, completely unimpressed.
"I see that your sarcasm hasn't left you in
the millenniums that we've been apart," Caleb replied with a smile as he
stood from the throne and moved a short distance to where a similar bright white
box stood on a pedestal.
Confused, Talika watched as he slowly opened the
box. Immediately, a flash of pain went through her body as she slipped to
her knees. Putting a hand up to her pounding head, Talika slowly looked up
and watched as Caleb removed a long golden chain from the stone box. On
the end of the chain hung a single crystal. Fear welling inside of her,
she quickly realized that the crystal wasn't just a crystal.. but a black
crystal. Actually, it wasn't even black. It was more like when she
looked at where the crystal should have been, she saw nothing; like all of the
light in that area was being absorbed by the crystal -- the absolute opposite of
the light. Like there was
an empty void in the shape of a crystal.. yet there was
substance to the object because Caleb held it firmly in his hands.
"Dark matter," Talika whispered weakly, knowing that it couldn't be
anything else.
Laughing at her analysis, Caleb drew closer to
Talika, the pain increasing in her body along with an unsettling weakness.
Soon, she could barely stay on her knees as her hands pressed firmly on the
floor before her, trying their best to support her. Straining, Talika
slowly tilted her head and met Caleb's cold blue eyes.
"How?" she whispered weakly.
His smile widening, Caleb drew closer
still. "The white stone I wear protects me from our only weakness.. a
gift from a new acquaintance."
From his vantage point on the roof, Brooklyn
watched first in confusion and then horror as Caleb advanced on Talika.
Deep inside, he knew that there was nothing he could do to help his friend..
then again, on the surface he knew that there was no way in hell he was just
going to sit there and watch her be destroyed. Roaring a roar that would
impress even Goliath, Brooklyn quickly dove down through the hole that Talika
had created. Keeping his wings tight against him, he kept the dive going
as he swooped lower and snatched the dark crystal from Caleb's hands.
"No!" Talika screamed weakly as she
watched Brooklyn try to gain altitude in vain. Soon, his own piercing
scream of agony joined hers as the dark matter did its job. Quickly, both
he and the crystal fell to the ground.
Smiling, Caleb bent down and picked
up the crystal before moving next to the unmoving gargoyle. "Foolish
creature," he muttered sadly as he kicked the beast lightly in the side,
getting no response.
Seeing this, Talika urgently tried to get to her
feet. "Oh God, no!" she sobbed as she tried to stand on her own,
unable to meet Matt's horror stricken eyes as he too looked at their downed
friend.
His smile turning grim, Caleb turned quickly and
walked back towards his ex-love, a sad smile on his face. Crying out in
pain once again, Talika quickly slipped to the ground. Steeling his
emotions, he then slipped the necklace over her head and watched in horrid
fascination as the crystal rested against the base of her throat and as all
light drained from her as she fell the rest of the way to the ground.
Shaking his head and trying to stop the tear that he knew was forming, he then
bent slowly down and lifted her gently into his arms. Looking at her
there, he couldn't help but hate himself for what he was doing.. what he was
doing to his love. As the tear dripped down, he forced his head to look
away as he moved across the quiet room -- quiet but for the muffled yells of the
remaining police detective -- towards the large stone coffin that rested against
one end. Closing his eyes, he slowly and gently lowered his dark angel
into the stone box until she rested inside.
Looking down, he watched with
tear filled eyes as Talika struggled to fight the dark matter -- fought the
immense pain to stay awake. Shaking, he slowly reached down and took one
of her beautiful hands in his. "I'm sorry, my Dark Angel, but it is
the only way..." he whispered sadly, his clear blue eyes meeting her pain
filled brown. "Perhaps someday we can still be together..."
As she struggled against the pain, Caleb's words
of love found their way to her ears. Love.. he still thinks that there is
any chance for us? Talika thought to herself in disbelief as her anger began to
build and outshine any pain she was feeling. As her eyes began to burn a
weak green, Talika used the last of her strength to whisper one word:
"Never" before the light faded and she fell victim to the coma-like
sleep.
Sighing, Caleb tried to fight his own anger as he
gently laid his love's slack hand back by her side. Who was he kidding
anyway? After their past, there was no chance that he and Talika could
ever have a life together again.. she could never love him and return to his
side. Yelling in frustration, Caleb ignored the echoes of his voice as he
moved in angry strides across the room to the white stone box once more.
As his hands reached inside, Caleb shook his head sadly. Perhaps He
had been
right after all.
"She must be destroyed before my mission
can be completed," Caleb whispered as he slowly drew a wicked looking
knife out of the box. The handle of the knife was a glittering gold with
sparkling jewels lining the hilt which led up to a completely black blade.
His eyes growing wide, Caleb watched as the light around the sharp blade seemingly was
absorbed by the dark matter that composed it.
Watching the mad look in Caleb's eyes that he had
seen far too many times in the eyes of killers, Matt Bluestone struggled
helplessly against his metal bonds. Turning, he watched with a certain
helplessness as the evil protector turned away from the stone box and walked
back towards the stone casket that Matt knew held his partner. Yelling
uselessly against the tape, Matt turned and looked on the other side of him and
at the downed gargoyle. Shaking his head, he watched as the strong
gargoyle's labored breathing began to gradually slow. Turning once more,
Matt then stared up through the hole in the skylight and towards the starry
night above. Then he did something completely out of character for the
wise cracking detective he had become: he prayed for the life of his
partner and for Brooklyn.. he prayed for them all.
Castle Wyvern
Muttering quietly to herself, Angela quickly
hurried through the twisting hallways of the dark castle. "She better
be here," she hissed as she rounded another turn and closed down on the
door that she wanted. Without even bothering to knock, she quickly threw
open the large door and rushed into the room. Turning, she found her query
sobbing on her bed.
Without turning, the young woman held her pillow
tighter against her face and sobbed out, "Go away Brooklyn!"
Knowing that there wasn't time for this, Angela
quickly slammed the door shut behind her and said, "Brooklyn is gone."
Baffled at the unexpected female voice behind
her, Lisette turned around quickly, revealing a tear streaked face.
"What?!"
Sighing, Angela moved closer and sat on the stiff
bed beside her friend, gently placing her hand on her shoulder.
"Listen Lisette, I'm sorry for what you are feeling... I'm truly sorry
about your mother and this mess with Elisa, but we need your help!" she
stated quickly, the urgency obvious in her voice. "Father is still
unconscious and Elisa and Brooklyn left to find Matt..."
"Brooklyn went with her?!" Lisette
asked in disbelief as she jumped to her feet. "But.. Talika may be
able to take care of herself, but there's nothing that Brooklyn would be able to
do to help..."
"I know, we're worried too," Angela
broke in, worry filling her to the core. "There's nothing that any
of us could do to help!.. except maybe you.." Angela trailed off slowly as
she stood up and faced her friend.
"Me?" Lisette squeaked, unable to
believe what she just heard.
"Lisette, we're just gargoyles... but you're
a part of something else.. part of something that may be able to lend a little
bit of magical assistance to Elisa!"
Sighing, Lisette shook her head slowly.
"You're right," she whispered, a sad smile covering her face.
"I've been letting my emotions cloud my judgment.. and Brooklyn may be in
danger because I've been acting like a spoiled child who thought of nothing but
herself," Lisette whispered sadly, disgusted with her behavior.
"I suppose that it's high time that I start acting my age and become the
real adult I was destined to be," she murmured, her voice becoming hard as
she quickly cast a spell that covered herself in green mist.
Coughing, Angela quickly backed away and watched
in amazement as the green mist dissipated. "Lisette?" she asked
in amazement as she looked at the beautiful woman before her.
Smiling, Lisette looked down and admired her
blue, medieval gown that matched her eye coloring. The gown was her
favorite when she lived back in France.. and in the small year or two that it
had been since she had worn it last, a few changes had occurred. The tight
bosom and flowing skirts revealed her tan skin and womanly body; her pale blond
hair trailing loosely down her back with an occasional small braid here and
there. Turning, she smiled at the amused look that now covered Angela's
beautiful face. "If everyone is getting dressed into their normal
clothes, I might as well join them," Lisette stated and she too
grinned. "After all, if I will be using my magic, it is only right
that I wear my usual clothing."
Laughing, Angela couldn't help but think back to
Princess Katherine in her own medieval garb. In the same instant, a
picture of Elisa flashed into her mind. As the smile faded, Angela
realized for the first time how similar she and Lisette looked.. actually, they
were almost identical. Both were of the same height, Lisette a little
shorter.. the same bone structure in the face, Lisette's a little rounder.. the
same tan skin and body structure.. the same soft and flowing hair, Lisette's a
pale blond opposed to the blue-black of Elisa.. the only real difference would
be the eye color Elisa's soft brown eyes opposed to Lisette's striking
blue. Why she, or any of the others for that matter, didn't see it before
was a mystery to her.
Seeing her friend's fallen expression, Lisette
felt a frown pull the corners of her lips down. "What's wrong?"
she asked quickly, afraid that Angela left something out before.
"Oh, nothing," Angela replied quickly,
focusing back on that matter at hand. "I was just wondering where you
will search.. after all, Elisa and Brooklyn left long ago.."
Smiling and waving off Angela's worry, Lisette
replied, "Unlike Talika, my search will be quite easy. No doubt Caleb
hid his and Matt's position, instead leaving a faint trail of magic for Talika
to follow. She, on the other hand, did no such thing with her and
Brooklyn..."
"So you can find them?" Angela asked, a
smile spreading across her face as well.
"Yes.. all I need to do is focus on Brooklyn
and pick up his location," Lisette whispered as her face screwed tight in
concentration. Suddenly, another large smile lit up her face.
"Gotcha," Lisette muttered as she opened her eyes to wave once at
Angela before disappearing in a spark of green.
Museum of Natural History
As the green mist disappeared from around
Lisette, she quickly looked at the source that brought her here.
"Brooklyn!" she murmured as she dropped quickly to his side.
There was her love, lying in a crumpled heap on the middle of the linoleum
floor. From the angle of his position and the way the one wing was broken
backwards beneath him, it was obvious to her that he had fallen from some
distance to the hard floor. As tears sprang to her eyes she gently reached
a hand forward to touch his soft white hair. "Please be alive,"
she whispered slowly, not knowing enough about life in general to be able to
tell. All she knew for a fact was that he wasn't moving or responding to
her touch. As this fact drilled its way into her head, Lisette felt her
heart slowly break into pieces. Turning, she slowly stood up and faced the
rest of the room for the first time, a sharp anger burning within her as she
took in all details at once: Matt strapped onto a wooden table and Caleb
poised over a stone coffin, bright red blood staining his hands.
As Caleb watched, the young woman slowly began
advancing on his position. "Welcome, Lisette," he muttered quietly,
his cold blue eyes meeting hers. Suddenly, the blue of her eyes began to
change to a bright green, signifying her anger as a wind sprung up in the large
room; caused no doubt by Lisette herself. "Think wisely, young
one," Caleb muttered, his eyes never leaving hers, "we've already
tried this avenue once this evening, and I would think it apparent to you that
your power is no match for mine."
"How true,
Protector," Lisette spoke,
her voice light and lilting over her soft French accent while a hard line ran
beneath it all. "But then again, that was when the fight was between
I and a stranger who was only threatening myself... the minute that you take my
friends and harm my love... well, let us just say that this is a different
matter altogether."
"Oh.. so you mean that the red gargoyle is
not dead yet?" Caleb mocked, his eyes cold as he stepped away from the
stone casket. "Well not to fear, my pet, the end is near for him as
well."
"Speaking of loves.. where is yours?"
Lisette asked innocently. "Oh, wait.. how silly of me to forget.. she
loves another now, is that not correct?" she asked, driving the blow home
with her innocent smile.
"Touché, young one," Caleb answered,
trying his best to return the smile. "In any case, she would be the
one lying in the stone casket... a knife buried in her belly.. and this would be
her blood," Caleb gasped in mock worry as he looked down at his blood
stained hands, a deep laugh welling within him. "It is just you and
I."
As fear and anger gripped her even tighter,
Lisette clenched her fists together. "So it is," she muttered as
she allowed all of her feelings to enter and fuel her. Closing her eyes,
Lisette tilted her head up towards the heavens and screamed as all of the doors
she had long ago locked came crashing open filling her to the brim with her
feelings from the start: the love she had felt for mentor, father, and
mother she had never known, the simple amount of pleasure she gained each day
from the morning sun, the anger over petty things, and then the guilt of the
slaying of her clan, the pain of being burned alive at the stake as the fire
consumed her, the fear and shame at the Roman captain's advances, the torture of
the look of hatred and confusion on the leader's face before he died, the new
hope of friendship she felt with Elisa, the guilt eating her alive from the
knowledge that had she only gotten here sooner and not been moping she may have
been able to prevent the blood of her friend and mother from staining this evil
man's hands, the love of Brooklyn, and the guilt at not being able to save him
as well, and the pain over Talika's abandonment of her all those years ago.. all
of these experiences, feelings, and emotions filled Lisette till she thought she
would explode.. and explode she did with a blast of magic so powerful that all
who encountered it should fear for their lives. A blast so powerful that
it left her body through every opening and pore within in and gathered into one
single beam of light that flew forth and connected with the dark, evil thing
that was Caleb and threw him against a far wall.. ending his pitiful life before
it could end the lives of anymore innocent people.
Sobbing from the intense emotions still swirling
within her, Lisette slowly climbed off of the floor from where she had fallen
after the blast and stumbled over to the large wooden table that held
Matt. Wiping away the tears, she quickly used a slight burst of magic to
break both chains that restrained him.
As soon as his hands and feet were free, Matt
quickly sat up and ripped the tape off of his mouth. Sliding off of the
table, he gently gathered Lisette into his arms and let her cry onto his
shoulders. "Shh, you did great," Matt whispered, his voice
hoarse from his attempts to yell.
Shaking the detective off, Lisette stumbled over
to Brooklyn and knelt by his side. As the tears poured down her cheeks
unchecked, she gently lifted one of his hands into hers. Turning, she
watched as Matt knelt beside her. "Is he dead?" Lisette
whispered, afraid of the answer.
Reaching forward, Matt gently felt for a
pulse. Sighing in relief, he was unable to keep the smile off of his face
as he whispered out, "No, he's alive for now.. but he is getting
weaker."
Laughing, Lisette quickly leaned forward and
planted a kiss on Brooklyn's beak, not caring who saw. "But..
Elisa," she gasped quickly as her detective friend rose in her mind.
Turning, she quickly jumped to her feet and rushed across the room to the stone
casket. Looking within, she saw something that scared her to the
core. Elisa, like Brooklyn, lay within the casket not moving.. a single
golden hilt sticking out of her uncovered stomach with wet blood all
around. "No!" Lisette gasped as she reached forward.
"Don't touch it!" Matt yelled as he ran
up to her side, wishing he didn't see the gruesome image of his partner lying in
her own blood. As he stepped closer, a sudden wave of pain and weakness
flashed through his body.
"But we have to get it out of her!"
Lisette sobbed as she reached once more for the handle to the knife.
"No," Matt hissed as he reached forward
and pulled Lisette away, all the while clutching his stomach in pain.
"Listen, I love Elisa too, but can't you feel it? The blade of the
knife is made of dark matter.. it's what hurt Brooklyn!"
"No.. I don't feel anything," Lisette
murmured as she stared at the dark matter. "I'm only half
human..."
"Which probably means that you're still
susceptible to it... just not as much as the rest of us," Matt groaned as
he backed away further, the pain lessening the further away he got.
"I don't care... she may not be gone
yet," Lisette whispered slowly as she reached her hand forward yet again.
"No!" Matt called out quickly, his
strength returning once more. "If she's still alive then you gotta
leave the blade in -- it's slowing the bleeding!" he explained, stopping
Lisette's hand with his words. "If you pull it out, then she'll bleed
to death!"
Shaking her head, Lisette debated the matter
quickly. "No... she'll die a quicker death if we leave it in,"
Lisette decided as she stared at Elisa's pale and unmoving face.
Grimacing, she reached forward once more and gripped the golden hilt tightly in
her hand. Ignoring the sudden flare of pain that flashed through her body,
Lisette pulled the long blade from her friend's body, trying not to watch as
more of her dark red blood poured forth from the wound. As her body began
to grow weaker and the pain increased, Lisette turned to show Matt her prize...
and dropped the knife and froze in her place as her eyes saw movement behind
him. "Matt!" Lisette screamed urgently as Caleb threw a powerful
bolt of magic at the detective, sending him crashing to the ground. Before
she had a chance to move herself, he was upon her.
Gripping her throat tightly with his blood
smeared hands, Caleb shoved Lisette backwards till she fell onto the wooden
table that once held Matt prisoner. "But you're dead!" Lisette
gasped as she struggled for air.
"No, I'm immortal," Caleb hissed coldly
as he leaned over her, squeezing his hands slowly -- easily cutting off her oxygen
supply.
"No!" Lisette gasped as she fought
weakly against him. As the air fled her body, it quickly became more and
more difficult for her to think. Gasping, Lisette tried in vain to fight
him back -- her own small hands clawing and pulling against his large. As
spots began to appear in her vision, she fought instinct by turning her hands
away from the useless battle against the choke hold and instead scratched at his own neck, her
nails connecting with the thin gold chain that housed the white stone.
Coughing against the lack of air, Lisette listened as the stone clattered to the
floor.
"For your meddling, I will choke the life
out of you!" Caleb replied coldly as his hands tightened even more on her
neck, unaware that he was missing his ornamentation.
Ignoring Caleb, Lisette focused her fading vision
on the dark knife lying beside the stone coffin a few feet away from her.
Using the last of her energy, she slowly sent her magic out to the knife and
drew it closer to her until it seemed to jump off of the floor of its own will
and landed firmly in her outstretched hand. Without taking time to think
or wasting a heartbeat, she turned her face once more towards Caleb and reached
forward with the knife, planting it deeply in his chest.
Gasping at the sudden flash of pain and weakness
that flew through his body, Caleb backed away quickly and looked down in horror
at the gold handled knife that was sticking out of his bare chest.
Stunned, he looked up slowly and connected eyes with Lisette. "You..
shall.. pay for this," Caleb gasped as a sudden intensity of light
surrounded his vision until there was nothing.
Coughing weakly, Lisette slid away from the table
and onto the hard cold floor of the museum. As strength slowly wound its
way back into her body, she looked back at the place Caleb once stood.
"He disappeared," Lisette whispered in awe, unable to believe her eyes
as she replayed the scene in her mind of the mist that suddenly formed around
him and then disappeared just as quickly. Shaking her head, her pale long
blond hair twisting around her, she quickly decided to puzzle out that mystery
later as she slowly climbed to her feet, rubbing her sore neck gingerly.
Suddenly, she heard a low moaning from behind her. Turning quickly, she
watched as Matt weakly put one hand against the wall as he attempted to get to
his feet.
"Ouch," he muttered quietly as he held
a hand against his throbbing head.
"Matt! Are you alright?" Lisette
called out quickly as she stumbled towards him, her long skirts flaring around
her.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Matt groaned quietly
as a flash of pain went through his skull. "What happened to
Caleb?"
"He's gone," Lisette answered quickly,
her eyes traveling back to where he last stood. "Where, I have no
idea," she whispered a bit quieter, Matt leaning forward to hear.
"Huh?"
"Matt, go check on Elisa!" Lisette
ordered quickly as thoughts of her friends returned to her mind. Turning
quickly, she rushed over to Brooklyn's side and knelt on the cold floor.
Reaching a hand out slowly, she held her shaking hand over his beak.
Holding her breath, Lisette waited expectantly until a soft breath of air hit
her awaiting fingers. Half sobbing in relief, Lisette drew her hand back and
touched it to her lips. "He's still alive!" she cried out
happily, a smile lighting her face.
"So is Elisa.. but for how long I can't
say!" Matt cried out grimly as he reached forward to check his partner's
pulse. Crying out, he quickly drew his hand away as a flash of pain went
through his body.
"What's wrong?!" Lisette called out
quickly as she turned and rushed to Matt's side.
"I don't know.. there still must be dark
matter here.."
"There probably is some running throughout
her body.. which can't be good," Lisette murmured quietly as she stared at
the detective's pale face.
"Yeah, but I shouldn't feel that.."
Matt trailed off slowly as his eyes suddenly caught sight of darkness.
"She's still wearing the crystal necklace!" Matt cried out suddenly,
his eyes focusing on the dreaded dark matter.
Turning slightly, Lisette's eyes narrowed as they
too focused on the necklace. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, now
won't we?" she asked grimly as her hand darted forward and snatched the
necklace off of Elisa's skin, the crystal burning into her hand. Biting
her lip against the pain, Lisette quickly darted away from the stone coffin and
ran over to the white box. As weakness climbed up her legs, she quickly
threw the dreaded jewelry into the white stone box and smashed the cover
on. Instantly, the pain faded as her strength slowly returned.
"That looked like that hurt," Matt
commented idly as he hurried over to help Lisette back to Elisa's side.
"But it still didn't do the complete trick.. if she does have dark matter
running through her blood stream, then that itself will be enough to kill
her," Matt muttered quietly, his expression turning sad as he reached a
hand out and touched his partner's face gently.
"Maybe not!" Lisette whispered slowly,
a new light entering her eyes as she left their side once more and walked back
towards the torture table. There, lying on the floor where it had fallen,
was the stone of light that had protected Caleb from the ways of the dark
matter. Smiling, Lisette quickly scooped it up and hurried back, proudly
showing Matt her find. "Light is the opposite of dark.. maybe, just
maybe it will help!" she whispered quickly as she reached down and fastened
the necklace around Elisa's neck with Matt's aid. Immediately a bright
light began to glow around the white stone till it faded back to normal.
"Did it work?" Lisette asked anxiously as she stared down at Elisa's
face.
Suddenly, Talika's eyes blinked open as she
stared up at her two friends. "Ouch," she whispered weakly as
she tried to lift her head up.
"I'd say so," Matt replied quickly as
he reached a hand down to make his partner sit still.
"Get me out of here, Matt," Talika
hissed quietly as pain flared through her abdomen.
Nodding, Matt quickly complied and bent low,
easily lifting his partner into his arms. "Sorry, sorry," Matt
whispered as Talika cried out in pain.
"Brooklyn.. where's Brooklyn," Talika
hissed through a red cloud of pain. "Bring me to him.."
"He's over here," Matt muttered quietly
as he walked over to Brooklyn's side and gently propped Talika up against a
wall.
Hissing against the pain, Talika quickly clamped
a hand down firmly against her open wound, trying her best to staunch the
bleeding.
"Are you alright?" Matt asked quickly,
worry entering his eyes.
"Don't worry, it takes a while to bleed to
death from a stomach wound," Talika whispered quietly, trying her best
attempt at humor.
"But why aren't you healing?" Lisette
asked, confused as to why the detective still suffered from the stab wound.
"Because I'm assuming that the wound was
caused by my only weakness.. henceforth," Talika replied, a grimace
crossing her face, "it will heal like it would for any of you.. with
time... but enough of that.. we need to help Brooklyn..."
"But it's okay, he's still alive,"
Lisette whispered quietly as she knelt beside her love.
"Not for long," Talika said sadly as
she replayed the image of Brooklyn grasping the dark matter crystal tightly in
his hand. "We have to help him now or else he'll die."
"What?!" Lisette gasped, her attention
riveted upon her unmoving love.
"The dark matter.." Talika hissed as
another wave of pain rolled through her belly, "it absorbed too much of
him. We need to help him and take it away.. take it to someone that can
withstand it," Talika whispered as she turned her eyes and stared at
Lisette.
"But.. but I don't know how to do that..
Puck never taught me.." Lisette sputtered, fear entering her eyes.
"I'll tell you," Talika gasped as a
sudden tiredness began to come over her.
"But.."
"If you don't do this, he'll die,"
Talika whispered, fighting the urge to lie back and close her eyes.
Turning, Lisette looked once more at her love and
calmed her fears and emotions. "Let's do it," she whispered, her
voice hard with determination.
Smiling a weak smile, Talika held her hand
tighter against her abdomen. "Good then.. but we must hurry,"
she whispered, knowing that she was losing blood much too fast and that she
couldn't resist the urge to sleep for much longer. Out of the corner of
her eye, she saw Matt watching her with the same concerned look on his
face. Both of them had been at too many crime scenes where a person received such an injury, and
both knew that if she didn't get medical attention soon, there was a great
chance that she would die. Thanks to the dark matter that wounded her, if
this wound did in fact cause her death, there would be no coming back.
"What do I do?" Lisette asked quickly,
missing the looks being sent between Matt and Talika.
Focusing back on that matter at hand, Talika
looked at the crumpled form of Brooklyn before her. "First," she
gasped, her breathing becoming ragged, "you need to straighten him out...
bend his wing back in a normal position."
"Matt, help me!" Lisette ordered as she
quickly complied, moving Brooklyn ever so gently for fear of harming him
further.
"Now.. you must place.. place your hands on
his chest," Talika whispered, fighting the darkness that was hounding her.
Nodding slightly, Lisette moved her hands forward
and placed them gently on Brooklyn's brick red chest. "Now
what?" she cried urgently, turning to look at her friend.
"Elisa!" she called out frantically as she saw that her eyes had
closed.
At Lisette's shrill call, Talika's eyes popped
open quickly. Shaking her head, she whispered, "Repeat.. after me...
forces of magic.. that I call upon..."
"Forces of magic that I call upon,"
Lisette whispered quietly, her attention focused on the slow, unsteady beat of
Brooklyn's heart.
"To.. undo this horrible.. and mighty
wrong.."
"To undo this horrible and mighty
wrong," Lisette repeated solemnly.
"This person before me.. should not be in
pain," Talika whispered quietly, her hand falling away from her stab wound
and to the ground beside her.
"This person before me should not be in
pain," Lisette whispered, chancing a worried glance over at Elisa.
"So now.. I take it.. and thus do
contain.." Talika whispered before her eyes closed and she slumped down
against the wall.
"So now I take it and thus do contain,"
Lisette whispered. As she watched in awe, a green energy began building in
her hands before it spread out to cover Brooklyn, glowing the brightest over his
broken wing and over his heart. Then, the green magic quickly left and
covered Lisette's hands once more. Crying out, the feeling of the dark
matter entered her once more as a sudden weakness overcame her. Luckily,
Matt was behind her and ready to catch Lisette as she fell backwards, screaming
out as a blinding pain filled her body.
Shaking his head, Brooklyn slowly sat up from his
position. Stunned, the first thing he saw was Elisa propped up against the
wall in front of him, her head lying on her chest and dark red blood covering
her tanned stomach. "Elisa!" he yelled quickly, just as the
sounds around him entered his ears... the sounds of someone in tremendous
pain. Surprised, he turned his head slightly and saw Lisette lying on the
linoleum floor in a dark blue medieval gown, twisting back and forth as she
screamed in pain, Matt standing beside her with a lost expression on his
face. "What happened? What's wrong?!" Brooklyn yelled out
quickly as he jumped up and rushed over to Lisette. Scared to death, he
knelt by her side and gathered her into his arms as tears poured down her
cheeks, her face screwed tight in pain.
Before Matt had a chance to answer, Lisette's
eyes opened slowly as her body slowly untightened. "Brooklyn?"
she whispered hopefully as one hand held her stomach tightly.
"Lisette, are you alright?" Brooklyn
asked quickly, totally confused.
"No, not really," she murmured quietly
as the pain slowly died away, leaving her stomach and heart hurting like they've
never hurt before.. not to mention a constant ache back where her wing would be
if she was a gargoyle.
"What happened to Elisa?" Brooklyn
asked, his eyes darting back to her unmoving form, Matt kneeling by her side.
"She's just unconscious, but we better get
her to a hospital and fast," Matt muttered as he checked his partner's
stats. "Lisette, are you well enough to.." Matt broke off as he
turned a concerned glance back at the young woman who just saved Brooklyn.. and
all of their lives.
Knowing what he was going to ask, Lisette nodded
her head slowly. "I can get us back to the castle.. just bring her
over here," Lisette whispered quietly, grimacing as yet another wave of
pain traveled throughout her body.
Nodding his head, Matt gently gathered his
partner into his arms and carried her over to Brooklyn, who now was holding
Lisette in his arms. "How cliché," Lisette whispered quietly, a
small smile on her face as she looked around at the four of them.
"The women are the ones who came to the rescue and we go home looking as
though the guys did everything," she muttered sarcastically as the green
mist began surrounding the four.. the mist that would take them home.
Castle Wyvern -- three weeks later
Sighing, Lisette watched as the sun slowly slid
down over the horizon. For once, Goliath slept on a different tower,
leaving Lisette the best view that the castle offered on the highest tower of
them all. Smiling softly, she watched as the sky turned from the light sky
blue to the orange, yellows, and golds that made up the perfect sunset.. soon,
even those colors were gone and replaced by reds, purples, and eventually
blues. "All the colors of the rainbow to be seen each day in a
sunset," she whispered as a soft wind ruffled her blond hair.
"Nice dress."
Turning quickly, Lisette watched as Elisa climbed
the final steps that led to the top of the tower. Looking down, Lisette
admired the soft dark red velvet that made up one of her many medieval gowns..
her usual clothing nowadays. "I gave the modern style of jeans and a
shirt a try and have decided that, for now at least and to Fox's great
consternation, it didn't hurt to dress in
the style that I am accustomed to," she murmured as she cast her attention
back to the glorious sunset.
Nodding, Elisa limped slowly to Lisette's
side. While that may be true, Elisa herself preferred the jeans combo,
apparent by the usual outfit that was customary for her.
"How's your wound?" Lisette asked, not
taking her attention off of the setting sun.
"It's healing.. slowly, yes, but it is
healing," Elisa muttered as she gingerly patted the black tee-shirt she
wore that so conveniently hid the large white bandage that wound its way around
her middle. "But that's not what I came up here to discuss."
"Oh?" Lisette asked, trying to show
nonchalance as she turned to face the beautiful detective.
"No, it wasn't. I came to talk to you
about what you said to me before I left to search for.. for Caleb," Elisa
whispered, a confused frown flitting across her face at the mention of his
name. Ever since when she had awoken in the castle infirmary and heard of
what happened to Caleb, she had been thinking of nothing else. How could
he have escaped? From having that same blasted knife stuck in her, she
knew first hand that there was no way possible that he could have transported
himself out of there.. which left a puzzling mystery. Who did take Caleb
away in a cloud of smoke?.. and was he still alive? Shaking her head,
Elisa focused back on that matter at hand. "Lisette, you and the clan
now know the whole truth about me.. my past and everything that it
entails..."
"Are you afraid that someone.. one of the
select few whether it be the clan, Matt, or Xanatos and family, will tell
another about your secret?" Lisette interrupted as she turned back towards
the setting sun, dodging around the subject that Elisa was trying to broach.
"I trust the clan and Matt with my life..
the only one that I would be worried about would be Xanatos, and I think that
the threat of death is sufficient enough to keep his mouth shut for now,"
Elisa muttered, unable to stop the grin that graced her face. "But
once more you know that isn't why I walked up all those damn steps to get up
here..."
"Yes, but.."
"Lisette, I'm sorry, but I'm not your
mother..."
"But the dream was real!" Lisette cried
out quickly, trying to hold back the tears as she turned to face Elisa.
"I wasn't making it up and I didn't just subconsciously put you in the
dream to stand for something else as Brooklyn is trying to tell me I have!"
"I know that you're not doing that and I
know that the dream is real..." Elisa whispered fiercely as she grabbed
Lisette's forearms and forced her to meet her eyes. "Which is what
makes this matter so confusing. I'm not your mother; I wasn't even there..
which brings up the question of who managed to have my face.." Elisa
trailed off quietly, her mind spinning.
"That as well as the question of why she
abandoned me so long ago.. why she would hate me so much as to leave me all
alone with papa," Lisette whispered, the tears dripping down her face.
Her heart breaking, Elisa quickly drew Lisette
into her arms and held her tightly. "No, Lisette... whoever your
mother was.. wherever she may have gone, I'm sure that she loved you very
much!" Elisa whispered as Lisette sobbed into her arms. "She
never abandoned you -- she must have been forced to leave you and your father for
some reason.."
"How do you know that for sure?"
Lisette mumbled quietly as she stepped back and looked into Elisa's large brown
eyes.
"Because no mother could ever leave a child
like you behind unless it was a matter of life or death," Elisa answered
confidently, smiling softly at the young woman.
Smiling at the kind and sincere words, Lisette
pulled forward and hugged Elisa tightly, only pulling back when Elisa cried out
in pain. "Sorry," Lisette whispered sheepishly as Elisa held her
hand tightly to her stomach.
"Like I said earlier.. slowly healing,"
Elisa commented with a wry smile.
Turning as one, both women moved back towards the
stone that lined the edge of the tower and watched as the sun finished its trail
over the horizon. "Do you ever think of Hope?" Lisette asked
quietly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them.
"All the time," Elisa whispered as she
watched the golden rays disappear.. a picture of Hope's blond curly hair and
smiling face popping into her head.
"I'm sorry that you lost your
daughter," Lisette whispered quietly, thoughts of her mother floating
through her mind.
"So am I.. but I've gained so much since
then.."
"Luckily for you, not another
daughter!" Lisette cried out suddenly, a large smile on her face.
Turning, Elisa looked at Lisette and smiled
sincerely at the younger woman. "I would have been proud to have you
as my daughter."
Turning serious, Lisette smiled broadly.
"And you as my mother... although you look way too young to ever be my
mother!" Lisette laughed, shaking her head slowly. "Why, it
looks as though there is only nine years between us!"
"If anything, I'm way too
old to be your
mother!" Elisa laughed. "Caleb was right about one
thing..."
"Like what?"
"I'm probably older than the dirt that
covers most of this land!"
"Oh là là! You are old!"
Lisette cried out, her laughter joining Elisa's as darkness covered the land and
as seven stone statues awoke from their daily sleep far below. For even as
the sun set on the past day for some, a new night was about to begin for
others. Endings and new beginnings are what life is all about.
THE END