08.08.98; 21:27; Castle Wyvern:
Demona, Shade in her arms, landed in the courtyard, knowing through the noises behind her that her family did the same. She appreciated this, especially since she knew that her grandchildren had improved a lot in gliding over the last months and weren't much back to others of their age, at last until it came to turbulence.
Slowly the immortal placed Shade on the earth and looked around, looking to the others of her former clan who had seen their arrival since they either had been busied on the roof of the castle or were in the courtyard... no one of them was happy to see her, either some of the former Moray clan looked hard with unhidden mistrust on their former leader, but neither it surprised the immortal, not it interested her, this wasn't the reason why she choose to come.
"Let's go in." she told her family who had just landed completely and went ahead, Shade by her side.
By doing so she noticed, even not really surprising for her, Deborah, who came out of the shadows, eyeing her former pupil with even more mistrust in her eyes than the others had.
"You may check me for weapon but do it fast old teacher." Demona told her "I guess the meal will begin soon."
Deborah's eyes lit up slightly red when she had to hear this impertinence from her 'guest', but before she could reply something Darlene intervened.
"We are very thankful for that you have invited us." Darlene explained, going over her mother's words and eyeing her shortly angrily. "I hope we don't cause you any trouble."
Deborah first looked on Darlene and then back on her former pupil, asking herself who had taught this gargoyle manners, since her mother definitely had none.
"No you don't." she replied, deciding to look over Demona straight to Darlene. "The meal will be served in thirty minutes earliest, so you might come in the Great Hall to amuse yourself with the rest of the clan."
"We would like it." Darlene replied at once, fearing her mother might deny this and while she did so she noticed that her mother's eyes were completely icy now.
Deborah took this with a nod and led them in.
Meanwhile Lana looked around cautiously, to see if there were any of these 'eager' males in her near, but luckily there weren't. While she did so, she noticed that the gargoyles around her eyed them coldly.
and mum says we are family Lana thought, until she noticed that these gargoyles were just looking angrily on her grandma.
Meanwhile they had entered the great hall which was filled now with many gargoyle, a quarter of the clan Darlene guessed, who all looked interested on their guests.
"The leader and his second are in the information room." Deborah told them "They are going through the newest reports and come later."
Darlene nodded, while Demona eyed the room as if she hadn't heard the older warrior.
"Mother, sister," Angela greeted her family by going through the mass of other gargoyles of whom some looked not happy by the word 'mother' "you're here."
"We promised." Darlene replied smiling while Demona just nodded, she wasn't in the mood for happy greetings and Angela sensed this.
"It will still be some minutes until the meal will be served." Angela noticed into the silence looking to her mother. "There is something I want to show you."
Demona looked not very enthusiastic to her daughter.
"What?" she asked calmly, her long live had taught her that surprises were never good.
"You'll see." Angela replied with a warm smile "Jarred might come, too."
The last words were more directed to Darlene than to the hatchling and the adult nodded, knowing where her sister was going to lead their mother.
"Come." Angela told them and turned around, going slowly to a floor leading away from the main hall.
Jarred smiled, running beside of Angela, while Demona sighted and, with Shade by her side, followed her daughter with an emotionless face. knowing that her steps were eyed by the others in the room, if just with the borders of their eyes.
Darlene with Gem in her arms and Lana stayed back and looked after them. She was still a bit puzzled by her mother's words during the arrival, but guessed it was just her mother's usual mood, so nothing serious.
if you are such happy now just wait until later this evening, mother Darlene thought you will have much of fun
She was torn out of her thoughts when a caramel skinned gargess approached.
"Darlene, Lana." Desdemona greeted smiling and then added a bit surprised. "Where is my sister?"
"Angela wanted to show her something." Darlene explained, calming the gargess down. "She took Jarred with her, so I guess she wants to show them the hatchlings' room."
The caramel skinned gargess nodded.
"I already feared she might have changed her mind." Desdemona revealed, why she approached Darlene even more, her eyes now clearly directed on the hatchling in Darlene's arms.
"I would have brought mother here in chains if she had." Darlene replied half-joking, noticing Desdemona's interest in Gem.
"Greet her Gem." she told the infant who, as if she had understood, extended her claws to reach the gargess.
Desdemona smiled and gave Gem her claws who smiled by this.
Then, remembering something she looked up, looking at Darlene with a look, near cautious.
"What is?" Darlene asked, sensing the look.
"Well..." Desdemona began unsure "I have talked with some of my brothers and sisters and..."
"And?" Darlene asked curious.
"... and I want to ask you if I could call you sister from now on." on the surprised look of Darlene she continued. "Well you are my sisters child and such my niece in human terms, but in the clan, and you are clan, we refer to each other just as siblings and most of us are still unused to call each other by our new names and so...." she looked in Darlene's eyes and saw the total surprise "but if you don't like it..."
"Don't like it?" Darlene asked, nearly laughing, "I love it... sister. See Gem," Darlene told the hatchling in her arms "you just got a lot of new aunts and uncles."
Desdemona smiled by this.
While her mother got a practical adoption into the clan, Lana faced the other side of this adoption since she was, again besieged by many young males who seeked to win her heart.
"It is nice to see you again." The crested gargoyle with the dark fair hair told her smiling.
"Yes and you look more beautiful every night I see you." another said.
god I knew this sentences is 1000 years old Lana thought, but nodded, praying that they would somehow be able to convince her grandmother to stay.
By doing so she noticed that the walking muscle called Goliath and the one looking like a devil had arrived in the hall.
great Lana thought one more
But while she still thought so, her eyes met Brooklyn's and she noticed to her surprise that the second didn't look happy to see her, but somehow regretful and that instead of coming to her, he followed his leader when this went to greet Lana's mother.
this is odd Lana thought while the males around her told her how beautiful she was otherwise if he stops besieging me maybe the others will do so, too
Lana's hopes vanished when one of the males started to tell her how beautiful her eyes were.
Meanwhile Demona had reached up to her daughter's side while Shade and Jarred, both seemingly knowing the way, went ahead of them.
"Where are we going daughter?" Demona demanded to know when they had passed a corner of the floor
Angela wanted first ask her mother to wait, but a look in the cold green eyes taught her better.
"To the hatchlings' room. Xanatos gave it to them so that they have a room for themselves." Angela explained "I thought you would like it to greet them all."
Demona thought about it and didn't became slower while she did so.
"Good," she noticed "so I can tell them of that I plan to leave the city."
Angela stiffened a bit.
"Maybe you should wait until after the meal." she suggested and something in her voice made Demona to stop.
"Why?" the immortal asked and the barely hidden suspicion both scarred and hurt Angela who stopped by herself.
"Because you would ruin them the whole evening if you tell them now." Demona's daughter said. "Later you have enough time to explain this to them."
Demona looked on her daughter and for a moment Angela saw just coldness in her mother's eyes, then the immortal nodded.
"You're right daughter." she admitted. "But I will do it tonight."
Angela nodded slowly, even when she guessed or better hoped that this night would change her mother's opinion.
Slowly mother and daughter began walking further, following Jarred and Shade who had both already reached the door to the room.
why do I believe she has planned something Demona asked herself, looking on her daughter and then shrugged her mental shoulder's there is nothing which could hold me here
Such the immortal entered the hatchlings' room, not knowing that she was definitely wrong.
08.08.98; 22:41 Castle Wyvern, Great Hall:
The clan had taken place to take their meal and now chatted happily in the groups which had been formed at the tables. Demona sat with Darlene, who had Gem in her lap, and Lana on the same table like Goliath, having the joy to sit directly in front of her old teacher.
Jarred ate a bit slack, being in bad mood since Darlene had denied him to join the other hatchlings on the table at the other side of the room. His larger sister meanwhile was happy that her mother had allowed her to sit beside her since the presence of the older gargoyles was much more pleasant, and more silence, than that of the young adults.
Demona had eaten her meal some way too fast for her taste, since she now had nothing to look at than the face of her old teacher, starring on her from the other side of the table. Since the view of Shade, who laid to her master's feet-claws, happily chewing on one of the large bones which were given to the beasts earlier this evening wasn't much more interesting, the immortal looked to Darlene sitting beside her and fed Gem with the last part of food from the plate.
"Well daughter any idea what they serve as dessert." she asked.
"Well to the dessert we want to hear a story from you mother." Darlene told her smiling.
The immortal froze slightly, she disliked her daughter's tone.
"Which story?" the immortal asked, taking a deep gulp of her glass with water.
"The story about who the female was you fought with and why you had to ruin the courtyard by this." Deborah answered her former pupil's question.
This damned unexpected answer let Demona choke since the water refused to glide down her throat and while her mother fought to breath again, Darlene began to speak.
"Surprised?" she asked her mother smugly with a broad grin on her face since the look of total shock in her mother's eyes compensate her for some of the stress the last nights had brought to her while trying not to reveal her knowledge surprised.
"How?" was the only thing Demona brought out before she began to cough again, but even when she did so, she noticed the growing circle of silence, having its centre on this table, knowing that the clan knew what was going on and was eager in hearing it.
"Puck." Goliath replied calmly. "When he returned from a voyage with Fox and Alex he sensed your magic and annulled the spell about us alike with Elisa and Bluestone."
"Luckily since you wouldn't have told us, or?" Deborah demanded to know.
"It isn't your business!" Demona, who had regained some of her self control, noticed angrily.
"The renewed courtyard along with the pain we had to suffer tells something else Demona." Goliath replied to his sister.
"Mom," Lana began, looking completely perplexed to her mother "what is going on?"
"Yeah of what does grandma speaks?" Jarred adds.
Darlene sighted, she had spent hours to think how she could tell this her children.
"Your grandmother cast a spell on us which let us forget a special night a week ago." she explained her children. "Us and the whole world. My and the clan's memories have been restored and now we want some answers."
The last words were more directed to Demona, who decided to take one more swallow of water from her glass, but met her daughter's eyes without hesitation. This was when Darlene noticed that some elders herded the hatchlings from their table, sure to bring them to hatchlings' room to get sure that they learned the true from them.
"Jarred, please follow the other hatchlings." Darlene asked her son and when she saw that he was going to refuse she added "I will explain you everything later."
Jarred was definitely not happy about this, but a look in his mother's eyes made clear that resistance was futile.
Groaning he raised from the table and slowly went to follow the other hatchlings, showing with every step that he would like to stay and listen for the world.
Darlene looked after Jarred and then turned her eyes to her eldest daughter. Actually she didn't want her daughter to listen her mother's story since she guessed that it would become bloody. But then her daughter was nearly a grown up now at least by the standards of the clan and as such Darlene guessed that she had a right to know.
Meanwhile Demona had regained her self control completely and looked around icily. The expressions in the faces of her former clan made clear that they wouldn't let her go without an explanation."I have to tell you everything at once or?" Demona asked the ones around the table.
"Yes." Darlene replied. "I think you owe this to us."
Demona shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't think so." she replied, making Darlene scrape a bit of the table's wood while the others just starred on the immortal.
Goliath was the first one to react.
"Demona if you don't tell us..." he began, just to stopped by his former mate with a non-caring gesture.
"I will tell you Goliath, the whole story you want to know." the immortal replied, eyeing her former love angrily. "But I tell you since I want to leave the castle after this, not because you have a right to know."
Despite his calm nature Goliath's voice had more than a scent of stress in it when he replied.
"The fifty innocent humans she has killed and the trouble Lucifia caused in the castle give us the right Demona." he replied, working hard to stay cool.
"I don't see why." Demona replied icily "The courtyard like the death humans... " she took a short look to Darlene and both her granddaughters "are nuisances."
Demona ignored the shocked gasps and the hurt look of both her daughters and Lana, whose face had become white by these words of her grandmother.
"This tops even you Demona." Goliath replied angrily, near shouting "She has killed children!"
"I know," his ex-mate replied, every word full of venom "take this and imagine what she would have done to the city you has idiotically chosen to protect if I wouldn't have stopped her. Be lucky that no one of the clan had been killed in this night... I hadn't thought it would be so easy."
"So easy?" Darlene asked her unbelieving, having witnessed parts of the fight and still remembering her mother's wounds with shudder.
"You don't know of what she has been capable of." Demona explained.
"Then explain this to us." Angela asked her mother.
"Where shall I begin?" Demona asked both of her daughters, ignoring the other gargoyles for now.
"With her father." Darlene told her. "Who was he and where have you met him?"
Demona sighted.
"It was the 2nd of February 1623 when I was going to take me some meal...."
Such the immortal began to spin the story, one of the arts in which she had gained some knowledge in all her years, at least according to all the hatchlings who had once listened to her and even most of the gargoyles now listening couldn't do anything but let themselves being captured by Demona's unusual calm voice.
09.08.98; 01:23; Castle Wyvern, Great Hall:
The way her mother told the story let even Darlene forgot her mother's hard words from the beginning for now. From the first time when her mother had met Shaman, how she fell in love with him, how she even became a shaman herself and shortly afterwards his mate and second.
When she told of the night in which Lucifia, whose name had still been Little Panther back then, along with her siblings had hatched, Darlene noticed for the first time in a very long time a clear sparkle of happiness in the immortal's eyes and made her forget for one second that she had killed even these hatchling, he half sister just nights before.
The following details of her life back then were mostly centred on the description of the Indian clan's life which she had been part of, containing descriptions of how she had helped teaching Little Panther's generation how to glide and finally had witnessed their ascension to true warriors and grownups of the clan.
This all made Darlene remembering her own first gliding lessons and the ascension ceremony her mother made for her. The ceremony hadn't been a great one, considering that she had been the only one to ascend, but her mother had pointed out the importance of this to make her an adult in the eyes of the other gargoyles. Since they were the only ones of their kind Darlene had known of, for her this ceremony had somehow been pointless... not that she had dared to tell this her mother.
Demona meanwhile looked around when she remembered these nights... the luck she had felt back then. These lucky memories had changed into pain beyond words during the years and now...
Darlene looked at her mother and wished she could study her soul just through her eyes, but she couldn't and her mother's face had stayed even most of the time, not revealing the inner trouble her she sure fought with. But her mother wouldn't tell this, not to the clan, not to her, neither to Angela, she was too...
This was when the gargess noticed that Shade had gone to another table near their own and was actually smelling interested between the feet-claws of the gargoyles sitting there. It was nothing truly interesting for Darlene and she would have turned her eyes back to her mother if she hadn't noticed a movement under the table.
"What?" Darlene whispered until she recognised the movement a moment later and it wasn't just another gargbeast as she had imagined before.
"Mother please wait a second." she asked the immortal who was just to continue with the story, just to continue in a damned stern voice, now directed in the direction of the table "Jarred Anderson if you don't bring your tail out of the table I will drag you out by it."
Most of the gargoyles looked surprised on her, not knowing what she meant, but they at once turned their heads to the table when Jarred crept out of the table and looked on his mother while smiling like mad and rubbing his right arm.
Darlene was just going to concern herself with her son when Shade, still smelling under the table, began to bark.
Wondering Darlene, like most of the other gargoyles, looked to this again seeing that there was yet another figure under the table. Demona, who was indeed not surprised, crossed her arms.
"You too Connor!" she told the other hatchling with a slightly angered voice even when Angela believed to see the glimmer of amusement in them, if just for a second.
Such Connor crept out of under the table and placed himself beside Jarred, looking just as uneasy as his playmate did while their mothers starred on them.
"Go back to the other hatchlings." Demona ordered, still with crossed arms, her voice calm, but hard as ice.
"And stay there." Darlene added, her voice a bit softer than that of her mother but not much.
Both hatchlings nodded obediently, when an elder raised.
"I think I can accompany them both to get sure that they find the way." the white-haired gargess said and laid a claw on both the hatchling's shoulders.
With this the hatchlings, led by the elder, disappeared leaving the now slightly amused rest alone.
Well most of them were amused, since when Darlene turned her head to her mother she saw that Demona indeed starred ahead with an expression of dark pain in her eyes.
Demona noticed the attention of her biological eldest daughter and her green eyes became cold again when she faced the sparkling blue ones of her, sparkling as if they could see directly into her soul and for one moment the immortal feared nothing more than this.
But the moment passed and the ancient gargoyle regained her inner certainty.
"And," she began cynically, looking around on the faces of her former clan "are you satisfied so far?"
"Welllll..." her green skinned brother with the crooked horn, who had named himself Thersities began "nice story, but what made this nice girl to get these eyes, not to speak of her bad attitude like y...." Thersities bid on his tongue, seeing a sparkle in his sister's eyes "like she has."
Demona looked at her brother some more seconds and finally sighted, knowing that he had nearly spoke out what most of them thought, that Lucifia had been just as bad as she was...
fools Demona thought half bitterly, half amused they have no idea
But she would give it to them.
"The humans..." she replied icily, her voice full of venom, which made Darlene and Angela starring in horror on their mother.
Such she told them, told them of the last three nights of this chapter of her eternal life, of the betrayal by the one human she believed to be worth their trust, of her mate's death, her own distraction of the Hunter and how she came back, finding her clan destroyed, but one. Then, with a slight smile which made a part in Darlene shudder, she told the clan how she and Lucifia had slaughtered the humans who had dared to oppose them.
The smile didn't fade when she told them about how she discovered Lucifia threatening the boy, but it changed from happy to sarcastic when she revealed what her companion or totem led her to. Angela noticed the slight trembling of her mother's claw when these told them of the battle she had to fight against her daughter and how she finally was able to imprison her into the rock.
While she did so, she didn't notice that Darlene starred on her with tears threatening to emit her eyes. It weren't one, but three siblings she would never get the opportunity to speak with. Her mother had lost a whole family and she hadn't known it before!
Darlene felt a coldness creeping in her heart and she held Gem closer to her breast, both to protect her baby girl and herself.
if it would have been Lana on Lucifia's place Darlene thought and I in my mothers... I would have gone mad.
"...after the spirits of my clan were gone it was over."
These words were like someone had thrown Darlene out of a nightmare and she was thankful for it, just that this nightmare was what her mother called her life.
"And someone had to make sure that Lucifia would never be free again, a mission I gave Michael, his family and the whole town..." Demona laughed up sarcastically and total humourless "even for guarding a rock that human were useless."
These words were followed by a silence, while the garoyles, inclusive Elisa, who had joined Goliath's side much to Demona's displeasure and Xanatos, who stood aside, near a floor, tried to digest this story.
"And this was it?" Asrial asked finally, having been able to follow this story with great interest in contrast to her usual behaviour. "I mean there isn't more to tell?"
"There is." Demona replied calmly, eyeing her sister "Stories of countless nights I spent with my mate and the clan, stories about how they... we lived, how we grieved about losses in the clan and celebrated the arrival of new members." the immortal sighted "But there is nothing which is relevant for today."
"What about the Angle-swords mother." Darlene asked "Why have I never seen them anywhere before?"
"Because there was no need of it." Demona replied simply.
"And the amulet?" Darlene continued, "I never saw you with such."
"I don't have it anymore." her mother explained.
"But you said it was the sign of your bound with your companion." Angela began "The sign that you are a shaman."
"I am no shaman anymore." the immortal explained, crossing her arms.
"And why?" Darlene asked, feeling as if she had for every word coming from her mother now.
"This doesn't matter now." Demona replied, "I promised to tell you about Lucifia, such I have done, anything else isn't important."
you lie mother Darlene told her mentally, but rejected it, making a mental note to ask her mother later about this. maybe she will speak then... when pigs fly
Demona in return felt a growing urge after a drink, but taking a look to Deborah she knew that the old warrior would probably dislike this... which was more reason to ask for one.
"When have you learned of that she is around then?" Deborah asked her former pupil harshly "If you consider this as important enough to mention."
Demona shrugged her shoulder, going over this remark.
"I discovered that she was around in the night when this invisible assassin attacked," she revealed "sure because she wanted me to. How long she has been free again already I don't know, but I searched for her since then, even when it was without success until this night."
"And you didn't to tell us " Goliath noticed. "Even when you knew how dangerous she was."
"It was better so." Demona replied angrily.
"Why?" Deborah asked, eyeing the immortal as angry as she was.
"Because this was the best way to ensure that she would play with you first and not kill you all at once like she had the power to." the immortal told them with a slight grin.
"And what if she had decided to simple kill us?" Deborah demanded to know.
"She didn't." Demona noticed and took herself a bit more water in her glass. "So there is no reason to complain or?"
"You played with our lives like it was some sort of game. Again!" Deborah snarled.
"I did what I had to do." Demona replied icily.
"This is your excuse every time or Demona?" Deborah asked her. "Despite all the times your arrogance led to destruction and pain you would do it again."
Demona laughed cynically by this insult, such neither she nor the clan noticed that Owen, who besides of Xanatos had silently listened Demona's story got a call on his cell-phone.
On Demona's laughs Deborah's eyes became slits and now she didn't look on the immortal in anger but through hate.
"Betrayer!" the old teacher snarled, her eyes turning slightly red "Murderer!"
The silent which had ruled the whole great hall, now enlarged her rule and Darlene believed she would be able to hear a pin falling on the ground. But maybe again she would not since all her senses and concentration was directed on her mother and Deborah, who in returned looked on each other as if they would be the only persons in the world.
"Why do I think you don't speak of the accident with Lucifia anymore?" Demona asked her teasingly, even when she felt her heart beginning to beat in accord when a part of her stomach turned to stone.
"You know what I speak about, you..." Deborah replied, she had stood up now, her upper body hanging over the table, while her claws scratched the wood.
"Deborah it is enough." Goliath intervened, his voice now as hard as his eyes. "Settle this argument with her later, we have...."
He never got to finish this sentences.
"No." Demona interrupted him, not even looking to him, but still eyeing her former teacher. "Let her speak it out, there is no reason why not."
Darlene decided that there definitely were some reasons. Neither she wanted to see this argument become a catfight between these gargesses, nor she wanted to let Lana hear more of this and most of all she disliked the idea how the clan might react to further of her mother's oh so tactful remarks.
"Mother please." she nearly begged "Let us talk about this in another night."
when our nerves are not down she added mentally by a good cup of hot tea with you and Deborah metres away from each other
"No." Demona replied icily, not even looking to her daughter but still eyeing her former teacher.
"You wanted this old teacher." she noticed "You wanted this since you came in my home and called me a coward.... no since the moment you heard of what I done in the night when I had brought you here. I know Goliath sentences hasn't satisfied you."
Now Demona's eyes looked around in the clan, of whom most, even these ones of her former clan in Moray, looked as if they had been captured by the argument between her and Deborah.
"As it hadn't most of you." she directed to the clan, eyeing her old drill master a special half-second, to end it by looking on her former teacher again. "So come now say what you want to say."
Deborah looked at her former pupil and was speechless for one moment, asking herself how this young one dared to speak so.
"You betrayed your clan." Deborah told her "You plotted the fall of Wyvern and therefor you let them all be killed while you fled."
"Yes." Demona replied, her eyes showing no sign that this accuse had hit her, but Darlene noticed that her mother's tail switched. "Yes I did so and I'm sorry."Demona again began to look around in the hall, most of the faces she looked in were not very convinced by her words, even some of these who formed her clan in Moray looked on her with frowns in their faces and she couldn't mind it to them.... she had never told them what really caused the death of her first clan.
"I..." she swallowed.
Despite all the years which had passed since then the images of this night came up to her again, the night when she came back to the castle to find her clan death, smashed by the Viking's, like she had feared.... known in the night before. Demona believed to see her smashed brother's face in her claw again and for a small moment she believed her legs to give in when a overwhelming feeling of what... guilt?
Even when she didn't knew it, she knew, when she saw the look of pity in some faces of the gargoyles surrounding her that the others, most of all her daughters, had seen the inner struggle she felt.
This was what she needed to fight this weak feelings back and at once she regained the control about her mind like her body such that she looked again as self confident as ever.
"I'm sorry..." she began anew and while she did so she felt as if something in her died and when she continued her lips showed the shadow of a sarcastic grin. "but this is meaningless since you know this already and I suppose most of you aren't satisfied with this what I understand completely. I could say that I have somehow been able to save you from this fate would make us even, but I guess this isn't so."
Some growls coming from the clan made clear that she was right and Shade to her feet-claws looked around angrily in the direction the growls had come from.
Darlene meanwhile starred at her mother... she had never said told her to be sorry for anything ever before!
"I don't expect or want forgiveness from anyone." Demona revealed, leading her eyes back on her old teacher and now grinning viciously. "All I want, all I suggest, is that we try to come along for the time until I return to Berlin."
This surprised all the gargoyles in the hall, even Darlene, Angela and Desdemona who had guessed that the immortal had changed her mind by now.
"When?" Deborah asked her icily, not showing if this statement of her former pupil had surprised her.
"In two weeks." Demona explained icily "Since here is nothing more to do this is the best."
The seconds of silent passed while Deborah, like the whole clan, studied her.
"What makes you run away now?" she snarled finally, lying contempt in every letter.
This brought Demona up who, snarling, starred on her teacher with eyes shining like hell and one moment Darlene believed that she would jump over the table direct in Deborah's face.
"Mother," Darlene asked her urging while placing a claw on her mother's shoulder. "please we..."
"No." her mother snarled "She wants to know why I go, so I will tell her."
Demona's eyes lasted on Deborah while she continued.
"I go because there is nothing here for me but further arguments with your clan" Demona explained "and I'm not interest in hurting any of you."
"How generous." Deborah noticed sarcastically.
"Oh come old teacher, you should appreciate this most of all." Demona replied with a grin. "I noticed that you have become slower since last time I saw you in a battle... your best times are over."
Deborah's reply wasn't a snarl like Darlene expected, but instead she dug her claws deeper into the wood of the table.
Near pleading Darlene looked to Goliath. He was the clan leader, such he should stop such situations from escalating, but instead he just studied both opponents stoically.
why can't he order to stop them?
Finally she realised that maybe it what better so. At least here were some gargoyles to stop both if it would escalate into a fight... which both seemed close to.
"I accept my age Demona." Deborah replied icily "With all its consequences. Unlike others I don't seek to change this magical... not to speak of betraying the person who gave me his youth afterwards."
"He had planned to betray us." Demona defended herself angrily.
"You lie." the old teacher noticed "Or maybe you have really come to believe this. No wonder by your mind."
Demona's snarl was comment enough while Deborah eyed her unimpressed and continued.
"You tend to forget a lot of things Demona." she explained "For example the humans in Wyvern."
"What about them?" Demona asked, sounding nearly bored.
"Your and the Captain's treachery killed more than the half of them." Deborah reminded her "If not for Goliath and what your betrayal had left over from the clan they maybe would have sold them for slaves or worse."
"And?" Demona asked, sounding slightly amused now much to Darlene and Angela's shock.
"For this you don't say 'sorry', do you?" Deborah wanted to know. "Because in teh end they were just humans."
"Why should I." the immortal asked grinning evilly "Cause of the graceful treatment we received through the Princess and her pet-mage? Cause of the arrogant look the guards gave us or the jokes and horror stories they were telling about us?"
"And in the end they were just humans." Deborah concluded.
"Y...." Demona had to bit herself on the tongue not to give her old teacher the answer her heart wanted to say.
The immortal starred a moment angrily on Deborah, before her eyes centred for the half of a second on her granddaughter, remembering that she still insisted in being a human and might be hurt by any offence against this weak race...
"Yes." she told the clan "In the end they were just human and I don't care about them."
The gasps she heard coming from the clan made clear that they hadn't expected this straight answer and the more than hurt look she saw coming from Lana and Darlene proofed this even so.
"But," she continued unmoved "who say I would have acted other if this had been feys? Or just another clan of gargoyles? Why do you assume I would have had mercy with anyone who treats us so?"
This shocked the most members of the clan even more.
"Sister!" Desdemona exclaimed unbelieving. "You would kill one..."
Then she bit her lip when she looked at Goliath and realised that her sister had indeed done so already.
"...one of my own kind?" Demona completed "Sister come, we did so when this rouge clan came to our territory years... hundreds of years ago."
"This was something self-defence." Diomedes noticed, just to add "Have you killed some of our kind during the 1000 years?"
His sister opposed Diomedes look with an icy glare, but there was something in Demona's green eyes which let him shudder, something like a mix of blood thirst and pure evilness and for one moment he believed to see Lucifia standing there.
"Maybe, maybe not." Demona replied and turned her look back to Deborah. "On any case I'm ready with this... or have you more questions old teacher."
Deborah starred on her former pupil and her eyes showed that she hated this nickname, like Demona knew.
"No," Deborah told her "I know already more than I ever wanted to know about you."
Demona smiled sarcastically.
"Well then I have one question to you old teacher." she noticed "And I think after I answered all your questions tonight you owe me an answer."
"Mphhf." Deborah snorted "I have nothing to hide."
Demona looked straight in her old teacher's eyes.
"Why?"
"Why what?" Deborah asked.
"Why have you come after me?" the immortal wanted to know. "Why are you so obsessed to bring me to 'justice'? Why are you..." Demona looked around shortly, noticing with a satisfied grin that she had the attention of all the clan "who of all here has maybe the last reason to, so mad on me?"
Demona paused a second.
"What do you want from me?" Deborah's former pupil demanded to know
Deborah starred on the immortal, hit by this question.
you know it! she screamed mentally on her because of what you did, because of you has to be punished, because you are my respons....
When the old teacher stayed silence, Demona knew that she was on the upside now.
"My role at the massacre on this clan, what I did over the centuries..." Demona grinned "Oh come old one this doesn't matter for you, at last not as much as you want everyone to believe it."
"How dare you to...." Deborah snarled.
"Oh you were shocked to hear of what happened." Demona intervened, not even thinking of letting her teacher speak out "But you were even more shocked of hearing who did it., hearing that I was the..." she swallowed, and just for half of a second she looked unsure "the traitor."
This word came hard over her lips, but when she had said it her face straightened at once and she smiled again... even when to call this a smile was an offence to this word.
Lana suddenly didn't want to hear more anymore, the way her grandmother spoke of death, pain and destruction, the grin on her face, made her sick, but she couldn't do anything, least of all go now.
"Your arrogance really can't become bigger, can it?" Deborah asked her "Do you really believe you would be anyone important to me?"
"Maybe," Demona noticed, shrugging her shoulders "but I'm not the only one, am I?"
Deborah's eyes became slits and she felt that her heart began to beat faster.
"What are you talking about?" the old teacher wanted to know, even when she knew it already.
"I talk about Coldsteel, how he is called now." Demona explained "And I talk about Roland."
Darlene looked around when she heard the whispers this names caused, she had heard of Coldsteel from Desdemona, but Roland... this was a name new to her.
"First you have been our rookery mother, then you have been our teacher and in all that years you failed to teach us honour." Demona noticed "Three gargoyles going rouge in one rookery? Two of them directly trained by you?"
Deborah glared on her former pupil, not knowing what to say, which she shared with most of the clan who were stumbled by their former second's and leader's accusations.
"Yes I'm asking myself why the clan trusts you with the physical training of the hatchlings." Demona asked and noticed that she had hit a point, since her former teacher's eyes became red like hell while her claws practically split the table.
One moment Demona believed that Deborah would leap on her, but just in this second Goliath raised, having enough of this argument.
"Demona enough!" his voice boomed "Her position as teacher isn't doubted by anyone of the clan and I won't allow you to do so."
His ex-mate just starred on him, not noticing the looks of the other clan members.
Darlene meanwhile had noticed this indeed, the look of surprise in the eyes of Deborah's mate along with the several gasps coming from the clan which had mixed with her own.
No one had believed that Demona would go so far... otherwise it wasn't the first time this evening that they had been surprised by this gargoyle.
But one thing made Darlene more upset than anything. She knew that her mother acted, she knew it since ever when her mother had spoken of her old teacher before, there had been this spark of admiration in her voice, but neverless she now denied this, even blaming her to have failed.
"Oh come on Goliath." Demona told him, grinning full of arrogance "She even failed to notice that I took lessons by the Archmage."
Her smile quickly faded when she noticed the large silence, now ruling the hall and seeing in the faces of her former clan which were partly unbelieving, partly suspicious and all directed on her.
Demona looked back in Deborah's eyes and recognised one since which shattered her self-security for one second.
she hasn't told it to them! she exclaimed in thoughts, damn, damn....
"The Archmage?" Agamemnon asked her unbelieving "Lass what had you to do with him???"
Demona eyed him as symbol for the clan, and his face, containing a mix of shock, dark fears and maybe even a bit disappointment, made her nearly loose control for a while.... nearly, since just before it happened, she concentrated on this part in her again who wasn't interested in what anyone in the world thought of her, who was even amused by the look of shock in the clan's eyes and who amused a lot by thinking of how long she had been able to hide it from them.
"From the year 971 to 975 I was his apprentice." she explained grinning "He taught me how to use magic and some other nice skills."
The gasps of the clan made her smile even more and just because it was so nice she added something more.
"Oh yes by the way..." she explained "I was the one who summoned the Nuckleave."
"WHAT!?" Agamemnon asked her unbelieving.
"It was an accident." Demona explained, shrugging her shoulders as if she wanted to ask them why they were so upset.
The reply was an unbelieving silence by the clan while the Moray's asked their new clan-siblings what their former leader was talking about.
Before anyone could say anything more, Owen appeared practically out of nowhere besides Demona, holding an activated cell-phone in his still organic hand.
"For you Miss Destine." he explained.