All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Spacebabie
All Hallows Eve
Previously on Gargoyles
"I will be willing to do thiss if you are willing to sstudy my former sspeciouss and learn to not judge them ass they have judged your kind in the passt." Dr Blake Edwards
You might be able to fill in for Edwards. He said he had to leave for England on an important matter".Antiope (Kidness of Strangers)
"It's been enchanted. I'm going to use it to create a map of the city." Merlin
Merlin and Morrey using the locators spell to find the questing beast. (Quest)
London, England
The celebration of Halloween may not be as popular in the English metropolis as it is in America, however there was a spark of excitement in the air along with the crisp and cool temperature. Several children crowded around stores, admiring the displays of sugary treats and discussion what they were going to wear the following night. Adults made plans on whether they were going to hand out treats or not, and tried to see if anyone had done any decorating. A few sections in town had even decidied to try to give the custome of handing out sweets to children in costume a chance. Teenagers and young adults made their own plans. Several were going to attend parties or visit the local cinema to see the horror movie marathons. Some were even going to see the Osprey concert.
Nearly every store was decorated in some fashion or the other. A few even offered holiday sales for the night of the 30st and 31st. A few stores had totally glammed up their windows and entrances, decorating them to resemble haunted houses. Even those who did not even stick a small picture of a ghost or spider hung curtains colored orange or black.
Into the Mystic was no exception. The store was nearly covered in decorations. False webbing made out of silk like synthetic material was stretched across the ceiling. Tiny black plastic spiders were placed into the web like netting. Plastic bats hung from the corners. Letters made out of orange, black and white plastic were placed against the store window, wishing the customers who entered and the rest of the people who passed by a Happy Halloween.
Several people did enter the shop, nearly crowding very corner as they searched for the merchandise the wish to buy. Most of them wished to find something that will add a little extra something to make their Halloween party an event to remember, whether it were owl claws for decoration or a crystal ball to perform a seance. Some people were searching for a specific spell or a magic trick and even a few looked to buy something that would place a curse.
Morrey counted the people that stood in front of her register. There were four as opposed to the five standing in front of Blanche, and by the time she had rung up the two Goth girls at the end there would be several more. The young man at the front of the line had bought a set of candles that glowed bright orange when they were lit. Behind him was an old woman who held three objects in her hands and finally the two giggling teenagers.
"Thank you miss," the man purchasing the candles placed the receipt into his bag before pocketing the change Morrey handed back to him. "May I ask what you are supposed to be?"
"Commander Halloween at your service," Morrey answered with a grin. She knew people were going to be asking her about her costume. She did not choose any specific hero and just grabbed a hodgepodge of costume material: a light blue table cloth that Una said she could make into a cape, a black leotard, pink stretch pants, pink rubber gloves and a standard black mascarade mask.
"Shouldn't you be dressed in Orange and black?"
"That would be Captain Halloween," she kept her strange smile even after the man had left and the woman placed the items she wished to purchase. "Did you find everything okay?"
"I knew what I wanted," deep lines formed in the elderly woman's face as she smiled.
Morrey matched her grin as she rang up the items: a spool of golden twine, a three inch doll and a palm sized mirror. "Somebody seeks protection for tonight." The mirror she placed into the bag was the type used for shielding homes.
"It's actualy for tomorrow," the other woman reached for her purse. "I don't mind giving out treats to the children. I wish some of them were kind in return. Several older children liked to throw things at my house."
"I'm pretty sure this will be enough to protect your house," Morrey gave her the price of the items.
"May you have a happy Halloween."
Morrey was right. As she rang up the teenagers she saw that her line had grew even longer. There were three more teenagers waiting behind the Goth girls. By the way they were talking to each other she could tell they were a group. They were non descript, not belonging into any social group. The taller of the two girls wore a pair of tortoise shell rimmed glasses and kept her copper colored hair in two braids. The boy wore a red sweater with a hood. Between them they held onto five different items.
"I hope you found everything without much trouble," Morrey grinned as the shorter girl handed her the sickly yellow candles.
"Everything was clearly labeled," the shorter girl said as she accepted the items from her friends. Her pale blond hair was styled into a page boy cut with a pair of dark purple butterfly shaped barrets placed into the sides of her hair. "There was no trouble at all."
"We try to keep everything in proper order here," she examined each ingredient that was given to her. The first three seemed simple enough; the greenish yellow candles that were primarily used for summoning spells, the bag of hemlock roots, and the slender wooden wand with arrow shaped piece of quartzite. The wands were used for simple spells such as lighting fires and creating a light to help the owner find their way out of a dark place. The last two caused her to raise her eyebrows. The round, dark blue crystal attached to a chain of pure silver should be used for complex spells and the same could be said for the small statue that was slid across the counter.
"Is there something wrong?" The short girl was the only one of the group who actually spoke. Her calm words contained a chill that ran ice down Morrey's spine. She was the only one of the three who did not seem nervous.
"The crystal and statue are a bit complex and expensive."
"I have the money."
"I still think you should wait a few minutes," Morrey raised both of her pointer fingers before she stepped out from behind her register.
"Morrey?" Blanche turned sharply, causing the large coin like earrings to swing from her earlobes. The woman was bogged down with several customers. Morrey would have asked her if she wasn't dressed like a gypsy. The poor woman looked like she might trip on the near floor length skirt.
"I need to see someone real quick."
The person she needed to see was near the back of the store directing a couple of people to wear they kept the bottles of oil. Morrey had asked him to be in costume, but instead he decided to war a pair of jeans, a black shirt, brown leather trench coat and a large pair of sunglasses. His long hair was styled in the usual ponytail.
"I think I may have a small problem," Morrey had waited until Gray was finished talking to the customers before she spoke up.
"People are not harassing you are they?" Gray shoved his hands into his pockets. He appeared as if he did not care if he got recognized, thinking that simple pair of sun shades and dying his hair to a rich golden blond would be enough.
"It's about what they are trying to buy, and you might not want to speak with them since you are not in costume."
"I happen to be in costume," Gray did not ditch his trademark grin. "You need to read more webcomics."
"I'll ask about that later. I'm concerned about what those kids are buying," she gestured back to her register.
"Kids?" Gray's platinum eyebrows rose above his sunglasses. "They are not much younger than you."
"They look like they are still in highschool. What concerns me is what they are purchasing. I felt like you would know which items might cause a dangerous experiment."
"I may have to check my notes," he couldn't restrain himself from laughing. "What are they trying to buy?"
"Candles of summoning, hemlock roots, a wand with a quartz, a fire lapis amulet and one of those statues they keep in the near back."
"What kind of statue," the joking tone Gray had used was removed from his voice.
"About a foot tall and of a woman wearing a hooded cloak that looked torn at the edges. She looked light she had skulls for shoulder pads.
"I can understand your concern," he glanced back at the tree teenagers. The boy and the girl with the glasses were fidgeting while the girl with the butterflies in her hair appeared quite annoyed. "Don't sell them that statue, make up something about store policy or whatnot. Just do not sell them the statue."
Morrey quickly returned to her register. "I'm sorry about the wait."
"Don't be," the shorter girl continued her cold and stoic tone.
"I'm also sorry in the fact that I cannot sell you all these items, especially the statue."
"Why can you not?"
"There is a store policy about that statue. You have to at least be of eighteen years."
The girl turned around and spoke with her friends in whispers. It reminded Morrey of a sports huddle. "We understand and respect your policy." The girl said after their discussion lasted a couple of minutes
"Thank you for understanding."
"We'll buy everything except for the roots and the statue."
"That can be arranged," Morrey removed the statue and the bag of roots and placed it onto the small table behind her.
"Why do I have to do this?" the complaint came out of the long equine muzzle of the youth seated at the end of the work desk. While his father was seated in a black vinyl office chair he had to sit down on a stool without any form of padding.
"Because we had a large turnout today," large bronze hands held onto a thick barreled fountain pen and a clip board containing the inventory that was sold from the shop that day.
"Why don't you ask Tabby to do this?" Colt glared at both his father and the long paper that came from one of the registers. He bore little resemblance to his father save for the color of his long mane. "This is taking too long."
"You would rather wittle away your precious hours playing video games?" Leo did not remove his gaze from the board. "Your sister has different responsibilities."
"Learning magic and mating with Griff," Colt sat up straight when he felt his father take a handful of his hair and pull. "Lay off."
"I will not lay off. You are starting to develop a mouth.Your mother and I already suffered that from Tabitha. We are not going to deal with this attitude of yours."
"Just because I don't want to do this tonight?"
"You are going to help me with the book keeping tonight and every night. Someday you and your mate will own and run the shop."
"Why does it have to be me?" he wrote down the name of another item and how much was sold. "I guess Tabby is too busy with Arthur and his quests, what about Richard?"
"Your little brother may want to run the shop, but until he is old enough to be doing what you are doing you will learn the trade."
Colt's velvety lips mumbled something that was too soft for his father to hear. The work he was doing was monotonous and was going to take hours. He understood why it had to be done. It was mostly for the records and the bank and he understood why they were doing the sales for the 30th even though they tallied up the weeks sales on Friday.
"Is it longer on Fridays after an average work week?" Colt did not look up from his work as he filed everything into the books.
"Mostly," Leo added another mark to the item number of the crystal balls. They usually sold a lot of those around Halloween and they were going to have to restock soon."
"Why don't we get a laptop? It would be much easier to record everything?"
"Why don't we talk less and work harder? We will get done much faster." He marked down another sale of a few books and went down to the next item on the list "Great Dragon."
"Whats wrong?"
"One of the statues of the ancients was sold."
"Were they not for sale?"
"No, no. They are very much so. It's just that they are very expensive and are used for very intricate and powerful spells."
"It's good revenue for the shop then?"
"Yes it is." He stared back at the chart and then at the register slip in his son's hand. "I want you go ahead and see if anything else was sold along with the statue."
"I already checked it. It was sold along with a bag of hemlock root."
"Was there anything else?"
"No sir."
"Odd," he glanced at the following five items, non of which had cost nearly as much as the statue. "I'm surprised they did not buy anything more if they planned on using the statue."
"They may already have the ingredients," Colt shrugged. "Or they may have their wallet drained and cannot afford anything else." The youth did not think any much more the item his father had become excited about and concentrated on trying to finish the slip from Blanches register before he could move onto Morrey's.
The first step into removing hatred was to try to understand those that you hate. It was the words that ran through the mind of Ekidna as she slithered around Edward's large library. If she read about the humans and read the stories and poems that they could create she may understand them better. She admired his collection of books. The highly stacked book cases that were filled with books each had a theme to them. One was devoted to non fiction: books on archeology, psychology, philosophy a few atlases, dictionaries and a set of enclylopedia. The second contained books of classic literature, stories written before the 20th century, including the complete works of Shakespeare. The third contained stories that were a bit more modern.
"Why did some of them die at such a young age," the lower section of serpent woman lurched across the smooth wooden floor. The books and the floor were a few reasons why she liked the room. A few of the other rooms in the house had carpeted floor and while it was soft it also ticked her in an uncomfortable way when she moved across the material.
"Who?" the owner of the mansion was on his hands and knees, searching through the waist high shelves that contained framed photographs, potted plants, and works of pottery.
"The writers," her eyes of crimson were focused on the book she held in her hand. She selected it because of the word Romantic was on the cover. The poetry within the pages painted beautiful images in her mind.
"Sseveral died at a young age," he slowly backed up and turned to face her. The large bowl that appeared to have been created out of marble stood out against his dark brown hands. He was more human than her in appearance with a body like the average human. His head and skin made him stand out. Instead of smooth flesh he was covered with scales. His bald head ended in a seprent like snout, a split in his upper lip allowed for his forked tounge to dart out. The sides of his head and neck were flanked by loose skin."Which one do you have in mind?"
"I am thinking of many of them," she glanced down at the pages before looking at him. She could not help to be somewhat attracted to him. Under his brown scales his limbs were padded with firm muscles.
"Ssamuel Coolridge had a disseasse," Edward's ran his thumb against the surface removing the thick layer of dust. The true color of the bowl was an ever deeper shade of blue. "It wass a shame."
"I understand the disease, but he was not even thirty. That is young, even for a human. There are others. Those that took their own life."
"Like Ssylvia Plath?" He was going to have to take the bowl to the kitchen to have it cleaned properly.
"Why would they take their own life? Why would anyone?" She followed him into the hall, thankful he had the carpeting in the hallway removed.
"Depression iss the primary ssource."
"Why would they be depressed? Their species is dominant and what they were able to create is amazing. If I could write such poetry I would be esthetic every day."
"Thingss are not that ssimple," Edwards stepped into his kitchen, another room that had hard floor instead of carpet. The tiles on his floor were arranged to resemble a mosaic of sunbursts. "Many of the classsic writerss ssuffered from mental dissorderss, many were bipolar."
"They are at their happiest at one second and their saddest at the next," she slithered in after him. "I have read your psychology books."
"Reading about the mind is almosst and interesting as hisstory to me."
"I understand that my species and humans are not that different," she watched as Edward's took a simple wash cloth and ran it under warm water. "I believe one of our criminals is a sociopath."
"I'm glad you are enjoying my library." He ran out the exces water before rubbing the side of the bowl.
"Should you be cleaning a pricless treasure like that?"
"Pricelesss?" He stared at the large bowl in his hands. "This did not cosst much. It'ss a cheap replica made out of plasstic. I keep it in the library because it doesn't fit in the cabinetss and because it lookss like the real thing."
"Why did you take it out?"
"I'm going to usse it for tomorrow," a grin broke out on his serpent face. "I'm going to fill it with the ssweetss Arthur is bringing around tomorrow."
"You are giving out candy?" Her eyes widened in worry.
Edwards noted the change of tone in her voice. "Do not be afraid. Everyone who comess to our door will be in costume and they will think the very ssame of uss."
"You are certain?"
"It'ss Halloween. We have nothing to be afraid about. Nothing iss as it sseemss and ssome ssay that real magic happenss that night," he took her hand into his hoping it would calm her.
The dirt had neither the softness of soil after a light shower nor was it as hard as dry and baked clay. The wooden stick penetrated through the ground without much effort. Pale hands formed a tight grip at the end of the stick and dragged long, creating a distinguished line. The teenage boy who visited the shop with his two friends had the hood of his jumper over his head. His dark brown bangs hung over his eyes.
"I still can't believe we were able to get everything," the tall teenager girl cleaned her glasses and slipped them back onto her face. "It was almost a good thing that American didn't sell us the statue. We would not have been able to afford it."
"Do you think what she told us was B.S.?" The boy asked. "I noticed she was talking to some bloke in the back of the shop before shed told us we couldn't buy it."
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was," she opened the bag containing the candles they had bought earlier and pulled one out. "You could almost think she knew what we were trying to do."
"I guess that is why we left the hemlock root," he drew another line from the point and brought it down until it was level to the starting point, creating an acute angle. "This does worry me though."
"What does?"
"The fact that we chose a random location to perform this spell and the fact we are just using an ordinary stick," he drew another line from the starting point. "Shouldn't it be made of a certain type of wood?"
"We only purchased what he told us too."
"I thought you would have the candles placed by now, Ruth." The shorter girl entered the cleaning, carrying a cloth bundle. "But I can see that Wesley is not even finished with his simple assignment."
"Now that is not quite fair, Patricia." Wesley drew another line in the dirt. " I only just started." Another line was drawn, connecting the last to the starting point and finishing the shape of the star.
"You would have been done a lot faster if you didn't prattle on."
"You can't be too angry with him," Ruth was ready to place the candles into the points of the pentacle, but she had to wait until Wesley had drawn a circle around it. "He wasn't sure if he should have used a specific wooden stick to draw the pentacle."
"Do you mean something like the wand?" her cold tone lightened at the end. "Our leader is quite busy with it. He needs to work with the quartz at the end of the wand along with the fire lapis."
"Do you have the other stuff?" Ruth placed each candle into the points, using the sticks of wax to dig into the ground.
"Most of it," Patricia set the bundle down and folded over the ends. The cloth was used to carefully transport a few objects to the chosen ground of dirt. In addition to the silver bowl she pulled out the bag of hemlock and statue the three of them had to leave behind at the store.
"Do we place it in the middle of the circle?" Wesley asked.
"Nathan told me to place it right here," Patricia placed the bowl at the bottom of the pentacle and set the state in the center of the bowl. She took a handful of the root and sprinkled around the statue, placing handfuls until she had filled up the dish.
"Well done," the oily smooth voice had caused both Wesley and Ruth to jump.
"We may have been faster," Patricia turned around to see the six foot wiry man as he approached them. To her somewhat dismay he did not dress in any flowing robes. He wore black business suit with a deep gray shirt. She wished he would have worn the robes to give him a more mystical appearance. His dark hair ws cut and styled like a professiona buisness man's. He did not have any form of beard, but a neatly trimmed pencil thin mustache. "The others tend to dawdle."
"We just wanted to make sure everything was in proper order," Wesley was getting tired of Patricia belittling them. "We wouldn't want to make a mistake and have to start all over again."
"He does have a point, Patricia," He gently shoved the shorter teen aside and stood in front of the prepared bowl. The chain containing the fire lapis hung around his neck. "We are not in any sort of hurry."
"Did you configure the quartz?" Ruth hoped her question was not going to bring out another rude comment from Patricia.
"Yes I have my dear," Nathan brought out the wand. The quartz at the end was the same shade of deep blue as the crystal hanginging around his neck. "Everything is ready."
"Should I light the candles?"
"I believe I'll take care of all the fire," Nate held out the wand and pointed the crystal end at the nearest candle. "Ignus!" a small flame danced at the end of the crystal and landed on the wick. He used the same method to light the rest of the candles before he pointed the crystal at bowl. "Ignus." The flame landed on the roots, only a second went by before the roots became ignited and a purplish gray smoke wafted up.
At the sight of the flames both Wesley and Ruth backed up several feet until they were well behind Nathan. Even Patricia thought it would be safe to stand a few feet behind their teacher. She did not seem to mind the fact the other two inched closer to her, as if she were able to provide a protective shield for them.
"The candles have been lit and the roots surrounding the statue of Hecate have been set aflame," his grip around the center of the wand increased as he inhaled deeply. "Ego aecesso creatura, Hecate. Signum penitus Briton solum nam millie annos.Lapis flamma sanctum, statua continuus ut tu. Quasso solvo purus tu inreto!"
The last words of the enchantment were barely out of his lips when the flames on the candles changed color from golden orange to a deep blue. The flames in the bowl had risen until the had over taken the stone form in the center.
The pentacle became lit up with an eerie blue light that was bright enough to cast a glow over the faces of both the wizard and his servants. A pillar of light shot up from the pentacle to the sky, reaching several feet and seemed to solidify into an opaque from before it faded into nothing.
The second the light had faded the flame in the bowl had gone out as well as the flames on the candles. The only thing stirring within the circle was the woman who raised her head.
"It worked," Wesley found his voice. He stood as still as a department store manewuin. He was almost afrid to breath, due to not wanting whatever they had summoned to see his chest move.
"Don't speak," Ruth's words were barely a whisper. She was as afraid as Wesley, but she did not stand as rigid. Her body was shaking.
"Hush," Patricia hissed as she glared at both of them.
"Hecate," Nathan was the only one to speak in a tone that was actually audible.
The woman was dressed in mostly leather. The only cloth she seemed to don were the trousers like leggings and the cloak she wore with the hood pulled over, the ends of the the deep blue cloak were cute and torn, the noticeable tatters fluttered in the near and still breezes. She wore a skirt made out of segmented leather and boots that went up to her knees. Her chest was covered in strap of tanned deerskin with circular pieces of metal over each breast. A buckle made out of brass and the same shade of lapis as the jewel hanging around Nathan's neck held her skirt in place. The metal kneepads had the same stone embedded in the center.
"Hecate, you have awoken." Nathan had noticed he still held the wand up and slowly lowered it.
"I was not asleep." The woman in the center of the circle pushed back the hood and pushed back the cloak, revealing the goat skulls she used as shoulder pads. Her long hair fell down to beneath her shoulders. It was as black as a burned out pan in the center and blood red on the right. The left side was golden orange shade. "I have a question."
"I am sorry," Nathan could not keep from staring at Hecate's face and it was not because she was beautiful. She had the long pointed ears of her faerie heritage and unique and beautiful eyes. The schelera was sky blue while the iris's were the same color of a Robin's egg. "I am sure you are grateful for us freeing you and as you can see that I wear the crystal you prefer around my neck."
"I'm sorry," her full lips were turned into a frown. "I thought I was asking a question."
"Forgive me, you may ask your question without any further interruption."
"I want to know what year is it and is it still A.D?"
"It's 2004, getting near to 2005."
"I've been trapped for a thousand and three years," she stepped out of the circle. "Can you tell me how much has changed?"
"There are new countries," Nathan quickly explained. "Parliament practically runs England now and Scotland and Wales are officially a part of the United Kingdom. There is also electricity and vehicles that do not need animals-"
"You are too slow," Hecate cut him off. "I can learn about this world faster than your lips can flap."
"You are going to need me."
"I believe I can do fine without you." She floated into the air.
Nathan could not hold back on his patience any longer. "I summoned you." He glared at the figure that continued to rise higher in the sky. "I was the one who freed you from your prison. I wear the fire lapis around my neck. Come back here!"
The last words had reached Hecate's ear. The immortal was only a few inches from Nathan's face within seconds. "What did you say?"
"I said I wear the fire lapis around my neck," he fingered the jewel and held the wand out towards her. "I have configured the crystal at the end of this wand to be attuned to the lapis. Not only did I summon you I have control over you."
"Is that what you think?" She turned to face the teenagers. Both Ruth and Wesley were trembling and even Patricia appeared worried. "All that jewel is doing is improving your pathetic appearance."
"Excuse me?" The middle aged man blinked.
"I mean what I said," She grabbed onto the jewel, the same stone matched the gems on the metal plating of the back of her gloves. "Maybe if I wore it." She slipped it from his neck and paled it over her head.
"Who are you," he regained his steady and smooth voice.
"I am Hecate. I am she who taught magic to the mortals."
"And who am I?"
"You are the human who performed the spell that released me from the dirt."
"And?" He raised his eyebrows
"And that is it."
His eyes widened with worry."And you are not under my control?"
She shook her head. "You are more pathetic than I had originally thought. How long have you been practicing magic?"
"I have been casting spells for over ten years."
"Ten years?" her fiery eye brows knitted. "You have only been casting spells for ten years." She grabbed onto his lips to keep him from uttering another word. "I don't care how powerful you are or the vast well of knowledge you claim to have in your skull. I am Hecate. My mother was half human and half demon. My father is one of Oberon's. Do you think you are strong enough to trap me, the one who defied Oberon's rule and taught the humans how to use magic?" She released her hold and resumed her track into the sky.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"I'm going to learn about this world. It has changed so much, and how am I going to be able to have any form of fun if I don't under stand this world?" She removed the jewel form her neck and threw it at the ground. "On second thought I feel you should keep this. It did improve your homely form while you wore it."
Ruth was the first to tear her gaze from vanishing form of the immortal. She ran over to where the crystal had fallen and retrieved the gem.
"Sir?" Patricia was the first to speak. "What should we do now?"
"We are going back to the shop," Nathan was still trying to recover the shock of the event that had just unfolded before him. It was not the mere fact he was able to perform the spell it was because the being he summoned did not only not listen to him but had insulted his powers and his looks. "They will know what to do." He accepted the lapis back from Ruth and placed it around his neck.
Ivory Talons enclosed in scarlet gloves held onto the wooden handle of the broom as Una brought bristles against the floor and swept the dirt and other debris close to the back of the store. There was not much activity. Just two customers browsing the shelves for a magical item they may wish to purchase. A complete transformation from how busy the store was during the hours she was trapped in stone sleep.
"Not many customers at this hour it seems," the woman who was checking out the bottles that contained various types of finely ground ingredients approached the only cashier. "Most people are probably asleep by this hour."
"We honor the times on the sign," the youth ringing her up said. "We close at two in the morning, except on Sunday."
"I heard it was quite busy this morning."
"I heard the same and wouldn't be surprised if I worked during one of the morning shifts, except I'm not a day person."
"I don't blame you." The woman formed a strong gasp on the handles of her bag. "Have a good evening."
Una had waited until she heard the store bells to ring before she went back to sweeping. She had only wanted a small break in between sweeping and listening to the discussion between the customers and the store employees.
The bells jingled again but the musical sound was overcome by the thundering beats of shoes against the tiles. Una could tell they were running towards the cashier even without having to look up.
"We have a small problem," the voice of a middle age man cause the broom to pause again. "We purchased a few things from your shop earlier today."
"Do you want a refund?"
"No, we need to talk to someone who has knowledge of spell casting."
"Why is that?" Una did not normally drop in on the middle of the conversations unless someone wanted to speak with one of the shop owners or a sorceress. She noted the way they stared at each other. The shorter girl was the first one to blink.
"That is an amazing costume," she said before reaching up to her hair and touched one of the plastic hair clips.
"I have been told such things before." She motioned to the four of them to approach her as she walked over toe the doorway that separated the store from the back storage. Tabby had finished her work in sweeping and dusting and she did not have to worry about the four humans seeing any members of her family and clan. "What is it that you need to ask?"
"My three students were here earlier and bought a quartz tipped wand, candles of summoning, and a fire lapis amulet. I came back an hour after they had left and bought hemlock roots and the statue of Hecate."
"Please tell me what you used them for," she kept her voice low as not to rouse any attention from her employee and the other customer in the store. She had a small inkling of what the man and the teenagers may have been up too, but did not want to make any assumptions.
"I have read about the being known as Hecate," the man spoke calmly. His storm colored eyes kept staring at his servants and at the store behind them. Like Una, he seemed to not want many people to know what he had done. "I had learned that in the basic stories that are found in most books she was a teacher who taught witchcraft and sorcery to humans, but I found out more stories about her. Some that explain she was not one of the titans but also had some mortal blood which was why she was able to teach magic to mortals. There was even a small story about how she was imprisoned by a powerful mage."
"Please get to the point." Una had ordered in her most dryest tone. She may not want to rouse any attention from her employee, but the inlling suspision of what the spell castor before her may have done and the dragged out way he was speaking to her was grating against her nerves.
"Yes," he nodded, stopping abruptly halfway through. "I came across another book. A book that contains a spell on how to summon and free powerful beings and how to be able to control those who you summoned."
"You didn't," Una's voice went from stern to frightened within seconds. "Tell me you didn't try to free Hecate from whatever prison she was placed in."
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you what you wish to hear."
"What have you done?" She shook her head and tried not to raise her voice. "Do you have any idea what you have released upon our city?"
"I understand she is powerful, and that is why we freed her."
"If you truly understood then you wouldn't have attempted the spell," Una fought back the urge to slap the man across the face.
"She couldn't have been any worse than that monster," The boy spoke up, using a tone that suggested he wasn't sure if he should be talking or not. "She's not going to burn down buildings and flip over cars."
"That is just the thing. We don't know what trouble she is going to bring to London, and you thought you could control her?"
"The binding spell required a simple wand and an amulet using the stone they had favored," the man touched the lapis hanging from his neck.
"You are a foolish man. Only a being who is a powerful spell castor and one who is of the faerie heritage could even possibly tame her."
"Who in the world could that possibly be?"
"The one who imprisoned her in the first place."
"He or she shant be the only one who can stop her," the girl with the glasses looked worried. "We thought you would know. That is why we came back here."
"You were wise enough in that aspect," Una softened her voice.
"There is some way we can stop her?" The girl with the barrettes tried to sound as calm as the man. "Since there is no way we can find who sealed her."
"The one who did imprison her may still be alive if he is of faerie lineage." She did not want to tell them too much. She did not want to explain to them the divided factors between the third race or how the Unseelie had gathered and were responsible for the jabberwock's attack.
What an amassing world she had awoken up to. Everywhere she turned there was a new discovery and more she had to learn about. The dazzling lights of the buildings were the first thing that had attracted Hecate. The humans were able to harness light into various objects and use it in many forms . Some were even formed into pictures of bright colors.
"Oh such wonders these humans have discovered and created," she floated above the city to view the changes. "It's such a brave new world. How long have I been sealed. I missed these new discoveries when they came out. The ways they can travel, the way they can light their paths and enjoy music."
The second thing that had caught her eyes were the armored vehicles that lined the roads. They were fast and did not appear to be powered by an animal or magic. That foolish human who freed her was right. The third were some of the smaller machines the humans either held or watched. Music came from small boxes and there were larger boxes in one of the shops with moving images on the sides with the glass.
Hecate had to learn about the world she had awoken up in. She changed her clothing to resemble the humans before she sought out a library. Clothing had also improved over the years. Many women had cast aside the skirts in the favor of trousers and they did not seem to wear as much. Her feet were comfortable in the shoes she had chosen for her self and the material was light. She was going to have to find out about the material they used for their modern day clothing and how they were made. So many new things in the world. It was going to be a long day in the library indeed.
Hecate had started in the reference section and read through the encylopedias. She learned the humans were able to do many of the things she had seen them do because of electricity. The same energy that was found within bolts of lightening were also used to light the room she was seated in. They learned how to generate and control such power. She read and learned about cars, bicycles, airplanes and trains. The humans seemed to have a machine for everything. There were machines to sew clothing, help people breath and to exorcise.
The other fact she learned that morning that it was the day of Halloween. Humans would be dressed in costumes and children in some parts of the city would be going door to door for candy, including the section of town she was in. That explained the decorations she had seen through the city. It was based on the holiday of Samhain.
"What a fascinating way to celebrate the holiday of Samhain," she paused by a building that had a wreath made out for dried corn husks, dyed black and orange. "The children will be going door to door with in a few hours." She pointed at the wreath. The black parts of the decoration lightened to a deep blue and the orange parts turned to a golden yellow hue. "They may get the treats from their neighbors, but I'm going to be the one that will give them tricks.
She ran up to a store that had orange and black streamers over the door way and pointed at it before making herself invisible. She watched a woman wearing a large pair of glasses walked by. The second the old woman walked by the door the streamers came to life and grabbed onto her glasses.
"Goodness," the plump woman stopped in her tracks and turned around. Her glasses were suspended in what appeared to have been a tangle in the streamers "I better put-on me glasses chain." she pulled her eyewear from the papery material and slid them back onto her head. "I should change these if mere streamers can snag them off."
Hecate made her self visible after the woman had left. She should do that trick more often. Hair jewelry and hats could also get caught. The unsuspecting humans would not even know the streamers they had passed by were enchanted.
The hybrid flew over the street relasing her enchantment onto everything that had grabbed her interest. She brought fake spiders to life, alterd the weight of helium balloons until they were as heavy as bowling balls. She increased the size of lettering in a display window until it completely blocked whatever it was they were trying to sell inside. At one trash can she passed by she used her magic for every third person who threw away their rubbish it would bounce back towards them. One store had a large ghost display. The eerie figure appeared to have it' body and arms move in the wind while it's feet were secured to the ground. She shrank it till it was under one foot in size.
"The firsst group of the night!" Dr. Edwards leaped to his feet at the sound of the hanging decoration outside going off and had grabbed onto the bowl filled with treats by the time the door bell rang. "Come out here Ekidna. You will get to ssee firsst hand at what a joyous sselebrataion thiss iss."
"Trick or treat," there were three children standing outside Edwards's home. The girl was the oldest of the three wnd was dressed in an outfit that made Edward's think of the Disney version off Alice of Alice in Wonderland. It made sense for one of the boys to be dressed as the Mad Hatter. The third member was dressed as one of those Major Power Teen whatever the flavor of the week was.
"My what clever costumes," the serpent man tried his hardest to keep his forked tongue from slipping out between his lips.
"Thank you good sir," the girl smiled as she opened the mouth of her candy bag. All three of them were given empty potato sacks. "Your costume is very well done. Are you going to a party afterwards?"
"Yes, I happened to be going to a party for adults."
"What kind of monster are you supposed to be?" the boy in the red power teen costume asked.
"This isn't a monster costume," Edward's felt taken aback by the monster comment. "I happen to be character form Egyptian mythology."
"Brilliant," the boy in the Mad Hatter smiled.
"Now don't eat too many sweets tonight," Edward's dropped the sugary treats into their bags. "And after you have eaten some of your treats make sure you brush your teeth. You don't want to cause the sugar demons to cause cavities."
"I'll make sure my brother brushes," the girl closed her bag. "Thank you."
"Thank you," the boys echoed the girl before they followed her.
"That wasn't sso bad," Edward's closed the door.
"Not so bad?" A pained look spread across Echidna's face. "They called you a monster. How could that be not so bad?"
"Only one called me that," He placed the bowl down onto the end table next to the door. "It wasn't quite hiss fault. He was about seven or eight in years. When I was hiss age I did not know about Egyptian mythology."
"How many adult humans know about the serpent gods?"
"Not many. I have told you about the stares and uncomfortable feeling would be the worst."
"Why must you defend them?"
"They ussed to be my sspeciess," he did not turn around to face her. "I am not going to turn my back on them. Would you turn your back on the sspeciess you were born as if you were turned human?"
"I feel-" She felt like she was going trip over her words. "I wouldn't. I understand what you are going through."
"Would be accepting of humanss if you became one?"
Her scaly brow ridges turned up. "Are you planning on altering my form?"
"You are far too unique to be changed."
"I may try to fit in," she quickly stared at the floor. She did not want him to see her face changing to a bluish green color from the blush that was forming on her face. It was not quite a compliment on her beauty but it was close. "I may try to understand how they think."
"You may even ssee their is good in many of my former sspeciess and realize that you and they are not that far apart in differences. You have told me how your kind wass once treated ass monsterss by the humans and how you treated the firsst human you have seen after 2000 years of sseperation sounds similar to how your kind had been treated in the past."
"I know it sounds like we are no better than they are, but if you have heard the stories."
"Sstoriess that paint one sspeciess as monsterss promotess hatred, they sshould not be used as guideliness," he gently brushed one of the orange pointed tips on the sides of her hood. "Perhapss ass a footnote to how you had once felt about humanss, but not ass guideliness."
"I'm trying to understand, but it's hard."
"I know," smile formed across his face at the sound of the monster toy outside. "You can try by handing ssweetss to thesse children." He handed her the bowl.
"Why did you insist on hanging that toy outside?" She reached for the door handle.
"It letss us know the trick or treatorss are about to ring the bell."
She chose to ignore him and opened the door. "Happy Halloween."
The two boys did not come alone. One of their parents watched over them while they went door to door.The two children stared at her slack jawed and wide eyed. One little boy was dressed as scarecrow with a raggedy, flannel, button down shirt and patched up overalls. The other was wrapped up in cloth bandages.
"Now that is quite a costume," the parent said. "It must have taken you hours to put on that make up."
"Sewing the bottom half took up most of the time. I only put green paint on my arms and face."
"It's still quite a costume."
"I wish to win the grand prize. You should have seen who won last years contest."
"I'd be surprised if you didn't win any prize." The man looked sternly at his two children. "Well what do you say?"
"Trick or Treat," the children held out their bags.
Ekidna had just reached into the bowl when she heard gasps form both boys. Looking up she could see what had caused their fright. Something that resembled a cross between a monkey and a weasle were in each of their bags and both had poked their ugly heads out and grabbed onto the edges of the bags.
"Daddy?" The boy in the scarecrow costume was slowly setting the bag down while both creatures hissed and chattered.
"Blake?" Ekidna had stepped bake inside to set the bowl down. Her eyes moved over the creatures before staring at the boys. The child in the mummy costume had the color completely drained from his body and stood as stiff as aboard.
Both weasel creatures leaped out of the bags. One popped straight up and may have continued rising a few inches if his head did not strike against the awning. The other beast leaped for Echidna's chest, causing her to let go of the bowl and sending the pastel colored sweets to scatter across the floor.
"Get off!" Edward's smacked the beast in the face with enough force to shove it to the ground. The creature returned to it's feet and ran down the path followed by the other.
"Are you all right ma'am?" The man with the children asked. He had pulled both boys close to him as soon as the beasts had left the bag.
"I'm fine, how are the boys?"
"Just a bit frightened," he cuffed the back of his sons head while giving the other boy a gentle pat on the shoulder. "What were those things?"
"I don't quite know," Blake reentered his home. "I'm going to make sure they don't harm anyone those." He did not have much weapons, not evenly anything he could possibly use as a decoration. All he did have were a set of golf clubs and one of them would be good enough to strike against the creatures.
Treats that may have once been lollipops had melted into red goop in the woman's hands as she tried to place it into the open bag of the trick or treat visitors. She stared in shock at her sticky fingers. Even the sticks had melted and become part of the goo.
Hecate had watched the spectacle for where she hovered. The shock on the woman's face followed by the words and sounds of disgust from the children gave her the satisfaction she needed. There was an opportunity to play a prank around every corner and she was going to exploit it while she traveled through the city.
A small group of children were gathered together at corner. All three were holding onto plastic trick or treat bags and were glaring at a smaller boy dressed in a dinosaur costume.
"Stop dawdling," the girl who gave the order was dressed in a basic vampire outfit. She was dressed in a black gown with a hem that came to her ankles and wide open ended sleeves that ended at her wrists, A black cape with a deep purple lining was held securly to her chest by a fake gemstone made out of plastic. Pale make up covered her face and plastic fangs were in her mouth, making it difficult for her to talk. "We only have an hour left before we have to return home and we barely have any sweets."
"I can't go any faster," the little boy stumbled towards them. He carried the green dinosaur like head of his costume under one arm and his bag in the other. The large rubber feet of his costume made it difficult for him too run.
"Pity you cannot ditch him," the boy in the silver root costume jerked his head towards the smaller child. "We wouldn't have to walk at a snail's pace and play catch up for Barney."
"Mum would have a fit if we returned without her precious baby," the vampire turned her nose up. "Could you at least try to run?"
"I can't," the six year old pooched out his bottom lip.
"Why did you insist on wearing that rubber suit?"
"I want to be Godzilla."
"Next year find a costume you can actually move in." She turned in a huff and lead the group across the street. "You better run at this light. We are not going to wait for a second light."
"Why couldn't he have joined his own friends?" The vampire's female friend asked. She had covered her face and hands in the same pale makeup as her friend, but dressed in a pale bluedress with tattered ends and a white cloak with a hood.
"He wanted to but Mum wanted him to be with us," the vampire scowled. "She trusts an group of eleven year olds with her precious brat than with another brat and his parents."
"I'm not a brat," the littlest child whined. "I'm telling mum."
"Looks like you'll have to apologize," the robot sighed.
"I'm not apologizing. I don't care if she does threaten to punish me tomorrow. This whole evening was a set up so she could punish me."
"Are you sure your not jumping to conclusions?" The ghost girl asked.
"Why do you think she sent him with us than with a real adult? She wants to make me miserable. She agreed to the impossible costume and knowing he couldn't move like a normal human and gave us a set time limit. She would be upset if we came home early, but now that I insulted her baby I'm going to be sent to my room."
"Say your sorry," the six year old wiped his nose on the sleeve of his costume. "Or I' going to tell mum."
"Go a head and tell, but guess what, brat? I'm not going to be grounded and do you know why?"
Her brother only responded by shaking his head and sniffling.
"Guys?" The ghost girl felt like something was lifting her up. She stared down and saw her feet hovering above the sidewalk by a few inches.
"Not now," the vampire dismissed her friend without even looking at her. "Because Father will be home. He wasn't home when we left but he will be there now and I'm going to tell him about how we couldn't get a lot of sweets and how you were acting like a brat and trying to get me in trouble."
"I'm going to get airsick," the ghost girl tried to move her legs as if she were running on solid ground. It did her little good. She remained suspended in air with no way of getting down.
"How did you do that?" The robot boy had dropped his bag of treats in shock.
"I'm not doing this," she cried out to her friends as she rose even higher.
"Don't panic," the vampire's tone had done a complete turn around from annoyance to shock.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Just stay there."
"That is easy enough for you to say!" She felt her self moving backwards and higher. "Somebody think of something. I'm flying faster."
"One of us should stay here with you and the little guy while the other runs off to find some adults." The boy in the robot costume suggested
"Hurry up. I'm going to be sick" She tried to spin around and only stopped half way when she noticed she was nearing the embrace of a tree. She yelped when her body came in contact with the frailest twigs, snapping several off until she came into the firm clutch of several strong branches.
"I should be the one to stay," the girl in the vampire costume grabbed onto the wrist of her younger brother. "He's my brother. You go off and find some help."
The movement of the girl flailing around in the branches was the last thing Hecate saw out of the corner of her eye before she moved on. Part of her wanted to stay behind and help the one child with the situation with her mother. It did not seem at all fair that he mother seemed to lavish love and attention on the son and not the daughter. Of course she was not seeing all sides of the story and could not make a fair judgment.
"Oh, but where is the fun in that?" The immortal flew high over the city. Why doesn't anyone understand her sense of fun? Children should be laughing along with her instead of running into various directions and screaming. The girl dressed like a ghost should have enjoyed being placed in a tree. She dressed like a ghost, that meant she wanted to be a ghost and fly around, right?
Loud chirping brought her attention to the ground where the headlights of a car blinked temporarily. That must be what the humans use to protect their fascinating vehicles. Hecate searched the area wondering who owned the vehicle and saw a smartly dressed couple waltzing down the side walk. They did not seem to enjoy the holiday. She will fix it.
"Did you get the directions from Pauline?" the thin woman was dressed in a sleek black gown that hung from her boney shoulders. Full lips that where set in a bored frown were painted a pale berry color.
"There in my pocket," the tall man gave his tailor fit pants a light pat. He could feel the folded paper through the fine material and hear the slight crunching fusel of the paper being pressed.
"I don't want to have to stop and ask directions for the party." She examined her hands. Her finely manicured nails were colored with a sparkling polish that matched her lips.
"I said I have them," he ran his hands through his honey colored hair.
"I don't want to be late." She pulled out a small compact mirror and checked out her reflection. Her page boy bob of light brown hair was plastered in place by both the mousse and hair spray she selected. She had selected no liner or blush and just gave her eyelids a light dusting of lilac powder. the color was a perfect in between shade for her lipstick and the natraul crystal blue of her eyes.
"We'll only be fashionably late," the turned to where he parked his car and nearly jumped. Instead of his vehicle there was a giant pumpkin. "Brenda?"
"What is it now," her voice went from bored to annoyed within a few seconds. The sight of the gourd shattered her snooty expression. "What is that?"
"I do think it's a pumpkin," he placed his fingers against the gourd. It felt cool and hard with a light waxy coating. He craned his neck to see the top of the round fruit. A thick stem jutted out of the top and was flanked on one side by a large leaf and on Th. other by a curled vine bouncing around in the breeze. "It looks and it feels like a pumpkin. It even smells a like one."
"When did you become an expert on how a pumpkin smells?"
"It just doesn't smell like it's made out of plastic."
"How did it get here?"
"Why are you asking me that?" His green eyes narrowed slightly. "How would I know how a giant pumpkin got out here, and more importantly, where is my car."
"Are you sure this isn't prank by some of your coworkers, Marco?"
"Prank?" He spun around to stare at the gourd before looking back at her with his jaw hanging. "How could this be a prank? I don't know anyone who knows a farmer or a place where they can grow pumpkins to be that huge and even if they did they had no means of moving it out here."
"Well the car didn't just turn into a pumpkin like Cinderella's coach!"
"Oh, but that is where you are wrong," Hecate was close enough to the couple to hear their every word, but there was no way they could hear her smooth and soft voice. "What a strange couple. I played an amusing trick on them and instead of smiling they are even more upset." She flew around them in a wide circle. "It is no wonder they look uncomfortable. She is too frail and his cloths are too tight. Perhaps I should change their car back to normal. They may find some decent food and have a good time at this party they are heading towards. Maybe later."
She shot straight up into the air and continued into the direction that seemed to be pulling her. She could not exactly tell what it was. She sensed some magic. Magic that was more powerful than the fool and his students who freed her from her prison and sash continued down her path the stronger it seemed.
"So you are going to see where she is headed now?" The man leaned far across Morrey's shoulder, far enough for her to be able to tell he smoked pipe tobacco. "Or are you going to stuff more food down your throat?"
Nathan and his students were gathered in the back room along with Morrey for most of the day. Following Unas instructions Nathan had placed the jewel on top of the book case for them to keep a watch on. A table had been cleared and covered with newspaper, a few packages of clay and a few candles.
The white gargoyle had also given specific instructions to Morrey. She was not to let Nathan and his studnets to try and hunt down Hecate themselves, to keep them in either the store or back room, not to allow them to go up the stairs. The last instruction was for Morrey to create a map and track down Hecate's path, the same way Merlin had taught her when they were looking for the questing beast.
"American's tend to think about satisfying their appetites before thinking about the big picture." The girl with the butterflies in her hair commented under her breath.
Morrey chose to ignore her last comment and wiped off the remaining crumbs from her sandwich that were sticking to the corners of her mouth. She didn't mind the fact she had to spend most of the day in the back storage room with the four of them. The five of them kept their eyes on the signal lapis until it flared with the energy indicating that Hecate had begun to use her powers a few hours ago. She used the clay to create a map of the city and the wax of the candles to focus on the path the immortal had taken. She had only paused in her tracking to inform Una of what was going on when the gargoyles had awaken, to give updates to the white gargoyle so she could contact the clan and to get something to eat.
"She needed to eat," Wesley brought up. The boy in red had readjusted the plate on his lap while Ruth took another sip from her tea. "Her hands were shaking and she hadn't eaten in hours."
"She could have waited until we were out of the crisis," Patricia glared.at him.
"We don't know when that will be. We can't have her passing out now?"
"Why didn't she eat while finding the path?"
"Food can interfere with magic's," Nathan crossed his arms. "She still shouldn't have taken so long."
"Why didn't you try to do the spell while I ate?" Morrey disliked Nathan right off the bat. It wasn't the fact he kept rubbing his finger across his mustache or how his hair appeared that it never had come into contact with shampoo. It was the way he stared down at her, like she was a simple ant crawling towards him. The longer he stayed around her the less she liked. He was contanstly ordering her around and pacing, almost making her nervous. She wished Gray was around when she had first met the man.
"The arguing is not helping the situation," Ruth rose from her seat and without a word volunteered herself for collecting everyone's dishes.
"Thank you," Morrey selected one of the still lit candles and bought it over to the map she had created. She didn't mind Wesley or Ruth. They were both kind, even though they did not speak as much. Patricia annoyed her as much as Nathan. "You can put those dishes on the top of one of thselves, as long as it's bare."
"Nothing else?" Wesley offered.
"Nothing else, except for everyone to be quiet." She waited until all she could hear were the not too distant sounds of Arthur's boots climbing down the stairs next to the door. She had half wished it were the familiar clip clopping of Ulna's hooves. "Locate Hecate" She held the end of the candle near the last place it had dripped andwatched as the milky white substance fall from the wick and land a few inches. "She is still moving in the same direction."
"She had reached a whole new location," Nathan pointed out. "Are you not going to send someone to try to stop her?"
"I am going to ask some friends to see what mess she had caused and try to correct it."
"These friends you keep on talking about," Nathan began to walk again, but instead of resuming his pacing he approached the table where Morrey had set up the map. "How come we cannot see them?"
"They are not here," Morrey didn't haft lie about that fact. Most of the garoyles lived in the Chapel house. "I call them where they live."
"How do you know they could stand up against her?" There was no question on who he was referring too when she said her.
"Because they are quite resourceful." Arthur had stepped inside the room. He was dressed in a bluish gray business suit with a crisp white shirt and a dark gray tie. While beneath his neck he was dressed to suit the modern day 21st century he kept his hair the same as he did when he woke up. Long brown and gray hair was divided into four pony tails. Two were draped across his shoulders while the other two were placed across his back. His beard was mostly gray with only a couple thin streaks of brown flanking at the sides "And while we cannot divulge the information of how many there are, I can tell you there are quite many."
"Are you going to do anything about it?" Nathan folded his arms at the man who had just entered.
"That will depend on what Morrey had found," Arthur had chosen his calmest and most civil tone. Just because the visitor decided to be snide did not give him any right to be also.
"Still seems to be headings in the same direction," Morrey pointed at the trail of candle drippings.
"If she keeps this up she will arrive at the concert within an hour," the once and future king's eyebrows rose up in alarm. "I have to go now."
"You, Rory and Griff?"
"And possibly Tabby," Arthur turned towards the door. "I'll explain to Gray why you can't make it."
"Who does he think he is?" Patricia did not even wait for Arthur to be out of earshot before she snapped. "Waltzing in like that?"
"Arthur is a great historian and he is my tutor and friend," Morrey did not mind the rude comments directed towards her, but she was not about to allow the brat and her snobby leader to insult her friends. "Don't talk that way about him again."
"He knows Gray Kiteson?" Wesley had put the clues together. "How?"
"Who?" Nathan turned around to study the droplets of wax.
"Gray Kiteson is the lead singer of Osprey," Ruth gave her leader a strange glance. Even Patricia stared at him with a confused expression on her face. "They are giving a special Halloween concert tonight. They mentioned both Gray and the concert."
"Arthur used to be Gray's tutor when Gray was in highschool," Morrey wondered what both Arthur and Merlin would have thought about that explanation. Seeing the rock star she can't almost believe it was in reverse with them. "If it wasn't for Arthur's teachings Gray wouldn't have graduated."
"You seem to well connected, American." Patricia quickly resumed her haughty tone. "This doesn't speed up your finding of Hecate for us."
"You keep calling me that name," Morrey picked up the candle again. If they were going to press her to continue she would comply. "I don't think it means what you think it means."
"What?"
"I'm saying you are right in calling me American in that I am from one of the America's. North America to be exact."
"I see," Ruth smiled as she gave Patricia a friendly poke in the shoulder, earning a stern glance from the other girl in return. "Her accent isn't pronounced. She's Canadian."
"Who cares where she is from," Nathan did not bother to turn around to his servants to address them. "We are wasting our time."
"I'll do it again," Morrey waved the candle over the map. "Locate Hecate." the wax dripped from the same path, only inches from the last dripping.
"Still down the same path."
"I wonder what she would want to do with Osprey." Morrey could only guess Hecate was picking up Merlin's power. There was a good possibility the immortal knew the halfing a thousand years ago. He may have even knew who imprisoned her in the first place. A sudden wave of dread filled Morry. There was ago possibility Merlin was the one who imprisoned her.
"She's obviously just picked a random path," Nathan pointed at an area of the map, only an inch away from the last drop. "If we get in my car now we could head her off her by the time he reaches it."
"I think not," a white hand grasped the man by his wrist, causing him to turn around and face one of the magic shops owners.
"Una?" Morrey had heard the hard clopping of the unicorn like gargoyle's hooves and was surprised Nathan hadn't heard what he thought would have been hollow wooden heels.
"I think you have done enough," Una smiled at her. "You need your rest."
"We can take care of Hecate by ourselves," the man tried to wrench his wrist free from her grasp but could not succeed. He gave her a confused stare, wondering how she could be so strong.
"I think you have done quite enough," Una snapped. "We just have to rely on those who know what they are doing." She released the man. Her ice blue eyes were held in a disapproving glower, freezing the man in his footsteps in front of her.
Edwards could not keep his forked tounge from darting through the spilt in his upper lip as he raced after the strange creatures that had leaped out of the treat bags. He had hoped that no one would take notice of his deformity and it appeared he was in luck. The two strange creatures only ran across the yards of his neighbors, avoiding the cement paths that lead towards the sidewalk.
He swung out the golf club whenever he got remotly near the little beasts. No matter how hard, or how far out he had swung it, the little beasts would either jump, popping straight up into the air, or they would duck and roll away from Edwards's weapon of choice.
An oppurtunity came to the transformed man as the chase lead across a drive way of anotherh ouse. The family who owned it had decided to be a bit more festive by lining the drive way with small pumpkin shaped lights. One of the strange little beasts was too busy looking over it's shoulder to see what Edwards may do next it didn't notice the lights. It ran straight into one of the lights and tumbled backwards.
"Aha," the serpent man only removed his gazefrom the fallen beast for a mere second, long enough to watch the other scramble up the nearest tree. He would take care of the second one after he had killed the first. With his club raised high above his head he swung it down onto the skull of the little mutant.
Pale green smoke erupted around the both the end of the club and the beast the very second of impact. Edwards pulled back, ready to strike again. He had dared not remove his gaze from where the creature was and contined to watch as the smoke dissipated. He couldn't believe what he was staring at. Where there was one a strange creature there was a half melted chocolate bar.
"Well that takess care of one of them." He glanced towards the tree had seen the other climb up. He slowly approached the tree. His eyes were glued to the branches and the trunk, trying to locate his querry.
The feeling of something small and not to heavey landing on his shoulders had prompted Edwards to cry out in a mixture of shock and fear. He could feel tiny paws grabb onto his shirt collar and hear the strange chittering in his ear holes. He reached behind him and formed a tight grip on the furry thing he had felt. He tore it from his back and threw it in the air. He waited until it had fallen a few feet to strike at it with his club. Once more smoke had exploded on impact and instead of a wounded creature, a melted bar of chocolate landed in front of him.
"I can tell Ekidna they are taken care of." He rubbed the end of the club on the grass to remove any remaining chocolate residue before he turned towards his house.
The image of the several humans stomping around on the spiders she had brought to life remained fresh on Hecate's mind. While many things have changed since the thousand years she had been imprisoned in England's soil there were a few things that have yet to change. One of those is the fact that humans have little to no sense of humor. She could still not understand why they were running around screaming instead of laughing and enjoying the miracle she had caused. The spiders were not real and used for an obvious decoration. They were even a color that spiders would not come by in nature, at least not the spiders found in Britain.
"There were a few who had appreciated me," she flew over the city, following the path that had attracted her. The magic was becoming stronger. She could smell the powerful sorcery it was connected to, or it might be one of Oberons. she may come in contact with one of them. "They have a sense of humor. The will appreciate my power."
It was only minutes since her last prank when she learned what the scent was. The powerful fragrance that tickled the inside of her nostrils was more than familiar too her. Good humor was immediately replaced with anger which gave a way to a thirst to vengeance.
"Merlin," she hissed the name as she neared the building his stench was radiating from. "You are still around hafling son of the faerie king. I will not allow you to forget me." She paused when she neared the large building and read the sign in front: OSPEREY LIVE TONIGHT. "You are not fooling anyone with that name, Merlin. I see you decided to disobey your father and perform your tricks in front of mortals." She took notice of the amount of vehicles parked around the building. If Merlin wished to entertain large audience she was going to give them quite a show.
The main request was for the towels to be wet, not just damp but have been soaking in cool water before placed into the trays set on the top of the foot stools in-between back stage and their dressing rooms. It saved time for when the band members of Osprey needed to take a break and cool down.
Gray Kiteson craved a cigarette more than anything. The lead singer paused by the footstools containing the damp towels and bottles of water. His mouth craved the flavor of burnt tobacco, and the feeling of the warm air as he drew it into his lungs before exhaling it through his nostrils. He longed to hold a cigarette in between his fingers in one hand while draining half the contents of water in the other. He was going to have to wait until the end of the concert. He had promised he would not smoke if Trip and Orson promised not to drink and Cora promised not to grab the behind of any male groupie. If one had to force will power on themselves then the rest of them will have too.
He was able to peel off the T-shirt from his sweat covered chest. The shirt was not only soaked with his perspiration but also dripping from it. He felt he could have wrung it out over the bucket next to where a spare shirt was set on a hangar.
"Let someone else do that," he dropped the cloth into the bucket and grabbed one of the towels.
"Mr. Kiteson?" One of the members of security had approached the musician while he was nearly finished with wiping himself down. "There are some friends of yours here to see you."
"Did Arthur decide to stop by after all?" Gray removed the cap from the bottle of water and begun to drain it. The liquid was cool enough to burn his throat.
"Your former teacher, an Irishman and a young couple in very unique and well done costumes are here."
"Sounds like them," Gray paused between gulps.
"I explained them that you were in the middle of a show, but they have news for you. They wanted me to tell you that someone by the name of Hecate was coming."
"Hecate?" Gray pulled the bottle away in an abrupt manner that caused some of the liquid to spill out over the side. "Can't be. I sealed her myself."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind," Gray shook his head. "Tell them I shall speak with them during the next intermission." He grabbed onto his shirt and raced back to the stage. Hecate couldn't have been free, and if she was why would she be in London, unless it was to come after him. If that was the case he did not want Arthur or anyone else to tangle with her.
"We are about ready to play "Tempest," Cora explained as soon as he stepped on stage. She was decked out in a electric blue skirt that barely covered in thighs with a black mesh weave that was only as half as long on top of it. The black vest she wore came down to her middle and the belt of cloth covering her breasts could barely count as bra.
"Sounds good," Gray picked up the guitar that rested against the microphone pole. "We'll play a few more songs and then have an intermission."
"Intermission?" Trip asked. He had recently allowed his hair to grow back, he had kept it short with a zing sag pattern cut into it. "May I ask why?"
"Arthur is here," he quickly turned around to face the audience. "Great to see everyone," he waited until the audience finished cheering before he spoke again. "We've been around the world, and we love all of our fans no matter where we go, but there is something about returning home to perform.
The audience cheered again, growing to a dull roar with a mix of shrill cries weaved in. Way above the stage violate lightening danced between the lights.
"Looks like we got some good special effects," Cora stared at the light show above before she picked up her guitar.
"I love most of my fans and I won't deny the fact that I love the women," Gray paused to hear the women in the audience cry out his name. "I love most of the women except a few who are a little too unpredictable. I'm not talking about when women have that time. I'm talking about those crazy women whose' rage comes out of nowhere." More lighting crackled above the stage. The brilliant bolts danced close to the stage. "Like a storm, or a tempest."
The audience cheered even louder when they realized what song Gray planned on performing.
"I thought she would be a good kind of different," Gray sang as he strummed the first chords on his guitar. Trip on rythem guitar and Zane on keyboards picked up on the third note while Cora began strumming and Orson played the first few beats as Gray was about to sing the next line to the song. "Life was like a desert of monotony without an oasis."
Thick bolts shot down onto the stage next to Gray, the radiant energy died down, revealing the form of a woman dressed entirely in leather with a hooded cloak and the skulls of goats as shoulder pads. Her eyes were opaque blue slits. She took no notice of the crowd cheering and pointing at her, nor of the rest of the band members who stared at her in surprise.
"Long time no see," her words froze Gray's blood.
"She be like a refreshing summer rain," Gray did not loose the rhythm. He did not want to cause the audience to panic. They had no idea who or what Hecate was, and thought she was part of the act. "That was before the downpour began."
"What are you doing?" Hecate starred at his hands as they brushed against the strings. "When did you learn how to play, and I didn't know you can sing."
"A new surprise was waiting for me every day."
"So this is what you mean by performance," Hecate fought hard to keep from laughing. "You have changed. I should have done some further investigating." She turned back to the audience and held out her hands. More lighting danced around her fingers and she swayed her hips to the music.
'Unbelievable," Gray's eyes danced over to his band mates. They were as shocked as he was but they did not stop performing. 'Why am I acting surprised? Hecate always has to be the center of attention.'
It wasn't the most fascinating dancing the audience had ever seen, but the simple movements of the female hybrid was enough for them. She did not dance out of since of the music and overtime she raised her hands she caused her whole body to be engulfed in electricity.
Gray paused at the end of the song to catch his breath, he could really feel droplets of sweat traveling down the back of his neck while his new clean and dry shirt already began to absorb the sweat from the rest of his body. There were times when he went through three shirts from one performance. He closed his eyes to keen in on their cheering and applause from the audience.
The sudden silence of the audience promoted Gray to open his eye. He could see the people in the front rows paused in mid cheer. Female fans had their arms stretched out towards him, frozen like department store mannequins. He spun towards his band mates who were still mobile and staring at the crowd in shock.
"I didn't freeze your disciples," Hecate held one arm out. Her arm appeared as if a light purple residue was covering it in a slick goo that was quickly hardening to a crystal like substance. "I want them to know who you truly are before I have my vengeance."
"I already told them the truth." Gray did not remove his eyes from her as he handed his guitar over to Cora.
"Is this true?" Hecate stared deep into the shaded eyes of Trip. "Has he been straight forward with you?"
"We were together a couple of years before he told us he was Merlin," Trip said. "Told us everything. We thought he was off his rocker, but we believe most of it."
"Interesting. You four may go now."
"Why?" Cora asked as she held her guitar as if it were a weapon.
"Cause you don't understand what you are up against." Merlin dared not remove his gaze from Hecate. "This is between her and me."
"Trust me. This might get messy." Hecate smirked at the band members. "I'll try not to hit you but can't promise if any backlash strikes you."
"What have you done to the audience?" Gray felt a similar substance to Hecate's crystal form over his arm while he heard the footsteps of his band mates as they quickly exited the stage. There was no doubt they were going to tell Arthur what was going on. He would have wait
"They are frozen in time. No matter what happens to us they will be unaffected." She rose several feet into the air, her arm had extended into a sharp crystal sword. "Now!" It was the only warning she gave before she dove down towards him.
Gray raised his arm bearing the crystal sword he had created. It had matched Hecate's in the exact same level of thickness and and width, resembling a saber more than a sword with craggy notchis on the bottom of the blade. The only difference was the color. His being a more silvery blue.
Hecate pulled back after the edges of the blades grazed each other, sending shimmeirng sparks to leap from the edges. She tried to strike again, each time she came close to landing an injury on the halfing he would block. The simple fight was begging to tire her, narrowing her eyes she took a step back, freeing her sword from the clutch of Merlin's.
"Some things still have yet to change," she hissed before she struck again, just as she had anticipated Merlin had brought hisw eapon against hers. She was certain he was anticipating for her to lash out again, but what he didn't expect was for the blade to have melted into a viscous substance that stuck to his blade and continued to flow fro her arm. More of the same substance flowed from her other hand hand as she weaved the gooey material over the startled halfling. "Now who is the one who is trapped?"
His only response was the appearance of opaque frost forming over his entire body. Cracks soon followed after the freezing process. "Oh please," the words dripped with distain as the hardened pieces flew from his body. "I'm afraid you are going to have to do better than that."
"Oh, I'll do better," bolts of electricty covered her entire body.
Gray did not want to waste anytime waitng for her power level to build up. He made a throwing motion towards her, as if he was tossing garbage into one of the dust bins and sent sphere of green fire towards her.
The hybrid did not loose any of the electricty as she perfomed a back flip to avoid the flames and landed on her hands. Aiming the tips of her toes at him, she sent forth her lightening attack.
Arthur did not offer any courtiousies to Gray's band menders. All he heard coming out of their mouths were the words Gray, a strange woman, and trouble, and it was all he needed to hear before he shoved aside the musicians. A small inkling at the back of his mind let him know he was going to fell guilty later for having been rude to them and would probably invite them to tea, even if they were not the type.
"Do we even know what we are going up against," Griff had heard about how Gray was the one responsible for sealing Hecate. He did not know what to expect from her in the style of attacks she would be more familiar with.
"We do not know exactly what she might be capable of," Arthur fingered the hilt of Excalibur. "All we know is that she may have even been a more powerful than Morganna."
They had approached the steps to the back of the stage and were nearly sent flying back from the small explosion that took place. Arthur used his arms to shield his eyes from the bright flare that erupted form the the platform. Before the explosion he could have sworn he had seen both Gray and a woman he had never seen before both become surrounded in force fields of glowing light.
"Gray!" Rory's voice was drowned out by the transformaton of the Irishman into the Celctic hero.
"Merlin," Arthur ecchoed. Excalibur was immeditaly unsheathed as he turned back towards the stage. to his horror it wasn't Gray who turned towards them bu the odd woman.
"Nuh-uh," her eyes glowed with a blue illuminence. She pointed at them and waved her hand around. "Naughty, naughty. This isn't for you."
"Merlin!" Arhur bellowed as he charged up the steps toward the stage. He had only made it to the top of the stage when he smacked agaisnt something that sent him flying backwards and landing on Cu Chulian. The transformation dropped, reverting the legendary hero back to Rory, the second both men toppled onto the ground.
"Can you remove that shield, love?" Griff asked as he reached down to help Gray to his feet.
"I don't think I can," Tabby slowly approached the stage with her hands held out in front of her, ready to feel for the shield. "I don't think I'm strong enough to match up agaisnt her and I doubt it woulld be a good idea to try to mix magics."
"Don't even try," Hecate tore her gaze from them as an elliptical energy engulfed the female figure high above the stage. The glowing energy plumped up and took on a shape of a fist. It did not seem to be affected by constant blasts of energy being fired off by Gray. One large blast that lasted for a few minutes made the fist pause for a few seconds before it spun around and shot straight down towards the ragged rock musician.
Gray did not have enough time to block the onslaught, only having a few seconds to create a small shield before the energy fist struck him head on. The force was enough to send Merlin tumbling backwards. Merlin shook his head, knowing he did not have time to check out his body to see the bruises that were forming or to feel his mouth and nose were blood was leaking. He only had enough time to turn to where his former student stood waiting.
"Arthur, don't do anything." Merlin warned and he rose back to his feet
The words had barely escaped his swollen lips when Hecate dove beneath the stage and appeared right behind Merlin. Her hands, covered with cackling electricity, grabbed onto Merlin's shoulders. The halfling nearly shook out of her hands from the first impulse, but she held fast, only releasing one hand to send Arthur and Griff flying backwards when they tried to interfere.
"We both told you to stand down," Hecate snarled. Her eyes shone with a triumphant gleam. "Don't make me have to spank you again."
"Set back," Merlin staggered back to his feet. If he were a mere mortal the strike combined with the eletrical charge would have killed him. "No magic's from you Tabby, and no Celtic hero either."
"It all ends here," the corner of Hecate's mouth twisted into a cruel smirk while her left hand balled into a fist. She grabbed Gray by the collar of his shirt and struck her fist under his left eye. The strike was strong enough to send him stumbling, but not strong enough to knock him out.
"Damn it," Merlin shielded his face. "You felt I deserve that."
"Of course you did," She levitated several feet. "Now we are even."
"What?" Rory was not sure he had heard her right. "You just wanted to beat him up?"
"I said it was going to end." More of the violate lightening covered Hecate's body before she disappeared.
"That's it?" Griff blinked. "That was all she wanted to do?"
"Unpredictable as always," Merlin had brought his hand to his mouth. "Never would have expected she would use another fist."
"Second one wasn't magical." Tabby took one cautious step closer to the stage. She held her hands out to toest to see if the shield was there. She flet no sing of any eletrical disturbance and ran over to where Merlin stood"Still didn't mean it didn't hurt."
"Of course it hurt." Gray rubbed his hand against his mouth, wiping off some of the blood. "She's stronger than a human."
"All she wanted to do was beat him up?" Rory still couldn't believe what he had seen. "All this just to beat him up."
"You heard him," Griff approached the steps behind his mate and Arthur. "This Hecate is obviously unpredictable."
"We should get you cleaned up," Arthur gingerly slipped one arm asunder Merlin's armpit. "And have a doctor check you out."
"Let me explain to the audience first," Merlin pulled away from him. "If they see how badly injured I am then they would'nt riot and risk hurting themselves."
"Are you certain they will not storm the stage?" Rory asked.
"You got to have faith in people."
"What about Hecate?"
"She's not going to cause too much trouble." Gray smiled weakly. "She did give me the power to unfreeze the audience. Griff, I think it would be wise for you and Tabby to leave the stage before I unfreeze them."
"Isn't she part of the unseelie?" Tabby asked.
"She's not apart of any side but her own. She loves mortals since they amuse her. She doesn't want to see them in serious harm or in permantent suffering." He weakly approached the edge of the stage and turned towards the audience.
Deep green hands held the plastic bowl under the tap while water russhed over it's surface. Ekidna used a damp wash cloth to give the bowl a thougho scurrbing.
"I jusst got off the phone with Arthur Pendrill," Dr Edwards entered the kitchen. He had recently showered and was dressed in terrycloth bathrobe, sleek black pants he wore to bed and nothing else save for the necklace of runes he always wore around his neck. "Turnss out it wass caused by ssome demon and faerie hybrid."
"One that had just been created?" Ekida removed her gaze from the bowl asshe rinsed it off. The answer seemed very unlikely.
"No," Edwards shook his head. "It turnns out a group of foolss had ssummoned her."
"There are so many humans who don't know what they are doing." She turned the faucet off. "Yet they still do whatever it is they don't know how to do. Has this being been contained?"
"Only her trickss from thiss evening. They don't know where she had flown off too."
"This doesn't leave me at ease."
"They are not worried. The foolss who did the summoning were banned from the magic store."
"I would have done much more than simply ban them," Ekidna grabbed a small towel. She turned towards Edwards when she heard hissigh. "I'm sorry. I know it hurts you when I speak ill of the humans."
"You are trying. I don't blame you in a way," he shrugged. "I would have ssmacked them across the headss myself. Except for thosse little beasstss that gave us quite a ssurprisse how did you enoy thiss holiday?"
"I did enjoy the fact that I don't have to hide myself," she gave the bowl one last wipe. "I love the children being polite and giving me compliments. A few even wished there were 'real' snake women."
"You ssee?" He approached her to take the bowl back to his study. "You jusst have to take baby sstepss." He held onto her hand for a full minute before he pulled away.
The End