Broken Wings
Chapter 3
Night found roars accompanying the waking of the Gargoyles. Stiff limbs were stretched and yawns joined the shattering of stone as they were freed from their slumber.
A pleased expression passed Goliath's face as he was reminded that new friends had joined them the night before. It always gave him a small amount of joy to see their numbers grow, like when Angela had united with them. It pleased him more to see her with a mate as it showed the potential for the clan to continue to grow.
"Goliath, my friend," Curran said hopping off the battlements and striding up to meet him. "Thank you for the roost. Your hospitality has been beyond generous."
"It's the least we could do." Goliath's booming voice responded. "Please come in."
Morrigan watched Hudson go to Goliath as well. She had found him past admirable the previous night. From what she had learned of him awed her. A true leader and warrior lay beneath the tough aged exterior. The stories he had waiting found her hoping to hear, as a child waits for a bedtime story. His cool demeanor and level headed actions made her want to learn from him, as she silently deemed him mentor worthy.
They all convened in the courtyard of the castle, where the night sky was open to them and the chilly wind allowed the raw elements to remind them that they were alive.
"Should we patrol?" Lexington offered, as he caught Doyle's eye who seemed to be boring into his soul.
"Yes." Goliath said with certainty. "Brooklyn go along too."
"Perhaps I should follow…" Doyle offered. "I can offer little to the conversation that I know is to come. But with these two I can learn the city as you know it."
"Unfortunately it must be more deeply in shadow than it has ever needed to be in the past." Goliath responded.
"Ah yes." Doyle drawled. "The Quarrymen. It's only appropriate that we come to understand what you know about the 'safe' places in the city."
Goliath nodded definitively despite Lexington's dirty glances, however they did not go unnoticed by Kerry.
"I'll go too." She slipped in behind Brooklyn, trying her best not to appear too close; however her attempt went unsuccessful. Doyle puffed up quickly and Brooklyn glanced over his shoulder at the slight creature off his right shoulder. She, in turn, sank a little; realizing she'd moved inappropriately but went on despite that. "It would be useful for two of ours to understand the city."
When Brooklyn turned, to head toward the edge of the castle, he intentionally brushed his shoulder gently against Kerry's which allowed an announced smile to pass between them. Her cheeks went rosy as she instantly found something very interesting to look at on the ground and Brooklyn allowed a pleased and proud single chuckle to escape him. It was no secret that Brooklyn easily fell for the opposite gender. At the first sight of Maggie, a genetically mutated cat-like winged girl, he fell hopelessly in love. It had taken many encounters for him to come to grips with the idea that she would never have romantic affection for him. When Angela had arrived he foolishly tried to vie her attention with the other young males, only to be rejected again in lieu of Broadway. Yet his rejections had not made him bitter to love, just dishearten. Kerry's tiny hints of flirtation with him, that he had noticed briefly the night before, gave him willful pride; both amusing and intriguing him. He enjoyed it very much and was more than willing to play along with her; secretly hoping that maybe she actually harbored genuine affection for him.
Again Goliath nodded. "Our lives can not stop because of possible dangers. We have never been a kind to let that prohibit us from living as we should." Goliath commented.
"Before you go." Morrigan took a step toward the four who had turned to the awaiting skies beyond. "Beware any Cardinals you might see. Be cautious of them."
"Cardinals?" Lexington questioned.
"Yes, of the papacy."
"Perhaps you should stay. At least to be made aware of that which might hunt you." Curran offered politely. "I believe our tale is as twisted as your own past. And should you come across those who would strike us down you might not find them an easy adversary."
"I can fill them in." Doyle hissed.
"We can." Kerry corrected, knowing that Curran would never allow a tale to be told by Doyle alone as he would leave out necessary information for the sheer fact of wanting to be coy.
As they set to the sky riding the updraft Lexington started out in a bout of which way was best to travel on a given night. He explained the layout of the burrows and pointed in several directions as he indicated where they were headed. He offered explanations about the city's dangers and how humans could be mean for no apparent reason; which made no sense to him.
"Lexington." Brooklyn interrupted.
The smaller gargoyle peeked over his shoulder only to find Brooklyn pointing toward the ground where Doyle and Kerry had started to circle. It was a dim alley where four well dressed individuals were congregating.
"What makes you think that's a problem?" Lexington asked. "They aren't mugging anyone."
"I didn't, they do." Brooklyn indicated the other two gargoyles. "Besides they don't want to know about which place serves the best pizza."
"Dive!" Doyle shouted and both he and Kerry twisted around and dove toward the gathering of humans on the ground.
"Come on." Brooklyn instructed as he soared toward the ground following them with Lexington hot on his tail. They watched Doyle ram into one and Kerry follow nailing the next clean in the chest and sending them both tumbling into a pile of garbage. Brooklyn and Lexington landed just as the other two men realized they'd been attacked. There was a moment of surprised but it vanished quickly as a malicious smile winked out at Brooklyn. Both men were dressed in crisp white robes with little other decoration.
"Stupid creatures. How naive of you to fall head first into a trap." The smiling one said as Doyle pinned the one he had pummeled to the ground and Kerry was climbing out of the trash pile while her opponent lay unconscious under the astray garbage.
"What?" She growled her eyes flashing red.
The man who hadn't spoke turned to her but his comrade jerked him back without turning his eyes, he was fixed on Brooklyn and Lexington. "Get rid of these two, don't harm Doyle or Kerry."
"Wh…wh…what?" The man stuttered as he fumbled in his robes and came out with a book.
"Give me that!" The man ordered snatching it from his grasp.
"No!" Doyle's eyes glowed white and he made to leap for the man but it was too late…he had already awkwardly shouted a series of undistinguishable words at Brooklyn and Lexington. A bright flash lit the entire alley as if the fabric of time and space had been ripped open to a place where sunshine was showering the land and Brooklyn and Lexington were gone.
As if they had been dropped from a second story building both Brooklyn and Lexington found themselves skidding to a halt using their faces. Spitting and sputtering Lexington hopped up and circled himself while Brooklyn spat out a mouth full of earth.
"Nice." He grumbled in a disgruntled fashion. As he picked himself up he found what Lexington had already discovered. The full moon was washing the landscape with pale white light. As far as the eye could see was rolling hills, dirt and trees.
"This isn't New York." Lexington's shoulders sank.
"Really?" Brooklyn asked. "What gave you that idea? The abundance of trees or the natural shrubbery?"
"Smells different too." Lexington went on.
"Yeah." Brooklyn agreed. "Wait! Do you hear that?"
Both gargoyles fell silent. In the distance there was a distinct roar and rhythmic beating on the ground.
"Let's go." Brooklyn waved Lexington in the direction of the sound.
The pair ran on foot for several minutes. They broke through the lightly scattered trees into an area of flat land. Both came to a sharp halt at an edge that dropped off in what appeared to be a ravine separating the land ahead; however across the way they could see what they had heard in the distance. A scuffle was in progress among several humans and one gargoyle. A pair of gargoyle wings extended out followed by a sharp roar.
"Kerry." Brooklyn mumbled. "At least she got drawn in with us, wherever we are."
She was involved in a battle across the ravine. There were several men on horseback that she was involved in fighting. She was managing the crowd fine with the help of, what appeared to be, two other humans. Viciously she dug her claws into one man's chest and chucked him over the edge where his scream became a faint cry in the distance before it could no longer be heard.
"We have to help her." Lexington's tone was that of worry. "There's so many of them."
No sooner had the words left his mouth and Kerry let out another victorious hiss beating her wings and a large wooden projectile shot from the cover of greenery behind her, across the ravine, and impaled her left shoulder sending her over the edge by its force.
"KERRY!" Brooklyn and Lexington's voice rang out, but there was a pause from Lexington, he heard a third echo he and Brooklyn's call. He felt Brooklyn take to the air following where Kerry had fallen as he turned to where he thought the accompanying voice had come from. Far off to his right another gargoyle was gripping the edge of the ravine leaning over where Kerry had fallen but was looking at him, just as he was perched on the edge looking at her.
Second's later Brooklyn soared over the edge, landing next to Lexington, with a heavily bleeding and unconscious Kerry in his arms. The tiny Gargoyle down the way was sprinting toward them her red eyes matching her bright crimson skin. She was small, smaller than Lexington; and like him it was clear that she was a web winged Gargoyle. Her tiny clawed hand grabbed Brooklyn's wrist jerking his arm down so she could get a good look at Kerry. Kerry's head rolled over in the quick motion, and she gave a soft groan but her eyes remained glued shut.
The small gargoyle gave a piercing series of howling shrieks. Her skin matched Brooklyn's and she had a beak, as he did though hers was shorter and narrower. She, likewise, had white hair; however her hair was wild and unkempt, a crazy amount of tussles that puffed out in jaggy spikes, with two red horns that jetted up from her forehead. She paid little attention to them and turned her angry glowing eyes across the way where she turned and sprinted toward edge.
"NO!" Lexington caught her tail just in time and both tumbled to the ground rolling in a cloud of dust.
"Lemmego!" She shrieked in her piercing howl. "I'm going to kill them! If I have to kill you first to get to them so be it!"
"No. They can't get to us from over there." Brooklyn added. "Please." He was begging. "She'll die if we don't get her help. Do you know somewhere we can take her?"
She moved back over to Brooklyn where she touched Kerry's arm and her aggression left at seeing the dying gargoyle. The spike that had pierced her shoulder was sticking through the flesh and out the other side of her body. It wasn't a traditional arrow, it was more the size of a large wooden stake. Instantly her eyes lined with tears as she petted Kerry's arm fighting the urge to break into sobs. "She's my dearest friend. She can't die. Come on Kerry." She shook her head fighting the sadness. "Yes, yes, I know where to take her. The camp. Come with me, quickly!"