The hotel room Owen provided was ideal for them both to clean up and change into the new clothing they had purchased in the shops. It also supplied two comfortable beds for Luach to get some much needed rest. Knowing the sorts of things Goliath must have told him about her, she thought it reasonable to offer to leave so he could sleep without fear, but he assured her that it was unnecessary and that he trusted her not to murder him in his bed. So, as he worked through his first experience in a modern bathroom, she relaxed in an armchair and turned on the television. It had been many months since she'd been allowed even a few minutes to watch television, and only took a few minutes to convince her that she had missed nothing significant. So she switched it off and watched the storm through the window as she tried to make sense of everything she and Luach had discussed.
The sound of the rain was pleasant and brought to mind pleasant memories. She had rested her head against the side of the chair and closed her eyes so that she was a bit startled when Luach emerged from the bathroom, clean and groomed, and wearing the clothing of a modern, young man.
"I'm not yet accustomed to the clothing of this age," he confessed awkwardly and she smiled.
"I'm not yet accustomed to wearing human clothing at all," she pointed out, "So you are in like company."
She intentionally took her time in the bathroom, hoping to give him ample time to fall asleep, but as she emerged wearing a simple sundress bound by a drawstring that criss-crossed across her back, she found him not asleep or even in the bed, but sitting more or less where she had been, watching the rain, the village, and the occasional car or umbrella pass by beneath them. He smiled when he saw her.
"Can I gather that your Highness approves of this outfit?" she asked sarcastically and he laughed, "I chose it because it slips on and off easily over my own clothing and ought to fit easily in my bag after I transform back into a gargoyle
"Aye, that will do!" he laughed and he gestured for her to come and join him at the small, cramped hotel table where he'd taken out some of the food they'd bought.
"The spell that keeps me alive doesn't require that I nourish myself," she told him, "So I rarely do. Food gives me little comfort or pleasure."
Luach's face fell a bit at this sad revelation.
"Would you like to get some sleep then?" he asked, eyeing the two, comfortable-looking beds in the room.
"I may rest a bit but I most likely won't sleep either. Most of my attempts at human sleep are plagued by nightmares. The control panel that Lexington carries for me can force me to sleep properly, but I didn't think to bring it along."
Luach looked even more distressed after learning of her chronic state of restlessness, and she offered again to leave so he could have some privacy.
"Please don't leave," he asked, "How could I sleep, thinking of you wandering somewhere, alone in this storm?"
She laughed again at his foolishness, insisting even as they heard a low, menacing growl of thunder, "I don't mind the rain! I like the sound of it and how it makes everything seem cleaner. It isn't cold outside today. I could wander alone in the rain until sundown and be just fine."
"You only just got clean and dry!" Luach exclaimed with a laugh.
"I'm not supposed to be clean and dry!" she complained, "My temperament isn't suited to it. And I'm not meant to spend hour upon hour indoors, pacing about with a cotton frock, smooth hair, and shoes."
"You're right, Demona," he replied with warm sympathy, "But I wish you would stay."
"Very well then. I will stay," she agreed, resting herself into the companion chair on the other side of the table and continuing to gaze out at the storm, which was rising and turning the sky quite dark.
After a while, Luach transferred himself to the nearest bed and attempted to make himself comfortable on a luxurious mattress and what seemed like a great tower of superfluous pillows, the likes of which he had never seen. He lay quietly, and for a time, all she heard was an occasional door opening or closing downstairs, and the pleasant, soothing sound of the rain.
"Demona?" Luach asked, breaking the silence, "Who was that young lad?"
She froze at the question.
"What lad?" she asked, trying to buy some time.
"The child I saw you with yesterday," he replied, turning to look at her over his shoulder, "The one who brought me the money for food. The one you told me was lost?"
For a moment, her mind scrambled to come up with some sort of believable lie to spin for him, but she realized that she longed to tell someone the truth.
"He is a halfling who has been visiting me for nearly a year now," she confessed, "He comes at his own will. He brings me gifts. He helps me sneak about. Why? I have no idea. But, it was he that smuggled me out of the castle so I could begin this quest in the first place."
"A Halfling? Did he give you his name?" Luach asked earnestly, completely forgetting his nap. Demona was happy that he took her seriously, but surprised by his apprehensive reaction.
"He says he can't tell me. But if I guess correctly, he says he will give me a prize."
"What could this mean?" Luach wondered aloud to himself, then he asked her urgently, "Does he come to you alone? Or are there any other fair folk with him?"
"Always alone," she told him, "And if I am not alone, I'm the only one who sees him."
"But I saw him yesterday," Luach pointed out.
"Yes, and so did the ice cream vendor," she agreed, then added defensively, "I'm not mad. He really is there and he really does speak to me."
"I know you aren't mad, Demona," he assured her.
"You may know it," she replied, "But my clan has every reason to believe that I am insane. That's why I haven't told anyone but you. Not Goliath and not even my daughter. I…couldn't bear it if they didn't believe me."
"Does this Goliath think so little of you?" Luach asked with a touch of scorn.
"He didn't always," she replied sadly, "And it is my own doing. He may be a fool in many ways, but he's not wrong to be cautious of me. You would do well to do the same."
"You may have given him great reason to doubt you," he conceded, rising from the bed and kneeling before her at the arm of her chair. "But still, I believe he is wrong about you. You are not the monster he says you are."
Slowly, she took his hand and held it. It seemed so large and strong now, compared to the two smaller hands of her human form. She recalled the first time she had ever held his hand in her claw. How small it had been then, and how nervous she had been to take it, even as the young prince gazed back at her with trust and admiration. Her eyes burned as her consciousness was flooded with memories of the friendship they had once shared and she found herself struggling not to weep in front of the kind, faithful soul the young prince had grown to become.
"Since I'm telling you all my secrets, I should find the courage to tell you this most important one," she began, "You are right that I'm not the heartless wretch that Goliath fears I am. At least, not completely. Nor am I as cold and callous as Xanatos. I grieved for your loss deeply. Even through my hatred and rage, I mourned when I heard the news of your death. Perhaps our friendship was ill-timed, ill-fated, or even imprudent given the circumstances, but it was real. I never meant to deceive or use you and it broke my heart to see you come to harm."
Luach didn't reply to her confession in words, but leaned forward and gathered her into his arms. She allowed him to do so and clung to his broad shoulder. Her tears flowed freely now, though her spirit was calm as the comforting rain and wind splashed against the window pane. Neither spoke or stirred for the longest time, but when she felt Luach begin to withdraw from her arms, she was entirely caught off guard when his lips met hers in a kiss.
So shocked was she that she didn't react as he lifted her from the armchair to the bed where he'd been resting a few moments earlier, and once there, kissed her again with intensified passion.
There could be no confusion now about his intentions and Demona's head swam as she tried to make sense of a tempest that was advancing at far too rapid a pace for her to navigate.
"Luach," she whispered, gently placing her hands on his face to stay him, "Don't you understand? It's only a spell. I'm not really a woman. I only look like one."
"But I've always loved you!" he pleaded as he caressed her face and pressed his own brow to hers, even as he pressed her body back against the hotel's mountain of fluffy pillows, "It makes no difference to me that you are a gargoyle. I never thought of your soul as any different than my own!"
"Be that as it may, my friend. I think you have advanced well past the realm of our souls and into the domain of our flesh, which remains of two very different natures, not meant to be joined."
He kissed her face softly and told her plainly, "I believe I could convince you otherwise, if given the chance."
He reached to kiss her again, this time finding her neck and shoulders, and she was troubled by the suspicion that he was absolutely right on that point. Moreover, her own body seemed to be advocating on his behalf. His lips found hers again and she found herself inexplicably, but wildly tempted to submit to his desires. She relaxed a bit, accepting and even embracing his caresses, surprised at how waves of pleasure seemed to wash over her in the dark, quiet room. She felt him reaching for her shoulders and she quickly seized his wrists in her own hands, giving him pause, He looked at her longingly, waiting for her to guide him.
And for a moment, she allowed her mind to indulge in the fantasy. How easy it would be for her to give him his way. To lose herself in the excitement and pleasure of his kisses. To guide his hands to her waist where her belt was fastened and allow him to show her the fullest extent of his love. And why should she not? Luach desired her human form and, as much as she destested it, she had little doubt that he could please her in it. Why not allow him to make her forget herself, her shame, and all of her pain, if only for a few moments? But then what? Only more sorrow and confusion. And she knew, kind, gentle and faithful as he was, she could never truly love him in the way he deserved to be loved. That place was taken in her heart.
She pushed his arms away from her gently, rising up from the mattress quickly.
"I am mated to Goliath," she told him breathlessly, trying to gain her composure.
"Goliath told me you were estranged," Luach replied in confusion.
"Even so," she explained, "I am bound to him. I may never know happiness in this life again, but still, I am his, now and forever."
"Forgive me," he murmured, clearly befuddled and a bit embarrassed, "I knew not that you-" He paused, looking at her with a saddened, bewildered gaze.
'Do you love him, Demona?" he asked incredulously.
"He enrages me often, he disappoints me constantly, his every judgemental glance is like a dagger to my heart, and I fear his obsession with protecting the most gruesome, callous human society the world has ever seen may well mean the complete extinction of our kind…"
She paused, her face filled with contempt and rage, and Luach touched her shoulder gently. He had hoped to comfort her, but she gasped with pain and her voice began to shake,
"And whenever the pain is too great for me to bear, I remember the sound of his voice and the words he once said when he loved me, and I can stay on this side of sanity a bit longer. And whenever I am crushed by the weight of guilt and solitude, I remember the warmth of his wings around my shoulder and I am not completely alone. And even now, when the occasion arises where he has a gentle word to say to me, I still know a small measure of peace."
Luach took her in his arms again, no longer wanting anything but to comfort her. He pulled a single pillow from the ridiculous pile, and bid her rest on it, wrapping the duvet over her trembling shoulders. Slowly, her breathing returned to normal and she wiped the tears from her face and said softly to him,
"Yes, I love him. I will love him until fate grants me the mercy of my last breath. This is my penance. To go on loving him, and living with the knowledge that he will never forgive me. And he will never know."
The storm outside began to settle back into a gentle rain. They could hear that the street had become busier.
"Let yourself sleep, Demona," he said firmly, "I am here to watch over you, just as I always have." Almost as if he'd cast a spell, she closed her eyes and her breathing grew soft and even.
Luach ensured that the duvet covered her completely, then knelt on the floor beside her and whispered,
"Dear Lord, let no demons or evil spirits torment her today. Let her rest, and dream of the one she loves. And let him dream of her as well, even as he sleeps frozen in stone. For if he is the one she loves, it is with him, she must be."
Whether it was Luach's heavenly Lord who caused it, or the mischief of Oberon's children, who sometimes act on His will, it cannot be said for certain. But she slept peacefully all the long summer day, and well past the time where the shoppers and vendors cleared out of the street to make way for pub goers and crowds of children at play. Luach slept as well, for several hours, then woke her a short time before the sunset.
"T'is nearly time to go," Luach told her as she started up suddenly, "And look what I found on the table."
Curiously, she took a large envelope from him and saw that it was addressed to her.
"That's strange," she commented, "I don't remember seeing it there when we came in." She opened it and found a large, silver medallion, wrapped in a silken cloth. There appeared to be words engraved on it, but they were worn and in a strange lettering that neither of them knew.
"What is it?" Luach asked.
"I have no idea," she admitted as she dug further into the envelope to find Owen's business card, and a set of documents bearing her photograph and the name "Adelpha Destine".
"He sent me a fake driver's license and passport!" Demona exclaimed, "And a credit card!"
"What are those?" Luach asked.
"Things that will come into use well before whatever this silver coin is, I'd wager," she said matter-of-factly, "But come on, we should have been back to the cliffs by now. Goliath will think I killed you for sure."
They gathered and consolidated their belongings as quickly as they could, and hurried down into the library. Demona made use of the last few minutes on the card she'd bought for the internet cafe and checked her email. To her dismay, she had received no further response.
"Hopefully, we will have better luck following the whims of a magical island," she said irritably.
They made their way toward the edge of the village. They'd gotten a good distance down the road, when Demona began to transform into her true form. The pain caused her to crouch to the ground, but once it was over she stood and Luach held her by the arm before climbing onto her back to ride the wind.
"T'is the way I have always known you," he said, "And the way I prefer you, even if it means you can never be mine."
"Thank you, my friend," she replied and the wind lifted them and carried them off toward the cliffs.