Chapter Nine: Of Splinching and Trolls
It felt like forever, but it was really only a few seconds before the gryphon pulled back with a soft, uncertain whine. It studied him, scarlet eyes boring into him as if it could read his thoughts – Ed pulled his mental shielding as close as he could, suddenly grateful beyond measure that the 'team sense' was down and not all the magic in the world could bring it back up until the links healed. The gryphon might've taken over Greg – again – but it couldn't command them.
The whine grew louder. "Eddie…angry…?"
"No," Marina replied before he could even think of a response. She moved to the gryphon's side and something inside him burned as it looked to her at once, faith shining. "Elias, he's scared for you, I promise. He's not angry at all."
His sniper mask slid into place as the gryphon – Elias? – glanced back at him, cocking Greg's head to the side and anxious hope glimmering in the depths of scarlet eyes. "Pride? Come?"
Marina glanced around, her mouth tightening as she did so. Ed followed her gaze and spotted a number of rubberneckers, already gathering in clumps near their trucks. None of them had spotted the gryphon – yet – but it was only a matter of time. They needed to get the gryphon back to the barn before they ended up busting the Statute of Secrecy in front of every last man, woman, and child in Toronto because a half-human, half-gryphon was going to be headline news.
"Ed." He shifted back towards Marina, arching a brow. Her mouth went a little tighter. "His wings. Can they…?" She darted another glance towards the trucks and his throat went dry as he caught her second train of thought. Not good. Not good at all.
Locking down everything except what needed to happen next, Ed nodded to the blonde and turned back towards his team. One hand lifted to his comm. "Giles. Need you to Side-Along Greg back to the barn."
"Copy," the wizard acknowledged.
Behind him, the gryphon's whine grew louder and he shifted back in time to see its wings slump down, sorrow and anguish a living thing on Greg's face.
"Hey." He stepped closer to his friend, doing his best to ignore the gryphon traits. "It's okay; Marina's right. We aren't angry at you, but we gotta get you back to the barn before you end up on the evening news, buddy."
Scarlet darted away, avoiding him as the gryphon whimpered and edged behind Marina. "Pride not want."
Ed couldn't hide the wince. They'd been burned by the gryphon too many times to ever trust it. Greg, they wanted. Greg, they trusted. But the gryphon? After everything it had done to them, done to Greg… To see the thing loose again was his worst nightmare come to life. To see it trusting Marina… That was a horror unto itself, especially if Marina talked the thing into never letting Greg come back and staying with her.
Giles reached them before the Sergeant could come up with a response, letting out a low whistle at the sight of their lieutenant.
"Can you get him back to the barn?" Ed asked, sticking to practicalities.
The wizard examined the gryphon from head to wings to paws, frowning. Then he nodded. "Won't be the easiest Side-Along I've ever done, but not the hardest either."
"Good." The sniper shifted back towards the gryphon. "Lou's still at the barn, buddy. He'll take care of you till we get back."
The gryphon cast him a hurt, betrayed glance. "Pride sending away."
"No, I'm sending you to where we're goin' anyway," Ed countered. "You get to skip rush hour traffic."
Gryphon wings twitched. "Sending to bronze…?"
Oh joy, they were back to the colors. "Lou," Ed emphasized, scowling.
The wings twitched again, joined by a flick from feathery, furry lion ears and the gryphon looked away without responding. It held still as Onasi moved closer and grabbed its left arm. The wizard closed his eyes, jaw knitting tight in concentration, and then the pair vanished with a crack that was louder than usual.
Ed sucked in a steadying breath and turned his attention to Marina. Ignoring the scowl on her face, he held out a hand. "Greg's phone."
"Oh, by all means," she spat, pulling it out of her purse. "Worry about the phone and not Greg! I thought you were supposed to be his best friend!"
She thrust it into his hands and stalked past him, heading towards Team One's trucks. Left alone, the sniper forced himself to unlock the device, ignoring the tremble in his fingers. It opened right to a note-taking app, one they had on all their phones, but rarely used because the digital keyboards were such a pain to type on. Which meant… Marina had typed all this…
He scanned through the notes, noting that she must've been interrupted partway through – the bottom sections had highlights, but precious few details. Scrolling back to the top, his eyes snagged on two areas. One was a list of three warnings, supposedly from Greg. And the other… His breath caught, horror swirling in his gut.
Marina's account of how the gryphon had gotten loose again. How it had attacked her, only to be stopped by Greg. How it had chosen not to hurt Marina because Greg didn't want it to. Even a quote from the gryphon itself, declaring that Greg was its soul, necessary for its power and very survival.
He didn't want to believe it, wanted to power down Greg's phone and call Marina ten kinds of fool and liar, but… She was their best source for information and he'd already managed to alienate her. If they were going to save Greg, then he needed the knowledge she hadn't written down yet. That meant taking everything she said at face value until proven otherwise and mending the bridge he'd just burned his way through.
Grimacing, the sniper turned and jogged back towards the trucks, cradling the smartphone in his hands like the precious treasure trove that it was.
His brother and teammates were already back in their vehicles, so all he had to do was swing up into the driver's seat, pass Greg's phone off to Word, and pull out after KITT. The sniper buckled himself in one-handed as the Trans Am ahead of them made the first turn back towards SRU Headquarters. Rush hour was beginning to die down, but their trip back would take another hour, easy.
Pulling in a slow, steadying breath, Ed ordered his strategy, sorting it out in his head before he could get them any further into hot water with the crucial witness glaring at him from the backseat. He was aware of Wordy's anxious expression and the expectant silence over the comm, but he had to play this right.
"Word, give Marina Greg's phone. Unlock it if you have to."
"Copy," the big man acknowledged, tapping at the device before twisting in his seat and passing it back to Marina.
"Marina, if you could finish up those notes, we'd really appreciate that," Ed tacked on. He glanced up into the rearview mirror, doing his best to meet the blonde's eyes. "I'm sure Greg would appreciate it, too."
She huffed. "Don't negotiate me, Eddie. It doesn't suit you."
He winced at the direct hit. "Marina, I'm sorry, but…" he trailed off, searching for the words. "Look, it's… It's not the first time, if you know what I mean."
The blonde stilled. "This has happened to him before?"
"Yeah," he confirmed, sorrowful. "And, um… It's never turned out…well." Understatement – and he was scaring his teammates, but it couldn't be helped. They needed Marina's help, which meant getting her to understand just how dangerous the gryphon was. So he pulled in another breath and said flatly, "The only reason nobody died last time is 'cause by the time Greg lost control, he was dangling off the edge of a scoreboard a couple meters up."
"The gryphon's loose?" Wordy blurted, horror ringing loud.
The Sergeant nodded once, expression grim.
"Eddie, has…" Marina hesitated. "Has Elias killed?"
"Yes." Blunt, unvarnished. "First time was like this, only Greg was fully transformed. Gryphon went lethal on four subjects in a row; one of 'em was the same guy who'd hit him with the spell." Again, he met her gaze in the rearview mirror. "Once we got Greg back to human, he spent the next couple months tryin' to keep that thing in a cage. Every time he slipped, it got worse and worse."
"Until Fletcher Stadium," Wordy murmured. "Sarge spent almost a week in a coma after that, but he finally got the gryphon under control." The constable shivered. "Ed, this shouldn't be possible; the gryphon only got loose before 'cause Sarge's magical core was outta whack."
"I know, but it's the gryphon, Word. Wings, tail, paws – 'bout the only thing he doesn't have are talons." His fingers flexed on the wheel. "Marina, I didn't read all your notes, but it was a spell?"
"Yes," she whispered, subdued now that she understood why he'd reacted so badly. "It hurt him, Eddie. He was screaming and struggling the whole time and then…" She choked. "He just went limp and when he looked up again…"
"It was the gryphon."
"Yes. Elias."
Wordy blinked and twisted in his seat. "Elias?"
Marina nodded. "He…he didn't like me calling him Greg. Before they left, they said he was the darkest part of Greg's soul and he said…" She trailed off a moment. "He said when Greg talks, he fights."
"So you thought he was like Sarge's undercover identity?" Wordy questioned.
Another nod. "I needed to call him something, Wordy, and he certainly wasn't going to pick a name. He told those witches that he had to earn a name."
Both officers blinked. A name was…a name. Given by default, simply because everyone needed a name, either given, chosen, or nickname. The idea of having to earn a name… It just wasn't on their radar. And yet… Ed traded glances with Wordy – if the gryphon was claiming it had to earn a name, then maybe it had…learned its lesson? Figured a few things out since its last appearance?
"Eddie?"
He stiffened at her hesitant, yet insistent tone. "Yeah?"
"He's still Greg," Marina insisted. "He's wild and he's violent and he can't talk right and he doesn't even know how to unwrap a sandwich, but he's still Greg. The whole time we were escaping, he was putting himself between me and anything that might've scratched me. Heck, he's the one who figured out how to get out of our cell."
Wordy whistled low, impressed, but all Ed could see was those blazing scarlet eyes in Greg's face. And all he could hear was the snarl from when the gryphon's theft of his best friend's body had forced Greg into committing suicide.
As they landed in the small room that lay in the no-man's-land between the techie and magical sides of the barn, Giles Onasi was incredibly relieved to see that he hadn't splinched (2) himself or the partially transformed Lieutenant Parker. Especially since he'd been lying through his teeth when he claimed this wouldn't be the hardest Side-Along he'd ever done.
Surprisingly shrewd scarlet eyes examined him and Parker flashed a grin that revealed fangs surprisingly well suited to his partial Animagus form. "Not tell Eddie."
The wizard pasted on an innocent look. "What's to tell, Parker?"
It was the wrong thing to say; the massive brown wings sank down, right along with the furry, feathery ears on top of Parker's head. He couldn't see the tail, but he was betting the feathers on it had wilted.
"Not my human," the other said, averting his gaze. And was that a tear…? "Pride not want…"
"Like hell," he snapped, not even waiting for wide scarlet to jerk back. He jabbed the other man in the chest, ignoring every last one of the animal accessories. "They want you. All of you, Parker. And yeah, you are Parker, so stop denying it."
Parker growled, pushing his hand away. "Not my human. Not have soul."
"Oh, they dragged a dementor in?" Onasi demanded, sarcasm ringing. "Got a hint for you, Parker; if you'd lost your soul, there wouldn't be anything left. Just an empty shell."
That. Got a reaction. Parker backed away, ears flaring up, then laying back as he shifted to a partial crouch. The wings on his back flexed outwards, right in time with a scree! of alarm and the officer's right hand landing squarely on the grip of his gun.
The Auror froze in place, spreading his hands in a peace gesture. "Easy, Parker, easy. No dementors here; you'd probably sense 'em before I could."
Parker remained where he was, still in a combat-ready stance with his fangs bared and those eerie scarlet eyes fixed on Giles' every move.
"Look, I just Side-Alonged you back here. I don't know what happened between you and Lane or what happened after you and Marina disappeared from that clothing store, but here's what I do know, Parker. If I was still me when I was half-dead, half-insane, and suicidal after Revan died, then you're still you, even like you are right now."
The lion-like ears twitched and the lieutenant cocked his head to the side, intrigue joining the caution. "Divided."
"Yeah, maybe so, but two halves of a whole are still part of that whole."
The wings relaxed back towards their original folded position. "Why Eddie not see?"
Giles sighed. "They're too close," he explained. "And you burned 'em a couple times before. Your 'human', too."
Parker whimpered, sorrow and regret ringing in that plaintive sound. "Not tainted. Not twisted. Not again." The ears flicked back. "Want my human…"
"We'll figure it out," Onasi promised, though a frown tugged. "Wait…"
Parker's head cocked the other way, his ears rotating forward again. "Pride-Friend?"
"You remember everything your 'human' does?"
A shrewd, calculating gleam joined the intrigue in those scarlet eyes. "Yes."
"You think you could give us a Pensieve memory?" Giles blurted.
The stocky, winged figure reared back, hand leaving his gun. "What that?"
"Come on, Parker, I know you know what a Pensieve is…" The wizard stopped, examining the puzzlement on his companion's face, and his heart dropped. "You don't remember that?"
"Divided," the lieutenant reminded him, frustration leaking into his voice. "Have memories, but not my human. Not think like him."
Merlin's beard; he'd been hoping the broken English was the worst of their problems, but apparently Parker's mental incapacitation went deeper than that. Sighing, Onasi nodded and gestured for the other man to follow him. Once they were out of the room, he waited for Parker to fall in step next to him, then explained, "Marina's not magical, so she can't give us a Pensieve memory. A Pensieve is a magical artifact that allows you to view any memory placed inside it from a spectator's point of view, even if it's your memory."
"Let Pride see?" Parker asked hopefully.
He shook his head. "Sorry, Parker, but as far as I know, you gotta be a full wizard to use a Pensieve. The Pensieve does most of the work, yeah, but viewing a memory, especially somebody else's, uses some of your magic."
The lionish ears drooped and Parker heaved a sigh. "You? View?"
"That's my plan," Onasi confirmed. "The Unspeakables can't get us back inside the Ministry 'cause none of 'em are the Secret Keeper, but they managed to smuggle out a bunch of supplies, includin' testimony Pensieves."
"Special?"
He shrugged, rotating one hand in a so-so motion. "They work like most any Pensieve, but they're designed to hold and document one memory for evidentiary purposes. And they're enchanted to hold a copy of the original memory; regular Pensieves, once you take the memory out of your head, the Pensieve holds it till you take it back."
"Lose?"
"Technically, yeah, you forget that memory till you take it back. Unless you watch the memory, then you've kinda got a copy of it. I hear older wizards like to use 'em for that, 'cause they have a hard time sorting through all the memories they've got." Another shrug. "But even when the memory's in the Pensieve, you still know what it is. Some kinda magical connection, I guess; Pensieve theory's way over my head."
Parker frowned, a touch of savage behind that usually thoughtful expression. "Magic knows. But…" His tail lashed, the feathers ghosting over the back of Giles' leg and drawing a tiny jump. "…am Magic…"
Oooh, boy, maybe he hadn't thought this through. But it wasn't like they could ask the whole, undivided Parker. The version of Parker trailing him through the barn was the best they were gonna get. The Auror forced an extra note of confidence in his voice. "And like I said, once the testimony Pensieve's got the memory, it makes a copy and the original goes right back to you. Easy."
Two turns later, they reached the office that he shared with Simmons and Revan on those rare days when he worked in the Auror Division itself instead of being in the field with Roy, KITT, or Team One. Ducking in, the brunet headed for the supply closet they shared and pulled out one of the testimony Pensieves his old training Auror liked to keep on hand for office interviews.
It was small, made of German silver (3), and shaped like a simple chalice with a lid that could be fastened down to protect the memory within. Turning, he gestured Parker into the office; if he could get the memory before Parker got distracted by 'his Pride', he could hopefully have their next lead lined up by the time Team One made it back.
"Focus on your memory of everything that happened between when you and Marina got kidnapped to when you two got to that street we found you on."
Parker nodded once, sharp and decisive, and closed those eerie scarlet eyes. His jaw scrunched in concentration; behind him, Giles saw the feather-topped lion tail lash.
"Got it?"
"Do it, Giles."
He jumped – that sounded like Parker, the whole, undivided Parker – but brought his wand up and rested it against the other man's temple. Gently, with the greatest of care, he pulled the tip away, gratified by the sight of the typical wispy form of a Pensieve memory attached to it. Once the memory was free, he lowered his wand and slipped the silver wisp into the testimony Pensieve, left hand tapping against the runes to activate the device.
A soft blue light shone from the runes as they came to life with a subtle hum of power. Magic thrummed, imprinting the memory into the liquid already inside the Pensieve before the original memory was ejected, flying back towards Parker. He reared back, eyes snapping open as the wisp was absorbed into his chest. For an instant, white tinged with blue overlaid the scarlet, then the light faded as his magic reclaimed the memory.
Parker blinked, a faint grimace appearing as he relived his own memory. Then he shook his head and refocused. "Have now?"
"Yep," the Auror confirmed, flipping the Pensieve's lid shut and latching it down to protect the evidence within. "Let's get you to Lou and Kira; then I can take a good look at this."
Parker literally perked up, lionish ears and wings rising at his words.
Onasi choked back a laugh and was about to point the other man out of his office when a last second thought occurred. He hesitated, curious, but unsure if he should ask.
Gryphon wings flexed and Parker cocked his head to the side. "Pride-Friend Giles?"
"What does my magic look like?" he blurted.
The wings flared a touch, but Parker didn't jump. Instead, his expression turned…thoughtful. Scarlet examined him from head to toe for an instant, evaluating what the lieutenant alone could see. "Orange," he finally replied. "Dark, for grief and sorrow and loss."
The Auror's throat closed. "Dustil," he rasped. "Morgana." Revan…
"Yes." The word held a gentleness that was so very Parker, yet jangled against his scarlet gaze and feral stance. Onasi shivered at the compassion in the other man's eyes, so very out of place in his current predatory mindset. And yet… The gryphon, the magic, that was Parker's core, somehow present even with half his mental capabilities ripped away by the Witches' spell. His essentials, untouchable by any magic, no matter how old or powerful.
With every word over the comm, Lou felt himself tensing up more and more. Kira hadn't seen the gryphon herself, but he remembered that awful day in Fletcher Stadium like it had been yesterday. Sarge's farewell, relayed by his captor-turned-captive. The heartbeats when he'd hated Ed, 'cause his team leader was about to give the order. The order to murder their own Sergeant.
Only for the whole team to stare in disbelief as an arrow cut through the rope and Illishar dropped from the ceiling like a gryphon avenging angel, shooting down and catching Sarge before the fall could kill him. A miracle had saved Sarge that day – a miracle and a group of Halloween Shades willing to sacrifice their own existence to heal the breach between Sarge and his own magic.
Then he heard bootsteps, coming closer, and his spine straightened so quickly he almost heard it crack in protest. Mental shielding, instinctive after so many months – years – when they'd had to do it manually, slid into place, locking down tighter than Fort Knox. The gryphon was not going to get inside his head and take advantage of his trust in Sarge.
The two officers turned, Lou wary and Kira curious, just in time to see Auror Giles Onasi stride into the SRU atrium with a semi-familiar figure right behind him. Kira let out a tiny gasp at the pure scarlet of their lieutenant's eyes while Lou struggled to keep from gawking at the wings.
He'd seen them before, of course, back when Sarge had first been struggling with his gryphon instincts right after McKean, but it hadn't really sunk in at the time since they'd been trying to keep Sarge from taking a header over a cliff. Later on, after it was all over, Sarge had apologized for scaring them and explained why he'd been so close to that cliff, but none of them had been impressed with his 'fear-as-a-weapon' solution to the gryphon problem.
Now, though, the less-lethal specialist stared at the huge, human-sized eagle wings jutting up proudly over his lieutenant's shoulders and back. Brown, with a darker hue along the leading edges of the wings. Past the gap between the wings and Sarge's lion-like legs, he could see the gryphon's tail, topped with a fan of eagle feathers – dark brown where they connected to the tail, but fading to a lighter brown as they extended out.
The black of his lieutenant's Narnian armor was somewhat jarring against the varying browns of wings, tail, and legs, but once he got over the initial shock, it didn't look half-bad. In fact, it took Lou almost a minute to spot medium-brown lion-like furry, feathery ears perched atop Parker's head, tucked in the remnants of his brown hair. Out of place, yet they fit in the blend of human and gryphon.
Dark eyes fell to his boss's hands, but they hadn't acquired the same talons as last time. Which was a good thing, considering the gryphon's only real weapon was the gun still tucked in its holster and strapped to Sarge's right leg. Although Lou was less than pleased that Onasi had let the gryphon retain a weapon.
Finished with his inspection, the constable forced himself to meet those scarlet eyes – and blinked. Beneath the sinister hue, the gryphon's expression was…hopeful. Tentative, with fear buried in the depths, but earnestly seeking a second chance. Waiting for Lou himself to make the first move.
Moving out from behind the dispatcher desk, Lou said, "Hey Sarge."
The gryphon tilted its head to the side, studying him. Then it canted a glance at Giles. "My human…?"
"He's got a lot of nicknames," the Auror filled in. Shifting towards Lou, he added, "I got him used to Parker, but he still won't let anyone call him 'Greg'."
"Marina's been using 'Elias'," Lou offered, keeping one eye on the gryphon as he spoke.
"What, like Parker's undercover identity?"
"Yes," constable and dispatcher chorused; the gryphon churred a laugh in the background at Onasi's startled expression.
Lou bit back a smile of his own and shifted back to the gryphon, pulling his shields a hair tighter. "So…stick with Elias?"
Lionish ears flicked back and forth for several seconds before the gryphon nodded. "Yes, Bronze…" Wings and ears wilted. "…Lou…"
"How come names are so tough for you?" Lou demanded, crossing his arms. "You wouldn't like me callin' you Scarlet or Red."
Confusion glowed. "Is…right… Why mad?"
His jaw dropped open. "Wait a sec…you wouldn't mind?"
Elias's shoulders shrugged right along with his wings. "My magic. Why bother?"
"And he can see the colors, remember," Giles pointed out. "Prolly can see magic easier than he can remember his human memories."
Oh. Lou hadn't thought of that. If Sarge – Elias – was operating with a simpler, restricted frame of mind, then maybe he really was doing the best he could with what he had. Even if it meant he was calling them by their magical colors instead of their names.
Sighing, Lou scrubbed a hand through his buzz cut. "Okay, okay. We'll lay off, Elias. Just…could you try to remember our names?"
The gryphon perked up and nodded. "Will try," he promised. "Remember Lou." Scarlet darted sideways. "Remember Pride-Friend Kira."
Wait a sec…they hadn't told Elias that…
Even as a suspicious glare landed on Giles, the Auror spread his hands. "I said he had a harder time remembering his human memories, not that he couldn't do it."
"Just for that, smart guy, I wanna know your color," Lou snapped.
Mischief shone in scarlet and Elias smirked, so much like Sarge that Lou had to double-take. "Dark orange," the gryphon proclaimed, tail lashing in a very smug fashion.
Onasi groaned. "Parker, your gryphon side is a total troll, you know that, right?"
The smirk widened. "Yes…" Elias agreed, crossing his arms. One wing arched out and the gryphon pointedly examined its outer edge. "You splinched my favorite flight feathers."
[2] If an Apparition is unsuccessful, clothing or body parts can be left behind in the starting location. The severity can range from minimal (loss of hair) to life-threatening (loss of flesh, muscle, or entire body parts).
[3] An alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc (typically 60, 20, 20) that looks like silver. Named after its development by 19th-century German metalworkers.
Author note: As ever, I hope you all enjoyed today's chapter. For anyone who missed it, I posted this year's Halloween story on Halloween.
In other news, my story coach is working on my November submission for Small Beginnings and my apartment complex forced all residents to 'upgrade' their apartments with 'Smart' Technology - a new lock and a new thermostat. Aside from the huge privacy concerns surrounding 'Smart' Technology, I can now report that the brand of 'Smart' Technology installed in my apartment complex (SmartRent) is dumber than the technology they replaced.
It is fully dependent on the resident having a smartphone, there's no physical backup on the lock, and minimal physical controls on the thermostat. Worst of all, their so-called 'Smart Home App' can't even supply the same functionality as my old programmable thermostat! Was it a pain to set that up when I first moved in back in 2018? Oh, you bet it was - but once it was set up, it worked a treat and had separate schedules for if you were on Heat or Cool.
SmartRent's 'Smart Home' only has 1 schedule, based on time alone! Nor does it have a Hold button that can hold a temperature and revert back to the scheduled temperature as soon as you turn Hold off. Talk about a devolution in technology!
As you can tell, I'm still steaming, thus my rant. *sigh* I think I've gotten it out of my system now...
Anyway! If anyone has any prayer requests (or you have your own rant that needs an audience), please feel free to review or PM me.
Have a great weekend and 'see' you in two weeks!